Combining two TV antennas for better HDTV reception

[@jefferyrightmire9520]

Back in the day --early 60s we had one local channel. 45 miles away. with rabbit ears, it came in sometimes, very snowy. At 12 years old I talked to a TV repairman and he told me how to build a Yagi Antenna. I built it and it worked really well, and that was the beginning to a career in CATV. Spent many years with Warner Amex.

[@almckimmey8898]

Now this is what I think the internet is all about! True information given in a simple direct way, including a brief understanding of men and women and crazy. Good Job!

[@kasdfg776]

Gosh! How do you like that? A well done, informative video that's entirely devoid of screaming, distracting "music" that you're struggling to hear over. I almost didn't know how to act. Kudos, Doug Hall. Me likey!

[@jonthebru]

And good words: "Don't whine. Be grateful."

[@remylevesque9899]

yep thats great to see info in a n informative video... just normal... keep clear info in informative video, fail with the nonsense funny 1 and the worst in in the brainless wanna be popular show-off video 1.... that s a pleasure having the chance watching 1 but wont be so before watching around 10000000 videos

[@droid2645]

I know what you mean...perfect vid

[@mpoerot8013]

I assume by screaming music it's the 2k's nu metal?

[@mona444444]

You need to e very careful when choosing splitters............some splitters do not allow backward flow of current (from output to input)...............for this purpose you need "combiner"............just like if you want to use two antenna on a single Television...................and splitters can also increase resistance.......mostly if not powered...............

[@tycox8704]

I had no success combining two antennas until I purchased a Televes pre-amplifier two-antenna signal combiner. Somehow, their product picks the best signal when both antennas receive the same, while also boosting the gain of each signal independently. Love it.

[@michaelfleischer]

Extremely well presented and encouraging. Also appreciated the end quote..."Don"t whine, be grateful" which is truly the secret to happiness in life! Thanks!

[@ClaytonCountyHistoryHound]

Finally a video that explains everything so that the average person can understand. Thanks for sharing.

[@robertiglehart]

Doug. You rock. This is perfect. Not to complicated, not too dumbed down. I was especially interested in the using a splitter as a combiner. I was trying a DIFFERENT antenna and getting same results for the same reason. I knew from my younger years on the farm (before cable and HD), that almost everyone used 2 antennas in an X config. Thanks.

[@doughall1415]

Glad it was helpful Robert.

[@marksummers5504]

Haha I remember those old days moving the rabbit ears around, adding foil and lots of yelling at the tv. I would add several wire coat hangers and twist them into all kinds of shapes.

[@kalijasin]

Back in the day it was called diplexer. They were very common for use in satellite installations in the 90s. Directv and Dish didn't provide the local channels back then so you needed to have a TV antenna. The "diplexer" was a combiner too it just worked over a broader range of frequencies. The KU band Directv and Dish use is 12-40 Ghz. Whereas regular OTA broadcast NTSC/QAM is 52-698MHz (ch. 2-51).

[@anthonycardenas9177]

This is a "BROAD-BRUSH" reply. I installed 2 HD antennas WITH VHF/UHF and FM! Each antenna has it's own "Pre-Amp", a ANTRONIX ARA1-15 (and DC power supply). If you hurry you can buy a used Pre-Amp on on eBay for about $15! Just be SURE your purchase INCLUDES the vital supply! 2 Antennas installed at different ends of the house to minimize roof coax runs and connectors exposed to the elements. I used QUALITY black RG6u coax; black to help resist sun u/v damage... much more to follow: Now I have PLENTY of signal levels even from some weak stations 'off the sides' of the these very 'directional' antennas. Indoors is the DC supply and a four-way splitter for TV's, TiVos and ABUNDANT FM STEREO too! Know Pre-Amps CAN be "overloaded" with TOO MANY RF SIGNALS! Here in Los Angeles we have MANY THOUSANDS of signal sources; including TV, AM, FM, 2-way radios, telemetry ~ simply too many to name. Because Pre-Amps are so "broad-banded" SOME areas require a 'FM TRAP' to help prevent pre-amp overload. I did not require one. CAUTION, although TV stations went 'digital', SOME DID NOT MOVE to the UHF bands ~ as was the 'original plan' to free up huge hunks of VHF TV bandwidth. Here in L,A, 4 major broadcasters REMAIN on the VHF (low-band) SO USE CARE when you select your antenna! INCLUDE the VHF band too because "things change" and a array/abundant FM stations are also provided. IF your new antenna is "UHF ONLY", performance on the VHF band WILL SUFFER and ~ what you see is what you get. Help your antenna ENDURE (even DECADES) longer! TIGHTLY wrap ALL coax junctions with black electrical tape... LOOK where your antenna elements 'junction' with "bus-bar" wires (sometimes under screws). Using common roofing tar, use a spatula to GENEROUSLY COAT each coax connector tape AND antenna >element junctions< too! This helps minimize exposure to vital junctions from rain/storms/fog/drizzle etc. Finally, PLEASE KNOW I AM NOT willing to participate in 'range wars' or pi**ing contests.

[@russellborrego1689]

This was a really great video. Probably the most well-presented and informative of all that I've checked out over the last couple weeks. Thank you very much for this!

[@shyamdevadas6099]

Doug, this video was extremely helpful! I tried this method using two INDOOR flat window antennas facing south (toward the DC and Northern Virginia stations) and north-east (facing the Baltimore stations). I went from getting about 20 stations to getting strong reception of 53! The whole deal cost me about $42. I didn't even have to pay for the cable between the antennas and the combiner because those were already manufactured onto the antenna and they were the same length and cable type. Thanks so much for the info!

[@doughall1415]

Excellent! Thanks for the comment.

