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bugeuse asked in Consumer ElectronicsTVs · 1 decade ago

Poor Digital Signal. Can I use a splitter with 3 antennas? (read details)?

I live in the center of a big city. Half of my channels go in one direction and the other half go in another direction. If I get a splitter, can I place 2 or even 3 Indoor TV Antennas each in a different direction to get all of the channels I seek? OR - will they drown each other out?

Update:

I have one - but I don't want to have to wait for it to remotely move. I'm a channel changer. lol

also, i've been to antennasweb

Update 2:

If I place them in different parts of the home or outside of the home then it's pretty ghetto but it may work well.

5 Answers

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  • kg7or
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    There's no way to do what you want without some sort of compromise. Here are some options:

    1. An omnidirectional antenna. The downside is poor or zero gain; you may have weak channels, which means no signal on digital channels. Upside: no switching or antenna controls to mess with.

    2. Multiple antennas with a multi-port splitter. Downside: severe signal loss in going through a splitter. Upside: same as #1.

    3. Smallish outdoor antenna on a rotor. Downside: bulky, delay in reaching desired direction. Upside: strong signal strength, your most likely choice for successful digital reception on all channels.

    4. A variation on #3: multiple antennas, but use an antenna switch (Radio Shack) rather than a splitter to minimize signal loss.

    Followup:

    The link provided by Golfer looks like a decent choice also. The only confusion factor is the 300-ohm inputs. Many antennas, especially the indoor variety, don't give you a 300-ohm output. The outside antennas generally do, although you may have to bypass or remove the 300:75 ohm transformer on the antenna boom.

  • 1 decade ago

    >If I get a splitter, can I place 2 or even 3 Indoor TV Antennas each in a different direction to get all of the channels I seek? OR - will they drown each other out<

    No, besides what you are talking about is combining the signals... not splitting them.

    What you need is an omni-directional antenna or an antenna with two lobes.

    http://winegard.com/offair/products.htm

  • gp4rts
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    There are many splitters that also act in reverse to become combiners. They are called splitter/combiners. Most are only 2-way, but some are more, see

    http://www.nextag.com/splitter-combiner/search-htm...

    The main problem with combining antennas in different directions is that you are likely to pick up reflected signals that will interfere with main signal from another antenna. This causes what is called multipath interference, and can wipe out your reception even if the signals are strong. You may be able to find antenna orientations/locations that work, but it will involve a lot of trial and error. It's hard enough with 2, but 3 would get very messy. However, you may be able to get it to work. First verify that you have a location that works with a single antenna for each of the stations you want to get.

  • Golfer
    Lv 6
    1 decade ago

    It's not a splitter that you need, it's an antenna coupler (also called combiner or joiner). They are a bit different. A splitter has one input and multiple outputs whereas the coupler has two inputs and 1 output. I have never seen them for 3 antennas but they probably exist. I just did a quick search and found this one for 2 antennas:

    http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=S...

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  • ?
    Lv 4
    5 years ago

    No. Your satellite tv for pc dish is designed to obtain indicators in basic terms from specific satellite tv for pc transmitters. the dimensions of the dish and the operation of the LNB (element of the receiver fastened on the dish) are on an diverse frequency than that of a transmitted sign from a television broadcast station. The amplifier it is fastened on the dish needs to be powered for the duration of the set good receiver. Now you may ought to purchase and set up an exterior roof good antenna or attempt to artwork off of a "rabbit ear" antenna.

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