How to make an antenna out of. DIY digital antenna for DVB-T2

02.07.2020 Windows phone

It has always been difficult to get high-quality antennas - the Soviet industry practically did not produce them, so people themselves made them from improvised means. Today, the situation has not changed much - in stores you can only find lightweight aluminum Chinese crafts that do not show good results and rarely live more than a year. What to do if you like to watch TV, but there is no quality reception? The answer is simple -With free time and a pair of skillful hands, anyone can handle this.

Most recently, analog television operated in Russia, but now almost the entire country has switched to digital broadcasting. Its main difference is that it works in the decimeter range.

You can create a homemade antenna for the digital range at home

This was done for reasons of economy and safety - care for transmitting antenna-feeder stations is actually not required, their maintenance is minimized, and harm from contact with powerful transmitters for masters is minimal. But such stations have one serious drawback - low power. And if in a big city the signal can often be caught even on a piece of copper wire, then far from the transmitter, reception can be difficult. If you live outside the city, in remote areas or villages, you will have to assemble your own antenna and take it outside to catch the desired signal.

Attention:signal problems can occur even in the city center. Decimeter waves are practically not muffled by other sources, but are reflected from thick reinforced concrete walls. In modern high-rise buildings there are many places where they are completely attenuated, not reaching the TV receiver.

It is also worth noting that DVB-T2 (the new television standard) offers a fairly constant but weak signal. With a noise level one and a half to two units above the norm, the TV reproduces the air quite clearly, but as soon as the noise exceeds 2 dB, the signal disappears completely. Digital television is not sensitive to electromagnetic interference - it is not knocked down by a working refrigerator or microwave. But if there is a mismatch anywhere in the system, then the picture stops or falls apart. qualitysolve this problem, but in some cases, it will have to be taken out onto the street or onto the roof.

Basic requirements for antennas

The television standards in force in the USSR do not fit modern realities - the protective and directional coefficients today have practically no effect on signals. The air in the cities is clogged and contains a lot of dirt, so you should not pay attention to these coefficients. You are guaranteed to receive interference on any antenna, so you do not need to achieve a reduction in DRR AND NPV. It is better to improve the gain of the antenna so that it receives a large range of air and selects the desired stream, rather than focusing on a specific signal. The processor of the set-top box or TV itself will isolate the necessary signals and create a normal picture.

Classic Polish antenna with amplifier

So, Experienced engineers recommend building band antennas. They must be correctly calculated by taking signals in the classical way, and not by engineering "optimizations" and traps. The ideal option is that the device fully complies with theoretical calculations and geometry. Also, the constructed antenna must be consistent with the cable at operating ranges without the use of matching devices. In this case, it is best to create a frequency response smooth and even, since phase distortions appear when the amplitude-frequency characteristic fails or jumps.

Attention: analog antennas with ferrite USS, which provide full-fledged reception of the old signal, practically do not work with DVB. It is necessary to build a “digital” antenna.

In the article we will analyze modern types of antennas that work with new digital broadcasting.

Antenna types

What do-it-yourself digital TV antennas can be collected at home? There are three most common options:

All-wave, or as radio amateurs call it, is frequency independent. It assembles very quickly, does not require high knowledge or specialized tools. Well suited for the private sector, villages, summer cottages - where the air is not littered with garbage, but not far from the transmitter.
log-periodic range. It has a simple design, well receives a signal at a close and medium distance from the transmitter. It can be used as a remote if the transmitter is located far away, or as a home wall antenna.
Z-antenna and its variations. Many radio amateurs are familiar with meter-long "zashkas" - they are quite large and require a lot of effort to assemble. But in the decimeter range, they are quite compact and do their job well.

The nuances of construction

If you want to build a quality antenna, you must master the art of soldering. You can not twist the contacts and guides - during operation they are oxidized, the signal is lost, the picture quality deteriorates. Therefore, all connections are soldered.

Such connections are not allowed - be sure to solder them

You also need to deal with zero-potential points where currents occur even when there is no voltage. Experts recommend making them from a single piece of metal, without using welding at all. Even high-quality welded pieces can make noise at the boundary values, while a solid strip will “pull out” the signal.

Also when creating homemade antenna for digital TV you need to deal with soldering cables. Today, copper is practically not used for braiding, since it is expensive and quickly oxidizes. Modern braid is made of steel, which is not afraid of corrosion, but it is very poorly soldered. It must not be overheated or squeezed. Use 36-40 watt soldering irons, flux and light solder to connect. Dip the winding well in the flux and apply solder - it is perfectly taken with this method of application.

