Steps to Getting
Over-the-Air Digital TV

1. Find Broadcast Towers
2. Antenna Placement
3. Antenna Selection
4. Home Cabling
5. Estimate Signal to TV
6. Standard Practices

Basic steps using Standard Practices for getting over-the-air television, and the most channels. The ideal scenario is an antenna 30 feet or more above ground level (AGL), pointed directly at the tower antenna, has a clear line-of-sight to tower, with flat and level or down sloping terrain covered only with short vegetation or crops in tower direction.

1 - Find Broadcast Towers Use the TV Broadcast Tower Locator to find;
•	TV channels / networks on Station tower antenna. -- Some towers have multiple antennas (Stations).
•	HD or UHD Broadcast
•	Angle to Tower
•	Range to Tower
•	Signal Strength (estimate) Power (dBm) available to home antenna.
•	RF Channel / Band (VHF or UHF)

2 - Antenna Placement Based on
•	Angle to Towers Look for a clear path to towers.
•	Range to Towers Greater ranges need a higher antenna.
•	Higher Antennas have less Ground Loss
•	Proximity to Televisions. Antenna as close as possible to TV's.
Also see -- Antenna Installation -- Reception / Signal Factors

3 - Antenna Selection Based on
•	Frequency Band -- UHF or VHF/UHF.
•	Antenna Type Gain Beam Low Gain (Indoor / Room) 2 - 4 dBi 60° to 70° High Gain (Outside or Attic) 5 - 10 dBi 60° to 70° Very High Gain (Outside) 11 - 20 dBi 15° to 35°
Also see -- Hardware / Antennas -- Tech / Frequency

4 - Home Cabling Determine your system
•	Cable Type -- RG 6 (Standard), RG 11, or RG 59.
•	Cable Length -- antenna to each TV.
•	Signal Splitters and Type (ports) between antenna and each TV. (2, 3, 4, 8 port splitters)
•	Number of Connectors -- ground block, wall outlets, etc.
Also see Hardware / Coax Cables

5 - Estimate Signal to Television

Concentrate on the weakest signal of interest and the television cable run with the most loss.

TV SIGNAL RECEPTION
	Signal to Antenna	dBm
+	Antenna Gain	dBi
-	Antenna Height Loss	dB
-	Clutter Losses	dB
-	Cabling Loss	dB
=	Signal to TV	dBm

Estimate Signal to Television
RF Channel or Band:		VHF Band UHF Band RF 2 RF 3 RF 4 RF 5 RF 6 RF 7 RF 8 RF 9 RF 10 RF 11 RF 12 RF 13 RF 14 RF 15 RF 16 RF 17 RF 18 RF 19 RF 20 RF 21 RF 22 RF 23 RF 24 RF 25 RF 26 RF 27 RF 28 RF 29 RF 30 RF 31 RF 32 RF 33 RF 34 RF 35 RF 36 RF 37 RF 38 RF 39 RF 40 RF 41 RF 42 RF 43 RF 44 RF 45 RF 46 RF 47 RF 48 RF 49 RF 50 RF 51 RF 52 RF 53 RF 54 RF 55 RF 56 RF 57 RF 58 RF 59 RF 60 RF 61 RF 62 RF 63 RF 64 RF 65 RF 66 RF 67 RF 68 RF 69
Signal Strength:		dBm
Antenna:	Gain	dBD dBi
	Height	feet meters
	Area	Rural Residential City
Clutter Loss:		dB
Cable:	Type Length	RG-6 (standard) RG-11 RG-59 feet meters
Signal Splitters:		0 1 2 3 4 5 2 Ports , 0 1 2 3 4 5 3 Ports 0 1 2 3 4 Ports , 0 1 2 8 Ports
Connectors:		0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ground Block, barrels...
Adapters:		0 1 2 Twin-lead / Coax
Channel RF Frequency / Band Signal to Antenna dBm + Antenna Gain dBi - Antenna Height Loss dB - Clutter Loss (dB) - Cable Loss (dB) - Splitters Loss (dB) - Connectors loss (dB) = TV SIGNAL (dBm) Strength Percent, Bars
Calculate or Re-calculate

Most television receivers require a minimum signal level greater than ≈ -65 dBm, but it can be as low as -75 dBm to as high as -55 dBm. Also, signal strength calculation is an estimate and can vary widely with situation.

OTA DTv Steps to Getting OTA DTv