Is there such a thing as a digital television signal amplifier?

high quality indoor hdtv antenna image

sadwolf

I just bought a new digital tv, so there is no converter box , and only one of the digital channels come in. the rest are just blank. I know it is because I live too far away from the transmitters in chicago. Does anyone know if there is an amplifier I can use for a tv only?

Answer
What are you using for an antenna? Before you purchase any RF amplification you should read Peter Putmanâs articles and check the AntennaWeb reference, to which Iâve posted links below.

On the subject of RF amplification for DTV signals: if youâre using an outdoor terrestrial antenna (and hopefully you are) then I recommend that you take a look at the high-performance, ultra low-noise Type 9254 HDTV preamplifier (with the Type 9252* weatherproof masthead-mount enclosure) and Type 9255 power supply combo from Research Communications rather than purchasing your standard, run-of-the-mill RF line amplifier or distribution amplifier. *(If youâre using an indoor antenna simply omit the waterproof/weatherproof masthead enclosure.)

Low-noise RF (booster) amplification should be located reasonably close to your antenna elements in order to minimize the amplification of RF noise and interference, hence the masthead-mounted enclosures. Itâs important to keep in mind that using RF booster amplifiers can be a âdouble-edged swordâ particularly if you live in an above-average electromagnetically noisy environment.

You may also want to consider upgrading your antenna. Again, if you are using an outdoor terrestrial antenna then you should take a look at the various off-air terrestrial TV antennas from Terrestrial Digital / Antennas Direct and other manufacturers. The optimum combination of pre/amplifier and off-air antenna, along with a good quality antenna rotor system, should provide a noticeable improvement in performance.

Research Communications, Ltd.
High Performance HDTV Preamplifiers
http://www.researchcomms.com/hdtv.html

Terrestrial Digital High Definition TV Antennas
http://www.terrestrial-digital.com/hdtv_antennas.html
http://www.antennasdirect.com

Channel Master Amplifiers and Preamplifiers
http://www.channelmasterintl.com/amplifiers.html

Winegard Off-Air Home Antenna Products
http://www.winegard.com/offair/products.htm

######## RESOURCES ########

HDTVexpert¹ â Digital TV Reception
http://www.hdtvexpert.com/pages/receptionpf.htm
HDTVexpert¹ â Indoor HDTV/DTV (8VSB) Reception
http://www.hdtvexpert.com/pages/8vsbpf.htm
HDTVexpert¹ â DTV Reception Out On The Fringe
http://www.hdtvexpert.com/pages_b/ReceptionOnTheFringe.html

¹(I also highly recommend that you read Peter Putmanâs indoor and outdoor HDTV/DTV antenna tests while youâre at it.)

AntennaWeb - âMaximize Your Antenna Receptionâ
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

The National Translator Association
2007 Convention Papers
http://www.tvfmtranslators.com/nta1_005.htm

WTFDA DX Equipment Reviews
http://www.wtfda.org
WTFDA Forums
http://www.wtfda.info
________________________

Interference [to Home Electronic Entertainment Equipment] Handbook
http://www.kyes.com/antenna/interference/tvibook.html

The ARRL RFI Book
http://www.arrl.org/catalog/6834/
RF Noise Identification Website
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/rfi-noise/
________________________

Question about digital converter boxes?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080315085600AA36otT
TV converter box coupon (where to buy box with analog signal)?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080314160545AA8ID2K
 

We bought a digital coverter box and we already had rabbit ears, how can we get a better signal?

Julie D

We are poor at the moment and can't buy a new set of rabbit ear antennas, the ones we have are pretty crappy and we tried using bread ties and it worked for awhile, but we switched tvs and the box works but now we can't get any channels and everything is set up right!! Help please

Answer
Off-air DTV reception is much more unforgiving when it comes to inadequate or improperly configured equipment. Digital TV signals, especially those on the constant edge of reception, can frequently come and go due to a variety of dynamic factors that can adversely impact your reception.

