Congrats Marbles 00! It's nice to see all your hard work has paid off. Very impressed with your antenna building. Checked out your link and caught the part of your wife being happy watching free HD. Maybe she'll now agree to a roof mount? You might want to do it as a test when the weather gets better.

Cheers!

Marbles,

Great read and great results. I am very impressed with your antenna.

John

Marbles...

I checked your website and you note on there that you lost all VHF signals after installing the CM-7777. Try setting the FM trap to "IN". I ran into a similar situation with my install and having the FM trap "OUT" killed a lot of my reception. My install uses both a VHF and UHF antenna so your mileage may vary.

Isn't that the default position of the CM-7777 (switched to the "In" position)? I didn't change that switch. I only changed the switch to separate the UHF/VHF signals. I separated the VHF and UHF because I didn't want to use the same amplifier to amplify both types of frequencies (well it does amplify somewhat, but there is adequate filtering to attenuate the VHF on that amplifier). Since I live close to the CH tower, and from reading other's headaches, I wanted to stop the CH VHF signal from possibly overloading the tuner. Really, right now, I don't care about the VHF signals as they are all analog, and I'm getting their respected digital counterpart. I still getting the UHF analogs, like City and Global, which is good as those are the only two channels I haven't been able to get digitally...though not surprising since the Gray-Hoverman's designs is not optimized for much over channel 51 (surprised I've been able to get OMNI1 at 64).

After the 2011 transition date, CTV and CHCH are both going VHF-HI (9 and 11 respectively). At that time, I will want to use some sort of VHF antenna setup to get those two channels (looking at holl_ands loop antenna or that 30" VHF-HI Yagi I've seen linked). Since I've already separated the VHF from using the same amp as the UHF frequencies, I can use the separate antenna and amplify its signal on its own amp in the CM-7777. The signals within the CM-7777 will then be combined to one down-lead. Then if the CH digital signal is too strong, then I can easily attenuate that frequency band right at the VHF antenna, without sacrificing any other frequency.

The CM7777 combined [joined single input] setting will allow you to connect both VHF & UHF antennas into the single UHF input to get a single combined VHF 7 UHF ampified output to your downlead cable. The combined setting essentailly shuts off that extra VHF input. The separate setting means that you would have to connect a separate VHF antenna to the open VHF input in order to get any VHF signals to pass through the pre-amp. Either input method will result in amplification through the preamp, as far as I know there is no unampilified pass-through on the CM7777

As far as CHCH goes, though you may be somewhat blocking the analog VHF 11, you are stiil amplifying CHCH on 18.1RF.

CHCH is pretty close to you, so if you check your CHCH 11 analog, I'll bet it's still booming through no matter what you set that preamp for. Only a notch filter would effectively block the CHCH analog 11RF.

The only thing coming in on any of my VHF frequencies since installing the CM-7777 (and switching to separate the VHF and UHF) is some audio, that includes 11. Picture is all snow. Before installing the pre-amp I was getting a picture on 5, 6, 9, 11 and 13.

Don't want an un-amplified pass-through. I don't really want any VHF with the UHF that was why I flipped the switch. I'm planning on setting up a separate VHF antenna (something tuned entirely to VHF), pointed toward the CTV transmitter, which will most likely pickup CH on the side.

It's either that, or pull down the Toronto facing Gray-Hoverman and re-design/re-build that one with NAROD's...but I don't really want to mess with something that is working so well for me right now.

Guys....

Ever Since I put up the dual 4221's (side by side) to better the reception of the TO stations, it seems that reception of MyTV from Buffalo is worse. I have a 4228HD pointed to Buffalo for those stations. They are both on the same pole. The 4228 is on top of the dual 4221's and there is about 18" of clearance between them.

I know that MyTV came in at its limits for me, but now it does not seem to be there at all.
Any body else in the mountain area having peoblems with MyTV, or is it a different problem that I could be experiencing?

MyTV (49.1) is a difficult channel to get in Hamilton, especially attic instals. When you add another antenna, it must be joined some how, and thus you could be losing atleast 3.5db from the joining, MyTV being on the edge would probably drop off.

