Our country is completely switching to digital television, abandoning an outdated analog signal. This means that now in almost every house a special antenna is connected, which transmits relevant information to the TV receiver. But what if your housing is located at a considerable distance from the television tower and you often encounter interference?
Professionals will advise you to purchase an amplifier for the antenna. To do this, you have to go to a specialized store and give a rather big amount. But there is another solution: make the amplifier yourself. To accomplish this, you do not need the presence of special skills and a large number of additional materials. What you need to do, you will learn in this article.
Features of the antenna amplifier
The amplifier is designed to make the antenna “active”. Let us examine this concept in more detail.
There are two types of television antennas:
- active;
- passive.
They differ from each other in that passive devices receive a signal solely due to their shape, and in active versions there are also other active elements. It is by adding an amplifier to the antenna that you will make it active, which will significantly improve the signal and achieve high-quality image and sound on a TV receiver.
Pros and Cons of TV Antenna Amplifier
Like any device, an amplifier has not only advantages, but also disadvantages. It is important to learn about them in advance and decide whether the unit is suitable for your needs.
Benefits include:
- Significant amplification of any signal, and therefore an increase in image quality;
- minimum noise level, unlike many other devices;
- wide range of frequencies.
But there are such disadvantages:
- the use of such a device often leads to signal overload - therefore, there is a need in some cases to install additional regulators;
- the amplifier is very much affected by the thunderstorm - most masters prefer not to take risks and install lightning rods, but there is no absolute guarantee that they will help;
- self-excitation of the amplifier may occur;
- there are signal loss at the output.
DIY antenna amplifier
The first step is to prepare all the necessary materials. It:
- aluminum plate;
- copper wire;
- bracket;
- adapter;
- self-tapping screws, nuts, bolts, washers;
- cable for TV;
- rubber tractor belt;
- insulating tape;
- hammer, wrench and other tools.
IMPORTANT! Even if you have experience in the manufacture of such devices, read the instructions in detail before starting work. It is important to understand in what sequence you need to perform actions, as well as why exactly every detail is needed.
Before you begin, you need to familiarize yourself with the scheme in order to better understand the principle of the device, as well as find photos of finished products.
The first step is to cut holes: three in rubber and one in an aluminum plate. Then, a similar hole is also made in the bracket and in the place where the antenna will be located. The wire is bent and then connected at the ends using a self-tapping screw.
Then you need to connect the adapter to the cable and isolate the connection. Now you need to assemble all the parts together. The final step will be the isolation of the cable and wire mounting points with electrical tape.
Amplifier connection
Another advantage of a self-made amplifier will be that the finished product does not have to be adjusted. Connecting it is pretty easy.
Connect the board to the room antenna and check the quality of the gain. There should be no unnecessary noise during operation of the device. The amplifier can be stored in a special case, which will provide reliable protection from any environmental influences.
The first time after connecting, monitor the quality of signal amplification. If you notice any problems, it is best to fix them right away.
IMPORTANT! Remember that not only the presence of an amplifier, but also the location of the antenna is important to get a good picture and sound. Therefore, be careful when choosing a mounting location. Do not forget about the need for a lightning rod.
Now you know what an amplifier for a television antenna is, why it is needed and how to make it yourself. With such a device, you will forget about interference and other problems associated with poor signal reception.
Television is one of the most popular entertainments at the moment, and the TV receiver is available not only in city apartments, but also in the most remote areas of the country, as well as in summer residences. With the development of modern technology, quality is only improving, so you do not need to give up the pleasure of watching your favorite shows just because your home is located in a place where there is poor reception of a television signal.
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