Hi guys,

I'm wondering if you have any ideas. I used to be setup with rabbit ears and could get all the hd and analog channels on my tv. It would be flaky in bad weather so I figured I'll give it a real setup and connected an antenna on the roof. Ever since I've done so, I'm only getting CBC and Radio-Canada HD as well as SunNews channels. The analog ones aren't as clear (although I only care for HD channels).

You guys have any idea as to why my reception has gotten worse by putting in an antenna on the roof rather then rabbit ears???

TVFOOL: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d03f37fbaaba4ee

Thanks,

suretma, what brand/model is your antenna, what is the total length of all your coax cable, and are you using any signal devices (splitters, preamp, etc.)? Do you have a signal strength indicator on your ATSC device?

suretma, you want to aim the antenna towards HC at 166 degrees true, and even optimize for the best reception number for these channels: City, Omni1/2 at 17,27,66. Then see if you still get your strong CF channels even though they are at almost 90 degrees. Inside you would have some attenuation but also could benefit from some signals bouncing off walls and helping slightly. On the roof, you don't have these reflections so you want to be sure to aim properly.

For those that want good reception of both CF and HC, which are at opposite ends of Ottawa-Gatineau, the antenna needs to be outside.
Even a simple 2 bay or 4 bay "M" antenna, that is easy to build will cost you less than $20, if you buy all of the parts. It is small and almost invisible and can be mounted along one side of a chimney or other simple location. A simple LNA (preamp) will really help.
Plus depending on your location, some of the US stations will be available, depending on sky conditions.

Not true,

I get all the ottawa stuff plus pbs from my attic.
Get fox and cbs in the evening.

Are you still at the southern edge of Avalon, Mr Canoehead?

I agree with ve2vq's assessment in general for the area covered by this thread, although obviously some people may have luck with an attic antenna. As has been clarified many times here over the years, an attic antenna is not a recommended option. Due to all the problems an attic may cause for TV reception it is only a choice for those who cannot mount their antenna outside.

Hi guys,

Thanks for your answers earlier. I was away on holidays so sorry for not answering.

I'm currently using a cheap GE FUTURA antenna from Canadian Tire which I had lying around. As I had said, I could get all the channels when it was lying on the floor in my room but now I get the 3. CBC R-C and SUN.

Here's more details about my setup as you'd requested. I have 3 TV's connected to the antenna. I have about 75 feet of coax from the antenna to my splitter. Then each TV has it's own run in the house that varies from 20 to 50 feet.

My antenna is on the peak of the house. Do you guys have any recommendations on what I need to get these channels again. Should I just throw it in the attic to get the bouncing signals? Do I need 2 antennas? Moving the antenna unfortunately hasn't done much. What should I purchase to get the setup I want to work in Gatineau.

I would have to say that you are seeing some of the problems that are typical with products like that. If you can return it for a refund and get a better antenna your problems will be much easier to fix. :)

If it is not on the Antenna Chart I would not buy it:

Suretma, start with a better antenna then a good preamp because of your long runs. 4221hd, 4228hd, hd8800 with a cm7777 preamp are sure bets but will only give you UHF.

Are you still at the southern edge of Avalon, Mr Canoehead?

I agree with ve2vq's assessment in general for the area covered by this thread, although obviously some people may have luck with an attic antenna. As has been clarified many times here over the years, an attic antenna is not a recommended option. Due to all the problems an attic may cause for TV reception it is only a choice for those who cannot mount their antenna outside.
Yeah I am still in that location and unfortunately my attic install was "recommended" to me by the wife. I don't feel like I am missing anything by not getting fox and cbs all day.

Well in the last two days TVO and Global have gone digital.

At my cottage on Danford Lake using a 4228hd and a 7777 pre-amp, my people are reporting success with a solid lock on TVO digital HD on rf24.

No success yet with Global. I have a ten element Delhi 10y6s channel six yagi antenna in a box waiting to be assembled and mounted. That will have to wait until Labour Day.

Once the dust settles on the transition I expect to receive:
CBC, Sun, TVO, CTV, Rad-Can, TVA, V, Tele-Que all in rock-solid digital HD.

