3 Things To Try If You Have Bad Reception

There’s nothing worse than investing your money in a great TV only to find that you have bad reception. In the old days of analogue, having a bad reception meant the picture would become grainy, however it was often still watchable. Unfortunately, in the age of digital bad reception is even worse because it means that picture will break up making it impossible to watch your TV enjoyably.

In the majority of cases, bad reception is down to your aerial – whether it’s the aerial itself or how it’s positioned. Of course, extreme weather conditions can adversely affect reception too but making changes to your aerial will fix the problem most time. Below are 3 things to try if you have bad reception.

Reposition Your Aerial

An aerial being blocked by large objects, such as trees, is one of the most common reasons for bad reception. It’s not uncommon for someone to have an aerial installed in winter when trees are bare and their leaves have fallen off, to then have problems once spring comes around and suddenly they find their signal is breaking up because of all the new growth on nearby trees.

This problem can be solved in one of two ways. Firstly and most obviously, you can have the aerial repositioned so it’s not being blocked. It’s always better to hire someone to do this for you since it can be very hazardous to climb on your roof unassisted.

The alternative to this is to have some trees cut down. Of course this is only an option if they belong to you but if there are a lot of large trees nearby, it might be the best option if you want to improve reception.

Get An Outdoor Aerial

There’s no doubt about it – outdoor aerials are much superior to indoor aerials. Most homes already have at least one outdoor aerial but if yours doesn’t then it’s definitely worth getting one installed since the picture quality they provide is much better in comparison. You’ll probably have to pay to have this done, but it will ensure that you’ll have the best possible reception on your TV.

If getting an outdoor aerial is not possible for whatever reason then you should at least invest in the best quality indoor aerial you can get and make sure it’s placed in an optimum position. This usually means putting it high up on a wall that’s close to a window. The fewer things obstructing the signal the better your reception is going to be.

Check Cables

Whilst having a good outdoor aerial and proper positioning is key, sometimes the problem isn’t with aerial itself but the cables. If the cable from the aerial is not fitted to your TV properly then the signal can very easily suffer. Therefore before you look to get a new aerial or have your current one moved, you should always check the cables first since the problem might be very easy to fix by simply plugging the aerial cable in properly.