Q&A for How to Hook Up a TV Antenna

If your TV hasn't got a digital tuner built in (check your model's specifications in the manual or online), you need a converter box. However, if your TV is digital-ready, you can just hook up the aerial straight to the TV.

First, check to make sure your TV can support VHF. If it can, buy a VHF to HDMI/VGA/DVI adapter and connect cables correspondingly.

Yes you can! As long as you program each TV. The signal may not be as strong, though.

A three-to-one passive splitter is on the market, with the proper F connectors. However, the signal to each set is not as strong than if you are using one cable and set. An amplified splitter is a better setup. It splits and gives you some signal boost at the same time.

Nearly all modern aerials will work. Try pointing it in the same direction as that of any others on your street. All modern digital TVs don't need a converter to receive freetelevision and radio stations. If you are in a weak signal area you may need a signal booster, but try first without one and see what results you get.

Connect the aerial to the main cable coming into the house, and it can be watched on any TV hooked to that cable line in the house. It works very well with digital converter box too.

I don't think you can out of just things from around your house. You would either buy one or gather materials to do it.

You can use a digital antenna if your TV supports it, or get a converter box.

Try smoldering the wires that connect from the antenna to the TV together, or use liquid electrical tape to secure them together.

As of 2009 in the United States, all TV stations are required to broadcast their channels as digital. All the cable TV and satellite TV stations are broadcast as digital. TVs older than 2009 were designed for analog, converters from digital to analog are available; newer TVs are digital. If you are in a different country, check online to see if your country is digital or not. Analog and digital are not compatible, it's like trying to speak two different languages.

You will have to buy an adapter. It usually looks like a box you attach the coax cable to, and the other side will have an HDMI out.

No. A satellite antenna is tuned for a much higher frequency, and will not get much reception, if any.

That set should require using the TV input for the antenna coming in on a coaxial cable. Once hooked up, you will most likely need to run a "channel scan."

This is the actual channel on the spectrum that the TV is searching to try and find channels, which can differ from the channel number that shows up. This really shouldn't matter to the average person though.

First, look at your TV/converter's manual (should be in Parental Controls). If you don't find it, search for: "[TV/converter model] reset passcode." If all of these don't work, do a factory reset. (This would delete all of your stuff/settings.)

Most modern cable boxes use an HDMI connection between the cable box and the television. This leaves the F-connector (the threaded connector on the back of your television) available for the antenna cable. You will find that this is the only connector on your television that your antenna cable can connect to. Connect the antenna. Go to the remote for your television, select menu, select scan (you will likely find this in the setup menu of the television, if not, continue looking until you find it). Select antenna, then select scan. In a few minutes you will have local HD television channels. To toggle between cable and antenna just select the TV or HDMI input using your remote.

Select air (or antenna), then select scan.

It depends. Do you have an old TV that cannot receive digital broadcasts in which you need a converter box? Or, do you live far away from your local TV stations? If so, then you can get in line amplifiers that amplify the signal so it will pick up channels much better or just get a better antenna. If you live 30 miles or more away from any cities, then you should probably get an outdoor antenna, which even the cheap ones give much better signal than cheap flat indoor antennas.