Home Made Antenna

[TurboPirate]

This home made antenna is what my mother in law uses connected to digital converter to get local channels.

[malarky]

what is that a picture of ? , And if you dont mind my askin what is it made up of ?

[TurboPirate]

what is that a picture of ? , And if you dont mind my askin what is it made up of ?

Locals call it dipolo, is made of PVC tubing, copper wire inside, right now is connected to dtv converter and its picking up 16 channels, the only ones available here in P.R.

[Sasquatch]

This is my set up,,,,

First I tried some rabbit ears and nothing,,,then an amplified indoor antenna and still nothing

Then I tried the Philips outdoor by itself and did not pick up anything,,then I tried the other on one of my satellite dishes and nothing,,,Am pretty far from the city,,,and even the city here is far from everything,,,in other words,,,pretty far up in the boonies,,even with an amplifier,,I was getting nothing,,

I connected the 2 together with some copper wires,,,and kaboom,,,,,,getting about 7 channels,,,,

Cheers,,,

[pupasmarf]

this is my home made antenna. I don't have a converter box yet. so right now i get 11 analog channels 5 come in pretty clear 3 little snowey and 2 unwatchable.

[D-troit]

this is my home made antenna. I don't have a converter box yet. so right now i get 11 analog channels 5 come in pretty clear 3 little snowey and 2 unwatchable.

Very nice two coathanger antenna with sat dish as a backing. Ive used the coathanger antennas outside with some amazing results. Easy to make and very effective.

[dishuser]

this is my home made antenna. I don't have a converter box yet. so right now i get 11 analog channels 5 come in pretty clear 3 little snowey and 2 unwatchable.

that's because that antenna is for uhf
once you go digital it'll work great

[fonger]

nice homemade ones there everyone.
i just have the wg sharpshooter ss2000... 19 channels HD in my area

http://www.hdtvantennalabs.com/images/ant98.jpg

[pupasmarf]

thanks guys.

i didn't use coat hangers i used 12 gauge copper for my antenna and i find i get better reception with them but when i get my converter box I'm wondering if two will make a difference compared to just using one.

[dishuser]

thanks guys.

i didn't use coat hangers i used 12 gauge copper for my antenna and i find i get better reception with them but when i get my converter box I'm wondering if two will make a difference compared to just using one.

that's what I used as well
make sure it's well grounded
copper luvs lightning :thumbsup:
2 will improve distance by like 25%
that's why an 8 bay costs more than a 4;)

[1boxman]

thanks guys.

i didn't use coat hangers i used 12 gauge copper for my antenna and i find i get better reception with them but when i get my converter box I'm wondering if two will make a difference compared to just using one.

Works perfect here..and its behind my tv....tv is digital already .

[pupasmarf]

that's why i went and got a power bar with surge protection for both coax cables and my telephone. hate to lose my 61" t.v. not flat screen but hd ready.

[Gold]

Unfortunately, there's not much that can guard against a direct strike.

A lot of surge protection devices are rated around 450-5000 joules, while a moderate bolt of lightning produces 1 Billion joules of energy.

I live in tornado alley & my wife & I use surge protection strips to make it easy to unplug everything "fast". I have lost 3 TV's to lightning.

[D-troit]

Didnt see this posted anywhere so here is a youtube vid for making the homemade antenna. As was mentioned earlier in this thread the solid copper is much better but make sure you put something between where the two main elements crossover each other. A piece of rubber or some other non conductive material. Also in later models of this it is recommended to keep the two main elements 1 1/4" apart for maximum reception.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWQhlmJTMzw

Installed this for my daughter. Gets 15 channels from Knoxville 30 miles away. Used chromed coathangers I found at walmart not very pretty but very effective. Also makes a nice bird landing. :tehe:


http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj239/Dtroit_2007/05a1fce9.jpg

Done this one for an old man living out in the country who had never had any tv out there. Because of the trees to the Southwest no dish and cable doesnt run out there. Was able to get 10 channels out of Knoxville from the mountains here. Amazing some of the terrain this antenna overcome to get signal.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj239/Dtroit_2007/eb7f5b0e.jpg


http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj239/Dtroit_2007/78cc4d0a.jpg

[Mondoman22]

Here is two that i have made

http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss219/mondoman2009/OTA/DSC01149.jpg

Not only does it Pick Up Uranus!!! It also Doubles as a PoolSkimmer
and Bug Zapper. Also a Hell of a Lightning Rod and The Neighbors
Well they think I work for the CIA.....

Here is one of the first modest ones i did...

http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss219/mondoman2009/DSC01104.jpg

Here is the signal Strength on the tv i get all the locals and some
out of state locals heh...

http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss219/mondoman2009/DSC01103.jpg

Thanks to Grandpooba for the Idea with the Pvc heh....

