Clarence makes his own fractal digital TV antenna (and it works in his basement!)

It’s not pretty, but it works, and it works underground, in my cloistered office, so that’s saying something.

I use a Hauppauge HVR-950Q USB tuner. Because Comcast (Xfinity) went all digital, I have to place a converter between the cable and the tuner, which means of course that the only signal I’ll see is what’s coming out of the converter, which means I can only DVR one channel, which kind of defeats the purpose, which is kinda Comcast’s goal.

Observations:

• I built my fractal antenna based on these easy instructions at HTPC-DIY.com: DIY Flexible Fractal Window HDTV Antenna >
• I added a 2nd clear plastic sheet for a sturdier frame.
• The tuner is just as important as the antenna. I hooked up the same antenna to a Toshiba REGZA and only got 3 channels (with the same antenna orientation and about 12 feet higher than my office).
• I later added an aluminum foil reflector behind it in my office, about 18 inches away; seems to help some. In my case, since the antenna is hanging near a wall, that simply meant a couple long sheets of standard kitchen foil attached to the wall.
• Don’t use glue stick to glue plastic sheets together. It dries very slowly and looks messy. But it is a great way to do everything in a few minutes and see if it’s worth the time to do it more neatly.

I did all this so I could record the new Cosmos, but found Me-TV and Retro-TV, both broadcast by WLLA. Neither are included Comcast and both are chock-full of old shows from my childhood with limited commercials.

Scanning for free over-the-air digital TV in Grand Rapids with a Hauppauge HVR-950Q.

Screen capture of a Progressive commercial on 41.1 WOTV (WOOD TV) (ATSC)

Clarence's fractal digital TV antenna (before I added the aluminum foil reflector behind it). That wall is also covered with artwork by Dee Dee now.

[2014-03-11]

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