Unless you have very long cable runs (over 100 feet) I wouldn't do both. Wherever you get it from make sure they have a return policy if it doesn't work out. Ya I noticed Sunny Direct too- there are also a number of other local stores that would probably allow returns.

Most of my runs are 60 to 100 feet from antenna to TV.

Last time, I bought my supplies from S&R/Nutech/HomeDepot, can you point me (or pm me if it is out of the scope of this thread) where else in the Hamilton local area?

Thanks

Please note there is a special part of the Digital Home Forum set aside to discuss where to buy OTA gear. For Ontario, please see this link:
OTA: Ontario Parts, Sales, Service, Installers
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=23984

Hello new here and this is first post,have been looking at posts for my area
i live in Norwich Ont. just bought a lcd tv with digital tuner,hoping for some stations for same also bought a ******** 4 bay antenna,have a 40' tower put
the antenna half way up tried all directions no digital lots of analog,so i am going to call this this guy in Simcoe that has been posted here and see if he has any ideas. Any input from members here would be more than welcome.

Go to the TVFool website- enter your address (it will not be shown in the results) and how high your antenna will be- this will give you a start on what channels are receivable at your location.

Thanks for the help GOFORIT had WQLN all morning now gone, the list of stations for here looks like new antenna and roter. http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d001ba897bc5ba4

@ipstanding
I strongly recommend you take a look at the antenna chart here on digital forum. After reading your tvfool there is no reason a decent combo antenna, rotor and preamp would get you reliable everyday reception from the Erie market. Channels like 12-1 WICU, 24-1 WJET, 54-1 WQLN, and 66-1 WFXP could be a viable.

Good luck and let us know of your progress.

PanaMark
Yes Erie looks like the best shot for now, once all this analog is gone will be a lot better to sort out.
Get WQLN 1-2-3 in the morning at 25% on a cheap 4 bay 20' up gone by lunch.

Mr. Standing,

Welcome to the forum.

I also recommend selecting an antenna from the Antenna Chart.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=1272416&postcount=9

If you're going to risk climbing a high tower, install a pre-amp and rotor, why not buy a decent antenna with known performance specs (same goes for the rotor and pre-amp)? That way if you have a reception problem, people here will be able to give you helpful advice.

With a cheap-o antenna if you come back here asking questions about poor reception we might not be able to help you because we can't be sure if you have a problem with your set-up or location, or maybe your antenna is just of low quality.

If you're going to use OTA for HDTV, why not spend money on the best equipment at the beginning to maximize your chances of years of trouble-free enjoyment? The price difference for a fake antenna and a brand name antenna is almost always less than $50. An antenna is a one-off expense.

I encourage everyone to do it right the first time!

If you're lucky enough to have a 40 foot tower (a safe one, that is), and if you're willing to use a rotor, then I'd get a combo antenna like a Winegard 8200U or Channel Master 3671. You'd get every channel possible with that set-up. I'd use a Channel Master 7777 pre-amp.

You might be able to get away with a smaller combo antenna such as the Winegard hd7698p or Antennacraft HBU55 but I'd get the advice of other members here as to whether they think your Global CIII signal strength would be enough to get good reception on these antennas.

Wow got up at 6:00am today did a channel scan antenna point on compass 168 deg.
south east this is what i got.
wgrz 2.1 2.2 2.3
wivb 4.1
wkbw 7.1
wxfp 66.1
wkbw 7.1

Well now i am hooked going to try to find a better antenna today, do not want analog will be looking for uhf only antenna.

There are more analog channels on UHF than on VHF. One has nothing to with the other.

Please read up on some of the informational posts in the Over-The-Air TV threads in Digital Home. You'll save money in the long-run if you learn before you buy.

You need a VHF/UHF antenna to get the full range of digital channels in your area.

These are your VHF digital channels post-Aug 31, 2011:

CIII Global on 6
CFPL CTV2 (/A\ Channel) on 10
CHCH on 11
WICU NBC + subchannels on 12
CKCO CTV on 13

With the right antenna those channels will be 100% reliable. With the wrong antenna, you could be frequently frustrated. If you go with a UHF only antenna, after August 31, 2011 when some of the analog channels disappear, you might also lose some of your digital channels when they revert back to their VHF positions.

