Whenever we turn on our TV sets and tune in to our favorite local channel, what we see on our TV screens is the free over-the-air television signal. These signals originate from your local TV broadcast towers. There are instances that these broadcast towers can transmit their signal using both VHF and UHF frequencies.
Some TV stations would be transmitting their signals under the low band VHF frequencies, even when most of the local network affiliates are utilizing the UHF frequency band to broadcast their programming.
If you reckon the need to combine signals with the help of 2 TV antennas for you to receive and enjoy all free local broadcast channels in the country, we are encouraging you to carry on reading this content.
Your exact geographic location plays a crucial role in determining what kind of broadcast channels you will receive on your TV set.
With respect to your antenna installation for TV, it will all be depending upon the nearby transmitting towers you have in your areas as well as the kind of TV antenna that you need to have to be able to receive them. These ones will rely on obstacles and terrains that stand between these broadcast towers and your home.
Learn What Type of Frequency Bands Are Being Used in Your Area
If you haven’t already, identify what frequencies are being transmitted by the local TV stations in your area. You can check out www.antennapoint.com for this purpose after providing your zip code.
Alternatively, you can download and make use of the free Antenna Point app on your tablet or smartphone in helping you locate where these local broadcast towers are in your area.
You will find there a column designated for the virtual channel, it is representing the channels you are seeing displayed on your TV set. There you will also find the DTV channel column, which stands for the actual frequency used.
If you happen to be living in a region where both the VHF and UHF frequency bands are transmitted, the use of either VHF or UHF antennas would get the job done all the time. Generally speaking, for a bowtie type of antenna, they are highly capable of receiving high-VHF broadcasts.
However, if your area happens to have a weak VHF signal or you reckon that your home is at least 20 miles from the nearest transmitting tower, a longer-range VHF antenna would be essential. This will help ensure that you have a good reception for all available local stations.
Combining Multiple TV Antennas
What you typically do here is to mount the UHF antenna at the top of the mast first. In any case that the VHF signals you are keen on having are way weaker compared to the UHF signal, installing first a VHF antenna at the topmast will help in achieving this end result.
You need the following materials for this project:
– Coaxial Cable
– 1 Antenna Combiner
– 1 Mast – You can custom-size this to help accommodate both antennas. For optimal reception, this will help you have the correct elevation to use.
– Zip ties – You can also use anything similar. Use them to hold in place and secure the coaxial cables you used
We highly recommend that before you install any kind of antenna to any surface, make it sure that you have already tested reception there first. Otherwise, it will just be a game of trial and error for you. Connect your coaxial cable to the antenna using the F-connector. Then attach the coaxial cables opposite end to your inverter box or TV, after which you can already run a full channel scan.