The power supplies that accompany television antennas with amplifiers are manufactured at a minimum cost and with the same reliability. Since they usually operate around the clock, they often overheat and fail, even at rated AC voltage.
As mentioned above, power supplies for antennas are manufactured at a minimum cost, providing a current consumption of 20 mA at a voltage of 12 volts. However, they maintain good voltage regulation due to the use of a 12-volt stabilizer in the circuit.
A detailed antenna amplifier comparison, including finding the right antenna amplifier for your needs. When choosing the right antenna boosters for your needs, make sure we have never personally reviewed the products, but compared them against product data. All products on the site are intensively researched. Our test reports, test results, and advantages as well as disadvantages are the cumulative result of previous product tests on the Internet. Our team summarizes all the knowledge gained, as well as experience in operation, functions and optics.
What is an antenna amplifier?
All published factual tests are the result of an objective examination of existing data and thus without personal judgment. Amplifier for connecting to the home for cable television. According to the survey, 97 percent TV is people's favorite leisure activity, followed by listening to the radio at 90 percent. This means that TV reception is limited, for example, by picture noise or so-called blocking during digital reception.
Let's look at the antenna amplifier power supply circuit.
Standard antenna amplifier power supply circuit
From the diagram it can be seen that the antenna amplifier power supply consists of: a transformer with built-in fuse T1, a rectifier VD1-VD4, a low-frequency filter C5 and a high-frequency filter C6, a voltage stabilizer DA1, and a 12 V voltage indicator HL1. This circuit is an unregulated power supply for an antenna amplifier.
Even today, many households use satellite dishes to receive a wide variety of television programs. However, certain regions may experience disruptions such as bad weather conditions such as heavy snow, heavy rain or storms.
And in order to counteract these bad weather conditions or strengthen the signal that is received at home, an antenna booster is used. An antenna amplifier is an amplifier that still amplifies the high frequency signal received from the antenna to a low noise level so that the output signal is stronger than what was originally received. Antenna amplifiers are also called broadband RF amplifiers when used to increase signal strength.
It is possible to adjust the signal level using an adjustable power supply for the antenna amplifier. The circuit is almost similar to the unregulated one, with one addition to the voltage stabilizer circuit at pin 2, a variable resistor is inserted into the gap, with which you can change the supply voltage of the amplifier.
To simultaneously improve TV and radio signals using an antenna booster, it is recommended to use an antenna booster with two connections on the receiving end. If you want to boost your antenna's reception, you must ensure that the coaxial cable you use is of high quality. Signals are often lost even if the coaxial cable is shielded too low, even if the antenna amplifier is used correctly. To amplify the antenna amplifier for television signals, the incoming digital signal must not be too low.
The above circuit consumes excessive current from the network. If you modify it, you can end up with a more economical power supply with improved characteristics. Here is a diagram of an economical power supply for an antenna amplifier:
What do you do with the antenna amplifier?
An antenna amplifier can slightly increase the received input signal and provide an image without interference from light receivers.
The purpose of an antenna amplifier is to improve weakened signals that may occur, such as antenna cable losses, and to enhance the receiving antenna's input signal.
Antenna amplifiers are often mounted near antenna systems. These are high frequency amplifiers that cover several frequency ranges. The amplifier increases the power level and therefore the signal such that the output signal of the amplifier is greater than the original input signal.
Resistors R1, R2 reduce the power supply's own consumption, the operating voltage of the problematic capacitor C5 has been increased, and additional filters L1C7 and L2L3C8 have been added.
There is nothing difficult about making a power supply for an antenna amplifier with your own hands. It should be remembered that a homemade antenna power supply must have low consumption and good stabilization, otherwise interference in the form of snow, slanting stripes and wide black stripes will appear on the screen.
What should you consider when purchasing an antenna amplifier?
Especially in regions with poor reception, you should consider purchasing an antenna amplifier.