[@pyronmasters]

just tested it and it WORKS!!! got from 12 channels to 26. I used a portable tv just to see the signal strength, and I added a signal amplifier between the combiner and splitter. all channels have a "good" signal cuz there $10 pvc antennas. THANK YOU!!!

[@arlenegeorge2379]

Where do u get a 10$ pvc antenna?and what is pvc??😬

[@barneyquinn3657]

Excellent. Thanks for doing this! Amazing list of over the air channels available for you. What I'm really amazed at is how few people have taken advantage of not only totally free TV reception, but BETTER reception than you get with cable or satellite. OTA signals are 8VSB, which means a 1080 broadcast IS 1080. Cablevision uses QUAM modulation. They squeeze HD signals down to NOT HD signals. The resolution goes into the tank. I've had people come by and when they see my reception on the very same channel they get on cable, they're blown away. MUCH better when you pick up signals on an antenna.

[@channel91uhf]

The actual resolution doesn’t decrease from cable’s compression, just the overall picture quality.

[@RGC198]

Hi Doug, thanks for the interesting and informative video. I live in Melbourne Australia and occasionally when there is low cloud, two of our multiplex channels can go down. They are in the same direction as the others, but being on the high end of VHF, they seem to be affected more than the lower frequency channels. I solved the problem by adding in a separate cable into another room, where I can connect to a larger antenna, on a rotator, which brings all the channels through well most of the time. So, when we do have drop outs, I can hook up the cable through to the other room and we can then watch the signal perfectly.

[@robertogonzalez7026]

Doug, Thanks for posting that.. I'm a software engineer and had asked this SAME question to my fellow hardware engineers and several said it wouldn't work. I said "what about combining the signals"... They said there was going to be interference. Well, you proved them wrong! Anyways, thanks for the informative video! I ended up buying a omnidirectional antenna and was able to get all 6 PBS stations here in Tampa Bay.

[@1mykalfury]

This technique works well with indoor antennas too. I use it in my 5th wheel mobile home & it allows me the flexibility you mentioned.

[@Not-Only-Reaper-Tutorials]

06:31 this is the way it was done also in the old Analogue systems, although in very simple ones. In a multi-flat buildings, there was an active mixer to combine antennas, and you could receive stations emitting from different directions.

[@saltcar]

Great video! Love the frequency map running in the background! Almost like "doc" in Back To The Future!

[@jtmclamb]

I'm located just a few miles from you in North Raleigh, so I had exactly the same problem. I was able to mount both antennae in my attic and now have excellent reception across the board, with the added benefit of not having to hang off my roof to mount an external antenna array. Thanks for the info, Doug!

[@doughall1415]

Excellent! Glad it worked out for you.

[@bodiew7368]

I have a question. Will a metal roof attenuate a digital signal with the antenna in the attic?

[@Channel4029]

@@bodiew7368 Absolutely. So will an insulation blanket that has foil on the outside. Probably completely. Larry Friddle, Chief Engineer KHBS/KHOG TV (retired)

[@giovannisanseviero5726]

I love listening to professionals that really know their stuff-regardless of the profession: blue-collar, white-collar; writers to masons. Compare this fella to the home remodeling shows where they have the owners pitch in with laying out paint--the roller going in every direction as if shooting for starburst pattern...yeah, 'cause that's not going to show through. I would like to roll these people out beneath an asphalt roller and buy this dude a beer. Hat's off!

[@yarsftks]

Took me awhile to find the answer to "How to combine antennas". I finally found the answer. Thanks. Good illustrations.

[@trevordance5181]

All terrestial tv in the UK is digital now. We are lucky here in that the broadcast mast or tower designated to cover a certain area will carry all the tv stations that are due to be received in the coverage area of the transmitter. This means to receive every station perfectly you only need one aerial (antenna) which can be precisely fixed and point in the direction required. Also the aerial used would be the one designed for its optimum performance to match the group of frequencies transmitted from the particular mast it is receiving from. Only having one direction to receive from plus using optimised aerials makes for easy reception in most situations.

[@trevordance5181]

Just to add to my previous text, that in the UK there are many hundreds of relay transmitter stations, some covering very small populations, that fill in the blackspots, and poor or difficult pockets of reception from the main transmitters. Some of these are very low power, but that is all that is needed to provide adequate reception in a small blackspot area.

[@peters8758]

In the analog days, UK signals were always vertical polarization, US used horizontal polarization. That meant US must aim towards the transmitter, UK could still get some signal when aim was off by 90 degrees. Is DTV still polarized the same way as analog? (I think they even spel polarisation differently). Because US / horizontal is more directional one could aim for least multipath. UK / vertical will always let some multipath in, yet their directionality is less critical. A tradeoff, neither way is all good.

[@Channel4029]

@@peters8758 Yes they are, with exceptions. Some stations transmit both horizontal and vertical at the same time. To do that you need twice the power out of the transmitter and is usually cost prohibitive at all but the stations in the top market DMA's. They are doing this to reach mobile users with a better signal. Larry Friddle, Chief Engineer KHBS/KHOG TV (retired)

[@trevordance5181]

@@peters8758 Generally in the UK where all tv is digital main transmitters broadcast their signals in horizontal polarisation, and relay transmitters in vertical polarisation. There are a few exceptions to this.

[@rbilzing]

Being a creative type, frustrated by the mountainous terrain to one side of me, I arranged this same setup but neglected to take into account the type and length of cable used, thinking it made no difference. Now I know better. Thank you.

[@Cotronixco]

This rarely works properly, unless all channels are very nearby. Multipath distortion occurs not only in the physical way you described, but also due to combining signals of varying strengths and phases. In most cases, bandpass filters are needed for the wanted channels and rejection filters for the unwanted channels. Channel Master's Join-tenna comes to mind, bust pretuned filters now have an application issue with all the UHF channels now used for digital transmission. Then, due to insertion loss, preamplification may be needed as well.

