Can a tree affect a TV signal?

You may not know that trees can have an effect on the reception of television and satellite broadcasts.

A TV signal is similar to light waves. As with light, objects such as hills, buildings, or tall trees can obstruct or deflect the UHF signals, creating deep shadow patterns, which makes reception difficult. 

The screening effect of trees has a further disadvantage in that it can vary greatly with the season and weather conditions, and is especially important in areas where television signals are weak. 

Tree can be responsible for blocking signals. What’s interesting is that it’s actually the leaves that block the signal – not the trunk. As leaves grow, they act as bigger and bigger aerials themselves and block the signals from getting to the aerial within your property. When leaves get wet, the problem can worsen and make things so bad that you will find that your picture breaks up or occasionally disappears altogether.

If the trees around your home are below the height of your roof, you should be OK, as long as your TV aerial is above the roofline. If you live in an area with lots of trees, it is possible to mount your aerial to a pole, which is attached to your chimney – this will give you the best possible clearance from the trees. When deciding the height of an aerial, allowance should be made for growth of the tree.

If the aerial cannot be mounted above the tops of the trees, the signal will inevitably be weakened in passing through the trees. This is not necessarily the end of your TV watching as there are other gadgets out there to help boost the signal.

If you find that you are constantly getting a bad signal, your only other solution may be to fell or pollard the tree(s) to below your aerial height. You will need to be sure that you have permission to cut the tree. Make sure you hire a professional tree-surgeon to undertake the safe cutting down of your tree.

What is the difference between felling a tree and pollarding a tree? Tree felling is cutting down a tree completely, whereas pollarding a tree is a form of pruning it. If you don’t want to cut down the tree completely you could opt for crown thinning. This keeps the overall size of the tree, but the density of the branches is removed. The main branches of the tree are kept intact, however the unneeded secondary branches are then removed, so that light (and your tv signal) can pass through more easily.

Give us a call on 01245 527 053 to book an appointment for your property.

Tree Services we offer:
​Emergency Tree Services |  Tree Pruning |  Tree Removal | Stump Removal | ​Stump Grinding | ​Crown Lifting | 
Crown Thinning | Hedge Trimming