Take a piece of coax, with a connector on one end. On the other end, remove, both outer and inner insulation for 6". You are done. Try various locations / positions to achieve best results.
[OP]
Contributor
Take a piece of coax, with a connector on one end. On the other end, remove, both outer and inner insulation for 6". You are done. Try various locations / positions to achieve best results.
Member
A design made of coat hangers works quite well and isn’t much more trouble to make: http://makezine.com/2009/01/23/maker...enna-steadyca/
[OP]
Contributor
I've got a version of the coat hanger (mine's copper) antenna. It works no better than the stripped coax
Member
Any Pictures?Originally Posted by Bruce Wrenn
Contributor
It kills me when I see ads on TV for these 'magical' antennas (for only $39.95) that pick up free TV!
Almost anyone who's lived in the same house for 15 years has an old pair of rabbit ears and the adapters needed laying around in a junk drawer, to connect them to any flatscreen TV.
--just like these I have kicking around, all ready to go!
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ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
FOUR - CO2 lasers
THREE- make that FOUR now- fiber lasers
ONE - vinyl cutter
CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle
Member
Fellows, there's a difference in your picture when you receive all the bandwidth that is being transmitted. That's why there are so many elements in a yagi style HD antenna.
― Paul
These words are my opinion, WYLION. Any resemblance to truth or fiction is accidental at best.
"Truth lies dormant in our future history." ― Paul Lawrence LXXI
Member
I don't think those will pick up an HD signal.
Member
I think this is a common misconception. There is nothing special about an OTA "HD" signal. The antennas we used to use years ago will still work today. It's all just marketing. The ads will say HD antenna implying that there is something special about the antenna. While it is true that it will pick up an HD signal, it is also true that all antennas will pick up that signal too.
Larry J Browning
There are 10 kinds of people in this world; Those who understand binary and those who don't.
Member
Yes they will
Member
Like I said previously, it has to do with bandwidth. What you see on your screen depends on what the receiver receives. You may not care if you see everything that is broadcast, but a whole lot of people do.
Think about the difference between listening to music on an old time small transistor radio and compare it to listening to music on a BOSE type sound machine.
But then again you might have "tin ears" from life's assault on your hearing, too.
Received bandwidth makes a difference in what you see on the screen.
― Paul
These words are my opinion, WYLION. Any resemblance to truth or fiction is accidental at best.
"Truth lies dormant in our future history." ― Paul Lawrence LXXI
Member
I tried at least 6 versions of "HD" antennas after the switch to HD happened. I tried postions near windows, vertical, horizontal, rotated through all 360 degrees, etc. None worked as well as rabbit ears according to my observations and the signal meter! Needless to say, I made lots of returns that week.
Member
Not true. With digital, it is all or none. You either get a picture or you don't. It may pixilate if the signal is weak, but that just means at that instant you didn't get the picture info.
The "bandwidth" hasn't changed. the reason yagis(log periodics, actually. Yagis just have additional elements for more gain, not wider bandwidth!) have different length elements is so they cover multiple frequencies(ie channels!).
If you get a strong enough signal with the split coax(it's basically a dipole) you will get just as good a picture as with a $300 antenna. Beauty of digital, it either works or it doesn't. Not weak/snowy picture as with analog/NTSC broadcast. If it is not pixilating, freezing, or totally not there, you are getting the best picture your TV is capable of!
The 6" dipole will work best on UHF channels. May well work on VHF if you are close enough, but certainly is not the correct length for those frequencies!
Last edited by Duane Meadows; 01-29-2016 at 11:25 AM. Reason: Spelling/typos
Member
Yep.
I was able to use plain rabbit ears in my basement to pick up PBS when the digital TV transition first began --- then they reduced power when the other stations went digital, and I no longer got a signal.
Fashioned the antenna in the link, and got a weak signal when conditions were perfect in the basement, moved it up to the living room (fortunately there was already a hole in the floor for the cable) and was back to watching _This Old House_ --- when the weather is bad I have to lift it up into the window. If there are shows worth watching on other stations I can rotate it by leaning it against a different wall.
Most (all?) digital-ready TVs have a feature which will allow you to get information on signal strength --- try it w/ various antennas to see which best suits your situation.
Member
Hi All,
What I have to say here may come across as a bit "know-it-all', but that's not my intent. However, I do have experience in this area, some professional.
Assuming there is a reasonably strong signal to be had - urban or suburban area - most anything will work. For receiving, antenna "bandwidth" is usually forgiving.
Antenna "gain" is another matter entirely, and that's where the multi-element antennas come into play. But, in some cases, "gain" antennas can be a case of too much of a good thing - see the next paragraph!
Another issue can be multipath interference. Living in the west like I do, signals at TV frequencies can "bounce off" of hills, buildings, sometimes even trees, and you have essentially the same signal arriving at your antenna at two or more different times. That phenomena can cause lots of aggravation. Those so-called "gain" antennas are not the opposite of the beam from a flashlight - they have some response to signals arriving from the sides, etc. so they may actually aggravate the situation if a multipath situation is present.
Bottom line: (1) there is (IMNSHO) a fair amount of marketing hype in the descriptions of the so called "HD antennas". (2) If you want to try something DIY and simple, and it works for you, then it works. Again, receiving antennas can be pretty forgiving.
Regards, Marty
"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity" - anon
Contributor
How close to the transmission source should you be to expect any kind of reception? I live in Orleans, Cape Cod, at the lofty elevation of 60 ft. above sea level ( one of the higher elevations in town). I could put some kind of recieving device on the roof of my house and have no obstructions all the way to Boston, about 65 miles away. Are there any antennas, home made or commercial that will pick up output that far away?
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