Hey guys, I grabbed a quick vid with my phone at lunch today to show you what Global 6 is looking like vs CTV 13.

The phone makes Global actually look a bit better than it really is. You'll see it's black and white and there are squiggly lines somewhat horizontal in nature. The B&W kinda hides the clarity of the signal, it's quite grainy but you can see it for sure. I have the sound off on both but both channels have clear audio.

In it's current position I've tried to zone in Global by turning the antenna ever so slightly. Best I can do is get some color in the video in certain spots.

Do you guys think this is one of:
a) Moving to roof should help this and is pretty much only option (I'll have to wait till spring)
b) You've got the strength, just need to cleanup the signal (FM loop etc)

-MWcrlyA_sg

This antenna may or may-not be best for you . Can you provide a link to your TVFool results so we can help you make a selection?

Here you go

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d3cf4fecc2a3a65

malstew

where/how is your current antenna mounted? Current antenna (to be replaced) is mounted on roof and can be seen here (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=106108) <runs and hides!!> although I will admit I have no idea if it is pointed correctly to begin with.

All info has been greatly appreciated. So much to absorb to begin with. Many thanks

Regards

R

H
Do you guys think this is one of:
a) Moving to roof should help this and is pretty much only option (I'll have to wait till spring)
b) You've got the strength, just need to cleanup the signal (FM loop etc)

While moving to the roof is the best long term solution, you can make things better for now buy buying a cheep pair of rabbit ears (the $10 type that don't have a UHF loop) and combining them with your current antenna using either a UVSJ or an HLSJ.

Here you go

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d3cf4fecc2a3a65

Is that the results for your specific location or for Kanata in general? It makes a difference.

Rogue,
I bought the "super" 8-bay clone antenna. The clone antenna I bought, did not get very good reception below ch21. When I upgraded to a CM4228HD all of a sudden the UHF channels below ch21 improved, and I picked up CBS/fox (28.1/2 -- ch18).

Malcolm

Is that the results for your specific location or for Kanata in general? It makes a difference.

Sorry, I entered my postal code but I guess that wasn't enough. Here's the one with my full address

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d3cf43674b56f2c

Becks,
looks like you are behind a hill in Kanata...almost everything is 1Edge from both ottawa transmitters. It doesn't look like you entered height information in your TVfool report -- if you plan on mounting the TV on your roof you should at least make it more realistic and give it an 1st/2nd story height approx. Have you thought about where you are going to mount your antenna?

I think you are in a good position to receive ch7 so you definitely want something that is good in VHF-hi.

Malcolm

Hi folks,

I'm also in Kanata and am relatively new to the world of OTA TV. I ditched Rogers cable a few months ago in favour of a combination of OTA + internet streaming video. So far, so good.

I am trying to increase the number of channels I get OTA. I am using a cheap Monoprice antenna model HDA-5700 mounted outside on the back of the house about 8 feet off the ground and pointed at Camp Fortune. The back of my house faces NNW, more or less.

Here is my TV Fool info: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d3cf43467f75a22

I can get most/all of the Camp Fortune channels (except 6, I will have to try that FM trap I read about earlier) but none of the HC channels. I'm assuming that is because the antenna is mono-directional. Also, the orientation of my house is such that while I can point directly at CF, I cannot point towards HC because the house is in the way. Rooftop isn't really an option for me as She Who Must Be Obeyed doesn't like the idea. Any thought on what I might do?

Thanks,

Brad

malstew,

I added an approx height to my tvfool info and edited my last post with the new info. I can mount the antenna near the roof but would prefer to put it in the attic if it works.

bjmills,
your TVfool report puts you at 100ft you should reduce that to 8ft if you plan on keeping your antenna at that level. If your commander in chief doesn't want the antenna on the roof... she probably doesn't want a 100ft antenna tower in your backyard:)

Looking at the HDA-5700 specifications on the monoprice page it says it has "high directionality" and that it has a "low-noise" amplifier. Considering that they don't list the noise figure of the amplifier... it probably isn't that great. I am going to go out on a limb here... and say that it probably isn't the right antenna for your location:)

..so update your TVfool report so people can get a better gauge of what you need in an ota solution.
Malcolm

As per title :-) Here is an updated report. I was doing a "what if" earlier...

