Hi all! I've finally upgraded to an HDTV and now I need to get setup for the DTV transition.

Here is my TVFool: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d03d982a4227d9c

At the moment with a simple antenna at ground level I get 4-1, 9-1, CITY (17-1?), 20-1 and I think 27-1 (one of the OMNIs). I don't really care about analog stations as the new TV actually does a poor job with them vs the old TV. The old TV did pretty good at getting most local analog channels except Global. I would like to get Global post transition. I'd also like to get PBS, Fox and CBS. Apparently these are all "doable" from here. ABC would be nice but the -14.2NM seems a little out of reach from what I understand.

I intend on a mast mount on my roof which should be about 25-30' above ground level. Originally I was planning on a CM4228HD with a CM7777. Mostly due to the fact I can get the combination locally for a reasonable price. It was suggested to me that the CM4228HD might be able to pickup the Ottawa stations from the rear while pointing towards the US.

The best part? The wife is completely sold on OTA DTV and has been nagging me to get cracking on a new antenna setup. :)

All help is greatly appreciated!

Hey Mr jivany
A Hd8800 or cm4228hd pointed at wnpi, combined to a Vhf antenna pointed at CF should do the job, when combined with a cm7777 on the roof. You have a nice tvfool. The vip302sr has a gain of 4db on ch 6 vhf, is reasonably small for vhf and is available locally. By small I mean 9 feet wide maximum.

Hi guys,
I just relocated to a "roost" nine floors up facing south. I'm interested in recieving the US stations and wondering what my chances are. I've got a large balcony with a cement overhang of equal size (6'X12'). At present I'm using a forty year old single bay DB that could pull in CBS,NBC,Fox and both PBS from Mt. Mansfield to the backside of Mtl. West Island (Pierrefonds) a mere 75 miles. But I don't even get a blip using "TSReader".

Any ideas?

Create your tvfool report and post it here ! Pay special attention to put the right elevation In tvfool since you're at the 9th floor, because it will make a huge difference in the Ottawa region

Make sure to subtract 30 dB if your apartment is facing the wrong direction, but use the tvfool numbers otherwise

Here it is: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d03d9c9a8ba9afa

Finally got my antenna's installed outside (glad they survived the crazy winds yesterday, checked a couple of times to see if they were still there...lol) and now I get 28-1, 28-2, 7-1, 7-2, 57-1,2,3 24 hours a day which is what I was hoping to achieve. I also get 50-1,2 for 85% of the day. Of course all the locals are now 90-100% and the reception of Global is up to 85-90% and CTV is just as clear as Rogers analog signal.

that's excellent becks...glad for you!

becks, so you're pointing that vip302sr to WWNY and still get locals well from the back ? That's great ! It looks like you are perfectly aligned between CF & WWNY...

becks, could you show us some pics ? I'd like to know how the vip302sr looks on the roof... since my 302 is still in the attic while my 4228hd is on the roof.
you could post the pics here:
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=1282700

becks, so you're pointing that vip302sr to WWNY and still get locals well from the back ? That's great ! It looks like you are perfectly aligned between CF & WWNY...
Yep, took a little tweaking but that's exactly how it's set up

I'll post up a pick when I get a chance to take one, hopefully that will be tonight.

Hi all,

Still trying to determine an adequate antenna solution to receive PBS, CBS or more.
Here's my TVFOOL:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d03f3d459704786

I can face due south and I'm about 95ft above ground.
I played around with the Syracuse Google Earth map (WWNY-DT Ch7) and it looks like I'm level with Fisher Heights (blue/purple).

Is WWNY VHF or UHF?

Are Digiwav comparable to more established brands like Wineguard or Channel Master (or do you get what you pay for)?

any opinion welcome!

OTAJuncqui, it doesn't look so good from a tvfool perspective for the US channels. You'd need a high gain UHF antenna like an 8-bay, with preamp or very small coax length, just to get WNPI, one PBS channel (actually there are 18.1,18.2,18.3). If you pointed at WNPI, it is well lined up with the HC locals, so you'd get these easily, and the big question is how good you'd get the CF channels if they have to go through your apartment complex, then picking them up from the antenna's back.

