Can you use speaker wire for a make shift antenna?

Question

My husband got laid off and of course somethings are just expendable, like the cable :( Since money is tight I was wondering if I could use seaker wire as a make shift antenna? Could I strip off some of the plastic coating and wrap it around the cable inlet? Just a thought to maybe have some tv.

Answer 1

Any wire will work for the most part. What I did, and highly recommend, is get one of the new Digital Tuners. You can get a $40 coupon from the government too to offset the price. You would be amazed at the FREE quality of TV available over the air waves. 2-3 years ago, when I dropped my cable bill, I bought the Samsung DTB-H260F HDTV tuner. This is a more advance model, offering High Definition reception, but any digital tuner will blow the socks off the old fashion, snowy picture tuning we’ve been dealing with for years. With digital, there is NO snow, just pure clear picture. You either have the signal, or you don't. Here in St. Louis Mo, (I’m actually about 60 miles out) there are many extra stations available over the air too. PBS alone has 4 different versions. One is like a Home and Garden, another is for kids, with cartoons and what not... our NBC affiliate has a second channel called “Weather Plus” which is just like having the weather channel. I get all this, from 60 miles away, using a $20 radio shack antenna... FOR FREE! Of course, I’m up top on a hill, so the “line of sight” between me and the towers is pretty good. My sister, however, had to have a 20’ tall mast with an antenna to get the channels. But that was only a one time cost ($100-200+/-) and now she too is bill free from the cable/satellite robbers. I imagine most places should have access to a dozen or more digital stations by now. We get 14 good channels here.

GO DIGITAL! You won’t regret it.

btw... I'm not a salesman, just hoping for all to grasp how good this stuff is. It needs to be seen to believe. Then you will be kicking yourself for not getting on board with digital sooner. Its not new, it’s been around for many years, but now, the old way is coming to its end, and the government is mandating the new digital to take over and only digital will be available after Feb 17, 2009. So buy a tuner now, or buy one next year... when they will most likely be sold out everywhere.

The links below will help you understand the digital revolution. The first link is a very informative sight. The second one takes you to the coupon program where you can get your $40 coupon toward a tuner purchase. The last link is a good link to find out what free stations are available near your location.

Good luck.

B

Answer 2

May work for a while, at least until they go digital.

Answer 3

If you have an older TV with  the two s***w type of antenna mounting and fairly strong stations nearby, it will work a little. Split the wire about two or three feet and spread those ends out. Attach the other end of the wires to the two s***w terminals on the TV. If you can rotate the wire - maybe attaching it to a board - you might have better luck. You won't be able to pick up cable TV using speaker wire however, just over the air broadcasts.

The cable inlet should be grounded, so attaching the wire to it will ensure you don't get any stations.

Answer 4

We used to run our TV (many many moons ago) of a wire antenna shaped like a T and hooked onto the curtain rail.  It worked!

Answer 5

Rabbit ears would be better. about 9 bucks at walmart or target. Less at a thrift store if have them.

look at answer above also