Thanks so much for this. My son and I made this an afternoon project. Easy and only $5 for the transformer since we had the rest of the materials. The antenna worked great. Receive all of the major network stations now and from 50-60 miles away and without an amplifier!. Much better than the little, "amplified", flat window antenna that I tried yesterday. Thanks also for such easy to follow instructions and for including all of the dimensions. A definite home improvement victory today!
I've watched dozens of antenna building videos, and not one of them mentioned that the two feed wires from opposite side of the antenna cannot touch when they cross at the top and bottom. I knew it, and expected it, and watched for someone to mention it. The ice maker tubing is a good idea. Another real nice design.
Thanks for the great comment Joe. I do like this design and still have several of them in my attic. My favorite design though is the Tuxedo. Its sensitivity and range rivals the fractal bowtie. th-cam.com/video/Cf5b5-qwZ8Q/w-d-xo.html I have all the antennas I need, but if I needed to build one for myself or someone else, it would be that one.
I am building another one today. I have channels scattered all over the map and I am going to try two antennas facing different directions hooked to a combiner. I get almost all of the stations from Phoenix which is 75 miles away, but only about half of the channels from Tucson because I am too close and they are in three different compass headings. I'll let you know how it works with two antennas.
Thanks Mike. I built one of these and put it in my attic. th-cam.com/video/Cf5b5-qwZ8Q/w-d-xo.html Amazing antenna as well. Will be looking forward to hearing back from you. Best of luck :)
Thanks Mike! I just built a basic version with no transformer and got 7 channels. I'm planning to make one on the near future set up for further away stations.
Koch 40 You’re welcome. And thanks for the comment. Although I do have a couple vids with intros on my channel, but they are at least short enough to get to the point.
Tim Bylander Thanks Tim! I posted this video about a year ago. Since then I have come up with a couple more designs that work better than this one in some ways. I think it would be worth your time to check them out on my channel. You won’t regret it. Thanks again.
The tip on laying the pipe next to the board to make a straight line was a real clever idea. I just built two bowtie antennas since I need one facing SW and SE +/-. My elements are mere > < single bend v-shaped. What is the advantage of the triangle bends over my single one bend V configuration? I'm assuming it's just a means to make the overall width narrower since the elements are the same electrical length regardless of how may bend you install. Lastly, to seperate my wires running the length of the mounting piece, I make a bend where the wires cross. I then use epoxy or hot melt glue to cover that small area. Thanks for your insight!
Thanks for the nice comment. :) When I started building antennas, I had a regular bowtie like you have. I installed it in my attic because it is a safe place away from weather. Even though I had great reception (75% or greater), since there is a lot of reflective material up there and the fact that I have a series of power lines that run right in front of my house and in back, there is a great deal of interference and my signal would go from 100% to 0% spuradically. The triangle fractals help to calm that down and bring in a consistant signal. I suppose if I put it outside above my roof top, > < would be just fine. The fractals are ideal for attic applications. Hope your antenna works well for you! :)
Is this model with 18 inch elements built for the UHF channels before the repackage? 18 inches is full wave length for 650 Mhz which is no longer in use by TV broadcasters. (614-698 MHz (channels 38-51) - 600 MHz band. The Broadcast Incentive Auction will require TV stations to vacate this band between April 2017 and July 2020. It will then be used by various wireless and broadband networks. Audio, video and pilot frequencies are for reference only.) In other words, What frequency range is this at peak reception? I built a Pennyloop with two loops at 8.5 inch diameter which does excellent in the 500-600 mhz range (favoring the lower freqs). I am going to make another Pennyloop with 7.5 diameter loops to focus on the 550 mhz to 600 mhz. Here's a link to a website discussing the diameter formula for Loops and Double Loops. www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/Loop.html copied from the text.. You can rescale the loop for your weakest channel. Use this formula : dia=4537/(6*N+389) where N is the channel number (14-69). (Plugging 36 into this formula will give you 7.5. Multiply that by 3.141 to get the total wire length.) 12 or 14 gauge copper wire is fine. Remove any thick insulation. Higher gain is possible with a double-loop (A2 on the gain graphs). However it has a narrower bandwidth. This “figure-8” antenna should look like two tangent circles, one above the other, fed at the bottom. Keep the wires a quarter inch apart at the crossover point. This formula gives the diameter of each circle : dia=4244/(6*N+389) Multiply this by 6.283 to get the total wire length.