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d3cf424689b54a8

You reckon a different/better antenna would be the call here? I'd still prefer something low-key like that Monoprice unit. Very tiny, very inconspicuous. I guess there will be a trade-off between size and performance?

bjmills,
I think that a better antenna is called for...outside for the locals a CM4221 should have better performance than your monoprice antenna and it isn't too much bigger. The CM4221 won't be that good at VHF frequencies (ch6) but you could supplement with a dipole antenna for ch6 (as suggested to bucketo by roger1818 a few posts back).

bjmills/becks:
Do you have access to your attic? Check out the configuration in post #89:
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=1149015#post1149015
Although not as good as a roof mount, for those of you with partners who do not appreciate the asthetic appeal of a well designed antenna mounted on their hose... it may be a good enough solution.

Perhaps someone with more experience can comment on becks TVfool report and an attic mount.

Sorry, I entered my postal code but I guess that wasn't enough. Here's the one with my full address

As malstew said, you seem to be on a hill with south-western exposure since you have LOS to the CKWS transmitters in/near both Smiths Falls and Prescott but 1 edge to both CF and HC. As a result your signal strengths for the locals are much weaker than most have, but still very receivable. The other issue you have is there is a 110 degree separation between CF and HC, so you will want something with a very wide beam width (for UHF at least). As a result, unless you use a rotor, you will likely need separate VHF and UHF antennas.

For UHF I would go with either a CM-4221 (http://www.channelmaster.com/HD_television_antenna_Channel_Master_CM_4221HD_HDTV_Antenna_ s/44.htm) or maybe even better would be a ClearStream2 (http://www.antennasdirect.com/store/C2-Clearstream-DTV-antenna.html) due to its ultra wide beam width (though it is more expensive).

For VHF, I still argue that separate antennas for VHF-HI and Channel 6 will be best, but since this isn't for everyone, the best combined option would be either the Wade/Delhi VIP-302SR or VIP-303SR (http://www.wade-antenna.com/Wade/VIP%20&%20ZIP%20Antennas.pdf). Both are out of production but the former is available locally and the latter I might be able to get in a bulk order.

As for the US channels, malstew is correct and WWNY (along with WNPI) may be receivable, but aiming your antenna(s) at them may cause reception problems with some of the locals since they are 1edge (as discussed before).

I am using a cheap Monoprice antenna model HDA-5700 mounted outside on the back of the house about 8 feet off the ground and pointed at Camp Fortune.

That Monoprice antenna is not your best choice. There are better stealth antennas and as malstew said, the CM4221 (or CM4220) aren't that much larger or obtrusive but will give you much better results on UHF. Unfortunately there are no good, small VHF antennas (I dispute Monoprice claim's that theirs will receive VHF well). If we only had VHF-HI to worry about, it wouldn't be to bad, but unfortunately Channel 6 (VHF-LO) needs a very big antenna.

The back of my house faces NNW, more or less.
...
I can get most/all of the Camp Fortune channels (except 6, I will have to try that FM trap I read about earlier) but none of the HC channels.

NNW is obviously the wrong direction to receive HC. Could you move it to the EEN side without complaint's from "the boss" (and not have interference from the neighbor's house)? Use the "Maps" tool in TVFool to see a satellite image of your house with lines to the transmitters (turn on "Show lines pointing to each transmitter") to see if you can find a place with an unobstructed view to both towers. Otherwise you could try putting it in the attic.

Thanks to all who have responded. You've helped a great deal and I've got some good ideas to look into.

Brad

Yes, thanks for everyones help. Next step is to get an antenna and see what happens...lol

Roger1818, malstew don’t discourage bucketo. My Best DT channel is -15db nm worst is -39.5db nm. Money will get it for you.

Don't mean to discourage... but based on bucketo's posts we were understood that he was looking to save some money by cutting cable and going with a simple rooftop solution.

My Best DT channel is -15db nm worst is -39.5db nm. Money will get it for you.

Are you sure those are noise margins not received power? I find it difficult to believe you can reliably receive a signal with a noise margin of-39.5 dB.