If you are using over the air (OTA) television and not getting the signal you expect, or feel you should, learn the fine art of directing the antenna.
Recently we have had a few channels on our over the air TV signals start getting messy. A couple of them were my favorite channels. So I decided to look in to directing the antenna more accurately. This will help make a more rewarding experience of cutting the cord.
I’ve used a couple apps over the years to show where the different broadcast signals come from. When I originally set it up I got pretty close to on the mark, but clearly not perfect.
So I looked for another app and stumbled across DTV Antennas. An application that not only shows where the signals are but helps you direct your antenna properly with it’s own built-in compass.
After that, I pulled out the ladder and crawled up in the attic. I did find that over the winter my antenna did loosen and drop a little bit vertically. That was easy to fix, just snug it back up, not a big deal.
I did pull out my phone and opened the app and learned that horizontally I was off by 6 to 8 degrees. A little bit too far east. So, I went 7 degrees (splitting the difference) further toward the north.
I went to the different televisions and rescanned the channels and got over a dozen new channels, and a couple of my favorites started coming in clearer again.
Kind of surprised what a difference a few degrees can make in reception. It’s worth looking in to.
Next project might be looking into putting a second antenna facing the opposite direction, as there are more channels down that way, but nothing major. Just may do it as a learning experience.