Wondering what to do with old TV antenna if it no longer works? Likely, your first thought is to toss it out for recycling as scrap metal.
But, surprisingly, there’s so much you can do with an old antenna, from sprucing up your home with rustic decor to handy kitchen rails, shelves, and dispensers.
Read on to learn all the many things you do with your old TV antenna.
Table of Contents
- Are Old TV Antennas Worth Anything?
- What Can I Use an Old TV Antenna For?
- Can You Use an Old Antenna on a Smart TV?
- FAQs
- Conclusion
Are Old TV Antennas Worth Anything?
Yes, but not much. The antenna may comprise some copper wire and aluminum, but not more than five dollars.
(Caption: Antenna copper rods)
However, there are practical applications for old TV antennas. So you can repurpose it and put it to different decorative and functional uses indoors and outdoors.
And sometimes, after some troubleshooting, you might find that it still works. Thus, you can use it as a supplementary antenna for your local channels and TV shows.
What Can I Use an Old TV Antenna For?
Donate to Charity or FreeCycle
When you donate to charity or The FreeCycle Network, they can repurpose them into all kinds of crafts and products.
And they can use or resell the items and put the funds to some use.
Gardening Equipment
Surprisingly, old antennas have so many applications in your garden. For example, you can use them as trellises.
Also, if you have climbing plants, you can use old antennas to support the plants. That way, the plants can grow upwards for better exposure to sunlight.
The antenna blends perfectly with plants.
Further, you can use the antenna metal rod as a potted bench or shed to hang plant pots.
Landscaping
If you love landscaping projects, you’ll enjoy working with an old TV antenna. For example, old tower-style antennas will provide support for simple constructions.
(Caption: Old tower-style antenna)
For instance, you can use the antennas at the base for a footbridge, raised walkway, or any other projects that need support in your compound.
Sunshade
Often, it would be best to have a sunshade to protect yourself from exposure to UV rays, and that’s where old antennas come in.
You can use the rods of the antenna to support a UV-resistant fabric. As a result, you can create a rigid and strong sunshade.
Laundry Airer
You can also use an old antenna as an outdoor laundry airer. For example, you can have a concrete type strongly established on the ground or simply attached to the wall.
Rustic Decorative Sculpture
Rather than dispose of an old antenna, you can transform the antenna into an attractive rustic structure you can apply in different ways.
First, clean the antenna, sand it off properly, and apply paint.
Then, stick them on the ground in any pattern or design to hang fairy lights, lanterns, bird feeders, and streamers.
Alternatively, you can design a pile of metal rods from your antennas. For example, weld the rods into rustic and waterproof sculptures.
You can make various designs of varying color shades or those you love best.
Dispensers
Old antenna poles can make raw materials for various DIY home projects.
For example, you can use the poses to make dispensers and holders for foil, toilet rolls, paper towels, cling wraps, or even toilet paper. And that’s not all.
Also, you can make curtain rods out of the antenna rods. Or you can design a lampstand using the antenna.
Shelving
Another thing you can make using your old antenna is some shelving on corners and joints.
See, the metal struts from the antenna can make classic industrial chic shelving.
And these shelves you can install on plumbing connections, which make excellent corners and joints.
Kitchen Hanging Rails
Believe it or not, your kitchen is not left out as well. For example, you can use the antenna to make hanging rails.
You can turn them into S-hooks to suspend your utensils, pans, and pots more conveniently.
Herbs Drier
Another kitchen use for an old TV antenna is making a suspended herb dryer on the ceiling. To do that, use metal rods, S-hooks, and metal chains.
That’s an excellent way to make your kitchen a more serious cooking space.
A place where you speed up the drying process of herbs with minimal strain.
Make Shallow Plant Pots and Bird Bath
You can use defunct satellite dishes from your roof to make pots and bird bathing places.
Also, if the antenna is still functional, you can use them to boost the WiFi signal at home.
Can You Use an Old Antenna on a Smart TV?
Thankfully, you can use our old antenna on your smart TV. However, you must check its status to ensure it functions properly.
And sometimes, you may need to do some modifications, like replacing the coaxial cable and other damaged components.
Once done, you can connect your antenna to the antenna input at the back of the smart TV.
Like digital TVs, smart TVs have an ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) tuner that converts the incoming signal from the antenna to pictures on your screen.
Therefore, a regular antenna will work on your smart TV if it still works.
Note, though, that the number of channels you will enjoy will depend on the quality of your antenna, how you’ve aimed it, and the available frequencies within your region.
FAQs
Should I Keep a TV Antenna?
Yes, you should. Because there are various ways you can use it at home. For instance, you can use it for decorative and artistic pieces or utensils in your home.
Or you can sell them as scrap metal.
However, don’t expect to get so much because as much as they contain some aluminum and copper, it’s not so much.
Can an Old Antenna Receive Digital Signals?
See, both analog and digital television broadcasts use UHF and VHF frequencies.
And antennas, even the standard type, can transmit both signals.
So, after troubleshooting and finding that the old antenna still works, it can receive digital signals.
Can an Old TV Antenna Be Used as a WiFi Booster?
Unfortunately, this is highly unlikely. That’s because there’s a significant gap between WiFi boosters and TV antenna frequencies.
While an antenna works in a frequency of up to 600MHz, Wifi operates at a whopping 2.4GHz or 5GHz.
Conclusion
Now you know what to do with old TV antenna. And what’s great is that there’s a long list of ways to use it.
For example, you can repurpose them into items you can use as decor or equipment in your kitchen, garden, or compound.
Or you can renovate the old antenna and use it on your smart TV.
However, you may not get much when it comes to recycling antennas as scrap metal. Thus, it should be your last option.
