ASA

For a STB, currently your best bet will be ebay or a trip to the States/Buffalo, or if you have relatives in US who can purchase and deliver to you.

don't worry about snow & ice build-up. They are non factors as the surface area is so incredibly small. Snow might affect reception during a heavy snow storm only, due to signal attenuation.

ASA, I also recommend posting in the DHC "Want To Buy" forum for an ATSC STB.

Please use the existing CM4228 and the various ATSC Tuner threads for questions about those general topics.

I know alot of people out there could probably get by with just a handfull of HD channels and be content with that, while others won't be happy until they can catch more than what the local cable company can supply lol. In each of those cases the equipment needed will vary from very simple to complicated. The last thing I want to do is dish out (pun intended) alot of $'s only to find out that I'm not happy with the outcome. I know that if I'm happy, I'll probably spend some more $'s to upgrade whatever needs to be upgraded in the future, but right now with the new home, morgage/bills, ect (you now, the anoying stuff), cash is somewhat tight.

Thanks for the help so far.

I have a 4228, I am near Clark and Bramalea Road. I have not had any buildup of ice or snow on my antenna at all. I also haven't seen any weather effects. I watched the Oscars OTA on Sunday night, and it was snowing and blowing throughout the whole show, and there were no signal problems. Mine is currently mounted on my garage, I plan on putting it on a tower in the spring. I can get CTV, CBC, CITY, CBS, PBS, SUN and FOX with no signal problems. NBC drops out a lot, and ABC I can't get at all. I'm hoping the tower will get me enough height to clear the trees that are in the way now.

Tom

I watched the Oscars OTA on Sunday night, and it was snowing and blowing throughout the whole show, and there were no signal problems.That is what I like to hear Tom. : ) (I had to go out in that weather to get a Pizza, and I was not too pleased about the snow, but the wife found it amusing. She stayed in to watch the show) lol

Btw, what STB/decoder are you using? What direction is the ant facing? How high is it right now?I can get CTV, CBC, CITY, CBS, PBS, SUN and FOX with no signal problems.That's in HD right? If yes, that would probably make us happy. I would still like to get some of the other US feeds too though, simply because of some of the shows I'd like to watch in HD. Just wondering, have you tried turning the ant in a different direction to see what else you can catch?

For me there isn't much in the way (that I can tell), and the stuff that is, it's only at around the same height as my roof line, so an ant placed high enough should get me a clear E to W view (looking south). I even think a 360 view would be possible. (I'm getting giddy just thinking about it) lol

ASA: I have an HD Homerun as the tuner, and I use MythTV as my PVR. The antenna is facing I believe 145 or 148 degrees (basically tried pointing it at the NBC tower) and is probably 20-25 ft off the ground at the moment.

Yes, all those channels are the digital HD channels. I slightly mis-spoke, I get NBC without problems, it's ABC I can't quite get. I hope that with moving it to a tower in the spring, and aiming it better, I will fix that. There are no other digital channels in the area that I could get by re-aiming the antenna. I point it at Buffalo, and get the Toronto stuff on the side (no rotor). I think a slight tweak in the right direction should get me ABC, it's just on the cusp of working.

Tom

Hi guys

I am in town house and not allowed to install any thing outside on fance or on roof.. so i got only one choice to use indoor for OTA HD...

any suggestion for inexpensive Indoor antenna to get HD channels. .. btw I got 37" LCD with tuner built in ..

your expertise advise is highly appreciated ...

Hey motojj, from reading these boards I've seen that alot of people have had good reception with the Silver Sensor (made by Zenith?) . I have also seen some people say the same thing about the Radio Shack one (15-1880). We are pretty close to the CN Tower as the crow flies, and I would assume that we should try the RS one first (since we can return it). If it works I'll look into getting a Channel Master 4221 or 4228 as some have suggested to me already, but I have to get a tuner first. :( (if anyone has one I can borrow for a little bit, I'll by you a 12 pack of beer). :lol:

Just wondering.... for those of you in my area, how did your reception hold up to the show (and then rain/ice) we had? I see alot of stuff this morning coated in a layer of ice. That can't be good for reception. ??

No problems last night, or during the Oscars when it snowed all night. The surface area is so small that there isn't much chance for ice to build up. Plus it was warm enough today for it to melt before I left the house anyway... :) That is with my 4228 anyway.

Tom

I'm curious if anyone else on this forum experiences dropouts when the weather improves? Yesterday, FOX was perfect all afternoon but later in the evening (~11-12 pm) it cut out completely for a few minutes. Even 43 (PBS) had a few dropouts!! WGRZ(33) was super strong (not typical) as were most other Buffalo channels.

I'm guessing this has to do with distant signals carrying a lot further and my antenna picking these up and causing my tuners to get mixed up. Anyone know what other channels are on 14 in the vicinity (last summer I picked up some Cleveland channels one night)? This never was a problem before WUTV-DT went directional. Any suggestions on how to minimize the chances of this happening?

