hey guys

Well i have been swayed into the world of OTA - and im excited!

I bought a large anntenna, and with a 3ft tripod i seen it in action at the store the picture was incredible!

I was wondering when installing what channel shoudl i put my TV on? I live in Brampton. So i know im pointing in the right area towards the CN TOWER.

THIS IS WHAT I BOUGHT - http://www.enaelectronics.ca/images/products/Channelmaster4221hd.jpg

that's a CM4221HD.
If you look in the antenna research and development sub-forum here (a subforum of OTA), you'll see that you can "modify" it to get even better performance

I'm assuming that you're using a digital-ready TV or tuner with an HD TV? If so, simply do a channel scan. The TV will indicate how many digital and analog channels that it finds....

yes my tv has a HD TUNER Built in.

I was wondering which station to put the tv on and then i will move the antenna around until i get a good area when im pointing?

or is there a better way of aiming it?

i assume i point it EAST from Brampton to CN tower

Type in your address @ antennamap dot com

Drop the 'x' on the proposed antenna location. I'd pick WKBW (RF38) to line up, zoom right in and see what there across the street.

Unless you're in a valley, or obscured by trees/buildings, you should be able to see the CN Tower on the horizon from Brampton. I do believe that it's more East South East from your location.

Have you scanned for channels?

Stampeder,
I will do the before-after (w/o and with CM7777 pre-amp) test by next weekend. I assume this should be done within a short period of time so that the troposcopic conditions are the same... Also, my TV tuner displays "bars" only so I won't be able to display the percentage difference. In any case, so far all the channels seem to be holding up pretty strong - except, of course, for ION. Who cares =)
Warm weather is very deceptive for aiming an antenna. When I installed my antenna on my roof 4 years ago, I had it aimed in between Buffalo and Toronto to get CITY and SUN a little stronger (because all the Buffalo channels were booming). Once the cold weather came around, I started getting dropouts from WGRZ. I eventually added a rotor but once I found the sweet spot, I don't even have it plugged in any more. My point is, if possible, you may want to wait till the weather cools down before adjusting an antenna.

im gonna test it out soon. I will keep everyone posted...

im not sure i have a ladder tall enough to get onto my roof :(

not sure what to do?

Try tvfool dot com. Its gives a radar style plot showing the direction to the various transmitters, and then you can use a compass to aim (remember to use the magnetic directions with a compass)

Pretty much the easiest thing is have a friend yelling or calling you telling how all the signals are. But for a general guide, use TV fool and/or Google earth...draw a line from your house to CN tower and aim in that direction. A compass might help if you get disoriented inside or outside your house.

Hi guys,
Finally cleaned up all the cables on my installation and managed to do the before/after CM7777 signal strength. The test was done in the mid-day, with weather being very sunny at around 20deg C. It seems that the CM7777 (as suggested by some members) totally overloads my Toronto stations and basically removes them from the channel list. Anyways, below are my results. Again, my Samsung displays "bars" rather than percentage, therefore the test may not be that accurate... The middle column is "with the CM7777" and the right column is "without the pre-amp".

Ch.
2.1 10 9
4.1 10 10
5.1 0 10
7.1 10 10
9.1 7 8
11.1 0 10
17.1 10 10
17.2 10 10
23.1 10 10
25.1 0 8-9
29.1 0 9
41.1 8 10
44.1 4-5 4-5
49.1 10 10
57.1 3 6
64.1 7 10
66.1 7 10

It seems that for my location it is a no-brainer. I'm a bit confused by the fact that there was no difference for the 44.1... I also disregarded some other channels that I'm picking up but have not added to the "favourite" list - 2.2, 2.3, 17.2, 26.1, 26.2 and 36.1. As mentioned previously, the ION stations come and go but they are not that critical for me... Overall I am pretty happy with the results I'm getting and the 17 stable (hopefully) channels. The next step will be taking some photos and posting them in the "pimp my gear" thread :D
Also, probably the pre-amp will be going to the "buy/sell" section soon. Again, thanks for everyone's input. Cheers!

Type in your address @ antennamap dot com

Drop the 'x' on the proposed antenna location. I'd pick WKBW (RF38) to line up, zoom right in and see what there across the street.
Thanks for that link! I've been wondering about a pointing website, this is awesome thanks!

Hi guys,
...The next step will be taking some photos and posting them in the "pimp my gear" thread :D



Can you post to let us know when its up, I'd like to take a look

I have a 4221 (new & modified) on the roof about 40 ft up. on about 60 ft of R6 with a 12db amp. (not a preamp).

I use to get ION, all summer, duing the eveningsn and want it back.

A guy a few dorrs down the street has a 4228 and said he was getting ION and PBS Rochester all the time all summer.

Does anyone thing that if I change to a 4228, with the same setup, that I woyuld be able to ION and PBS or just give me some odds.

Thoughts?

bladeduguay, Where abouts are you? Depending on your location reception will vary. I'm in SW Mississauga and receive ION most of the time. Since it is weak, it is most reliable with the latest tuners. I use a CM4221HD modified with CM7777 preamp, approx. 60 ft. RG6 to 4 port distribution amp. Distribution amp does 10db per port. I would probably try a preamp at the antenna before changing to 4228. Also I find various signal strengths moving the antenna up and down the mast. So I'd be inclined to try stacking 2 4221's. In my location, Rochester is tropo only. Their broadcast towers are very low which limits their coverage area. Since the DTV transition, I get Watertown on tropo nights before Rochester.

bladeduguay, you mentioned back in June that you were going to get your TVFool report - did you ever get a chance to do that? Can you post it here? Post #10 in the OTA FAQ has instructions.

Hey guys - ok after all your guys help i got the antenna up... here is what i did:

I've got a channel master clone dual antenna setup (one pointing to CN Tower, one to Buffalo) attached to my fence atop a 12.5 foot pole. Best $60 i've ever spent and I'm getting awesome stations - I'm so happy - No signal booster or anything attached..

Here are all the DTV channels I get:

WGRZ - NBC
WIVB - CBS
CBLT - CBC
CFTO - CTV
WKBW - ABC
WNED -PBS
WNLD
CBLFT - RC
WUTV - FOX
OMNI1
OMNI2
WYNO
CITYTV
GLOBAL
CKXT - SUNTV

... tropo nights ...

I know this is not like tequila nights, is there a glossary or something for us newbies to understand what that means. I've read it a few times on TVFool, but can't really decipher the jargon.

jraheb, start at the first few posts in this thread:

OTA Odd Reception, Weather Effects, DXing, Tropospheric Skip (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=26789)

I did get a report and it does not look good for ION. But like I said my neighbor, 3 doors down, get ION and PBS from Rodchester.
Also, a preamp, kills my stronger stations, and does nothing for ION.

TV fool for ION:
MN (db) -18.0
PRW (dBm) -108.9
LOS 2EDGE
Distance 105.6

Azimuth:
True 123
(magn) (133)

I was thinking a 4228 would pick up more signal.