Chiefbroom, I agree with flavoie and you should definitely point your antenna toward HC (to the south). The CF stations are very strong and you should receive them regardless. As for what antenna I would recommend, a 2-bay bowtie (such as a DB-2 or CM-4220) should be good for UHF and a pair of $3 rabbit ears for VHF (combined with an UVSJ). You could even try with only the UHF antenna as all your VHF stations are very strong and should be easily received (Global is always the hardest one to receive though).

Hi,

I live in Champlain Park and am interested in mounting one antenna to my chimney to replace an unused Bell expressview dish. There is coax running from there to the basement and then to my TV area. I'm looking to receive HD channels and would like to know what gear would give me the most channels for a single antenna. My tvfool profile is as follows:

http://www.tvfool.com/option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3dec1274b2bb0bd9

A relatively simple to operate system would be best.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Eric
Your tvfool doesn't work. I created one by using the address of 130 keyworth street (next to Champlain park, Ottawa).

Here is the result: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d67d96b3c45503d

That being said, you could most likely setup a good outdoor antenna on your current dish mount if the dish mount is located in a good location relative to the broadcast towers and local obstructions. I have an old Bell dish attached to a standard mount that also has an additional mast coming out of the top for my antenna. I'm an OTA enthusiast, but by NO means an expert... the good thing about this forum is that there are many people who are patient and love explaining stuff, but use the resources that are already available such as the antenna chart.

Here is a link to the antenna chart created by forum royalty:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=97121

Chiefbroom,
I live in Vieux-Hull and I have a CM 3000a (omnidirectional), and honestly, its the best for this location because I get ALL the channels from HC and CF, with no exception. For some channels I had to switch off the amplification because the signal was too strong (ghosting). It's in my attic and even with snow over my rooftop or when there's a big storm, I never loose the signal! I hope this could help

Slicknick,

Are you getting Global channel 6 with your CM3000a ?

Did you ever open that antenna ?
.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d0b86ddf85adc3e

Hi, I've been reading this forum for a while now and I can't wait for the spring to come.
(Still not sure which setup I'll get.)

Meanwhile, according to my report, do you think an indoor antennas would pull some channels? Which ones are the best? I'm in Gatineau not too far from the Alonzo bridge. My TV is in the basement............

Thank you,

So I got some rabbit ears from The Source.
I only receive CTV (80-85%) with this antenna in the basement.
Oh well.

I will probably try a CM4228 on the roof in the sping and we will see what I can get then.

Rabbit ears are only good for VHF. Since most (but not all) DTV broadcasts are on UHF, you will need an antenna which receives both (for an indoor antenna, it may include rabbit ears for VHF).

Having said that, basements are very bad for receiving TV signals, so even then you may have troubles until you get the antenna on the roof.

My rabbit ears work just fine. You just have to shorten them up for UHF. I know they are not idea but in a pinch a simple adjustment is all that is needed. For example, for CTV, place the ears horizontal with a tip to tip width of 26". I would say face a window or toward Camp Fortune. In my case CTV is stable at 80%.

Slicknick,

Are you getting Global channel 6 with your CM3000a ?

Did you ever open that antenna ?
.
BOUVAL,
yes I do receive Global ch 6 with my antenna, and no I never opened it!

Hi Everyone,

My first post, although I've been reading this forum for almost 2 months now.
I finally decided to cut the cord (satellite) and hooked up a cheap pair of rabbit ears (with uhf loop) to my flatscreen. After seeing the quality of OTA images on my TV, I decided to invest a bit more time and money to see how far I can go.

I live on the north end of Aylmer, where there's some elevation. From the south side of my roof, I overlook the river and most of Nepean so I thought I had a decent shot at some US channels.
Last week I installed a 91XG to the 100ft length of RG6 my dish used to be connected to.

This is my tvfool.
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d0b86f5135abecc.

Without a preamp, I easily get all local channels (even global) from CF and HC when pointing towards the river
When I point my 91xg towards South Colton, I get WNPI solid at night but some pixelation during the day. I also get (at night) WNYF, WCFE when pointing towards Plattsburgh and WWNY when pointing towards Watertown.
I plan to hook up a CM7777 to improve PBS during the day. I know I'm close to CF but I'm not too worried about overload since those signals come in from the backside and the 91xg has a huge front/back gain ratio (CBC and TVO barely come in)

My question is this, I want to avoid a rotor so if I can get CBS and FOX from South Colton (WNYF), is there a reason I want to point to Watertown (WWNY) if it's the same feed ?

Has anyone ever received WWIT (ABC) in Watertown? That transmitter is only 5 miles farther than WWNY but looks to be much weaker according to tvfool.

BTW: At night when I point to Lyon Mountain, I get WCFE and WNPI. Maybe there's a sweet spot between there and South Colton that will let me get WCFE, WNPI and WNYF :)

Sorry about being so wordy.

Andre

Welcome aylmer_dude,

I would be more worried about overload from the HC stations as there is only a 3 degree separation between it and South Colton, but to have any hope of receiving WNYF-LD you will need to point directly at it. Also, you may want to consider an even lower noise amplifier than the CM-7777. There is also the issue of adjacent channel interference as channels 17 and 22 are broadcast from HC (adjacent to 18 and 23 respectively).

As for WWNY-DT and WWTI-DT, I don't think you have much hope of receiving either of them (though as you say, WWNY-DT is the same as WNYF-LD so there isn't much point trying).

Thanks Roger1818,

I already receive WWNY and WNYF, but only at night. My aim is for more daytime coverage.

BTW: Anyone familiar with the CM7777 circuitry ? I'm wondering if 'some' gain adjustement is possible by varying the supplied DC voltage. It would be nice to vary the gain remotely.

aylmer_dude;

You only need sufficient gain to overcome the loss in your coax and splitters.

You could try reducing the 'system noise', but you will have to buy a different amplifier.

aylmer_dude, it is not feasible to adjust the gain of the CM-7777.

FYI, signal amps that have "adjustable gain" actually have a built in attenuator either before or after the amp. IMHO, you are better off staying away from that type of amp and use an external attenuator only if you need one.

Ok, so my effort to receive WNFY during the day with preamps failed. I tried the CM7777 first, and as I (and you) thought, bigtime overload from CF. Lost almost all channels.
I then tried the DHP-269. Although all local stations stayed the same, the signal from WNPI actually got weaker. I suspect the high gain from the 91XG and being so close to CF, nothing can improve the signals from the US.
The CF signals are so strong and can probably get most channels with a plastic coat hanger :)

My next step is an amplified distributor since I plan to split the signal 4 ways anyway.

Does anyone in the Gatineau/Ottawa area get WNYF 24/7 ?
I have no problem with WNPI and WCFE but I'd like to get FOX during the day on weekends.

Not sure if last night's thick fog had anything to do with it but from Aylmer, I could get WPTZ (over 150 miles away) for a few hours.

BTW: My 7777 works much better when hooked up just ahead of the tuner, not at the antenna. I also switched from the TV tuner to a 950Q USB. The 950q doesn't seem to be as sensitive as the tuner in my Dynex LCD (Yes, I said Dynex, go figure). I guess once in a while, they do put good parts in a housebrand TV.

At my cottage about 10 minutes up the road from Perkins, QC.(16 miles from CF and 29.9 from HC)My Antennas Direct DB4e at basically ground level without any other toys at the moment is able to get CBC Ottawa, Global(having some issue tonight...), CTV Ottawa, TVO, and I think Telequebec(30.1). Tuner is not locking onto anything else. Hopefully things will improve when I get my mast...

Had some amplified rabbit ears before that were able to pick up the same stuff when it was placed outside :eek:

Having your antenna at ground level is like putting a refrigerator on the back of a race horse and expecting him to win! :)Hopefully things will improve when I get my mast...Things will definitely improve once you can get that antenna up at least 10 feet in the air, but for best results any amount higher. Try entering different heights into your TVFool report to see the predictions.

Also, don't forget TVFool doesn't take local objects (like buildings and trees) into account. Getting your antenna above those will make a huge difference.

Hi everyone,

Like many others, I have just cancelled my Satellite subscription and I am hoping to have a nice enough setup that will only cost be 2-3 months worth of what I was paying already!

Now I am just starting to look and research, so lots of the terms are new to me, but it's very interesting and eager to get going.

Here's my TV Fool link: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d99006cec4e28bb

It seems like there's two good sources and there are very close to each other, will one affect the other? Should I point in the middle of both? Or perhaps a rotator is better so I don't have to worry about where to point?

At last, I am also not sure which type of antenna/pre-amp to go with, except that CM seems the brand of choice.