I now live on the east end of the Hamilton Mountain near Limeridge and Upper Ottawa. I'm not sure if an outdoor antenna is an option for me as I live in a townhouse. Will an indoor setup work for me at all. I'm not to interested in the Toronto Stations. I primarilty want the Buffalo stations.

With regular rabit ears I'm able to get at least a grade B signal on these analog signals.

WUTV, WNED, WNLO, WNYB and somewhat poorer signal on WNYO.

hmm that doesn't work so good for you then, your at a much better advantage to recieve Toronto than Buffalo. An outdoor antenna would easily get you pretty much all the Buffalo stations.

with a good set of Bunny ears, you will pull in CBC, and probably CTV, and the Buffalo channels could go either way.

is it possible for you to mount an outdoor antenna in your attic? i think that would be the ideal sitation for you. That would bring most likely bring you the Toronto Stations and pretty much all teh Buffalo stations.

i'd say experiment with a silver sensor or something, and then if that doesn't work out, you'll need something stronger.

Ok heres the deal...I'm in Brantford, Ontario, I'm currently using rabbit ears for tv reception so I'm not looking for the world here...all I want is to be able to pick up a few extra channels, even if snowy, and I wanted to know what you think of the RCA CANT711 AMPLIFIED INDOOR AND OUTDOOR TV ANTENNA available at radioshack/circut city for about $130.00.
With the 'ears' I sometimes get some Buffalo Ny and Erie Pa channels (think it depends on the weather) and I wondered if this antenna would be able to bring them in more consistently for me. I dont care if they are perfectly clear or high def, digital, or anything like that...I just thought this would be an easy & not too expensive way to pick up alittle more then what I've got, so I'm thinking of going and doing it tonight (actually, any time now) and I would love to hear from anyone who has any thoughts.
Any quick advice before I jump ahead and do this will be really appreciated...so much so that I'm even going to publically post my email... elcsigns@sympatico.ca
Thanks
justmeeeee

that sounds like a lot of money for a radio shack antenna (which don't have the best reputation ever)

im sure it will work well for you, and bring in what your looking for, but i think if you read around on this forum, you could find a better antenna for less money, and where to get it in your area.

Thanks for the reply...I read and read and read everything I could here but it seemed most of the options were more complicated to install etc for what I needed.
I would have liked to have spent less but this solution presented itself and seemed to fit the bill, and it was on sale for $100. so I jumped ahead and bought it last night. I haven't gotten it outside yet, but even with it sitting in my basement rec-room at the moment, I have picked up a few more channels and cleared up the ones I had... so I'm happy for now.
My biggest problem seems to be that I get some kind of interference that seems electrical, but I think I've always had that problem so I can't blame it on the new antenna.
Any thoughts anyone has on this problem would be great.
Thanks Again
justmeeeee

why not get a roof mounted antenna, and try out ota digital? im in the process now , but from what iv read, its not that expensive or hard

The electrical interferance goes away completely with digital.
Get and ATSC tuner and you won't have snow at all. You won't believe the dramatic diference untill you see it.

This antenna can be roof mounted...I'm a dip my toe in the water type of gal...(but after I do I generally end up diving in head first) so I wanted to start with the easiest option first and this antenna can be indoor or outdoor.
I never even heard about over the air digital untill yesterday when I tried to do all the reading here about it that I could...too much too fast & pretty indepth stuff over the head of a newbie who doesn't even understand the basics yet, so I just confused myself lol.
I sure would like to learn and maybe give it a shot though so if you wouldn't mind answering my very basic questions about it I would really appreciate it.
-so are you saying that if I bought the ATSC tuner you mentioned I could try it out with the arial I have now (its the indoor/outdoor one I originally asked about) before I jumped into towers or attic installs etc?
-how much do one of those tuners generally cost and where would someone in Brantford, Ontario find one?
-and last but not least, how many/what channels could I expect to get here if I do add that tuner to my exhisting setup? and how many/what channels could I expect if I jumped in whole hog?
Again, I just want to thank you guys for any help...I really do appreciate it and will try not to wear out your patience!
justmeeeee
BTW...I notice you guys all list what equipment you have so I thought I'd best mention that I have a very old (probably 15 years) 21" Sharp tv, a cyberhome 1530 dvd player/recorder, and a laptop + dvd burner that are very tired of picking up the slack for my crummy tv station selection.

To give you an idea of what is available, i looked up an old post from the forum for your area, and pasted it here.

