For the Do it Yourselfer (DIYer), nothing is more satisfying than doing a job properly and saving money. However, that’s where the secret lies; doing a job properly. So when it comes to DIY outdoor antenna installation vs. professional outdoor antenna installation, the odds of a successful install always favor the professional. However, that does not always mean people cannot do the job themselves. So here is a comparison to help people who are thinking of taking on the task themselves vs. hiring a professional antenna installer.
Professional Outdoor Antenna Install
There are many reasons to choose to have a professional outdoor antenna installation. Some people simply do not want to get on their roof, while others know the final result will likely be superior to a DIY install.
First, antenna signals are invisible and incredibly difficult to understand and detect. Professional outdoor antenna installers know this and have advanced signal detection devices to help them.
Secondly, knowledge of the frequencies, your location relevant to the broadcasts, and which antenna is the right choice can only be known from an experienced professional.
Third, getting the correct configuration is vital. Antenna placement, height, position, using the right hardware, proper ground, filtering, amplification, equalizers, splitters, etc., are all a matter of knowledge.
Fourth, with what was mentioned already, the best possible results from an antenna installation can only come from a professional. There is no way to know how well your system performs unless you have historical comparisons.
And lastly, the appeal to save money is often a driving factor for a DIY vs. Professional cost. However, a professional will get the job done right the first time. This avoids the trap of trial and error, buying and trying and countless hours spent during the learning phase.
Safety
Safety is and should always be the number one factor for any professional antenna installer. Not only is their safety critical, but clearly so is yours. In addition, your property and home must be left uncompromised. An excellent professional antenna installer will not just say they are safe but will have the proper knowledge, safety gear, and insurance to back it up. Drilling into a wall runs the risk of hitting electrical wires, plumbing, or gas lines. The same is true when driving grounding rods into the ground. And the obvious factor to consider for safety is your roof integrity. No one needs leaks in their roof, and a professional will always keep safety as their number one priority.
Antenna choice
It’s impossible to know what antenna to use unless you have a working knowledge of what’s available, what your location calls for, and which antennas are deceptive marketing pieces of trash. Sure, some antenna makers claim their antennas work 400+ miles, but that’s a blatant lie, to say the least. Most good rooftop outdoor antennas tune in stations from about 50 miles or less. And that’s if everything is configured perfectly. In other words, don’t believe the hype. Trust a professional, not an online ad, claim, or marketing ploy.
Difficulty
If you haven’t detected the difficulty level yet, let’s remember that professionals have already overcome what a DIYer will encounter. Professionals use expensive equipment to help detect signal levels and quality. Also, professional equipment is the only way to know where the sweet spot for an antenna is on a roof. Guessing the best spot to mount an antenna is nearly impossible. Not only do you have to know where to place the antenna, but the directional position and height are key factors as well. All things professionals know well. Furthermore, a professional is comfortable with heights and traversing ladders. Are you?
Results
Professional outdoor antenna installation delivers the best results possible. There really is no comparison to a pro-grade job and material vs. subpar standard results. A professional install will be solid and provide the best results possible for your location, based on antenna height and obstacle restrictions. Sure, you might be happy with a DIY 30 stations, but what if you could get 50, 60, 70, or more? With a professional install, you can be assured that what you get for TV stations is what is actually possible for your area.
Cost
Some people decide to perform a DIY because they are scared of the upfront costs for a professional installation. Prices can range from $550 to $1350 in many cases, depending on the level of difficulty. A professional rooftop outdoor antenna installer can have everything done on the same day. That might seem like a lot of money, but usually, about half the cost is labor and half is equipment cost. The best part, no monthly bill! After all, that’s what cord-cutters appeal to in the first place.
Also, keep in mind you are not paying a professional to get the job done quickly. Instead, you are paying a professional for their years of experience. You are paying a professional for a job well done the first time. Sometimes pro installs are done in a couple of hours and some take several hours. Professionals get paid for their expertise, which comes at a premium price. However, when compared to a cable or satellite bill, the system often pays for itself in 6 months to a year.
A professional antenna should last 30+ years. So, let’s say your cable TV bill is $100 per month. Every ten years, you save 12,000 dollars, and in 30 years, you saved $30,000 if you ignore the fact that cable bills increase over time. So realistically, you may be saving yourself $40,000+ by having a professional outdoor antenna installation.
DIY Outdoor Antenna Install
Safety
When it comes to safety and DIY outdoor antenna installation, please carefully pay attention to this part. Transition TV has received three phone calls over the past decade from DIYers who fell off their own roofs and injured themselves in an attempt to try and do the job themselves. Initially, they only wanted to save some money, much like the rest of us. However, how much were they able to save with months off of work in recovery, money wasted on the initial attempt, only to call a professional in the end? Sometimes, “cheap” actually costs more. Buy right or buy twice as they say.
Antenna choice
It can be a daunting task to decide which antenna should be used for your home. As often is the case, most people still fall into the trap of buying and trying. Usually, after attempting several antennas and spending a lot of time and money, Transition TV finally gets a call anyways from those who wanted to save money the DIY route. And I can testify to the countless times when customers hoped I could make great things happen with their improper antennas and equipment.
