Television plays a leading role in providing a simple and accessible form of not only recreation, leisure and entertainment, but also a way of obtaining educational information for most people. Therefore, it is important for the population to have a stable and high-quality image on the TV screen. This trend will continue as long as there is strong demand for broadcasting services. But what kind of antenna is capable of providing reliable broadcasting? As it turned out, not only a factory fixture, but also one made independently can receive a TV signal. And subject to all the rules for manufacturing and connecting, home antennas can surpass even expensive factory models in signal reception quality. However, few will be able to answer the question of how to make an antenna with your own hands, without special knowledge in the field of telecommunications. In fact, there is nothing complicated in her device. Let's analyze the existing ways to make a home antenna.
Views
Independent design of antennas is based on their existing types and methods of signal reception. So, the following types of antennas are known:
- Working on the principle of "wave channel".
- Accepting the "traveling wave".
- Assembled from frames.
- Zigzag done.
- Having a lattice base.
- Logoperiodic.
Analog and digital signal
As already mentioned, in recent years, the digital signal has become widespread and actively used. But before you make a home antenna, you need to clearly understand what signal you need to receive from it. After all, not everyone can capture both analog and digital signals. You can even make such an antenna - an ordinary wire inserted into the TV socket and directed upwards. But such an antenna will definitely not accept a digital signal, and it will be difficult to show an analog signal. Even under the condition of a small distance from the location of the TV tower and the complete exposure of the wire from the insulation, such a device will not cope well with interference, and the signal will not be stable. However, in the complete absence of material or as a temporary measure, this option is also used. To obtain a high-quality screen picture, you should first consider the existing types of factory fixtures that are capable of receiving a digital signal. And then you can move on to home-made types and methods of how to make a digital antenna.
If the repeater is located at a distance of no more than 10 km from the reception point, an ordinary indoor antenna may well provide a good reception of the DVB-T2 format digital signal.
But the well-known Crow antenna qualitatively receives a digital signal already at a distance of 30 km fromtowers. It is desirable to exhibit it in this direction.
The DIPOL 19/21-69 antenna receives the signal most reliably, which can be located 50 km from the signal source, and even up to 100 km when an amplifier is connected. In this case, the exact direction towards the TV tower is obligatory, because any obstacles and interference will immediately affect the image.
Now let's look at homemade samples with which you can make a digital antenna with your own hands.
Homemade for receiving digital signal
Many varieties of home-made antennas were invented by craftsmen or designed in the likeness of factory ones in past decades, when digital television was either not widespread or did not exist at all. In today's environment, the markets are saturated with televisions, of which almost everyone has the opportunity to receive a digital signal. Its coverage is present even in remote corners of the country, and a homemade antenna should be able to receive it. In this example, we will look at how to make a digital antenna.
Its base will be plywood about half a meter long and about 7 cm wide. It will consist of 8 pieces of wire, each of which has a length of up to 40 cm and a cross section of 4 cm. In the center, each of the pieces should be stripped to ensure reliable contact through which the signal will be transmitted to the TV screen. After stripping, each of the 8 pieces is folded in half to give it a V-shape. Every 10 cm from the topantenna bases, bent pieces are installed with corners to the center of the base and fastened to plywood with self-tapping screws. The left and right rows, each of which has 4 pieces of bent wire, are separately connected with a forty-centimeter wire. This wire must be stripped at the junctions with bent wires. In the center between 2 and 3 pieces of each of the rows, one self-tapping screw is attached to connect to the cable. This connection is made in the form of a plug, which must be purchased. Two wires extend from each of the two self-tapping screws in the center, which are soldered to the plug that receives the TV cable. Actually, this is one of the best options to make a do-it-yourself antenna for digital TV. To amplify the signal, if necessary, the device can be equipped with a grille at the back that captures the signal.
From cans
This is the next kind of homemade antenna that receives a digital signal. It should not be required of her constant and reliable work, but temporarily this device is able to serve well. Both beer and any other aluminum cans can be used. It is important that all their proportions remain the same (the jars are whole, approximately the same shape and size). Before you make an antenna from cans at home, you need to prepare the following materials:
- Aluminum cans (any even number can be used).
- Ordinary TV cable about 5 meters long.
- Plug.
- Bolts or self-tapping screws.
- T-shaped base forfixing jars (often a wooden squeegee).
- Insulating tape, pliers, screwdriver and knife.
When the materials are prepared, the following work order is performed:
- A plug is attached to the stripped end of the cable.
- The second side of the cable is freed from the insulating layer by 10 cm.
- The cable braid is wound into a cord.
- The insulating plastic layer on the center core of the cable is cut off by 10mm.
- In one of the end sides of each of the cans (bottom or lid), one self-tapping screw is screwed in the center for attaching the cable.
- The cable core is wound onto one of the screws and tightened, the braid twisted into a cord is wound onto the other self-tapping screw and also tightened.
- Now the jars are attached horizontally to the base (usually a mop is used for this. If it is convenient to hang the base for attaching the jars to the window handle, a wooden hanger with a hook is often used).
- When using a mop, the cable must be fixed to a vertical base.
- Next, the image is adjusted by selecting the best signal reception location and fixing the antenna base.
There are also various variations on how to make this type of antenna with four, six and eight banks, connecting the left and right sides separately. But based on the feedback of the masters of such a system, the number of cans did not directly affect the improvement in signal quality.
