How to make an antenna from digital TV in half an hour? The easy way!

  • Dec 14, 2020

Digital television is a worthy replacement for analogue, which is based on 2 serious advantages: better quality and the ability to view an almost unlimited number of channels. You just need to purchase a special digital module, and the antenna... you can do it yourself in just half an hour.

Required materials and tools

It is best to start with materials:

  • Copper wire with a cross section of 10 mm2, and a length of no more than one meter. You should not buy an overly expensive conductor, as it will be used exclusively to create a figure of the required shape.
  • Antenna coaxial cable such as FinMark F 5967BV with black insulation. The length of the cable is determined by the distance from the digital set-top box to the antenna location.
  • 2 screw terminals in a plastic casing for a wire cross-section of at least 10 mm2.

Now a little about the tools:

  • Monter's knife. It is best to install a new blade for ease and speed of work.
  • A flat screwdriver with a tip that will securely fix the screw terminals.
  • Pliers. The simplest, only for high-quality crimping of the wire.
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After all the necessary materials and tools are collected, you can start making the antenna yourself.

DIY antenna making

For digital television to work properly, an antenna that is too complex is not required and the best option in this case would be to manufacture a split half-wave vibrator.

1. To make a half-wave vibrator, you need to cut off 60 cm of copper wire and bend it so that you get the following figure:

Figure 1: Split half-wave vibrator

2. Next, you need to lead the antenna cable to the finished figure from the copper wire and strip it with an assembly knife.

3. Using screw terminals, fasten the middle core to one end of the copper wire and the braid to the other. Before fixing the terminal, it is best to crimp the wires again with pliers.

4. The other end of the antenna coaxial cable must be connected to the set-top box.

It remains only to check the circuit for performance.

What antennas can still be made by hand

A split half-wave vibrator is far from the limit of home craftsmen. With the help of available materials and a minimal set of tools, antennas of other types can be made, for example, an all-wave antenna. Which requires the same copper wire with a cross section of 10 mm2, simple metal structures and 2 wooden battens. As a result, you should get the following product:

Figure 2: All-wave antenna

If the design of an all-wave antenna seems too pretentious and difficult to manufacture, then a simpler butterfly antenna will be just right. It is very convenient to make such a device, for example, for a summer residence.

Some craftsmen go further and independently undertake the manufacture of antennas made in the form of "eight" or "zigzag". The result: better signal reception, longer service life.

Figure 3: Zigzag antenna, also known as Kharchenko antenna