Anybody in Durham area get Qubo reliably?

Yep.... Mounting on the roof should get you that channel (considering you are able to detect it currently)

You know, it will be going above zero in a couple days!!! But the only way you might be allowed up there is in a Santa suit....

Cheers

Having problems tuning in PBS 17.1 WNED

I usually get it at around 40% and it some days it drops out for a little while at a time. The last couple days the signal has been averaging lower with frequent dropouts. I even turned my antenna more directly to Buffalo -- average signal strength improved but the signal is still very intermittent with frequent dropouts.

Yesterday the weather was fairly clear with the wind picking up. Today it's more overcast, but radar is not showing any storm activity between Oshawa and Buffalo, not yet...

Let me know if any of you are have troubles tuning 17.1 WNED or if you have any ideas as to what's up. I should mention that most of the other Buffalo stations (including some that should be weaker than WNED) are coming in good, with the strange exception of 29.1 FOX which is usually strong for me but is now mostly dropped.

CaptainKen: I just checked WNED, and it's coming in at the typical level for me here in Kitchener; without dropouts.

Whenever I've had problems with WNED (not often), it's typically caused by Detroit tropo--where the Detroit PBS affiliate is on the same channel as WNED. Though I haven't noticed any Detroit tropo recently....

I still get ION reliably in the Stouffville area although the signal has dropped in the cold weather to about 2 bars, and was usually fully peaked with above 0C temperatures.

In the past few days, ION/QUBO have become spotty for me, as the temperature has dropped.

I have a 4221 mounted outside pointed at Buffalo. Does anyone have an opinion on what preamp would be good to improve this?

Quite fond of those channels, especially QUBO for the kids (Jane & the Dragon is a favorite in our house).

In the past few days, ION/QUBO have become spotty for me, as the temperature has dropped.

I have a 4221 mounted outside pointed at Buffalo. Does anyone have an opinion on what preamp would be good to improve this?

Quite fond of those channels, especially QUBO for the kids (Jane & the Dragon is a favorite in our house).

It depends on your setup. You can read through theSignal Amplifiers (Amps, Preamps, Distro Amps) (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=42426) thread and find lots of info.

In a nutshell, you want to figure out how much signal loss you have between your antenna and your furthest TV from the antenna, and then get an amp 10dB higher than that number. You want an amp with a low noise margin so it doesn't add more noise to the signal. Post # 1 of the thread above has a chart of commonly available pre-amps, as well as a link to a loss calculator.

Hi guys noobie here! Just picked up a new TV with built in HD tuner, I'm situated in a condo building (no balcony).The view from my unit window is E-SE...I can see the lake and have no obstructions so I can see clearly to New York state on clear days...only problem is; to point SW, I'd be pointing thru the building!...Just hoping for input on what I should try/purchase to get some reception.What would be a good indoor antenna? Would a booster/amp be necessary etc; etc;?? Would really appreciate any help :)

Thanks,
F_3

it seems the most popular indoor antenna that is most recommended on this forum is either a Terk hdtva or a Philips silver sensor clone.i myself have been using a Philips Mant510 for 2 years,and im facing north in my apt with no balcony,and generally i can pick up between 10-15 digital stations,depending on the weather.your location is alot better than mine,so i dont see a problem with you receiving more stations.

Thanks Jase for checking WNED 17.1 (PBS) for me. Interesting thot on the Detroit tropo; there must be some wacky explanation out there for what I'm experiencing with that channel.

I still have my antenna pointed more toward Buffalo than usual and almost all the Buffalo stations are coming in strong. Today WNED 17.1 is coming in solid at around 58% which is surprising as it is very overcast and raining. Last night there was no rain and no reception, no signal at all! FOX 29.1 is also not coming in, last night or today. Everything else from Buffalo is strong. This is unusual because I've generally got FOX 29.1 even when the other Buffalo stations are dropping out.

The PBS matter is a frustrating problem as I really WNED 17.1 for my kids and it doesn't seem like others from my area are having a problem with it. The mystery continues....

That's definitely strange. I haven't heard of anyone around here having issues with PBS when they're pointed at buffalo.
Even if you're pointed at TO it's hard to not get it :p

Your WNED problems sound strange, given that others in your area don't share the same problems. Could it be caused by multipath/reflections of the WNED signal that is rebounding off of something near your antenna. eg: a water tower, building, trees, a pond, etc.

