On 17 Nov 2003 10:30:34 -0800, (mfc) wrote:

I recently made a TV antenna to receive Channel 5 using a paper clip
and 3 feet of rolled up aluminum foil. It works pretty well, but
there are these diagonal lines that keep "swimming" across the screen
from left to right. Also, there's a little room for improvement in
the picture. Does anyone know how I can improve my antenna to get a
much clearer picture? Maybe I should use tin foil instead of aluminum
foil or something like that? Any ideas?

Thanks for all your help.

Hi OM,

The diagonal lines are modulation bars or perhaps the sync signal of
the picture. Both is probably over your head, but suffice it to say,
they only appear because the signal is weak. You probably already
know that.

Part of the "passage of rites" growing up before cable was learning
how to position the rabbit ears for the best signal (which suggests an
alternative before putting up a real antenna - the rabbit ears that
is).

Often the angles and position made no sense to either the initiated or
the un-intiated as just plain luck dominated. Acquiring that luck
meant you had achieved that passage to - whatever. There is no
substitute for this process, and if you are in a fringe area, you may
progress to the higher rites of erecting and positioning the outdoor
antenna (achieved solo by the intrepid).

From indoors, you may have already achieved the best there is to
achieve. Adding a TV inline amplifier may help bring out the contrast
in those swimming lines so that they would qualify for the Olympics
synchronized event. ;-)

An antenna with more elements, higher up, is in order (barring more
fruitful experimentation). Welcome to the 50's - a time when Men were
Men, and children watched them on TV wearing masks and capes without
the fear of sexual confusion (and Liberace was just a piano player).

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC