Television antenna

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A Winegard 68 element VHF/UHF aerial antenna. This common multi-band antenna type uses a UHF Yagi at
the front and a VHF log-periodic at the back coupled together.

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 Dipole
 Fractal
 Loop
 Monopole
 Satellite dish
 Television
  Whip

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A television antenna (TV aerial) is an antenna specifically designed for use with

a television receiver (TV) to receive over-the-air broadcast television signals from
a television station. Terrestrial television is broadcast on frequencies from about 47 to
250 MHz in the very high frequency (VHF) band, and 470 to 960 MHz in the ultra high
frequency (UHF) band in different countries. Television antennas are manufactured in
two different types: "indoor" antennas, to be located on top of or next to the television
set, and "outdoor" antennas, mounted on a mast on top of the owner's house. They can
also be mounted in a loft or attic, where the dry conditions and increased elevation are
advantageous for reception and antenna longevity. Outdoor antennas are more
expensive and difficult to install, but are necessary for adequate reception
in fringe areas far from television stations. The most common types of indoor antennas
are the dipole[1] ("rabbit ears") and loop antennas, and for outdoor antennas the yagi,
[1]
 log periodic,[1] and for UHF channels the multi-bay reflective array antenna.

Contents

 1Description
 2Indoor
o 2.1Rabbit ears
o 2.2Whip antenna
o 2.3Loop antenna
  2.3.1Flat antenna
 3Outdoor
 4Installation
o 4.1Rooftop and other outdoor antennas
o 4.2Indoor antennas
o 4.3Attic installation
o 4.4Multiple antennas, rotators
o 4.5Safety
 5See also
 6References
 7External links

Description[edit]
The purpose of the antenna is to intercept radio waves from the desired television
stations and convert them to tiny radio frequency alternating currents which are applied
to the television's tuner, which extracts the television signal. The antenna is connected
to the television with a specialized cable designed to carry radio current,
called transmission line. Earlier antennas used a flat cable called 300 ohm Twin Lead.
The standard today is 75 ohm coaxial cable, which is less susceptible to interference,
which plugs into an F connector or Belling-Lee connector (depending on region) on the
back of the TV.
In most countries, television broadcasting is allowed in the very high frequency (VHF)
band from 47 to 68 MHz, called VHF low band or band I in Europe; 174 to 216 MHz,
called VHF high band or band III in Europe, and in the ultra high frequency (UHF) band
from 470 to 698 MHz, called band IV and V in Europe. The boundaries of each band
vary somewhat in different countries. Radio waves in these bands travel by line-of-sight;
they are blocked by hills and the visual horizon, limiting a television station's reception
area to 40–60 miles (64–97 km), depending on terrain.
In the previous standard analog television, used before 2006, the VHF and UHF bands
required separate tuners in the television receiver, which had separate antenna inputs.
The wavelength of a radio wave equals the speed of light (c) divided by the frequency.
The above frequency bands cover a 15:1 wavelength ratio, or almost 4 octaves. It is
difficult to design a single antenna to receive such a wide wavelength range, and there
is an octave gap from 216 to 470 MHz between the VHF and UHF frequencies. So
traditionally separate antennas (or on outdoor antennas separate sets of elements on a
single support boom) have been used to receive the VHF and UHF channels.
Starting in 2006 many countries in the world switched from broadcasting using an
older analog television standard to newer digital television (DTV). However generally
the same broadcast frequencies are used, so the same antennas used for the older
analog television will also receive the new DTV broadcasts. Sellers often claim to supply
a special "digital" or "high-definition television" (HDTV) antenna advised as a
replacement for an existing analog television antenna; at best this is misinformation to
generate sales of unneeded equipment, [2][3] at worst it may leave the viewer with a UHF-
only antenna in a local market (particularly in North America) where some digital
stations remain on their original high VHF frequencies.
Indoor[edit]

Very common "rabbit ears" indoor antenna. This model also has a loop antenna for UHF reception.

Indoor antennas may be mounted on the television itself or stand on a table next to it,
connected to the television by a short feedline. Due to space constraints indoor
antennas cannot be as large and elaborate as outdoor antennas, and they are not
mounted at as high an elevation; for these reasons indoor antennas generally do not
give as good reception as outdoor antennas. They are often perfectly adequate in urban
and suburban areas which are usually within the strong radiation "footprint" of local
television stations, but in rural fringe reception areas only an outdoor antenna may give
adequate reception. A few of the simplest indoor antennas are described below, but a
great variety of designs and types exist. Many have a dial on the antenna with a number
of different settings to alter the antenna's reception pattern. This should be rotated with
the set on while looking at the screen, until the best picture is obtained.
Rabbit ears[edit]
The oldest and most widely used indoor antenna is the rabbit ears or bunny ears, which
are often provided with new television sets. It is a simple half-wave dipole antenna used
to receive the VHF television bands, consisting in the US of 54 to 88 MHz (band I) and
174 to 216 MHz (band III), with wavelengths of 5.5 to 1.4 m. It is constructed of two
telescoping rods attached to a base, which extend out to about 1 meter length
(approximately one quarter wavelength at 54 MHz), and can be collapsed when not in
use. For best reception the rods should be adjusted to be a little less than
1/4 wavelength at the frequency of the television channel being received. However the
dipole has a wide bandwidth, so often adequate reception is achieved without adjusting
the length. The half wave dipole has a low gain of about 2.14 dBi; this means it is not as
directional and sensitive to distant stations as a large rooftop antenna, but its wide angle
reception pattern may allow it to receive several stations located in different directions
without requiring readjustment when the channel is changed. Dipole antennas are bi-
directional, that is, they have two main lobes in opposite directions, 180° apart. Instead
of being fixed in position like other antennas, the elements are mounted on ball-and-
socket joints and can be adjusted to various angles in a "V" shape, allowing them to be
moved out of the way in crowded quarters. Another reason for the V shape is that when
receiving channels at the top of the band with the rods fully extended, the antenna
elements will typically resonate at their 3rd harmonic. In this mode the direction of
maximum gain (the main lobe) is no longer perpendicular to the rods, but the radiation
pattern will have lobes at an angle to the rods, making it advantageous to be able to
adjust them to various angles
Whip antenna[edit]
Some portable televisions use a whip antenna. This consists of a single telescoping rod
about a meter long attached to the television, which can be retracted when not in use. It
functions as a quarter-wave monopole antenna. The other side of the feedline is
connected to the ground plane on the TV's circuit board, which acts as ground. The
whip antenna generally has an omnidirectional reception pattern, with maximum
sensitivity in directions perpendicular to the antenna axis, and gain similar to the half-
wave dipole.
Loop antenna[edit]
The UHF channels are often received by a single turn loop antenna. Since a "rabbit
ears" antenna only covers the VHF bands, it is often combined with a UHF loop
mounted on the same base to cover all the TV channels.
Flat antenna[edit]
Soon after television broadcasting switched from analog to digital broadcasting, indoor
antenna marketing evolved beyond the traditional "rabbit ears." Flat antennas are
lightweight, thin, and usually square-shaped with the claim of having more
omnidirectional reception.[citation needed] They connect to televisions only with a coaxial cable;
they may also be sold with a signal amplifier requiring a power source. Internally, the
thin, flat square is a loop antenna, with its circular metallic wiring embedded into
conductive plastic.[citation needed]

