How To Make a Homemade TV Antenna (DIY for Free OTA TV Channels)

By | June 14, 2023

How To Make a Homemade TV Antenna
Over-the-air TV channels are a great option for free TV but usually require an antenna to get the best reception.

TV antennas are not high cost items, but DIY units often work as well as store bought units.

Building a homemade TV antenna can be done in a pinch when no store-bought unit is available.

While buying a TV antenna is usually the best, over-the-air TV signals can be greatly improved with a DIY TV antenna.

There are many methods for building a TV antenna with a simple option below.

What is the Best Material to Use for a TV Antenna?

Aluminum is the best material to use for a TV Antenna.

It is low-cost and widely available, from soda cans to tin foil.

Most TV antennas are built from aluminum, including both commercial and homemade DIY units.

Items Needed To Make a Homemade DIY TV Antenna

  • Plastic Clothes Hanger
  • 2 Aluminum Cans
  • Coaxial Cable
  • Tape

Several items will be needed including two aluminum cans, tape, plastic clothes hanger, and a coaxial cable to connect to the TV.
How To Make a Homemade TV Antenna Items Needed

How To Make a Homemade TV Antenna

  1. Tape one of the cans to the bottom of the clothes hanger. Point the can opening to the middle of the hanger.
  2. How To Make a Homemade TV Antenna Step 1

  3. Tape the second can to the other side of the hanger with the can opening pointed to the inside.
  4. How To Make a Homemade TV Antenna Step 2

  5. Strip the wire back on the coaxial cable.
  6. How To Make a Homemade TV Antenna Step 3

  7. Connect the middle coaxial wire to one of the cans tabs.
  8. How To Make a Homemade TV Antenna Step 4

  9. Connect the outer coaxial ground wire to the tab on the other can.
  10. How To Make a Homemade TV Antenna Step 5

  11. Tape the coaxial cable to the hanger so it doesn’t pull off.
  12. How To Make a Homemade TV Antenna Step 6

  13. Hang the antenna near the TV and attach the coaxial cable to it.
  14. How To Make a Homemade TV Antenna Step 7

  15. Go into the TV settings and scan for TV channels.
  16. How To Make a Homemade TV Antenna Step 8

How Do You Make a Simple TV Antenna?

How Do You Make a Simple TV Antenna
The TV cable that attaches to the antenna port can have everyday items such as a paperclip attached as a simple antenna.

The paperclip can be inserted into the center of the cable and can give a small boost.

If the cable is long enough, moving it around can also boost a TV signal.

The paperclip TV will not give a huge boost but a small improvement that may work for someone clip the the TV broadcast towers.

Can You Use a Wire Hanger as a TV Antenna?

Can You Use a Wire Hanger as a TV Antenna
Yes, a wire coat hanger can be used to boost a TV signal.

The coat hanger is cut, and one side is attached to the center of the TV antenna cable and the other side t the outer side.

The hanger can then be moved about or even hung from a pole to try and receive reception.

While not as good as a store-bought antenna, they can work for some people depending on how far away the TV broadcast towers are located.

Summary
The above homemade antenna should help improve free over-the air TV signals.

The unit will need to be moved about to get the best reception.

Often, once an antenna is moved the TV will need to be re-scanned to see which channels can be picked up.

How many TV channels can be received will depend on the terrain and how close the TV transmission towers are.

For example, if big hills or trees are blocking the line-of-site to the transmission towers it may not improve the quality.

If you have a clear line-of-sight to the towers there should be an improvement which can be tuned in by moving it about.

Do you have a good outline for a TV antenna? Let us know in the comments below.

 




 

2 thoughts on “How To Make a Homemade TV Antenna (DIY for Free OTA TV Channels)

  1. dummyName

    GoodMorning, You can change these values to make them default , Just close PaighamBot.EXE.config in notepad and add the respective value to the keys.

    Reply
  2. Richard King

    Did the same thing w two beer cans.no coat hanger using only the middle coax wire and lots of tin foil.screwed both cans together and .mounted the cans on your basic one rabbit ear antenae works great 48-55 channels and counting..h

    Reply

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