Yep goforit is right all the way. The signal is killed as soon as it goes through a combiner. Even with an attic install, I was able to get it prior to combining my two antennas. Now, even after amplification, the climatic/weather conditions have to be perfect for me to get that channel. Still, for this one channel off the Buffalo antenna, and two off the Toronto antenna, it's not enough reason for me to spend anymore money on an external setup.

I understand what you guys are saying. Only thing is that in my previous set up, I still had the combiner. Only difference is that the TO based stations are now coming in through side by side 4220's instead of a single 4221.

I have a roof top set up.

It could still be as what is happening to me...unless the weather is the right conditions, I don't get it. It's more drastic in my case since my antenna is in the attic. Since it has gotten colder out...seems winter is finally here, the most I have gotten from that channel is some audio, followed by a couple frames of video. This was just last night. When the weather was a little warmer before, I had a way better success rate.

Maybe wait for the weather to change, and see what happens. Or...dare I say this....get the Buffalo antenna higher.

WNYO 49.1 seems to be broadcasting toward the SSE so aiming for that one is critical. If you focus on your 49.1 antenna aiming you'd probably get it, but it may cost you some lowered signal strength on some of the other Buffalo channels. The scattered Buffalo/Grand Island towers from here require a lot of aiming. Aiming and balancing the varoius signal strengths is the key for my reception.

Also giovanni, read over the last view posts on the splitter, attenuation thread. Holl_ands has a potential good point that Ch47 may interfere with Ch49. If I recall, your location is almost in the middle of goforit and myself...so this may be an issue for you as well.

Very interesting if it actually is so (and if I'm understanding what he is implying...of course).

I get almost all BUFs with my stack of 4221HDs peaked for GI- gets me FOX, and the other usuals 24/7, but not ION and WNYO.

These two stations are further away and/or weaker. Some of the problems we have here in the Hamilton area is interference- FM signals, 11.0 (CHCH), CFMT (47.0) and possibly CBLFT 25.1 (RF 24.1). One way to overcome the interference would be filters/attenuators. What might also help is using a YAGI style antenna which has much narrow beam width than your conventional mult-bay (see 4221). I will be trying out a YAGI (91XG) soon.

goforit....

What is.....

"peaked for GI" ??

GI - Grand Island

Basically his antenna setup is optimized (pointed) in that direction.

That 'general direction' theory is not usually good enough for WNYO. Check your tvfool compass direction for WNYO to see what the exact compass direction is and make sure that is the exact aim of the antenna. Another thing that I found is that if the antennas are crossing paths [interacting], then WNYO may not be possible.

Does this location make sense ?

http://wapedia.mobi/en/WNYO-TV [apparently updated Feb 10th 2010]
WNYO-TV is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Buffalo, New York. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 49 from a transmitter at Ironwood Golf Course in Cowlesville along the Wyoming and Erie County line.

Cowlesville is quite a distance SE from Buffalo. http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Cowlesville&state=NY&zipcode=14037

Yeah, according to antennaweb, it is generally in that location.

Adding a trap for CHCH analog (11.0) increased signal strength on most other stations, and got me a lock on the distant/weak WNYO - 49.1.

With a 4221HD stack peaked for WNYO, a 4228HD aimed a little to the right (north east) of the CN tower, a CM 3414 distro amp, a high performance joiner (to join the stack and the 4228HD), a 11.0 trap, an FM trap, and a rotor (rarely needed) here is my final list of 24/7 stations:

2-1, 2, 3
3-0 (snowy)
4-1
5-1
6-0
7-1
9-1
11-1
13-0 (not bad)
15-1
17-1, 3
19-0
23-1
25-1
26-1, 2
29-1
36-1
41-1
44-1
49-1
57-1
64-1
66-1

I think I'm finally done tweaking my set-up. It's pretty cool I get all these stations/major networks in digital/most in HD, and don't need a rotor- a home made cable company that is costing me $0.00. It's been fun and I thank all DHC members.

Cheers!

:cool: