Homemade High Definition TV Antenna
HDTV is broadcast over-the-air, just like standard definition TV. Therefore, building your own HD antenna can get you a good selection HD stations for free, but the total of HD stations might be more limited than a pay service.
It's timely, and it's virtually free! It's DIY HD TV!
Remember that true HD TV (1920x1080 progressive resolution) is not yet broadcast regularly by any station because of bandwidth issues. What's more, that fabulous flat-screen is only as good as the signal going into it.
The "cost," if you do not have a spare 1X4 or 2X4 for the "stand," or wire hangers for the "bowties," is very low; so why not at least try it, get 1080i (for interlaced) the best reception currently available for free, and put the money saved to some other purpose. A Blue-Ray player? A Sony PS3 (for real 1080P output? Another flat-screen? In some instances, a year's savings over pay HD service could buy all three!
Get HD Reception with Coat Hangers!
The basics of antenna design on your own are beautifully realized by plain old wire hangers, plain old aluminum foil and a plain old 2X4 about five feet in length. Simply cut off the tops and squiggly end of a straightened hanger, make a "V" shape of the straightened portion, and precisely place them on the 2X4 at precisely measured distances from one another. You use a total of eight V-shaped hangers (plus two more crisscrossing the V-shaped wire arrangement to make contact between them), four on each side of the 2X4. This creates the appearance of four bow ties, which is why this is generally called a "bow-tie antenna."
The aluminum foil, or other on-hand metallic surface, aids reception by bouncing signals to the wire bow-ties, in the same way that a dish bounces signal to the transponder that sends satellite signals to the receiver connected to your TV.
How's $8.00 Sound…and Look?
If you're already in possession of a flat-screen for TV viewing, you've likely got a receiver or DVR/receiver from your cable company or the two satellite TV companies, DISH Network or DirecTV. If not that, you have purchased an antenna from Radio Shack or online. You might also have bought your own DVR, as many people recoil at the thought of leasing one and paying monthly while it becomes obsolete.
This entertainment setup is already a pretty hefty investment, and every company merely repackages the signals you can pull in with the almost-free self-built antenna, so why not get better picture quality reception, and pay next to nothing to save hundreds of dollars, too?
This is possible because the handmade design can regularly pull in a signal strength of 95. Compared to 85 or less from most commercial services, this is a significant improvement. What's more, if you're in a rural area, or otherwise far from transmission centers, building your own HD antenna is simply a no-brainer: a maximum of $8 to $10 for better picture quality than any paid service provides 92 to 99 signal strength on all channels with no dropouts at all!
The parts you need
A wooden piece measuring approximately 3" wide x 5 feet long (2X4's are perfect for outdoors) forms the "stand." 8-10 metal hangers with the curved top and squiggly end cut off, are used for the reception points, formed into a "V," the "V" being the connection points tot he "stand." 10-12 small screws and equal metal washers secure the hanger "antenna' sections (one of each for the hangers and two of each for the antenna/cable connection). That connection is a "balun," the UHF/VHF transformer that both provides the connection to your TV/DVR/input device, and isolates the antenna from the coaxial cable. "Balun" is a conjugation of "balanced" and "unbalanced."
Tags: aluminum foil, antenna from, better picture, better picture quality, building your, building your antenna, Definition Antenna