I think I have a hope of pulling in Global with great effort and a dedicated single-channel antenna. And I hold out a faint hope of getting CHCH and maybe some Omni channels since when I scan the tuner is already finding them.

So, for the record, my 7777 and 4228hd nailed to a tree directed at Camp Fortune is already locking on and providing rock-solid HD CBC, Rad-Can, Sun, and now TVO. After Aug 31, all UHF French channels will be a certainty. The big test is going to be VHF-hi Rad-Can on 9 and CTV CJOH on 13. I expect them to work and I hope they do because a simple 4228hd + 7777 nailed to a tree will be a pretty easy do-it-yourself project for cottagers in the Gatineau.

Stay tuned for HWP's "Cottage Country OTA HD Prescription" coming to this thread in September.

I think Sun-TV is going offline according to Heritage canada site.

Sun may/will eventually go off but it's working now so I'm going to count it as an "add" for now.

I could be wrong, but my gut is telling me they'll be around after September 1 for a while longer.

Unfortunately I think SUN TV OTA will be history in 2 weeks. Last week I even saw OMNI on-air ads stating their Ottawa channel will be 20 on August 31st. Perhaps SUN will will panic due to their cable/bell battles and realize that they still need OTA. If so perhaps they can make a deal for another frequency. The CRTC seems very flexible these days on this type of issue.

They have another frequency (channel 33), but their current authorization is for an antenna located in the middle of the CBC's channel 4 antenna near the top of the Ryan Tower at Camp Fortune.

Now if TeleQuebec (ch.30) has a spare port on the combiner for the antenna it shares with Radio-Nord (channels 34 and 40), perhaps that could be hooked up in a hurry. Not sure if the fact that channel 40 is an independent TVA affiliate, and thus "in the family" with Quebecor-owned SunTV will help.

In preparation for the transition to Digital TV after reading many reviews I just purchased a Zinwell ZAT 970A converter to be able to watch OTA DTV. After setting the converter up I no longer receive channels that I received with my rabbit ears (Nexxtech 1501857) previously along with my old 1990ish Qasar TV.

I've been looking through a lot of threads and am now just overwhelmed. I am at Gatineau River level and live in a single storey home with a tin roof, so I doubt that an attic-based antenna would be very good. I also have trees and some hills between me and the signal source.

Here are the TV Signal Analysis Results for my coordinates from TV Fool (http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d9e74ece7d5dcce).

I'm not a big TV watcher but I do like TVO, CBC and the odd other show. Since TVO switched over to digital last week, and we've only got another week or so until all stations switch, we're in a bit of a pickle and would really appreciate any suggestions that won't cost a lot of $.

Herring, could you be a bit more specific about what stations you do receive, both in analog and digital?
Your TVFool looks good. I know others in Farm Point by the river where there is NO line of sight to Camp Fortune, so their prospects are dim.

The hills should be taken into account by TVFool, but not the trees or other buildings.

@TVlurker - Up until now I received CBC (4 and 9), TVA, TVQ, CJOH, TVO and Global and some others on occasion. I'm also hidden from a direct line of sight to Camp Fortune but have a lot greater angle than those at the bottom of the hill in Farm Point.
After hooking up the antenna to the converter I just get CBC (4) with vertical white lines in analog mode, nothing in digital mode other than a "check your antenna" message.

Herring, where you getting analog 4/6/9/13/24/30 snow free, or was there some snow present?

Your antenna looks to be a simple, non-amplified pair of rabbit ears for VHF and simple loop for UHF.

If there was any snow in your analog reception, you might need a better antenna for digital.

Your converter appears to support analog passthru. Are you turning the converter off in order to watch the analog channels on your TV's tuner?

4 and 9 were snow free, 24 was unpredictable, 6 & 13 were usually very snowy, the others I would very rarely even try to tune into.
I was looking through the Decision Chart for antennas (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=840&d=1312822805) and thinking that I should maybe try the Zenith Silver Sensor? Just don't want to purchase one and have it wasted.