Approx 7 Miles North of Waterford Ontario
Humax HA100 digital receiver
CM 4228 Ant
Channel Master Titan 7777 duel input masthead preamp
Rotor 9521A
60' tower

2-1 WGRZ-DT 80%
2-2 WGRZ-DT 80%
4-1 WIVB-HD 90%
4-3 WNL0-SD 90%
5-1 CBLT-DT 90%
7-1 WKBW-DT 90%
9-1 CFTO-DT 60%
15-1 CKXT-2 90%
23-1 WIVB-HD 80%
23-3 WNLO-SD 90%
25-1 CBLFT-D 60%
26-1 WNYB-DT 80%
29-1 WUTV-HD 90%
29-2 WUTV-SD 90%
43-1 WNED-HD 90%
43-2 WNED-SD 90%
43-3 THINK-B 90%
53-1 CITY-HD 50%
54-1 WQLN 80%
66-1 WFXP 60%

A good way to judge if you'd get the DTV is; if you get the analog from toronto or buffalo, even with a bit of snow, you'll get the digital signal from the same stations.
As far as a tuner goes, a lot of new TV's are starting to come with built in ATSC tuners, but, so far, stand-alone set top boxes are rare in Canada.
Lots of places to buy online.
I'll send you a PM with a link.

Thanks for the equipment links and channel info.
I am going to look into the ota equipment suggestions
and it looks like I might just be jumping into that deep end sooner than I thought lol

I have moved the antenna to the roof and am suprised by how much difference a few feet makes. I'm even getting a couple channels I've never heard of...for now anyway. My reception is highly weather and time of day dependant so it will take alittle while to be sure.

I do have another question though, its a non digital question for the moment but will also apply to ota when I finally jump in. My antenna is in no way grounded. Can that be the cause of what I refer to as my 'electrical' interference...its not just snow, its kinda like lines across the screen on different, not all, channels...and not all the time. When I used to have cable I believe it was grounded where it came into the house (coax came into a connector attatched to a copper wire) so should I bring my antenna coax into that connector and would that ground it? I would give it a try without asking first but the antenna coax is to be connected to the 'booster thingy' that came with it and plugs into an electrical outlet, then all connections are to go from that. The directions say you cannot connect the antenna coax to any connector, splitter, etc untill after it runs through this plug in 'booster thingy'. Nothing is to be between the coax from the antenna and this thingy or you could damage everything. So should I connect the coax to this electrical thing and then the connector I believe is grounded? And, if this is a ground for the antenna, will running through it clear up those lines as well as provide lightning protection? I apologize for using such technical terms ;) ...hope you can follow what I'm talking about.
Thanks Again to Anyone Who can Help
Just me

Since you've put the antenna up on the roof, YES, It should definitely be grounded. A coax ground block before the amplifier (booster thingy J ) won't hurt the signal, but it could be after if that’s easier. Copper or aluminum wire to a water pipe, or you may have a ground block near the electrical panel in the house.

One cause of the electrical interference is equipment plugged into different outlets that aren't on the same circuit. Your amplifier should be on the same circuit as the TV. Another problem on older equipment is 2 prong plugs that aren't polarized with one blade bigger that the other. In that case it can be as simple as flipping the plug over.

A Good power bar with filter might help a bit. A UPS might help better. I've found getting rid of electrical interference to be a try it and see type of task.

Maybe it because of the long weekend (which I worked through), but I’m surprised Yamon or some of the moderators haven't jumped in here. Maybe they can offer some more semi-professional advice. :rolleyes:

Could also be because its not totally an ota question, but it doesn't matter because I need 'plain talk' advice and you've helped more than you know. If it wasn't for your help I'd probably of given up, or blown up what I do have to work with and be worse off then I was when I started...so who needs them anyway ;) unless of course you were trying to get rid of me politely.

I do have everything plugged into the same old cheapy power bar, including the antenna amplifier (see I pay attention & learn fast ;O) I dont know what a UPS is to try that though.

I'm convinced now that what I was talking about before is to ground coax because its right beside the electrical panel like you said, and its actually much easier for me if I do bring the antenna coax in that way. Only thing is, if I do then I will have to put the amplifier before the ground connection and dont think I will be able to have it on the same circut as the tv...but I'll experiment.

