How’s your TV reception? If it’s not crystal clear, maybe your antenna is mounted at the wrong height.

If you’ve got a snowy picture, ghosting on the screen or lines of pixilation in the picture, chances are you’ll have to adjust your antenna.

But the position of the TV aerial might be just one of the factors leading to poor reception. Other reasons might include an old or broken antenna, worn or inferior cabling or outdated technology. In addition, it could be to do with the switch from analogue to digital reception – analogue and digital TV frequencies work differently.

Just because you are experiencing problems with reception, doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to replace or upgrade your existing TV or antenna. Simply adjusting the height can often resolve the problem.

A TV antenna and aerial specialist will be able to diagnose the problem.

Antenna height

There is no specific height to place a TV antenna. It depends on a number of factors – height being one of them. The distance and line of connectivity of your aerial from the nearest transmitting tower plays an important role in the quality of your reception.

Your physical environment impacts on how well your antenna picks up transmission. If you’re in a valley surrounded by high mountains, or in the CBD around tall buildings, your TV antenna may need to be higher than average to overcome a reception “black spot”.

Generally, the higher the antenna the better the reception. But local council bylaws govern the placement of TV aerials, so you’ll need to contact your local council for guidance if you want to place it higher than average.

The presence of mountains, buildings or trees that interrupt the line of transmission from your aerial to the transmitting tower adds complexity to the installation of the aerial, so while you are able to install the antenna yourself if you are able to, a professional TV antenna specialist will understand the local conditions and ensure the best possible television reception.

Yellow Pages can help you find an expert near your home. If you’re having problems with your reception, call an expert today,