It has long been proven that flat antennas are good at receiving terrestrial digital television signals with frequency modulation based on COFDM technology. This gave me the idea to make a simple outdoor antenna from a plastic pipe and metal mesh. The design is very unpretentious and will not require you to supply scarce parts or tools.
Materials and tools
- - PVC pipe with a diameter of 4 cm and a length of 80 cm.
- - galvanized wire with a diameter of 2.7 mm.
- - galvanized or copper wire with a diameter of 0.8 mm.
- - galvanized wire mesh.
- - 4 rectangular plastic plates.
- - bolts, nuts and washers.
- - rod with external thread.
- - antenna power supply.
Tools:
- - wire cutters.
- - pliers.
- - hacksaw.
- - screwdriver.
- - ruler.
Making a simple broadband television antenna
To install plastic plates, cut four windows approximately 3 cm wide in the pipe, at a distance of 20 cm from each other.
Bend a rod of 2.7 mm wire in the shape of the letter V. The sides are 20 cm long, the ends are separated by 12 cm from each other.
Drill the plastic plates in three places: one hole in the center and two at the edges.
Connect the plates to the pipe through the central hole. Bolt V-shaped wire elements along their edges. Together, the plate and wire elements form a dipole.
Preparing the reflector grid
Cut a rectangle from the wire mesh, the sides of which are 2 cm longer than the edges of the installed dipoles.
Stretch a wire with a diameter of 2.7 mm along the edges of the mesh, making a loop in the center.
Attaching the reflector grid
Place the grid on the antenna as evenly as possible relative to the dipoles, and make marks on the plastic pipe in the places where the loops are located.
After making holes in these places, attach the reflector to the plastic pipe through two loops formed by 2.7 mm wire. The plastic pipe should be 7-8 cm away from the mesh.
Antenna Element Connections
The next step is to make connections using copper wire (0.8 mm), as shown in the diagram.
Connecting the connector
After connecting the dipoles, you need to connect the cable connector (see diagram). Of course, you can directly connect the cable without a connector.
The connecting wires must not touch each other (ie red to blue).
Installing an antenna on the roof
Install the antenna on the mast using clamps. Insert the plug into the TV and watch TV. This antenna is perfect for receiving both digital and analog channels.
Good luck!
