An Easy to Make Extension for a TV Antenna
I have jumped on the “cut the cable cord” bandwagon and now use an indoor/outdoor antenna to pick up digital TV signals. These antennas work really well, especially if you live near the towers or in a big city. Since I live in a rural area, I have trouble picking up certain channels, especially the ones that broadcast court shows (I need my Judge Mathis fix!). I made a DIY indoor/outdoor TV antenna extension to attach to the old satellite TV bracket that is mounted to my roof that makes my antenna sit just a bit higher and in turn, helps those signals come in a whole lot better!
Paying $86 a month for satellite TV with channels I rarely watched was not in the budget for me. I purchased a really great digital TV antenna at one of the big box home improvement stores for about $35. Initially, I had it mounted directly to the old satellite bracket on the roof. It didn’t work well in the direction it was pointed because of the peak of my porch roof. In order for me to get all of the channels possible, the antenna needed to sit a bit higher.
I used a 3′ section of 1-1/4″ PVC with a cap and a coupler. I glued the cap and coupler to each end of the pipe, then spray painted the pipe grey.
The coupler fit perfectly over the end of the satellite bracket. I used three self-tapping sheet metal screws to attach the PVC pipe to the upright portion of the satellite bracket.
I then secured the antenna to the pipe with a U-bolt that was included with it.
That’s it! The DIY indoor/outdoor TV antenna extension was so easy to make, and it only cost a few bucks in supplies. It blends in pretty well, and doesn’t look weird, ha ha! Most importantly, the antenna picks up the digital signal a whole lot better! Any questions? Leave a comment below!
6 Comments
I was thinking of doing this, too, but I worried that the extra length would be like adding a longer lever and pull the mount up where it attaches to the house. Not so?
I’m not sure I understand what is being asked… The mount is from a satellite dish which is bolted to the roof. The satellite dish weighed way more than the PVC post and the small antenna combined. So, no, it does not add extra, top-heavy weight to the mount. The antenna itself only weighs a couple of pounds. Hope this helps! 🙂
I’m not concerned about the weight. What worried me was the leverage. Recall Archimedes: Give me a lever long enough and I can lift the earth.
I should have added, thank you for your reply. Sorry.
Hi Cheryl: Well, anyway, despite my worries, I went ahead and did this this afternoon. The extra height put me well above my chimney cap and gave me a better shot at the horizon vis-a-vis my neighbor’s roof. No wind, so I’ll wait and see on that one. No new channels, either, but the ones that were somewhat marginal now seen solid, but that could be the weather, who knows? The true proof will be the NFL season. When is that? I want to see & hear Terry Bradshaw talk about his medical and marital problems without any pixilation. Thanks,
What about lightning protection? Here, our county code enforcement requires protection for any antenna above soffit level.