is dc block necessary?

[delanewf]

I added a radioshack in-line amplifier to my OTA antenna. It is an indoor antenna (silver sensor) connected with a 30 ft piece of rg 6 coaxial . It really does not seem to boost my signal much if at all. Is the amplifier useless with this antenna? Does the dc block weaken the signal?

the installation instructions for the amplifier say to keep the dc block on when using a 300ohm to 75 ohm transformer but my antenna does not need one because it has a straight 75 ohm connector that I can screw the coaxial into directly.

Would taking the dc block off create a short circuit? Or would taking it off help increase my signal? Or neither. As you can tell I am not very knowledgeable. Any help would be appreciated

 

[truckracer]

amp on indoor antenna

Depending on what amplifier you have from the Ratt shack, most of them are "distribution amps". They do sell amps for weak over-the-air signals.

the distribution amp will help restore the signal from long coax runs or the use of splitters (installed before any splitters you may have). However a distribution amp will do little of nothing for a signal that is weak to begin with.
it can actually add noise to an already suffering signal.
I am a little curious why you have 30 feet of cable on an indoor antenna, unless you want it out of sight. Most indoor antennas really do not perform that well in comparison with outdoor higher gain antennas. Your location from the tv stations that you are trying to receive, terrain, type of building construction (concrete, brick and steel) will significantly block or attenuate signals.

If you know which direction the station towers are from your location, if you have a window near that direction this could be a big help. RG-6 is a good choice of cable.

The DC block is necessary and does not harm the signal strength. This protects your componets and tv from the 12-14 volts DC that the power injector puts into the line to power the amp. It works the same simillar way that a satellite receiver sends DC voltage up the coax to power the lnb. This is a much more simple and economic way to provide power to the componets without having to run extra power cables.

****Remember the DC block goes inline after the amp toward the tv or componets receiveing the signal. Hope this helps a little. Trucker