Since our
Surfside is torn down to bare
fiberglass, I'm toying with the idea of building our antenna right into the shell. There's an easy-to-construct style of antenna that is similar to the one Kevin K put together, but uses fractal mathematics to improve it's ability to pull in broadband HDTV signals.
The trick is that "fractal antennas" require precise angle and wire lengths and sharp bends in order for them to work correctly, otherwise they just plain don't work well at all. Fortunately there are 1:1 scale paper templates you can download off the Internet, print, then lay out your wires on so that the geometry is perfect.
https://c919f6a6-a-d5e00f28-s-sites....attredirects=0
That on is a four-element antenna; to make an eight-element antenna like Kevin's, you just repeat the pattern.
Since my trailer will have mylar-aluminum-coated Reflectix insulation inside, I'll build and install four eight-group antennas made of 24g copper wire, one antenna per side interconnected by a single pair of wires run 2" apart along the walls just over the
windows. Then I'll
fiberglass them over, except for the spot where the matching transformer is connected, and cover the walls with Reflectix insulation.
If all works well, the Reflectix should act as both insulation for warmth and a radio reflector for the antenna, and having separate groups on each side should further improve reception.
All in concept, of course. I'd love to hear suggestions from the Hammies on the group. And, if it all works out, I'll post instructions and pictures showing how I did it. (If not, all I've wasted is some time, some fiberglassing, and some leftover LAN cabling supplies, and I'll never mention it again!)
Here's the background piece and how-to-instructions from where that antenna template I posted came from:
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