[@Stewbular]

Cotronixco are you saying the CM jiontenna has the problems you list or cure those problems?

[@ancelrick5396]

Antenna array he build IS ACTUALLY WORKING for him. He apparently didn't need to jump through the extra hoops you insist are there.

[@LinHolcomb]

I tend to disagree this is often used in rural areas to pull in two markets. Example our lake house is between Montgomery and Birmingham AL. Perhaps it is the mix of channels, but this works for many people there. I think it is a bit more complex and one needs to look at the frequencies "RF channels" used. TVfool does a good job of dealing with this in their table. An attenuation could also be used on one of the antennas to reduce the signals in one direction before needing filtering. That said the FCC has done a pretty good job with channel spacing in the digital conversion. Will this continue with the repack who knows.

[@Channel4029]

@@ancelrick5396 I am a retired television engineer living way out in the sticks. I use the exact same setup. Works great.

[@wicken8895]

Thank you. I only had two real questions and you answered both simply and succinctly. I wish more vids were as straightforward as yours.

[@kevinc9006]

I remember me and brother yelling through the house while we turned the antenna on the porch trying to get wrestling to come in.

[@markgigiel2722]

Until he fell off the roof. Do you have a brother Lee Ho? I want a big dish of beef chow mein.

[@danielfoster1410]

See now i wonder if WWF ( WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION) IS WHAT YOU GUYS ATTEMPTING TO TUNE IN YOU know back before getting sued for rights to the acronym by of all groups World Wildlife Foundation OR PERHAPS. " NWA" ( NATIONAL WRESTLING ASSOCIATION)

[@angelocollins3372]

U just brung back great great memories thanks

[@tonyv8925]

I purchased the Weingard version of the RCA. Mounted on a 20' mast and aimed in general direction of major channels...I receive about 30 channels...I also put a rabbit ears antenna on the ceiling in my radio shack for my 15" flat screen that is dedicated to National Weather Service RADAR channel from nearby public station...works quite well for station 65 miles away! Being a HAM for past 30 years, I understand velocity factor and dB line loss over long lengths of line....73 OM

[@mikedoe6585]

2 TV antennas got married. The wedding was not very good, but the Reception was great !

[@burgerking2242]

Gold LOL

[@danhendrickson9572]

are you going to tell that joke on every antenna video on youtube?

[@U2BER2012]

The actual solution is explained at 5:55 and forward. Great tip on using a splitter in reverse.

[@ericcantley9810]

Very informative. Nice video. Thank you.

[@Nicholas_Chris]

In Europe we have different models of combiners. All combiners have VHF and UHF inputs.. The advantage is that all TV channels are on UHF band, VHF High Band is for digital radio DAB+ and FM analog radio. If you want to combine two TV antennas, you can use a combiner with two UHF inputs, and VHF input has the frequency range 87 - 230 MHz meaning that you get both FM and DAB+ radio. Another advantage is that in Europe most channels are broadcasted from one tower. Let's say you have 20 channels you only need one UHF antenna and with that antenna you get those 20 channel. The interesting part is when you live near the border. You need two UHF antennas, one antenna for the TV channels from your country and the second antenna two receive TV channels from the neighbor country. Also these combiners allow un UHF input power pass if you have an antenna with a built in amplifier, the maximum voltage is 12 volts. Some combiners also have for VHF power pass if you use and FM-DAB+ antenna with buit in amplifier. The bonus part is these UHF combiner have 4G LTE filter so phone signals don't affect reception

[@justcallmehanna823]

Lol. Thanks. I sure wish you had a topic sentence however, i had to wait 7 minutes to get the answer “use a regular splitter in reverse”. :) but again, thanks for the info. When I researched my zip code for recommended cable, I was given 4 types, yellow, green, red, blue. How does a person manage that? Can I use a four-way splitter?

[@Jath2112]

That...freezing demonstration actually got me for a second... lol. Well played. Great video all around. My friend was like "what are you going to do today?" I was all..."well I've got these matching transformers and Im gonna build a couple antennas and use a splitter as a combiner and see what I can get ...." ... I got a weird look... and then a nod... they went home... and here I am.

[@Wildersport]

It should be clear that it should be a Bi Directional splitter. A lot of older splitters only allowed flow one way so turning it around backwards would not work.

[@flhusa1]

i use a uhf directional antenna at the top of my mast then a directional vhf antenna right below aimed both in the same direction. i use a uhf/vhf combiner and then a amplifier under the antennas. nobody else in the country where my house is can get the channels i do

[@1L6E6VHF]

One of the best tutorials on DTV reception I've seen. However, the multipath problem (actually causing more reception problems than weak signals) is less likely due to mountains than the buildings in your immediate vicinity (using an outdoor antenna) or the walls and people in your home (using an indoor antenna). Worse that ordinary multipath is dynamic multipath (multipath conditions that are often or always changing). An automobile driven between you and the TV station can cause a dropout. Fortunately, relief may eventually be at hand. Digital TV may be switching to a new system that is far less affected by multipath.

[@alexandrelavergne7961]

Using a regular cable splitter as a combiner causes distortion and will actually weaken your signal. You really need to use the proper components to ensure the best signal possible. It is not an issue if the signals are strong, but for me I need to reach over 90 miles to get the two different U.S. broadcast towers, so I've learned going cheap doesn't work. Currently catching every channel available in my area from 5 different broadcast towers using an omni-directional antenna combined with a 8 bay panel aimed at one US Tower and a Yagi dedicated to another.

