Okay. This isn't really Linux related, but it's something we need for MythTV, so unless there are objections I'm inclined to leave the thread on this list instead of moving over to PLUG-talk. If there are serious objections, then we can move over there.
On 10/31/2013 11:58 PM, King Beowulf wrote: > I am ashamed of all of you! You run Linux but have no sense of > adventure. Build your own antenna!! No doubt you have a few scraps of > copper wire (or metal clothes hangers) etc laying around. This project > will also allow you to experiment with the design for optimal > reception in you area. I tried this one a couple of months ago: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/how-to/tv/build-your-own-digital-tv-antenna I didn't have the right kind of washers and the wires kept slipping out from under the screws. But I have been a do-it-yourselfer for as long as I can remember. I was around at the dawn of skateboarding. (This is in the category of having to walk uphill both ways to school and back.) I made my own skateboard out of a 1x3 board and an old skate, the kind you put on under your street shoes. That worked well enough to get me started, and I've followed that philosophy since then. > I am 11-13 miles from PDX towers, on the Vancouver side. I can pick > up ALL PDX channels crystal clear with this two designs: From tvfool it looks like I'm just under 15 miles from the towers. I got a good signal on my simple dipole when I first tried it, but now, not so much. I can get 23 channels, but not OPB or KGW. > Koch fractal (UHF/VHF, can be extended to higher order fractals) : > http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-fractal-antenna-for-HDTV-DTV-plus-/ > and a nifty artsy application of this design: > http://www.htpc-diy.com/2012/04/diy-flexible-fractal-window-hdtv.html Finally, a technical question: Is there something about a fractal design that improves performance? I can see how it saves space, but does it do a better job than the simple Vs on their sides style? Also, is there anything important about the 1" spacing and the 120/60 degree bends? I'm guessing that what matters is that the wire is a certain length relating to some fraction of the wavelength of the signal. For saving space would any shape the wires took have the same effect, like a spiral, or a squared off spiral? > bow tie (UHF/VHF): > http://makezine.com/projects/digital-tv-coat-hanger-antenna/ > pdf: http://cdn.makezine.com/make/television/04/DTV_Antenna_FINAL.pdf > > See also: > http://www.diytvantennas.com/ > http://www.digitalhome.ca/ota/superantenna/index.htm (UHF GPLv3 designs) > My wife used to do stained glass work and still has some copper foil tape. One of those designs talked about poking the intersections of the tape with a pin to make the connection between them since the adhesive on the tape is not conductive. I would think that a pin hole through the two pieces of tape would make a connection, but how long would that last. Wouldn't it be better to solder the two pieces of tape together? -- Regards, Richard C. Steffens _______________________________________________ PLUG mailing list [email protected] http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
