@Couchkartoffel: Digital transmission OTA and High Definition are two different things. The mandate for August 2011 is for stations to transmit in digital, not that they broadcast in high definition. You can still have stations broadcasting in digital without HD programming.

paco0078,

I created a "TV Signal Analysis Report" for Belleville that will tell you what you should be able to receive depending on the equipment you have. It's not promising with just a set top antenna!!! Follow the link:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d23c54bcf956178
Those Elmira stations have been up, the last few nights. Also channels 29 and 30 out of Utica, NY. If your going to hit them, this may be the last night for a while, since thunderstorms are moving in for a few days. Also try channel 20, CBLT out of Toronto, due west, as well as CHCH Hamilton, on 18.

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q299/PrinceLH22/100_0153.jpg

Anybody picking up canadian channels or us from eastern ontario I live in Frankford, Ontario and I'm going to try it again .

Anybody picking up canadian channels or us from eastern ontario I live in Frankford, Ontario and I'm going to try it again .

I am located in Read, north of Shannonville, I can pick up the stations (to name a few) from

Rochester:
WHEC-10 (10.1),
WHAM-13(13.1),
WROC-45(8.1),
WUHF-28(31.1)

Syracuse:
WSTM-24(3.1)
WTVH-47(5.1)

and Watertown:
WWNY-7(7.1)
WPBS-41(16.1)
WWTI-21(50.1)

and on good trop conditions, stations from Buffalo.

The only digital station from Canada I have picked up so far is CBLT-20(5.1) from Toronto and that was on a good Trop night.
You should be in a good position for Rochester depending on your tower height and equipment.
Cheers.

Is WSTM out of Syracuse down? I have not been able to receive it, the last 3 days. I like their triple doppler radar, on 3.3. Anyone hear what's up with them?

Hi everyone Im seriously looking into going ota. I just cancelled my bell tv cause of there poor customer service. I have got a quote for around $1000 for a 40' tower and 8 bay antenna rotar labour etc. I live in lindsay ontario
and the guy says i need to go as high as possible. Now i understand you can mount antenna's to a j post if i did this on the peak of my roof would i get any stations. Roofs about 15 off ground and not really any obstructions to deal with. Im new to all this any info would be great

There is a user here named chungdokwan from your area. He has a 64' tower, stacked CM4228's and a CM7777 pre-amp. He gets most Buffalo channels and some Toronto but it's sometimes hit or miss.

Height is DEFINITELY your friend.

I was able to get WSTM this morning. I cannot say if it was available for the last couple of days or not as our house renovations is taking up all my spare time. Not getting much TV time.
On another note, got the concrete base poured for the DMX-68 on Tuesday.:) Hoping to get the tower up in the next month or two.

Is WSTM out of Syracuse down?

Yes. It was down from Monday until Wednesday afternoon, according to the WSTM website and the WSTM engineer who posted details over on the Syracuse/Utica AVS Forum

Yes, WSTM is back but seems to be not as strong as before. It had been one of the strongest of the Syracuse channels, but seems to have slipped in power.

So, Mark From Read, are you going to change any of your antenna components, once you put up your new rigging?

....

So, Mark From Read, are you going to change any of your antenna components, once you put up your new rigging?
I will still use the existing antenna (Delhi 929) as it is still in good shape. I will clean up the connections when it is transferred over. I started using the RC pre-amp in the spring and pleased with the results. Will replace and shorten the lead from the antenna to the pre-amp with RG6. It looks like RG59 and is about 6' long. I will keep the Delhi on the rotor.

I still have to finish the DBGH. Want to point it towards Syracuse to try and pick up the UHF signals more consistently.

I will still use the existing antenna (Delhi 929) as it is still in good shape. I will clean up the connections when it is transferred over. I started using the RC pre-amp in the spring and pleased with the results. Will replace and shorten the lead from the antenna to the pre-amp with RG6. It looks like RG59 and is about 6' long. I will keep the Delhi on the rotor.

I still have to finish the DBGH. Want to point it towards Syracuse to try and pick up the UHF signals more consistently.
Syracuse. strangely enough, comes in the strongest, most of the time here. When I changed my rigging, I went with the CM7777 preamp and used quad shield RG6. I found that I needed to use the FM trap on the 7777, because of the local FM stations, overpowering the amp. You should have a great shot at receiving many of those stations, in the Syracuse area, plus Utica and other stations in that direction, once you get that rig up running.

Too many signals?
A fortunate problem to have, no doubt, but very confusing to an OTA newbie like me! I have several channels coming from every direction, and want to set up a rotorless solution.

I have looked at various setups others are using on here, but I seem to be in a 'hotspot' and wish to use this stroke of luck its maximum advantage. I quickly put together a reflector-less GH for testing, and received 15 stations, so I'm salivating at the potential here!