Have a good one
Tony

[bully]

would this work in the bahamas

[Mondoman22]

would this work in the bahamas

To be Honest with you,
I don't really know the only thing i can tell you is to build it
and try it... Like i said i think it cost me all of 22 dollars to build
and it worked good.... I will tell you I picked up quite a few out
of state stations that were over 100 miles away with great
quality.... I got it up about 17 feet on my old antenna Mast and
it Works good with a drop amplifier.... Its all about testing it ain't
going to hurt to try...
Good Luck with it and I hope it does work for you.... Like I said
I get quite a few neighbors looking at that thing and they still
whisper to one another... Either they think i am a spy or i am just
mentally Challanged... I am sure they think the Latter Lmao... Anyways
give it a shot and see what it does. Ain't gonna hurt to try!

Tony

[Terryl]

would this work in the bahamas

It should work anywhere there are TV station transmitters with in range of this type of antenna.:comfort1:

[normsbro]

if you really want to learn how to build a over the air aka "OTA" antenna. you should go and check out digitalhome dot ca and check out the OTA forum and read up on the M4, M8, SBGH, and DBGH antenna's. there is a lot of useful information and poster's there, just don't mention satellite piracy and you won't be harassed.

[fifties]

Four or eight bay "bow tie" antennas are the best for UHF, and easy to make.

For added gain however, you guys are missing a good bet, by not placing a sheet of metal screening a few inches behind the elements. Close-spaced chicken wire would even work; it doesn't have to be solid.

Adding a UHF band RF signal amplifier is another method to improve gain, but if you go that route, get the lowest noise rating you can find, as they amplify noise as well as signal.

[Mondoman22]

Mine has that definately boosted the signal once i did that....

[bully]

how do offair signal comes in now uhf or vhf wave since upgraded to dtv

[D-troit]

how do off air signal comes in now uhf or vhf wave since upgraded to dtv

It comes in both frequencies vhf and uhf. Here is a little history on Ota tv and the differences between the signals.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra_high_frequency

[beaster]

These homemade HDTV antenna work Great. Pure 1080i ;)

Here's my set-up...2 4-bays combined into the 8-bay antenna. :)

[D-troit]

Four or eight bay "bow tie" antennas are the best for UHF, and easy to make.

For added gain however, you guys are missing a good bet, by not placing a sheet of metal screening a few inches behind the elements. Close-spaced chicken wire would even work; it doesn't have to be solid.

Adding a UHF band RF signal amplifier is another method to improve gain, but if you go that route, get the lowest noise rating you can find, as they amplify noise as well as signal.

Agree with you on adding the screening behind the antenna but this is a two way street also. In my second picture of the antenna I made for the guy out in the country I was able to get two stations directly behind the antenna coming in from exactly the opposite direction this directional antenna was pointed. So its what fits your needs best if all your antenna towers are in the same direction then the screening or mesh is definitely the way to go expecially if you are trying to make a long trip however if you have some towers exactly behind you this coat hanger antenna is capable of multi directional back to front to some degree. The two stations I was able to receive were only around ten miles from the back of the location. On the other hand with backing maybe could of got more from the front.

[Mondoman22]

These homemade HDTV antenna work Great. Pure 1080i ;)

Here's my set-up...2 4-bays combined into the 8-bay antenna. :)

Hey Bro,
Nice Antenna's Like the Combo... I am trying to build a cylindrical one...
with 4 bays in each of the cut outs using reflectors.. Kind of like a
omini directional...

I will try to do a drawing of it... Should be pretty neat to try...

Mondo

[beaster]

Hey Bro,
Nice Antenna's Like the Combo... I am trying to build a cylindrical one...
with 4 bays in each of the cut outs using reflectors.. Kind of like a
omini directional...

I will try to do a drawing of it... Should be pretty neat to try...

Mondo

I hear they have a much greater range. :) I think it's bout 1/4" copper tube...right?...(used for air lines & stuff)
Have fun...I'd like to know the design...and how it works...Takes time ta do it nice. :)

[bully]

does fm radio works as well with this

[bully]

can this pull 1oo and some miles

[Terryl]

does fm radio works as well with this

FM radio frequencies are in-between VHF TV channels 6 and 7, so a TV antenna should receive them just fine.

[fifties]

can this pull 1oo and some miles
Unlike AM radio and shortwave, TV and FM broadcasting are line-of-site, so as long as there are no direct obstructions, like a building, tree, or mountain, the antenna can "see" to the curvature of the Earth. This is why, unlike satellite dish antennas, "the higher the better" for terrestrial antenna reception.

[Terryl]

can this pull 1oo and some miles

Depends on how high you mount it and how big an RF amp you put after it.

The further you are away from the transmitters the higher in the air the signal is, this is due to the Earth not being flat.

Most VHF TV signals can travel about 200 miles.
UHF signals can go about 150 miles.

Example:

With a TV transmit antenna at 1500 feet and on a VHF TV channel, your TV deep fringe antenna (if your on flat ground) at 150 miles from the tower would have to be approximately 75 to 100 feet in the air

[Terryl]

You all are warming an old RF engineer’s heart, I love to see people experimenting with antennas, and it’s what got me started in electronics, working with tube transmitters and wire antennas.

Here is some good info for you all.

An antenna works best when it is cut to ether a full, ½ or ¼ wavelength of the desired receive frequency.
To find the wavelength in inches for that frequency you take the number 11811 and divide it by the frequency in megahertz, this will give you the full wavelength; you divide that by 2 or 4 to get the ½ or ¼ wavelength.

