Couple of days ago I got a Terk TV55 to try...Number 1 priority, mkoz: return that Terk 55 to wherever you got it ;)

http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/forum/showpost.php?p=304734&postcount=23

and get the bowtie antenna(s) you mentioned. The attic will ruin a lot of the potential performance. I sense you have some esthetic pressures facing you...

I am aware of the less than positive reviews this antenna received, but I got it for free so the price was right :D. I managed to get it mounted flush on my chimney today (pointing pretty much south, slightly west). The signal strength increased on some buffalo channels, but the only local station I can pull in is the CBC (I guess it's pointing too far west). I will probably end up with a couple of bow-ties in the end, but this will do in the mean time. Aesthetics are definitely a factor I have to deal with :rolleyes: although I can't say the Terk looks all that appealing on the chimney at the moment. I would like to try the bowties in the attic. According to a transmission engineer at work, if my attic is relatively metal free the signal penalty should be negligible.

I would like an idea how outdoor antennas in this area handled the heavy rain and snowfall last Wednesday night, especially in regards to WGRZ. Sorry for the late post but I have been busy.

vmpv, good question. I still have good signal in bad weather. Last week with the snow, sleet, rain I lost my BEV sat signal but was still watching OTA. Even WGRZ still came in. (i watching 2-2 weather radar.) Last summer I lost WGRZ only in a really, really heavy downpour.
The day of the superbowl, everybody reported WGRZ problems ealry in the day but since it was eveybody here on DHC, we suspect it was a station or transmitter problem, even if they don't admit it.
I watch the OTA rather than BEV sat whenever I can. I hate bad simsubs and I hate the low bandwidth BEV dropouts.

I think with the warmer temps we have been having is resulting in a stonger signals.

Where are you located as you should be able to pull in those Buffalo stations properly.

Do you have the antenna mounted on the roof or in the attic ?

OK, now they're coming in at 30% :(

I wish they could stay good forever.

With any install if you can, you should try and mounted the antenna so that it has a clear view towards Buffalo.

With a clear view you should not really have severe signal fluctuation that causes you to lose the picture.

Excessive cable runs over 65-70' can cause signal loss.

What I usually do on a installs is line up the antenna for the weakest signal like Nbc and then from there fine tune it for the other stations.

Here are some maps of my antenna, and below is video footage of where I mounted my antenna. I believe the antenna is being pointed parallel to my house. You guys can check out the video.


http://www.gcide.net/pics/antenna1.jpg
http://www.gcide.net/pics/antenna2.jpg


and for the Video footage:


You need XviD to play it.
http://www.gcide.net/antenna.avi

If that is where your house is located then to optimize for Nbc I would say that you have to point it towards 170' on a compass.

At 180' south from your location its just a little west of Grand Island.

Hope that helps with Nbc.

When it gets warm, i'll try to do that. But it might boost it just a little. Not to the 90% mark where I was getting it really nice :).

90's signal, oh yes with warmer temp the signal might get a little stonger wait till summer arrives. ;)

Do you think my antenna is high enough in terms of elevation?

Sorry I would not be able to tell from the pictures you posted. I would have to be there to see how your antenna is mounted to comment.

If you were to stand behind the antenna would the south view 180-170' be clear no taller obstructions in front blocking the view?

If your view is clear then I would say that you are ok for elevation and all you might just need to move your antenna a little more east.

Where are you located, and how long is your cable run?

Do you think my antenna is high enough in terms of elevation?Based on your video (thanks for that, BTW!) I would mount the CM4228 to the chimney stack with at least a 4 or 5 foot pole since roofing and roof truss materials contain metals and metallic particles that cause multipath interference. You'll notice an immediate difference.

Depending on where you are located it seems most have trouble with Nbc.

What I normally do on my installs is line up the antenna for max signal from Nbc. With that reference signal from Nbc, move the antenna a little at a time depending on your location east or west of that current spot.

As soon as you notice the signal has drop off, stop there and scan your tuner to see if all other channels are fine.

It’s fine to let Sun or City signal strength drop lower than Nbc. The reason is that since the CN Tower is close by there will be minimal signal fluctuations.

Correct me if im wrong, but i think the angle (up) might also have something to do with it, especially since nbc can be a pain to get.

With the GTA being that far from Buffalo I dont think tilt really affects the signal.

When I do installs I do make sure both side of the pole is straight up, south and west side of the pole.

I would say if you are very closer to the CN Tower then I would angle the antenna slightly up.

just got a 4228 and a ati hdtv wonder and about to try join the OTA community. i've got a couple of questions. i'm on top of hill that you can see the lake from so line of site shouldn't be an issue. to avoid too much time on the roof which direction/degree should i point to as a start(figure i should be pointing right at buffalo and hopefully pick up toronto in one of those side lobes). when fine tunning how many degrees at a time should i move the antenna between scans. and finally i need to run the rg6 about 70 feet. will this distance create a problem and if so is there a particular booster i can get @ the source. (make/model).
thanks in advance for any assistance.

Jim, I'm in ajax and to get Buffalo, i'm pointing just about due south. I tried to go just a few degrees off from that, to get Toronto stations as well, but lost the Buffalo stations. I added a second smaller antenna, combined them together, for the TO stations and now its pretty reliable.
Since you are farther east, you might have to point a little s./s.w., you might have better luck than I did with the side lobe, but you've probably read on here that to get NBC, you have to point at it just about dead on.
Good Luck!!

Jim - also for the length of coax you are running you might want to look at a proper preamp from an antenna specialist and not a booster amp from The Source. Try your system first without buying any amplification, then think about it if you're not satisfied with the signal strength.

just an update.
i remounted my antenna so i could swing in more to the west.found if i point to WSW i get all of toronto and all of buffalo except NBC(when it gets a little warmer out i'll try find it). from my house west south west is aiming at mid toronto, guess my buffalo is coming in on one of the 4228's side lobes. on a side note for anyone getting into this hobby i can highly recommend using Sal's tv on kingston road. they where a huge help with setting up the 4228 i bought. i went back to buy another antenna because i thought i needed two to get both cities but he told me i should be able to get both with only one antenna ,anyways he phoned a customer of his who lived in my neighbourhood and found out where i should be poniting. bottom line instead of just taking my money for a sceond antenna he went out of his way to help me get in going with just the one. you don't find a whole lot of retailers like that anymore.