If you use the term "Barrhaven" with the Search This Thread tool you'll get a massive amount of info to keep you reading for days! :D You'll do great.

WNPI should be receivable with a good, outdoor antenna, but you may not be able to receive any other US stations reliably. As for CJOH, it is on VHF-HI to the north, and you may need a different antenna for it, especially if your antenna is pointing south. Global has been approved to move to UHF.

I'm in Barrhaven near Cedarview and Jockvale.

Just had a rooftop antenna installed yesterday - a CM-4228, all the locals are coming in and looking awesome - even Global. I was really hoping to be able to pick up at least PBS from the U.S., but no dice. Installer initially had a 7777 pre-amp hooked up, but that that did nothing. The antenna is mounted close-ish to the ( metal/aluminum ? ) chimney - Could that pose any interference with pick-up of signal ? He thought that might make a bit of a difference to possibly add an extender pole to get it up a little higher.

I supposed a photo might help, but wanted to run this past you folks for opinions before I explore that


Here is my report

http://www.tvfool.com/option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d990006a94d527c

Another question as an OTA newbie. Should I be able to get 5.1 audio OTA, or just stereo ?

Foxenhimr -- is the front of the CM4228 facing south (e.g. toward Herberts Corners)?

A couple of suspicions:
--If the antenna was not pointed carefully, the WNPI signal could be outside of the narrow 25 degree beamwidth of the CM4228 and not getting much, if any, gain. WNPI and Herbert's Corners are usually a few degrees apart.
--Any obvious obstacles in front of the antenna? Trees, etc?
--Added antenna height could probably help

My downtown reception of WNPI is very intermittent (usually mornings/late evenings only) but you should be able to get much clearer WNPI reception than me. I only once got it to scan in on my CM4228HD last year. However, after my June 2012 change to the DB4e, I have at least gotten the channel information to scan in every single rescan (about 10 rescans now), even if I can't get a video signal.

~millergd~

Hi all,

I've recently moved into a third-floor apartment in Ottawa, not far from Baseline and Woodroffe, and this is the first time I've tried over-the-air TV in a long time (and never used OTA in Ottawa). I have no balcony, so I'm limited to an indoor antenna only, so I'm not expecting stellar results, but I'm wondering just how many channels I can expect to get. My apartment faces north.

Here is a link to my TV fool results: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d99005ecdbd093e

Currently, I can receive:
CBC (CBOT)
Global (CIII)
CTV (CJOH)
TVO (CICO)
Tele-Quebec (CIVO)
V (CFGS) very poorly
TVA (CHOT)

I'm just wondering if there is any realistic chance of picking up any of the channels coming from the south-east (e.g., CHRO, Omni, City), or if the channels I currently receive are as good as things are likely to get?

Thanks for your help!

tross, judging from your results, I would assume your apartment is facing either north or west. Apartments are really bad for letting signals pass through them (all that cement and steel), so your chances of receiving reliable reception from the south-east are probably slim, but you never know.

What type of antenna are you using? A small, good quality (i.e. not a Walmart special) outdoor antenna can make a good indoor antenna. Adding an ultra low-noise pre-amp (such as a Gerry B special) may also help (consumer grade amps will likely make things worse).

Hi Roger, thanks for your reply.

Yes, my apartment is facing north. Currently, I am using a Terk antenna (CFDTV2) that I purchased at The Source. I readily admit that I am far from being an expert on these things, so I don't know if this antenna is garbage or not (couldn't find any reviews online, but it was recommended by the sales-guy who told me that he also uses the same antenna at home).

Not sure if this is the right place to post, but seems like it.

I'm in extreme western Ottawa, near a village called Fitzroy Harbour. I'm out on the river, facing roughly west, probably 30 miles or so as the crow flies from Ottawa, maybe a bit more. Ottawa is almost due east of us, perhaps east south east. Unfortunately behind us, in that direction, is a hill, quite close--we're on a ridge, and the ridge steps up behind us.

We've tried a couple of indoor antennas, the GE ones that are flat frames that you can hang on the wall. Nothing.

After poking around here in these forums, I have figured out that perhaps we won't be able to get any channels from Ottawa, because of the hill behind us.

I've done the TV Fool thing, assuming a 20-foot aerial:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d990048268080b0

I'm having trouble interpreting the results. I see all those Ottawa channels directly east, but I see a couple of other channels coming from other directions. French channel don't do us any good.

I'd be content, frankly, if I could just get CBC. I don't want to have to do a complicated installation, I'd actually prefer to have something just up in the attic, if I could. Any suggestions?

Hi tross. Unfortunately, as roger1818 points out, apartment buildings are a serious obstacle to good reception. But the omni-directional antenna you purchased might not be ideal for your situation...

I live in an apartment facing south in the east end (near Montfort), and can receive most of the channels coming from the north (except Global 6) using an indoor Terk (C)HDTVa directional amplified antenna (see below). Facing south I do have the advantage of being able to pull in PBS Watertown and Mountain Lake as well as CBS/FOX.

Since you purchased from the Source (they boast a "try it and return it" antennae policy) you could return yours and give the Terk (C)HDTVa Pro ( http://www.thesource.ca/estore/product.aspx?product=1505315) directional amplified antenna a try instead, which you could return again, if you don't get better results (they also go on sale once in a while). You could point it in the direction of the south broadcast stations to see if it gives you better results. I'm just recommending this before going the potentially "ugly" outdoor antenna indoors route. Otherwise, probably any simple rabbit ears antenna with UHF loop would get the same channels you are getting now from the north.

