OTA Clone, Coat Hanger, and Junk Antennas

276819 Views 253 Replies 105 Participants Last post by Gibsons, May 19, 2021

hugh

Discussion Starter · Oct 18, 2007 (Edited)

Please Don't Buy From Digi Wave Technologies (now called HomeVision Technology)

A company called Digi Wave technologies which I have learned has a lot of references around here has been found to be plagiarizing from the site of our OTA Forum moderators information site.

In some cases entire pages were cut and paste onto their site without permission or attribution.

Out of respect for Stampeder, we have banned the company's name from our site by using the censorship option because I do not wish anyone on this site to read about them and would allow them to profit from their stealing.

I encourage members who respect the great things Stampeder has done for OTA in this country and this forum to contact these people and give them hell.

egistrant:
hongtao Situ
91 Pepperell Crest
Markham, On L3R 3G9
CA

Domain name: D1GIWAVETECHNOLOGIES.COM

Administrative Contact:
situ, hongtao [email protected]
91 Pepperell Crest
Markham, On L3R 3G9
CA
+1.4166187488 Fax: +1.9055137488

Technical Contact:
situ, hongtao [email protected]
91 Pepperell Crest
Markham, On L3R 3G9
CA
+1.4166187488 Fax: +1.9055137488

Registrar of Record: MISK.COM
Record last updated on 2007-Apr-25.
Record expires on 2009-Aug-10.
Record created on 2004-Aug-10.

Domain servers in listed order:
NS1.ABAC.COM

EDIT: Please see Post #123 in this thread if you have not already done so.

EDIT September 23rd, 2011

This company is now called HomeVision Technology Inc.
50 Telson Rd. Markham.

It's products are still unwelcome

21 - 40 of 254 Posts

zounder1

· #21 · Jan 28, 2009

Online DIY Antenna Videos

Make Magazine did a video showing how to make your own OTA antenna. It is actually pretty nice looking. Though I'll stick with buying premade ones, I figure some folks might enjoy the challenge. (And low cost... some wood and 6 coat hangar and a few screws...)

Cheers.

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/01/maker_workshop_dtv_antenna_steadyca.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890

stampeder

· #22 · Jan 28, 2009 (Edited)

Yep, the Make video is the same one as the Engadget and Vimeo one... very tidy build.

I'd be interested to see what mclapp or any of the other bowtie antenna gurus has to say about that new video build.

keef

· #23 · Jan 29, 2009

Anyone else notice the guy in the Make video calls the premade 4-bay bow-tie a Hoverman. That's not right, is it?

johnpost

· #24 · Jan 29, 2009

keef said:
Anyone else notice the guy in the Make video calls the premade 4-bay bow-tie a Hoverman. That's not right, is it?

you are correct it is not a Hoverman

stampeder

· #25 · Jan 29, 2009

A suggestion about those new videos...

If you can leave a comment at those video sites please say that he's incorrect about the term "Hoverman" and also put in a link to our site's Gray Hoverman intro:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=81982

I find it irritating that on the Engadget site's description of the Vimeo video they have a hot link with the term "We've seen a few complicated DIY antenna projects" that directs to the Gray Hoverman. The GH is easier to build!

Maybe we'll clear some things up somehow.

mclapp

· #26 · Jan 29, 2009 (Edited)

In the pdf on how to build that antenna he mentions that the design was invented by Doyt Hoverman in the 1960's.
I don't know maybe he did come up with that design as well.
All I could find is this 1964 patent which is very similar to the G-H devoloped on this site
http://www.google.com/patents/pdf/R_HOVERMAN.pdf?id=TOtiAAAAEBAJ&output=pdf&sig=ACfU3U3znnG25OEwUsxEIgaNuuTY_9Hqmg

I find it funny that in the beginning of the video he shows a factory made antenna then goes on to show you how to build one that has wayyyy different dimensions.

I've never built one of those to field test but the computer models show them to be very bad in the lower UHF channels. Many people have had success with them though.

stampeder

· #27 · Jan 30, 2009

Ya, the doc you found is for one of the two original Doyt Hoverman patents that Autofils used to design the Gray Hoverman.

I've never heard anyone refer to a Hoverman patent on Bowtie Reflector antennas.

opilion

· #28 · Jan 31, 2009

Has anyone compiled a step-by-step how-to, with a complete bill of best materials?

Also, would the double design work side by side, rather than vertically stacked? It might be easier to put in the attic side by side.

op

stampeder

· #29 · Jan 31, 2009 (Edited)

Opilion, yes, you can find the details of how to build one in this thread:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=95898

And no, sorry, putting them side-by-side doesn't help things. You can read about that here in Posts #33 and 34:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=99907

xraycat

· #30 · Jan 31, 2009

stampeder said:
If you can leave a comment at those video sites please say that he's incorrect about the term "Hoverman" and also put in a link to our site's Gray Hoverman intro:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=81982

I find it irritating that on the Engadget site's description of the Vimeo video they have a hot link with the term "We've seen a few complicated DIY antenna projects" that directs to the Gray Hoverman. The GH is easier to build!

