Hi ontherooftop77,

The SBGH info is here:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=81982

All the info to build one is there. It might seem complicated at the beginning. but it is rather very easy to build. Just read the posts. All the plans are there.


As for a cheap splitter. I would not use one. You need one with a low db loss.

Now I am not an expert...but everything I know came from reading the FAQ here and other people's Postings. Guys like Stampeder, 300ohm etc...now they are the experts.

But what I do know...the SBGH is the BEST UHF antenna.

Cheers,

5) Install lightning arrester inside the basementGood list, but can you do this with your coax instead:

Antenna -> Ground Block (6AWG to Rod) -> Lightning Arrestor || (Now go inside the house) || Ground to water supply if needed -> To TV

I prefer to have as much unwanted energy drained off outside the house if at all possible. ;)

Hello to all, first post here. What a fantastic forum with a great amount of knowledge and enthusiasm. I've been reading for weeks and am about to begin buying some OTA gear. As Stampeder recommends the first thing that I would like to know is there anyone in my area of Mississauga who is getting good reception and what are you using? I'm close to Cawthra and Queensway in the Applewood Acres neighbourhood. My OTA reception challenges will probably be large trees in the general Buffalo direction and the fact that I'm in a bungalow surrounded by 2 story houses.

you guys are not going to believe this, apparantely this is the new channel master and the design is very similar to the clone (eaglestar) db4 antenna
I posted earlier in this thread that I had one lying around and was gonna test in my attic the channel master is for channels 14-69 and the clone is 20-69 so I tested both and the channel master locks in fox 29-1 and eaglestar clone it's pixelated or no signal, but the channel master can not get wgrz, cbs and abc , but the eaglestar clone has got wgrz,cbs and abc and is doing a better job with toronto stations, I don't know what the hell is going on but I paid almost 70 bucks for the supposed one of the best uhf antenna's and was told clone's are garbage, I am just reporting what I am seeing

you guys are not going to believe this, apparantely this is the new channel master and the design is very similar to the clone (eaglestar) db4 antennaYes we've been tracking the changes for quite some time, and you can see comparisons and analyses of it here: http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=95467

Let's get back to the topic of Reception in Oakville, Mississauga, and Brampton now. :)

I bought 6 gauge copper wire (4 ft for $12 from Home Depot), but it is braided wire - I haven't had time to assemble it yet, but will this type of wire work for me?Hi jdkent, it has to be solid wire for building an SBGH. If you have any more questions about building one of those be sure to ask in the Antenna Research and Development forum since that's where the designers hang out. We'll keep discussing your reception here. :)

Over the holidays, i heard about OTA.
I read this particular fourm for a few days after and decided to do it.
Even though i had 3 HD PVRs from Rogers...i thought this would be a great project to get up and running.
So i took a trip to the electronics stores on Dixie & Matheson...purchased 2 Eaglestar 4 Bay antennas....set them up in my attic (2 storey home)..positioned very close to the top of the roof....1 pointing to the CN Tower...the other towards Buffalo.....joined them together with a splitter...to a Sharp 37 Aquos about 20 feet away on the 2nd level.

With little adjustment i was able to receive:
ALL TORONTO CHANNELS +60 Signal
ALMOST ALL BUFFALSO CHANNELS +50 Signal

However, WVIB (CBS) 4.1 or 4.2, i am unable to receive.

I've tried adjusting the buffalo antenna and rescanning with no luck.
Upon my first adjustment attempt...i did get it...however its reception was coming in and out (pixalization).

Can anyone suggest a fix.
Pre-Amp/Amp/Better Splitter.



Thanks.

Glad that everything worked out so well for you, cellod! :)

When you say 20 feet away, is the coax only just long enough to make that connection? For the Buffalo antenna you should check that any extra coax cable length is cut out.

If WVIB-DT is still not locking after that, a milder preamp like a Winegard AP-4700 could be tried on just the Buffalo antenna. An attenuator is very cheap and is a good idea to have available to use with the preamp installed in case of possible overpowering since you are getting all the other Buffalo stations so well.

hey cellod can you pick up fox 29 in hd with the eaglestar, because I had a problem with that channel but this clone isn't to bad on the south buffalo channels for me.

hey cellod can you pick up fox 29 in hd with the eaglestar, because I had a problem with that channel but this clone isn't to bad on the south buffalo channels for me.
Ontherooftop77,

29.1 & 29.2 Fox WUTV..come in crystal clear with the Eaglestar.
NBC/ABC too.

Just that darn CBS 4.1.

I will explore the preamp option, as mention by stampeder..but i may wait to see if when the snow melts..if it make a difference.

Does anyone know if 4.2 is broadcasting in DTV?
I saw some listings online that mention its is the The Weather Channel for buffalo...is that right?

Cellod WIVB-dt has not had any sub channels for few years now only the weather channel on 2-2 WGRZ.

I also live in Applewood...I get all t.o./hamilton, plus most buffalo except 2-1 and 29-1 gives trouble on occasion

Hi All,

Been lurkin’ at Digital Home (all forums) for awhile. Time to post my 2 cents.

Geographical location: Brampton, Ontario (just SW of Queen St. and Dixie St.).

Antenna location: SSE facing window, INSIDE my 2nd floor apartment. I do not have a balcony.

Terrain: Lots of high rise apartment buildings and tall trees all around me. I have some line of sight towards the CN Tower and Buffalo.

Equipment:

Antennas Direct DB-4 antenna, Channel Master 7777 pre-amp, AutumnWave OnAir GT (ATSC tuner with PVR software) connected to a self-built Core 2 duo pc, 32” LCD TV (NTSC only tuner). Audio is 5.1. All coax cable is RG6.

What I get:

Channel # / Station / - Average Signal Strength (dB)

2-1 WGRZ (NBC) - 23
4-1 WIVB (CBS) - 25
5-1 CBLT (CBC) - 28
7-1 WKBW (ABC) - 23
7-2 WNGS (RTN) - 23
11-1 CHCH - 21
17-1/2/3 WNED (PBS) - 26
23-1 WNLO (CW) - 29
29-1/2 WUTV (Fox) - 20
36-1 CTS - 24
44-1 OMNI 2 - 29
64-1 OMNI 1 - 23

Notes:

My signal strength meter reads only dB, not percentages. I need about 20 dB to get useable HD video. 22+ dB gives me pretty much rock solid video. WUTV is iffy at the best of times. Can’t get CFTO or CITY TV, possibly because of a 23 storey apartment building to the southeast of me? The DB-4 also picks up about 10 analogue stations. Just read some posts from the guys here who are tweaking the Hoverman antenna design – have any of you considered building them and selling them to us OTA newb’s? I would sure like to try the double bay version. I could try building it myself, but I will be experiencing a bad case of time poverty for the forseeable future.

Thanks to all you guys who contribute your time and expertise and who help to make Digital Home such an awesome resource! Have fun …

Hi,

had someone come over and intsall an outdoor antenna for me. Knowing little about antennas, I now realize the antenna is a cheap knock off. I get the following results.


4-1 (poor)
5-1 (excellant)
7-1 (poor)
9-1 (excellant)
11-1 (excellant)
17-1 (excellant)
17-3 (eexcellant)
23-1 (excellant)
25-1 (excellant)
29-1 (excellant)
41-1 (excellant)
44-1 (excellant)
57-1 (excellant)
64-1 (excellant)
66-1 (excellant)

I am trying to interpret the results above and select a better antenna. Not sure if I would be better off with the 4221HD or the 4228HD. Any advise? Not sure it is a range issue or pointing issue. The installer did change the antenna orientation until we got the above results.

Good To Go, building your own Hoverman helps a great deal with Buffalo stations. I'm using SBGH paired with CM 4221, both in the attic, and the only troublesome channel is WGRZ, even with a thick layer of snow up on the roof. It's really easy to build, especially when you are going to use it indoors - you can just use aluminum foil for a reflector.
I'm actually planning to rebuild mine to make 4 bay version. I originally didn't do it because of the difficulty to get it through the attic hatch, but now I came up to an idea that should allow me to assemble it up there with a snap - two pieces of styrofoam of 10 cm thick, zigzag taped to one side and reflector to another. It would be perfectly flat and two halves can be coupled after they're lifted through the hatch.

Hey name777. Good plan. I believe the DBGH has 3 or 4 ? more dB gain than the SBGH, which should help you with WGRZ.You didn't mention a pre-amp. My Channel Master 7777 helped my set up big time. It's very powerful (26 dB gain in UHF / 23 dB VHF), ultra low noise and has the latest chipsets. I think it cost $125 tax in. Before the pre-amp, I was only able to pull CBC, WNLO and sometimes WNED. Good luck with the DBGH. If you want to sell the SBGH send me a message.

Good catch, Good To Go. No, I don't use a pre-amp, just a crappy Philips distribuion amplifier. I tried Spartan before, but it was useless, and I don't want to spend another $ on 7777.

I have yet to mount the channel master 4221HD on a 15 foot tower in my backyard , so I put the antenna on top on my entertainment center pointing towards buffalo with walls and houses in line of sight and have a winegaurd
pre amp to give a little boost for the antenna and here are my results indoors
also The antenna is on the second floor.

2-1
2-2
4-1
5-1
7-1
7-2
9-1
17-1
17-2
17-3
23-1
25-1
29-1
36-1
41-1
44-1
57-1
64-1
66-1

I cant seem to get 11-1 unless I rotate the antenna , as for 49-1 I would guess outdoors would solve this, the pre amp also helps because before the south buffalo channels would come in pixelated and now they are solid , but mainly the amp is for when I mount outside with long cables and a splitter.

I have indoor Philips MNT310F antenna and I am getting following:

5 HD Channels

CBC
CTV
CityTV
Omni 1
Omni 2

and I am getting 13 analog channels out that 5 are the same of HD
Quality is good and reliable.

I have the ******** Ant-3045, I live in Mississauga, I just got so I just attached it to a 10 foot mast sitting on my patio set umbrella base. It is sitting on my deck about 10 feet from my house. I get all of these channels perfectly:

2.1
2.2
4.1
5.1
7.1
7.2
9.1
17.1
17.2
17.3
18.1
23.1
25.1
29.1
36.1
41.1
57.1
66.1

I want to install it on the roof in the spring - hope to catch a few more channels.

I do agree however it is pretty cheaply made.

Any suggestions for a good quality antenna that will last? I am afraid with the first strong wind the Ant-3045 will take off like a kite or fall apart...

Thanks,
Steve