A 1¢ Paper Clip Antenna Can Get Free HD Channels

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A 1¢ Paper Clip Antenna Can Get Free HD Channels

Post by Admin » Tue Sep 13, 2022 9:18 am

The Old Paper Clip Antenna Trick Can Get You Some Free Channels, But It's Not The Best Solution

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By now you've probably heard about the TV antenna paper clip trick. Someone inserts a paper clip into their TV antenna port and BAM they're watching Free HD CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS, Fox, or other channels out of thin air for no monthly fee.

Is This Really True or is it Internet Fiction?

Actually, this is true. But it's not always a good idea especially if you own an expensive television. A paper clip can definitely act as a small antenna. And depending on how close you live to the television station transmission towers, you may receive one or more free local channels in HD.

But here is why we don't recommend trying this at home.

A paper clip is no substitute for a larger attic or roof antenna. These big antennas can often pull in many more channels and give you a much higher signal level. This means you can receive all the TV channels for your area instead of only a few with a smaller indoor antenna.

Unless you can find a paper clip of the same exact dimension as a cable TV wire, you risk the chance of enlarging the antenna hole in your TV's antenna port. And if this happens, it won't give you a solid connection should you decide at some point to use a real antenna.

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Instead of trying a paper clip, use a simple rabbit ear external TV antenna. This can give you better reception than a paper clip, and they can be found for under $10 on eBay.

And for the ultimate TV reception, you can't beat a properly sized TV antenna in your attic like this one. It will let you pull in more channels and give you the best 1080i HD picture quality possible. So don't risk ruining your nice TV with a paperclip, instead get a real antenna and watch free TV.

Take this Quiz and discover more about a picture-perfect TV Antenna installation!

If you are handy you can build your own TV antenna, watch the video below for more info...



If you watch the video, you will notice one common theme and this is why they work better than rabbit ears or cheap indoor TV antennas. These antennas are big and they are not pretty! And for the best results, you'll probably want to install them in an attic out of sight instead of behind your TV set.

This is why we highly recommend using a larger antenna placed as high up in your home like on a roof or in an attic. This offers the best bang for the buck for the best reception from a TV antenna.

If you absolutely insist on trying the paper clip antenna, cut about 3 inches off an old coaxial cable TV wire and strip the wire end you cut, and then solder the center copper core to the end of a paper clip. Peel back the braided shield which is B in the picture below and pull it back over the wire jacket and put a piece of electrical tape around it.

The only thing touching the paper clip should be the solid center copper wire.

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Then screw in the end with the F connector into your TV, and you now have a proper paper clip antenna that won't mess up the antenna port on an expensive TV.


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