By themselves rabbit-ear antennas are nothing more than basic telescoping dipole antennas used strictly for indoor reception of VHF TV signals. Unless there are local TV broadcasters in your area using the Low- or High-Band VHF portion of the terrestrial TV spectrum for DTV broadcasting then rabbit-ear antennas will be useless. Most off-air DTV broadcasts are within the UHF portion of the TV spectrum, therefore you need a good quality UHF (and perhaps High-Band VHF) antenna of sufficient gain. Even with the proper antenna you will still need to aim it carefully in order to maximize the signal strength from each of your local TV stations. (By the way, there are numerous do-it-yourself TV antenna projects on the ânet that can provide excellent performance, esp. for consumers on a tight budget.) To keep noise and signal loss to an absolute minimum you should always use a high quality coaxial antenna downlead, (I highly recommend Belden Tri-Shield RG-6/U or RG-11/U coaxial cabling,) esp. if you need to use a fairly long downlead. And as a last resort you may even need to use a low-noise RF preamplifier for stations of interest that fall into Suburban or greater TX-RX distances.

It is also important to note that the proper outdoor antenna, when properly installed, will always outperform a typical indoor antenna. If possible you should always try to use an outdoor antenna.

Begin by heading over to the Digital forum and read their excellent and informative OTA FAQ & Knowledge Base. Next head over to the TV Fool Website and use their tools to map all of your local television station transmitters. (Be sure to read the TV Fool TV Signal Analysis FAQ before you begin mapping stations.) During the mapping process you will also be able to quickly determine if there are any stations in your area that are broadcasting VHF DTV signals, i.e., TV signals below 300 MHz. Once you have completed these two important steps you can begin searching for an off-air television antenna that will work best at your location for the stations you wish to receive; I have provided a list of several resources below that should help make that task a little easier.

######################## RESOURCES ########################

Digital Home Forum
â OTA FAQ & Knowledge Base
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=41102&pp=30
â Signal Amplifiers (Amps, Preamps, Distro Amps)
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=42426&pp=30

TV Fool
â Mapping Tools: Google Earth Coverage Maps and Interactive TV Coverage Browser
http://www.tvfool.com
â TV Signal Analysis FAQ
http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=57&Itemid=89

What antenna is best for the lower channels 4 5 7 9 etc?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090620100353AACQ7gM
Which is the best digital antenna?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090209141100AAZSR5n

Ultra Satellite & Antenna Voodoo (USAV) - Off-Air FAQ
http://www.ultrasatellite.com/category-s/15.htm

HDTV Primer
â Antenna Basics
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/basics.html
â Common TV Antenna Types
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/types.html
â Choosing an Antenna
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/choosing.html
â How Big Should the Antenna Be?
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/sizing.html
â Comparing Some Commercially Available Antennas
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/comparing.html
â Choosing a Mounting Site
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/siting.html
â It doesnât work! Now what?
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/fixes.html
â (Temporary page; good info not yet available through the main page)
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/TemporaryPage.html
â Erecting a TV Antenna (Main Page and Index)
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ISSUES/erecting_antenna.html

hdtv.forsandiego.com
â General over-the-air (OTA)
http://hdtv.forsandiego.com/messages/1/1.html
â Comments re: Lindsay Splitter/Combiners
http://hdtv.forsandiego.com/cgi-bin/show.cgi?tpc=4364&post=15877#POST15877

A/V Science (AVS) Forum
â HDTV Technical
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=25
â The Official AVS Antenna Topic!
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=381623&pp=60
â Antennas, rotators, boosters/preamps... for wide-band VHF/UHF
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=546066&pp=60

The Truckee FreeTV Consortium
http://www.hdtvtruckee.com

________________________

Yagis, Loops and Folded Dipole Antennas
http://www.imageevent.com/holl_ands/yagis

Folded Dipole TV Antenna
http://pigtail.net/nicholas/ctn/dipole.html

Martin E Meserve - K7MEM - Folded Dipole Design
http://www.k7mem.150m.com/Electronic_Notebook/antennas/folded_dipole.html
 

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