DIY HDTV Shoebox Antenna
- 1). Cut a piece of cardboard larger than your shoebox. Cut the cardboard so approximately 3 inches extends past the shoebox on all four sides. Use scissors or a craft knife to cut the cardboard to size.
- 2). Apply craft glue to the cardboard and cover it with aluminum foil so the shiny side of the foil faces out. Make sure the foil fully covers the cardboard, and fold the excess over so it's on the back of the cardboard.
- 3). Cover the bottom of the shoebox with craft glue and glue it to the aluminum foil so it's centered along the long side of the aluminum-foil-covered cardboard. You want to have the cardboard flush with the shoebox so it can stand up by itself. The amount of cardboard on either side of the shoebox should be about the same.
- 4). Pick up a terminal block, which is a small, plastic box that allows you to hook wires together without soldering them, and make sure you have two openings on each side, for a total of four openings. You can pick up terminal blocks at most home improvement or electronics retailers.
- 5). Strip the insulation from a 12-gauge wire, exposing 13 inches of the wire. Use a craft knife to cut away the rubber coating to expose the wire. Cut the wire into two pieces, about 6 1/2 inches each in length. Use wire cutters to cut the wire to size.
- 6). Bend a 45-degree angle into the end of each wire, about one-half inch from the end of the wire. Use pliers to make that bend. Insert the bent end into the terminal block. Each wire goes into the same side of the terminal block, and the straight ends of the wire will be running away from each other. Tighten the screws in the terminal block, using a screwdriver, so they hold the wires securely in place.
- 7). Determine where you'll position your shoebox HDTV antenna and use a piece of coax cable long enough to connect from your television to the middle of the lid of your shoebox. Cut away the rubber insulation from one end of the coax cable, exposing 2 inches of the inside wire and the shielding fibers that wrap around the inside wire. Do not cut away the shielding fibers protecting the inside wire, but twist them together to create a single shielding strand.
- 8). Slice through the plastic coating that covers the wire inside the coax. Use a craft knife to cut the plastic away.
- 9). Insert the exposed wire of your coax into one of the empty terminal blocks, and insert the shielding strand in the other one, so the coax and the shielding strand are side by side and on opposite sides of the 12-gauge wire. Tighten the screws in your terminal block to make contact and allow your antenna to work.
- 10
Tape the wires going in and out of the terminal blocks to the lid of your shoebox. Use household tape or any other strong tape to hold it in place. Position your antenna and connect your coax cable to your television to make your HDTV shoebox antenna start working.
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