Interesting thing about copper. Copper oxide is resistive. Combine that with skin effect, which increases with frequency, and it's a good idea to keep that copper shinny to minimize signal loss.
Hi Mike - My daughter is going to use your instructions to build a similar antenna for her 6th grade makers fair project. She is pretty good with hand tools and she can handle the math for calculating the wire lengths but we did have one question that just isn't very clear even after watching a few of your videos. We have a number of stations in our area operating from 210 mhz (vhf-hi) to about 596 mhz (uhf). If we want to catch a variety of stations should we have a different length of wire for each station? I understand that that the wire length for the vhf-hi station will be much longer compared to the uhf stations but should each wire for the uhf stations be customized? Thanks so much for your videos!
I have a station at 210 Mhz as well. I believe the most successful design for picking up vhf and uhf at the same time is the Tuxedo w/vhf integration th-cam.com/video/PPpdn8EeSaY/w-d-xo.html The Tri-4 does well too and is a lot easier to build and uses less materials. th-cam.com/users/edit?o=U&video_id=X8VjHEX8czA The mini-tux was surprizing and uses the least amount of materials. th-cam.com/users/edit?o=U&video_id=Bcdt8EFNzHY The fractal bowtie (or any bowtie at that matter) is pretty much a uhf antenna and doesn't do well receiving vhf. (I didn't know that at the time I posted the video). Hope she does well with the fair project :)
The Tri-4 (super easy to build) might be a better antenna and will save you a LOT of wire bending and it works quite well. HDTV Antenna SUPER EASY Great Performance
As far as I can tell, it works the same as the previous just with a couple improvements. 1: pvc is weatherproof and 2: the single triangle allows for extra length in the wiskers and is a little easier and faster to bend into shape. It was originally inspired by a comment I received on one of my other videos about how wood can be conductive and cause signal loss. I'm sure there's some truth to it, but I haven't really noticed it in the wood based antennas I have still in my attic. It's nice and dry up there. I do know that pvc is definitly an improvement no matter how small. I didn't think about doing a video about just a pvc base, but when I started putting my first one together I had a thought and wondered if a single triangle would work. It certainly does. Thanks for your comment Lambert and have a great day :)
I got it at Lowe’s near the trim & moulding section. But not every Lowe’s store carries it. I don’t know if Home Depot has it. Hope this was helpful. :)
I found it in the building materials area. It's called pvc board. An employee might help you find it. It's textured on one side but I used the smooth side for the antenna.
Thanks, Just an FYI I built a Gray Hoverman based off Danny Hodges TH-cam video. It works well, I did have a bowtie and the Hoverman seems to give better performance for me. I'b be interested if you tried to compare fractal to the hoverman ?
Is your Gray Hoverman mounted outside above your house? Does it get channels that the bowtie doesn't? Was your bowtie a copper wire or coat hanger? Was it the standard specs? Just curious. I thought about building a G.H., but I keep my antennas in my attic and wasn't sure if it would fit up there.
I mounted my antenna off my deck, not the best location because broadcaster towers come from other side. I need to move up onto the roof eventually. GH has copper wire mounted to PVC mast. My Bowtie was galvanized wire mounted on PVC mast. Both have a reflector. The GH antenna pulls in more channels and strong signal. IDK if the copper wire makes the difference or the antenna design ?
I don't know if there is a difference between the two materials. Copper is the only thing I've ever used. I got curious and built one last night. I like it. Good UHF antenna. Easy to build. I added VHF elements at the transformer and that worked OK. I'll have to see if it will fit in my attic to run a real test. I hope it fits. It's huge and my attic is small.
looking at an antenna , your videos are helpful. I'm more interested in the vhf element you seem to gloss over but i have not seen very much info about the design. really want to pull in a 180 mhz tv station , possibly 65.6 in element , using calculations from another video of yours. Do you have a video focusing on the vhf part ?? thanks
My husband said the shape of the wire doesn't matter. The length does, is he correct? Also, he said that copper with corrode when left outside and that I should use a large gauge galvanized wire instead. What is your choice?
If you plan on having your antenna outside, galvanized is in my opinion a good choice. I keep my antennas in my attic so I know they won't get struck by lightning. The length matters depending on the frequency of the station you value the most. When I first started using these antennas, I built a regular bowtie (V shaped) but the interference was too strong and all my channels would cut out and pixelate no matter how strong the signal was. It was'nt until I added the fractals that the interference was reduced dramatically so in my experience, shape does matter in an attic situation. At least mine. The triangles are bent at 60 degress. There are other antenna designs that use 30 degree and 90 degree bends. But what works for me may not work everybody. For outside situations, the triangles may not be nessesary at all. My best advice to you would be for you to experiment with it a bit trying new things. Hope this helps. :)
I'm having problems getting RF Channel 39. I can get RF channels 27 and 40 just fine. I placed a deflector which helped the signal strength but still can get RF channel 39. I installed a preamp up on the pole. Any Ideas.
RF 39 could be a station that transmits at a lower power than others or it is farther away. RF 39 frequency at 620 - 626 would be best reveived with a 19 inch element. The Tuxedo also does well for distant stations. The Gray Hoverman does too. To find info for the station: www.fcc.gov/media/television/tv-query
Thanks for the question. This antenna picks up mostly UHF signals but will pick up VHF high if the signal is strong enough. This antenna works best as it is. Adding more elements or making your antenna bigger won't make it work better. If anything, it will make it worse. This is one of my older videos that has become slightly popular. If you haven't built this antenna yet, I strongly recommend watching my latest video. It's a different design that works better than all of the antennas I've come up with. th-cam.com/video/sMVGeSDh-Qg/w-d-xo.html Thanks again and take care.
The problem is I am out in the boondocks and get channels from both Phoenix (about 75 miles), and from Tucson (about 40 miles). If I put on the reflector I lose either Tucson or Phoenix without being able to rotate the antenna.
I don't understand why the fractals work than the plain Vs (or bow ties). If it's surface area, then why not add more rows---5 or 6 or more? Why does it have to cross at the top & bottom & be parallel in the middle? Why not cross at all junctions. Or none?
Thanks for posting! Thinking of making my own, just wondering what's the reception range of your antenna? The only change I'd do is soldering the wires.
Modern flat screen tvs are digital and is all that is required. Once your antenna is connected, you'll need to go into your tv's settings and select "ANTENNA" then run a channel scan. Thinking about making the switch? Or have you already?
Followed your video, scanned for channels, got no channels. Flat screen LG TV, 3 years old. When scan finished it indicate it found 32 channels. Will try again, I must be doing something wrong. Thanks!
Sorry to hear that Ed. It sounds like it found the channels that you should get but doesn't display them. Scratching my head here. Hope you find the issue. Owners manual perhaps. :(
Ray Marks Thanks for your question. Unfortunately I have never used a Yagi or any other store bought antenna (except a cheap RCA that I used to experiment with in the beginning). Sorry I can’t answer your question.
Is the bow-tie still 18" ? The first bend is 3" from center then 4 1/4" according to the video, but the first bend appears much larger than the second, and the last 2 parts appear the largest. What length of wire are you using, and is that length based on analysis of the stations wavelengths near you ?
There is no need to bend the elements all funky like that. It won't help reception.. probably hurts it honestly. All you need is 1 single element dipole horizontally polarized and a reflector if you want any kindve directionality to it otherwise it'll pickup in 2 directions very well.
Possibly. Of course the higher the better. If the fractal bowtie does'nt do the trick, you might check out the Tuxedo. It does a little better with distance and is one of the videos on my channel.
Thanks so much for this. My son and I made this an afternoon project. Easy and only $5 for the transformer since we had the rest of the materials. The antenna worked great. Receive all of the major network stations now and from 50-60 miles away and without an amplifier!. Much better than the little, "amplified", flat window antenna that I tried yesterday. Thanks also for such easy to follow instructions and for including all of the dimensions. A definite home improvement victory today!
I've watched dozens of antenna building videos, and not one of them mentioned that the two feed wires from opposite side of the antenna cannot touch when they cross at the top and bottom. I knew it, and expected it, and watched for someone to mention it. The ice maker tubing is a good idea. Another real nice design.
Thanks for the great comment Joe. I do like this design and still have several of them in my attic. My favorite design though is the Tuxedo. Its sensitivity and range rivals the fractal bowtie. th-cam.com/video/Cf5b5-qwZ8Q/w-d-xo.html I have all the antennas I need, but if I needed to build one for myself or someone else, it would be that one.
you have been watching the wrong tutorial then my friend I suggest you go to my friend Danny Hodges webpage and check that out
Danny is every ones friend, I like old Dano..........
I built this today and went from 26 channels to 42 channels with the antenna inside. Best one I have ever found that I can build myself.
Great to hear it Mike! I'll never regret my homemade antenna. It blew my store bought antenna away! :)
I am building another one today. I have channels scattered all over the map and I am going to try two antennas facing different directions hooked to a combiner. I get almost all of the stations from Phoenix which is 75 miles away, but only about half of the channels from Tucson because I am too close and they are in three different compass headings. I'll let you know how it works with two antennas.
Thanks Mike. I built one of these and put it in my attic. th-cam.com/video/Cf5b5-qwZ8Q/w-d-xo.html
Amazing antenna as well. Will be looking forward to hearing back from you. Best of luck :)
just a suggestion sir - wouldn't an Omni directional antenna make more sense? You would lose alot of gain- also multi channel path
Man, great stuff! Thank you so much for sharing this with the human race. You are a saint and I mean that.
Thanks Mike! I just built a basic version with no transformer and got 7 channels. I'm planning to make one on the near future set up for further away stations.
I get so sick of all the bullshit videos that have musical intros, and all the other crap. Thanks for being normal and helpful with a build.
Koch 40
You’re welcome. And thanks for the comment. Although I do have a couple vids with intros on my channel, but they are at least short enough to get to the point.
Best video on antennas I've seen so far. Thanks a bunch.
Tim Bylander
Thanks Tim! I posted this video about a year ago. Since then I have come up with a couple more designs that work better than this one in some ways. I think it would be worth your time to check them out on my channel. You won’t regret it.
Thanks again.
Hey Mike; Thanks for this information. Heading over to Lowes right now.
DANIEL HELLER MUSIC
Awesome!
The tip on laying the pipe next to the board to make a straight line was a real clever idea.
I just built two bowtie antennas since I need one facing SW and SE +/-. My elements are mere > < single bend v-shaped.
What is the advantage of the triangle bends over my single one bend V configuration? I'm assuming it's just a means to make the overall width narrower since the elements are the same electrical length regardless of how may bend you install.
Lastly, to seperate my wires running the length of the mounting piece, I make a bend where the wires cross. I then use epoxy or hot melt glue to cover that small area.
Thanks for your insight!
Thanks for the nice comment. :) When I started building antennas, I had a regular bowtie like you have. I installed it in my attic because it is a safe place away from weather. Even though I had great reception (75% or greater), since there is a lot of reflective material up there and the fact that I have a series of power lines that run right in front of my house and in back, there is a great deal of interference and my signal would go from 100% to 0% spuradically. The triangle fractals help to calm that down and bring in a consistant signal. I suppose if I put it outside above my roof top, > < would be just fine. The fractals are ideal for attic applications. Hope your antenna works well for you! :)
Interesting. I am able to mount mine on the outside. Thanks for the input.
Can you explain more on the measurements and why you have to use a bow tie type of wire shape???
Is this model with 18 inch elements built for the UHF channels before the repackage? 18 inches is full wave length for 650 Mhz which is no longer in use by TV broadcasters. (614-698 MHz (channels 38-51) - 600 MHz band. The Broadcast Incentive Auction will require TV stations to vacate this band between April 2017 and July 2020. It will then be used by various wireless and broadband networks. Audio, video and pilot frequencies are for reference only.) In other words, What frequency range is this at peak reception? I built a Pennyloop with two loops at 8.5 inch diameter which does excellent in the 500-600 mhz range (favoring the lower freqs). I am going to make another Pennyloop with 7.5 diameter loops to focus on the 550 mhz to 600 mhz.
Here's a link to a website discussing the diameter formula for Loops and Double Loops.
www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/Loop.html
copied from the text..
You can rescale the loop for your weakest channel. Use this formula : dia=4537/(6*N+389) where N is the channel number (14-69). (Plugging 36 into this formula will give you 7.5. Multiply that by 3.141 to get the total wire length.) 12 or 14 gauge copper wire is fine. Remove any thick insulation.
Higher gain is possible with a double-loop (A2 on the gain graphs). However it has a narrower bandwidth. This “figure-8” antenna should look like two tangent circles, one above the other, fed at the bottom. Keep the wires a quarter inch apart at the crossover point. This formula gives the diameter of each circle : dia=4244/(6*N+389) Multiply this by 6.283 to get the total wire length.
Interesting thing about copper. Copper oxide is resistive. Combine that with skin effect, which increases with frequency, and it's a good idea to keep that copper shinny to minimize signal loss.
Can you leave the insulation on the wire?
Really nice work and easy to follow. Thanks!!
But how STRON is the reception & is it more powerful than what I can buy on Amazon less ALL THE WORK???
Thanks. And geaux tigahs. So I’m guessing the transformer is where the coax screws into?
Yes.
Hi Mike - My daughter is going to use your instructions to build a similar antenna for her 6th grade makers fair project. She is pretty good with hand tools and she can handle the math for calculating the wire lengths but we did have one question that just isn't very clear even after watching a few of your videos. We have a number of stations in our area operating from 210 mhz (vhf-hi) to about 596 mhz (uhf). If we want to catch a variety of stations should we have a different length of wire for each station? I understand that that the wire length for the vhf-hi station will be much longer compared to the uhf stations but should each wire for the uhf stations be customized? Thanks so much for your videos!
I have a station at 210 Mhz as well. I believe the most successful design for picking up vhf and uhf at the same time is the Tuxedo w/vhf integration th-cam.com/video/PPpdn8EeSaY/w-d-xo.html
The Tri-4 does well too and is a lot easier to build and uses less materials.
th-cam.com/users/edit?o=U&video_id=X8VjHEX8czA
The mini-tux was surprizing and uses the least amount of materials.
th-cam.com/users/edit?o=U&video_id=Bcdt8EFNzHY
The fractal bowtie (or any bowtie at that matter) is pretty much a uhf antenna and doesn't do well receiving vhf. (I didn't know that at the time I posted the video).
Hope she does well with the fair project :)
I tried this design and it did not work as well as the star shape. I'm also in Baton Rouge. I'd like to see your wire bending technique.
The Tri-4 (super easy to build) might be a better antenna and will save you a LOT of wire bending and it works quite well.
HDTV Antenna SUPER EASY Great Performance
Interesting design. How does it work compared to the one in your previous video?
As far as I can tell, it works the same as the previous just with a couple improvements. 1: pvc is weatherproof and 2: the single triangle allows for extra length in the wiskers and is a little easier and faster to bend into shape. It was originally inspired by a comment I received on one of my other videos about how wood can be conductive and cause signal loss. I'm sure there's some truth to it, but I haven't really noticed it in the wood based antennas I have still in my attic. It's nice and dry up there. I do know that pvc is definitly an improvement no matter how small. I didn't think about doing a video about just a pvc base, but when I started putting my first one together I had a thought and wondered if a single triangle would work. It certainly does.
