What Should You Focus on when buying a Digital Satelite Tv (like DSTV)

An antenna pole or mast, more popularly known as an aerial or an antenna, is meant for collecting TV signals. In fact, an antenna can also collect radio signals from formal broadcasting stations, as well as from a 'ham' or amateur radio. Usually, an antenna has a fairly long lifespan, making it worthwhile to spend time looking for a quality product that fulfills your requirements.

The gain of an antenna is among the most important factors needing your consideration. Gain is measured in terms of decibels. It determines the sensitivity of the antenna, meaning it tells you how good it is at picking up the broadcasts. The more distanced you are from the closest broadcasting tower, the more should be the gain of your antenna. Often, the gain is proportional with the antenna size, but that's not always valid.

Another feature needing your consideration is its power density, or directivity. The performance of any antenna is in direct proportion to its directivity. So, if you have tall hills or buildings in between the broadcasting tower and your antenna, you'll need high directivity. Directivity can be measured in terms of the receiving angle, and narrower angles are preferred. It is also measured in terms of front-to-back ratio. The greater this value, the more efficiently the antenna can gather signals from the correct direction with no interference from other directions.

You may have come across ads for digital TV masts. You should know that, in fact, there are no especially designed masts for digital TVs, and these are no different from the usual mast. That term is used to convey that the antenna being advertised is of good quality and can collect digital signals. It is important to understand that, in case of digital reception, either you get the entire signal, or you get nothing at all, which is quite unlike analog reception, wherein you may get a blurred picture that can yet be seen.

The quality of cable used for connecting the antenna mast to your TV plays an important role. Even good antennas would give bad results if connected with cable of doubtful quality. It is recommended to use coaxial cable instead of the traditional cable containing two distinct wires. An inherent characteristic of the coaxial cable is its shielding, meaning it is significantly less vulnerable to any interference. Moreover, it is not easily damaged by rain. You'll realize that the quality difference between low-priced and average priced cables is substantial, whereas the difference in case of average priced and costly cable is not so noticeable.