Centered on 96 mhz with a length of 58 inches, this antenna resulted in an instantenous MAJOR improvement. Stations that showed 1/5 on the signal meter now show 4/5 with stereo capabilities without any background noise.
total cost: ~0$
material required:
box tape roll
16-24 awg single wire. Any will do. From speaker to phone wire.
measuring tape
manual skills.
Instructions:
lay down some tape on the ground with sticky side facing up. Use come tape pieces to stick it to the floor that way for temporary mounting.
stretch it on the ground about 1ft longer than the final 58 inch.
place the measuring tape on the floor on the locked position centering the 58 inch Length in the middle of the sticky part. With a pen, mark on the sticky side directly the zero, the 58 and finally the center (29). Remove the tape.
at the 29 inch mark, install another peice of about 2ft long for the tail, sticky side facing up again. You can lift the long part just by posing two finger on the sticky side and lifting a bit so you can start the tail from under the part already on the ground. Use some more small pieces of tape if needed to hold the template in place.
use a wire length about 6 ft longer than the length needed to reach your receiver. If your receiver is at 12 ft from where the antenna will be, use a peice of singe wire of 18ft.
find the center of the wire by bringing both ends together and pull them with a end until the end loop comes up.
this position is the starting point of the center of the upper part of the antenna.
About 1cm should separate both wires. Start installing it a little above the center of the tape, from the center mark up to the first end mark either the zero or the 58 mark. Make a tight U and come back to the center and down the tail.
back from the center, take the other end and appose it the same way as the other side.
when the top part is done, put a tape sticky face down (sticky to sticky) to stuck the wire in between both tapes.
move around the template if needed so you can stretch it to the length of the remaining tail. Install some more tape stickiy face up the length of the tail, and stick both wire 1cm appart the whole length of it and leave 6 inch untaped at the end for connection.
It is important that the spacing of the wires is being kept as regular as possible and being about 1cm from each other up to the connection point behind the receiver.
install it fully stretched. Only the top of the T is the receiving element. The tail of the t may lay around in any direction without significant changes on reception.
if your house is made of metalic sheeting as the outside protection, install it outside a few feet away from the metal parts of the house or above it if you want. The stretched T can be taped on a peice of wood and that peice of wood being held just as a T on your roof or the base of the t stuck in the ground.
Enjoy clean music.