I've learned something else already too...to have access to more channels I should have got the other antenna they had that allowed you to change its direction because I'm going to have to chose between Erie Pa or Buffalo Ny. Was hoping I could get both areas, even if less clear, but I just cant find a direction where I dont lose one or the other.

Look at me...from 3 channel rabbit ears to wanting the world in less then a week. Looks like I'm standing on the diving board and you may just be helping create a monster!
Just me

Right now in Saskatchewan, not very good... lol

Oh well, so much for HD...

Good afternoon, everyone.
I'm located about 15 km west of Brantford along Hwy 53 near the little town of Burford, Ontario.
I have just purchased a Sony Wega 46" Widescreen LCD Projection HDTV model KDF46E2000 and am eager to test it's chops on HDTV.
I've done a search of the forums to see if there are any people from my area having any success receiving OTA HDTV signals, but didn't see anyone from my vicinity.
I called an antenna company today in Brantford to ask if they've done any installs in my neck of the woods, and the person I talked to said he's had success with people south of Hwy 53, but hasn't been lucky north of Hwy 53 (where I am).
I have an old Channel Master antenna, rotor and preamp (sorry, don't know the model numbers). I'm guessing the rig is as old as my house (20 years) and we've lived there for 7 years. I haven't used the antenna in about 6 years since getting satellite, but amazingly, when I reconnected my rotor and plugged it in, it worked. Mind you there is some loud squeaking but the darn thing rotated. I have to hand it to Channel Master, I am officially impressed and now would only consider buying any new equipment from them seeing how well there previous products have withstood the test of time and weather.
At it's best, I can receive 14 SDTV channels, some with heavy snow, but no HDTV channels.
I can receive channels 2 & 4 from Buffalo, 5-CBC 6-Global, 11-Hamilton, CKCO, TVO, City, and a couple other CBC stations.
I realize my reception (or lack thereof) may be the result of many variables, but right off the bat I want to rule out a poor geographic area for reception.
Are there some places that are complete dead zones for reception?

I'd be interested to hear from anybody who may be around my area.
Cheers to all.

Ham.Clan

how high up is your antenna? and are this a clear open path beyond your antenna towards Buffalo and Toronto?

as long as there aren't any close obstacles, and your antenna is fairly high up, u should be good for the majority of the channels.

pick yourself up an ATSC tuner or tv with ATSC tuner, and see what u get

I'd guess my antenna is 40-45 feet high, with zero obstructions.
It extends a good 15-20 feet past the peak of my two-story home.
The area I live in is one of the highest elevations in Brant County, so I would imagine the path east to Toronto and southeast to Buffalo is reasonably clear.
I guess it just isn't a "deep-fringe" antenna.
My tv has a built-in ATSC tuner, so I know I'm good there.
I just don't want to shell out the money for a new antenna and preamp if the area I'm in is prone to poor reception.
That's why I was hoping to hear from others.
I suppose if I don't hear from anyone, then that's a good indication as well.
I may have to canvass the neighbourhood to see if other people are getting HDTV.

Perhaps your antenna is a VHF only unit{2to13].If you can receive the Buffalo analogs then with a long range uhf antenna,you should be able to get there digitals.

I can receive channels 2 & 4 from Buffalo, 5-CBC 6-Global, 11-Hamilton, CKCO, TVO, City,

Can you see 17, 23 or 29.

If you can, then 32-1 WIVB (WNLO) should lock.
Does your TV have a separate antenna input for digital?

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I did another channel scan last night and hit an all-time high-water mark for number of channels received - 21.
The channels were:
2,4,5,6,7,8,9,11,13,17,21,23,24,28,29 (very snowy),31,36,41,51,56,65 - but still no digital channels.
On my particular tv (Sony Wega 46" KDF46E2000), when you perform a channel scan the on-screen display shows the number of analog and digital channels received.
There are only 2 coax cable connectors on the back marked "Cable" and "UHF/VHF". I have the antenna cable connected to the "UHF/VHF".
Puzzling, but I'll keep reading here and implementing any suggestions that might resolve the problem.
Thanks again.

Your UHF antenna seems to be working - especially since you are pulling in 24 from Erie (WJET) and 51 - the CH repeater north of Glencoe.

Here is a list of all analog + digital channels
http://www.noard.com/tvchannels.htm

Have you aimed your antenna at Erie by maxing out the Ch 24 level and then run your channel scan? Look for WQLN-DT mapped to 54-1 (actually ch 50)
WJET-DT is ch 58 mapped to 24-1.