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Old 2009-09-24, 02:02 PM   #1
Dean
Seņor Cheap Bastarde
 
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Real Name: Dean
Join Date: May 2003
Location: $99 Tire Store
Posts: 9,294
 
Car: $.04 STI
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Deal, did somebody say Deal? Oh, Dean, yeah that's me.
Default Seņor Cheap Bastard Free or ultra cheap DTV antenna!

I inherited a 50" Sony rear projection 3 LCD HDTV. (Needed a new lamp)

I am cheap and won't pay Charter for their HD package...

I fired up an old small roof top antenna that had been hanging in the garage on the back deck to see what I could get Over The Air.

Got a bunch, and determined despite what Antennaweb.org and tvfool.com say, all Reno DTV appears to be on UHF.

So interweb research for home brew UHF antennas began...

There are some great ones that are pulling in DTV channels from 50-100+ miles!!! Tons of coat hangers, dollar store and scap/parts bin near free solutions out there...

Coat hanger and 2x4 Video

Similar coat hanger design with aluminum foil reflector Web page with pictures & directions:
http://uhfhdtvantenna.blogspot.com/

And a huge thread with a bunch of great info and designs.
http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9613

I am probably going to make a DB-4 (coat hanger model) this weekend.

Anybody got some spare TREX or other plastic wood deck scraps lying around. They apparently make great weatherproof bases to build on. Wire coat hangers or scrap solid core copper wire? Romex?

I have a ton of Baluns and RG-59/U. Anu spare RG-6/U out there?

Anybody else want to build one?

Db-4 w/reflector and a funky one just for yucks...

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Last edited by Dean; 2009-09-24 at 02:06 PM.
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