Outdoor[edit]
See also: Yagi antenna and Log-periodic antenna
When a higher gain antenna is needed to achieve adequate reception in suburban
or fringe reception areas, an outdoor directional antenna is usually used. Although most
simple antennas have null directions where they have zero response, the directions of
useful gain are very broad. In contrast, directional antennas can have an almost
unidirectional radiation pattern so the correct end of the antenna must be pointed at the
TV station. As an antenna design provides higher gain (compared to a dipole), the main
lobe of the radiation pattern becomes narrower.
Outdoor antenna designs are often based on the Yagi-Uda antenna or log-periodic
dipole array (LPDA). These are composed of multiple half-wave dipole elements,
consisting of metal rods approximately half of the wavelength of the television signal,
mounted in a line on a support boom. These act as resonators; the electric field of the
incoming radio wave pushes the electrons in the rods back and forth, creating standing
waves of oscillating voltage in the rods. The antenna can have a smaller or larger
number of rod elements; in general the more elements the higher the gain and the more
directional. Another design, used mainly for UHF reception, is the reflective array
antenna, consisting of a vertical metal screen with multiple dipole elements mounted in
front of it.
The television broadcast bands are too wide in frequency to be covered by a single
antenna, so either separate antennas are used for the VHF and UHF bands, or a
combination (combo) VHF/UHF antenna. A VHF/UHF antenna is really two antennas
feeding the same feedline mounted on the same support boom. Longer elements which
pick up VHF frequencies are located at the "back" of the boom and often function as
a log-periodic antenna. Shorter elements which receive the UHF stations are located at
the "front" of the boom and often function as a Yagi antenna.
Since directional antennas must be pointed at the transmitting antenna, this is a
problem when the television stations to be received are located in different directions. In
this case two or more directional rooftop antennas each pointed at a different transmitter
are often mounted on the same mast and connected to one receiver; for best
performance filter or matching circuits are used to keep each antenna from degrading
the performance of the others connected to the same transmission line. An alternative is
to use a single antenna mounted on a rotator, a remote servo system that rotates the
antenna to a new direction when a dial next to the television is turned.
Sometimes television transmitters are deliberately located such that receivers in a given
region need only receive transmissions in a relatively narrow band of the full UHF
television spectrum and from the same direction hence allowing the use of a higher gain
grouped aerial.[4]

A UHF television antenna

 
 

A rabbit ear indoor antenna weatherproofed and installed outdoors

Installation[edit]
See also: Radio masts and towers

A short antenna pole next to a house.

Multiple Yagi TV aerials

Antennas are commonly placed on rooftops, and sometimes in attics. Placing an
antenna indoors significantly attenuates the level of the available signal. [5][6] Directional
antennas must be pointed at the transmitter they are receiving; in most cases great
accuracy is not needed. In a given region it is sometimes arranged that all television
transmitters are located in roughly the same direction and use frequencies spaced
closely enough that a single antenna suffices for all. A single transmitter location may
transmit signals for several channels.[7] CABD (communal antenna broadcast
distribution) is a system installed inside a building to receive free-to-air TV/FM signals
transmitted via radio frequencies and distribute them to the audience. [8]
Analog television signals are susceptible to ghosting in the image, multiple closely
spaced images giving the impression of blurred and repeated images of edges in the
picture. This is due to the signal being reflected from nearby objects (buildings, tree,
mountains); several copies of the signal, of different strengths and subject to different
delays, are picked up. This is different for different transmissions. Careful positioning of
the antenna can produce a compromise position which minimizes the ghosts on
different channels. Ghosting is also possible if multiple antennas connected to the same
receiver pick up the same station, especially if the lengths of the cables connecting
them to the splitter/merger are different lengths or the antennas are too close together.
[9]
 Analog television is being replaced by digital, which is not subject to ghosting; the
same reflected signal that causes ghosting in an analog signal would produce no
viewable content at all in digital. However, in this case interference cases significantly
greater image quality degradation.
Rooftop and other outdoor antennas[edit]
Aerials are attached to roofs in various ways, usually on a pole to elevate it above the
roof. This is generally sufficient in most areas. In some places, however, such as a deep
valley or near taller structures, the antenna may need to be placed significantly higher,
using a guyed mast or mast. The wire connecting the antenna to indoors is referred to
as the downlead or drop, and the longer the downlead is, the greater the signal
degradation in the wire. Certain cables may help reduce this tendency.
The higher the antenna is placed, the better it will perform. An antenna of
higher gain will be able to receive weaker signals from its preferred direction.
Intervening buildings, topographical features (mountains), and dense forest will weaken
the signal; in many cases the signal will be reflected such that a usable signal is still
available. There are physical dangers inherent to high or complex antennas, such as
the structure falling or being destroyed by weather. There are also varying local
ordinances which restrict and limit such things as the height of a structure without
obtaining permits. For example, in the United States, the Telecommunications Act of
1996 allows any homeowner to install "An antenna that is designed to receive local
television broadcast signals", but that "masts higher than 12 feet above the roof-line
may be subject to local permitting requirements." [10]