[@billsmith8545]

I also have to recieve my signals from a tower 90 miles away livng in the Sierra Mountains and use a huge directional antenna at the moment but am missing signals from 120 degrees away at the moment, could you please share which omni-directional antenna you use to get your signal for the longer distances?

[@Cointrip]

2 way splitters ALLWAYS reduce your signal by 3dbms. 3 way splitters give you one -3dbm and two -6dbm ... an amplifier will bring back usually +10dbm. If the signal is there it will help.

[@brucebeverly2629]

Alexandre Laverne - As for the dedicated Yagi... I have a situation with a weak UHF channel 90 miles away. A Yagi antenna cut specifically for that channel's frequency would be great to combine with my wide band antenna (which gets 4 other channels at 90 miles.) Did you order your Yagi antenna or custom make it for your weak channel's frequency? Please explain (i.e., where to buy).

[@emilypoole5686]

@@brucebeverly2629 Suppose he has his own Channel he wants us to watch? Click bate people on other youtube channels who know all...

[@brucebeverly2629]

@@emilypoole5686 - I'm sure that sort of thing happens often, but I could only find family / video game / generic videos related to "Alexandre Lavergne." His mention of "omni-directional" above is suspect, because 1) combining that with other antennas can cause phasing errors where there's reception overlap, and 2) what is he using for "omni-directional," a dipole such as a "rabbit ears" type? No, his post is probably a disinformation troll exercise. Now, I've decided that I'll have to "bite the bullet" and learn how to design custom Yagi-Uda antennas for specific frequencies and combine them. Such design info is online; just do some Google searches.

[@JosephMassimino]

Yes, well done, easy for almost anyone to understand. I have a ChannelMaster 120 mile antenna, and I use to use the RCA antennas you have. The RCA antenna worked well, but they embellished its mileage rating a bit. The ChannelMaster antenna does pull in some far off stations, but it is so directional that if I get the far off station\, which is PBS, I can;t get a good fix on another closer station which is CBS, so it is one or the either. The main issue that keeps me from trying two antennas is the very strong signals on ABC and the CW. I can get those with a wet noodle, so I actually get them off the back side of my antenna.

[@rickjones1281]

I finally had enough of being scammed by these cable companies.

[@AmfIII]

Rick Joneshy, I cut the cord before Christmas, and couldn’t be happier! I felt like I was being “held hostage by a monopoly” more so than being scammed. I went with hdtv antennas, added fire sticks which averaged $35 bucks a TV. I did keep my Comcast modem and signed up for PHILO. Long story short... I’m now streaming 55 channels in realtime, picking up all the local channels for a grand total of $88.50 a month vs $225.00 a month with Comcast! That’s a savings of $1,638,00 a year! Cha - Ching!!!

[@TwiigssGames]

When we had Comast cable, I think we were paying somewhere of around $140 a month roughly, well all I remember is I was watching a really good TV channel, and the next day when I went to turn it on, the channel didn't even exist. And 5 other channels had disappeared, BUT, low and behold, our bill.... WENT UP!!! So switched to Dish Network, then over to DirecTV, now, we have an antenna on the roof, and I have my own antenna. I don't care about TV, other than being able to watch the local news. Other than that, TV is crap. Which is why I pretty much do everything on the internet. KZbin, Netflix, Hulu, a lot better than TV.

[@wicken8895]

Long, long time Spectrum customer. They lied to me twice after I turned 65 to ask if they had any kind of senior discount. Two techs said yes and after two months of paying MORE than I used to, the last guy said "sorry" . So I said "me too" and left.

[@briannielsen7176]

I actually have 3 antennas on my roof since the towers were all in different directions. They also advise you not to combine the antennas on one pole since the pole might not be strong enough especially with a storm. Another reason not to put them on a pole together is the signals might be to close and you might have ghosting. Another thing you can do for better reception is put a preamp on each antenna. This prevents signal loss from the antenna to the tv. You also need to remember to ground each antenna.

[@christopherdillard4063]

So Brian what is the path that is used? Splitter --> amp ---> grounding brick ---> antenna? Also you are using the same length of cable between antennas all the way to the splitter?

[@cjs46and2]

"and sports nuts are crazy." lmao

[@Channel4029]

Believe me, they aren't half as bad as little old ladies who are missing "Their Stories"!

[@dporrasxtremeLS3]

@@Channel4029 Like the "MAN" says sports nuts are crazy...

[@iceman382]

This was a great video. I want to point out that some TV antenna installations might present different results by combining two antennas. Okay....stay with me people!!! You might need to attenuate one TV antenna's signal strength by using inline coax TV signal attenuators. One antenna might cause multi-path or override nearby frequencies. My example is I am in between Milwaukee, WI and Chicago, IL. Roughly 38 miles to Chicago, and about 53 to Milwaukee. Obviously my Chicago stations are stronger.... I have two 12 foot boom TV antennas. One points to Milwaukee and the other to Chicago. I don't remember exactly, but I get over 73 channels. Including Chicago PBS 11-1, 11-2, 11-3, 11-4, and Wisconsin PBS 10-1, 10-2, 10-3 and Wisconsin PBS 36-1, 36-2, 36-3. Now the problem comes in when some stations interfere with frequencies that are close to each other. Like Wisconsin NBC channel 4 and Chicago NBC channel 5. Or PBS 10 from Wisconsin and PBS 11 from Chicago. I might not get Channel 4 and channel 10 for example. By attenuating the stronger Chicago signals by just a few decibels, I effectively can watch all stations on multiple TV's. Now I am not going to get super technical because every antenna installation can be different. You can get in-line attenuators from places like SolidSignal.com, Amazon or parts-express.com. You can even get variable in-line coax attenuators too. Some experimentation is needed to figure out exactly how much attenuation is needed. Start small like 3db attenuation and work your way up. I bought a variable attenuator, but I don't remember where.