All Wave Antenna

The all-wave antenna has a fairly simple design. It consists of triangles, copper wire and wooden slats. You can study the design in more detail in the picture - it does not represent something supernatural.

The thickness of the wire can be any, the distance between adjacent wires is 25-30 mm, the distance between the plates is no more than 10 mm. The design can be improved by abandoning the plates and using textolite. It needs to be given the appropriate shape or just remove the copper foil in the shape of a triangle.

The remaining proportions are standard - the height of the device must match the width, the plates diverge at a right angle. Zero potential is on the extreme line home tv antenna , just at the intersection of the cable with the vertical guide. To avoid quality losses, the cable must be pulled to it with a tie - this is enough for coordination. Such an antenna, hung out on the street or directed at a window, receives virtually the entire frequency range, but has a small dip, so you need to set the correct angle when fixing the antenna.

By the way, this design can be upgraded with ordinary aluminum cans from beer and cola. The principle of its operation is as follows: with an increase in the span of the shoulders, the working band expands, although the rest of the indicators remain within the original limits. The Nadenenko dipole, often used in military developments, works on the same principle. Aluminum cans fit perfectly in shape and size, creating vibrator arms in the decimeter range.

Double Can Antenna for TV

You can create a simple canned antenna by simply soldering two cans to a cable. This do-it-yourself indoor TV antenna suitable for viewing channels at a small to medium distance from transmitters. Nothing needs to be coordinated in this scheme, especially if the cable length is less than 2 meters.

You can complicate the design by assembling a full-fledged lattice from eight cans and using an amplifier from an ordinary Polish antenna. This design is great for hanging outdoors in areas remote from the transmitter. To enhance the signal, a metal mesh can be placed behind the structure.

Z antenna

There are complex Z-antenna designs with multiple loops, but in most cases they are not needed. You can easily assemble a structure from ordinary copper wire 3 mm thick. If you don’t have one, then just buy a single-core copper wire 3 mm long, 120 mm long - this will be enough for you to work. This design consists of two segments. We bend the wire according to the following scheme:

The starting section is 14 centimeters long. Its edge is bent into a loop to connect with the last one (loop 1 cm, total length of the first piece - 13 cm).
The second piece is bent at 90 degrees (it is better to bend with pliers to keep the angles). Its length is 14 cm.
The third piece is bent at 90 degrees parallel to the first, length 14 cm.
The fourth and fifth pieces are 13 cm each, the bend does not reach the loop by 2 cm.
The sixth and seventh pieces are 14 cm each, bent at 90 degrees.
Eighth - returns to the loop, length 14.1 cm goes to a new loop.

Next, you need to clean the two loops well and solder them. The opposite corner is also cleared. The cable contacts are soldered to them - to one central, to the second - a braid. There is no difference to which contact to solder.. It is advisable to insulate the soldered places, for this you can use sealants or hot melt adhesive. The ends of the cable are soldered to the plug and also insulated with cambric.

You can assemble such an antenna in half an hour

To avoid displacement of the segments, the edges can be reinforced. To do this, take an ordinary plastic cap from a five-liter bottle, cut 4 slots in it so that the wire sinks to the base. Cut the fifth hole for the cable. Then put the antenna into the cover (after checking the quality and reliability of the soldering), and fill it with hot glue. The resulting design will be practically eternal - it is capable of receiving a stable signal at a distance of up to 10 km from the source.

So you already know what can be used instead of a TV antenna. In fact, the designs are much larger than those that we have described, but even these will be enough for you. If you live far from the signal source, then you will need amplifying antennas - you can get by with the classic “polka” with gain. Well, if everything is bad with the ether, then use satellites.

It is not difficult to buy an antenna for a television receiver. Both in terms of the variety of designs and in terms of signal reception parameters, an extensive range is offered. But in some cases, it does not hurt to know how to make the device on your own.

For example, you want to watch TV in the country, but there is no corresponding store nearby. Or your device is receiving few channels and the picture quality is poor. Self-assembly of the antenna is also useful for educational purposes, when the principle of its operation becomes clear.

A simple option: an antenna from cans

The simplest antenna that you can make yourself is a construction from cans for drinks. Such material is available, and manufacturing takes no more than 20 minutes with skill. In addition, it gives good results in signal reception, working better than some stationary antennas.

In order to make an antenna from cans, you need to prepare the following components and tools:

a cable having a length from the TV to the window and a little more;
two tin cans;
two screws - self-tapping screws;
plug for inserting the cable into the TV socket;
insulating tape;
screwdriver;
wooden, plastic pin or stick - the basis for attaching cans, cables.

