Has this been detailed anywhere?
It was noted that it was down the other night in the Toronto/Hamilton station status thread. Both CH analog and digital (RF11/RF18), both SunTV analog and digital (RF45/RF15), CH on Cogeco cable, and FM 95.3 were all reported down. CH on facebook and twitter report an issue and that their OTA and some carriers were down while they worked on the problem.

CTS which transmits from the same antenna on RF35/36 were still up and running during the others downtime.

It was noted

Yes, all that I knew. :-)

I was wondering what was accomplished besides causing an outage... :-)

Cameron

Must of have been down at the source and a coincidence after my 7778 install.
11.1 has been coming in since that day. And 15.1 is the same as 66.1, right?

Anyway, it's nice to have 11.1 for the local news, that's about all we use it for.

The 7778 seems a better match for my location in the meadowlands than the 269. When there could have been the very occasional dropout of 2.x and maybe some other Buffalo channels with the 269, I have not noticed any dropouts with the 7778. "ON" 24/7 :)

And 15.1 is the same as 66.1, right?
Yes and no. Yes they are both SunTV and broadcasts the same content. No, they are at different locations. 15.1 broadcasts from the Hamilton tower. 66.1 broadcasts from TO. RF45 broadcasts from the Hamilton tower with RF15.

Ok.
Has been a few days since last post, the good news is put up a cm4228 got good results, from where i am Erie is my best bet for now get Fox all day every day and can live with that. So now the bad news tv tower is not safe to climb to the top so did a bracket off tower plus a 10 foot pipe gets me 30 plus feet at least this gets me above the house roof, next thing is a cm7777 an a roter will post when done with results.

Trying to decide what would be better for my location as an upgrade. Currently running stacked 4221HDs (for BUF), 4228HD (for TO) and 3414 distro amp; also use an FM and Ch. 11 traps which really help. Get all the TO/HAM stations, plus all the regular BUFs except WPXJ (tropo visitor) and WNGS (never seen); WNYO is possible but I have to remove the joiner for the stack and the 4228HD and remove the distro amp and just have a single line from the 4221HDs to the TV- so getting WNYO is bit of a pain.

Come analog shutdown (this August), will see if WNYO comes in stronger, but will probably get a VHF (Antennacraft/Winegard) to hopefully snag WNGS. Since I'm adding the VHF, I'm thinking of replacing the stack to make a little more room and hopefully better performance.

It's either a 91XG or DB8 joined with the Antennacraft (Y10713). Which UHF? The CHCH tower is just east, north/east of me, so it partially blocks the BUF signals. I'm thinking maybe the 91XG since it would probably be better in avoiding some of the CHCH signals, but then I have heard the DB8 is better at low UHF where WUTV and WPXJ reside. WUTV is reliable but the signal strength is not as high as the other BUFs. I would hate to get the 91XG and then WUTV doesn't come in. I guess the other thing to consider is if I go with the 91XG will it capture all the BUFs without using a rotor, like my stack of 4221HDs do? So maybe the DB8 would be better, but then it (the DB8) might not get WNYO? But then again, I've heard the DB8 is pretty good at high UHF.

Here is my TVFool:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d001b246b85c40d

I’ve been there Goforit. They are both good choices. 29-1 will work with both as the signal is enough where U are. The DB8 is best for weak signal conditions on RF14. Beware that both of these antennas have a narrow reception angle. Neither of mine will get all Buffalo channels all the time without rotating them, only during best reception conditions. E.G. If I want 49, I do not get 2. The 4221 has a wider angle; you will not see that in DB8 or 91XG.

Maybe I'll just stick with the 4221HDs, I never have to use my rotor and get all the main BUFs...

Goforit,

After anlyzing your TV fool, I think you did very well since you are in getting most of the channels. NM values for WNYO and ION are both less than zero, so getting them could be during tropo only. I doubt you need to spend any more money or alter the current setup.

Spliting signals reduce signal strength, I have been there trying with 5 TVs, always problem with WGRZ and WNYO.

So I just used one set of antennas (XG91+CM4221) for two TVs, one build/hacked (two baluns) CM4228 for other TVs. Problem solved!

Hi guys...

maybe off topic here but, here goes.....

Can anyone tell me if a DELHI 929 antenna would be of any use to me at this stage of the game with Digital TV?

With August rolling around, not sure if this will gain anything other than FM after the cut off.

Any info appreciated.

giovanni,

DELHI 929 ? or any antenna that works today will work after August 2011.

If it's a uhf/vhf/fm antenna and it works fine for you now, it will still work fine after August for uhf/vhf/fm reception. There is no significant distinction between what marketers like to advertise as ' NEW! Digital Antennas' and your older uhf/vhf antenna. As long as your current antenna is capable of recieving channels 7 through 51,.. it's going to be digital capable after August. Nothing will change! except you will no longer be getting the analog broadcast reception.

Hi all,

I'm still trying to decide which antenna to get for my location, my TVFool is here
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d03d9ae5b75ebbf

I'm most interested in getting Toronto, but if I can manage to point somewhere in-between toronto and hamilton to get both that would be an option.

I think my decision is between RCA ANT-751 and the AntennaCraft HBU line. It looks like I'm on the edge between the two regions. Which should I go with?

If I do go with the HBU line, what size would be appropriate?

