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ON - Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Brantford, Haldimand

648K views 2K replies 301 participants last post by  Jase88 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
OTA Results for the Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Dundas, Brantford, Woodstock, Haldimand, and surrounding area. This is an open discussion forum about Results in those areas, but keep your posts on topic.
 
#2 ·
Dundas ON

Just started playing a bit tonight, but with a Channel Master 4228 located in a spare bedroom in Dundas ON, so far I've managed.

Analogue: 6, 11, 36, 45 (Hamilton)
17 (WNED Buffalo)
Digital: 15-3 (Toronto 1 Hamilton)

Since I've managed to pick up one of the Buffalo analogues from Grand Island, I'm hoping that the digitals will also be possible, but no luck yet.

And I was a bit dissapointed to see Toronto 1 broadcasting a 16:9 digital signal, but showing the ABC feed of MNF in SD. I thought I had gotten lucky and actually had some OTA HD to watch tonight :)
 
#4 ·
11 miles south of Brantford Ontario - results before new tower

CM 4228 ground level on mast (8-10')
CM 7777 pre-amp.
Humax HFA 100 receiver.
Terrain= flat
60 miles from Grand Island

Antenna will be going on a tower with a rotor hopefully this weekend along with a Wade 306, is it a waste of money (wade) depends on how long analog signals last I guess.

signal strength %
2-1 WGRZ-D 70
4-1 WIVB-HD 90
4-3 WNLO-SD 90
7-1 WKBW-DT 80
21-1 WXXI-HD 0
21-2 WXXI KID 0
21-3 WXXIQ 0
21-4 WXXI-TV 0
23-1 WIVB-HD 60
23-3 WNLO-SD 50-60
29-1 WUTV-HD 0-60
29-2 WUTV-SD 0-60
29-3 WUTV-EN 0-60
43-1 WNED-HD 80
43-2 WNED-SD 80
43-3 WNED-B 80
49-1 WNYO-HD 0
49-2 WNYO-SD 0
54-1 WQLN-DT 0
66-1 WXFP-DT 0

The 0-60 WUTV might be better if repositioned?
The picture quality otherwise is good. 47" Panasonic.

Maybe some of the stations might improve when positioned with the rotor. I havnt tried for any other stations ie: Toronto etc but only 70 miles from there .
 
#5 ·
Hamilton Antenna Question

i live of the 15th floor of an apt building that faces the lake in hamilton ont. i have a set of rabbit ears that gets me cfto, cbc, tvo, global, cts, channel 57 and the two omi channels my ? is what king of anntena would i need to pick up the buffalo channels like abc, nbc, fox and wb.
thanks
 
#6 ·
dts1 said:
i live of the 15th floor of an apt building that faces the lake in hamilton ont. i have a set of rabbit ears that gets me cfto, cbc, tvo, global, cts, channel 57 and the two omi channels my ? is what king of anntena would i need to pick up the buffalo channels like abc, nbc, fox and wb.
thanks
Hi dts1, you have altitude on your side and that's a good thing to have :). By "facing the lake" which direction: East, Northeast, Southeast? We have a few DHCers from the area so you could even tell us a street corner and I'm sure someone will know where your building is.

Do you have a balcony? If you are able to see in the direction of Buffalo from it you could put an antenna on a simple mount outside, position it in a direction half way between Toronto and Buffalo, and then move it a few degrees at a time in the direction of Buffalo while changing your tv channels back and forth between Toronto and Buffalo stations until you find a direction at which your antenna gives the best signal for both. Then you can lock it down into that position.

Here's hoping its that simple. If you cannot see in the direction of Buffalo its still worth trying for scattered signals, in which case the CM4228 antenna is your best bet. You will not need a preamp. Also its not likely that you will get WB because of reasons you'll find in the GTA OTA thread.
 
#12 ·
dts1 said:
i have a view of st catherines but not a good one the side of the building kind of blocks it a bit also where can i find an outdoor antenna my local radio shack does not have them in stock thanks
OK, first things first: this entire OTA Forum has a mini-FAQ, several stickied threads, and tons of great info, but you need to do the reading to familiarize yourself with what others have done in your area and where you can purchase gear. Thats what the stickied threads are all about.

Having said that, I think you're going to have reception difficulties with Buffalo stations, although you may receive enough scatter from them to get a digital lock. A professional with a signal spectrum analyzer would be able to take a reading from your balcony and tell you exactly whether or not you should try for Buffalo stations, and also what kind of antenna to use if so. Check the stickied thread regarding OTA equipment for dealers nearest you.
 
#13 ·
Hamilton, ON near the lake

dts1 said:
i have a view of st catherines but not a good one the side of the building kind of blocks it a bit also where can i find an outdoor antenna my local radio shack does not have them in stock thanks
Go to Nutech and pick yourself up an SL-4BT (approx $40). Aim it between CN and Skylon Tower and see what you get. I'm in Oakville and it works fine for me, I'm further from Buffalo but maybe have a better angle of view than you do.
Worst case you may need a rotator or twin two of them.

http://www.wade-antenna.com/UHFantennas.htm
 
#14 ·
Ready123 said:
Go to Nutech at 166 Parkdale Ave N and pick yourself up an SL-4BT (approx $40). Aim it between CN and Skylon Tower and see what you get.
That's good advice given that Oakville is so close to him, but as I say given the weird angle towards the Buffalo stations he should get a pro with a signal analyzer to check his balcony for free before making a purchase, because if there are scatter conditions as I mentioned he'll be glad to have a bowtie reflector type, such as a 4BT-1483, and not just a bowtie like the SL-4BT. If you look in the Burlington results you'll see CM4228s being used, and they have reflectors. There's no hurry to make the right choices, and I'm not dissing your advice to him but that balcony's direction is trouble. :eek:
 
#15 ·
Professional opinions please... Woodstock

I am new to this forum and it has some great threads!

