I still get TV broadcasts over the air, but I’m not happy with the antenna I’ve got in one of our buildings. So I’ve been poking around the Web lately, looking at ideas for a do-it-yourself TV antenna. And then I found a site that has plans for a monster, designed for fringe reception. I came across it in an entry on Instructables, but that in turn pointed back to another site. I can’t find the name of the person who put this information up, but apparently he has experimented a lot with homemade TV antennas.

In any case, this one is a 40″ by 36″ behemoth, and apparently is suitable for reception up to 30 miles from the transmitters. And the cool think about it is that you can build it out of inexpensive materials available at your local Home Depot.

If you poke around the guy’s Web site, you’ll find that he’s done some testing with his designs. He points out that this one is best suited for UHF frequencies, though it should be pretty good for the high end of the VHF range. If you have a local station with a lower VHF signal – such as some ABC stations — it may not work as well on that. Still, some scrap parts and an afternoon in the shop could get you a pretty serviceable antenna for your fringe digital TV reception.

Have you built your own TV antenna? Are you in an area of strong or weak signals, and what has your experience been? I’d love to hear from you about it at alfred@hdtvprofessor.com.

Posted by Alfred Poor, November 2, 2009 5:00 AM