[@rowanvolvo5454]

Multipath interference is major PITA in urban areas. To date, the only digital antenna that had enough directionality to reject reflected signals was the Philips Silver Streak - and of course they stopped making them around the time the country went all digital. Likewise, the D/A converters they gave coupons for , to help people with the switch over had a signal strength meter built in, which was indispensable for aiming. I have not been able to find a single tv on sale that has a built-in SS meter, and the D/A converters aren't sold anymore. (actually the stores never carried them BEFORE the changeover either, figuring they'd just sell you a new tv of course) It's a capitalist conspiracy, I tells ya!

[@TheBamaChad-W4CHD]

It's incredibly easy to build your own yagi with much better gain than most of the store bought crap I see. Also I never saw and digital converter with it's own s meter. That would be extremely helpful. I've seen most that have a s meter in it's settings but a good analog or digital on the outside of it would be so great

[@bodiew7368]

I bought a cheap ($118) 32" Element brand HDTV at Wal-Mart with signal strength meter built in.

[@ry3597]

I have a 5 or 6 y/o LG 55UF6450 and it has a signal strength meter. It's somewhat buried in the channel menu, but very handy.

[@Channel4029]

rowan: "and the D/A converters aren't sold anymore." Actually I see dozens offered by Walmart.com today (1/24/2019) Saw some in a store too.

[@5argetech56]

You got me when you pixelated and froze the signal, I actually thought something was wrong with my internet connection for a minute. And that the coding from you called back in the old days was ghosting. Boy do I remember that. I want to also add that my wife is to sports nut and I'm the technical geek. Believe it or not she was the one that explain football to me. That's what happens when you have older sisters.

[@jeromegrzelak8236]

looks like home bru vhf and uhf antennas good job om i seen ur icom radios kg6mn

[@Channel4029]

Doug, fantastic video. I wish I had found it years ago. I don't know how much time I have spent giving viewers this very same information over and over. I even had viewers call and say we were off the air, wake up dumb ass, when were we going to fix our problem. Several times I have used tvfool.com to see that they should have a strong signal. Took a battery powered TV out to their house with a coat hanger as an antenna. You should have seen the look on their face when they saw a perfect picture! Anyway, good work! Larry Friddle, Chief Engineer KHBS/KHOG TV (retired)

[@LoloOkolePuka]

Hi Doug, Yesterday I got home after watching your video at work 3 times and turned around a splitter and joined two indoor antennas and powered it all up and had reception like never before. THANKS!! Now I'd like to tinker with it and have a purpose of finding the right piece of test equipment that I might connect to my antenna's one at a time and as I walk around with my antenna in hand and pointing it into seemingly productive directions I'd be able to look at a connected meter and watch a reading go up and know I'd have just found the best place for that particular antenna. Meters that seem to me would do this would be ones like these: LeaningTech DVB-T 95DT, Digital TV Signal Meter, Digital Satellite Finder, Digital Satellite Finder, (all on Amazon) But, I've gotten repeated 'no!'s' from folks saying they wouldn't work. Well they work for satellites and other stuff. It seems to me there would be a meter out there just right for this purpose. Please give me any guidance you can toward an affordable test meter to do this with. Thanks a bunch Doug, Rich

[@doughall1415]

Hi Rich, Unfortunately I have little experience with these meters. The ones specifically for satellite use aren't suitable for over-the-air applications, so avoid those when looking for one. Some of these (the cheaper ones) are just RF signal strength meters that don't discriminate by frequency and they can be fooled by other signal sources.

[@LoloOkolePuka]

Hi Doug, Thanks for the reply. I'm in a bit of a mental fog with black friday at hand. I see an opportunity to get some great deals. Here is another piece of hardware I think could be adapted for my purpose. I think with a long extension cord for power, a 2x4 electrical box, and a small directional antenna I could make a RF gun, and this one seems not only to be for TV channels it also seems to be channel select-able. There are a bunch of videos about this device on youtube largely where Recreational Vehicles use this thing to find enough reception when spending the night in their RV. Please give me your thoughts about this. I would want it to show me the best place to put an antenna for say channel 5, and possibly it give me a different place for channel 13. Then your 'combiner' could join such together. Here is the device: www.amazon.com/Winegard-RFL-332-SensarPro-Signal-Strength/dp/B007AORLC4/ref=s9_cartx_gw_g263_i1_r?_encoding=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=GZZHXC40H4GKM22HADAZ&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=6aad23bd-3035-4a40-b691-0eefb1a18396&pf_rd_i=desktop Thanks again Doug, Rich

[@doughall1415]

Hi Rich, That looks like a handy device - I had not seen it before. It's too bad all of the TV manufacturers don't build this capability into their TVs. In any event it seems to me that this device would do just what you want. Doug

[@LoloOkolePuka]

Super! Thanks for the Reply Doug. I'm just bout ready to get off work and head home to bed lol. I'll look into this and definitely get one if it gets a price break on Black Friday, and probably anyway. I kind of see a signal tester with a clipboard and a lot of pacing around and testing different places and from that information being able to place different antennas and join them with a combiner. Also then that information could be stored on my laptop and if things change I could get to solution faster. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again for the reply. Rich

[@offgrid2010]

Rich Schreiner excellent presentation.

[@AndreBellCopywriter]

Thanks. We have two indoor HDTV antennas I bought for playing with idea of cord cutting. Not thought of combining them for improved reception. Thanks for the useful tips about cabling etc.

[@kennikuhlmann-clark9860]

** Okay: who here rewound the video back, right after the pixelation and audio dropout happened, not realizing it was a demonstration?

