DB4 HDTV Antenna

thingiverse

So I recently cut the cord and ditched cable TV. I needed a good antenna to watch over-the-air TV, but being about 60 miles away from the city required a decent one. The DB4 is a solid design for DIYers that's easy to build and works great. If you're farther than me from the signal, there are some good mods to make them even more effective, like adding a back panel or making two for a DB8 or four for a DB16. Plans are all over the internet for this antenna, but most of them use pieces of lumber that aren't the best looking thing to have on the side of your home. To make it you'll need: * 1” PVC pipe, SCH 80 or 40 at least 2 ft * 75 to 300 ohm Balun transformer * (10) #10 x 2 1/2” machine screws * (20) nuts for the machine screws * (20) #10 washers * 14 gauge solid core wire, or a bunch of wire coat hangers + 8 pieces cut to 18 inches and stripped bare + 2 pieces cut to about 24 inches and stripped bare * The printed parts * Optionally, a pre-amp You should be able to get it all for $50 or so, even with the pre-amp. Four of the blocks should be centered 5.75 inches apart, and one of them should be centered between the middle two, which is where the Balun hooks up to. It's a good idea to paint it now; PVC actually does okay in sunlight, but it looks better. Wrap the two long wires in the pattern shown in the pics, making sure they're insulated from each other at the crossings. On the center block, it helps if you do a loop around the screw to make the Balun easier to tighten down. Bend the short wires in half and place one on each block, tightening a nut on both the long wires and the short wire. There's extra length to make up for the bend, so cut each short wire to 8 inches from the screw. Once all the wires are on, separate the V's so there's 3 ½ inches between the tips. Put the Balun in the center, then mount the pre-amp and the whole thing however you see fit. Wire it up and enjoy great free TV. The last few pics show the antenna's view of the city (not that great) and its reception with and without the pre-amp.