Maybe we'll clear some things up somehow.

I'm confused then, I would agree with Engadget that an antenna like this:
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=767687&postcount=8
Is a lot more complicated than a piece of wood, some coat hangers and screws.
However, I would also expect the GH antenna to operate quite a lot better, especially considering it's size!

stampeder

· #31 · Jan 31, 2009

I tip my hat to mclapp, perhaps the most knowledgeable and experienced 4-bay bowtie reflector builder on the web, who says that building a GH is easier.

When you think about it, if you are building a GH for attic mounting you only have to bend 2 long pieces of stripped solid wire in a specific fashion, attach them to a piece of wood, and then put aluminum foil on a piece of either plywood, strong cardboard, or styrofoam to attach as the reflector.

For outdoor use the need for solid, weather-proof materials makes for a much more involved build.

asteroids

· #32 · Feb 1, 2009 (Edited by Moderator)

stampeder said:
For outdoor use the need for solid, weather-proof materials makes for a much more involved build.

My GH10 is attached to south wall of my house.
I constructed a frame using 3/4" cedar nail strips from Home Depot.
It's surprisingly stiff and should weather well. Cheap (under $30 for all parts)
and looks good according to my wife.

The antenna is sheltered and receives little wind load.
If it was attached to a rotor or more exposed I'd probably construct it
out of more stronger and durable materials.

stampeder

· #33 · Feb 1, 2009

Yep, cedar should be fine. Maybe a couple of brushings with decking water sealer might be worth it too.

300ohm

· #34 · Feb 1, 2009

I constructed a frame using 3/4" cedar nail strips from Home Depot.

For better performance, especially during wet weather, you want the driven elements only touching plastic (and as little on that as possible too) instead of wood. The reflector parts on cedar wood are fine.
It sounds like on your build you could do that fairly easily with some quality composite decking (scrap or samples) strips, cut to say 3/4 inch by 3/4 inch by the distance you need to space out the driven elements.

animated

· #35 · Mar 11, 2009

I've wanted to try OTA for a while now, and I finally decided to make my own antenna.
Just a tiny fractal deal like this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNRZEM9wJz0&feature=related

I couldn't believe it.
City, CTV, Global, CBC, SRC, Omni iI and II, all in HD - and a bunch of others in analog.

I'm thrilled with the results, and I'll be building a Gray-Hoverman this summer.
Also, I'll be telling Rogers to cram it.

Thanks Digital Home!

Oh, I'm at Victoria Park between Danforth and St. Clair. Line of sight to the CN Tower.

See less See more

holl_ands

· #36 · Mar 11, 2009

I analyzed UHF 4-Bay (No Reflector) versions posted by babblin5 and MakeTV
versus CM-4221 & mclapp M4 (if remove Reflectors):
http://imageevent.com/holl_ands/4bay
UTube antennas are too small, esp. for reduced UHF Band...and have SWR problems...
Spacing between bowties needs to be much larger than 5-3/4 inches and whiskers
could be longer....

I also posted plans/analysis for 8-10+ dBi gain Zig-Zag antennas for HiVHF band that
I think are perhaps easier to build than the typical LPDA shown in post #1:
http://imageevent.com/holl_ands/zigzaglpa

Jim2CPU

· #37 · Mar 17, 2009

I'm very new to OTA... I followed this guide today:

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/762088/coat_hanger_hdtv_antenna_better_than_store_bought_amazing/

I'm in Fonthill so I'm at one of the highest elevations in the peninsula. I wasn't really sure what to expect.

Just sitting in my living room plugged into my HDHomeRun... I was able to scan for 12 digital channels. Got NBC, ABC, CBS, CTV perfectly in HD. No FOX but I hear that's quirky & directional.

I must say I'm blown away. I'm confident enough now that I cancelled my Cogeco this evening. Now I just need to figure out if I want to invest in more than my DIY antenna to get even more programming. Something in the attic should be able to pull much more than this!

300ohm

· #38 · Mar 17, 2009

I don't know maybe he did come up with that design as well.

As holl_ands recently posted a link to, http://www.coe.montana.edu/ee/rwolff/EE548/EE548-S06/UWB/History_UWB_antennas.pdf

the bowtie was first patented in 1898 by Oliver Lodge. The Hoverman, being only 50 years old, is one of dem new fangled ideas, heh.

stampeder

· #39 · Mar 17, 2009

Welcome here Jim2CPU, make sure to read through the Niagara thread for several posts from the Fonthill, Fenwick and Welland areas:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=36534

With a couple of GHs or else 2 mclapp bowties you should have wonderful results pointed at both Buffalo and Toronto.

hugh

Discussion Starter · #40 · Apr 22, 2009

A reminder to some

21 - 40 of 254 Posts

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