Note that if your HDTV's channel scan process does not find certain channels, you might be able to find the sweet spots for you antenna by moving it, then entering the broadcast (not virtual) channel directly into your TV. Adjusting an antenna to tune in "difficult" new channels with a modern HDTV is a lot less easy than it used to be with analog TVs.

Hi Fota, thanks for the suggestion. With the directional antenna, would I have to rotate the the antenna myself if I switch from a channel from the north to a channel coming from the south (and vice versa)? Or would the antenna still be able to pick up the stronger signals from the north, even if pointing south?

Thanks a lot!

(It's unfortunate that the antenna you linked is only available online--makes it a bit harder to try out :( Edit: And not even online anymore!)

Hi Woodrigeite and welcome.

You are in a bad location! However, with a good outdoor antenna, you should be able to pick up CTV, CBC, TVO and eventually Global (once it moves to channel 14 and is higher on the tower). You might be able to also receive CHRO (CTV2) in analog (SD) from Pembroke. I don't think you will be able to receive much else reliably.

If you are eligible, you might want to apply for Shaw's free LTSS programme (http://digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=143941) to supplement what you can get OTA.

FOTA, While silver sensor clone antennas (like the Terk (C)HDTVa Pro) are pretty good, I still think there are better options for tross. A small outdoor antenna will have much better gain than an indoor one and I don't recommend any indoor antenna with an amplifier as the amp provided tends to be of poor quality and will thus make things worse.

With the directional antenna, would I have to rotate the the antenna myself if I switch from a channel from the north to a channel coming from the south (and vice versa)? Or would the antenna still be able to pick up the stronger signals from the north, even if pointing south
That's my experience, since my apartment is facing south I need to point the antenna towards Camp Fortune (North) to get all the local channels (except still can't get Global 6) from there well, and all of the local channels from Herbert's Corner (South) come in all the time, no matter what direction the antenna is facing. But I do need to point my antenna south sometimes to get a clear signal on WPBS or CBS/Fox (I pretty much get WCFE all the time = LOS), depending on atmospheric conditions. In a north facing apt., I would not expect you to be able to get any US channels.(It's unfortunate that the antenna you linked is only available online--makes it a bit harder to try out :( Edit: And not even online anymore!)
That antenna was available in store at the Gloucester Center when I bought it a little while ago; I remember even then the web site stated online only? Dunno what's up with that.

Ok, more newbie questions here:

Is there an actual "front" and "back" for an antenna ? ( in my case a chimney-side roof mounted 4228 )
If there is a "front", then it's currently aimed at CF with the idea that it was the best way to pick up the most locals. I'm getting great reception for what's marked green in TVF report, but absolutely nothing for WNPI. If the ant was "directional" I would consider aiming the front at HC in hope of picking up pbs. This being said, there is a rather large cluster of spruce trees in the direction of HC, so this might not even be an option. Installer is going to put an extender pole to increase antenna height next week, so perhaps this will make a difference.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d9900267a72e998

^^^Yes, most antennas have a front and back. In the case of the CM-4228 (or any bowtie antenna) the front is the side with the bowties and the back is the side with the reflector bars (or mesh). The idea is that the signals will bounce off the reflector, thus doubling the amount of signal received by the bowties (a 3dB increase). Some signal will pass through the reflector, so you will receive strong signals from the back side of the antenna.

In the case of Yagi, LPDA and combo antennas, the shortest elements are at the front and the longest ones are at the back. This can be a point of confusion as some antennas have angled elements that point towards the back, so they often inadvertently get installed backwards.

The ratio of the gain for signals received on the front vs the signal received from the back is called front-back ratio and is often around 15 or 20 dB (which translates to somewhere between 1/30 and 1/100 in real power). Removing the reflector will reduce the forward gain slightly but drastically increase the rear gain, and is often useful for people with equal strength signals from both the front and back (Wade used to sell a reflector-less bowtie antenna for this purpose).

So if I turn my HD-8800 reflectors back to their shipping position or maybe even 45degs i could boost my back side(CF)? CJOH is weakish.

^^^CJOH is on VHF and the reflectors on the HD-8800 are probably too short to reflect VHF signals, you would be better off getting a small VHF antenna. One good option is to modify the C2 VHF Reflector Assembly (http://www.antennasdirect.com/store/C2-VHF-Reflector-Assembly.html) to have the dipole attach directly to your mast (discarding the included reflector).

Hi,

I have cancelled my bell TV and am replacing with OTA. I am located near Baseline & Greenbank. Here is my tvfool profile.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d99005beffa322c

So far I tried an indoor antenna (NorthVu NV20 Pro) but was only able to get a 4 channels with low strength, I would like to get everything in the green. The next logical step for me is to replace the old dish on my roof with an antenna. I am planning on returning the NV20 and bringing home a Channel Master CM 4221HD.

Since the dish mount has all of the cables running to it I assume that I will be able to reuse that with the antenna. The one thing I am concerned about grounding, will the grounding setup from the dish be fine with the antenna?

Thanks

Hi Asharx, the CM-4221HD will be as good an antenna as any for your location. You optimally should add an antenna for VHF-HI to receive CJOH on 13 reliably, but it may be strong enough without. I don't know anything about the NorthVu NV20 Pro, but given that they don't give any specs on their website, I would say your results are to be expected.

You should be able to reuse the cables from your Bell dish without any problems. They likely used good quality RG-6 cable.

As far as grounding goes - I'm not sure how satellite dishes are normally grounded, but with an antenna, both the mast of the antenna and and coax should be grounded.

There's a good thread on grounding methods and standards here: http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=62265&page=59