I made a modified version of this with some wire, cardboard, and tin foil. Works great. I have a house and this is used on the first floor, mounted right beside a window: http://members.shaw.ca/hdtvantenna/
The key is that they are directional, to be fair, I do have to turn it around a lot for certain stations, but where I'm at they are all more or less due south.
I use this technique with old family photos and it works great. I've found the hardest part is keeping things flat, but if you can get that then you'll get good results. The only real problem I've had with this method is that on a partly cloudy day, the colours may be different depending on the cloud cover at the time of the shot. Now I only do it on a clear sky day with the light diffusing blinds pulled down.
I work for a Utility in their Protection & Control department...DO NOT use a home-brew approach to do this if you are anywhere serious about other people's safety. If someone does get hurt, the utility will probably be able to find out where the power came from (especially if they have 'smart' metering in your area). Transformer work in both directions - they step up, they step down.
That said, what you're proposing is theoretically doable. Your best bet, as some posters already pointed out, is to go with the expensive (i.e. tested and UL or ULc approved) equipment or install the equipment on an isolated circuit. The people who mentioned HomePower Magazine have a point...but I believe the product was called the microsine (uSINE?) inverter and was specifically designed and tested for this application. The manufacturer was Trace (I think they have another name now though). You may be able to pick up some used ones (or other kit) on ebay or something similar to reduce your costs.
I've worked in across the country here and everywhere I've worked you require that the installation be installed according to the local electrical code. NEC in the US, Provincial in Canada (I think each province has their own code there). HomePower Magazine is a great resource for renewable energy in general. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in the topic (I've been getting it for years).
High voltage is already 'transmitted' in pressurized bus work. The bus work is pressurized with SF6 gas and is regularly used with voltages up to 500kV. This is common in Transformer Stations and other high voltage equipment (breakers, etc). You can come within 3' of a 500kV bus that's pressurized in SF6 (you can theoretically touch the outside of the bus work too, but I wouldn't). Unfortunately it's not economically feasible to do this over long distances.
SF6 in itself is not toxic to humans, although it has a nasty habit of displacing all the oxygen in your vicinity. The by-products created when electrical arc occur within the SF6 gas are extremely toxic.
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I made a modified version of this with some wire, cardboard, and tin foil. Works great. I have a house and this is used on the first floor, mounted right beside a window:
http://members.shaw.ca/hdtvantenna/
I am in the process of making this, but the first one works so well, I've kind of put it off...(at least until after the Olympics):
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/762088/coat_hanger_hdtv_antenna_better_than_store_bought_amazing/
The key is that they are directional, to be fair, I do have to turn it around a lot for certain stations, but where I'm at they are all more or less due south.
I use this technique with old family photos and it works great. I've found the hardest part is keeping things flat, but if you can get that then you'll get good results. The only real problem I've had with this method is that on a partly cloudy day, the colours may be different depending on the cloud cover at the time of the shot. Now I only do it on a clear sky day with the light diffusing blinds pulled down.
I work for a Utility in their Protection & Control department...DO NOT use a home-brew approach to do this if you are anywhere serious about other people's safety. If someone does get hurt, the utility will probably be able to find out where the power came from (especially if they have 'smart' metering in your area). Transformer work in both directions - they step up, they step down.
That said, what you're proposing is theoretically doable. Your best bet, as some posters already pointed out, is to go with the expensive (i.e. tested and UL or ULc approved) equipment or install the equipment on an isolated circuit. The people who mentioned HomePower Magazine have a point...but I believe the product was called the microsine (uSINE?) inverter and was specifically designed and tested for this application. The manufacturer was Trace (I think they have another name now though). You may be able to pick up some used ones (or other kit) on ebay or something similar to reduce your costs.
I've worked in across the country here and everywhere I've worked you require that the installation be installed according to the local electrical code. NEC in the US, Provincial in Canada (I think each province has their own code there). HomePower Magazine is a great resource for renewable energy in general. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in the topic (I've been getting it for years).
High voltage is already 'transmitted' in pressurized bus work. The bus work is pressurized with SF6 gas and is regularly used with voltages up to 500kV. This is common in Transformer Stations and other high voltage equipment (breakers, etc). You can come within 3' of a 500kV bus that's pressurized in SF6 (you can theoretically touch the outside of the bus work too, but I wouldn't). Unfortunately it's not economically feasible to do this over long distances. SF6 in itself is not toxic to humans, although it has a nasty habit of displacing all the oxygen in your vicinity. The by-products created when electrical arc occur within the SF6 gas are extremely toxic.