I'm in Mississauga (Britannia & 9th Line). I'm using a CM 4228 on a 9521a rotor with an AP-4727 preamp. I'm currently using a 3-way passive splitter after the preamp. My tuners are an LG-3410a and an ATI HDTV Wonder (the third connection goes to my TV's antenna input).

some DHC'ers west of Toronto were experiencing DX last night
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=26789&page=12

Jeneral there are channel 14 transmitters all around.Syracuse,Detroit,London are within Tropo distance.London is why WUTV-dt had to be directional.IT seems there signal gets weaker the further west you go.Do you try turning your rotor when you have dropouts if that makes no difference then i do not think its another station but a lose of WUTV-dt due to their signal going tropo and reaching further away.If you receive a tropo signal that means some of that stations signal has left its normal reception area and therefore is weaker in the normal area.I personally have not seen any dropouts but their signal is weaker than before the directional signal came on in Mississauga.

hi

HD TV last week ( used Olevia LT37HVS)
Channel Master 4228 - Saturday

Stuck it out the window 2nd floor on top of porch roof - CBC - 100 %
PBS

Yesterday , makeshift set-up - fibreglass windsurfing mast - chimney mount ( 1st floor roof - split level house - antenna clears 2nd floor roof)
50' RG6 cable through an open window
__
Add
CBS - beautiful reception - not that interested in content - Cold Case.
Fox - marginal
Rochester NBC - marginal

I'll have to play with rotation for other stations probably go with a roof mast eventually. My house is double brick construction , so I want to be sure of the TV's final location before I drill holes in the wall for the cable.

Is that 410/Queen or 410/Bovaird? Either way, folks have been getting very good reception here in Brampton.

When you get some more height, you will definately improve the number and quality of the channel reception.
Check out post #124 to see DonnieW's reception.

Yesterday , makeshift set-up - fibreglass windsurfing mast - chimney mount
David M,
Get that windsurfing mast down and back on the roof of your car!

Firstly, a windsurfing mast is designed to have some flex - even the stiffest ones, they have to be able to "twist-off" in the gusts. That may result in your antenna swaying around a bit in the stronger winds making your reception poor.

Secondly, most modern windsurfing masts cost a few hundred $$$ as I'm sure you know. Assuming you tighened them up, I can't imagine what damage the mounts have done to the mast. If it is carbon-composite I'm sure it is toast; epoxy you might still be able to use it. A 1' or 1 & 1/4" steel conduit at home depot is going to run you ~$25. Much more appropriate for this usage.

Thirdly, as a fellow windsurfer, I must remind you that using any of your gear for anything other than actually windsurfing is considered an abomination by the wind gods. This is an offence punishable by a full season of sucker wind. You want the summer to be nukin don't you? You must make a sacrifice, and load all gear onto your car immediately! The gods might see this act of servitude and reward you with a skunk-free season. :)

p.s. my first short-board was a Fanatic Gecko 298.... you do the math ;)

Learning as I go.

The fibreglass mast was on hand . I was thinking it would be less likely to be hit by lightening...

Well I got my Sammy 260 yesterday. Hooked up the RS antenna and placed it on top of the TV stand. Scanned for channels and it found only one at first... CBC 5.1

I then went into the Sammy's menu (which looks really nice btw) and checked the signal level. It was only 2/10. Wow, I'm getting CBC easily without any dropouts with only 2 of the 10 bars. I then adjust/rotated the mesh antenna to get a better signal. I was able to get 8/10. I then rescanned and and I found 3... CBC, CBC French, and Sun TV (which was brodcasting something in hd). Nice PQ. I thought to myself, I hoope I can get more channels than this. :(

I then moved the antenna over to the patio doors and did the CBC signal thing again, and then did another scan. This time it found 5.

CBC (10/10)
CFTO (3/10)
CityTV (4-5/10)
CBC French (7/10)
SunTV (6/10)

There was also a brief pause while scanning at 43 (PBS?), but the tuner couldn't get a lock on it. All this was done at ground level (antenna 4 feet off the ground) indoors. :)

Not bad for an indoor antenna in Brampton. I didn't try putting it up stairs to see if I would of gotton more channels (I'll probably try that tonight), but that would involve getting a much longer cable. Time to stop by the Dollar Store. lol

I have 2 weeks until I can't return the RS antenna. After that I'm stuck with it. Considering it cost me over $50, I would rather return it and get a real UHF/VHF antenna with all the nessessary mounting stuff.

My next door neighbour also came over to check it out. He has FTA and was telling me that I should of just bought one of those, but I told him the one he has doesn't have HD capabilities. He then saw Dancing with the Stars and his mouth just about hit the floor. He said the PQ I was getting blew away the singal he was getting. What he still couldn't believe was that I was getting these channels over a set of "rabbit ears". lol

I need to find an affordable 4228 now. :p

If anyone has any questions about the Sammy 260, fire away and I'll try to answer them.

I will say one thing though. If I am able to get a solid signal lock without any drop outs with only 2-3 bars, I can't wait to see what this tuner can lock onto with a proper antenna. : )

Thanks for leading me in the right tuner direction guys.

I have 2 weeks until I can't return the RS antenna. After that I'm stuck with it. Considering it cost me over $50, I would rather return it and get a real UHF/VHF antenna with all the nessessary mounting stuff.Exactly, it is always better to pull a wagon with a horse than a chicken. :)

Reminder, folks: Sammy tuner discussion has its own thread.

Hi,

I live in Brampton (Hurontario and Mayfield). I have an ATSC HDTV USB 2.0 tuner that I purchased for HDTV Channels. The current supplied antenna picks up CBC French and 5.1 CBC. At times I get the French Channel but it stutters and at times I pick up 5.1 CBC HD. Most of the time I recieve up to 1 green bar on the CBC feed, but right now it say's it out of service.

Right now I'm happy I get CBC in HDTV, which is why I purchased the tuner (until I get HDTV tv). Is it normal for CBC 5.1 to be out of service? I have problems connecting even though I receive up to one green bar.

I would also like to get Channels like ABC, NBC, CBS, CTV and Global.

I have just purchased this tuner and have been testing it out for a few hours.
What antenna do I need to get a solid reception to pick up all these channels