Antennas Provide Free Local TV to Millions of Americans
for More Than 70 Years
“One of the Most Important Requirements for Good Television Reception is the Antenna” – This headline appeared in the April 1939 edition of Radio News, a monthly magazine for amateur radio enthusiasts that expanded to cover the budding television industry.
It was true then, and it’s true now. If you’re one of the 72 million people in the U.S. who rely on an antenna to access free, over-the-air TV, then you know how important a good antenna is to ensuring you can watch your local news and favorite shows, not to mention getting emergency and weather alerts.
Until recently, the basic technology behind the TV antenna hadn’t changed much since 1953 when Marvin P. Middlemark patented the rabbit ears television antenna. His invention followed in the footsteps of radio pioneers like Heinrich Hertz and Guglielmo Marconi, who devised and tested various antenna designs.
Today, high quality over-the-air antennas have evolved in both performance and aesthetic design to address the switch from analog to digital signals and to meet growing consumer demand. If you are currently using or considering an antenna to get your local TV channels for free, here are some things to keep in mind.
There are two main types of antennas: indoor, typically located near the TV, and outdoor, located on the roof or in the attic. The most common indoor antennas are still “rabbit ears” and the loop antenna, but recently sleeker, flat versions of TV antennas have become popular. Outdoor antennas, which are larger but necessary if you live far away from the broadcast tower, include the Yagi, the log-periodic, and for UHF channels, the reflective array antenna. You can find out more about the various antenna options at AntennaWeb.org.
If you don’t yet have an antenna, you’ll first need to identify where the local broadcast towers are relative to your home to confirm what type of antenna you need. Remember that the broadcast towers aren’t usually located in the same place as the TV station studios and offices. It’s easy to find out what type of antenna you need and which stations you can receive by entering your location at AntennaWeb.org. The site will also tell you if any of your local stations are transmitting on VHF channels (TV Channels 2 through 13). If so, make sure the antenna you buy covers VHF as well as UHF channels.
No matter what type of antenna you have, you’ll need to make a plan to rescan your TV if your local TV station(s) change frequencies in the coming months. More than 1,000 TV stations across the country are changing frequencies to make room for expanded wireless services, and when they do, viewers are required to perform a TV rescan to continue receiving their local channels. Rescanning your TV is not necessary if you have a cable or satellite TV subscription.
You can find out if and when your local stations will be transitioning by clicking here. Make sure to also sign up for text and email alerts to know when you have to rescan your TV.
Because of their location, outdoor antennas typically provide more reliable reception. Whether you are using an indoor or an outdoor antenna, here are seven tips for ensuring you’re getting all of the available channels you can access:
- Direct your antenna toward the broadcast tower. Even a slight adjustment on the angle of your antenna, can make a difference. Try pointing it toward the TV station tower first and adjust from there.
- Move it on up. Moving your antenna to a higher floor in your home, or to the attic or roof, ideally with a clear line of sight to the broadcast tower, will improve your viewing options. Placing it near a skylight or a window may yield even better results.
- Watch out for electronic interference. Your reception may be affected by computers, game consoles, DVD players, and other household electronics. Try moving your antenna away from these devices to see if that’s the case in your home.
- Consider a pre-amplifier and use quality antenna cable. Indoor antennas usually have an integrated cable, but if you use an outdoor antenna you may have to run a long cable (coaxial cable), which can reduce the signal level. You can eliminate this potential problem by simply buying a good coaxial cable such as Type RG-59. If you are located far from the TV station towers, you might also consider installing a pre-amplifier at the antenna to increase the signal level.
- Experiment with laying your antenna flat. Some antenna users have found that laying the antenna flat and horizontal improved their reception. Some even attach their antenna to the ceiling. Why not give it a try?
- Take your indoor antenna for an outing. For some people, putting their indoor antenna in an outdoor location protected by weather, such as outside the front or back door, will improve reception.
- Make a plan to rescan. You can do all the moving around, pointing toward the tower and buying the best quality antenna, but if you don’t pay attention to when you need to rescan your TV, you won’t be able to access all of the available channels in your area. Rescanning your TV is free and relatively simple using your TV remote. You can find out more about what you need to do at TVAnswers.org.
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