An indoor antenna is a type of
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
or
TV antenna
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
placed indoors, as opposed to being mounted on the roof. They are usually considered a simple and cheap solution to receive transmissions. An indoor antenna is prone to picking up electrical noise, but
digital broadcasts are resistant to this noise.
Description
An indoor antenna is a type of
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
or
TV antenna
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
placed indoors, as opposed to being mounted on the roof.
Use
Indoor antennas are a common solution for
cord cutting
In broadcast television, cord-cutting refers to the pattern of viewers, referred to as cord-cutters, cancelling their subscriptions to multichannel television services available over cable or satellite, dropping pay television channels or reduci ...
, with a variety of commercial options. They are usually considered a simple and cheap solution that may work well when the receiver is relatively near to the broadcasting transmitter and the building walls do not shield the
radio wave
Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation with the longest wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum, typically with frequencies of 300 gigahertz (GHz) and below. At 300 GHz, the corresponding wavelength is 1 mm (short ...
s too much.
Being close to other
electric
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...
or electronic equipment in the building, an indoor antenna is prone to picking up more electrical noise that may interfere with a clear (analog) reception. Used for
digital broadcast
Digital broadcasting is the practice of using digital signals rather than analogue signals for broadcasting over radio frequency bands. Digital television broadcasting (especially satellite television) is widespread. Digital audio broadcasting i ...
, the noise is less of a factor than
analog broadcast, which recently makes this type of antenna a more popular solution.
Indoor antennas are used for radio reception, particularly the
folded dipole
In radio and telecommunications a dipole antenna or doublet is the simplest and most widely used class of antenna. The dipole is any one of a class of antennas producing a radiation pattern approximating that of an elementary electric dipole wi ...
constructed from twin-lead,
which can be nailed to a
skirting board
In architecture, a baseboard (also called skirting board, skirting, wainscoting, mopboard, trim, floor molding, or base molding) is usually wooden or vinyl board covering the lowest part of an interior wall. Its purpose is to cover the joint be ...
.
See also
*
Indoor television antenna
References
External links
*
Radio electronics
Radio frequency antenna types
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