Free (almost) TV

[Glanceblamm]

In a timely move, our Dish network provider contract expired very near the same time that they raised their price to over $80 so we dropped them. Our options were to add TV to this basic Comcast Internet package for an additional $10.00 (but for how long?) or to search the open air waves. I opted to do this as the price was reasonable for testing and we have miles of cable running around this place!
 
First the Antenna.

I had all the materials to put this together at no cost. It was (almost free) because I had to purchase a Balun. The balun "also known as a transformer" came from Radio Shack. The product description reads 300 ohm\75 ohm VFR to UHF converter. It has a type F connector on one end for the cable and spade leads on the other end for connecting the UHF leads to the Antenna. I paid $7.00 for this transformer but you can probably do better as mine also has leads for VHF and two screws for FM which I do not need.
 
How to assemble:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWQhlmJTMzw
 
Please note that I did not use coat hangers as I choose scrap 14-2 romex wiring instead. The important part of this video is the Balun, or transformer. Make sure you get the one as described having cable imput and VHF output. This is because most digital TV signals are broadcast on VHF.
 
The testing:
It Did Not Work At First!....This was solved easily though as I found that I needed to go to my TV's menu and have the television scan for avalible channels. If your TV does not have this feature, chances are good that you are running an analog model off of a converter box. If this is the case, the converter box probably has options to do this Auto Channel Scan for you.
 
My Results:
With the Auto Channel Scan complete, I found that I was watching a football game that my antenna was recieving in full HDTV signal!
I am picking up ABC, NBC, CBS, and seven other channels and this was with the antenna being inside the house.
 
Further Testing:
I need to take this thing outside but have not done so yet but expect that it will pick up an additional five channels (for 15 total) when I do so. My antenna would need some work to survive outdoors such as paint on the board and clear coat sprayed on the wiring to survive the outdoor environment but this is not my intention. What this antenna will tell me is if I would want to spend $80 for a factory made external digital antenna that has a 75 mile range. My homemade is a DB4 type and is reputed to be good for around 40 miles.
 
My Area:
I live near a small burg of less than 1k people. I do have city's in the 100k range either 25 miles to the east and 20 miles to the west. The citys to my North/South are around the same distances but are ones of 50k people or less. If you would be interested in trying this project, you can go to www.antenna.org to see a list of channels that you could possibly recieve.
 
Have Fun.
 

[DalesCarpentry]

Now thats cool!!!! Thanks Dale

[Glanceblamm]

Please note the tape at top & bottom of the board where the wires cross Dale.
 
The guy in the video did not do this but it is recommended as you do have two separate circuits here.

[Old Syko]

I currently get 31 broadcast channels.  The best part is, during stormy weather they still work compared to satellite feed that drops out when you would like to have it most.


If you do decide to purchase an outside antenna, don't waste money on something expensive.  I've tried them that ranged in price from $30 to over $200 and I see little if any difference in the results.  A solid mounting position as high as possible is more important than what you put up there. 

[powderman]

I bought the biggest antenna walmart had. When they went digital I lost several channels, gained some but actually lost 5 network channels. A good friend is quite a handyman and made his own too. He took a 2x2 about 8 ft long and measured his wires to exact lengths, said different wave lengths required different lgth wires. HEH, he gets channels I lost. Go figger.
Thanks for the pics and story Glanceblam, very interesting. POWDERMAN. 

[Glanceblamm]

If you do decide to purchase an outside antenna, don't waste money on something expensive.  I've tried them that ranged in price from $30 to over $200 and I see little if any difference in the results.

This was a point that was brought up in many blogs that delt with the construction of an antenna. Many will take an antenna like mine and keep it just out of sight (like behind the tv stand and leaning again the wall cause it is kind of ugly) or better yet, placing it up in the attic if possible.
 

 
This was my first attempt at an outdoor mounting (just call me Red Green) and the antenna did not work at all. My first thought was that the resistance of the cable lenght was the problem so I took it down. The real problem though was a defective splitter (or that little piece that you use to join two cables together) that I had installed at the back of the television for ease of connection. I dont know why the manufactures persist in putting that little fitting in a recessed housing and right next to the molding!...I found my splitter was bad when the antenna would not work indoors anymore but was back to normal with a direct hookup.
 
I will do a retest on the external. If it works out the dish will come completely down and the 1-1/2" piping will be extended for the antenna mounting.
This DYI buisness is not for everyone...if it brings on road rage it is not for you but if it brings on thought and revisions to correct problems, it is quite rewarding.
I am also working on a Snow plow for the lawn tractor and "revision" has been a key word.
 
 

[Stillkickin]

Glanceblamm,
Your post inspired me to build one myself.  I used sections of stainless steel rod cut from an old oven rack and 10 gauge copper wire.  I tried it out on an old analog TV with a converter box that was having difficulty pulling in anything other than the one closest station.  After running it through its scan process, it picked up 19 channels.  I'm cautiously waiting to see what it does in different weather conditions but, so far, it is great.  I mortised a three inch thick block of wood to accept the bottom of the wood support beam and this makes it very simple to rotate the whole thing for fine tuning to different stations without having rabbit ears sticking out into the room or limited by walls behind the TV.   Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[powderman]

Years ago I saw pics of bedsprings hung in trees for antennas. Years ago I saw advertised a system that claimed to use the wiring of a house for an antenna, anybody ever try that?? POWDERMAN. 

[Glanceblamm]

Stillkickin, yours sound like it is he$$ for stout and I am glad it worked for you also. My outside mounting did bring in more channels which does give the nod to purchasing a quality exterior antenna.
 
Old Syko Wrote:

If you do decide to purchase an outside antenna, don't waste money on something expensive.

I do believe that this is true as the digital channels seem to either come in perfect or not at all. I may just "beef up" my antenna for outside use.
 
 

[Old Syko]

Glanceblamm if you get real energetic you might want to experiment with some sort of directional control.  Antennas like this are quite directional in their reception qualities.  If I turn my antenna I can pick up 3 more channels but I loose some others.  I get all I need so I've never bothered with a rotor.


Red Green doesn't have anything on some of us.  Friend of mine has his antenna pole just outside a window by his favorite chair with a pair of vice grips attached for easy adjustment.

[bilmac]

I'm thinking hard about going back to an antenna when my contract runs out. I must be buying about 60 channels from the satellite, and spend 90% of my time watching one or two of them. What a bunch of crap they feed the public.