I'd appreciate it if any antenna gurus could look at my TVfool map, and make a recommendation of antenna types, directions, and/or combining.
http://www.fotothing.com/photos/9b7/9b7a2c81c0fd5118738aab0aa30c615f.jpg?ts=1251129730

The TVfool listing was accurate coordinates to 5 decimal places, so hoping it is an accurate representation of what is available.

I was originally going to go with an 8 bay GH, but there are so many higher channels, that reading here, I think maybe a bowtie is better.. CM4428, or Mclapp? Also, there are a few powerful and close transmitters, and am concerned with them swamping out the rest if I went too high a gain.... or used a preamp. Maybe a 4 bay would be better?

doing TV fool reports for friends around the area, (within 10 miles) it seems I am uniquely situated because they do not get nearly as many available. That is why I posted this as a new thread, rather than area specific. I'm interested in the "technical decision making process" of selection and design of a system based on the azimuths, strengths, LOS etc of the report, by those with experience.

My "guess" would be to aim a bowtie at 244deg, and maybe get the transmitters at 47,48,and 66degs from the backlobe, Then another antenna aimed at 151deg. (all true Azimuth)

Could you place this in a link, so I can study it a bit?

sure PrinceLH, and I appreciate your interest and effort.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d23c5865ad7d7da

Just an update here out of Kingston.

I pulled the splitter out of the basement to try and get better reception out of Syracuse. Syracuse has been pretty much gone except for 9 and 68 (reak channels 17 and 19). Removing it didn't help much, but what I did notice was my reception of WWNY on the set top box was spotty. It was kicking in and out, signal about 22% max I put the splitter back in the basement, the signal jumped to 80%. Must be an overload situation going on.
There was already a splitter behind the TV for the set top box (VCR) and TV set.

Dear Pointdexter:

I looked over your TV Fool report and wondered where the Analog Toronto stations are? Where are you, in regards to Cobourg? What is your antenna configuration and height? I do see the digital signals, in the report, but wondered why they did not include those analogs, off of the CN Tower. Oh well, you seem to have a good number of stations to shoot for. I wonder what would happen, if you where to change your height to 30 feet? It might open up a more uniform signal and maybe allow you to pull in a few more channels that are on the fringe. Possibly, the other 2 Watertown stations, Syracuse and alos Elmira, NY. Good luck, once the Tropo returns, after the crappy weather moves out.

Did a TV fool, with the 30 foot height, instead of 15 and it makes quite a difference. It does show more Syracuse stations, but no more Watertown stations, strange, WWNY is a few mile further east but the other two are about 8 miles further south.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3dd5a0b325501370

Hi All,

About two weeks ago I put up this antenna/tower combination at my mom's house @ 43.964048,-77.034121:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/picture.php?albumid=323&pictureid=1461

The tower is approximately 72' tall, with about 4' of pole sticking out the top. The rotor is mounted in the tower section. About 65' up there is a yagi pointing south which is used just for internet (the primary reason for the high tower--she is in a valley). The guys are temporary, picture was taken before the base was bolted to the concrete pad.

The antenna on the very top is an unknown UHF Yagi. It's joined with the yagi portion of the lower antenna with twinlead, and the feedpoint taken from the center of the twinlead. I split the VHF and UHF portions of the lower antenna (CM brand, model unknown). VHF & UHF twinleads go directly into an unknown model CM preamp (I didn't look at the p/n..:o).

RG6, 16guage wire for the rotor, an 8ga ground wire, and CAT5 for the internet yagi go down to the base through 1" PVC tubing.

Preliminary results are quite good, internet signal was a 12dB gain compared to being on a tripod on the roof. I get most of Rochester digital, all of Syracuse, and a couple watertown channels. My plan for the future is to mount a CM4251 on the very top, pointing directly at Rochester to try to pick up WXXI & WUHF. Then mount the stronger signal Yagi's lower, pointing them directly at the transmitters. My plan is to have 4 antennas point at 4 different tower locations, then wiring them in a series-parallel arrangement to avoid impedance mismatches, feed everything to the preamp, and then into the house. My goal is to get all available channels in that area without a rotor!

Any comments appreciated.

Thanks PrinceLH. Yes, 30feet does get even more, so might be worth the effort of extending my tower. Thanks for checking it out!

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d8ecddfeadec271

I'm still in a quandry as to how best to set up a rotorless solution though, with so many from so many directions, and a wide array of strengths.
6 antennae? 3 reflectorless? 2 reflectorless, and one with a reflector and a preamp?
I'm thinking now a Mclapp M8 without a reflector, see what I get, and go from there.
Still looking through the stations, trying to find out which ones are duplicate programming, then maybe pick which ones I want the most and build from there.