One of the things that a lot of people love doing when they arrive home from a long and tiring day at work is watching some TV, mostly because it allows them to relax both their minds and bodies. If you love doing the same thing, but frequently experience poor reception, there might be some problems with your antenna.
Now, you should know, there are various things that could hinder the reception you’re receiving, which is why you’ll first need to learn what might cause specific things to happen. Luckily, we’ve made things easier for you by compiling a list of the 5 most common antenna problems that you could try fixing by yourself. Let’s take a look:
Issues 01: “I Can See Double Images.”
The first problem you might be experiencing is seeing double images appear on the screen of your TV and this is also referred to as ‘ghosting’. This most commonly happens to people that live in apartment buildings, especially since the signals they receive reflect upon other, much taller buildings in the area. Basically speaking, you’ll be receiving the normal signal and the one that is being reflected, thus, there will be two images on your screen.
You shouldn’t worry, this could be easily fixed. All you’ll have to do is to determine a clear line between the buildings that might be standing between your aerial and the signals you’re receiving, and once you determine the line of sights, you should change the direction of your antenna. By changing the positioning of your antenna, you should be capable of solving the problem and if not, it might be time for you to purchase a new antenna.
Issue 02: “The Signal is Really Weak And Bad.”
This is one of the most frequent problems people experience with the TV. Now, this can be caused by a wide range of things, including you being too far from the broadcasting centers, there might be some obstacles – such as hills, trees, and buildings -between you and the stations that are blocking the signal, or your aerial might be damaged from the weather conditions. You should know, there are several solutions to this problem.
For starters, you might have to call a professional that’ll install your antenna at a higher position or if you don’t want to spend money on this right away, you should purchase a booster that’ll improve your reception. A weak signal could also be caused by a broken cable or one that has disconnected from your antenna, hence, ensure that you check the cables and wires as well before choosing to call an expert that’ll help.
Issue 03: “The Picture is Fuzzy And Pixelated At All Times.”
Again, there can be various causes to this problem, however, in most cases, it’s caused by electrical interference, meaning that the appliances you use in your home could weaken the signal. Some devices such as your vacuum can be easily detected when they cause pixelation when it’s being used, but others might be a little bit more daunting and time-consuming to detect, including your thermostat or your refrigerator.
How can you determine which device and/or appliance is causing reception problems? Well, it’s relatively easy, you should switch off each of them one at a time and figure out which one is causing issues for you. Keep in mind, if you can’t figure out what’s been hindering the signal, you might have to call an expert to help you move your antenna to another location since it might be close to electrical poles. You should also learn more about the services you can opt for before hiring a professional that’ll help you.
Issue 04: “I Can See Pixels And The Shows Are Constantly Lagging.”
If you constantly see pixels – even though your TV is relatively new – and if the movies and shows you watch lag all the time, the cables and wires going from the antenna to your TV might have started deteriorating. In most situations, the jackets of cables might have started wearing off, which is why you must ensure that you check all the cables, meaning that you should also check the ones that are located outside of your house.
Water, the weather conditions, extreme cold and heat, pests, debris, and other contaminants could be causing problems for the cables located outside, thus, you should inspect them as soon as you can. If you’ve installed the antenna more than a decade ago, the wires and cables are most likely worn out and you’ll have to replace them. Again, you can either try replacing them on your own or you could call a professional that’ll help you make the entire process less daunting and less time-consuming.
Issues 05: “I Don’t Have a Signal At All!”
Last on our list of problems is the fact that the antenna might have been the problem all along. If your signal is always bad and if you’ve done everything from this list to try and improve it, you should look at your antenna, mostly because it’s probably causing these nuisances. If it’s quite outdated and old, some of its components might have been damaged or they might have fallen off, which in return, causes bad performance.
Before going ahead and purchasing a new aerial, you should first determine whether it’s positioned at the optimal height, if there are any obstacles between it and the broadcasting centers, as well as if the cables are all connected. It also has to be pointing in the direction of the broadcasting towers. If you determine that everything we’ve mentioned is okay, it’s definitely time for your to purchase a new aerial and replace your old one.
Conclusion
Although a lot of homeowners don’t realize it, the problems they’ve been experiencing with their reception don’t mean that the antenna is causing it. In fact, your appliances, obstacles between you and the broadcasting centers, as well as damaged or broken cables can all cause such problems and luckily, they can be fixed easily.
Since you now know more about what might be hindering you from watching your favorite shows and movies, don’t lose time. Instead, determine what might be causing the problems, and then try fixing it on your own. Of course, if you aren’t successful, it might be time for you to call an expert that’ll know exactly what needs to be done.