A professional will often prefer to work with what they know works. A box of parts and equipment from customers does not save any money by having a professional install the questionable equipment. Remember, that stuff didn’t work for you, so why expect a professional to make it work? Insisting the professional company use your antenna(s) will cost them more time on the roof and more money from your wallet. Just like you can lead a horse to water but can’t make it drink. Likewise, you can point any piece of metal at a TV station, but you can’t always make it work.
Difficulty
The level of difficulty for a DIY outdoor antenna installation often increases by tenfold or more. But can’t you just slap an antenna on a roof and hope for the best? On a very rare occasion, you can get OK results from a DIY installation if hooking up to a single TV. However, you will likely have a sloppy bracket mounted on your roof and a coax wire slapping against your home on windy days. In addition, your window could be cracked open slightly to pinch the coax in place before it runs across the living room to your TV. All that could still produce OK TV station results if you are OK with a DIY installation look.
Furthermore, when you want your system wired into your whole home, this is where it gets tricky. Antenna signals diminish with longer lengths of coax and splits into other rooms. In addition, distorted signals appear when your inside wiring starts to act like an antenna too. When there are issues in the system, the outdoor antenna no longer works as it should. The same is true when faulty or incorrect equipment is used.
For example, people with impairments in their system often have trouble with certain TV stations at night. That’s because their inside wiring is absorbing interference down the line, right over the top of the TV station signals. Understanding proper grounding, bad connectors, wrong coax, splitters, amps, filters, etc., will escape the knowledge of a DIYer who has no experience with handling such scenarios. Sure, it’s fun to feel like you are almost there and have the system figured out until, in the middle of your favorite show, Mr. Pixelation and Mrs. No Signal show up again.
The level of difficulty can lead to a lot of frustration. After all, all you want to do after saving money is simply watch a high-quality broadcast without trouble. So be prepared for unexpected challenges when you choose the DIY route. I only mention a few in this article, but there are many more to consider in reality.
Results
Pixelated signals, no signal, and poor audio result from a bad installation in most cases. What causes poor TV reception can be extensive, but some of the critical factors include:
- Antenna direction
- Faulty antenna
- Poorly designed antenna
- Antenna misplacement
- Loose antennas
…and many more reasons. Your final DIY result may vary widely from channel to channel. Some stations might come in crystal clear, while others could have you wanting to throw your remote through the TV screen. The best way to avoid this frustration is to seek a professional antenna installer.
Cost
And finally, the elusive cost of a DIY outdoor antenna installation. I say elusive because we often blindly approach jobs and widely underestimate the actual time and costs involved. Similarly, most DIY home renovations are approached like this.
For example, a person often watches a 30-minute makeover show, sees a team of professionals and homeowners working together, and gets the idea that they too can flip their own room in a single afternoon. However, the DIYer often finds themselves unable to finish the job they started and ends up with an expensive mess for a professional to come in a finish.
The professionals then rarely offer any deals. The pro ends up charging more for the job than it would have cost had the DIYer just called them in the first place. Why? Because the professional has first to figure out what the homeowner was thinking, undo their work, then do it the proper way. In the same way, DIY antenna installations are similar.
After trying 3 or 4 antennas from Best Buy, Walmart, and Amazon, the DIYer may find themselves $400-$600 in antennas with radical claims to get in stations from 100+ miles. Brackets on roofs are likely in the wrong places. The wiring is often faulty. The grounding is incorrect, the splitters and amps are wrong or misconfigured, etc.
When to call a professional
When a professional comes in on a job after a DIY attempt, they too have to figure out the thought process of the homeowner and try to diagnose problems before proceeding with their pro install. This all takes extra time for the professional and, in the end, will cost you more money than a typical install had you just called them in the first place.
If a DIY installation is unsuccessful, this can sometimes leave homeowners feeling embarrassed. This causes apprehension to reach out or in some cases dishonesty about what the homeowner tried. And that’s OK. However, it will add a level of difficulty to a professional install if it takes longer for them to discover things like hidden splitters, cut lines in walls, etc.
Professionals exist because antenna installations are more complicated than most people think. There are classic and quantum physics involved in the knowledge of antennas. Plus, experience has no actual price tag. Experience is priceless. With that said, please be aware that DIY attempts often cost more in the end. You may end up with a $600 box of junk plus pay the top end for a professional outdoor antenna installation. So if you are unsure of the DIY route, why not have it done right the first time? Call a professional outdoor antenna installer.
Want professional outdoor antenna installation service instead of a DIY antenna installation? Feel free to Contact Transition TV only if you live in the Western Michigan area. Optionally, search google for antenna installer near me for all other areas.
Thanks so much for your advice on when to call a professional. My aunt is renting out a place she owns as an Airbnb and wants to ensure her guests have a good time. She’s been looking into having TV and streaming services put in so she’s been looking to call a professional to come in and install an antenna.