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Tonight's question - TV antenna

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JPSmit

JPSmit

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So, the plan in the near future is to ditch cable and get netflix and an HD antenna. The plan is to put the antenna in the attic and to attach to two TVs. The first TV will be only about 8 feet from the antenna but the other will be probably 40-50 feet away by the time the cable is chased through the walls and along the basement ceiling. At the store they suggested I use an amplifier, which requires a receptacle to plug into. Hence the question - do I put the amplifier at the antenna end (which requires me to install a receptacle in the attic) or in the basement (where there is already a receptacle. (Guess which I am hoping for?) any advice gratefully received.
 
JP - are you sure the salesman recommends an amplifier for the TVs? or an amplifier because the antenna is distant from the HD broadcast stations?

Seems that if it's a digital system, you wouldn't need an amplifier just because there are two TVs, and one is farther from the antenna than the other. And if it's because you're distant from the stations, it doesn't matter where the amplifier goes.

BTW, here in eastern Connecticut we're *all* too far from the HD broadcast stations antennas.

Boondocks Tom with a digital umbilical cord
 
Many of the amplifiers use a power pac and a regular coax cable to feed power to it. This way you are already running wire , you just run an extra to power the amp. It runs at low voltage so no worries. plug the power pac in behind the nearest tv.
 
You can try it with the amp near the TV, maybe it will work well enough. (maybe even try without the amplifier, might work OK) But amplifiers always add a certain amount of noise, so the better the input signal, the better the result. And every foot of cable means less signal for the amplifier to amplify. Thus it will work better right next to the antenna. As George_H notes, many amplifiers are designed to get power through the output cable, for just this reason. However, most signal splitters aren't designed to handle the DC power correctly, so you'll probably want to locate the power supply before the splitter.
 
NutmegCT said:
... Seems that if it's a digital system, you wouldn't need an amplifier just because there are two TVs, ...
Click to expand...

Antenna signals are analogue, not digital. The digital data is extracted in the TV's (or converter box's) receiver.


By splitting the signal between two TV's you cut signal power to each in half. If one has a longer run you add the cable length loss on top of the loss due to splitting the signal two ways.

You want any amplification to be done before any splitting or cabling losses. This maximizes your signal-to-noise ratio. It's best to mount the pre-amplifier as close to the antenna as possible. Many units are weather resistant so they can be mounted on an antenna mast. Some antennas even come with the pre-amp built in.

As already mentioned, they usually run the DC power through the coax and mount the power supply inside, near your TV (nobody wants an outlet at the top of their antenna mast).


pc
 
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