Following up on these posts from another thread:

http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/forum/showpost.php?p=193457&postcount=3
http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/forum/showpost.php?p=193498&postcount=4

When you're looking at specs and PDFs of antennas its helpful to look for a front-to-back ratio, meaning the bias the design has for front reception as opposed to from the back and sides. The higher the number the more directional the antenna is, with consequences for whether a rotor is needed to pick up stations to the rear or the side of your antenna. Sometimes even a different antenna design with a wider pattern is required. Those Vee antennas look great, but they're quite limited in their usage in some circumstances. Hopefully the spec sheet shows a pattern diagram, in which case a very directional antenna will show a long, narrow oval.

The Winegard 9032 shown by HDTV101 is a very directional "Vee" antenna like the Channel Master 4248, so if you are after good side or rear signal capture you shouldn't normally purchase one unless you intend to mount it on a rotor. If all your desired stations are within a fairly straight line you are doing great with a Vee and it would be unlikely that you would need a rotor.

For his purposes it suits HDTV101 well because he's located where the desired stations all fall roughly within his reception pattern. Weblurker, it seems like you're in Toronto so you should be okay with a directional Vee pointed at Buffalo, but based on what you've said so far about wanting Erie PA and Rochester NY I think if you are determined to buy one you should at least look at putting it on a rotor. Its much easier to mount a rotor on a new mast than to take an existing one down, clean it up, and mount a rotor on it.

Just a final point about the future: when more and more Canadian stations go digital you'll be annoyed at all the rotating you'll need to do with that highly directional Vee antenna, so I think today you might want to consider a reflector bowtie like the CM4228, which has a generous capture pattern and is sensitive enough for deep fringe reception. At least when you're rotating it you'll get a strong signal in a much smaller turning arc, so the time to rotate it for good reception is much smaller. What I mean is that the pattern is so generous that you don't have to rotate it perfectly towards the station to lock onto a perfect digital signal stream.

Hi! Everyone,

I Just bought the Sharpshooter ss-3000 from Bestbuy but it was under a different name called Terk - Low-Profile Indoor Off-Air HDTV Antenna (HDTVIP). Channel 2-13 (CBS, NBC, ABC, KCAL, FOX, & UPN) doesn't work but the rest of the channel work great! I returned this antenna. Here the link to check it out for yourself. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7049669&type=product&productCategoryId=cat08084&id=1108124657996

I Just bought the Sharpshooter ss-3000 from Bestbuy but it was under a different name called Terk - Low-Profile Indoor Off-Air HDTV Antenna (HDTVIP). Channel 2-13 (CBS, NBC, ABC, KCAL, FOX, & UPN) doesn't work but the rest of the channel work great! I returned this antenna.Terk antennas do not have a good reputation. Check forums around the web and you'll see lots of dissatisfaction. :mad:

Terk antennas do not have a good reputation. Check forums around the web and you'll see lots of dissatisfaction. :mad:
The Terk that I was talkiing about it is powered by Winegard so I think Winegard design it. I think those two company are partner in a way. That antenna spec. is exactlly like the Winegard Sharpshooter ss-3000.

My advice is to go with a UHF-only antenna, and add single-channel VHF antennas if they are needed. This is because the Canadian low-VHF analog channels can cause so much interference to an antenna system and there is no analog shut-off yet planned for Canadian stations.

My advice is to go with a UHF-only antenna, and add single-channel VHF antennas if they are needed. This is because the Canadian low-VHF analog channels can cause so much interference to an antenna system and there is no analog shut-off yet planned for Canadian stations.What about a UHF (such as a CM4228) up on top with a VHF/FM mounted about 4 or 5 feet below on the same mast/rotor? Would there still be transient interference between them at that separation?

I have done several separate VHF and UHF broadband antennas in the same installation recently, and there is no evidence to support the contention that low-band VHF channels interfere in any way with digital signals. A strong local VHF signal may cause some problems with tuner overload, but the same can also be said of UHF local stations.

My go-to all-channel antenna system for deep-fringe use has been the combination of a Wade-Delhi VIP-306 VHF antenna and a Channel Master 4228 8 bay UHF antenna mounted on the same 5' mast. In combination with a Channel Master Titan 7777 dual-input preamplifier, that antenna system will provide excellent analog and digital results well in excess of 100km from the transmitters.

If you want evidence, just look at how the signal coming from my antenna on the south shore of Montreal is (bleep) because the analog channel 2 is showing up all over the UHF spectrum, causing interference to current U.S. UHF analog stations (there is only one U.S. DTV station right now).

When Radio-Canada's channel 2 shuts down at 1am, signals come in clear. I don't need channel 2 anymore since it's now available digitally on channel 19.

If you want evidence, just look at how the signal coming from my antenna on the south shore of Montreal is (bleep) because the analog channel 2 is showing up all over the UHF spectrum, causing interference to current U.S. UHF analog stations (there is only one U.S. DTV station right now).



Do you have separate UHF and VHF antennae with a UHF only preamp or no preamp?

I have an all-channel antenna. I had already ordered a filter to block channel 2 and 6 so that 3 and 5 would come in. However, it had very little effect, plus the high UHF channels also faced significant loss when the trap was on. After seeking solutions for my problem, I found that ordering traps would cost me hundreds of dollars and would only be a temporary thing.