The transition date is only two months away. You might as well get things right the first time. Good luck!

Thanks to all that have posted with help to my ?s now with that said, i have a new antenna on order and a preamp i agree that cheap stuff does not cut it, ok now this is my ? for today with what i have now i get.
WGRZ-1-2-3-80%
WIVB % same
WKBW % same
WFXP % same
WKBW % same
Ok so this is the ? i get all this at 6:00am all week at then at 7:30am they are all gone for the rest of the day what could cause this.

ipstanding,

Please tell us the exact model of antenna and pre-amp you ordered. We need the info to help you.

Your TVFool report shows that you're in a hopeful yet challenging area for OTA reception.

Some of us are lucky enough to throw a 4221hd on the roof and get everything from USA. You're not going to be one of them.

You probably will be able to get all of the US networks and Canadian ones too, but you're a great distance from most US stations and most of your US channels 2 Edge stations.

This means if you want reliable reception, you're not going to have much if any room for making compromises. You should probably hire an installer to go up to the very top of your 40' tower and take advantage of the height you have. Your installer might recommend perhaps two antennas together joined and then pre-amped.

You might want one or two 91xgs for UHF, and maybe you could get away with a single high VHF antenna like a Winegard 1713. It might work for Global even though it's cut to the wrong length.

Others living in your area will know what the successful formula is for you.

Good luck!

By the way, those Buffalo channels are coming in for you in the morning by pure luck. It won't last. It's a summertime phenomenon. Enjoy it while it lasts. Keep researching to figure out your correct antenna set-up for all-day success with your nearest-by American channels. Focus on the American channels closest to you as per your TVFool report (Erie PA). They will be much more stable than the Buffalo channels.

@IP,

Welcome to the world of "Tropo". As HWP indicates, if those stations are 2-Edge signals (meaning the signal has at least two earth anomalies to go over (hills etc.)), then you will experience the issues your having. The density of the atmosphere changes all the time, depending on this, you sometimes will get these distant stations at certain times, and then just loose them. Case in point, I was receiving ION around 7:30 this morning, when I get home from work, it will most likely be gone, and I won't receive it again until the atmospheric conditions are "just" right again.

The equipment you use also plays an important role in the success of receiving these distant stations more often then not. Again as HWP requests, please let us know what you have or planned to purchase, so we can aid you adequately.

So I'm down on Aberdeen in Hamilton under the shadow of the mountain. I in no way expect to get anything from the U.S. so, my question is, what antenna do I need for getting Toronto? It seems I'm right on the edge between "Fringe" and "Deep Fringe"

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d001b7ed5e28a09

So I can't figure out if I should get an ANT751 or move up to an HBU line antenna. Thoughts?

staticwave_ace,

Just took a quick peek at your tvfool report. You have very little hope of getting any significant reliable reception if your antenna height is only going to be up 10ft.

redo your tvfool using a 30ft antenna height.

Thanks for catching that, the antenna would be installed on a chimney mount, on some length of mast above a 2-story house. I used 25ft for now, I haven't worked out what the height really is.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d001bf7d58e6dbc

Well, replaced the lightning dead HDP269 with a CM7778 (thx goforit for the local leads).

At first 11.1/15.1 wasn't coming in, too strong?. Now it is.

How do I dull down the signal again if overload is a consistent problem?

Which attenuator should I use?

Hopefully the FM trap on the pre-amp is on, that's the default setting. There are a few simple attenuators you could consider- UVSJ which knocks down either the UHF/VHF signals (i.e., 11.0), in-line attenuator which looks like a simple joiner, comes in 6db and 9db varieties, there is also a variable attenuator whereby you can manually adjust the attenuation; the most simple attenuator is to throw in a splitter and cap the unused ports. However, 15.1 is a whacked out channel that goes black for me on a regular basis; some say it's interference from an analog (15.0) from BUF causing problems. As well, work has recently been done to the CHCH tower, so that might also explain your 11.1 problems. Good to hear you found the pre-amp.

work has recently been done to the CHCH tower

Has this been detailed anywhere? I haven't come across anything to explain the several hour downtime of a lot of stuff up there....

Cameron