Broadcast television has come a long way in recent years. The advent of HDTV and the switch to digital broadcasting mean broadcast television offers more channels at a higher resolution than ever before. However, to take advantage of the new advancements in broadcasting, you need an antenna that can pick up the various digital signals being broadcast in your area.
Instructions
1. Determine the length that each section of your antenna needs to be using this equation:
(x) --- 299792458 ÷ 2 --- 2441000000. (X) is the velocity factor for the type of coax cable you are using (you can find this on the manufacturer's packaging). For this guide we will be using RG-213 coax cable with a velocity factor of 0.66, giving us 40.5 mm sections.
2. Determine how much copper wire each section is going to need exposed for the overall length to match the measurement you made in step one. For our example, we will cut the coax cable in 37 mm sections with 6 mm of copper wire exposed on each side. This leaves 2.5 total mm of wire to solder onto other sections of the antenna.
3. Measure the length of the copper wire you are going to leave at the end of each section and begin to cut around it with a junior hacksaw. For our example, we will measure 6 mm and then mark the coax cable, then we will cut around it carefully making sure not to cut into the copper wire.
4. Pull on the cut section of the insulation with a pair of pliers. Use a utility knife to cut any pieces of insulation still connected to the coax cable, being careful not to cut into the copper wiring. Do this until the insulation comes off and the wire is exposed.
5. Measure the rest of the coax section you will be using and mark where the cut will need to be made, then use the junior hacksaw to cut through the coax and repeat steps 3 and 4 with the other end of the section you just cut.
For our example we will measure another 43 mm (to accommodate the 37 mm of coax cable and the 6 mm of exposed copper wire that will we also have on the other side) from where we made the cut to expose the copper wire on the other side and cut that section off. Then we will repeat steps 3 and 4 to expose 6 mm of copper wire on that side as well.
6. Repeat steps 3 through 5 until you have 8 pieces of coax cable with copper wire exposed on each side.
7. Cut one end of a final piece of coax cable in a similar fashion as the rest (leaving X amount of copper wiring) but then leave the other end long enough to attach to the connector.
8. Cut a small section of the sheath off of the bottom of the first piece of coax cable you cut earlier and cut another small section of the sheath off of the top of the second piece of coax cable you cut earlier. Place these sections together so that each piece's copper wiring is touching the exposed shielding of the other piece (the cuts should be facing opposite direction) and solder the two sections together. Continue doing this until all the sections are attached to each other.
9. Solder the final longer section onto the 8 attached pieces of coax cable and place a connector on the end of it so that the antenna is ready to use.
Tags: coax cable, copper wire, copper wiring, each section, example will