Sometimes I buy some nice gadgets. And a few days ago I received my device. It’s an internet radio with radio, mediaplayer and DAB Radio.
Unfortunally I didn’t have a good reception. Because of this, I couldn’t play any radiostation via DAB. FM was okay, and because DAB is digital, the sound is way better.
Of course I could buy a good antenna, but why spend money on something you can create your own !
Do It Yourself : DAB Antenna
What you need is an antenna cable 75 ohm of about 1.5 meters or longer.
Strip at the end of the cable 30 cm including the shielding.
Strip from here 23 cm of only the plastic. Leave the shielding in tact.
Create 2 loops with a diameter of 5 cm and make sure it stays this way.
And here is the result of the DIY DAB Antenna:
Connect you antenna and hold it up vertically and as high as possible.
Now you got some very good reception !
Joe
Dear Joost – I have just got my first DAB/FM receiver. DAB is not very well implemented in France yet but it’s coming. I am about 30 km from Paris where the transmitters are so I need some kind of antenna – unfortunately my receiver has only one antenna connection – do you think your solution would improve both DAB and FM ? Thanks
Awesome - I Am Joost
This antenna only improve the DAB part.
I never tried to use it as a FM antenna also, but I guess it won’t work, because a FM antenna is totally different.
lacsap
why its important to remove 23cm of the plasic? to plastic isolate against transmission!?
Awesome - I Am Joost
It is just to receive the wave better.
Rijk
Removing the 23cm of plastic isolation is useless.
So just leave it.
You can improve this antenna by connecting another 30 cm piece of copper-wire hanging down from the top of the shielding. The result is a vertical dipole that works even better.
Awesome - I Am Joost
Hi,
Did you try it? That saves some time 🙂
Lawrence
I agree you can leave the plastic covering in place on the lower part of the cable. Effectively you are making an end fed dipole with a two turn choke at the bottom to seperate the antenna from the rest of the cable . I have used something similar for over 30 years on the FM band with good results. Thanks for the ideas.
Ian Sharples
As a Radio ham, I checked my vertical antenna calculator. For signals of around 216mhz it states the resonant length is 660mm. I used a metre of coax f connector one end, the other side I stripped back the coax and soldered the piece of 2mm copper wire 660mm.
Works a treat
Ian Maynard
Hi Ian Sharples,
Tried the original design and it works pretty well generally but I’d like to give your idea a try, however I am not clear exactly how to make it. Any chance of a diagram or photo please?
Cheers,
Ian Maynard
Joost van der Made
Basically it’s just one coax cable where you make the curl and cut of some plastic. It’s in the pictures.
Unfortunately I don’t have any picture with the complete result. Picture 4 of the cable is basically the whole product.
Frits
https://www.dabtuners.nl/slechte-dab-ontvangst-huis-even-knutselen-dan
Joost van der Made
That’s a nice link!
Thanks.
Raz
works like a charm! thank you for the article
Roger Baker
Hello
If DAB and FM aerials are so different, how come there’s only one aerial socket on my old SP111?
Joost van der Made
I know. It can work, but to have to optimum it is working differently.
Andy Harrison
Just tried this with single double ended alligator clip test lead. I only put the loops in (I left the cable insulation in place).
It has worked well enough for me to now get decent reception.
Thank you.
Lozzo52
worked well for me. Thank you!
Paul
Nice aerial…
so do I just screw down the copper core wire at the base of the radio extendable aerial?? There is no RF socket on my Panasonic DAB/FM radio.
Thanks..
Joost van der Made
Try to have the right connector 🙂
Richard
I made one of these aerials when I first got a digital separate and this tutorial is still the top search for ‘Homemade DAB Aerial’. It is worth noting that different countries use slightly different parts of the spectrum, so in the UK on DAB+ the range is more-or-less 175-225MHz: call it 200MHz for the middle of the range.
Using a calculator like Ian mentioned above yields an ideal length of 36cm. I have just tried this by taking a 50cm length of CoAx and stripping the outer insulation and shielding back by 36cm. Works beautifully: no loops no fuss and the remaining 14cm gives me enough length to go from the back of the receiver to the edge of the unit it sits on so that it hangs vertically behind the cupboard (UK DAB signals are all vertically polarised).
Thanks Joost
Tom
For reception, a quarter wavelength will give the best signal (also a 3/4 wavelength, but harder to place).
216MHz = 138cm
138/4= 34.5cm
So, my suggestion :-
Strip 38cm of the shield from your coax.
Let the stripped shield remain connected and hang down.
Make the two turn loop as before – this should stop wanted signal getting lost on the remaining shield to he radio socket.
Use the additional 3cm from the end of the inner coax to make a loop for hanging the aerial.
I guess any length will work to some extent, as the radio is not expected to find a perfect match, hence the suggestion for 660m having a useful result.