If, however, the signal is too weak to begin with, an antenna booster can also do little. When using an antenna amplifier, it is important to note that the outputs to which no device is connected are equipped with a 75 ohm termination resistor. In addition, the radio receiver is then limited and there is a loss in reception quality. The following table provides an overview of purchasing an antenna amplifier. Therefore, it should be noted that when purchasing an antenna amplifier, you need to consider the gain level and gain ranges. Gain is expressed in decibels and ranges from 15 dB to 50 dB for most devices. This depends on the antenna output power. In the private sector, a gain of between 10 dB and 30 dB is sufficient.
Connection
To connect the cable to the power supply for the antenna amplifier, you need to connect the antenna cable to the plug. The first step is to prepare the cable. We retreat one and a half centimeters from the edge of the cable and make a thin circular cut,
How to make your own adapter to supply power to an antenna amplifier
When purchasing an antenna amplifier, it must also be compatible with the receiver as well as the antenna. Impedance, operating voltage and consumption values are taken into account. The necessary adapters and cables are usually supplied. Please note, however, that the antenna booster is not a miracle. If a very weak input signal is present, this may not always be sufficiently amplified by the antenna amplifier.
How does an antenna booster work?
Most devices in this fact with an antenna amplifier have a built-in power supply. The antenna signal booster is placed directly into the socket so that the antenna booster can be supplied with power. In-wall or on-wall amplifiers typically have a power cable that must be routed to the next power source.
Be careful not to damage the fine hairs of the screen under the outer layer of insulation. Remove the cut piece of insulator. Gently and evenly bend the hairs of the screen, it is better to remove the strip of foil. Stepping back 5 mm from the folded edge of the braid, make another circular cut of the inner insulator and remove it. Insert the cable under the fasteners and tighten the screws.
The socket and antenna amplifier must be located near the antenna. If the antenna amplifier needs to enhance digital television, when connecting the antenna amplifier, you should select the socket near the cable socket. The coaxial cable is simply connected to the coaxial cable between the TV and the cable outlet.
What types of antenna amplifiers are available and what are the characteristics of these antennas?
How to connect an antenna amplifier. If there is no jack near the room antenna, an extended antenna cable is required. The following table provides an overview of the different antenna amplifier options. Since antenna amplifiers are usually used constantly, it pays to pay attention to the quality and processing of the amplifier, and this of course affects the price. Therefore, it is better to look for a suitable antenna amplifier in the mid-to-high price segment, which mainly covers its own needs. To do this, it is important to consider in advance how many devices you would like to connect to the antenna booster, just to give an example.
What manufacturers are available for antenna amplifiers
Advantages and disadvantages of antenna amplifiers. Easy installation, no previous knowledge required during assembly required for long cable lengths as the distributor can be used better for TV reception better than radio. There is no guarantee of better reception, the input signal is too weak, the antenna amplifier cannot perform miracles.
- What should you spend on a good antenna amplifier in the purchasing department?
- However, sometimes there are special offers that are cheaper.
As mentioned, the survey results in TV being people's favorite leisure activity at 97 percent, followed by listening to radio at 90 percent.
Please note that the metal braid must touch the bottom tinned area, otherwise power may not be supplied to the antenna. Do not allow the braid of the central core to touch, there will be a short circuit and the 12 V indicator light will not light up.
Much help for this problem is provided by so-called antenna amplifiers. They can be of great help when reception is poor, regardless of the signal. When purchasing an antenna amplifier, you need to pay attention to the good processing and quality of the product, because antenna amplifiers have many years of experience. Therefore, you should look around the mid-price segment for a suitable antenna amplifier. Among the products presented above, the most suitable product should be found for each need.
When purchasing an antenna amplifier, you should consider some points, signal strength, number of possible antenna connections and power consumption. For an antenna amplifier to work well, it must be attached directly to the antenna. Antenna amplifiers are so-called high-frequency amplifiers. They can enhance the power level of the incoming signal. This way, the signal output power becomes greater than the input power, and the images on the TV will be clearer and there will be less interference.
