TV Antenna Booster

Tired of spotty signals, breaking sound and jumpy pictures on your television, when all you want to do is sit back and enjoy your favorite show? Well then, TV antenna boosters will help you in getting rid of these. These boosters are equipment that strengthen the signals received by your TV. Generally as the signals travel from your TV antenna through the coax cables of your television the signal weakens. The more the signal has to travel the weaker it becomes. The TV antenna boosters job is to strengthen this signal by widening the signal beam. There are different ways and places where these boosters can be installed. Read more to know about how and where to install a TV antenna booster.

Installation of the TV Antenna Booster

As mentioned earlier the longer the path of the signal to reach your television set, the weaker it gets. Another reason for these signals to weaken is the splitters. The VHF (very high frequency) or UHF (ultra-high frequency) splitters also cause signal loss. It is therefore beneficial if you fit the boosters before such devices that cause signal loss. The amplified signal will be more than what it would be, if the booster was installed after the splitter. Even if the antenna is inside the house or outside boosters function effectively when fixed before cable splitters.

The ideal booster for your television should be selected by calculating the total signal loss that occurs, this loss is measured in dB. This loss has to incorporate the loss that occurs due to the length of the coax cable and also the splitters. Splitters are of various types such as 2 way, 3 way, 4 way, 6 way and 8 way splitters incurring different losses in signal. Once this is known, select the television antenna booster that provides a gain in signal that is 5 to 10dB more than the loss. Just choosing an antenna booster randomly may cause overloading and damage the TV.

Indoor antennas are to be connected to a power supply, the outlet supply of the antenna is connected to the outlet of the TV antenna booster. Amplifiers or boosters for outdoor antennas are placed very close to the base of the antenna. Such signal boosters are provided with bolts and screws to secure it to the pole of the antenna. This booster also has an electrical extension. The electric current that flows through the boosters catch the signals from the antennas nearby. At this point it is important to know that outdoor boosters are more efficient than the indoor ones mounted on the TV set.

TV Antenna Booster for RV

TV antenna boosters are similar to those available for homes. These also require a power supply. This power is obtained from the battery of the RV when on the move or then it is connected to power supply on land or a generator when the engine is off. The following are a few TV antenna booster reviews to help you choose the right one for you.

Motorola Signal Booster 484095-001-00 Bi-Directional RF Amplifier
This is a TV antenna booster amplifier, that boasts of amplifying signals 32 times (up to 15dB). You can optimize this device to televisions, cable set-top box and digital radios. It has an easy to install method without you having to fetch your tools. This booster comes with an AC adapter, two coaxial cables and a user's manual. The cost of this device is around $100.

Winegard AP-8700 Preamplifier
The Winegard AP-8700 preamplifier is designed to amplify dish network TV signals. It amplifies 17dB on VHF and 19dB on UHF. It also has an FM trap that prevents an overload from local FM stations. The market price of this booster is around $60-65.

Radio Shack 15-2507 High Gain Signal Amplifier
This one of the TV antenna booster radio shack is a booster that amplifies signals up to 30 dB. It is good for strengthening signals for HDTV even in remote place. It is protected against cable shorts and therefore prevent extensive damage if shorts do occur to the TV antenna booster. Radio Shack also provides FM traps of 20 dB at 98MHz. The cost of this device is between $45-50.

TV antenna boosters amplify signals, this does not imply that these boosters will amplify signals which are originally weak. It is like a filter for preventing signal loss due to various factors. If the original signals that you receive itself are weak, boosters or amplifiers will not solve your problem.

Home Theatre and Hi-Fi Reviews: Bowers and Wilkins 685 Bookshelf

Home Theatre and Hi-Fi Reviews: Bowers and Wilkins 685 Bookshelf: The B&W (Bowers and Wilkins) 685 Bookshelf The Bowers and Wilkins Bookshelf is a speaker that stuns a lot of first time listeners. It put...

Portable Radios

Portable radio styles are handheld, headphone, emergency, table top, armband, pocket/mini and tabletop. The different brands are Sony, Grundig, Tivoli, Sangean, Coby, Panasonic, Summit, GE, Midland, Griffin Technology, Oregon Scientific and Tripp Lite. The various bands are FM, AM, Weather, Shortwave and World band. The tuning may be digital or analog.