And you might want to stick with the known brands like Channel Master, Winegard, Antennas Direct. The cloned antennas don't perform as well. Some others that swapped their clone antenna for a real one right here in these forums can testify.

Yep, stick with the good brands that are on the Antenna Chart. Also you can read many sad stories about junk antennas in the following thread: OTA Clone, Coat Hanger, and Junk Antennas (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=106108)

Thanks for the info. I'm leaning toward the CM4228HD as it's available within walking distance.
AND Monday morning I thought I'd do a scan with TSReader to see if anything had changed and was astonished to see WCFE at 39%!
First time I've ever had any result for a US station here in Ottawa.
This is using my 40 year old single bay that performs OK now for local
'cuz CBC is a bit dodgey thru the backside and the rest of my building.
It's mounted inside so adjustment isn't much trouble but here's another question: Is UHF affected by glass (patio style doors)?

If WCFE is stronger these days don't assume anything is permanently improved - tropo has been really powerful: OTA: Eastern Ontario & Quebec DXing, Tropo, Odd Reception: 2011 (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=139033)

Greetings all,
I've gotten interested in OTA a few months back and I was told to check out these forums here at DigitalHome.ca. I've been following the discussions and I've been impressed with some of the setups people have.

My situation:
I live in Bridlewood (South Kanata) and I'm looking to buy antenna(s) to get OTA. I'm considering trying to get the US channels including WWNY (ch 7). To that end, I'm thinking of buying the CM-4228HD (pointing it towards South Colton) and the VIP-302SR (pointing it towards Watertown) and add the CM-7777 pre-amp, attaching it via an eave mount or a wall-mount on the side of my house so that the antennas just stick out above the roof.

A couple of people on this forum seem to think that the Winegard HD-8800 is better than the Channel Master CM-4228HD, but I'm not sure why. Trying to research comparisons between these UHF antennas, I found the following webpages:

CM-4228HD vs HD-8800
http://www.antennahacks.com/Comparisons/CM4228_vs_HD8800.htm
Result: CM-4228HD has 4db better sensitivity on most channels, except on highest channels where HD-8800 has 1db advantage.


CM-4228HD vs DB8 vs HD-8800
http://www.antennahacks.com/Comparisons/CM4228_vs_DB8_vs_HD8800.htm
Result: CM-4228HD appears to be the best in most channels, except for above 40 where DB8 is the best.

And then there's the forum thread "OTA Antenna Chart" (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=97121) where they give recommendations of the best antennas. The HD-8800 and CM-4228HD don't even get mentioned. Instead, they recommend the HD-6200P.

So, my question is: Should I continue with my original idea (CM-4228HD and VIP-302SR, both on an outdoor mast) or should I replace the CM-4228HD with the HD-8800? Thoughts/opinions anyone?

BTW, here is my TVFool report:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d3e4721cc1494fd

Timo

I don't think you are reading the Antenna Chart correctly, timojaak... ;) BTW the AntennaHacks site owner is a member here at this site too and a lot of water has gone under the bridge regarding testing and evaluation so you'll see in the Antenna Chart thread that I've mentioned how the 8-Bay UHF antenna field is now crowded and that any one of the top 4 or 5 can substitute for each other in a lot of cases. The beauty of the Reception Results threads are that you can see what works in your area, so let that guide you.

I was looking of my balcony today and noticed something I hadn't before(last week).
There's a very tall white column about six feet in diameter and 15ft taller
than the Windfield Apt block which is mabye 80yrds to the east.
This is off Fisher Ave in the western Experimental Farm.
There appears to be a microwave array 2/3 up.
It's not visible on Google Maps, Earth or Streetview but I know those images are at least a year old.
Does anyone know when it went up?
Has there been any talk of moving from CF or HC?