[@larryloftis9064]

LOL

[@johndavies6769]

Thankyou. In the UK we still use both TV Ariel (antenna) and cable. We pay the BBC a licence fee and pay for cable. I think you have given me the answer I’m looking for. I live in Hartlepool, England. My signal comes from the Bilsdale Transmitter Mast in North Yorkshire which burnt down last year cutting off millions of viewers. After arguments with the landowner they put up a temporarily mast half the height. They also put a second temporary mast nearer but in a different direction. I have two tv Attentas one I can’t get to on top of my chimney towards Bilsdale and one in the attic for different tv’s in the house. I have ordered a signal finder from eBay and will experiment with joining the cables. Cheers

[@busterbobgirlyboo2661]

Please, someone tell the easy n cheap way to add ground to my tv antenna. I lack $ so...

[@ChefClary60]

You can buy a grounding rod but any length of metal two to three feet long will work. First drill a hole in it or get a fastener that will allow you to fasten a wire to the length of metal. Pound metal at least 6 inches into the ground. Run a copper wire from the metal to your antenna. Shouldn’t really matter where you attach the wire to the antenna as long as its to the metal per of the antenna. They do make what’s called grounding wire which is thick copper wire but thinner wires will work. I’ve grounded dozens of CB and Ham radio antennas this way. Should work with TV

[@truthbespoken7750]

He's too busy fiddling with the TV antennas also collected KZbin payouts. I've heard of the Omni50 hands down the absolute best. Relatively cheap around $60 , still saving up money for it so I'll let you know. Anyone else using the same Omni50 ?

[@rafdavfl]

Good video sir. We use OTA reception and happy with what we get, ( some where in the neighborhood of 55 stations here in central Florida ). I think most if not all TV antennas now are log periodic, ( not counting the other kinds like the one you hang on the wall, etc. ); where at one time they used Yagi Uda. We use to have two antennas, but I needed some space for my 2 meter Yagi, so now it's just one. And that website, tvfool is really great for helping lay out your antenna system.

[@ggme4682]

Wow. Excellent & super informative in every way. Thank you. 👍 And - most Importantly I wish every idiot with background music injected into they're educational videos would see this and experience an 'ah-ha' moment!!!

[@douglassmith2055]

Great video, thank you, sounds like a good solution to my problem. New tv tuners will only auto scan for channels and offer no edit or add. If you use a antenna rotor, you would have to do a re scan EACH time you move the antenna.

[@GWhizard]

I don't give "likes," until now.

[@claypottinger7372]

"Sports nuts are crazy". Great! The entire video is great. I especially like the station that's playing behind your right shoulder. That's coming in with wonderful clarity. The wires to 'splinter' being the same length and impedance is important information.

[@sparkie951]

Good info and very well done... Thanks for sharing. I may be one of those not needing this video as I have been in Amateur Radio, Commercial FCC Radio Telephone, and have worked with TV stations in the past. Keep up the good work.... BTW, the main reason I wanted to see your video was exactly how you were combining to see if it was different than what I was considering.... I was thinking the same thing. Keep up the good work.

[@imoldur2]

This is the most informative video I have seen yet describing my particular problem. Thank you for taking the time to make a great video.

[@doughall1415]

Thanks! Glad you found it useful.

[@derickyounger]

Great video Doug! I can get about 26 channels from one direction, and about 5 from another, so this is very helpful. Thank you.

[@foadrightnow5725]

You should do more videos! This video was concise, informative, and easy to listen to. Thanks for sharing!

[@richardreynolds9389]

Well put together video that anyone can understand the problems and the fix. Thanks for all the work on this video.

[@doghairdontcarelindaniel7531]

Texas here….thanks for the info. Caring about ALL people!!

[@patrickbullock6144]

"Stacking" or combining antennas to achieve higher gain can be tricky at best. Proper phasing is absolutely essential to avoid unwanted destructive interference when combining signals from two separate sources. Stacking can also affect the array's bandwidth resulting in unintended outcomes and impedance irregularities. This technique works best for narrow bandwidth applications such as single channel reception or channels that are closely grouped together. A spectrum analyzer coupled with some form of tacking generator can improve chances of creating a successful array.

[@allanpatterson7653]

What channels do you want? ATSC is frequency selective just as NTSC. Bandpass filters ,Attenuators Traps. I found the local station my worst problem to keep Ingress out of the picture . I bought an antenna tuned specifically to it's frequency had a clear view by eye of the tower and lined it up. ran Earth grounded RG6 to a 30db attenuator to a combiner which had a frequency trap of the local station by about 40db so that other antenna is on a 360* rotor. You still had to find a place to point it for local station Q/ so people wondered why you point the antenna at an odd angle for the local station? A/ That is not receiving it, the signal source is the little antenna fixed in place it's signal is attenuated 30db as well as all the noise on that signal. The Television receiver's Tuner is shielded , without a signal source wired in it has nothing,you do not want it picking up interference. I tried using TV tuners as frequency selective pre-amps there was a steady flow of Goldstar VCRs on the scrap heap but their tuners worked very well and you could transmit the IF frequency back a long way as it is a low frequency. Tuners don't like the weather but the concept of a frequency selective amplifier can work .Sorry that is my Rant about Consumer electronic repair in the 90's The ATSC signal today when combing Antennas I would spend for Passive traps and bandpass filters. The idea is that you do not want both antennas receiving the same station. Analog sets gave you a Ghost; Digital can lose track of Data and picture turn to pixels floating around.

[@edcortes1455]

Thanks so much for sharing with the public. I had the same problem in Puerto Rico. Now problem solved. 💪

[@melgraeve5484]

Do the antennas have to be the same or can you use to different sizes and shapes ???????🇺🇸😷

[@AmyGrrl78]

Thanks for this video. I was thinking about doing the same thing and was wondering if a splitter could be used in reverse. Where I am located we only have about 10 channels available to pick up. 3 Stations to the NE and 7 Station to the SW. No other stations are broadcasting from other directions. So right now we have to choose between 7 Stations or 3 Stations. So wanted to get a 2nd antenna and splitter since they really don't cost much. Then we can get all the stations. Thanks!

