Thanks for the reply.

I will try to see the quality of the analog channels when I get home. So, CFTO analog (ch 9) and CHCH (ch 11) are the only ones I should be concerned with?

Also, assuming I get a VHF antenna, if I split between Hamilton and Buffalo (from Vaughan/RH area), it should be good right? Would you recommend the Yagi Y5 ($35 from the source) or the ClearStream5 (~$130)? I am presuming the Clearstream5 will be better and more forgiving on being off-angle from the towers.

The cheapest I found the Clearstream5 was in saveandreplay.com was $135 :(.

I don't know if there are any balun experts here, but I've hear it said that the reason the DB8 isn't as good as say the CM4228 on hi-VHF is the balun that comes with the DB8.

Also what about for CTV (ch 9 VHF), CHCH (ch 11 VHF), etc.

Don't forget about CKVR (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CKVR-TV) in Barrie. They'll be on VHF-HI when they go digital.

CKVR will be on Channel 10.

- Trip

^^^^
Please read that link. It says they were originally supposed to be on 10, but changed to 8 to avoid interference problems to a Rochester station. Either way, however, it's still VHF.

I have read in different places CKVR will be on each 8 and 10. I concluded it was probably 10 based on Stampeders Industry Canada database.

It is confirmed to be 10?

That wikipedia article has no references in the part it discusses the possible placement on channel 8. Without references it doesn't hold any more weight than the conjectyure we throw around here.

The IC database shows that CKVR has applied for Channel 10 and that the application is under consideration. That's the official word so far.

Thanks guys for the replies. So I guess the most important question now is, would a Yagi Y5 ($35) be ok or should I spring for the $135 Clearstream5?

I am presuming the C5 is not as directional as the Yagi?

i live by 10th line and mantel, i can see the CN tower on a clear day from my roof. i was thinking about mounting an antenna in my attic.

Any advice?
Thanks

Before you select your antenna based on comments from various buyers all over the place, you are fortunate to have found Digital Home. A terrible antenna will work great if you're located in the right place. And a quality antenna might not work for you if it is designed for a different type of location. Your best hope for receiving all channels will be to have the best quality antenna designed for your area.

Your best bet, in my opinion, is to stick with the long-established and well-respected brand names such as Channel Master, Antennas Direct, Winegard, and Antennacraft. If you're handy and want to make a powerful antenna for your attic you can get the plans on Digital Home for the best home-made antenna around. You can find an antenna chart to help you choose your antenna in the OTA FAQ thread, post 1.

Here you can search this thread to find out which specific antennas work best for others in your part of the city. You just have to search through this thread and you'll find which antennas are best for your neighbourhood.

Good luck! You'll love OTA if you do it right the first time!

Hey HWP,

Thanks for the quick reply. i was looking at a ch 4228hd also. i'll do some searching b4 i pull the trigger.

Thanks again

Thanks guys for the replies. So I guess the most important question now is, would a Yagi Y5 ($35) be ok or should I spring for the $135 Clearstream5?

I am presuming the C5 is not as directional as the Yagi?

I would not bother with the C5. I have that Y5 from The Source, and it seems to work just fine for north of the GTA.

I have it mounted on a rotor, along with my 4221. The rotor is normally pointed about 160' during the winter, and it currently has no problems with 9 and 11 analogue. I would suspect it should be fine once they revert to these channels on digital.

During the summer, I can leave it aimed even further east (140') without losing Tor/Ham, so that I also get WHEC 10 (RF) and WHAM 13 (RF) out of Rochester. Although I don't recall how bad 11 analogue gets at this bearing, CHCH-DT 18 still comes in fine on the 4221 at the same bearing.

It has also snagged me WNGS 7 out of south Buffalo on occasion, which by all reports is a very difficult station to get in the GTA.

Great, thanks x4mer!

Bah bit the bullet. Bought a Clearstream5.

Going to mount the DB8 and the Clearstream5 on a tripod in the attic. Got two poles that can stack. If not enough clearance, might have to get another tripod.

We'll see. Will post the results once everything is done.

Hi,

I've read through the FAQ thread but I'm still confused as to why I'm not able to pick up any digital signals. According to tvfool.com I should be able to receive a number of digital channels with an indoor antenna. I purchased a Terk flat panel antenna and connected it directly to the TV. I have a Samsung LED with ATSC tuner. If I understand correctly, the Air mode uses the TV's built-in antenna, so I set it to cable so it will use the Terk.

With those settings I am only able to pick up a few channels such as 9 (CTV) and 5 (CBC). If I understand correctly 9-1 is the digital channel but I cannot see anything. If I switch to the TV's built-in antenna I can actually pick up quite a few analog channels, but never anything digital. I have also run the auto-program but it only finds a two or three channels and nothing digital.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d3cf41756106595

So according to the table CFTO-DT is 40 (9.1). I can see CFTO-TV (9) but nothing on 40 or 9.1. Am I reading it right?

dncheu: Welcome to the forum!
You should leave your television set to AIR. That is the most likely reason why your TV set can't "see" the DTV channels.
AIR is for all antenna television, both analog and digital. Setting it to CABLE will not give you the desired results.

Hi downbeat,

Thanks for the reply! Ok I put it into air mode, but I still don't get any digital channels, just analog. Everytime I auto-program, it only finds Air channels and nothing under DTV Air. If I punch in 9-1, it just goes back to 9. From what I've read I should be able to pick up at least 1 digital channel so it really baffles me. WUTV (14-1) is supposed to have a pretty strong signal but I get nothing.

You initially scanned for cable, so the default will remain in the cable mode.
You have to do a brand new scan first before it will pick up anything into the 'air/DTV' channel list:
In the 'initial' setup menu: It will ask you cable, air, auto,.... Choose air then run the scan again.

I have a homemade youtube antenna in the attic. Have it pointed at the Cn Tower, on a good day I get about 14-16 channels including Buffalo( right now not so good, I think too much snow on the roof). Have a newly bought cm 4221 that I will be pointing only at Buffalo. I want to run these two antennas to three tv's. Should I get a preamp, distirbution amp or both. And any other tips would be appreciated. Live a little north of the GTA.

I am using the RCA ANT751 on my roof about 20' high, and my area is Richmond Hill, 16th and Bayview area facing south,
So far I can get good signal for 9,19,25,41,47,52. 5 and 57 are very weak.
on the ATSC solid signal for 5.1, 25.1, 23.1, 9.1, 44.1 and 57.1. but I do not get 64.1, 41.1 and 66.1
I want to upgrade the antenna to use a DIY plan, did anyone compare the DB4, Gray-Hoverman antenna, and Fractal TV Antenna (I like the concept, since it is very small). Any suggestion on which plan more suitable for my area and overall a better design.
or from the list of channels that I get is that worth the time to do the upgrade or not.

one other interesting thing since I have the old Bell satellite antenna structure about 16" diameter, would it make sense to mount the fractal antenna on the head area and use the dish as the reflector, anyone done this before. would it work
thanks.