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 !
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
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.
why its important to remove 23cm of the plasic? to plastic isolate against transmission!?
It is just to receive the wave better.
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.
Hi,
Did you try it? That saves some time 🙂
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.
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
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
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.
https://www.dabtuners.nl/slechte-dab-ontvangst-huis-even-knutselen-dan
That’s a nice link!
Thanks.
works like a charm! thank you for the article
Hello
If DAB and FM aerials are so different, how come there’s only one aerial socket on my old SP111?
I know. It can work, but to have to optimum it is working differently.