Manufacturing is as follows:

It is required to fasten the stick and cans at a distance of 7 cm from each other, using electrical tape and a small stick. The cable must be stripped from one end so that when the wires (central and lateral) are separated, there is a distance of 7 cm. Then it can be attached to the rings of the cans, if any.
If the cans do not have rings, we screw in the screws. We attach the stripped wires of the cable from one end to the screws. There is a third way - you can solder them. The cord itself, as well as the edges of the cans separated by 7 cm from each other, are attached to the same stick with insulating tape or tape for stability. The free end of the cable must be fitted with a plug.
The antenna can work in the room. If it needs to be taken out of the window, we make protection from atmospheric conditions: we cover the cans with plastic bottles (2-liter containers), cutting off the bottom and throat in them. In the center of the plastic structure we make a hole through which we pass the cable. After connecting, it will be necessary to treat the holes with boiling water so that they become airtight.
The antenna operating in the decimeter range is almost ready. You just need to connect it and set it up (turn on auto-search for channels).

wire antenna

For the simplest wire antenna, copper or brass wire is used, which does not oxidize too quickly. It is stripped of insulation from both ends. One end will be for the TV socket, and the other is attached to the pipe, the battery.

It is really possible to catch a signal with such an antenna, because the pipes go to the roof and amplify the signal. But the number of channels will be no more than 5.

Another case is to stretch the wire to the balcony, for which it must be of sufficient length. Here it can be fixed on a clothesline. The image will have a better quality than in the previous case, and the number of channels may increase. These are the options for manufacturing the most economical antennas.

We use tubes

Antenna parts can be made up of various metal profiles, such as tubes. It is better to use thin-walled materials for the correct flow of high frequency currents. It also reduces the weight of the structure.

A simple antenna can be made independently from two identical tubes. It will be able to receive a signal in rural areas at a distance of 30 km from the repeater. The tubes are connected by a cable, the free end of which is connected to the TV.

First you need to find out the broadcast frequency of the TV tower located closest to the house. Based on this, the length of the tubes is selected. The television wave range is 50 - 230 MHz. The entire strip is divided into 12 channels, for each of which the vibrator tube must have its own length.

So for 50 MHz it is 276 cm, and for 223 MHz it is 66 cm. The length of the loop connecting the cable tubes is also proportionally calculated: the lower the frequency, the greater its length.

The following materials and tools are required:

Two identical pipes with a diameter of 8 - to 24 mm: brass, steel - any metal.
Cable with a resistance of 75 ohms of the desired length (from the TV to the antenna + 2 meters).
Textolite or getinaks with a thickness of more than 4 mm. Clamps for attaching pipes.
The bar is the basis for placing the structure.
Soldering iron, flux, solder, epoxy or electrical tape.

Assembly steps

It is required to cut off a pipe with a length matched to the frequency of the television center, and then divide it in half and flatten each part on one side to attach it to the textolite. The distance between the tubes - approximately 7 cm - is optimal for good reception. Then the structure is securely attached to the holder with clamps.
The vibrator is mounted on a mast and both pipes are connected by a matching device - a cable loop with a resistance parameter of 75 Ohm. The cores are soldered to the tubes, and the braid is connected with a conductor. To do this, you can take a piece of cable and peel off the insulation.
The center wires from the matching loop and the cable to the TV are also connected, and then their braids by means of a copper wire.
The loop and cable for the TV are attached to the rod, which is located at the right height where the setting is made. Having caught a good signal, the antenna is fixed. To find out the approximate direction, you can look at the antennas of neighboring houses.

Even more effective is the design of curved tubes. But the manufacture of such parts is fraught with difficulties.

Advanced Options

Sometimes the antenna in a country house receives no more than 2 channels. In a short time, you can improve the quality of its work. The reason for the poor reception is the significant distance between the stations of the television signal. You can use an existing device as a basis.

And also to make a new one from the items available in the household:

You need to take a wire with a diameter of one and a half millimeters, up to 2 meters long, if the antenna is up to 6 meters.
1.5 meters of wire twisted in a ring with a diameter of up to 45 cm.
The second is also made of wire ring up to 18 cm in diameter.
Rings are strengthened by secure fixation on a piece of plywood, wood or plastic. The antenna is then installed on the roof.
When setting the location of the ring, it must be directed to the signal. To find it, you need to twist the antenna using an assistant that checks the image quality. After setting up the reception, you can use the TV system, watch programs.