If the power supply for the antenna amplifier is correctly connected to the cable, as well as the cable to the antenna amplifier, then the TV will start showing immediately after setup.
Antenna amplifier, how to choose the right one
A big mistake is made by users trying to buy the most powerful amplifier, and this is what often happens: “Give me the most powerful amplifier” they say to the seller, wanting to achieve good quality television signal and... are disappointed.
Why is this approach not correct? The fact is that an excessively strong signal is bad; this is exactly the case when the oil in the porridge may be unnecessary. An excessively strong signal can lead to the opposite effect, strong interference for analog TV, for digital TV, stuttering and even complete absence of the image.
The point is that along with the useful signal, various interferences are also amplified, and moreover, strong amplifiers often have a large percentage of their own noise, which also affects the quality.
Therefore, the power of the amplifier needs to be selected; if you do not know which amplifier number is best in your area, ask your neighbors who managed to achieve good signal reception. Often local sellers who sell antenna equipment are also aware of this, ask them.
Malfunctions
The main malfunctions of the antenna power supply include:
- Transformer malfunction;
- Stabilizer malfunction;
- Filter malfunction.
During voltage surges or overload in the secondary circuit, the fuse built into the primary circuit of the transformer may blow. This can be determined by measuring the resistance on the power supply plug. The absence of resistance may indicate a faulty fuse or a break in the primary winding of the transformer. To check the fuse, you need to cut the insulation on the transformer under which the fuse is located and check it for integrity. The fuse is usually located at the point where the network wires enter the insulation.
Improve reception with an antenna booster
An antenna amplifier can be used to compensate for distortion and line loss.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us by phone or email. An antenna amplifier is an electronic device that amplifies signals in the high frequency range. The devices cover different frequency ranges. Multipliers are used directly after the antenna or in their vicinity, and the antenna cable leads the antenna cable to consumers such as television or radio. If the stabilizer malfunctions, the supply voltage of the antenna amplifier can either decrease or increase and lead to failure of the amplifier. This can be determined by measuring the voltage at the output of the power supply.
Failure of filter capacitors can result in significant image noise. The most common is the appearance in the image of 2 - 3 horizontal, wide black stripes, slowly moving across the screen.
There are also antennas that have already integrated an amplifier, then this is the so-called active antenna. The installation and use of antenna amplifiers is very simple, only the lengths of the transmission distances need to be taken into account. Our devices have an external power supply, so no current needs to be transmitted through the antenna. Gain is expressed in decibels in increments of less than 10 to more than 30. If the reception signal on your TV is too weak, a suitable antenna booster with the appropriate decibel number will help.
But we also offer innovative products in the smart home segment. Our product segments are always in line with current technological trends. As always, when an analogue television channel was misinterpreted, at some point the question arose: “Is this solved with an antenna booster?” But the previous question still comes up in conversation.
As with any device, the operating life of the antenna amplifier power supply is limited. Should I turn off the antenna amplifier's power supply? If you are leaving for a long time, then yes it is necessary, but you should not turn it off every time you turn off the TV. As you know, most breakdowns of electrical appliances occur precisely at the moment of turning them on and off, and turning them off once again will not extend the service life of the antenna power supply, but they are quite cheap so that it is better to buy a new one later.
Generally speaking, it is a device that receives an input signal that "amplifies" or amplifies it to a greater or lesser extent using a regulator to improve the output power. If the antenna does not receive it well, it will “amplify greatly.” First and foremost would be to change the cable for better quality. It must be said that many problems are solved by replacing the cable carrying the signal. In fact, what is received by the antenna reduces its power when transported to the TV, although these losses are not very important in the vast majority of cables.
Having a country house or dacha, everyone, sooner or later, thinks about how and where to place the television antenna and cable, which always gets in the way when cleaning. Once the decision has been made, other tasks arise. Which antenna to choose, with an amplifier or a regular one? Will there be more TVs in the house? Do I need a splitter? Lay the wire in the baseboard or drill into a wall or window frame, etc. It’s good if you decided on the first two questions, chose an antenna with an amplifier and decided to provide several points for connecting the TV.
But if you don't want to change the cable, there is no other choice than to go for an amplifier. Where should the amplifier be located? There is no other solution to this: as close to the antenna as possible. By putting it at the output end of the signal, usually where we have a problem, the east continues to persist because what is achieved is to provide both the signal and the problem. Remember that boosting a TV signal doesn't mean improving it unless you improve its transport power using a medium, in this case cable.
What would be the best amplifier? Here begins the time of propaganda without paying for it: the one that suits best are those that consist of two parts, one external and the other interior, connected to the electrical network, and which supplies current to the outdoor unit and to the antenna.
What to do if the array antenna does not receive DVB T2
Since a common cause is over-amplification of the signal, the conclusion suggests itself - the gain needs to be reduced!
Yes! Often, simply reducing the power of the amplifier helps, and for this, you don’t need to change it at all, you don’t even have to remove the antenna.
Attention! Extremely useful advice!
It would be nice to display a signal level scale when “experimenting” with the antenna. This can be done by clicking the “Info” button (usually you need two clicks, sometimes three) Or you can enter the manual search mode, enter the number of the TV channel that is broadcasting in your region. Typically, in this mode, the equipment displays a signal strength indicator. Using this scale it is convenient to see the results of work. By the way, you can find out which channels are broadcasting in your area by following this link.
How to reduce the power of the amplifier without removing the antenna? Four ways!
In order to reduce the power of the amplifier, you need to lower the voltage that powers it.
There are several methods on how this can be done. Choose depending on your situation.
Method one, the easiest
If you use an regulated power supply, then there are no problems, just turn the regulator counterclockwise to reduce the voltage supply to the amplifier. The regulator can change the voltage within the range of approximately two to twelve volts. At the same time, monitor the signal level and choose the best position of the regulator. Please note that changes on the signal level scale will not occur instantly, but with a slight delay.
Attention! One condition for all the methods below!
To apply all the methods described below, you must do the following! Disconnect the standard antenna power supply and install a regular television plug on the TV cable. Do not use the plug from the power supply! It has a separating capacitor inside the separator, it will be superfluous. That's why,
Method two
If you use a set-top box, you can supply power to the antenna amplifier directly from it. So instead of 12 volts, only 5 volts from the set-top box will go to the amplifier via the television cable. This reduction in nutrition often helps.
For this:
- We install a regular TV plug on the cable.
- We go to the set-top box menu and find the item where the antenna power is turned on. For example: “Antenna Power On/Off”
This feature may be called differently in different set-top boxes, but all models have it.
Method three
If you have a TV with a built-in DVB-T2 tuner and you don’t use a set-top box, you can supply 5 volts directly from the TV’s USB port.
For this:
- Again, you need to install a regular plug.
- You will need to use a special
TV. (approximately 150 – 300 rubles)
Method four
You can try removing the power supply to the amplifier altogether.
- Installing a regular TV plug
- Without any power we connect it to the set-top box/TV.
Sometimes this helps, but not always. It happens that without power, the signal amplifier does not pass through at all.
These were ways to remake the “Polish Antenna” for digital television, which did not require removing the antenna itself. But it also happens that even five volts is too much, over-amplification occurs, and removing the power from the amplifier completely did not help either.
In such a case, there is a method described below, but it involves the need to remove the antenna or get to the installation site of the amplifier. This complicates things somewhat, but it is the surest way to adapt a Polish woman to a digital figure.
Antenna installation
Our choice fell on the Delta series antenna with an amplifier. The distance to the city is 60 km and the image quality is far from ideal. To operate the amplifier, you need a 12-volt power supply and a special connection circuit with power supply via an antenna cable. The antenna manufacturer will provide every buyer with all this. But if you say that you want to add a splitter, then most likely you will be offered a splitter with the ability to connect to your antenna, but it will cost several times more. And not everyone knows in advance that a regular splitter will not work :).
The antenna mount itself is individual and depends on the shape and height of the roof. The antenna in our solution is mounted on a long pipe. The tube is attached at three points to the wall of the house. The pipe is composite and disassembling it if necessary is not difficult.
After connecting the wire, for safety reasons, I recommend wrapping the coaxial cable itself with a piece of thin rubber hose, at the point of contact with the edges of the hole or at the bend when entering the attic or room.
This will protect it from breaking or chafing at the bend.
Installing a splitter
Choose a location for installing the splitter in the living room or in the attic, the main thing is that there is an outlet nearby. If the wiring diagram allows you to run an outlet with a switch into the attic, then I think that is the best option. It is possible without a switch, but I prefer to turn off the antenna while leaving. Still, the antenna is not a refrigerator, so it’s better not to waste electricity. And don’t forget about safety.
The outputs of the splitter connect cables going to the TVs in your home. You can try connecting an antenna cable to the input of the splitter, but in my case, nothing worked without an amplifier; the TV only showed ripples.
How to protect your antenna, TV or receiver from thunderstorms
Have you ever seen a TV damaged by a thunderstorm? Me many times!
Of course, damage varies, but in one case there was simply a burnt hole in the TV chassis with a diameter of about 15 cm. But this is rather an isolated case. Nevertheless, thunderstorms cause quite a lot of trouble. They knock out equipment and amplifiers on antennas. Is there any way to minimize the damage or avoid it?
Can! If you follow some rules.
- It’s good if the antenna is grounded; in general, this is an installation requirement. Some antennas even have a welded grounding bolt near the mounting clamp. The antenna mast (metal) must be in the ground.
- It is not always possible to organize grounding, and in such cases, amplifiers are changed quite often, almost after every thunderstorm. For an amplifier to fail, a direct lightning strike is not necessary; static voltage is sufficient. If possible, ground the antenna!
Use amplifiers with lightning protection.
There are a number of amplifiers with built-in lightning protection; of course, it will not save you from a direct hit, but such amplifiers practically do not fail from static. They can be identified by obvious signs. Let's look at the photo.
Such an amplifier has two glass diodes, those circled in yellow.
This is not necessarily an amplifier with the number SWA-1, it can be any number, but if it contains these two elements, then this is a version with lightning protection. Unfortunately, these don't come across often.
Connecting the amplifier power supply
If you leave the circuit when the power supply is connected directly in front of the TV, then nothing will come out through the splitter in the opposite direction; the current to power the antenna amplifier will not pass. Therefore, you need to make an adapter or buy it if you thought about it in advance, before arriving in a remote locality.
To create the adapter, I used a piece of old-style coaxial cable, it is thicker and easier to solder. A plug for connecting to a splitter and a connector from an old TV.
Using a Polish antenna without an amplifier
This method gives excellent results in an area of good DVB-T2 signal, for example from a TV tower in Belgorod at a distance of 25-30 km. It catches perfectly in line of sight.
In addition, the most problematic areas of the array antenna - the amplifier and power supply - are immediately removed. They are simply not needed. It is better, of course, to purchase a matching board. But it is not always possible to find it. Therefore, let’s connect directly – I’ve done this many times! Checked! Works!
The only thing is that you will have to get to the antenna itself to connect the cable as in the photo below.
As you can see, the cable is attached directly to the antenna elements. The amplifier board can be removed, but it can also be left in place; it makes it easier to secure the cable. The plug must be installed as usual.
The long whiskers of the antenna can be cut/broken off to the size of the short whiskers, so they will work in the desired UHF range.
PS An article is already ready on how to make a matching board from an amplifier.
Assembly and enjoyment
Let's collect all the details in one place. Here is a list of all circuit components used:
- Antenna with built-in amplifier;
- Antenna cable to the amplifier power supply plug;
- Adapter from antenna connector to splitter plug;
- Splitter, the most common;
- Coaxial cable and plugs for connecting to TVs.
The connection option shown on the right allows you to connect several TVs using one power supply, the most common splitter and an antenna with an amplifier.
