This video will show you how to build a digital TV antenna with at least a 45 mile range for under $3 using materials laying around the house with the exception of the transformer.

The first thing is a piece of cardboard. I am using part of a pizza box. Aluminum foil, heavy duty is easier to work with and less likely to tear. Glue stick. Elmer’s glue is ok but its messier. The handy man's best friend and favorite tool, Duct tape. You know this stuff is good when you can tape a person to the wall with it. A couple of push pins and the cap from a water bottle. Finally, a transformer to connect the coaxial cable from the TV to the antenna. We are assuming you already have a coax cable.

Tear off 2 sheets of foil, each 6 inches wide. Use the glue stick to apply some glue to the cardboard and lay one of the sheets on the glue. Make sure you leave a couple inches of space between the bottom of the aluminum sheet and the bottom of the cardboard. You will need this room to attach the transformer. Do the same with the second sheet and make sure the aluminum sheets do not touch each other. You can use the liquid glue of you want but it messier and takes longer to dry whereas the glue stick works right away and is not messy. Check for any spots where the foil isn’t attached to the cardboard and add some glue under those spots.


The transformer has two wires sticking out from it. You are going to attach one on each aluminum sheet using a small piece of duct tape. Make sure the yoke of the transformer is over the cardboard. You can use another piece of tape to tape the transformer to the cardboard but it isn't necessary since you will be using a pushpin to attach the transformer to the cardboard.

Once you have the pin attached – it takes some effort to get it through the yoke – turn the antenna over and push the bottle cap onto the pin. This serves 2 purposes. One, if you hung this up on the wall without the pin, the weight of the coax cable would eventually pull the transformer wires away from the aluminum foil. Using a pushpin will hold the transformer in place. The cap will also prevent the pin from scratching your wall. And that's it.

Now you are ready to hang it on the wall, attach it to your TV using the coax cable and program your channels. Go to part 2 to see how to use your $3 antenna to pick up as many channels as any$40 antenna. We will also give you some tips and tricks that will make your antenna work at its best and how some antenna makers and installers lie to you to get you to spend more money on stuff you don’t need because it doesn’t work (but it sounds like it will).

свернуть