You can try to make a satellite dish from a bucket lid attached to a stick (mast). To do this, you also need a head from an old broken satellite dish, which is attached with wire to a stick.

The cover serves as a reflector, which is attached to the wire from the head from below on the same pin. The head is located towards the reflector, and the second cable extending from it goes to the signal receiver - the TV.

Rules for installing homemade devices

Before you make an antenna yourself, you need to decide on its type. A parabolic design is suitable for satellite reception, its independent production is not so simple.

Therefore, there are types of antennas:

zigzag;
framework;
from wave channels;
vibratory;
traveling wave catchers;
as a combination of designs.

The circuit that receives the signal, or another design, is connected to the television receiver with a cable with a plug at its end. The winding must be bent, after which the wire will appear. Both are attached to the plug with screws, if it is equipped with such fasteners.

Or simply insert the central wire into the plug hole, and the winding is also placed inside. The other end of the cable, stripped and twisted into a ring, should be attached to the loop. For reliability, it is required to wrap the place of attachment with insulating tape.

When using outdoor structures located on the roof of a house or a balcony, it is required to set up the received signal. To do this, the antenna is rotated in different directions until the image is of the best quality. Roughly about the direction, you can look at the neighboring houses.

Signal amplifier

To improve a weak signal, an amplifier is used, which can be bought. The use of this device is appropriate if the antenna is not quite suitable for the type or the television center is far away. Then there is quite a lot of interference on the screen, and the image is almost indistinguishable.

The amplifier is used only when it is impossible to improve the antenna itself in terms of efficiency. The choice of this detail depends on the required parameters, taking into account the distance to the broadcasting center.

Antenna amplifier boards are characterized by a gain that allows you to receive transmissions at a distance of up to 150 km. When buying, you need to specify the type of antenna, for example, mesh or loop. The device is mounted on the antenna using nuts.

It is often required to provide the board with a hermetic shell that protects it from natural factors: foil or polyethylene. Antenna with an isolated amplifier is best placed on the roof of the cottage, turning to the nearest television tower.

Before deciding to build an antenna on your own, you need to clarify the principle of operation of a particular television receiver for which it is intended. Today, analog TVs are being replaced by digital ones. An outdoor antenna for a digital receiver does not need to provide a wide band, since only resonance is required at the desired parameters.
Modern broadcasting masters UHF frequencies (300-900 MHz) with horizontal polarization. To implement such tasks, a paraboloid antenna with a tuned feed will be suitable. But then you will need direct access to the telecenter tower or tuning to a reflected signal, depending on the weather. Therefore, the paraboloid is not always suitable for capturing terrestrial broadcasts, but is appropriate for receiving a satellite signal in the presence of a line of sight.

In the days of huge tube TVs, a good antenna for high-quality analog TV reception was in short supply. Those that could be bought in stores were not of high quality. Therefore, people made UHF television antennas with their own hands. Today, many are interested in homemade devices. And even when digital technologies are everywhere, this interest does not fade away.

Digital era

This era also affected television. Today, T2 broadcasting is developing especially widely. It has its own characteristics. In those places where the signal level slightly exceeds the interference, a fairly high-quality reception is obtained. There is simply no further signal. The digital signal does not care about interference, however, in a situation of cable mismatch or various phase distortions, almost anywhere in the transmitting or receiving path, the picture can go in squares even with a strong signal level.

In modern television, other changes have taken place. So, all broadcasting is carried out in the UHF band, the transmitters have good coverage. The conditions under which radio waves propagate through cities have changed dramatically.

Antenna parameters

Before you start manufacturing, you need to determine some parameters of these structures. They, of course, require in-depth knowledge in various areas of mathematics, as well as the laws of electrodynamics.

So, the gain is the ratio of the power at the input of the reference system to the power at the input of the antenna used. All this will work if each of the antennas creates the values of the intensity and flux density with the same parameters. The value of this coefficient is dimensionless.

The directional factor is the ratio of the field strength that the antenna produces to the field strength in any direction.

It must be remembered that parameters such as KU and KND are not interconnected. There is a UHF antenna for digital TV, which has a very high directivity. However, its enhancement is small. These designs are directed into the distance. There are also designs with high directivity. Here it comes in combination with a very powerful level of amplification.

Today, you can not look for formulas, but use special programs. They already take into account all the necessary parameters. You just have to enter some conditions - and you will receive a complete calculation of the UHF antenna, so that you can then assemble it.

Manufacturing nuances

Any structural element in which signal currents flow must be connected using a soldering iron or a welding machine. Such a node, if it is in the open air, suffers from a breakdown in contact. From this, various antenna parameters and the reception level can become significantly worse.

