Guys, I am new here and I have a couple of questions

1. What is the best indoor antenna to get maximum channels. Right now I have some philips antenna and it catches like 7 channels.
2. How do I know which direction the antenna should point to??

I had an antenna with my tv tuner which caught like 7 HD channels and it died all of a sudden. So I have got a philips 30db amplified antenna from walmart. It gets more channels but I am being forced to keep changing the direction of the antenna for some channels..also NBC and FOx are missing from the lineup (I actually see a weak bar, but my tv tuner software does not add it unless it is above a limit)

So my question is this

1. Should I try the 50db philips antenna from Walmart?
2. Try the one from dell (zenith clone)
3. or try 4220 2 Bay UHF . I don't have an option to install an antenna outside, so will this work??

Just in case anyone is interested, I get the following channels

20.1 CBC English
24.1 CBC French
32.1 The CW
38.1 ABC
38.2 RTN
40.1 CTV
43.1 PBS
43.2 PBS SD
43.3 PBS Thinkbright
44.1 OMNI2
53.1 CITY
64.1 OMNI1
65.1 Global
66.1 SUN

ABC and PBS + sun cannot be watched without doing some antenna adjustments. Also I get E! but lose many channels...anyway E! is not something I would watch. FOX and NBC channels appear as weak signals.

Location is near dundas on hurontario with window facing port credit..some obstacles on the way

thanks

Hey Shift4ie, I am just down the street from you using CM4221 and outside my second floor bedroom and pointing at Buffalo with 75' of RG6, no amp, right into my tv I am receiving all of your channels and plus NBC(2.1&2.2) but yesterday with the fog and heavy rain that channel and fox(29,1&29.2) were coming in and out unwatchable until they got stable at around 9pm last night with 3 to 4 bars watchable on my samsung plasma

does anybody feel a pre-amp would help stabalize this set up also I read on this site that tilting the antenna back slightly would help.

otanewbie, here are your answers:


see the Antenna Chart (I recommend the CM4020 or the ZSS & Clones)
see the OTA FAQ for the post on antenna aiming tools (also read through this thread because you'll find your answer from nearby members many times over)

bigcatt you could try a lower-power preamp and I think you'll stabilize those channels.

Thanks for the reply Stampeder, lower-power preamp like the ones at Home Depot or the channel master variety, one end at the antenna and the other by the tv plugged into a outlet and coax going to tv.
Thanks for any help

Check out this list, bigcatt:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=97938

Hi, All....I would like some advice before I proceed.

Setup: Home-made SBGH with aluminum foil reflector
Location: Mississauga, 9th & Britannia
Facing South and no Obstructions.
Installed in attic ( 2 storey house)
RG-6 run approx 50ft
Kitz Technologies Pre-amp (on TV end)
46" Sharp Aquos model 82u

I currently recieve:

All Toronto stations, (2) Hamilton , and ABC,CBS,NBC,FOX,PBS,WNLO from Buffalo. (total approx. 20 channels)

Occasional drop-outs from Buffalo.


examples:

5.1 - 83%
11.1 - 70%
23.1 -75 %

Buffalo 45-60% (suprisingly stable even with low values)



Question. ---> To have a better signal, I am thinking of putting a CM4221 on the roof. With it out-perform the SBGH in the attic ? (also I do not want a rotor installed)

I'm going with the CM4221 and not the CM4228 due to the wider angle of the 4221. Toronto stations are 74 deg, Buffalo 138 deg , Hamilton 181 Deg

The SBGH seems to be in a 'sweet-spot', but I do get occasional drops-outs.


Will the 4221's smaller gain outside on the roof be better than the SBGH's larger gain in the attic ?


Thanks for your opinions in advance.

And Thanks to the Mods for this forum....I have learned tons !!!

Hi Porky, my question is whether your SBGH can go on the roof instead? It would do excellently outside, although a CM4221 would certainly do well too. Attics are not a good place for antennas in the first place, although some people seem to do okay with such mounts.

