Coat Hanger HDTV Antenna

Step 1: Prepare The Coat Hangers

First, cut off the tops of the coat hangers. Use the pliers to straighten them out into long sections.
Next, measure down fourteen inches and make a cut. Use this first piece as a template for the second one. The leftover is too short, so we'll throw that aside.
Now clean off the center section so it's nice and shiny, like this. Wire strippers work good; you can even use a knife.

Step 2: Prepare The Board

Once all eight sections are done, measure about two inches down from the top of the board and make a mark across. Now measure about five and three quarter inches down, and make marks at each side of the tape measure. Move down, measure another five and three quarter inches and make another mark, and then one more five and three quarter inches, with marks on both sides. Now make X's on each of those marks, so you have four sets, side-by-side.

Step 3: Create The Shapes

Now we'll take one of the long sections, and we're going to bend it. Starting at the upper-right-hand corner, and then crossing over to the second one on the left, the third one on the left, and the fourth one, back across on the right. Mark that off and then cut it with the pliers. You'll have a shape that looks like this. Use this one as a template to bend the second one.

Step 4: Clear The Hangers

Once you're done doing this, we're going to clean off some parts. First we're going to clean off both ends, and then the sections where the bends are, and then a section right in the middle between the two ends.

Step 5: Create The V-Shape

Now we're going to take the eight pieces that are fourteen inches, measure halfway down, which is seven inches, and we're going to take the pliers and bend that down into a V-shape. You want the ends of the V to be about three inches apart. We're going to do this with all eight pieces.

Step 6: Attach The Hangers

Now we start putting it together with the screws and washers. Take one of the V sections and stick it underneath and screw it almost all the way down. Now take one of the long sections and slip it under the V, and tighten it all the way down. You're going to want to make sure that this is good and tight. It will look like this, with each of the clean sections making good contact with one-another.

Step 7: Attach In The Opposite

Now move on to the second one, which is across and on the left, then the third one, which is directly below that one on the left, and finally the lower right. Once we're done with this, we're going to do the same with the other piece, but in the opposite.
When you're all finished it will look like this.

Step 8: Attach The New Antenna To The TV

Now what we have to do is attach the VHF/UHF transformer to the centers; first one side, then the other. When you're finished it will look just like this. Now we attach the end of the cable. Disconnect that old one; just throw it away. Now attach your new antenna to your television. Set it back behind, where nobody can see it. It isn't the best looking thing in the world.

Step 9: Watch The Results

Now the moment of truth: And here we are; every HD channel coming in absolutely perfectly. No artifacts, no skips, nothing! You'll even find you can pick up some of the weaker stations that you couldn't before. In fact, the FCC is mandating that all local stations switch over to high definition television by the end of 2008. So why pay cable for something that you can get for free? Just build a simple antenna for next to nothing. Again, you don't have to pay your satellite provider or Cable Television Company for this at all. It's 100 percent free over the air, and all you have to do is take a little time, build this antenna, and you've got it made!