Make your own antenna from beer cans. DIY can antenna

When relaxing outside the city, sometimes, in addition to enjoying nature and fresh air, you sometimes want to watch your favorite TV series or an important football match. Unlike the city, coverage of villages with a high-quality television signal leaves much to be desired. In this situation, even purchasing an antenna operating in a wide range of decimeter and meter waves does not guarantee high-quality images.

You can try to assemble the antenna yourself, because a country house is the best place for experiments.

The simplest antenna option

As can be seen in the photograph, the antenna is a simple wave receiver. To manufacture, you will need two tubes and a television cable, as well as knowledge of the signal transmission range of the nearest television tower.

Typically, reception is carried out at frequencies from 50 to 230 MHz, forming twelve channels. For each of them, tubes of certain sizes are used. To receive a signal at a frequency of 50 MHz, the distance between the outer edges of the tubes must be in the range of 271-276 cm. On channel 12, the same distance is 66 cm.

Information on the dependence of the length of the blanks on the receiving frequency, as well as circuits of homemade antennas, can be easily found on similar thematic Internet resources.

To make an antenna in makeshift conditions, we present you a list of what you can make an antenna from:

• Two tubes made of steel, aluminum or any other metal alloy with a diameter of 8 to 24 mm. They must be the same in diameter, material and wall thickness.
• Availability of a television broadcasting cable designed for a resistance of 75 Ohms. The length of the wire is cut at the connection point, taking into account a sagging margin of 50 cm.
• Textolite blank or getinax material (at least 5 mm thick).
• Fasteners for installing pipes on a holder.
• A bracket for a future antenna in the form of a metal pipe or corner. When installing the receiver at a low height, you can use a wooden stand.
• Soldering kit, silicone fluid to prevent oxidation and electrical tape.

Assembly principle

The workpiece, selected according to its length, is divided into two equal tubes, which are crimped on one side. The tubes are fixed at a distance of 6-7 cm from each other, and their ends are attached to the textolite blank with clamps. The resulting structure is secured with a rod in a vertical position.

To connect the cable, you need to lay a loop designed for a resistance of 75 ohms. The middle cores of the cable are stripped and twisted with the ends of the tubes flattened, and the braid is connected using copper wire. The connection of the rest of the loop and the cable going to the output to the television device follows the same principle.

The resulting loop and the remaining length of the cable should be securely fastened to a vertical stand to avoid interference. The required antenna installation height is adjusted locally by monitoring the signal change.

Beer can antenna

It is one of the most popular ideas for homemade television signal receivers. Instead of tubes, if there is no material, you can use simple beer cans.

To make such a television receiver, you will need the following parts:

• two beer cans of 0.5 l each;
• wooden or plastic blank 50 cm long;
• television cable RG-58;
• soldering iron, flux for soldering aluminum and solder;

To make a beer can receiver, follow these instructions:

• A hole 5-6 mm in diameter is drilled through the bottom of the jar, in its center.
• We lay the cable through the hole in the can and bring it out through the neck.
• The can is evenly fixed on the left side of the workpiece in a horizontal position.
• We bring the cable out through the neck to a distance of 5 cm, trim the insulation by 3 cm, remove the wire braid by 1.5 cm and solder it to the surface of the can.
• Solder the outgoing cable to the bottom of the second can.
• Attach the second can to the first at a minimum distance, using tape or other sticky material.

At the other end of the cable, a connector is installed to enter the TV. This antenna option is also suitable for digital broadcasting. If the TV supports a popular format (DVB T2), or there is a set-top box suitable for the old TV, then the signal can be received from the nearest relay tower. In this case, it is necessary to know the location of the repeater, in the direction in which the antenna should be directed to search for a signal.

This circuit is suitable for making an antenna designed to receive meter wave channels. Just use a liter container instead of half-liter jars.

If you don't know how to solder, there is another connection method. Two beer cans are attached at a minimum distance from the workpiece that holds the entire structure. At the end of the cable, carefully remove 3-5 cm of insulation. Twist the wire braid into a bundle and, shaping it into an eyelet, put it on a self-tapping screw.

In the same way, put the eyelet on the self-tapping screw of the second conductor. Then attach the wires, using self-tapping screws, to each can. From the point of view of long-term contact retention, soldering is much better than mechanical fastening. Before soldering, it is advisable to tinning the surface.

Although fastening with self-tapping screws is reliable, if moisture gets on the antenna, the contacts of the homemade device will oxidize, which will lead to signal loss.

Photo instructions on how to make an antenna

I recently bought an excellent TV for cheap, I can’t wrap my head around the fact that people are ready to get rid of good equipment because it doesn’t receive digital signals. Since I have a TV, I try different ways catch the signal.

At first I wanted to run the wire along the wall of the house, from the basement, but my parents forbade it. Then I tried using a paper clip to catch the TV signal, but the result was very weak.

Then I made my own antenna out of beer cans.
Now I have free TV.

Step 1: Selecting Antenna Model

If you are not interested in explaining how this works homemade antenna from beer cans, you can skip this step. You can assemble it without understanding the technical aspects.

When the paperclip idea didn't work out, I seriously considered just going out and buying an antenna at the store. But then I decided that I needed to put all my effort into solving this problem and everything would work out, so I started searching on the Internet. According to the data received, it is best suited for my purposes dipole antenna. Wikipedia says that “this antenna is the simplest in practical implementation from a theoretical point of view.” Simple means good. I won't go into details, that's what Wiki is for.

I did some more googling and learned that I could easily skip all the calculations in the Wikipedia article and just make an antenna out of an aluminum can.

Step 2: Materials

You will need:

• TV
• Coaxial cable
• Aluminum lemonade can
• Reinforced tape

Tools:

• Wire cutters
• Stripping pliers
• Soldering iron
• Solder
• Insulating tape

Step 3: Cutting the Can

Cut the jar into two halves heightwise. Then we rinse to remove any remaining contents.
I mainly used scissors, but in difficult places I used wire cutters.

It is better to cut over the sink, as drops of the drink fly in all directions. And be careful not to cut yourself on the edges of the metal.

Step 4: Remove the insulation

The insulation from the coaxial cable must be removed in order to solder the wires to the can halves.

Removing insulation can be quite problematic. First, we cut off the end of the cable and begin to remove the insulation. The photo shows that it is not necessary to expose the core, the wires must be held together.

Step 5: Solder all components

First you need to make a small hole in each half of the can. We thread the wire into the hole, so the soldering will be much stronger. Solder the wire to the metal.

Solder the wire from one half of the can to the outer coaxial cable, and the wire from the other half to the inner coaxial cable.

After all connections are soldered, we insulate them with electrical tape and hot glue.

Step 6: Secure the Antenna in Place

Once the beer can digital TV antenna is made, all that's left to do is secure it in place so it can pick up a signal. Good places to place the antenna are in the attic or on a window. The ideal option is an attic window. In general, you need to hang it high and so that nothing interferes with the signal.

Having chosen a suitable location, secure both halves with reinforced tape. The halves of the beer can TV antenna should be lined up and there should be about 5cm between them.

Step 7: Completed Project

Your project is now complete. If you had all the materials on hand, now you can enjoy free tv without spending anything on an antenna.

Of course, the antenna can be purchased at a radio store. However, such a design is much cheaper and easier to make yourself. To implement the idea, there is no need to prepare an excessive amount of materials and tools. You will only need to prepare empty beer cans. In this case, it will be possible to obtain a simple but quite effective antenna that has circular radiation for the 70 cm range. If you need an antenna made from beer cans, then you will need to spend some time on the process of making it.

Antenna manufacturing technology

You can make an antenna from beer cans if you prepare the container first. To do this, you will need to first tackle the first jar; in the bottom, or rather in its central part, you should carefully make a hole, the diameter of which is 6 millimeters. After these manipulations, you need to pass the RG-58 type power cable through the hole. Then this cable is brought out through another hole. The second hole is made in the lid of the jar. This element will form the left half of the structure. In this case, the bottom should be placed on the right.

A beer can antenna is a design that is made at home very often. A positive feature of this process is that the products for work are available and they are quite easy to process. To make the structure you will need to spend about 10 minutes. Such an antenna will receive more channels (compared to a stationary one).

Features of the work

An antenna made from beer cans is made using fasteners, which are self-tapping screws. They need to be stocked in quantities of two. You will also need a cable for the antenna, two tin cans, and also insulating tape, which in this case is often replaced with sticky tape. Prepare a plug, a stick, and a screwdriver.

If you are thinking about how to make an antenna from beer cans, then using insulating tape you need to attach the container to the base of the stick, and you should ensure that the distance between the elements is within 7 centimeters, although the length should be selected experimentally. If the can was not without a ring for opening, then the cable can be fixed using self-tapping screws. After you can install the self-tapping screws on the beer container, you need to strip the two ends of the cable and secure it with a screw. The cable is attached to the stick using adhesive tape: this is necessary in order to ensure a stable receiver signal. Instead of a stick, it is permissible to use a regular hanger - this will provide more convenient use designs.

To ensure that the device does not lose its performance due to exposure to precipitation and wind, the jar must be protected with a large bottle made of plastic. You need to use a 3-liter container, the bottom and neck of which must first be removed. A DIY beer can antenna must be protected. To do this, you need to make a hole in the central part of the bottle through which the cable is pulled. After connecting, it is recommended to pour boiling water over this area. In this case, the plastic will change its original dimensions when exposed to significant temperature and ensure the tightness of the hole. At this point we can assume that the antenna made from beer cans is ready. You just need to connect it to the TV and then configure it. In order to improve the design, it is necessary to make a device using several beer cans, which will form separate sections.

Antenna tuning features

A DIY beer can antenna can be made by any home craftsman. The main requirement in this case is the parallelism of the arms of the structure; among other things, it is necessary to ensure ideal horizontality. You can also use the handle of a shovel as a base, as well as any other object of suitable shape and size.

After the antenna is made, it needs to be tuned to a specific channel. There will be two factors at play here. One of them is the characteristic impedance of the line and structure, the second factor is the issue of symmetry. For the reason that the channels digital television form the basis of the UHF range, symmetry does not have a decisive role. As for the wave impedance, for a half-wave vibrator it is in the range from 72 to 76 Ohms. This fits well with TV cable. In order to tune the antenna, you will need to adjust the pitch between banks. If you increase the diameter of the wire (in this case it is a can), the antenna bandwidth will increase.

Before making an antenna from beer cans, you must remember that in addition to the mentioned containers, any other containers can be used. These could be pipes made of cardboard, the surface of which will need to be covered with aluminum foil. In this case, the efficiency of the product will not be less.

What else does a craftsman need to know when making an antenna?

After the TV antenna from beer cans is assembled and the cable is connected, the installation surface can be painted using a dielectric compound, which is applied in several layers. The surface must first be prepared by degreasing. The 292 Ohm antenna resistance and 75 Ohm cable resistance must be matched together via a loop. When working, you should not use a 50-ohm cable, which some people try to replace a 75-ohm cable. The distance between the cans can be 7 cm, as mentioned above, but in this matter everything will depend on the specific volume of the cans. When choosing a container, you need to pay attention to the one that has a volume in the range of 0.5-1 liters. When choosing a hanger, you should not use models that are made of steel.

In custody

If you need an antenna made from beer cans with an amplifier, then you will need to use containers installed in several tiers. In any case, you must follow the above recommendations.

Despite the accelerated growth of cable networks, the need for television antennas still exists. After all, these networks will not appear in villages, cottages, and private houses soon, and not everyone has the opportunity to install satellite systems. Why do you need to complicate everything if there is a broadcasting tower nearby? It is enough to purchase a suitable antenna, and the desired picture will appear on the screen. Why buy something if you can make a TV antenna with your own hands? And even from scrap materials. One of the varieties of such structures is an antenna made from beer cans.

Of course, you have seen television antennas sold in stores. And you can’t imagine which of the parts used in them can be replaced with such garbage. But you can make an antenna out of cans; it will work, but not everywhere and not always. In order not to be disappointed with the result, first let’s look at how a TV antenna works and what requirements are placed on it.

Transmission and reception of television signals

Television uses signals transmitted via electromagnetic waves in two ranges: meter and decimeter. Each of the ranges is divided into sections corresponding to television channels. Radio signals of image and sound of the channel lie strictly within the boundaries of their area.

Television channels from 1 to 12 are transmitted in the meter range. In decimeter - from 21st to 80th. Digital television channels are also transmitted in the same range. At what frequencies is it transmitted? digital channel in your area, you can find out on the corresponding website.

Signals only travel within line of sight. That’s why transmitting antennas are raised so high, and sometimes receiving antennas have to be placed on a high mast. At the boundaries of the reception area, its quality is affected by weather conditions - cloudiness, precipitation. They can cause radio waves to be deflected up or down or scattered, resulting in a weakened signal.

Operating principle and design of receiving antennas

Theoretically, for reliable reception of each television channel, an antenna with certain geometric dimensions is required.

In order to understand why this happens, you need to convert the channel frequencies into wavelengths. The average length of the electromagnetic oscillation of the useful signal in the meter range changes from 5.7 to 1.3 m. That is why it is called meter. In decimeter wavelengths range from 0.633 to 0.317 m. It is not difficult to guess why it bears this name.

The main part, without which not a single receiving antenna (and transmitting one too) can be built, is the vibrator.

It is made from tubes or strips using materials that conduct well electricity. Aluminum tubes are mainly used, as they combine sufficient mechanical strength and good electrical conductivity. And the windage of tubular structures is small, which is very important when placing the antenna on a mast.

The simplest design is a wave vibrator. These are two tubes located on a short distance from each other, as shown in the figure.

It is called half-wave because the total length of this structure is equal to half the wavelength it is designed to receive. This wave corresponds to the center frequency of the band, which is allocated for the television channel received by the antenna. And the higher the channel number, the smaller the size of the vibrator. And accordingly – the dimensions of the antenna.

Moreover, a TV antenna cannot receive signals from all directions equally. It should be oriented so that the tubes are perpendicular to the signal propagation. When deviating from this position, it fades sharply. The dependence of the magnitude of the output signal on the position of the antenna in space is called its radiation pattern.

The sharper the lobes of this diagram, the more accurately you need to orient the antenna. But when finely tuned, it has a higher gain than one with flatter lobes.

The loop vibrator is a development of the half-wave vibrator. It has the same dimensions, but its tube is bent in a certain way. This design allows you to obtain a higher signal level at the output.

A wave vibrator differs from a half-wave vibrator in that its dimensions correspond not to half, but to the whole wavelength. With this design, the output impedance of the antenna increases.

By the way, about resistance. In order for the entire power of the received signal to be fully transmitted through the cable to the input of the television receiver, one condition must be met. The output impedance of the antenna, the characteristic impedance of the cable and the input impedance of the receiving device must have the same values. Since they are used with a resistance of 75 Ohms, and the TV input impedance is equal to the same value, the output impedance of the antenna should be the same. This parameter should not be confused with the resistance measured by the tester - this is not the same at all.

For matching, a loop connected to it and the outgoing cable is connected to the antenna in a certain way. It is called a matching loop and is made of the same cable as the outgoing line.

The overall dimensions of the loop are different for each channel and each type of vibrator. They can be found in antenna reference books if desired.

But where the transmitting station is nearby, reception is also possible on the so-called indoor antenna. It has two telescopic whiskers (half-wave vibrators). Their length and position in space can be changed, tuning both to the frequency of the received program and to the direction from which it is being transmitted. The simplest antenna made from cans partially repeats its design.

Making a simple antenna from beer cans

A simple DIY beer can antenna will match a half-wave vibrator without a matching loop. To make it you will need:

• 2 beer cans;
• flat board or lath;
• self-tapping screws;
• small screws with nuts and washers for attaching conductors to cans;
• electrical tape or tape;
• antenna cable of the required length.

Before you make an antenna from beer cans, you need to find out the channel number that it will receive and determine its average wavelength. This can be done from tables.

For our purposes, we need the last columns of the tables, which contain the required figure. If we divide it in half, we get the overall dimensions of a half-wave vibrator.

Now we take a board or rail a little longer than the figure we just received. We place beer cans symmetrically on it so that their bottoms are directed outward. We set the distance between the bottoms equal to half the wavelength, and tape the cans to the rail with tape or tape. The vibrator from two cans is ready.

Now we connect the antenna cable to it. To do this, cut it to the required length. The central core needs to be connected to the tongue of one can, the screen to the other. If the tongue is torn off, you can clean the edge of the side surface and connect the cable to it.

Before connecting, the core and screen must be tinned. Direct contact of copper with aluminum in the presence of moisture in the air will lead to the appearance of oxide between them. An antenna made from our aluminum cans will become inoperable at the slightest oxidation. We fasten it either using nuts and screws, or by screwing self-tapping screws through the can into the board. To do this, we make a technological hole opposite the intended mounting location, cutting the surface of the can crosswise with a knife.

It is desirable that the cable is located centrally between the banks. It needs to be secured there so that the contacts are not damaged during setup or operation. We solder the plug to its opposite end and insert it into the corresponding socket on the TV. That's it, the antenna made from old tin cans is ready, now it needs to be checked and, if necessary, modified.

Setting up a homemade antenna

Turn on the TV, select a free program, tune it to the average frequency of the received signal. We also select it from the tables; the required figure is in the fc, MHz column.

A television antenna is used as a signal receiver that goes from the repeater to the TV (or receiver). Sometimes, along with factory antennas, you can find them on the roofs of houses. homemade devices. In terms of power, they are not inferior to the original receivers. Below we will discuss information that will help you assemble an antenna from beer cans.

Transmission and reception of television signals

From a physics point of view, antennas are multi-pole conductors that emit and receive radio waves in different directions. frequency ranges. Thanks to these properties, they can receive a large number of signals transmitted at different wavelengths and frequencies. The speed of propagation of radio waves is tens of thousands of kilometers per second. This allows you to transmit any information over long distances instantly.

Television systems operate on a similar principle:

• A transmitter (repeater) sends signals at different frequencies to the area. Each of them broadcasts a specific TV channel.
• An terrestrial or digital antenna for a television receives the incoming signal and transmits it to the display device.

In specific cases apply additional devices:

• Amplifier. Serves as a means of more powerful radiation, the radius of which increases significantly. As a result, weak signals are received.
• Receiver. To transfer a three-dimensional image to high resolution the information is decoded into the DVB-T2 format, which must be decoded to view a digital television channel.

Together, these devices provide the viewer with live television.

Having considered the principle of operation of television, we can conclude that the antenna is a mandatory element and without it it is impossible to watch TV channels.

Operating principle and design of receiving antennas

The basis of their work is the gain (GA) and directional coefficient (DA), which are determined by the design and resistance of the receiving antenna. The effectiveness and usefulness of the device depends on these characteristics.

Most factory television antennas are manufactured with the expectation of coverage over the entire circumference, the efficiency is comparable to the coefficient useful action(efficiency) and is close to unity. There are two types of antennas based on the type of design:

• Flat. Designed to search for a signal in the horizontal direction. They are simpler in design and the production of these television antennas is cheaper in cost. Circular coverage along the horizon guarantees a high-quality signal in 99% of cases.
• Wide. They look for a signal in the horizontal and vertical plane. They work in two planes and conduct a spherical signal search. They are expensive and include more products, but guarantee reliable operation where flat antennas fail (mountainous areas).

In addition to the direction of the receiving antenna, another indicator is important - gain. It determines the distance over which the antenna's effectiveness extends. Gain is measured in decibels, i.e. indicates the signal noise level the device is designed for. If the repeater is installed far away, more powerful antenna with low CG. Its installation is also recommended under unfavorable climatic conditions, which muffle and scatter radio waves, reducing their noise.

Making an antenna from beer cans

The question may immediately arise - why assemble an antenna from beer cans with your own hands? The answer is simple - a situation may arise when the standard antenna fails and an important premiere or favorite football match is about to start. There is no time to buy and install a new one, and not everyone has a spare antenna. An antenna made from cans is a good conductor and connects very quickly, and assembly requires only available tools. By the way, no installation skills are needed for manufacturing.

Preparation

To begin work, you need to prepare all materials and tools, namely:

• Two beer cans. Only 0.33 liter tin containers are suitable. You can use any manufacturer, because... The composition of the jars is all the same.
• Screws (self-tapping screws).
• Screwdriver. Need a curly nozzle. Use only a hand screwdriver; a screwdriver will not work.
• small wooden stick. Any rack will do. As an analogue, it is permissible to use plastic, but not metal.
• Scotch tape with duct tape. Only thin materials.
• Antenna cable.
• Plug for connection.

The last two points can be omitted, because The plug with cable can be taken from the faulty antenna.

If possible, instead of self-tapping screws, it is better to use a soldering iron and connect the cable using soldering.

Step-by-step instruction

When the devices are ready, you can proceed to the actual production of a simple receiving antenna from beer cans. The first step is preparing the product:

• Place the jars on the board, placing their necks facing each other.
• secure the cans with one roll of tape;

The design of the future antenna is ready, now you need to take up the cable. The second step is connecting the cable:

• Make holes on the bottom of the cans with self-tapping screws;
• Clean the ends of the cable and pass them out through the holes.
• screw the ends onto self-tapping screws;
• screw the screws to the cans through the holes;
• connect the plug to the cable and make a connection to the set-top box or TV.

The TV antenna made from beer cans is ready to go.

The last step left is configuration:

• You need to walk around the room and outside with the antenna until the best image is found;
• Hold the jars and carefully remove the tape. Now they need to be removed and brought closer to each other parallel to the stick in order to get a good image on the TV.
• Secure the jars with several rolls of tape.

If you manage to get a perfect image after connecting the cable, you can not move the cans, but immediately fix them.

Upgrading a homemade antenna

If desired, a TV antenna made from beer cans can be improved or redesigned, resulting in a powerful receiver that does not need an amplifier.

If you need a functional antenna for your dacha or garage, but it is expensive to buy from a store (and they can be stolen), it is better to assemble it yourself. In order not to worry about the climate and other conditions that may degrade the image, it is recommended to make an antenna that will catch the signal in both planes. For it you will need the same tools, 9 beer cans and self-tapping screws:

• Manufacturing of support structure. You need to find four slats. Screw three of them to the quad at the top, center and bottom. Secure the resulting structure with tape at the joints.
• Antenna assembly. The two beer cans are installed on the top rail and the cable connection procedure suggested above is then followed.
• Searching for a signal. Go around the room with the antenna and find the signal. If there is no high-quality image, move the cans along the rail, moving them away and bringing them closer to each other until a high-quality signal is received.
• Completion. Finally secure the upper cans and repeat the procedure for the two lower pairs. They are installed at the same distance from each other as the top ones.

A homemade antenna with signal reception in the horizontal and vertical planes is ready. But there is one more point left - her protection.

Outdoor cover

Sometimes it happens that TV channels show well only when the antenna is moved outside. This indicates weak signal on the ground, which is further dispersed by the structure. The only way out is to install the antenna outside. How to make an antenna out of beer cans for the street? You must first protect it from precipitation.

An excellent cover option is a polyethylene beer can:

• the neck and bottom are cut off;
• a hole for the cable is drilled in the center;
• the antenna is placed in the bottle.

To prevent precipitation from entering through the hole, it is heated with a match and deformed under the influence of temperature. The melted plastic “sticks to the cable, resulting in a seal.