Build your own Digital TV Antenna
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My incredibly simple homemade HDTV antenna.
Next February in 2009, we'll no longer have UHF and VHF analog signals. All broadcasts will be digital and people with older television sets will need a simple A/D converter. Of course my fancy flat screen is HDTV ready, so all I need is a better antenna.
I enjoy not having cable and only use my TV/DVD setup for watching my plethora of movies. But I do miss PBS shows and Nova on Sunday nights, as well as the local news. So I thought all I'd have to do is connect a set of bunny ears to the TV via a coaxial cable and I'd be set. That didn't work out so well, I barely got Channel 29 and that was it. So every once in a while I could watch Family Guy reruns that looked more like the scrambled Playboy channel.
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The 42" flat screen running of the antenna. :)
Then whilst net-surfing I come across the description of an easy to build, low cost, HDTV antenna. (That HDTV simply means "digital signal" which in and of itself will be better quality - not "high-def".) Anyway it's all radio waves either way, you just have to have the correct aerial configuration to pick them up.
I made my own and hooked it up and immediately was able to get all the local channels. Not like a cable signal, but certainly clear enough to watch. Yay! -- it worked!
There are certain orientations that work better than others. Maybe if I get ambitious, I'll mount the thing on my roof and get crystal clear reception. (It's in the basement now.)
Of course the first thing that comes across the airwaves is "Celebrity Apprentice". Good God, what the hell has happened to prime time television programming. Friggin' retarded "reality shows". I'll hold out for "This Old House" thank you very much.
And now I really feel like a dumbass, cause it's taken me nearly a year to figure out that I wasn't really watching the digital channels. Tonight, I finally rescanned the local broadcast channel lineup -- and let it finish, (the HD channels were added last). Apparently last time, I stopped it early before the channel scan finished and was only receiving the analog channels via my fancy antenna.
Now -- let me tell ya. I've got 6 different versions of PBS! :) 2.1, 17.1, 17.2, 17.3, 17.4, and 17.5. Also: 4.1, 5.1, 9.1, 11.1, 11.2, 23.1, 29.1, 45.1, and more. And they are all crystal clear. Even with the antenna in the basement like it is, the new digital lineup via the HDTV antenna is stellar.
I tried the antenna and it doesn't work. What's the next suggestion??
The next suggestion is to cut the BS and get yourself a real antenna. It is impossible to build a good TV antenna at home without any professional equipment. If you live really close to the towers, then fine attach any metal crap you want to your TV and you'll see an image, but if you are in a fringe area than no games. Start by using a tv antenna selector (link below) to find out what tv networks are available at your location and check the automatic antenna suggestion.
http://www.hdtvantennalabs.com/location/
Those who can, do; those who can't, criticize.
It's not "impossible" and you don't need "professional equipment." I live 12 to 25 miles from my "neighborhood" transmitters, yet pull in seven stations using a four-element fractal antenna I whipped up in a couple of hours... with no tool more complex than a pair of needle-nose pliers.
And the antenna is INDOORS on the ground floor looking through a windowless brick-and-frame wall.
But you go right on believing it can't be done. Those of us who understand RF or are simply willing to TRY things know better.
Why not go one step further and say it's not possible without an antenna from your shop :)
I am someone who's in a "fringe" area and couldn't get a signal with any type of metal crap. I had to give in and get satellite tw which I am quite happy with. For me it was the only alternative as cable wasn't even an option.
Yes, it does work providing that the digital signals in your area are strong. I made an antenna similar to this one and I can get almost every channel at home. I took this same antenna to a friend's house in the desert and it only picked up 2 channels. So it does work.
So I've watched this video a couple times, and I have a couple questions. If you check this comment, I'd love a reply.
First, why coat-hangers? Are they copper? Or some other amalgam?
Next, (again with the coat-hangers), do you purposefully leave the paint on the crossed lines to prevent the signal from messing up? Or is it just a convenience factor?
Lastly, geographically I'm stuck in between to hills, and there are three different transmitter towers at the corners of an isosceles triangle (I am in line with the "bottom" two). Is this antenna "directional?" Or should it work to pick up from any transmission epicenter?
Lots of silly questions, but I don't have an engineering degree. Any help is appreciated. Fun video.
No question is too silly. ;) I'm not an electrical engineer, but I do understand that solid copper wires will provide better reception than stranded wire. Having them bare or not is of no relevance, but if they have a coating on them, they won't oxidize.
This antenna is definitely directional and should have a direct line of sight if possible. In my case, I'm in the middle of the city where the signal is very strong to begin with.
However, I knew of many folks around here just using their standard old school analog aluminum roof antennas with equally excellent results. I think it's like the guy above states in that any "metal crap" attached will be an improvement.
So - for the cost of a few coat hangers and a 2x4, why not try and see. It's a fun project if nothing else. Or spend $20 at Target and buy an amplified HDTV antenna. (My solution for upstairs because it looks much prettier.)
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