I have just ordered a UHF-only antenna and a channel 13 (for when WVNY-DT ABC Burlington comes online). The only thing I'll be losing will be analog CBS and NBC (3 and 5 which are mostly unwatchable anyway) until next year when they will be on digitally on UHF channels.

I remember this exact antenna on my parents home as a kid. Was VHF only but seemed to do the job ok with Buffalo 2, 4, and 7 in those days. Funny to see that Wade still makes this model!

Do you think it is worth getting a combo VFH/UHF antenna? This is for the GTA. The antenna installer recommended one. A CM4242. But he doesn't have as much experience with UHF OTA HD.Sometimes there are reasons for going with a combo, so I wouldn't rule it out. Tigerbangs has recommended these combo antennas in another forum:


Winegard HD8200P or HD7084P
Channel Master Crossfire 3671 or 3678
Wade-Delhi VU936 SR or VU935SR with the optional VU8PZ UHF extension kit

Hope this helps,
stampeder

I have looked and looked and all i find is 100+ miles in vhf and 60 in uhf as max. Any advise.Lets tackle this another way: how about if you give us your location, equipment, desired channels, etc. and things you've already thought about, then we'll take a look and offer options. Cheers!

Terk antennas do not have a good reputation. Check forums around the web and you'll see lots of dissatisfaction. :mad:

I saw the same antenna that Peter did at Best Buy, the Terk HDTVip. I read lots of good things about the Sharpshooter, but was wondering why it was taking so long for it to come out. If you compare the pics of the Terk with the pics of the Sharpshooter, there are exact. So I was really curious. A few minutes of Google digging, I found this PDF press release from the Winegard site:

http://www.winegard.com/offair/pdf/Winegard_ProBrand_Alliance_Release.pdf

It seems as if Winegard has teamed with Terk in order to brand and sell it's antennas, including the Sharpshooter. I think that part of the agreement between the two companies prohibits Winegard from direct selling the Sharpshooter for some time, but that's my speculation. Terk reputation aside, I just purchased one and will test it out. There's a 30-day return, so there's nothing to lose.

A few minutes of Google digging, I found this PDF press release from the Winegard site:

http://www.winegard.com/offair/pdf/Winegard_ProBrand_Alliance_Release.pdf
Good catch finding that! Very interesting, but still there's a lot of marketing babble in that document. I get really mad when I see/hear marketers going on and on about "HDTV" or "Digital" ready designs that are somehow supposed to be better for such particular needs. L I E S !!! :mad:
Terk reputation aside, I just purchased one and will test it out. There's a 30-day return, so there's nothing to lose.I like your attitude. ;) Looking forward to your results. BTW, where are you located and how much was the antenna?

But you're in a good spot being in Welland, Ontario to use an antenna like that... you're very close to Buffalo.I think we have a malfunction at the junction here: some people are talking about the Winegard Square Shooter:

http://www.winegard.com/offair/squareshooter.htm

and others are talking about the Winegard/Terk Sharp Shooter:

http://www.winegard.com/offair/sharpshooter.htm

Anyway, like weblurker asked earlier in the thread, how good would it be in GTA? My hunch is that you would get the "cliff effect" (sudden loss of signal) pretty rapidly as you move eastward in the Niagara Peninsula.

Then again I got that once after a case of beer while sitting on the edge of Balls Falls near Beamsville when I was a teenager. I had a pretty sudden loss of signal that day but at least I didn't go over the falls. :D

I think we have a malfunction at the junction here: some people are talking about the Winegard Square Shooter:

http://www.winegard.com/offair/squareshooter.htm

and others are talking about the Winegard/Terk Sharp Shooter:

http://www.winegard.com/offair/sharpshooter.htm

Anyway, like weblurker asked earlier in the thread, how good would it be in GTA? My hunch is that you would get the "cliff effect" (sudden loss of signal) pretty rapidly as you move eastward in the Niagara Peninsula.

Then again I got that once after a case of beer while sitting on the edge of Balls Falls near Beamsville when I was a teenager. I had a pretty sudden loss of signal that day but at least I didn't go over the falls. :D

I think everyone from Beamsville fell off that very same cliff as a drunk teen :p

Good catch finding that! Very interesting, but still there's a lot of marketing babble in that document. I get really mad when I see/hear marketers going on and on about "HDTV" or "Digital" ready designs that are somehow supposed to be better for such particular needs. L I E S !!! :mad:
I like your attitude. ;) Looking forward to your results. BTW, where are you located and how much was the antenna?
I am actually in Cambridge/Boston, so found this site Google'ing the HDTVip and decided to share my research. I paid US$139 for the Terk/Winegard Sharpshooter off the Best Buy website. Sounds inline with what the Winegard direct would have been priced. Hopefully I'll be able to pull in the 8 or 9 OTA channels offered here.

Will let you know how it goes as a coworder and I will install mine tomorrow.

Will be using lots of silcone to coat the screws and coating the base of the tripod mounts on the roof.

I've got a quick question for anyone who knows the answer: Why are some antennas labeled "HDTV antenna" or "HDTV compatible"?

Is there any technical difference between these and regular old fashioned antennas, or is it just marketing?

Thanks.