Higher is better: 10-20 feet off the ground is ideal. Try to avoid obstructions such as tall buildings, forests or hills, which can weaken signals before they get to your antenna. You'll need to be able to point your antenna, even if it's multidirectional, at the source of the TV signal for the best reception.
Raise Your Antenna
We've found that the height of your antenna is a critical factor in getting decent reception. That's one reason roof-mounted antennas typically outperform indoor models. It's also why you probably won't get good reception using an antenna placed in your basement.
The height of an antenna has a major impact on its performance. Aspects including the feed impedance, radiation diagram, radiation losses, distance from interference, reduction in possibility of exposure to RF radiation, etc.
The antenna needs to be placed in the same position as the TV transmitter. Because most of the TV transmitter are horizontal polarized it would be best to start putting the antenna in a horizontal position.
Typically, the higher your antenna is placed, the better your reception will be.
While smart TVs typically come with built-in antennas, they are used for Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity — not for picking up free-to-air channels. You can always try using a less sophisticated analog antenna, but there's a good chance you'll experience signal problems.
The larger the surface area of the antenna, the more channels it's likely to receive. Because outdoor antennas are up high, they are more likely to get long-distance signals. Outdoor antennas receive broadcasts with less interference, as well.
As stated earlier, most experts feel that an antenna height of 30 or 40 feet (9 to 12 meters) is optimum for 6 meters. This takes into account the ground effect and the fact that Es signals are coming in from many elevation angles — not necessarily the lowest angle.
If hills, trees, buildings, or other geographic features are in between the broadcast towers and the antenna, the signals might not be able to reach your antenna. Elevating the antenna, either by placing it in a higher location or using a taller mast, will increase the signal reception.
The height is measured vertically (NOT the slant height) from the mark to the ARP of the antenna. The height is measured in meters. The ARP is almost always the center of the bottom-most, permanently attached, surface of the antenna.
Factors That Influence Range
Antenna Length & Type: Everything else equal, longer antennas will always have a longer range than shorter antennas. Also, certain types of antennas have a longer range than others.
Yes, you do. Smart TVs do not have built-in antennas, so to be able to view free over-the-air channels, an antenna is required.
You can purchase a smart TV that doesn't have an aerial built in, though aerials are not needed for standard TV viewing. These can be external aerials or an indoor aerial, sometimes known as an indoor antenna. However, to fully enjoy the internet and other features you will need one installed.
If you have one antenna on your router, point the antenna upright for a better horizontal reach, or horizontally for more vertical range. Pointing a router's antenna sideways can help you get a better signal upstairs. Positioning an antenna upwards helps the router transmit further in a lateral direction.
Antennas should all be oriented in the same direction, pointing vertically out of the sensor. If the sensor is mounted flat on it's back on a horizontal surface, you should bend the antenna as close to the sensor housing as possible giving you the most amount of antenna pointing vertical.
While indoor antennas can pick up channels from broadcast stations within a 20-30 mile radius, the reach of an outdoor antenna is about 60 to 80 miles.
The distance between any power lines and the installation site should be at least one and one-half times the height of the antenna and mast assembly. Make the distance even greater, if at all possible. Since all overhead power lines look somewhat alike, consider them all dangerous and stay well away from them.