[@jjc3rd01]

This is a good topic and video. I do understand the velocity factor and for the same reason, the lengths should be identical. The ghosting problem can be generated otherwise. I'd like to know some more details about your "shack". Looks kinda like an RF spectrum analyzer.

[@Tampa0123456789]

OMG! great idea. I never thought about using a splitter in reverse. This video describe my issue perfectly. All the stations studios are in our central city downtown but to my surprise their tower are no where near the city.

[@stanleyrandolph7968]

Thanks great explanation of the same problem I am having can’t wait to get a splitter and check it out. Like your presentation easy to follow for us amateurs. Thanks

[@doncrocker916]

I liked that very much! Cable here in Jefferson, NH 03583 for TV just went up to $79.00 a month with the digital box rental! We also we have is BASIC TV channels. I also have Internet which is another $59.99 a month! My bill now for cable and internet with the above service is $139.99!!! $140 dollars a month!!!! We are retired and can't afford this any longer but need it!!! I will investigate the options you have suggested even though I have been told by TV antenna installers that I would not get much other than PBS here!

[@colinhumphrey4170]

Many thanks Doug, for a a clear and uncomplicated instructive video; I'm off to give this a try. Colin UK

[@chrisgraham2904]

Great information. Particularly, your explanation of the different causes between snow and ghosting. Can two different antenna styles be combined in the same manner or do they both need to be identical twins? In 1966 my parents home was in need a new antenna (Cost $200 to $250), but they opted for the new cable technology that had just been installed in our neighborhood. While recently settling my parent's estates I found a 1966 cable bill among their papers.... cable was $1.26 per month.

[@doughall1415]

Chris, the antennas don't have to be identical. But they should both be directional. $1.26 per month? Even accounting for inflation that's a good bit cheaper than today!

[@chrisgraham2904]

Thanks for the info Doug, Yes, 1966 price sure was cheaper. My current monthly cable cost is more than one hundred and twenty times (CDN) higher than the 1996 price. That's why I'll be cutting the cord within the next month.

[@drclam9752]

Great video, no nonsense. I'd be interested to hear, what do you think about Omni-directional antennas?

[@doughall1415]

Tom, in my experience most omnidirectional antennas aren't really omnidirectional in pattern, but instead have a cloverleaf or similar "sort of omni" pattern. Not a big fan of them, but your mileage may vary.

[@notaness]

Great explanation of multiple antenna set ups. I am actually doing the same thing and trying to pick up some channels down in the Raleigh area from Asheboro.

[@UncleBobbo]

Same here, trying to maximize my channel lineup in Asheboro. Should be plenty since it's in the center of a few metro areas. Particularly interested in getting the ion stations from greensboro, Any luck?

[@notaness]

+Rob Baker no not a bit,, I have tried 4 different antennas and not even a glimpse of it.. it has to be a really low power station is the only thing I can think of.

[@UncleBobbo]

+notaness I wouldn't even care about that station if I hadn't gotten it for 2 days on a rainy weekend. They played a decent lineup of shows. Then the rain cleared up and the channels went away. Right now they're the only channels I'm not getting with a cheap ebay amplified outdoor antenna, and I was just curious if an antenna upgrade would be worth considering. Which channels are you not getting?

[@notaness]

+Rob Baker basically that's it,, I did have better luck going back towards Charlotte instead of Raleigh. I'm currently using two solid signal hdb8x antennas, one pointed toward Greensboro, the other toward Charlotte. I am also running a juice pre-amp between the two as well as a channel master combiner. I'm in a fairly bad location to pull Raleigh, and at the time I was desperate to pull WRAL. well as luck would have it the switched to NBC, and I already get wxii (NBC) out of Winston fairly easy..

[@UncleBobbo]

+notaness Hmmm. I hadn't tried going towards Charlotte, but now I'm curious if it'd be worth trying. ion is gonna bug me forever though, haha

[@Gidnoy]

What are those artifacts in the spectrum analyzer behind you at 1:17 - a bump moving down spectrum, and at 1:23 - a bump moving up spectrum?

[@Jath2112]

"Sports nuts are crazy"... I felt that. Lol... this video is far better than Incould have imagined it being when I saw the title.

[@MotownBatman]

Just stumbled upon this, New Sub: Dryden, MI Gonna work on a Homemade antenna for our Middle of nowhere Upper/Mid-Michigan Cabin for my dad. Nice Work

[@bikemannc]

I tremendously enjoyed your video! Answered all my questions in handling that double delimma of distant station desired with an opposing directional path. Thanks for your extra info gems tossed in too.

[@Tony-lf4rr]

Thank you Doug, great video! I live in warsaw IN, I'm not sure if I'm able to use a omni-directional antenna. Thank you

[@zandig666]

Hi i have an antenna with 2 leads 1 lead per adjustable angle bay....i am running those 2 leads through a splitter in reverse .... This is great thanks !!!

[@Jim.D]

Thanks for a great video, I was able to combine 2 antennas to get great signal without any issues. Thanks again!

[@wesleyjustice3686]

I have the same problem so when it gets cooler I'm going to put up my second antenna and also I use a TiVo receiver so I can record shows while i'm away ( 4 channels at the same time). I also see that you are amateur radio 73 DE KG4YPE and working on the General license

[@phillipwheeler809]

Excellent and to the point! Can I use my antenna with rotor and add a standard HD antenna? I ask because power to the rotor is fed through the coaxial cable. If so, which antenna should be at top of mast? I have about ten feet of pole from top of metal roof to top of antenna pole.

