Do you look forward to watching your favorite movies and TV shows? If so, you’re not alone.
After all, there’s never been a better variety of entertaining content to enjoy every night of the week. And yet, premium content on streaming services and cable can cost you a small fortune.
Fortunately, digital antennas provide a wide variety of content for free. This is a great way to save money while still having the ability to watch your favorite shows.
If you’ve been needing to troubleshoot your TV aerial because you have no signal, you’ve come to the right place for help. This article takes a look at some of the most common problems and how to fix them. Keep reading to get the inside scoop.
Make Sure the Aerial Is Still Connected to Your Roof
When you start experiencing a bad signal or lose the signal entirely, you’d be wise to check the aerial attached to the roof of your home.
After all, if the antenna isn’t there, you aren’t going to be able to pick up the signal from broadcast stations in your area. This is especially important if you live in a region that experiences extreme weather conditions, including strong winds, rain, and snow.
An outdoor aerial can easily become detached from the roof and blow away. The best strategy is to climb up on the roof and carefully assess the situation before moving on to the next steps in the troubleshooting process.
Make Sure the Antenna Is Compatible With Your TV
Another common issue that causes a bad signal is installing the wrong type of aerial for your particular brand and model of TV. The key is to clearly understand the type of TV you own and then shop for an antenna that’s designed specifically to work with that model of TV.
Fortunately, the packaging for most digital receivers is clearly marked so that you can avoid buying the wrong piece of hardware for your TV.
Key in mind that an old school antenna won’t be able to pick up digital signals. And the latest TVs will likely all require a coaxial cable to properly connect. So if you don’t have one or both of these items, it’s definitely time to invest in a few upgrades.
Make Sure It’s Properly Connected
Now it’s time to make sure everything is properly connected. This includes both on the roof and on the back of your TV.
Most aerials should include a coaxial cable in the box at the time of purchase. But if the particular model you purchased doesn’t include the necessary cable, you’ll need to make that additional purchase.
Next, make sure the coaxial is firmly connected at the aerial. After all, without a solid connection, it doesn’t matter how much you invested in your aerial or your HD TV. Once you’ve checked the connection at the aerial, go ahead and check the connection at the back of your TV as well.
This should go without saying, but you should also confirm that your aerial is plugged into a power source if it’s designed with an internal signal booster. This can make a huge difference when it comes to picking up a signal from a tower located many miles away.
Make Sure the Coaxial Cable Is In Good Condition
If the poor signal quality continues, it’s time to check the rest of your hardware. This includes your coaxial cable.
This is especially important if your coaxial cable is old or has never been used before. After all, an older piece of coaxial could easily become damaged when stepped on, kinked, or partially severed with a blade. This often happens when coaxial is stored in a box of junk or in a workshop among tools. Once this happens, the coaxial will be useless.
It’s also important to remember that brand new coaxial cable can be damaged during the manufacturing process or the packing process. Thus it’s important to test the coaxial that comes with your aerial straight out of the box.
Once you’ve determined that your coaxial is good, you’ll be ready to proceed to the next step of the troubleshooting process.
Adjust the Antenna
The most simple form of troubleshooting your aerial antenna is to adjust the direction. After all, it’s no mystery that a bad signal can be caused by little or nothing. And yet it doesn’t cost anything to make whatever adjustments are necessary.
The best way to approach this process is to have someone keep an eye on the TV while you change the direction of the aerial. This is especially important if you’re dealing with an outdoor aerial attached to your roof.
Another option is to invest in a motorized aerial that lets you easily make adjustments to the direction from a controller inside the house.
Perform a Channel Search On Your TV
Once you’ve determined that all your hardware appears to be in good shape, it’s time to perform an automated channel search on your TV.
To do this, you’ll need to go into settings on your TV. Find the menu that includes channel programming and start the automated search feature. Make sure that you choose the option for the air signal so that it will search for every broadcast signal in the area.
This search will likely take several minutes, thus it’s important to be patient.
When the search is complete, scroll the channels to see if you can pick up all the major broadcast networks.
Buy a Signal Booster
You should also consider investing in a signer booster. This is a device that helps strengthen the digital broadcast signals in the area to improve your picture quality.
Here is a great antenna booster for TV.
Replace the Antenna
It’s also possible that your antenna is damaged or not functioning properly. When this happens, it’s time to buy a replacement.
A Homeowner’s Guide to Common Antenna Problems and Solutions
There’s nothing better than relaxing in front of the TV at night. Fortunately, these antenna troubleshooting tips will help you resolve reception problems quickly and easily.
Keep scrolling to discover more great lifestyle advice on this blog.
Danny White is a freelance writer who offers to ghostwrite, copywriting, and blogging services. He works closely with B2C and B2B businesses providing digital marketing content that gains social media attention and increases their search engine visibility.
