you should be able to get 43 (A channel Ottawa) no problem if you can get 60(OMNI) and 65 (CITY TV). How bad is the reception on 43?

6 would be a problem since it is a really weak signal from Camp Fortune. I think they are vertically polarized or something. I never understood why the signal from them is so poor on a horizontal yagi 40 km away

43 is snowie and black and white, can't watch anything. 6 i don't get at all.

43 is snowie and black and white, can't watch anything. 6 i don't get at all.
do you get 32 CITS?

Camp fortune: 4, 6, 9, 13, 24, 30, 34, 40 analog; 22 and 25 digital
Herberts Corners: 11, 14, 32, 43, 60, 65 analog
South Colton: 18 analog, 23 digital
Lyon Mountain: 57 analog, 38 digital
Vankleek Hill: 39, 48 digital
Lancaster: 8 analog

I don't get
6 from Camp Fortune
43 from Herbert Corner
Nothing from Lyon mountain and Vankleek Hill

Hello, I live in Ottawa and I would like to have my Sony Bravia TV hooked up to an outdoor antenna to receive some HD channels. I was thinking about buying the Channel Master 4221. How many HD channels will I expect to receive? Will this antenna be the right choice? Please advice. Anyone from Ottawa here in this forum?


Thanks in advance

Giraldilla

I was thinking about buying the Channel Master 4221. How many HD channels will I expect to receive? Will this antenna be the right choice?You need to check out http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=69697 for info on Ottawa stations. For an overview, check out http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=716830&postcount=243

Basically, right now you'll get CBC english and french, for which an indoor antenna should be enough, and with an outdoor antenna, you may get PBS from Norwood or Plattsburg, if you're lucky. A 4221 may not be enough for PBS -- a 4228 or a DBGH is better.

Also check out the Gray Hoverman forums http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=69697 as many of the principals in those forums live here in Ottawa.

TVl

Thank you tvlurker and stampeder.

Giraldilla

Have a look through this thread and you'll see how people near you are doing. I'm sure you'll find great advice. :)

K, so I tried a radio shack antenna , with a 50 foot RG6 cable connected to test it.

Left the antenna unpowered, on the 3rd floor of the house facing South.
connected to a Panny Plasma PZ77U

I get CBC-DT 4.1 100%

But I don't get CBC FT ??? 9.1 ?? can't seem to auto-find it?

I can get 9, 13,14,24,30,34,40,65, (all analog)

And only 4.1 is DT/HD and perfect, sound/picture perfect.

While 13 and 24 are OK for analog.

Ideas?

But I don't get CBC FT ??? 9.1 ?? can't seem to auto-find it?


CBOFT-DT is only at a third of the power of CBOT-DT. Try powering up the antenna. If you're on the south side of your house, it may be shielding you too much from Camp Fortune. (But I can get both channels most places in my house)

Also, try without the cable. You should be able to get CBOFT-DT anywhere in the house, but the loss on the cable may be too much for CBOFT-DT.

If you're not getting 11, 32, 43, or 60 from Herberts Corners, the loss is probably too much on the cable. Try the amp, or try without the cable.

If this is an indoor antenna, you're not going to get much after a 50ft cable run, even RG6.

TVl

Hi, thanks for the good advice,

You were exactly right that the french CBC was lower power.

I adjusted it, tried it powered and unpowered and adjusted the position.
Put it higher etc.

I got 9.1 in the clear now, perfectly. Sometimes if I move things, the signal strenght is 45% and less then it gets pixellated.
I am still working on the analog channels as well as the issue with the cable length. (like using a powered distribution amp to potentially 3 TVs.)

I realize that what I'd really like is a SBGH or CM4228 to improve the UHF, but I am starting with this to see how it goes.

I wonder if I could use the VHF antenna for local stuff, and a good UHF antenna for fringe and combine them at the distribution amp.

Are there amps that smart? Where you can filter and pick and choose the signals you combine.

I got 9.1 in the clear now, perfectly. Sometimes if I move things, the signal strenght is 45% and less then it gets pixellated.