Hi Stampeder,

My SBGH is made out of wood, #10 copper wire, and the backing is cardboard and tin foil. It wouldn't last 10mins in the elements. But it is doing a good job in the attic away from the wind/rain/snow etc. Thats the main reason I was looking at the CM4221, or a compatible commercial antenna that is meant to be mounted outdoors.

Would you go with a 4221 or 4228 ? Because I looked everywhere and nobody sells a SBGH (commercial version). I'm leaning towards the 4221 due to the wide beam angle.

Remember, I do not want a rotor and I do have a wide angle to hit Toronto & Buffalo. My Lat: 43.56 and Long: -79.76

Thanks for responding so fast !

From your location, you could do what I did and combine 2 antennas - one aimed to the CN Tower and one to Buffalo. Otherwise, without a rotor, I don't see you using one antenna to split your aim.


Stu

Hi tenstu,

I did read your post on how you are using a 4221/4228 combo. And I tried it by making another SGBH and having both of them in the attic. One toward Buffalo, and the other Toronto.

Unfortunately, my results were not good. The lenghts of my coax were only off by 1.5ft (would this be the reason ?) I used what i had.

Anyhow....here are my results with one SBGH in my attic.

2.1,2 - 48
4.1 - 55
5.1 - 85
7.1,2 -51
9.1 - 83
11.1 - 71
17.1,2,3 - 60
23.1 - 70
25.1 - 88
29.1 - 45
36.1 - 53
41.1 - 78
44.1 - 87
57.1 - 69
64.1 -80
66.1 - 80


I due get all stations in my area with one antenna.

Back to my main question...does anyone think that a CM4221 mounted 8ft higher on my roof (compared to SBGH in the attic) get better numbers ?

ps. when it gets warmer....I will try the dual antenna one more time


thx

Hi Porky - those are pretty good numbers for one antenna in the attic! I would wonder though about those lower numbers once summer rolls around (NBC,CBS,FOX). NBC and FOX can be problematic for lots of folks.

I think most people would always suggest an outdoor mount over an attic install - so you'll likely hear that 'yes' there will be improvement.

Your 1.5 feet of difference in cabling would have likely been one factor in not having good results. There is tolerance for some cable length disparity, but generally it is less than a foot.

Second factor was likely multipath issues, which would require lots of placement experimentation to reduce or eliminate. The results for me were worth it - but you might accomplish what you want by mounting outside, given your current results.


Stu

tenstu:

are you saying that UHF reception is better in colder weather (winter) than in the summer? right now (winter) I get nbc from buffalo (I'm in Hamilton) at about 3 to 4 bars (out of 10) and no drops, come summer the reception will likely decrease? I thought low clouds/fog was bad for reception?

goforit, you can read about it here, along with many personal tales of weather-related reception changes:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=26789

tenstu:

are you saying that UHF reception is better in colder weather (winter) than in the summer? right now (winter) I get nbc from buffalo (I'm in Hamilton) at about 3 to 4 bars (out of 10) and no drops, come summer the reception will likely decrease? I thought low clouds/fog was bad for reception?
Heck goforit, I'd never committ to being THAT definitive!

But in a lot of cases, winter reception is improved. One reason, is the lack of leaves on deciduous trees. Another is the absence of late afternoon atmospheric turnover.(that I notice here almost every hot late-summer afternoon around 440PM)

This is one reason I have seen advice here not to cement your new OTA set-up in stone if you install during winter.

I can say, that I have noticed much more stability in my occasional problem channels this winter. The signal strength indications are only ever so slightly higher, but I have not noticed any instability or drop-outs at all. Far different from September for example.

Stu

Thanks for the reply Stampeder, lower-power preamp like the ones at Home Depot or the channel master variety, one end at the antenna and the other by the tv plugged into a outlet and coax going to tv.
Thanks for any help
Hi Stampeder, I picked up a "RCA 10db Video signal amplifier" not a mast mount from Home Depot and it seems to boost up the signal marginally, but NBC Buffalo still drops out every 5 minutes. Now the other pre amps on the list, it looks like the "Antenna Direct PA16" or the "Winegard HDP269" are the type I need, but I cannot find a retailer in Canada who sells them. Can you think of any retailers in Canada? I have tried some on the list of retailers from this site, with no luck.
Thanks
ps; the specs for the RCA from Home Depot are:Bandwidth(50-900mhz),Gain(10db 7.5 db min.),Max. output(30 dbmV),Noise figure(5.5 db),Input & Output(75 ohm x1)

Hello,

I live in Brampton (Creditview & Wanless, which is just north of Bovaird).

Looking to get free HD, I have a Panasonic HD tv with built in ASTC.

I was thinking of the Channel Master 4228HD.

Questions I have are:

1) Who sells this antenna locally in Brampton?

2) Living where i do what kind of signal strength can i expect?

3) From what i've read i point the antenna towards the CN Tower. My plan is to have someone near the tv and me up in the attic moving the antenna and they let me know when the picture is best?

4) Do i need a pre-amp due to my location, if so does it have to be near the antenna as i have no power up in the attic?

5) I would like to get CBC Radio and 103.3 FM radio, do i need to do anything special (like connectors) to get the signal from the antenna to my home stereo?

The channels i am most interested in is CBC and City both in HD, anything else is bonus.

I read the FAQ and relise installing the antenna in the attic is not the best, but not sure neighbors would be too happy with a large wire antenna up on my roof.

Any advice much appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike

PS: This site is great, one stop for pretty much everything for Free OTA HD, thanks !!!!!!!

Welcome Mike20001.

For 1 and 2, I think your best bet is to go though the forum and search.

3) exactly what we did at my father-in-law's
4) this better determined by your length of cable and if you are going to split your signal. I'm pretty sure the FAQ has guidelines on this. Note the power comes from the piece (can't remember its name :confused:) that you plug in near your tv so no power is needed in the attic.
5) beyond my ability to answer but this sounds like you want to split the signal probably means Yes to question 4.

Hope this helps.

Thanks El Gran Chico.

After some more thought and reading i have another plan i would like to run by you all.

I was thinking of installing two 4228HD antennas. One pointed to CN Tower and the other to Buffalo.

So from my understanding i would install the two anetennas in the attic, take the cable going from both of them into a "Channel Master 0549 UHF/VHF Coupler", take the single cable coming out of the coupler down to the basement and connect into a "Channel Master 7778 PreAmp". Take the cable out of the PreAmp and into a splitter, then connect the builders coax in the output side of the splitter and take the signal to the living room and bedroom.

Am i correct with where i plan to put the PreAmp in my design?

If i have two antennas, will one Preamp be ok?

The rotator unit is just as expensive as another 4228HD so don't want to go down that route.

Comments????

Thanks,

Mike

Mike I'd suggest some simplification first. :)

Go with 2 identical 4-bay bowtie reflector antennas rathern than 2 CM4228HD 8-bay antennas. In your area people have had much better results ganging 4-bays in your fashion. You'll see some examples in this thread of folks who ganged 4-bays in their attics. Also see Post #16 in the FAQ because you really don't need a special coupler to join the 2 antennas with such a straightforward situation.

Try without a preamp first since you won't have a long stretch of coax from only your attic to your living spaces. Chances are you might not even need a preamp. Get your antennas installed, then test on your bedroom and living room TVs at the same time. Post your results here so that we can help you decide whether you need to go with a preamp or not.
Antenna A \ / -> Living Room
Splitter/Joiner -> Splitter
Antenna B / \ -> Bedroom
If it turns out that you do need a preamp, you would buy one with 2 inputs, mount it in the attic, and run both antennas directly into it up there. Down below where the coax splits to the living room and bedroom you need to use a splitter that allows DC PASS on one or both downstream branches so that you can install the preamp's power injector wherever along that coax line that is most handy to an AC power wall receptacle.
AC Power Receptacle
^
Antenna A \ / Preamp Power Injector -> Living Room
Preamp -> DC Pass Splitter
Antenna B / \ -> Bedroom