Thanks Stampeder.

I am a little confused about the ganging of the antenna as stated in Post 16 of the FAQ.

Your diagram made much more sense to me.

Just before i go out and buy all the hardware can i just summerize what i need to do.

If i understand it correctly i do the following:

1) Buy 2 x CM-4221HD
2) Install one pointing to CN Tower and the other to Buffalo
3) Make sure there is a 25 inch gap between them (one full channel wave?)
4) Take the cable going from each antenna into a Joiner (Joiner = something simple to combine two cables into one?)
5) Take the cable to my basement
6) Split the cable as needed using a splitter
7) Move the antennas to get the best picture


The whole idea of "ganging and staging" has me kind of confused, is going through a joiner "ganging" my antennas?

When i say "Joiner" i'm thinking just a reversed 'Y' splitter, is that right?

Instead of using joiner, what if i soldered the wire ends, would that lower my signal loss?

Sorry for the constant clarrifcation, just don't want to buy the incorrect equipment and end up spending more than i need to.

Many thanks,

Mike

A reversed splitter is all that is needed as your joiner. From what you've posted it seems that you get the process just fine. :) I don't solder coax cables for the simple reason that the shielding will be messed up. It is so much easier to use a splitter.

I would try a single antenna first from Brampton.Pointing the antenna for best picture on analog 29 Buffalo.Then do a scan for digital and see if you get all the stations.If there is obtructions in the signal path like apartments and other houses then it may not work well in the attic.If you see alot of ghosting on the analog then the digital will have trouble locking on.You might try an upper south window with 4221 to see how the signals are in your house before you go to all the bother in the attic.Roof mount in spring much better.

rob50312 knows your area a lot better than I do! Starting with one antenna makes a great deal of sense. :)

Thats great thanks, looks like i have enough to start buying bits and playing.

One quick question, how do i know i am pointing to analog 29 Buffalo??

I kind of know where the CN Tower as its in the same direction to me as highway 410 Sandlewood on ramp.

Any landmarks i can point to to get analog 29 Buffalo.

If it helps my postcode is L7A0K7. Google maps still shows my neighborhood as a building site.

Forgot to mention, noticed on a number of other posts the receiver makes a huge difference. My tv is a Panasonic TH46PZ80 with built in ASTC, will that make a difference which stations/quality i get?

Thanks again,

Mike aim slightly to the right of the cn tower is Buffalo.The way I align is have someone watch the analog station while you turn the antenna.Most tvs have a signal strength meter for digital.If you decide to go in the attic be sure to move the antenna around laterally to find the best spot before you attach it.On a map Buffalo is straight down 410 or 10.

Thanks rob50312.

I've been thinking about it some more and i plan to go with the side of the house install. Just below the eves using the CM wall mount kit (Channel Master 9032 Wall Mount).

The attic install will lose signal and probably be a more difficult install as the builder sprayed about 2 feet of insulation and i can't safely find the beams to stand on, never mind trying to drill and mount an antenna.

Do i need to ground the external antenna at all? Worried a bolt of lightning will hit the antenna travel down the coax and fry my tv.

Thanks,

Mike

Do i need to ground the external antenna at all?Yes you sure do, and everything you need to know about grounding an OTA antenna is in this thread:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=62265

Grounding is important as it helps bleed off static electricity that can build up on antenna elements.

Unfortunately, nothing will save you from a direct hit. The idea is to minimize as much as possible any potential damage caused by a nearby strike.

Thanks rob50312.

I've been thinking about it some more and i plan to go with the side of the house install. Just below the eves using the CM wall mount kit (Channel Master 9032 Wall Mount).

The attic install will lose signal and probably be a more difficult install as the builder sprayed about 2 feet of insulation and i can't safely find the beams to stand on, never mind trying to drill and mount an antenna.

Do i need to ground the external antenna at all? Worried a bolt of lightning will hit the antenna travel down the coax and fry my tv.

Thanks,

Mike
Yes - you need to ground the antenna AND the coax where it enters the house. It is really not that complicated, so don't worry.

However, I don't think any amount of grounding is going to save your antenna from a direct lightning hit! Not that you would be at great risk with a wall mount anyway.

With proper grounding you are really protecting yourself against the more common issue of static buildup making its way down the lines.

Stu

I've had my OTA antenna mounted on my roof pointed between the CN tower and Buffalo for awhile now. 'Terrestrial Digital DB4' connected straight to my TV.

Today I decided to buy a cheap $20 Amp. It said 28dB and had 2 outputs, so I said why not.

I hooked it up today and I re-scanned, I now pick up 22 channels instead of the 17 that I originally had.

The channel that I really wanted seems to be hard to find! Does anyone else have Trouble picking up Global?

My antenna is not blocked by anything.

Edit - I actually googled my pre-amp and to my surprise, I found it. It's a philips.

Edit - I actually googled my pre-amp and to my surprise, I found it. It's a philips.Nope, that's no preamp. Its a signal booster and it injects lots more noise into your tuner than a proper preamp would. At 28dB boost it is waaaaaay overkill for what you want, so can you take it back for a refund?

I'd suggest a proper preamp mounted right up at the antenna, and you really should not be looking for one with so much boost. Try one of the milder ones in the Preamp Chart:

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

You'll do much better. :)

Nope, that's no preamp. Its a signal booster and it injects lots more noise into your tuner than a proper preamp would. At 28dB boost it is waaaaaay overkill for what you want, so can you take it back for a refund?Oh very interesting.
I'll see if I can return it.

So pre-amp vs. what I have right now, what differences are there? I was able to pick up more channels.

And having a boost like that, is that a bad or good thing? Could I damage my tuner?

And having it closer to the antenna is actually better? What should I use to protect it from weather?

Hi Adriian,

I can't see why Global (41.1) would be so hard to get ? I'm at Britannia & 9th and have no trouble at all with an attic install. Granted they do have a weak signal, but you are only 18 miles from the CN Tower. Maybe the CM4221 would perform better ?

Your not too far from me at all!

In the summer, I want to adjust/play around with my antenna, and see my results. I'm pointed between the CN tower and Buffalo, so that could be a reason why Global is not picking up. (Extremely odd though).

I have an antenna similar to the CM4221, but not that exact model.

Hi I am new to this and I got the channelmaster 4221HD model and have it in my attic with only about 25 feet of rg6 cable going to my hdtv and I am in the dixie dundas area mississauga. I was told this was the best antenna so basically my house is 2-3 stories high , but in my attic the antenna has obstructions to Buffalo line of sight , like some neighbours houses and other terrain, but I am not that far from the lake.

My problem is I point it south a little tiny angle to the west to hit Buffalo and I lock in fox, pbs, cw but all other Buffalo channels are weak and very pixelated and some Toronto channels are pixelated, I am only 10 miles from cn tower. I read a lot about amplifiers and how they can cause noise and screw up other channels. Would a good option be a pre amplifier or a low power cheap 10db uhf amplifier, because so far the performance on this so called best antenna (the guy at the store recommended) is performing like garbage.

also I saw a channel master spartan3 pre amp for 20 bucks somewhere which is high gain, but then for 10 dollars I see UHF 10 db booster amps , I dont want to overload, but the way my antenna is some toronto stations come in weak because of how the antenna is pointed , but the guy in the store said the 4221hd is better than the 4228hd because of its beam width and should get all toronto even when it's pointing at buffalo.

So what would be the smartest choice for me?

I don't know enough about Toronto and Buffalo transmitters to comment. From what I've read, the 4221 is often the better choice when you're trying to receive signals from transmitters in (moderately) different directions.

One thing I do know - don't buy an inexpensive preamp unless you know it is low noise. A noisy amp is likely to just make things worse.

Hi ontherooftop77,

I know your area...used to live near there.

Anyhow what you could do is get another CM4221 and use one for T.O & one for Buffalo. Others here in this forum have done it with success using the CM4221. (though it can be very tricky) Just get the info in the FAQ.

BUT...before you waste money....why not build a SBGH. It cost practically nothing if you do not need to weather-proof it (attic install) and most importantly it is much much better than the CM4221. I use it and get everything.

Get '300ohms' or 'jeds' version here ...both are awesome.

Ok, i think i have done the design part of my install.

I plan to do the follwoing:

1) Install a CM wall mount
2) Install a 4221HD pointing just right of CN Tower
3) Install ground rod at least 4ft into ground
4) Run 6AWG from antenna wall mount to lightning rod
5) Install lightning arrester inside the basement
6) Connect lightning arrester to ground rod outside using 6AWG
7) Run RG6 from antenna to lightning arrester
8) Connect RG6 from lightning arrester to Ground Block
9) Using 6AWG connect ground block to water mains
10) From ground block continue RG6 to tv

Comments / advise ?????

Thanks,

Mike

hey porky not sure what you are talking about like SGHG , but I do have a 4 bay clone called eagle something that I bought for 30 bucks and just left it lying around, Could I point that one towards Toronto and the channel master at buffalo? would that be a good idea? also what kind of spliter should I use would a regular dollars store splitter work and just use it in reverse? also if I decide to mount the channel master in the spring , I would have to use a long rg6 cable , is there a pre amplifier that also protects from lightining and electrical surges because I feel like grounding will be more hassle if I do a roof mount, Thanks.
the thing is also I am trying to pick up wgrz, channel 4-1,7-1 , 49-1 and those are really bad for me.