Oh yes, those innocent looking trees can be your friend or they could be your enemy. As trees go,.. pine trees can scatter a digital signal pretty badly.

@CaptainKen: What equipment are you using?

Hi Jase:

My setup includes a CM 4221 antenna with a CM 7777 pre-amp running 50ft into a Tivax tuner.

WNED 17.1 is much stronger today (after NO adjustments). Recneps, you really have me wondering why I get all those other Buffalo channels so clearly but still have this intermittent problem with WNED 17.1. What a mystery!

I am about to turn my antenna just a hint more Westerly as I think I'm close to the edge of being able to tune in CFTO 9.1, CHCH 11.1 and CITY 57.1. Global CIII 41.1 I cannot usually get unless I'm quite a bit more Westerly, so I'll just continue to tune in the analog version.

Thanks

P.S. OK, maybe I'm not as sharp as I thought... Jase, how do you guys put your setup down there in your signature area. I haven't been able to figure that out.

P.S. OK, maybe I'm not as sharp as I thought... Jase, how do you guys put your setup down there in your signature area. I haven't been able to figure that out.

It's in the signature field
Try this link:
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/profile.php?do=editsignature

Thanks, Recneps. Guess I haven't made enough posts yet to qualify for a signature. Just a newbie, but I sure am trying hard!

I made a slight adjustment back toward the southwest today to regain some of the Toronto stations I lost by aiming more toward Buffalo. I only lost a little signal strength on the Buffalo stations and regained CFTO 9.1, CHCH 11.1, CITY 57.1 and almost CIII 41.1.

I'm ready to conclude that Tom is right. Two antennas seems to be the best solution for this area, one for Toronto and one for Buffalo and area. I'll keep trying with one for now. I don't really watch much TV, but next spring if I'm watching more I'll seriously think about adding another antenna to the mix. (I have a CM 4221 with CM 7777 to a Tivax)

CaptainKen,

Do you have a visibly clear path to the CN tower and the lake from the antenna's view point? If you do; it is my experience that everyone is over amplifying in this scenario and location. I can get 27 channels with a two bay antenna and a 19db amp....no rotoring (antenna in one fixed position)... that is chch 11-1, qubo 51-2 etc... no droppouts... no tropo. Rochester is blocked from my location + antenna height.

My fist setup was a 4221 (4 bay) with 60 ft off rg6, I was missing a couple weak stations. Then I added a cm7777... It was clearly overloaded cause things got worse (re-aiming will help, but it will just fool you because such things as amp clipping, antenna polar pattern characteristics, Tx Power + polar distribution, and Rx/Tx geometry ). Anyway, a STB was taken to the roof and all the channels were received; so some amplification is needed... just not to much. Two antenna solutions should only be used around here if you have obstructions.

I currently am running two hacked and stacked 4228hd's (pointing same direction) down 60 ft of rg6 to a 15db gain distribution amp split 8 ways with maximum additional runs of 100ft.... and guess what? Solid reception on all my channels with the antennas in one position. I just removed my 19db gain pre-amp cause I was losing channels! I tested that amp last night and it works fine... another case of over amplifying. For anyone else reading this please keep in mind this is for a nearly clear line of sight scenario here as I have some light foliage towards Buffalo about half a kilometer away from my location.

If you can, try taking a STB up close to your antenna (no amp) to assess what you really need. Keep us posted on your progress... I was on the roof yesterday... Too cold, too windy :eek:

Cheers

It depends on your setup. You can read through theSignal Amplifiers (Amps, Preamps, Distro Amps) (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=42426) thread and find lots of info.

In a nutshell, you want to figure out how much signal loss you have between your antenna and your furthest TV from the antenna, and then get an amp 10dB higher than that number. You want an amp with a low noise margin so it doesn't add more noise to the signal. Post # 1 of the thread above has a chart of commonly available pre-amps, as well as a link to a loss calculator.

I did read that thread pretty extensively. The calculations would be interesting & I'd probably even do them if I didn't have kids & a job. :p However, circustances being as they are I just hauled out my credit card & ordered the kitztech as it seems to be a bargin over in the pre-amp thread.

On the plus side I'm having the most trouble with FOX & ION - I believe this means my antenna is pointed in more-or-less the right direction :D

I'll let everyone know here how it works out.

Hi,

I’m new to the forum (been reading it for a few days) and to HDTV.