This is especially true for points with zero potentials. According to experts, voltage can be observed in them, as well as current antinode. To be more precise, this is the maximum current value. Is it available at zero voltages? This is not surprising.

Such places are best made from solid metal. Creeping currents are unlikely to affect the picture if the connections are made by welding. However, due to their presence, the signal may disappear.

How and what to solder?

Do-it-yourself UHF antenna is not very easy to make. This involves working with a soldering iron. Modern television cable manufacturers no longer make it copper. Now there is an inexpensive alloy that is resistant to corrosion. These materials are difficult to solder. And if they are heated long enough, there is a risk of burning the cable.

Experts recommend using low-power soldering irons, low-melting solders, and fluxes. Do not spare the paste when soldering. The solder will lie correctly only if it is under a layer of boiled flux.

Catch T2

In order to enjoy digital TV, it is enough to purchase a special tuner. But it does not have a built-in antenna. And those that are offered as special digital ones are too expensive and meaningless.

Now we will learn how to catch T2 on a completely homemade design. Homemade UHF antenna - it's simple, cheap, high quality. Try it yourself.

The simplest antenna

To assemble this design, you will not even need to go to the store. For its manufacture, a conventional antenna cable is sufficient. You need 530 mm of wire for the ring and 175 mm from which the loop will be made.

The TV antenna itself is a ring of cable. The ends must be stripped, and then connected to the loop. And to the latter you need to solder a cable that connects to the T2 tuner. So, on the ring, the screen and the central core are connected to the screens of the loop. At the last, the central veins are also connected. And the cable to the tuner is soldered as standard to the screen and the central core.

So we got the UHF antenna, made with our own hands. Its construction turned out to be very cheap and practical. And it works no worse than expensive store options. It must be fixed on plywood or plexiglass. For this, construction clamps are perfect.

"People's" antenna

This design is an aluminum disc. The outer diameter of the element should be 365 mm and the inner diameter 170 mm. The disc must be 1 mm thick. First you need to make a cut in the disk (10 mm wide). In the place where he drank, you should install a printed circuit board made of textolite. It should be 1 mm thick.

The board must have holes for the M3 screws. The board must be glued to the disk. Then you need to solder the cable leads to it. The central core should be soldered to one side of the disk, the screen to the other. In terms of quality, such a TV antenna will receive better with two discs, especially if it is far from the TV repeater.

Universal Antenna

Nothing supernatural will be used to make this design. We will make it from various improvised materials. However, although it is homemade, it will work perfectly in the entire decimeter range. So, this UHF antenna, quickly made with your own hands, is in no way inferior to store-bought, more expensive designs. To receive T2, it will be enough completely.

So, to assemble this design, you will need empty cans of canned food or beer. You need 2 cans with a diameter of 7.5 cm. The length of each is 9.5 cm. You also need to stock up on strips of textolite or getinax, always with foil.

Our cans need to be connected to the textolite strips using a soldering iron. The plate of this material, which will connect the containers at the top, must be completely covered with copper foil. On the bottom plate, the foil should be cut. This is done for easy cable connection.

It is necessary to assemble the structure in such a way that the total length is not less than 25 cm. This antenna (UHF band) is a broadband symmetrical vibrator. Due to its surface area, it has large gains.

If suddenly you cannot find suitable jars, then you can use containers with a smaller diameter. However, then the foil will have to be cut on the upper connecting plate as well.

"Beer" antenna

Love to drink beer? Don't throw away cans. You can make a good antenna out of them. To do this, you need to fix two beer cans on any dielectric material.

First you need to choose the right cable, and then bring it to mind. To do this, the cable must be stripped. You will see shielding foil. There will be a protective layer underneath. But under it, you can directly observe the cable.

For our antenna, you need to strip the top layer of this wire by about 10 cm. The foil must be carefully twisted to end up with a branch. The protective layer for the central core must be cleaned by 1 cm.

On the other hand, you need to solder the plug for the TV to the cable. If you were a subscriber of cable networks, then this part and cable will not even have to be purchased separately.

Now for the cans. It is advisable to use beer containers with a volume of 1 liter. However, good German beer in such cans is expensive, and domestic beer is not sold.

Banks must be opened very carefully. Then you need to free the container from the contents, and then dry it well. Next, use a self-tapping screw to connect our screen on the cable and the jar. To the second you need to fasten the central core.

For a better image quality, it is better to connect the containers and the cable with a soldering iron.

It is necessary to fix the banks on some dielectric material. It should be noted that they should be located on the same straight line. The distance between them depends on the capacity. All this is selected only by experience.