Don't forget that 4.1 and 9.1 are the remapped numbers -- the stations are actually broadcasting on UHF channels 25 and 22 respectively. Make sure you use a UHF antenna, and not simply telscoping rabbit ears, which are for VHF.

I wonder if I could use the VHF antenna for local stuff, and a good UHF antenna for fringe and combine them at the distribution amp.

Are there amps that smart? Where you can filter and pick and choose the signals you combine.

There are amps that have separate inputs for UHF and VHF.
You could also get a JoinTenna, which would allow you to combine ONE specific channel.

One thing I'm considering is the fact that the latest ATSC tuners seem to handle mild multi-path pretty well, so once all the local stations convert to digital, you may get a good enough signal on all the local channels with whatever antenna you're using for the out-of-town stations. If the deepest null in an antenna pattern is less than about 30dB NET (so a Front to Back ratio in excess of 45dB for a 15dBi forward gain antenna, then I figure most Camp Fortune digital stations would come in quite fine in central Ottawa.
Of course, all bets are off if the stations all opt for 1 kW UHF transmitters, in order to simply cover Rogers local headend and thus get cable placement.

Depending on how long your cable run is, though, you may not need an amp for the ocal channels, so you could combine your local antenna after the preamp, perhaps.
You will probably need a preamp to get PBS from Norwood or Plattsburgh. Otherwise, the only other out-of-town channel you're likely to get consistently is the CKWS (CBC Kingston affiliate) repeater in Smiths Falls. Since most of their non-news non-CBC programming is available elsewhere on the Ottawa dial, you may not want to spend much effort in that derection.

Hey guys,

I have strong signals for both French/English CBC using rabit ears. I live in a Barrhaven (chapman mills). Do I have a chance of getting PBS with this home built antenna installed in attic? or do I need something better?

TIA ;)

tvl >> in order to simply cover Rogers local headend

Does Rogers even have an off-air headend anymore? Or would they just get those signals piped to them from the TV stations via fiber optic? Technically, they do have a massive backhaul network for their internet operations which has probably ruled out the old VHCM up around 14 ghz

Does Rogers even have an off-air headend anymore?

I don't know if they pipe in all the local stations, but I was speaking of the notional headend as a technicality. (This was based on when that ch. 15 pirate in the Beaches in Tornto was applying for a license at the CRTC, and there was a lot of discussion at the hearing about whether their signal would cover the Rogers headend in North York, and the consequent impact on "priority carriage" on cable.) I thought the regulations actually speak about Grade B contours within the BDU's licensed area, and nothing specifically to do with headend location, so I don't know why that discussion happenned.

Certainly TVO and CBC are not received over the air. Don't know about the others. I'm pretty sure that WNPI was OTA analog until recently. Now it looks like the digital signal, which is probably OTA too, but I don't know. (After analog shutoff, they carry the WNPI-HD subchannel on analog 64)

And in the early days of Detroit TV on Rogers Ottawa, the distant headend was certainly OTA since the signals exhibited classic examples of OTA analog impairments (co-channel beat-bars, snow, etc.)

beleaf17, follow the advice you've already received from Eraser88 over in the Gray Hoverman thread who believes that you'd get PBS from Norwood from Barrhaven with a SBGH. For absolute best U.S. reception you could build the DBGH instead. Don't bother with any other DIY antenna out there - the Gray Hoverman is the best in the world. :)

you'd get PBS from Norwood from Barrhaven with a SBGH. For absolute best U.S. reception you could build the DBGH instead.confirm to that statement. I get PBS from Norwood with the SBGH antenna consistently at any time during the day. I also built a DBGH for stations in Watertown but only recieve signals from there when the weather is good.

thanks guys ;)

Could those from Ottawa please put their neighbourhood in the location field in their profile? This will help people compare reception results. Thanks.

some propagation tonight - got WSYT-DT on channel 19. Something digital trying to come through on both 17 and 47 but they seem to disappear. WROC from Rochester registering 40% not quite enough but better than WUHF. On analog I have a really good picture of PBS channel 33 from Burlington. Will see if any of the digitals are there too

nothing from Burlington for digital. probably because all their stations are the same frequencies as 1 megawatt analog channels from Ottawa so not even a chance except for 53 but my antenna cuts out around 48