Here is my situation:
We live in Woodstock, Ont. and live about 77miles from Erie,Pa. according to the GPS program I tried in another thread here. There is a VHF/UHF antenna (about 10' long) strapped to the chimney with an el-cheapo preamp right now. I have a Dish 811 receiver connected to it and we can get the analog signals okay (12,24,35,54 and somewhat weak fox66). When I scan for digital channels it finds several but it never does lock onto them when tuning. Signal strength is all over the place - from flashing on 0% to a high of 69% and usually averages 48-49% on DTV channels. If a buy a 4228 (rated at 60 miles) and a 7777 preamp, can I reliably get these channels? By reliable, I mean not in July, at sunrise, with a humidex of 41C, but also in the winter. Woodstock is fairly high, so we do not have any major obstructions to worry about.

Thanks for all the advice in advance. I just do not want to spend over $200 (local quote) for both pieces if they won't work for us.

Steve :D
 
#17 ·
Erie digitals from Woodstock

Steve if you can get analog signals,you should be able to get digitals.The dish 811 is not as good as some with weak signals.Wqln dt on channel 50 is at full power .Digital signals do not like multi-path signals,make sure antenna is aimed correctly.If wqln analog 54 is a sharp picture with no shadows on picture then you can receive their digital signal.If you had a rotor you could aim the antenna for each city.The Buffalo stations are not out of reach from Woodstock and their at full power except WB.
 
#18 ·
rob50312 said:
Steve if you can get analog signals,you should be able to get digitals.
Not the least bit true - especially with UHF signals. You do not live in a deep fringe area like Steve and I do.

I have a top of the line antenna system (about 50 miles west of Steve). Depending on the weather, I can get Zero ATSC signals, 12 the next night - and my personnal record - 87 NTSC and 27 ATSC.

Unfortunately, none of the ATSC signals are reliable except in the summer and I pay for SC 3 seasons of the year.

The line for reliable Erie ATSC reception apparently runs east from Aylmer, down through Straffordville and then along Hwy 3 to the Jarvis area.
 
#19 ·
Erie from Woodstock

987654321,Steve says he is 77 miles from Erie and FCC mandate is that dtv reception mach their analog when at full power.I am 87 miles from the Buffalo South towers and always receive their dtv signals .Some cable box atsc tuners are not as sensitive.If analog WQLN comes in sharp than you can receive their digital.
 
#20 ·
ERIE from Woodstock

Steve it does appear all erie digitals are at low power .WQLN is at 39KW and should still come in.The rest are at very low power .When they get up to full power you should receive them.
 
#21 ·
I wouldn't want to bet that Erie ATSC stations come consistantly in Woodstock. I am 80 miles from Detroit ATSC stations which are at 1M watts and I cannot receive them 24/7/365 . I also have the Delhi 60 foot tower.

What must be realized is that signals travel farther distances over water. In Mississauga watching Buffalo channels, 90% or more of the signal travel is over water. The same cannot be said for Woodstock looking at Erie.
 
#22 ·
reception distances OTA

The height of tower and height above sea level of the towers will determine the reliable range and antenna height at reception.Going over water as flat definitely will help.Buffalo and Erie have towers are on high ground in the hills.Buffalo south towers were installed when tv begun to serve cities of Rochester,Erie,Toronto before they had their own stations.Detriot towers are on low ground reducing their range in comparision.
 
#23 ·
Thanks for all of the great replies..

I think that I will plug back in the rotor and try to point the antenna at Buffalo when I get home. I'll let you know how I make out. There are more trees in line with Buffalo but we have a clear line of sight to Buffalo. Thought with Erie being closer it would be easier to receive. But did not realize they were not at full power.

Thanks again,

Steve

P.S. I work in T'Burg and know it is not a problem to pick up ATSC Erie stations with an outdoor antenna.
:D
 
#25 ·
South of Brantford Ontario - results after new tower

Approx 11 Miles South of Brantford Ontario
Humax HA100 digital receiver
CM 4228 Ant
Channel Master Titan 7777 duel input masthead preamp
Rotor 9521A
Now on a 60' tower
The tower was needed in order to receive wireless internet so I might as well kill two birds with one stone so to speak:)


2-1 WGRZ-DT 80%
2-2 WGRZ-DT 80%
4-1 WIVB-HD 90%
4-3 WNL0-SD 90%
5-1 CBLT-DT 90%
7-1 WKBW-DT 90%
9-1 CFTO-DT 60%
15-1 CKXT-2 90%
23-1 WIVB-HD 80%
23-3 WNLO-SD 90%
25-1 CBLFT-D 60%
26-1 WNYB-DT 80%
29-1 WUTV-HD 90%
29-2 WUTV-SD 90%
43-1 WNED-HD 90%
43-2 WNED-SD 90%
43-3 THINK-B 90%
53-1 WPGH-HD 90%
54-1 WQLN 80%
66-1 WFXP 60%

Many other stations show up on the receiver but too weak a signal get a picture such as WPGH,WUHF,WOUC,WFUM,WNVB,WDWB
 
#26 ·
Great results tricky I think if you rotate your antenna almost dead south you might even get Erie.

You should be able to get them as they are right across the lake.

Those stations you listed that are weak are from Detroit, Rochester, and Pittsburgh. Its amazing what your 60' tower and height does for the signal.
 
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