Zigzag

The UHF zigzag antenna has the simplest possible design. The item itself is broadband. Its device allows you to allow various deviations from the original design parameters. At the same time, its electrical parameters are almost not violated.

Its input resistance in a certain range depends on the size of the conductors that will form the basis of the web. There is a dependency here. The greater the width or thickness of the conductors, the better the antenna will be matched to the feeder. In general, any conductors can be used to make a web. For this, plates, and tubes, and corners, and much more are suitable.

In order to increase the directivity of such an antenna, it is permissible to use a flat screen, which will play the role of a reflector. The latter will reflect high-frequency energy towards the antenna. Such screens are often large, and the phase depends mainly on the distance.

On the practical side, the reflector is only rarely made from a single sheet of metal. More often it is made in the form of conductors that are connected in the same plane. For design reasons, it is not necessary to make a screen that is too dense. The conductors from which the screen itself will be made are attached by welding or soldering to a metal frame.

This design is made very simply. It works well in the UHF range. In the USSR, it was a real folk irreplaceable model. It has a small size, so it can be used as a UHF indoor antenna.

The material will be copper tubes or aluminum sheet. The side parts can be made of solid metal. Often they are tightened with a net or covered with a tin. If one of the indicated methods is used, then the structure should be soldered along the contour.

The cable must not be bent sharply. How to carry out this element, you can see in the pictures presented.

It must be guided in such a way that it reaches the side corner, but does not go beyond the antenna or side square.

Indoor antenna MV UHF

This design is designed for easy and reliable reception of digital television signals. It can be made easily and very quickly. To do this, you need an aluminum or copper bar. Its length should be up to 1800 mm. This antenna can also be used as an outdoor antenna.

The design is a frame in the form of a rhombus. There should be two. One acts as a vibrator, the second works as a reflector. To receive T2, it is necessary that the side of our rhombus is approximately 140 mm, and the distance between them is 100 mm.

After the frame is made and the structure becomes rigid, a dielectric is mounted between the two ends of our rod. It could be anything. Shape and size are completely irrelevant. The distance between two points of the bars should be approximately 20 mm. The upper parts of our rhombuses need to be connected.

The feeder can be made from a cable. It must be connected to brass or copper petals, which should already be fixed on the antenna output.

If the resulting design does not meet your expectations, for example, poor reception quality or the repeater is far away, you can supply the antenna with an amplifier - and as a result you will get an active UHF antenna. It is used both in the city and in the country.

The simplest UHF loop antenna

This design resembles the number "zero". By the way, this is the coefficient of its amplification. It is ideal for T2 reception. This part is able to work better than the products that are offered in stores.

It is also called digital, because with it you can perfectly catch digital broadcasts. It is narrowband, and this is a significant advantage. It works on the principle of a selective valve, which allows us to talk about reliable protection against interference.

For assembly, you will need an ordinary coaxial cable with a resistance of 75 ohms, as well as a regular TV plug. It is better to choose a cable with a large diameter of all options. As a stand, you can use a cardboard box or something else.

How long the frame will be, we determine using programs for calculating antenna parameters. The material for the manufacture of the frame can be used the same as in the cable. By the way, for calculations you need to know the frequencies of digital broadcasting in your city.

The central core of the cable in the frame design is not needed. The stripped wire is twisted together with the core and braid of the frame. Then this connection must be soldered.

The structure must be placed on a dielectric base. Better to keep it away from your tuner. It is important that there is no voltage at the antenna input.

So, we found out how the UHF antenna is made with our own hands. As you can see, this is not such a difficult task. But now you can watch your favorite TV shows in digital quality. And such a design is installed in the same way as a regular store - on the roof. You can use screws or bolted connection. It should be installed in a safe place so that during gusts of wind it does not fly off along with a piece of slate. It is desirable that the antenna is mounted at the highest possible height. Thus, you will exclude the appearance of interference during the display of cable or digital television.

Everyone watches TV these days. Or almost everything. Most people who watch TV have satellite dishes. You can buy a TV antenna in the store. But sometimes it happens that the antenna becomes unusable, it’s a long way to the store, but you want to watch your favorite show. At such times, you can resort to improvised means. For example, if the user is in the country and does not have the opportunity to go to the store. In this case, you can simply make a TV antenna for giving with your own hands. Even satellite.

DIY indoor antenna

It is possible and quite easy to make the simplest antenna for a TV from improvised means. On the Internet you can find many interesting instructions, which will help you make a variety of options for do-it-yourself TV antennas. There are many options for how to make DIY television antennas.

The most popular type of antenna, which is made by craftsmen from the common people, is clearly considered a homemade TV antenna made from beer cans. It is done easily, there is no need to look for hard-to-reach materials, and very little time is spent on the entire manufacturing procedure. An ideal option for a homemade antenna, given the fact that there will be more channels, and the picture quality will be an order of magnitude higher.

The simplest option can definitely be called the option of a room TV antenna, for the manufacture of which you only need a wire. Of course, the number of channels that can be viewed when it is connected will be very limited, and the picture is unlikely to please much, but other circumstances compensate for these inconveniences: ease of manufacture, minimum time and use of a minimum amount of materials. However, the number of channels and the quality of the pictures can be tweaked by wrapping the other end of the wire around the clotheslines, which will help catch more channels.

There are other DIY options, but they cannot be called popular. Some require more complex manufacturing procedures. In other cases, you can stumble upon extremely negative reviews from people who have tried to make them. So it’s better not to waste time describing their manufacture. Nothing useful can be found in this. Some instructions for building satellite dishes at home are simply not true.

How to make a TV antenna from beer cans

One of the most popular options is empty beer can antenna. It is easy to make, and the materials are not difficult to find. Masters who have experience in creating such antennas claim that the device can be assembled in almost ten minutes, while receiving channels very, very productively.

How to make an antenna with your own hands? How to make an antenna from cans?

In order to make a television antenna with your own hands, you will need the following materials:

cable
a few cans of beer (well, or other low-alcohol drinks)
plug
self-tapping screws
screwdriver
stick
insulating tape
self-tapping screws in the amount of 2 pieces

Below attached instruction how to make an antenna with your own hands.

How to make a TV antenna: DIY TV antenna

First you need to tape two beer cans to a stick with tape, trying to keep a distance of about 7 centimeters from each other. In the event that the cans have rings for opening, then the cable can be attached to them using self-tapping screws.
Next, you need to screw the screws into the jars, strip both ends of the cable and attach to the screws.
For the stability of the structure, screw the cable with electrical tape to the stick.
In order for it to work even in moments of bad weather, you should close the jars with a large plastic bottle, in which the bottom and neck should be cut off. After that, a hole should be drilled in the bottle through which the cable will be passed. After this place is scalded with boiling water, the plastic will change shape and seal the hole hermetically. This simple device will act as a kind of amplifier. Pretty simple and good amp.

This is how you can make a simple TV antenna from beer cans for your TV. It is done quickly and requires a minimum of materials.

There are also options for designing a homemade antenna for a TV. The option will be described below. how to make a TV antenna:

And the homemade television antenna is ready. In principle, the design itself is quite simple, although it requires effort. Well, the availability of relevant materials.

How to make an antenna yourself with a minimum of materials

There are two options for how to make a homemade antenna using a minimum amount of materials. Such an antenna is easily made at home and is one of the the simplest homemade antennas.

Being far outside the city, where you rarely see a house with a satellite dish, and there is no way to connect cable TV, sometimes you wonder how to make a TV antenna with your own hands.

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Indeed, anything can happen with an old antenna. The cable was damaged, the signal disappeared, the wire went off and you were left without television. The situation is unpleasant, but, as it turns out, quite fixable. This problem is solved if you manage to build an indoor antenna from improvised means and, perhaps, without even resorting to the help of a soldering iron.

The easiest way to make a TV antenna

Living in an apartment building, we are not immune to problems with the possible lack of TV broadcasting. But the problem can be solved quickly and quite effectively. For this, we need copper wire and a knife. We clean both ends of the wire with a knife and tie one of them to the heating battery, and insert the other into the socket of your TV.

Turn it on and check the signal. The central heating battery stretches to the roof, thereby increasing the signal, so we, of course, cannot guarantee a hundred channels, but 5-7, such an antenna will catch and provide a fairly high-quality display.

TV antenna from aluminum cans

An ignorant person hardly realizes that a do-it-yourself indoor antenna can be made from ordinary beer or Coca-Cola cans. Moreover, this method has been known for a very long time. For this we need the following items:
1. Two aluminum cans.
2. Brass, copper wire or old TV cable.
3. Triangular hanger for clothes.
4. Soldering iron (for structural strength and signal improvement, but you can do without it).
5. Knife.
6. Insulating tape, adhesive tape.

The manufacturing process of a can antenna

We wash the jars and dry them thoroughly. Then, fix on the edges of the hanger so that they fit against the underside. We fix the cans, best of all, with adhesive tape or electrical tape, but other improvised means can be used. Banks need to be good.

Then, we clean the ends of the wire or cable on both sides and thread their ends through the ears, with which the cans are opened. We press these ears to the lid of the jar and insert the other end of the cable into the connector.

Note!

For structural strength, the wire can be soldered to the bank and insulated these places.

To increase the number of channels, you need to use banks of larger diameter.

TV Antenna decimeter and meter range

If you have little skills in working with a soldering iron, then you can easily assemble an antenna for a TV with your own hands in the decimeter and meter ranges. The design does not require engineering skills and to create we need: 1. A copper wire 80 cm long and up to 3 mm in diameter. 2. Double-sided fiberglass. 3. Coaxial cable up to 2 meters long and 75 ohm impedance. 4. Plug.

The procedure for manufacturing a decimeter antenna

First, you need to find a copper wire with a diameter of 2-3 mm. More than others, a single-core cable used when installing electrical wiring is suitable for this. If you find a stranded wire, then you need to separate one core without damaging the insulation. In extreme cases, aluminum wire can be used. If there is no insulation on the wiring, then for aesthetics, it can be brought into a tube, for example, from vinyl chloride. Then, make a circle of wire with a diameter of 22 cm. For the convenience of making such a circle, you can use any container of a similar diameter.

Board Assembly

To continue assembling such an antenna for television, you will have to make a board yourself. There is nothing difficult in this. We take a piece of textolite 2.5 * 3.5 cm in size and 1.5 mm thick, and place copper wire tracks on its surface, as indicated in the diagram.

Board Assembly Diagram

The wire diameter must be within 0.4 mm. It can be attached to the board with glue. To reduce the impact from the outside and give our design a beautiful look, we hide our board in a plastic or metal box, having pre-drilled holes for the ring and cable. After these preparatory work, we begin to assemble the structure.

Assembly of the TV antenna structure

We tin the ring ends with solder and put them into our box with the board. Then we bend them at a right angle, bring them to the board and make a seal. After that, we turn the board to face the bottom of the box and start preparing the cable. To do this, we install a plug on one end of the cable, and disconnect the other end and solder it to the board on the reverse side. One of the ends, the central core, is fixed to the right end of the ring, and the second is soldered to the board of our product. After these manipulations, the design is ready. We insert the plug into the TV jack and set up the channels.

DIY TV antenna for digital television

Knowing how to hold a soldering iron and a screwdriver in your hands, at home you can make an antenna for digital television at home, which will turn out to be better than many Chinese analogues that have flooded our market and, most importantly, practically for free. To do this, we need the following items: 1. A board 7 cm wide and 55 cm long. 2. A copper wire, 39 cm long and a central core diameter of 4 mm. 3. Self-tapping screws in the amount of 10 pcs. 4. Pencil, ruler, knife. 5. Plug.

To begin with, we take a board of the required size and make the markup according to the scheme:

Construction order

Dimensions are in inches. To convert to centimeters, multiply by 2.5 and round to tenths. For example, 2 and 5/8 ″, when multiplied we get 6.56, round to 6.6 cm. Then we cut our wire into 8 parts and get pieces of 37.5 cm. On each piece we make cuts 2 cm long, for connections and clean them up. After that, we cut two more wires of 22 cm each and clean them in the places where the connections will be made. We bend the wires, which we previously cut into 37.5 cm pieces, with the letter V so that the distance between the edges is 7.5 cm.

The final stage of antenna assembly

Now, in order for us to get a real television antenna for digital television, we need to correctly complete the assembly. To do this, we need to buy a plug with a coil inside and start the process of connecting the coil to the cable. The cable is connected to the coil through the lower contacts. After that, we complete the assembly of the antenna by screwing two wires, 22 cm long, to the central screws. On the other hand, we attach these wires to a plug with a coil, which, in turn, must first be attached to the back of the bar. Everything, the coil is ready to use.

frame wave channel

To make such an antenna, take a copper wire and bend a frame out of it. The side of the frame should be about 10 cm. At the junction of the ends, we connect them using the “pigtail” method. After that, after 2 cm, we begin to twist the same frame, connecting the ends in a similar way.

Note! The number of such squares should be four and they are all on the same wire.

The resulting simple design will allow you to replace a damaged antenna in five minutes and get a fairly high-quality picture on your TV screen. All of the above methods of assembling antennas with your own hands will allow you not only to take advantage of the inconveniences that have arisen for a short time, but also to use them for a long time without spending money on buying new devices.

Watch a video on how to make a TV antenna with your own hands: