How do you build a homemade digital TV antenna?

Build a homemade digital antenna by constructing a wooden frame, adding wires and attaching to the television. The process requires about two hours.

1. Construct the frame

   Cut a 1-inch by 4-inch board into a 6-inch and a 32-inch length. Attach the 32-inch piece to the center of the 6-inch piece so it is perpendicular by drilling pilot holes and using wood screws.

2. Attach the wires

   Cut bare 12-gauge copper wire into eight 17-inch lengths and two 34-inch lengths. Bend each of the 17-inch lengths in the center to form the ears. Each set of ears is a "V" shape with a slightly rounded bend and a 3-inch gap at the end. Lay the frame on a table, and use screws and fender washers to attach four ears to either side of the longer board. Attach two screws at the center of the longer board for connecting the transformer.

3. Create the phasing bars

   Use the longer wires to create the phasing bars. One phase bar should begin at the bottom left and cross to the second right screw, bends to connect with the transformer screw and back to connect with the third right set of ears before crossing back to connect to the top left set of ears. The second phasing bar is a mirror image of the first. Use electrical tape to insulate the bars where they cross.

4. Add heat-shrink covers

   Place a piece of heat-shrink wiring insulation over all the ends of the ears. Use a lighter to shrink the material.

5. Attach to the television

   Connect a coaxial television transformer to the two center screws and tighten them. Connect a coaxial wire from the connector to the television.