[@phillipwheeler809]

Oh and the box for the rotorized HD antenna has a signal amplifier.

[@scottweaverphotovideo]

BTW, watching the Tokyo Olympics via roof antenna ($40) quality is outstanding. It's 1080p of course but the smoothness of screen refresh, contrast and color make that standard resolution look damn good. I also watch some of the Peacock streaming and it's okay. I understand you can see it in 4k but only if you are subscribed to live tv service. Perhaps at the 2024 games we will have broadcast 4k. I sure hope so!

[@boblounsbury5639]

Great video on Antenna combining. It would be nice to add a segment of methods of phasing the antenna when not as close. Maybe you could let me know what spectrum analyzer you are using in the background. For a more experienced person an inexpensive SA would be a great tool for understanding interference in the area. Please consider methods of reducing interference from other sources such as LTE. CM provides OTA filters for LTE, but not sure if they are effective. Thanks

[@loveshisharley]

I watched this great video again. Our local VHF TV station finally moved to UHF this past year and I can finally take down those big antennas and replace them with smaller UHF antennas. How would you recommend stacking two antennas for more gain? I get the identical length cables for that as well, but wonder about antenna spacing? I already use a CM7777 amplifier that gets me a 40-50 signal strength (TV setup). My stations are low VHF and VHF. Great video, simple fix!

[@jamesm568]

Antenna combining worked for me. I have only one VHF TV station and I lost it when I combined antennas, but when I remove the VHF element off of the second antenna I got it back.

[@jascam1]

Great video Doug, video imagery/demo was outstanding

[@bigwheelsturning]

I have the same problem with stations in my Seattle area. I have two digital antennas and didn't know about the upside down splitter. Now I know and will do it. Need to see if I have any RJ-6.

[@Michael-hx7mq]

Very nice video! You mentioned the need for several ft of separation between antennas. What is the reason for that? Regards, MG

[@doughall1415]

Placing the antennas too close to each other can distort the pattern of the antenna and can change the antenna impedance. Bottom line, performance suffers if they are too close.

[@Accumulator1]

Good discussion. I did not know if co-phasing made a difference. So both cables to the splitter need to be same length. Where be the best location in the line to put a signal amplifer? At the single output of the splitter would be my guess.

[@doughall1415]

Correct, at the combiner output. And for best performance the amplifier should be at the antenna, but that's not always practical.

[@bjs2022]

He did not say if the combined channels were both on RF UHF or RF VHF. From my experience receiving DTV since 1999, combining UHF signals from opposite directions even about sixty miles apart does not work. Combining UHF and VHF works, even from the same direction (I have to use separate antennas because a UHF/VHF combination one does not work in my difficult reception location). I'm old and I have a lifetime of experience with TV antennas. Please see my listing for free information on the San Francisco Bay Area Craigslist. Search for "cord cutter" in the Services category.

[@yocz2007]

My respects for a so clear tutorial Mr Doug Hall,dut my question is :Does it matter if the roles of the IN/Out revers?Like the two holes that were normally out VS the single hole that was in becomes out? Bla,bla,bla ,''i know you get me guys!''

[@doughall1415]

No, in my experience passive non-powered splitters will generally also work in reverse as combiners.

[@yocz2007]

@@doughall1415 I thank you so much for your quick answer,i just order the spliter on Amazon i can't wait to receive and have it install.Take care of you and your family pale! www.amazon.ca/-/fr/gp/product/B00006JPEA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@rickyn1135]

Very well done. I’m going to try this. I was just wondering why,from other forums I’ve read they seem to say ,’it degrades’ the signal if you combine two antennas?! I’m assuming,they didn’t space theirs far Enugu apart as you’ve stated.

[@doughall1415]

The supposed degradation comes from the fact that there is some loss in the combiner itself since it is a passive device. But when the antennas are properly aimed and spaced you nearly always gain more than you lose.

[@nobodynobody8591]

Great information, and I have been selling and installing antennas for over 20 yrs.

[@bodiew7368]

Did you try a pre-amplifyer? When splitting an antenna signal to two or more TV's it halves the strengths on each. You could be getting a strong enough signal to the antenna but not the tv.

[@appleimacdude]

okay, newbie at this here - connected a Winegard flat amplified indoor antenna, 5L5500A to my bedroom Vizio smart tv. I get some stations really well. This antenna is in a 2nd story window facing North. I see a lot of stations are south of me - I was thinking of adding a flat antenna also to my dining room window, facing south. So I would want to combine the south antenna near my two tv's, and branch off to them - then on my north facing tv, I would want to combine that antenna to go to both tv's - so it seems as if I would have to combine the south antenna cable into 2 cables to go to each tv, in 2 separate rooms - then on the north antenna it sounds as if I would have to combine that cable to go to each tv - then I would have to combine the 2 cables at each tv into one to hook up to each tv? What type of splitters would I use, I assume powered ones - and what quality of cable would I use for a fairly long run like this - my place is a 2 room condo basically, with other small rooms as offshoots.

[@lcarliner]

What you could do also for the PBS Station is to use a Yaggi antenna tuned to specifically optimized for that channel or use a band pass filter that will pass only the PBS station.

[@radiotvshop]

Thats a good point , you would need a high gain antenna . Instead of a regular splitter , is this better made by Antennas Direct VHF / UHF Antenna Combiner a better component . Also is there a phasing loss ? Thanks I am replacing my 10 year old analog antennas 2X , with a Winegard HD 8200U. How does it rate with the older Antennacraft HD 1850. The signals on the worn out old antennas measured on my HP ESA 1500A Spectrum analyzer were still good on transmit channels 7 /13/41