Over-the-Air Antennas: Which are the Best?

I've lost patience with broadcast network programming. Podcasting isn't limited by scheduled timing, program length or network ratings. An example is the TWiT network, an internet-based network. It's programs cover topics of interest, segments run as long as they run, and it's well-funded by a small amount of advertising. You can watch it live, or you can watch it any time at your own convenience and skip sections you don't want. I think it's the future of media.

 

He already posted his antennaweb chart, back at post #29.
Of his Chicago stations, only a few fall out of the 400-700MHz UHF band:
WBBM (CBS), old channel 2, is now on physical channel 12;
WGWG, old channel 6, is still on physical channel 6;
WOCK, old channel 2, I'm not sure what it is doing.
All there rest are on the UHF band. If he can already get the CBS station on his homemade fractal antenna, or doesn't care about it, then the UHF-only models are likely just fine.

One of my local stations stayed on VHF, but the signal is strong enough that my UHF antennas are doing just fine with it.

 

Why would I buy an antenna that would not get all the channels in my DMA?

And thats not antennaweb.org. This is with a recommendation of what size antenna you need:


AntennaWeb - Stations

 

The aluminum bar I used for mine was very skookum, except that it was salvage, from the turning mechanism in some vertical blinds we trashed. Not sure where you'd find something similar. Really sweet material: I just marked measures with a black sharpie, positioned it in a table vise, with the marks slightly beyond to allow for bend radius. I'd eyeball the 90 degree bends as best I could, then lay the piece along a corner of a plywood work table to check. Pretty easy-peasy.

I happened to have a piece of hardwood almost the perfect width, same as the gap, so changed the websites design, just zip typing the bars, per my pics.

I've been thinking about making another, so maybe I could have them pointing different directions. I'll probably rein myself in tho: the big hump of a hill to the south of us very likely means no US stations for me, unless my mast interferes with air traffic, lol.

Anyway: I was thinking about antenna material. Copper tubing would work, except the corners would likely collapse when you bend, unless you sand-fill the tubing first. Maybe that doesn't matter? Heavy gauge grounding wire would also be good, though quite fragile.

The website for DIY antenna says some sort of utility wire, bought in a coil from Home Despot? I couldn't find that up here, but maybe there's something similar. On the pecking order of conductivity I think it's copper, then aluminum, then steel.

 

I'm still cranking out the occasional Grey-Hoverman antenna, at request from family and friends. Here's the latest iteration, using steel wire strung on 1/2" hardwood dowels on 3/4" x 1-1/2" softwood.

It's slightly less receptive, comparing to my first with aluminum rods. Due to the thinner steel wire, and maybe luck of the draw with balins?

Anyway, great hobby. Some pics:

 

Have you tried copper wire instead of steel? I'm remembering a work project with a resonant loop antenna that suffered a sharp drop in Q when the wire was switched from a plated steel to unplated. The increase in bulk resistivity turned out to be a double whammy. Not only does the dc resistance go up, but the ac skin depth decreases too, pushing up the ac resistance even faster. The lower resistance plating (or more expensive solid non-steel wire) was essential. We were working at 27 MHz, the TV signal is an order of magnitude higher.

 

Yup, was thinking along those lines. I'd like to find some decent gauge single strand copper wire, preferably without insulation I think. The steel wire was a handful to coax through the above maze.

A trick that works for straightening, either copper tubing (another idea) or copper wire: clamp about an inch at one end at a solid vise, and the other end in some sort of heavy vise grip.

Position so both ends come out of the clamps at right angle ( for better lock in), then give the vice grips a few blows with a hammer, tensioning the wire/tubing.

With tubing, excessive hammering will start to weaken the pipe wall, but doesn't matter for antenna use.

 

This is the stuff I was using. 16 gauge, galvanized steel. Maybe the galvanized coating helps with conductivity?

PAULIN | Galv. Wire-Steel Coiled 16G X 15M | Home Depot Canada

Looking into copper wire, waving a hard time finding single strand copper wire. Think I might try multi-strand twisted, either as-is (done this before), or separate the strands, and then de-kink it via the vise, vise-grip and hammer method mentioned above. There's 6 gauge or 3 gauge available, both in twisted 7 strand bundles.

 

Wow, Home Depot Canada doesn't give you many options for this. The USA version has solid bare copper wire in 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 18 gauges. Many of these can be cut to whatever specific length you want, right at the bulk spool in the local store. Grounding Wire - Wire - The Home Depot

I have a partial spool of solid #6, left over from the solar PV projects, and would give you a piece to try if you were closer. But I won't be passing through your area until mid-August.

 

Oh don't bother. Even with steel wire, which gets kinda kinked coming off the spool, the vise and vise grip hammering trick works good. Each blow tensions and straightens it.

But thanks.

Yeah up here too at least, you can buy by the foot. I mention Home Depot, but in fact it's often Rona I go to, since they're walking distAnce down a nice trail from us, in North coquitlam.

 

Measurements for the elements?

 

Nevermind.....
Just read the thread.

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In the dowel type frame pictured up the page, I've pulled in the two end dowels, so the 5" dimension is maintained.

 

^ like!

 

FWIW, I get good results with a $49 RCA directional antenna mounted just 15' above the ground. I had to point it the right way, and use a signal amplifier, but I get 20+ good channels.

 

AutoCAD comes in real handy, for even rudimentary stuff like this. To figure out exactly where to drill holes in the dowels, with the wires coming in on the diagonal, for example.

 

Just like Fuzzy mentioned about US Home Depot and greatly enhanced wire selection, same thing for channels. Locally there's 7 total, 5 really local, atop a local ski hill, and a couple out in the Fraser Valley. One is French only, one's various multi-cultural programing , one's religious/multi. All Canadian. I'm out a ways though. Downtown you should still be able to pick US Bellingham, and maybe Seattle.

Funny, my antenna's maybe 8' above ground, and there's ONE spot, that I just can't beat, and it's very convenient to our TV, go figure. I've run it up to our second story, and it wasn't as good. Think the greater length of cable was a factor though.

 

I turned out another antenna, identical construction to the one pictured up the page, but using individual strands from a 3/7 ground wire, which I gather means 3 gauge, 7 strand. Measured with a micro it was 2.2 mm diameter.

This is the only semi-ready source of bare copper wire available from Home Depot in Canada. It's easy to unwrap a strand, then I clamped one end in vise, other end in a vise grip, and belted the vise grip with a hammer. It made sounds like a guitar string being tuned up, almost lost all it's kinks, and finally broke free, typically at the vise grip end.

Anyway, long story short, no appreciable difference in reception. I have a selection of maybe 8 channels, and 2~3 of them are either iffy or gone. Iffy channels are a good "crude" check of antenna I think: whether or not they can be pulled in. And saw no difference, between the heavier gauge copper and the thinner galvanized steel wire version.

The leader and still champion is the first one I made, lol, with roughly 1/4" diameter aluminum rod. I've not seen anything regarding antenna element diameter, but am thinking that must be a factor.

 

I bought an antenna from "antennas direct".
https://www.antennasdirect.com/store/ClearStream-C2-VHF-Long-Range-Combo-Complete.html
Works in San Francisco where reception is difficult due to the hills.
But when I was updating my Comcast internet modem they said I can have a cable box for no extra charge above my internet fee.
Great because it has On Demand and free HBO.
Then they added $10 for HD .But its worth it.