DIYbanter - View Single Post - TV signal Amplifiers . What do u look for when buying one ?

Roger Grady

(RMD) wrote:

What I was meaning to say, but didn't say it very well, is that the
signal amplifier can really only compensate for cable/splitter losses.

It won't pull a good signal out of a noisy signal.

A signal is only noisy in the context of how it is received. You have
to look at the whole system - the antenna, the feedline and
distribution, and the receiver. All of them contribute to the system
noise figure. A properly placed amplifier (meaning at the antenna) can
overcome the noise contributed by the rest of the system. But if you
don't have enough signal to overcome the noise in the amplifier, it
won't make any difference how much you amplify. The only solution
there is to put in a better antenna, or get an amplifier with a lower
noise figure. At some point, the best amplifier in the world won't
overcome the lack of signal from an inadequate antenna.

I don't own any really new TV equipment - it's all 5-15 years old, but
there are definite differences in the various units' sensitivity. I
suspect that is true in current equipment also. For quite a while
receivers have primarily been designed to work with the higher signal
levels of cable or satellite receiver signals, with off-the-air use
being secondary. A good amplifier will definitely improve these.

Only a good well-sited antenna can make a clean signal in the first
place.

Very true. Put up the best antenna you can - makes everything else
easier.

Roger Grady
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