Thanks for your comment Lambert and have a great day :)
Used vinyl hollow one by three or 2 x 4 for material to hell with PVC
Hi where do you got that pvc material that lookes like wood I have looked at lwea for that I can't find it
I got it at Lowe’s near the trim & moulding section. But not every Lowe’s store carries it. I don’t know if Home Depot has it. Hope this was helpful. :)
Can you tell me what area inside Lowes has the PVC Material ? I've looked at my Lowes store here and didn't see anything like that yet. Thanks
I found it in the building materials area. It's called pvc board. An employee might help you find it. It's textured on one side but I used the smooth side for the antenna.
Thanks, Just an FYI I built a Gray Hoverman based off Danny Hodges TH-cam video. It works well, I did have a bowtie and the Hoverman seems to give better performance for me. I'b be interested if you tried to compare fractal to the hoverman ?
Is your Gray Hoverman mounted outside above your house? Does it get channels that the bowtie doesn't? Was your bowtie a copper wire or coat hanger? Was it the standard specs? Just curious. I thought about building a G.H., but I keep my antennas in my attic and wasn't sure if it would fit up there.
I mounted my antenna off my deck, not the best location because broadcaster towers come from other side. I need to move up onto the roof eventually. GH has copper wire mounted to PVC mast. My Bowtie was galvanized wire mounted on PVC mast. Both have a reflector. The GH antenna pulls in more channels and strong signal. IDK if the copper wire makes the difference or the antenna design ?
I don't know if there is a difference between the two materials. Copper is the only thing I've ever used. I got curious and built one last night. I like it. Good UHF antenna. Easy to build. I added VHF elements at the transformer and that worked OK. I'll have to see if it will fit in my attic to run a real test. I hope it fits. It's huge and my attic is small.
looking at an antenna , your videos are helpful. I'm more interested in the vhf element you seem to gloss over but i have not seen very much info about the design. really want to pull in a 180 mhz tv station , possibly 65.6 in element , using calculations from another video of yours. Do you have a video focusing on the vhf part ??
thanks
I do have a couple vids on the VHF. th-cam.com/video/xuqHrONy0b8/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/PPpdn8EeSaY/w-d-xo.html
hope this helps. :)
thanks , i don't know how Imissed those...
My husband said the shape of the wire doesn't matter. The length does, is he correct?
Also, he said that copper with corrode when left outside and that I should use a large gauge galvanized wire instead. What is your choice?
If you plan on having your antenna outside, galvanized is in my opinion a good choice. I keep my antennas in my attic so I know they won't get struck by lightning. The length matters depending on the frequency of the station you value the most. When I first started using these antennas, I built a regular bowtie (V shaped) but the interference was too strong and all my channels would cut out and pixelate no matter how strong the signal was. It was'nt until I added the fractals that the interference was reduced dramatically so in my experience, shape does matter in an attic situation. At least mine. The triangles are bent at 60 degress. There are other antenna designs that use 30 degree and 90 degree bends. But what works for me may not work everybody. For outside situations, the triangles may not be nessesary at all. My best advice to you would be for you to experiment with it a bit trying new things. Hope this helps. :)
I'm having problems getting RF Channel 39. I can get RF channels 27 and 40 just fine. I placed a deflector which helped the signal strength but still can get RF channel 39. I installed a preamp up on the pole. Any Ideas.
RF 39 could be a station that transmits at a lower power than others or it is farther away. RF 39 frequency at 620 - 626 would be best reveived with a 19 inch element.
The Tuxedo also does well for distant stations. The Gray Hoverman does too.
To find info for the station: www.fcc.gov/media/television/tv-query
Great video!
Can I use speaker wire, I've got a lot of it?
Speaker wire should work just fine. May be a little flimsy though. Hope it’s stiff enough
I decided to go with clothes hangers
Can you use the same wiring on the other side as well to double up the signal strength? Does this antenna provide both uhf and vhf signals?
Thanks for the question. This antenna picks up mostly UHF signals but will pick up VHF high if the signal is strong enough.
This antenna works best as it is. Adding more elements or making your antenna bigger won't make it work better. If anything, it will make it worse.
This is one of my older videos that has become slightly popular. If you haven't built this antenna yet, I strongly recommend watching my latest video. It's a different design that works better than all of the antennas I've come up with. th-cam.com/video/sMVGeSDh-Qg/w-d-xo.html
Thanks again and take care.