Characteristics of portable radios
Some of the features of a few portable radios are mentioned below:

Sony SRF-M37V Portable radio
There is a TV tuner and weather band tuning function. There is a direct weather button that allows to access weather forecast at the touch of the button. There is a 25 station preset memory. Electronic settings are used for one-button tuning for the choice from 5 TV channels, 5 weather bands, 10 FM and 5 AM stations. 1 AAA battery provides hours of listening and assists to make the Walkman(R) radio compact and cheap to use. The 5 direct key preset memory allows you to electronically tune any 5 stations you set, although in different frequency bands with the press of a single and easy-to-reach button. The digital clock and battery indicator allows to keep track of the correct time and provides a visible indication when the battery power becomes low.

Sony Radio Walkman
The digital clock and battery indicator makes it perfect to use. There is an accurate and drift-free tuning for AM and FM radio stations with five-station preset memory and local weather band broadcasts. There is also a TV tuner to listen to the audio from TV channels.

Sony SR-FM37V Personal Radio Walkman
1 AAA battery provides hours of listening, makes the radio compact and cheap to run. There is a 25 Station preset memory and a 5 direct key preset memory. Additionally, there is a digital clock and battery indicator. Also, a direct weather button and FM local/distance DX switch are present. There are 3.3 ounces of battery and belt clip.

Grundig Mini AM/FM Shortwave Radio
This has a clock and an alarm. There is analog tuning with a digital frequency readout and an earbud jack. There is also a travel case and earbuds. This has 2 AA batteries. There are 7 shortwave bands that allow to dial-in the world.

Grundig/Eton radio
This is the most modern single-conversion superheterodyne circuit design, digital frequency readout, 13 shortwave bands, AM/FM bands, built-in 90 minute sleep timer, telescopic antenna and built-in ferrite bar antenna. There are also L/R line level outputs, earphone jack, stereo/mono switch and carrying handle. AC adapter and shoulder strap are included. Four D batteries are not included.

Coby Digital All Weather Radio w/Band #CX96
There is a digital AM/FM tuning system. There is a DBBS-Dynamic bass boost system. There are 20 preset stations and a built-in digital clock. Lightweight stereo earphones are included. There is a detachable arm band and 2 X AAA size batteries.

Coby Sport AM/FM Radio w/ Arm band
This all-weather sport AM/FM digital radio with arm band has a digital tuner, DBBS-dynamic bass boost system, 20 preset stations (10 AM, 10 FM), built-in digital clock and detachable arm band. There are also lightweight stereo earphones.

Sangean HDR-1 HD Table-top radio
There is an auto tuning system and an auto preset system. There are 20 memory presets and a backlit LCD. There are tone and bass control, EQ pre-sets, clocks, snooze function, adjustable sleep timer, multicast capability and IR remote control. This has a weight of 6.6 lbs.

Bowers and Wilkins PM1

NEW B&W PM1

Compact and discreet, yet introducing technologies never before seen in any Bowers & Wilkins speaker, PM1 produces a sound so refined that everything else suddenly seems insignificant.

PM1 is a compact loudspeaker that offers an extremely high-quality performance. It features a new tweeter design, and a cabinet unlike anything previously constructed by Bowers & Wilkins.

You might imagine that any changes made in the frequency range above the limits of human hearing shouldn’t effect the sound we hear. And yet our experiments with diamond tweeters proved otherwise. By raising the break-up frequency far beyond the audible threshold of 20kHz, we created a tweeter that sounded far truer and more natural. With a break-up frequency of 30kHz, our aluminium dome tweeters already operate above the audible range. But inspired by diamond, we wanted to see if we could do even better for the PM1.

The result is an entirely new type of tweeter dome. By bracing the dome with a ring of filament-wound carbon fibre, we’ve raised the break-up frequency of aluminium to 40kHz. As a result, the PM1 features the sweetest-sounding aluminium dome tweeter we’ve yet produced.

