(Feb. 13, 2009) ESCONDIDO, CALIF.: Jim Lipka is demonstrating that pricey “HDTV” antennas aren’t necessary to pull in digital TV signals. Lipka is getting press for making functional TV antennas out of wire hangers and what appear to be picket-fence slats. He’s putting the devices together at less than $10 each, giving them away to African refugees at his church so they don’t lose TV reception when the city’s stations transition this coming Tuesday (notwithstanding they have converter boxes or a DTV receiver). LINK
(apologies for the bad ads before the video)
Make: television’s DTV Antenna project
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An antenna is an antenna. VHF antennas works best for VHF, and UHF antennas works best for UHF, but there’s no such thing as analog or digital antennas.
@J.R.
I also try to explain to others that an antenna is just an antenna. The digital frequencies are the same as the analog frequencies. I also tell them to just get a good UHF antenna, even if it’s “only” analog.
I would like to also comment on the picture of the home made antenna. I see the builder added wire nuts on the sharp ends to prevent eye poking. Pretty nifty idea.
Any VHF antenna plans out there? I’ve built a UHF antenna, but my area has (and will continue to have after the conversion date) plenty of VHF channels.
Here’s how to build a cheap VHF antenna that works better than rabbit ears to combine with the coat-hanger UHF antenna:
http://www.wfu.edu/~matthews/misc/dipole.html
VHF might work better if you have it outside your house with a lead coming in since unlike UHF it doesn’t go through windows as well.