Hey guys,

so I'm fairly new to this forum, and the 30+ pages of posts makes this thread a little daunting. I was hoping someone who lives in Dollard-des-Ormeaux could tell me their success with OTA HD. I'm moving there in a few weeks, to a street just off of Sources, close to the Marche de l'Ouest.

Thanks!!

the 100+ pages of posts makes this thread a little daunting.Hi and welcome here - the easy way is to put the term Dollard into the Search This Thread tool to the upper right and you will get all the posts in this thread for your location. :)

The other option for CBS HD is when WWNY reverts to 7 in February. He will also be able to get Fox in SD on 7.2 at the same time.

The noise margin on TVFool for Cornwall is pretty bad for both WFFF and WWNY. At least with UHF, you have a chance with a very high gain antenna. VHF antennas max out in the 11dB range, while UHF goes tot he mid-to-high teens.

Chances are, he'll get Fox SD locally (and HD when it converts to digital), and he'll have a fairly good shot at getting NBC/CBS/ABC from Mount Mansfield.

Both PBS stations will boom in with 30dB noise margins, so they'll probably be receivable with an indoor antenna.

Hi, my mother's home is located about 9 miles north east of Cornwall, ON. At present she can only receive digital channels 4.1 (CBOT), 9.1 (CBOFT), 57.1 etc (WCFE), 18.1 etc (WNPI). She can receive analog channel 5 (WPTZ) with some snow and analog 3 (WCAX) quite poorly. She would like to be able to get the digital 3 and 5 channels from Mount Mansfield. She currently has an old VHF/UHF antenna with RG59 cabling and a preamp that may not be functioning.

Based on the TV Fool report below, would a CM 4228HD antenna (probably can’t get a CM 4228) and a 7777 preamp (about 50 feet of RG6 cable) permit her to pick up the WPTZ and WCAX digital signals?

Since the existing CJOH VHF analog channel 8 (future UHF digital Channel 45) is located only 9 miles east of her location, is there potential for signal overload from this station with the preamp (now or later when this station goes UHF)? Also, would the directional nature of the CM 4228 address this concern as long as the antenna wasn’t pointed due east or would overload still be a problem?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Lorne


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3098/3171873930_261a52e480.jpg

larelr2003...

You might have some trouble with WCAX-DT. At present, WCAX-DT is broadcasting on Channel 53 (re-maps as 3.1 etc). As of mid-February, WCAX-DT will broadcast on Channel 22. CBOFT-DT is currently on Channel 22 as well.

Any luck with getting the channels from Watertown, NY

Yes, and looks like CHCH from Ottawa will be on Channel 22 in 2011 when CBOFT switches back to Channel 9. WPTZ on Channel 14 is a concern too with CJMT from Ottawa now on Channel 14 until 2011 and a low power station in nearby Massena (antenna located 20 miles away) staying on 14.

Would the directional capability of the CM 4228HD address these conflicts? For example, if the antenna was pointed directly toward Mount Mansfield, would the other 14’s fall sufficiently into the antenna’s low gain areas so that WPTZ (14.1 etc) could come through? Would it “lock” to the strongest signal, like FM, or would the tuner just get confused? The whole purpose of upgrading our equipment would be to get WCAX or WPTZ. If it looks like this would not be possible because of the channel conflicts (and/or too weak a signal from Mount Mansfield), we will likely have to abandon the concept and reluctantly look for other TV reception options.

Nothing from Watertown with the current old setup and, based on TV Fool’s charts, it would appear to me that Watertown would still be well out of range with our prospective upgrade.

Lorne

It sounds like you're in one of these middle zones between markets and only get what spills over between these markets.

Personally, I would upgrade my equipement before I would go for SAT or Cable service. I'm really not a fan of paying $30-$40 a month for TV. But, I think you'll have a problem with WCAX-DT and even WPTZ-DT since both are at Mount Mansfield. Unlike WPTZ-TV which is on Terry Mountain in NY.

I would suggest you contact a TV antenna installer in your area to run a test from your location. They might charge you a few bucks to run the test with their test antenna. That way you'll know if it's worth it to you to upgrade your equipment.

What I don't understand is how is it that people in Ottawa can pick up WWNY from Watertown, but you in Cornwall can't?

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=95758

I live in the West Island, 2km West of St-Charles boulevard, almost 1 km North of the 40, in Pierrefonds, and like most of you in this area I currently don't receive OTA HD CBC/SRC/TVA/etc. transmitted from downtown Montreal due to shadowing from Mt. Royal.

Here's what to expect for those of you living in the same area for OTA HD, following some research I did as to why to my surprise I receive CIVM-HD (17.1, Tele-Quebec) which started transmitting 2 days ago.

It's VERY promising for the future !

I have a CM4228 atop a 10 foot pole on my rooftop, pointed toward Mt. Mansfield, from which I easily get OTA HD from PBS, ABC, CBS, NBC & FOX. I also have the recommended CM preamp for that antenna in the attic (don't recall p/n). Antenna bearing is 156 degrees magnetic. According to TVFool.com range to Mt. Manfield is 82.6 miles from my home.

Since I was told 17.1 transmits from atop the Olympic Stadium, and I receive it 81%, I was surprised because I suspected Mt-Royal would shadow it. By the way apparently the transmitting power of 17.1 is slightly more than 9kW.

So I went on Google Earth and discovered why: from my location, the Olympic Stadium is actually LOS (line-of-sight). Range is 18 miles. I then checked by how much the bearing would change if/when 17.1 transmission is relocated to Mt. Royal (like many other channels are expected to be; by the way range to Mt. Royal for me is a lower 15 miles). It turns out that it would stear by 10 degrees, toward the South, i.e. the angle between Mt. Mansfield & Mt. Royal is 66 degrees, compared to the angle between the Olympic Stadium and Mt. Mansfield which is 76 degrees.

