WCNY staff member Bob Papaleoni (left) and his stepson Anthony Nicotra, created their own digital Antenna with the help of The Unusual Tech.

To build the HDTV digital antenna, you’ll need the following:

• 4 metal coat hangers
• 10 wood screws
• 10 washers
• A Balun (UHF/VHF Matching transformer)
• 2, 22-inch strips of 18 gauge wire (or a size that is easily bendable)
• Drill and bits
• Wire Cutter
• Basic mechanical aptitude

Directions:

1. Take the piece of wood. Starting 3 inches down from the top, draw two dots that are about an inch and a half apart with a pencil.
2. Going 7 inches down from the first two dots, draw another set of dots and make the space between them the same – inch and a half.
3. Repeat the previous step two more times.
4. Take your 10 wood screws and screw them into the spot on the board where you marked dots.
5. Look at the two sets of dots that are located in the board, halfway between them, draw another two dots and that’s where you will attach the Balun.
6. Now, take your four coat hangers. One at a time, cut the hangers 7 inches in from each end. (It Will end up looking like this    > <    when you are finished.)
7. Next, attach the coat hangers to the wood screws, making sure the distance between the ends of the hanger are 3 inches from one another.
8. Once the hangers are attached to the board, the next layer that needs to be attached is the washers.
9. Finally, place the steel wire on top of the washer. The wire will cross at two points on the board – after the first two sets of dots and before the last two. Where the wires meet, place something nonconductive (such as pieces of scotch tape) in between them so they don’t touch.
10. Next, make an aluminum foil board. Take a piece of cardboard or something similar to the sturdiness of cardboard, and cut it so it is approximately just as big as the complete length of the hangers from end to end on the board. Attach aluminum foil to cover one entire side of the cardboard. Once attached, the aluminum board will act as a mirror in order to gather more signals.
11. The piece of wood and the aluminum foil board need to be combined to make for a better signal. The aluminum board needs to be placed behind the wooden board. The aluminum side should be facing the wooden board. Place a screw or barrier to add space between the piece of wood and aluminum foil board. (They should be connected together but not touching.)
12. Hang the antenna. Wherever you hang it, make sure that it is facing the direction of the signal you wish to receive.

Video Directions:

To see a video with directions click here