How to Combine Multiple TV Antennas: Difference between revisions
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Made by Televes, the SmartKom is a device that can combine up to three TV antennas into one coax. The Smartkom does NOT combine the actual signals from each antenna. Instead, it constantly monitors the signal from each antenna and serves the best signal to your TV tuner in real time. Since the Smartkom serves the strongest signal from only one antenna, multi-path interference is never encountered. The Smartkom unit is commonly used in areas where the TV broadcast towers are in different directions. In the "old days" of over-the-air TV, households would have only one antenna. An electric antenna rotator would rotate the antenna to point toward the TV broadcast tower of interest. The rotator would be controlled from inside the house. When using the Smartkom device, multiple antennas are used. Each antenna is pointed in a different direction, aimed at each of the broadcast tower of interest. The antenna with the strongest signal is automatically sent to the TV tuner. | Made by Televes, the SmartKom is a device that can combine up to three TV antennas into one coax. The Smartkom does NOT combine the actual signals from each antenna. Instead, it constantly monitors the signal from each antenna and serves the best signal to your TV tuner in real time. Since the Smartkom serves the strongest signal from only one antenna, multi-path interference is never encountered. The Smartkom unit is commonly used in areas where the TV broadcast towers are in different directions. In the "old days" of over-the-air TV, households would have only one antenna. An electric antenna rotator would rotate the antenna to point toward the TV broadcast tower of interest. The rotator would be controlled from inside the house. When using the Smartkom device, multiple antennas are used. Each antenna is pointed in a different direction, aimed at each of the broadcast tower of interest. The antenna with the strongest signal is automatically sent to the TV tuner. | ||
The Smartkom is the most expensive method to combine multiple TV Antennas. However, it is the most effective method. | The Smartkom is the most expensive method to combine multiple TV Antennas. However, it is the most effective method.<br /> | ||
[[File:smartkom.jpg|100px]] | [[File:smartkom.jpg|100px]] | ||
Revision as of 22:15, 13 March 2024
Introduction
In some cases, it may be necessary to use more than one TV antenna to receive all of the TV stations within a specific location. There are right ways and wrong ways to combine multiple TV antennas. This page will explain how to properly combine multiple TV Antennas.
Multi-Path Interference
When TV antennas are improperly combined into one coax cable, multi-path interference will occur and the TV tuner will not display the picture. The best way to understand multi-path interference is to image two different people talking to you at the same time. They are each reading a paragraph at the same speed. If each person is saying the same word at the same time, then you will understand them as they read the paragraph. If one person is slightly behind than the other person while both are talking, than it will be difficult understanding both persons at the same time. This is multi-path interference.
When two antennas are combined into one coax cable, they both "talk" to the TV tuner at the same time by delivering the TV signal. If both antennas do not consistently deliver the TV signal to the TV tuner at the exact same time, the TV tuner will not understand any of the signals from both antennas. As a result, multi-path interference occurs. There are a few ways to combine multiple TV antennas into one coax cable so multi-path interference doesn't occur.
1. Combining Multiple TV Antennas Using SmartKom
Made by Televes, the SmartKom is a device that can combine up to three TV antennas into one coax. The Smartkom does NOT combine the actual signals from each antenna. Instead, it constantly monitors the signal from each antenna and serves the best signal to your TV tuner in real time. Since the Smartkom serves the strongest signal from only one antenna, multi-path interference is never encountered. The Smartkom unit is commonly used in areas where the TV broadcast towers are in different directions. In the "old days" of over-the-air TV, households would have only one antenna. An electric antenna rotator would rotate the antenna to point toward the TV broadcast tower of interest. The rotator would be controlled from inside the house. When using the Smartkom device, multiple antennas are used. Each antenna is pointed in a different direction, aimed at each of the broadcast tower of interest. The antenna with the strongest signal is automatically sent to the TV tuner.
The Smartkom is the most expensive method to combine multiple TV Antennas. However, it is the most effective method.
