The questioner asked: "Do you align the wire in the direction of the
transamission antenna or should the wire be perpendicular?"

I saw no answer to his question. So reluctantly I respond. Most antennas
are broadside to the direction of transmission but not all.

One simple and effective TV receiving antenna has its wires on a
diagonal to the direction of the transamitter. The antenna has a diamond
shape and is called a thombic. Its long axis is aligned in the direction
of the station. Each of the four sides of the rhombic is 2 or more
wavelengths. As size increases so does the antenna gain. Bandwisth is
very wide covering several TV channels.

Channel 2 was the lowest frequency TV channel widely used so it had the
longest wavelength (50 MHz & 6mtrs. or 68 ft.).

Nothing is critical about a rhombic. One was proposed as a "Super TV
Antenna" in the March 1967 erition of "Electronics Illustrated"
magazine.

It is 64x24 ft. Each of its 4 sides is about 34 feet. An 820 ohm, 2 watt
carbon resistor is used to terminate the junction of the 2 sides of the
rhombic at the end which is pointed at the station to be received. The
rhombic is narrower than long. The opposite end of the rhombic is
connected to 300 ohm twinlead which extends to the receiver, but higher
impedance line would be marginally better as the rhombic is effectively
a wide place in an 820 ohm transmission line.

I`ve built and used many rhombics. They all were satisfactory in spite
of somewhat ragged patterns. They are capableof high gain and extreme
bandwidth. They require much space and 4 supports but construction is
simple for the minimalist model.

Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI