Do you use pre-amp? I am at Mavis & Britannia and I haven't installed mine. I just put it on second floor on the chair facing NBC/ABC, and I can get quite many digial channels (18 is the most). So, I want to put it outside and was wondering if I need CM 7777.

jktan,if I were you,I'll try to mount the antenna w/o a preamp(CM7777) and then scan for channels.If you can't get all the 25 digital channels then you need a preamp.Provided you mount your CM4221 on the roof then you might be alright w/o a preamp.

Do you use pre-amp? I am at Mavis & Britannia and I haven't installed mine.
I do use a CM7777 pre-amp. It doesn't really get me any more channels but what it does do is give me a higher signal strength which ensures more consistent channel reception.

You may or may not need one. They can sometimes cause overloading problems.

Rogers is trying to increase my cable bill ... so I told them to come by and pick up their equipment (Digital box and they want to remove all the -free- extensions they'd put in my house which were never used!).

I thought that this OTA stuff was easy ... but after trying to read all the (great) info at this forum, I'm intimidated and confused.

Very simply put - I want to install an OTA antenna in my house. I have an LCD TV with an ATSC tuner (plus an NTSC tuner).

I'd rather not have to install a large antenna with a mast and rotator etc with all sorts of complex wiring. A mast bolted to the side of the house is probably do-able.

The Wade Antenna site is not too user-friendly (I am looking for a Delhi antenna that is recommended in the Antenna Chart of the FAQs) and I can't figure out what I'll need to use a VU935.

And nowhere is there any benchmark for costs of all this.

I'd gladly pay user "57" to have my setup optimised since it looks like it's a good idea to have that done.

But I need to figure out:

- What antenna to buy (Delhi VU935 perhaps)
- How complicated the installation of this antenna will be
- Where to buy it
- What reception others in the Dundas/Mavis area are getting
- A ballpark of what all this will cost me

Rogers are coming on April 18th to remove their stuff from my house.

Is it feasible to get OTA set up in, say, a week from then?

Sorry for what may seem like dumb questions from a newbie ... and the answers are probably all buried somewhere in this forum. I just can't find them easily (and I've been searching for over a month). The technical stuff is very intimidating for a guy like me. I'm handy but not technically minded.

Any help and constructive advice will be more than welcome.

Thank you very much.

== Soon to be ex-Rogers cable ==

I can only comment on your inside wiring. Don't let them take any wire, or cut any connectors off, the cable is inside of your home, and it is your wire. Let them take the splitter(s) and any other associated wiring, but the coax that they installed should stay.
As far as reception goes, a friend who lives not far from you (Cawthra/Dundas) picks up around 10+ channels, and thinks you may get that many, or maybe a bit more, as he says he is in the "valley", while you are on top of Mavis Mountain! :D

oldmachead, I've merged your post into the OTA Reception thread for your area.

Use the Search This Thread tool to the upper right beside Thread Tools and put in search terms like "Mavis", "Dundas", or other local names and there are results already posted in this thread from near where you live so you can compare and make good choices. When you do that you'll come across another member at Mavis and Dundas named Biggy (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/member.php?u=49499) who has done very well with OTA - you could simply copy his system. :)

I do use a CM7777 pre-amp. It doesn't really get me any more channels but what it does do is give me a higher signal strength which ensures more consistent channel reception.

You may or may not need one. They can sometimes cause overloading problems.
Using the 4228 HD and the 7777 gets me the difficult FOX and MYTV, without the 7777, I can't get these two- and yes the 7777 increases signal strength on all my channels- and no, it does not cause overload problems on my new Sammy- local stations (2.5 miles away) still 10/10 and no distortion.

I can only comment on your inside wiring. Don't let them take any wire, or cut any connectors off, the cable is inside of your home, and it is your wire. Let them take the splitter(s) and any other associated wiring, but the coax that they installed should stay.
As far as reception goes, a friend who lives not far from you (Cawthra/Dundas) picks up around 10+ channels, and thinks you may get that many, or maybe a bit more, as he says he is in the "valley", while you are on top of Mavis Mountain! :D
That is great advice. Thank you.

I was wondering how to handle that issue - as in, what my legal standing/rights are with regard to cable that is inside my house.

Thank you very much. Appreciate all the help.

I've just installed my OTA 4 days ago, scanned 16 Analog channels and 9 HDTV channels, what surprised me 3 out of 9 HDTV channels are not in full screen. My HDTV is RCA 42" and was bought 2 years ago. Having problem to adjust the resolution. Any help would be appreciated.

Where is the best location to install this antenna?

eaglenest, I went exactly your way for proof of concept, and I can say that even placing antenna in the attic will give you better receptionl than the garage roof.

I've just installed my OTA 4 days ago, scanned 16 Analog channels and 9 HDTV channels, what surprised me 3 out of 9 HDTV channels are not in full screen. My HDTV is RCA 42" and was bought 2 years ago. Having problem to adjust the resolution. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Where is the best location to install this antenna?. Any suggestion?. I live here in Mississauga.
The best place for an antenna is as high as possible. I suggest a 12' pole on the peak of your roof. The only station that is not digital is TVO 19. All other stations in your area are available in DTV.

DTV is not always HD. A lot of content is the old 4x3 aspect ratio.
When it gets converted to be played on an HD channel, the aspect ration stays 4x3, as it should.
There are still some new shows being made @ 4x3 in standard definition. I think its a sin.
Distorting a signal by stretching is more of a sin to me, but others seem to like it, just so it fills the screen. I try to watch the part of the screen that has content on it and ignore the black part that doesn't need watching.

Many thanks to name777 and Tom.F.1 for their quick response, it helps me a lot.

Just returned from state side and pickup a couple antennas :) I was over at a friend place testing one small Zenith indoor antenna on the 11th floor apartment which is fairly close to lake (Lakeshore Blvd.) I thought I would share some interesting results will you.

We were pleasantly surprised that we were able receive twenty digital stations pretty well all the US and TO channels with little or no effort, but here’s the kicker since his apartment faces North I had to point the antenna straight through at least three quarters of the buildings width, “wow”:eek: I never expected such good results. BTW the weather was very nice yesterday.

This shows you just how much the height and proximity to the lake (clear shot across) can make in receiving stations. I gave him a new 4221 should be interesting to see what he gets. Please note this will not necessary work for everyone, but it’s worth a try if you are one of those in the high up apartments close to lake.

So finally I got my CM 4221HD

I have put it on the side of the house around 15 feet high from ground and I am getting the following channels without any pre-amp:

2.1
2.2
4.1
5.1
7.1
9.1
17.1
17.2
17.3
23.1
25.1
29.1
29.2
41.1
43.8 (Nothing on screen, no information available)
43.9 (Nothing on screen, no information available)
44.1
57.1
64.1
66.1

I have not seen any 1 reporting 43.8 & 43.9 , Can any 1 let me know what these channels are?

Should I be getting any more channels, if so what I need to do?

Thanks

Just returned from state side and pickup a couple antennas :) I was over at a friend place testing one small Zenith indoor antenna on the 11th floor apartment which is fairly close to lake (Lakeshore Blvd.) I thought I would share some interesting results will you.

We were pleasantly surprised that we were able receive twenty digital stations pretty well all the US and TO channels with little or no effort, but here’s the kicker since his apartment faces North I had to point the antenna straight through at least three quarters of the buildings width, “wow”:eek: I never expected such good results. BTW the weather was very nice yesterday.

This shows you just how much the height and proximity to the lake (clear shot across) can make in receiving stations. I gave him a new 4221 should be interesting to see what he gets. Please note this will not necessary work for everyone, but it’s worth a try if you are one of those in the high up apartments close to lake.
And then "Biggy" was over at my place (Dundas/Mavis) and we connected this Zenith antenna - indoors - and got perfect reception!!

I am delightfully amazed at the helpfulness of people in this forum, esp. Biggy, who took the trouble and his time to come over and test the signal at my house.

As soon as I can find an antenna, I'm going with OTA!

Cheers,

I have not seen any 1 reporting 43.8 & 43.9 , Can any 1 let me know what these channels are?Those are sub-channels of WNED-DT PBS believed to be carrying UpdateLogic data channel signals:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=89664

Hello everyone,

I have freed myself from cable and I have streamed some shows from the web on my laptop that I hook up to the tv. I am looking for an OTA setup that will give me some tv shows for the TV in the bedroom and for the living room. I am looking for a posting with some step by step instructions on how to setup everything. If someone out there lives in the Brampton area, and can show me how to setup an OTA gear, we could negotiate a price or maybe some beer and a bbq. (steak, grilled vegetables and desert)
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

I just went to this site sponsor(Save and Replay in Mississauga, the Guy that is there well help guide you as well) and picked up a 4221hd antenna and some RG6 cable and went up as high as I could 20' and aimed straight down the hwy 410 and picked up all Buffalo and CN tower channels appx. 20 with a cm 7778 pre-amp. No problems to install, if I can do it , anybody can.

This was the answer that I was looking for. Thank you for your response.