TV antennas

[Mad Trapper]

I came across this site a while back and there is a lot of useful information on DIY TV antennas.

One of the things I came across was antenna reflectors, they do work, and are simple to make. All you need is some wire mesh fencing

I have a location with just a cheap radio shack inside amplified antenna. Most of the year I get two broadcast stations pretty well, when the trees leaf out I loose one or both stations. That just happened again.

So I cut out a section of old fencing I use for the garden 2 X 4" mesh, ~ 20 X 36" and bent a slight curve to make a backing for the antenna. Lo and be bold both stations are back with a good signal. I also get some signal from two other stations ~ 40 miles away, I got nothing before now, but not enough signal to get a lock/picture.

I'm going to fabricate a whole antenna I can mount outside in hopes of getting a few more channels. You can make these with about $20 materials. Maybe invest in a preamp (~$60 ) too.

Motivation for this was to watch the Bruins in NHL playoffs. I used to watch Bobby Orr.....

My other place I have a big old channelmaster antenna and get ~ 35 stations free.

Anyway, hope this helps somebody.

https://m4antenna.eastmasonvilleweather.com/

[Smitty901]

When they went Digital we could get darn near nothing out here even with so called good antennas . A while back after years of ignoring it tried a new one small system not expensive. Now we are getting about50 channels. Not that we will watch them but nice to know they are there. Good part is getting local news from both Madison and Milwaukee . With out paying for it. We are even getting Green Bay about 100 miles from here.

[bigwheel]

Thanks for the info. Think we are fixing to get in the Roku business. Who knows arout that?

[Smitty901]

Thanks for the info. Think we are fixing to get in the Roku business. Who knows arout that?

If you sign up with Roku read the fine print. You allow them to monitor everything you do, make changes to your Tv and devices at their will without informing you, to share ,sell and give away any information collected on you at any time.

[bigwheel]

Thankis for the sooop on that. I will inform the Warden.

[rice paddy daddy]

The stations in the city are 50 miles or so, but they are all located along the same compass heading, so I only had to point my antenna once and secure it.
I bought a Channel Master Deep Fringe for $135 at the Ace Hdwe in town.
I put it up 20 feet, tried 30 but it was way too wiggly and would have needed a guy wire.
Bought an amplified signal booster at Walmart for about $35.
I can get every channel from the city. But I watch very, very little.
Just a NASCAR race now and then, the World Series, and of course the Army/Navy football game.

[Mad Trapper]

The stations in the city are 50 miles or so, but they are all located along the same compass heading, so I only had to point my antenna once and secure it.
I bought a Channel Master Deep Fringe for $135 at the Ace Hdwe in town.
I put it up 20 feet, tried 30 but it was way too wiggly and would have needed a guy wire.
Bought an amplified signal booster at Walmart for about $35.
I can get every channel from the city. But I watch very, very little.
Just a NASCAR race now and then, the World Series, and of course the Army/Navy football game.

I found the equivalent of todays channelmaster deep fringe sitting in parts at a package store ~15 years ago. I asked the owner what was to be it's fate? He said scrap, but you can have it. It's one big SOB!

I took it home and repainted the mount and mast. Some of the elements were broken and I replaced those with angle aluminum from a hardware store. The booster was bad so I replaced that with a medium gain channelmaster pre-amp. It has a rotator but like You almost all stations are on the same azimuth, besides the control for that was missing. That was about 15 years ago and it still works great, ~35 channels in hilly terrain, not counting duplicate channels. I just watch the Tv for local news, weather, some sports, and stations that play retro shows and old movies.

I have < $100 into the set up. Now how much would of 15 years of cable TV have cost?................

[Boss Dog]

For those with HOA restrictions. You can buy an "attic antenna", or you can make your own.

I made a modified version of the antenna shown in figure 2-20 in the link below, for use in my attic when I was stationed at Virginia Beach.
The one shown is from a Naval publication, it is used for high power HF communications. The design can be modified for most any use.
You can make it with as many or as few number of elements as you want.

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:...A_14092.pdf/33

I used simple electrical wire available at any hardware store, soldered all elements together forming a point on each end with only one feed connection (the bottom), also soldered.
Measure how tall your attic space is. Mine had 4 feet of good clearance in the section I wanted to place it. I cut the wires 5 feet in length, I think (8 wires total). You'll have to do some math.

Hung it on a large teacup hook screwed into one of the highest rafters, insulated the wire from the teacup hook with a small loop of para-cord. Did the same at the bottom to keep it from swinging.
I pulled the strands out of another piece of para-cord and tied one to the center of each wire and pulled them out to make the antenna into a diamond shape, tying each one to a surrounding rafter.
It made quite a spider web! but I wasn't using most of the attic anyway. It worked great, no one in the neighborhood knew about it, and friends thought we had cable unless we told them different.

Here is a different illustration (of a different antenna). Depending on your imagination it may make more sense for you.
Imagine it mounted, or suspended, on end with the elements evenly spaced all around to form the diamond shape.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ng-Fig3-77.png

I'm thinking about making a few, larger for outdoor installation, to use for TV, shortwave listening and maybe even two-way.

When deployed I used to make one using 16 feet of military fiberglass pole sections for a center conductor and structural support, sitting on the ground on a heavy mounting plate. I would occasionally use it on CB freqs and easily talk from Central and South America to Australia and the US with about 40 watts output.
I would make 16 wire elements and connect them at each end with strong poly zip-ties pulled tight around the metal conductor caps. Then I would pull the wires out with para-cord tied at the center of each wire and tie it off on a tent peg. Made for interesting evenings around the comm site at night! One particular radio operator (who outranked me) knew it was there, would forget his red lens flashlight, and would trip on the guide wires every night. He would get so mad, and blame us techs. Can you imagine that? Finally some one got us a bucket of chemlights and I was told to tie one to the center of every guide wire. It looked like a gigantic Christmas Tree!

I hope this makes sense to you. I think I have a photo of the original drawing we used for our first modification, if I can find it I'll post it.

[Back Pack Hack]

For those with HOA restrictions. You can buy an "attic antenna",.........

An 'attic' antenna? What's so special about it? I've been putting 'regular' antennae in attics for decades and never needed an 'attic' antenna. I suspect 'attic' is just like 'digital antenna'... Madison Avenue hype to charge more because many will think it's magical and buy it.

[Boss Dog]

exactly