Zigzagdigital
This antenna is also often used to receive a stable and high-quality digital signal, although it was invented by K. P. Kharchenko long before the advent of digital television - in 1961. It got its name due to its shape in the form of two rhombuses, which are arranged in one line and connected, forming zigzags. This invention is also appreciated by the fact that it is possible to make both an indoor antenna of this type and an external one. But here you can not do without soldering. Therefore, before you make an antenna with your own hands, you need to stock up on a soldering iron, solder, a cable of at least 3 m, copper wire with an average cross section of 4 mm, a TV plug, insulating tape, a piece of plastic or plywood about 70 cm by 70 cm in size, and self-tapping screws.
First you need an antenna frame, which is made from a piece of copper wire 109 cm long. This piece is bent in such a way that two rhombuses are formed, arranged in one line and interconnected. Each side of the diamonds should be 13.5 cm. After bending, 1 cm of free wire remains, designed to form loops that hold the frame together. After this bond is soldered for strength and reliability of signal transmission. In the end, we get a frame of two connected and closed rhombuses.
The second step in the process of how to make an antenna according to the method of Kharchenko K. P. will be connecting the cable. It is attached in the center in the corners at the junction of the rhombuses. The cable core is wound on the upper corner and soldered. The braid is also attached to the bottom corner. It is important that the corners in no case touch,and the distance between them was approximately 20 mm.
After the frame with the cable is mounted on the base of the antenna. This may be a mast mounted at a height. It is better to paint the antenna before installation, despite a slight drop in signal quality. The fact is that copper will oxidize over time and plaque will still be present, but the rest of the antenna will remain untreated.
Zigzag digital with screen
To the example of the design described above, how to make an antenna at home, a screen can be useful to improve the quality of signal reception. In this case, it is mounted behind the antenna, and it should be away from the TV so as not to interfere with the image broadcast. It is most convenient to use kitchen foil as a screen, which is placed on a plate slightly larger than the antenna.
For the same purpose, the device is improved with additional rhombuses in an even number on the sides with the obligatory observance of all the prescribed sizes.
Indoor antenna wire
Now let's move on to the method of how to make an antenna with your own hands for the simplest reception of an analog signal. After all, it may be useful to make a simple device for one evening, without having special tools and materials at home.
So, the simplest and most necessary material for the antenna, without which it is impossible to make itit turns out - it's a wire. You can use the simplest wire (but not aluminum due to the low ability to transmit a signal), after stripping it and inserting it into the TV socket. The second end is tied to a battery or a heating pipe so that the heating system that goes to the top of the house performs the function of a signal amplifier. Of course, you won't be able to get a nice picture with a stable signal, but tolerable broadcast quality up to five channels under such conditions is quite achievable.
Using a balcony
In terms of accessibility, this is the next way to make an antenna yourself. It consists in connecting the TV with a wire to the strings for drying clothes on the balcony, which will act as an antenna. It should be noted that this method usually works well if there is no obvious interference to receive the signal and there is a small distance from the repeater. The signal is getting better, and new channels may even appear.
Signal booster
The amplifier is inevitably used in cases where all attempts to set up a good image using a well-assembled and selected antenna do not end in success.
Usually, the layman does not have enough special knowledge to independently manufacture an amplifier for the antenna. How to make it without a proper understanding of the principles of operation of the device? It is very difficult. In addition, such attempts often result in wasted effort, time and material costs. Therefore, it is better to purchase a ready-made amplifier circuit and install it according to the instructions and drawing.
But if it is not possible to purchase an amplifier when you need it so much, you can suggest the following way how to make a TV antenna with an amplifier. Despite the simplicity of this method, signal quality is usually noticeably improved.
You need an ordinary magnet, on which a TV cable is wound several times. Such amplification is recommended to be done either near the antenna or near the TV. But if you follow the designs of devices with amplifiers, then usually an amplifier is not placed near the plug for entering the TV jack, but rather it is located near the antenna or directly on it.
Crafting Tips
As already described, there are many ways to make an antenna yourself. But even in its manufacture there are mandatory conditions, the observance of which will positively affect the image quality. These conditions include:
- All contacts in the antenna must not only be tightened, but also soldered. Only in this way the received signal will not lose quality during the passage of contacts, especially over time. The service life of the antenna itself will increase significantly. It is better to fill all soldered places with silicone or epoxy.
- It's always best to use the same cable for your antenna and TV, with no splits or connections, no matter how reliable. Each of the additional connections negatively affects the image quality, which will also increase over time.
- When working with modern cables, you need to use a soldering iron with a power of at least 40 W, as well as light alloy solder and flux paste.
- All connections in plugssoldering is recommended. It is better to use metal plugs.
- If you cannot achieve high-quality signal reception, despite all the methods outlined in the article, the only way out remains - an enlarged antenna mast.
Perhaps all the main ways to make an antenna yourself have been listed. It has already been proven by practice that many of the varieties cited in the article are able to provide high-quality signal reception and save the family budget. Especially if the antenna is installed in a country house or in other places where practical purpose is more important than appearance. Although, with careful and prudent execution, outwardly the device may also “not suffer”. When making it, it is important to carefully follow the instructions, and reliable work is guaranteed for many years.