Hi everyone,

Been tinkering a while now with my setup, which is a DB8, which is outdoors and pointed at 110 and a DIY home made (4 copper whiskers on pvc pipe) which is indoors pointed at 23.

I'm currently pulling in HD on:
5.1
9.1
11.1
15.1
17.1
23.1
36.1
44.1
64.1

Looking to work it better with preamp so I can also get on HD:
Global
City
WUTV (FOX in Buffalo)

MY QUESTION:
Been looking into a pre-amp, and it seems that the Channel Master Spartan would be my best bet.

Thought I would check in here first to see if anyone has a better idea.

Here is my TVFOOL: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3de3b2b5ac1a0f7a

I have a 2 x ganged and modded CM 4221HDs set up. The antennas are both on the same 10 ft EMT mast, separated by 4 ft and quality joined and pre-amped CM 7777. No block for CHCH although I am assuming I won't need it, not currently using antenna for VHF. I am in the central older part of Waterdown (large tall trees).

The 4221HD pointed at the CN tower is modded to have a narrower beam (wider reflector), the modded 4221HD pointed at Buffalo has a wider beam (narrower reflector). My results have been comparatively good in the past, but I've always had issues picking up the CN Tower, particularly the weaker signals from City.

We had our roof re-shingled so I had to take down the antenna. It was tripod mounted on the roof, but I'm having it moved to the gable and re-aligned by DrSat soon.

The question that keeps coming up for me is to pre-guess whether the CN Tower antenna should be on the top or the bottom of the mast. i.e. is the CN tower lower than the main buffalo towers and would therefore benefit (theoretically) from a bit higher mounting.

We can test it during alignment, but since the two 4221HDs are modded slightly differently, it is more of a pain than just changing cable connectors.

Any ideas?

Should I mod both 4221HDs the same? (i.e. narrow both reflectors to the same width - which I assume gets a broader signal collection at a slight expense to signal strength).

My TV Fool data is: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d03f39fb7605369 (http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d03f39fb7605369)

My install is next Tuesday. Thanks for any advice and opinions!

mastagrilla:

Too close to CHCH, using an amp will cause overload = you will get less signals.

mastagrilla, keep in mind that CM's Spartan line of preamps is old tech and often outperformed by a variety of newer brands/models. See the Signal Amplifiers (Amps, Preamps, Distro Amps) - See Chart in Post #1 (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=42426) thread. Also, as goforit says, you may be shooting yourself in the foot with a preamp at your location, so please read through that thread for more info and ideas on whether to use one.

My advice is to replace your DIY antenna with a really great DIY antenna for the Toronto stations, such as an SBGH with NARODs: Best Do-It-Yourself OTA Antennas - See these links: (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=140206) and then look into ways to optimize your DB-8: Antennas Direct DB8 Hardware Hacks (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=124306)

The question that keeps coming up for me is to pre-guess whether the CN Tower antenna should be on the top or the bottom of the mast. i.e. is the CN tower lower than the main buffalo towers and would therefore benefit (theoretically) from a bit higher mounting.The complete, absolute, authoritative answer to your question is "It all depends..." :) A difference of 5 to 8 feet in height can have real consequences for reception in many situations, so it would really be nice to know for sure which is better for each antenna. With ganging there are truisms such as always putting a UHF above a VHF, etc. etc. but in a case like yours it comes down to testing. I wish it was a simpler issue for you to test their alternate heights but regarding the mounts, etc. I can see how it would be a major pain.

A difference of 5 to 8 feet in height can have real consequences for reception in many situations, so it would really be nice to know for sure which is better for each antenna. ... I wish it was a simpler issue for you to test their alternate heights but regarding the mounts, etc. I can see how it would be a major pain.
What about making the two modded 4221HDs equivalent (i.e. cutting down the reflector on the wider CN Tower one). While I was modding the first 4221HD my hand got sore cutting the tines of the reflector, so I stopped, did some research on the lobes and discovered that the narrowing of the reflector widens the reception lobes (hence it made sense for the spread of towers South of me.

All the rest I take of one tower (CN Tower) to the E of me so I left the reflector uncut on my second 4221HD.

It's as close to a 90 degree separation as you can get and theoretically that helps when ganging the signals.

When it was initially mounted on a tripod on the roof, I had the CN tower antenna on bottom. The installer made a mistake (forgot to test without his body in line) and I lost City Digital.

Question then is: when ganging, could it make a big difference if the reflectors of the otherwise equivalent antennas are different? (Making them the same would make location testing easier, I will admit).

when ganging, could it make a big difference if the reflectors of the otherwise equivalent antennas are differentKeep in mind that the respective beam patterns of each ganged antenna may or may not overlap with the other's. That's why ganging can be such a time-consuming thing to get right, and why the best aiming results are sometimes counter-intuitive. As you change the reflector(s) you may or may not be increasing/decreasing overlap. Again we return to the only real answer... test and adapt, if possible.The installer made a mistake (forgot to test without his body in line) and I lost City Digital.A good installer should always go up with a checklist.

An odd situation has occurred concerning a friends TV sound reception.

He lives very close to me so should have similar reception.

It concerns channel 6 Global (Kitchener) 20 miles He can get the picture but no sound.
If he rotates the antenna toward Toronto Global (41) 70 miles he can get the sound but of course with the distance the picture is poor.
no problems on any other channels
I can get channel 6 Kitchener sound and picture without problems.

I can't fathom the problem.... any ideas