Gray Hoverman TV Antenna Plastic Frame Assembly

The Gray-Hoverman TV antenna's plastic frame can be assembled using a jig that ensures that the antenna's components will have the correct spacing and spatial orientation. The color pdf drawing I used to build my antenna may be found at this link http://www.user.dccnet.com/jonleblanc/Canada_TV_Stations/Gray-Hoverman/DBGH_VHF_hi_Antenna.pdf. This Instructable is not a plan for building a particular antenna, but the methods I used to build mine, which attaches to a standard length of 1 1/4-inch diameter metal mast, could be applied to the many versions of the G-H antenna. It is up to the builder to determine many of the specific dimensions, which depend on the version being built and on options and personal choices. Note the license information printed on the drawing, which is offered (by others) free for private use, but commercial exploitation is prohibited.
This is one of several of my Instructables related to building this antenna. To see the others and my related Instructables, click on unclesam in the INFO box at right and repeatedly click NEXT to page through them all. To receive automatic notice about my future antenna construction postings, you can click in the INFO box to subscribe to me. In the final step I include links within Digitalhome.ca that further describe the antenna. That is followed by phtos of the assembly of the spine for a more recent GH10n3 antenna that has high gain for UHF and VHF-high channels.

Step 1 Envisioneering

The linked drawing of the antenna shows the size, shape and spatial orientation of the antenna's metal elements, however the design of the supporting framework is left to the builder. I chose a vertical spine of 1 1/4-inch diameter PVC water pipe. There are two horizontal tubes that run front-to-back, and their long centerlines pass through the centerlines of the straight NARODs at the front and through the centerlines of the NAROD reflectors in the back. I used two crosswise horizontal tubes to support the ends of the active elements and the NARODS. The long centerlines of these tubes pass through the centerlines of the front-to-back horizontal tubes. (These tubes are overkill for supporting straight NARODs, but I wanted a way to also support the optional "tophat" style NARODs, for experiments. See Plastic Crafts Instructables for details).
My design uses 1-inch PVC pipe fittings because the cross happens to be a snug sliding fit over 1 1/4-inch diameter standard metal tv mast. The PVC fittings are connected using lengths of 1-inch PVC pipe cut short enough that they will not hit the stops within the fittings; the jig will set the correct spacings. The antenna's metal components are attached using pieces of 1/2-inch CPVC pipe and fittings, through 0.625-inch diameter holes precisely pre-drilled through the PVC tubes and fittings. The 1/2-inch pipes can be slid to set the metal components at the correct spacings before being cemented in place during final assembly.

Comments

[keithledford]

Why have you not included a parts list?

[unclesam]

Keithledford, see my recent replay to MicMac regarding a version of this antenna that I believe is easier to build than the one in this instructable.
U.S.

[unclesam]

keithledford, if you are interested in building a GH10n3 tv antenna, you might want to wait until I have published an instructable on my second version. You can "subscribe" to me, in order to receive an alert from the system when I post it. I have started work, but it will be a while before I finish. Design, building and documentation of such a complex project take a lot of time and effort. The second version should be much easier to build and have more complete documentation, parts list.
My GH10n3 was one of the first built, and was the first to have the single spine. I was skeptical if the antenna was going to even work, so I did not take a lot of care in its construction nor documention. Now that I know it works very well in my rural location, I have worked out a way to build one that should ensure a quality result. I started with only the computer model of the electrical parts of the antenna. What I published provides a lot more than that for the prospective builder, but left a lot for the builder to figure out. Hopefully, the second version will be accessible to more prospective builders.
Unclesam

[MicMak]

Will you be making a GH10n3 instructable post? Your current post on that model says just to use previous instructable tutorials you've made to build it.

If you are still making a GH10n3 post though I'll wait before beginning my build.

Cheers.