Example:

TV channel 4 is between 66 and 72 MHz, so to work the best it should be at the midband point at 69 MHz, using the formula of 11811 divided by 69 you get about 171.2 inches, now that may be too big for some applications so you would use a ½ or ¼ wavelength.

[beaster]

I'll have ta write that down somewhere Terryl...:) Thanks Terryl
I love this testing ...Just Rewards...:)
c/p: mmcl26554
You can expect a maximum of 3db gain with the two bays which would be double the signal strength. If the station you are trying to receive is just below the threshold to lock in the added 3db may make it lock. If it does lock in then you will get a perfect picture but if it doesn't lock in you will get no picture. If you think going on the roof will help you get a station you cannot now get, remember that every 10 feet of height will also double the signal strength.

[satchick]

UHF signals will also scatter the farther you get from the transmitter. The panel antennas tend to work a bit better for long range UHF, because they can capture scattered signals.

I use a combination vhf/uhf yagi now, and it does work very well for long range signals, but it has a tight beam width, so a rotor is almost a requirement. The tight beam width is great for avoiding interference though.

[fifties]

Combo antennas traditionally trade off signal gain for the convenience of an all-in-one package.

I think the best combination might be either a log-periodic or Yagi for VHF, with a four or eight bay bow tie for UHF, mounted directly above. An RF signal amp at the output of each, connected to a VHF/UHF combiner should give the best gain available.

[Terryl]

If you need to receive one channel a yagi antenna would work the best, it consists of 1 driven element a reflector element (the larger one behind the driven element) and several director elements, the more director elements you have the tighter the receive beamwidth and the more forward gain you get.

To receive over a wider band a log periodic the better choice, most hi-gain TV antennas are modified log periodic antennas, the smaller elements in front are the higher channels, the longer ones to the back are the lower channels, the lower frequency channel elements act as the reflectors for the higher frequency elements and the higher frequency elements act as directors for the lower frequency ones. (Confusing huh)

When using more then 1 antenna at a time you have to be very carful on the spacing as they can interact with each other, also coax length between the antennas to the combiner have to be calculated correctly to avoid out of phase attenuation of wanted signals.

[fifties]

I think they still make both low band VHF (2-6) and High band (7-13) Yagi style antennas, which would be good for several transmitters in the same general area.

A Yagi cut for channel 6 would work for 2 through 5 as well, and one for channel 13 would receive channels 7 through 12.

Apparently, 74% of DTV stations are now on UHF (14-51), 24% on high VHF (7-13) and less than 2% on Low VHF(2-6), from what I have read.

I guess the days of stacked arrays of log-periodics for deep fringe VHF reception are pretty well numbered.

[satchick]

http://images.highspeedbackbone.net/skuimages/large/C85-1040-vendormain-dw.jpg

My antenna looks kinda like that one, I'm just unsure of the brand as it came with the house.... Is it a combo yagi or log periodic????

[fifties]

It depends on how the elements are connected;


http://images-mediawiki-sites.thefullwiki.org/10/1/8/6/09446743839157256.png

[Terryl]

http://images.highspeedbackbone.net/skuimages/large/C85-1040-vendormain-dw.jpg

My antenna looks kinda like that one, I'm just unsure of the brand as it came with the house.... Is it a combo yagi or log periodic????

Its both, the antenna you have utilizes both the designs, the "log periodic" for the multiple frequency resonating elements on the VHF side and the yagi design for increasing the forward gain on the UHF side, it is a 300 ohm balanced design with a resonating element on each side, you more then likely have a 300 ohm bauln transformer connecting it to 75 ohm coax.

This is the most common design for deep fringe UHF/VHF antennas.

One other thing to note is the fact that the TV tuner inside the TV actually tunes the correct element pair to resonate at the correct RF frequency for the channel you have selected.

[bully]

do you need an indoor amplifier for this to work

[satchick]

That depends on how strong the signal is in your area... It's best to try it without an amp first. Too much signal is just as bad as too little.

The best amplifier to get is one that mounts right to the antenna mast, as close to the antenna as possible. These amplifiers have an indoor unit that supplies power over the antenna coax, so you still only need the one cable up to the antenna. I have a Channel Master 7777, it works very well.

[D-troit]

We are getting some great information in this thread expecially from Terryl and Fifties. One thing I noticed about the coathangers I have made is that they will not pick up channel 7.1 at all. On my home antenna which is just a suburban channel master Im able to get 7.1 and 7.2 the first 7 being broadcast in 1080i and the 7.2 same channel in 480i. Strange thing is with the coathanger I can get channels on each side of 7.1 = 6.1, 8.1,8.2, 10.1,10.2 in the vhf range and of course the higher uhf channels but have been unable to get 7 at any of the locations I have tried. This channel is in the same cluster of towers from Knoxville that I get the rest of my OTA channels from the RTV network. Dont know if its just the configuration of the coathanger or the coathangers have not been up in the air as far as my suburban fringe CM which would be around 30ft. using chimney brackets on a 8ft. section of 1 1/8in. conduit pipe.