Very good video, I will save this one!!!!!!!!
Thank you Ironman!! :D
Michael, wood is a poor choice for RF, so you were smart to switch to PVC. But CPVC is better for RF than PVC. Enjoy!
Actually vinyl fencing material is best. A 2 ounce 1" x3".
why is wood not as good?, isn't the wires what pulls in the stations?
Wood may contain moisture or absorbs ambient moisture and may retain it for a while. At one time it was a live tree which had moisture.
You should build a reflector to put behind the antenna
I could not agree more my friend
The problem is I am out in the boondocks and get channels from both Phoenix (about 75 miles), and from Tucson (about 40 miles). If I put on the reflector I lose either Tucson or Phoenix without being able to rotate the antenna.
Reflectors make the antenna directional and you have to rotate the antenna toward the TV stations you want to pick up.
is it work in India?
I don't understand why the fractals work than the plain Vs (or bow ties). If it's surface area, then why not add more rows---5 or 6 or more? Why does it have to cross at the top & bottom & be parallel in the middle? Why not cross at all junctions. Or none?
Sr.... Will it work in remote area like 220 kilometer far from main city capital?
Can't promise it. That distance will pose a challenge for any antenna
Probably not unless you can get the antenna up extremely high (like 30 meters) then you'll need some sort of line loss amplifier.
Thanks for posting! Thinking of making my own, just wondering what's the reception range of your antenna? The only change I'd do is soldering the wires.
Hey.
Is a reflector necessary?
I don’t use a reflector on any of mine but I don’t need to. But not saying it’s not necessary for all.
Do you need a certain type of tv for this type of antanne to work?
Modern flat screen tvs are digital and is all that is required. Once your antenna is connected, you'll need to go into your tv's settings and select "ANTENNA" then run a channel scan. Thinking about making the switch? Or have you already?
Followed your video, scanned for channels, got no channels. Flat screen LG TV, 3 years old. When scan finished it indicate it found 32 channels. Will try again, I must be doing something wrong. Thanks!
Sorry to hear that Ed. It sounds like it found the channels that you should get but doesn't display them. Scratching my head here. Hope you find the issue. Owners manual perhaps. :(
Why not use the wire insulting sheath that just removed from wire as insulation for connecting wires.
we only have one lowe's here in San Diego cal home dopo does not have that
Merci beaucoup
how does this antenna compare in gain to a yagi?
Ray Marks
Thanks for your question. Unfortunately I have never used a Yagi or any other store bought antenna (except a cheap RCA that I used to experiment with in the beginning). Sorry I can’t answer your question.
thing of it is I live in a valley any suggestions
That's unfortunate Mike. Try to get as high as you can. You might need a signal booster as well.
I respectfully disagree. I have built a custom antenna and live in the valley and I receive 66 channels in the boondocks
I wan't to put it on the back porch 20 feet high but i got to make it
Is the bow-tie still 18" ? The first bend is 3" from center then 4 1/4" according to the video, but the first bend appears much larger than the second, and the last 2 parts appear the largest. What length of wire are you using, and is that length based on analysis of the stations wavelengths near you ?
18" and yes this works great for the stations in my area but is a pretty good middle-ground length.
What do you think of these gentlemen using these gigantic 30 to 40 inch bowties for VHF?
There is no need to bend the elements all funky like that. It won't help reception.. probably hurts it honestly. All you need is 1 single element dipole horizontally polarized and a reflector if you want any kindve directionality to it otherwise it'll pickup in 2 directions very well.
Exactly. All this fractal stuff is just to make people think it's special. Straight wires are the best.
hhmmm-would these tennaes work with60 mile conditions and tree blockage??
Possibly. Of course the higher the better. If the fractal bowtie does'nt do the trick, you might check out the Tuxedo. It does a little better with distance and is one of the videos on my channel.
Geaux Tigahs
mmtaz
we only have one lowe's here in San Diego cal home dopo does not have that
Where do you plan on mounting your antenna?