This means that most likely, when transmissions of the various channels are relocated to Mt. Royal, I should be able to receive them with no problem or needed modification to my setup, because (1) range (from 18 to 15 miles) and deviation from Mt. Mansfield (from 76 to 66 degrees) are both reduced/improved for Mt. Royal compared to the Olympic Stadium. The radiation pattern for the CM4228 is such that I will have a higher gain for transmissions from Mt. Royal compared to the Olympic Stadium at that lowered angle (I was afraid I might sit in a node with very low gain, it won't be the case). And I will surely be LOS, antenna base height at the Stadium is approx. 200m (from sea level), versus Mt. Royal which is approx 223m (mountain top) + 112m (tower) = 335m.

Yahoo !

I did not know TVA was broadcasting in digital HD....is that correct?

I live in Pointe-Claire,(at boul. St-Jean and Aut. 20), 2nd floor, with a DYI 4 bay bowtie (cost me $5.00 + 30 min), and with 4 story apts in LOS, I get all US HD channels (except of course WVNY), pointing south east thru a window...

but here's what I don't understand, I also receive TQS digital whose antenna is at Sherbrooke est, near Lafontaine park, yet I can't get CBC/SRC, whose antennae are on Rene Lesveque, near Jacques Cartier bridge...I am surprised Mount Royal does not block off TQS, as it does CBC/SRC... The only distinction re. LOS is that the LOS for TQS is just of the back side, but thru, Mount Royal (north), whereas the LOS for CBC/SRC is thru the south side of Mount Royal... any other thoughts appreciated...

Thanks to all

balm:
I find google earth very useful, there is a RULER tool where you can draw a line from one point to another. Download google earth (not the website google maps) and type in your address...then search for the SRC/CBC building and draw a line between these two points (from your home to the CBC/SRC broadcast tower), see if mount royal (you can change the angle of the map using the arrows on the top right corner of the software to see if your line goes through any part of Mount Royal).

yuprules:

Exactly, that's what I had done, thanks to the knowledge from you connaisseurs. And that's where I saw the LOS goes thru Mt-Royal on the south side for SRC, but the LOS also goes thru on the north side for TQS, although more towards the north edge - but I receive the TQS signal, strongly. Can such slight distinctions in angles thru Mt-Royal account for this...

When are they moving onto Mt-Royal - I emailed the stations but replies are slow in coming, if at all...

thanks again for the prompt reply.

balm, you can check on station status and discuss their present and future operations in this thread:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=51210

And of course your own reception is discussed where we are now. :)

balm

I find SRC and CBC really "fussy", I've NEVER seen a decent signal from that tower in all the homes I've helped setup OTA. I've setup ota from Ville Saint Laurent, to LaSalle to Brossard...it's just UGGGGGH 60% ish is the highest I've seen. Maybe not enough power, bad location of their transmitter.

CBC is worse, their power is lower if I recall correctly.

yuprules:

Wow, 60% for CBC, that would even be great, especially since I lock on TQS at 40%...

I get 50%, barely a lock for SRC...not watcable. I can't get CBC in my home at all. Hang in there for them to move to Mount Royal "soon" with the construction starting this spring.

yuprules:

I know, I know, just I can't wait to get rid of Videotron...

BTW, yesterday I posted about my DYI 4 bay bowtie, incl. JPEG, but I don't see it here. Any ideas what happened? thanks

guess I will repost it

to west islanders, Pointe-Claire:


Yesterday, to my amazement, I was able to intermittenly pick up digital CBMT (20.1) and WVNY (13.1) using my DYI 4 bay bow-tie reflectored antenna. The antenna had to be placed some 25 ft high. What's more is that I am surrounded by 4 story apartments and of course completely in Mount-Royal's shadow (near Sources and Highway 20) for CBMT! Even stranger is I cannot get CBFT (19.1) at all, which is beside CBMT and stronger powered!


Also, I lost TQS which I was previously getting with my reflectorless smaller DYI bow-tie version, and is closer to LOS than CBMT!


My bow-tie version are pictured in the "Antenna Research & Development" forum, under the "Bow-tie help" thread.

Any comments.

Thanks.

to west islanders, Pointe-Claire:


Yesterday, to my amazement, I was able to intermittenly pick up digital CBMT (20.1) and WVNY (13.1) using my DYI 4 bay bow-tie reflectored antenna. The antenna had to be placed some 25 ft high. What's more is that I am surrounded by 4 story apratments and of course completely in Mount-Royal's shadow (near Sources and Highway 20) for CBMT! Even stranger is I cannot get CBFT (19.1) at all, which is beside CBMT and stronger powered!


Also, I lost TQS which I was previously getting with my reflectorless smaller DYI bow-tie version, and is closer to LOS than CBMT!


My bow-tie version are pictured on the "Bow-tie help" thread.

Any comments.

Thanks.
Very interesting! I'll have to try to re-scan my channels tonight and see what I get. This is with a pure UHF antenna? I have a Channel Master 4228 8-bay bowtie antenna.

With many of the U.S. stations down for the digital HD switch over, now is not the best time to be rescanning and mucking with your antenna direction to try and get Montreal stations :) Just saying :)

daMaster:

Yes, A UHF home-made 4 bay - with help from the likes of mclapp - go and take a look at it...

I am hoping with elevation and pre-amp I will lock on...I also have to improve the reflector to target these channels.

yuprules:

you are right, I discovered that when I could not get a glimpse of CBS yesterday!