Got a new 42” Panasonic LCD TV on Jan. 5, model #TC-L42U12. Just moved from Peterborough, where we had Cogeco Cable, to Toronto (East Scarborough, just south of Port Union Rd. & 401). I already had an amplified indoor antenna, Philips SDV2750/27 to see what I’d get on my old analog TV, and picked up five or six stations.

Naturally, arriving home after the new purchase, I was in a frenzy to get the new set out of the box, screw on the stand and plug in the antenna to see what came in. Scanned in the channels using the mode for both analog and digital, and was dismayed to find that after a very long time scanning, the set came up with only 4 analog channels, of which only two could actually show a picture, and no digital channels$%&@!!?

Read the manual again, saw that I’d misread the screen setting for cable vs. antenna on the set, so had been scanning cable channels. Interesting that this scan picked up channels 5 and 9, (how did that work?). Rescanning properly, these are my results:

5 – varies between clear and snowy
5.1 -67%
9 – good
9.1 – got it at first, now get “not available”
17.1
17.2
17.3 – all of these most of the time – 62% currently
19 – variable from bad ghosting to very good
22 – very snowy
23.1 – excellent – 91%
25 – good
27 – very snowy
36 – very snowy
41 – good to very good
41.1 - got it at first, now get “not available”
44.1 – 58%
47 – good to very good
49.1
49.2 – I think I got these at first, but now get “not available”
52 – snowy
57 – fluctuates snowy to fair to good
57.1 - got it at first, now get “not available”
69 – snowy

Orientation of setup is as as follows:

House, a raised bungalow, faces approximately north, and TV is in the north end of the living room, and antenna is near it (has only a 2m cable) aiming approximately south towards the window at the end of the dining/living room about 10m away. Antenna seems not to produce anything useful except when amplification is turned on. Seems to work best with the UHF amplification dial set about 90% of maximum. VHF amplification is set similarly.

Now, I’m pleased with what I see so far with a $30 antenna from Costco, and naturally am optimistic that the following steps would result in more channels and better stability of the existing ones:

1. placing antenna near the south window or on the deck on the south side of the house – need a longer cable to do this (10 to 15m) and present cable is attached internally to the antenna.
2. better antenna facing out the south window or on the deck.

It would be nice to get the Buffalo network channels, but our viewing habits would be mostly satisfied with stable signals from PBS, CBC, TVO, CTV and getting most of the Toronto digital channels. (we rarely watch sports, sitcoms etc., mostly documentaries, news, movies etc., PBS, CBC and TVO being our most valuable channels)

Very happy not to be signing up to Rogers. I’d almost sooner flush my money down the toilet than give it to them. It’s not just the money, it’s also that it’s a company I despise on general principles. We were considering satellite, but have learned the there’s a large tree with foliage blocking the signal in the summer, so the signals would only be good in the winter. Hope this tree doesn’t mess with our OTA signals too much!

TVFool results:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3db32b6711620d28

The forum looks very interesting and informative, with many experts. Looking forward to suggestions.

Cardano, welcome aboard. I'm not overly familiar with your antenna, but in general you want to get your antenna outside, up high and have a clear line of sight. Moving the antenna around might get better results, but you may also want to consider returning it and investing in an outdoor antenna.

From your area you can easily pick up the Toronto and Buffalo stations with a CM 4221HD pointing at about 185° or so (split the difference between Toronto and Buffalo). The easiest method is to get a J-mount and attach it to the side of your house or chimney in an area with a clear view (i.e. no big trees or houses in the way). If you are splitting to a few tv's you may need a distribution amp or pre-amp. In addition to getting all of the above channels clearly, you should also be able to get 11.1, 36.1, 51.1,2,3,4, 64.1 and 66.1. In the summer you will get some additional Rochester stations with the help of a little tropo.

Dave

cardano,welcome to the forum.i myself bought a philips indoor antenna(mant510) 2 yrs ago when the dtv changeover was about to occur.i live in an apt in south oshawa,my apt faces north with no balcony.i can receive between 10-15 digital stations this time of year.in the summer,it usually goes up towards 20-25 depending on the weather. with your location,your best bet is to place the antenna by your south window,and run some rg-6 cable to your tv.you have a great location,as you have better proximaty to toronto and wny stations than i do,so i cant see why you shouldnt see a definate improvement in signal quality.i totally agree with your thoughts on rogers as well,i cancelled them many years ago,had enought of their crap.let us know how it works out for you.