At Bowers & Wilkins we understand that for many people audio quality isn’t the only consideration when deciding upon a loudspeaker. And while we would never place design considerations above acoustics, we appreciate that the look and feel of a loudspeaker is important. But we don’t need to explain ourselves; one look at the PM1 should be all you need to understand.

The Nautilus tube-loaded tweeter on top, the curved baffle, the Kevlar drive unit, are all included for technological, audio-related reasons. But they also come together visually, to create an aesthetically pleasing whole. Add to that the Mocha Gloss wood panels and matching stand, and we’re confident that the PM1 is not only the most refined sounding small speaker we have ever produced. It’s also one of the most desirable.

REVIEWS

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Rotel, Marantz, Harman Kardon, B&W, KEF, Monitor Audio

We have some great products to make your festive season even more spectacular.

Why don't you give me a mail at wikus@soundimage.co.za or come and visit me in our Shop in Menlyn Shopping Centre, and we don't Sound Great, we are Sound and Image, we have the best in Home Theatre and HI-FI, you can find directions here.

New Harman Kardon AVR 158 THE LITTLE MONSTER

THE LITTLE MONSTER

As a multitalented A/V receiver for budget-conscious film and music lovers, the Harman Kardon® AVR 158 is a more than capable way to take your home entertainmentto the next level.

With all the latest Dolby® and DTS® audio modes and HDMI® v.1.4 with 3-D and Deep Colour, the AVR 158 lets you experience the next dimension in TV viewing –while Harman Kardon Logic 7® processing supplies you with an exhilarating 5.1-channel, 360-degree soundstage for movies, TV shows and games.

And with three HDMI inputs and extensive video and audio connectivity, the AVR 158 also grants you the flexibility to add a Blu-ray Disc™ player and surround-sound speaker system to the mix.

Overall, the AVR 158 is a great starting off point if you want a gratifying home theatre system.

Key Features

Power/Technology
 Powers a 5.1-channel surround-sound system
70 watts of power per channel
 High-current-capability (HCC), ultrawide-bandwidth amplifier
design for accurate, dynamic sound and emotional impact
 HDMI v.1.4 with 3-D and Deep Colour for playing 3-D content
such as movies, 3-D TV and sporting events
 Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding for highresolution
sound that matches high-resolution video
 Logic 7 processing to turn conventional stereo sources into
5.1-channel surround sound
 FM/AM radio with 30 station presets stored, plus Radio Data
System (RDS) to display radio text information that radio stations
broadcast
 Surround-sound decoding for all varieties of Dolby and DTS
audio formats
 BXR enhancer to improve bass performance of MP3 and
WMA files
 Lip-sync adjustment to delay the audio signal to match the
video signal
 Screen-saver function to prevent image burn-in on CRT and
plasma displays


Key Specifications

Audio Section
 Stereo mode, continuous average power: 70 watts/channel,
both channels driven @ 8 ohms, 1kHz, <0.9% THD
 Multichannel power: 5 x 70 watts/channel, two channels
driven @ 8 ohms, 1kHz, <0.9% THD
 Bandwidth @ 1W (+0dB/–3dB): 10Hz – 100kHz
 Signal-to-noise ratio (IHF-A): 100dB
 High instantaneous-current capability (HCC): ±45 amps
 Transient intermodulation distortion (TIM): unmeasurable
 Slew rate: 40V/μsec
FM Tuner Section
 Frequency range: 87.5MHz – 108.0MHz
 Usable sensitivity (IHF): 1.3μV/13.2dBf
 Signal-to-noise ratio (mono/stereo): 70dB/65dB
 Distortion (mono/stereo): 0.15%/0.3%
 Stereo separation: 40dB @ 1kHz
 Selectivity (±400kHz): 70dB
AM Tuner Section
 Frequency range: 522kHz – 1620kHz
 Signal-to-noise ratio: 45dB
 Usable sensitivity (loop): 500μV
 Distortion (1kHz): 50%, mod 0.8%
Video Section
 Television format: PAL
 Input level/impedance: 1Vp-p/75 ohms
 Output level/impedance: 1Vp-p/75 ohms
 HDMI v.1.4 with 3-D and Deep Colour