DIY OTA Antenna

[nyplayer]

Best OTA indoor antenna I have owned built it yesterday from coat hangers it simply works better than any amplified and Digital indoor antenna I have owned.

See Video if interested.

[PiX64]

not sure if you saw this, but i went through this a while ago...

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/show...=Cutting+Cable

[nyplayer]

Didn't see it before but was a good read. I just threw that coat hanger one behind my Computer desk and it works just fine.

[PiX64]

cool. its nice not having to pay for tv isn't it? :-)

[Zippster]

I just put a new 4 bay with preamp and digital rotor on my roof, get 24 OTA's including Canada which is what I tape all my Sage shows from, the 4 bays are dirt cheap and work real well.

[davephan]

I use a Radio Shack U-75R, UHF only roof top antenna. It's a cheap investment for strong signals. I am 13 miles from the TV broadcast towers, and an indoor TV antenna does not cut it. Most of the stations are on UHF including the weaker stations. The VHF signals are very strong and are received fine with the UHF only antenna. The only trouble I've had with the U-75R is one of the corner reflectors folded shut a couple of times in high wind. I replaced the hardware with heavy duty hardware which eliminated weak corner reflector problem.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2103088

Dave

[nyplayer]

I am very happy with my DIY... I prefer not putting up a roof antenna.. and this DIY has completely removed the need for a roof antenna.. get all channels and no dropouts.. plus it didn't cost a dime I had all the parts laying around in the basement.

[wrems]

I built that exact antenna a few years ago and have been very happy with it. Easy to build, cheap and it's quite a conversation starter.

Most people are like: you actually built an antenna and now you're telling me that piece of crap actually captures free HD!

Then I show them Sage and that I actually record it too .

[PiX64]

I thought about buying one, but figured for 15 - 20 bucks i would try out the nicer DIY, and i get about 40 channels...now that include spanish channels, and a few others we don't watch but for the most part we have 25 rock solid channels we watch.

glad i tried out the DIY before going with the $100 + option.

[Zippster]

What each person receives on what and from where is going to depend totally on their location, antennaweb.org help sorts that out.

Didnt even know they sold metal clothers hangers anymore, lol.

What is built is same idea as the 4 bay I run except mine has mesh backing to making strongly directional or you can remove that to make it omni, for $18 cant be beat.

[david1234]

Here's another antenna thread from last year...
http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/show...33&postcount=1

[pjpjpjpj]

FWIW, 12 ga Romex house wiring gives a significant improvement over coat hanger wire in that same antenna.

You may also want to look up "gray-hoverman" for another directional, reflected antenna design. Mine works a bit better than the 4-bay from the video. But as with all things OTA, YMMV...

[wrems]

Originally Posted by pjpjpjpj

FWIW, 12 ga Romex house wiring gives a significant improvement over coat hanger wire in that same antenna.

+1

[ranger]

Originally Posted by pjpjpjpj

FWIW, 12 ga Romex house wiring gives a significant improvement over coat hanger wire in that same antenna.

another +1

[Apap]

I just built this.
I used steel fencing wire instead of coat hangars.
It does improve UHF reception but many of my stations still transmit in VHF.
I may try this mod.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Jh3M...eature=related

[BobbyDing]

DIY antennas rock. Here's my Orlando antenna on top (Antennas Direct C4) and my DIY Yagi underneath, pointing towards Tampa. I cut it specifically for CH 10/11 (VHF). It's my second attempt at a DIY antenna and it works very well. It boosted the signal about 10% over the C5 that was there previously, according to the HDHR software. It was a fun and satisfying project.