What are your results...? What stations are you pulling from Toledo & Cleveland? Comparing results with others can help determine if you can achieve more...

Hello, I am wondering if anyone from Chatham is using one of the DIY antenna? I am trying to build one and would love to compare experiences. Thanks.

I'm in Chatham and record The Outer Limits and Highway Patrol on WDIV 4.2. During the day I get 100%signal on a Channel Master OTA box. However, when recording thee shows from 4-5:30am it often loses signal. When I turn the TV on in the morning I getthe "no signal" black screen. If I change channels then go back to 4.2 the signal is back to 100%

1. Do they turn down the signal in the early hours?
2. Has anybody else have this on 4.1 or 4.2?
3. Does the Channel Master OTA box have problems getting stuck in "no signal" mode?

However, when recording thee shows from 4-5:30am it often loses signal.This has been common lately with WDIV due to Tropo. Far distant stations' signals travel MUCH further than they should leading to co channel interference. In most cases (like this morning) it is WLLA-DT from southwestern Michigan that was interfering. Not much that can be done to stop it other than try to adjust the antenna to minimize the offending signal. In our case the offending signal is in the same direction of WDIV so it makes it worse. With the cooler weather coming this fall/winter these tropo conditions will be considerably reduced.

I have also seen WNEO-DT from northeastern Ohio also take WDIV out. These three stations operate digitally at various strengths on the same channel (45)

Tropospheric conditions and forecasts are described here:
www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html

There is a DX and tropo thread on the forums here to discuss these conditions as well.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=121819

vietkid2, use the Search This Thread tool to the upper right beside Thread Tools and put in Chatham and you'll see lots of posts. Then when you can tell from those which antenna is working best in Chatham just look in the Antenna Chart and you can see which DIY antenna has the same or similar performance. My guess is that a DBGH will be necessary. :)

Thank you Stampeder for your suggestion.
I built a prototype centipede-2 (c2) with 14/2 wire and I can receive 10 dtv channels indoor. I am trying to pickup channels 2.1 (FOX2) and 50.1 (CW50) but not very successful. Sometimes I could pick them up but then I lost the others. Would I be able to pick those channels with a C4 instead?

Could you post your TVFool report (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=362703&postcount=10) here, vietkid2?

Here is my TVFOOL:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d9fbe420f8dd83c

Can you put your antenna outdoors? I'd like to see a list of all the DTV channels you are getting now with it indoors, followed by a test of it mounted up high outside. Is that possible? Even just the indoor list would help us to help you. :)

I can put the antenna outside but only as high as 8ft at the most. May be because of a big tree and a building on the way, indoor works better. The channels I am getting are:

45 (4) NBC WDIV-DT
- 1 1080i HDTV
- 2 480i This TV ( http://www.this.tv/ )

41 (7) ABC WXYZ-DT
- 1 720p HDTV
- 2 480i RTV Retro TV

39 (38) The Word WADL-DT
- 1 480i Independent programming; syndicated, childrens, religious
- 2 480i Universal Sports

43 (56) PBS WTVS-DT
- 1 1080i HDTV
- 2 480i 16:9 PBS Digital Service
- 3 480i PBS Create

44 (62) CBS WWJ-DT
- 1 1080i HDTV

Thanks for all your helps.

Several posts moved here:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=107972

I am finally getting around to gathering the results from my recent trips to Leamington. I brought my DB8 and installed to the exsisting setup which is a Radio Shack yagi. The yagi is pointing towards Cleveland and the DB8 towards Detroit.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/picture.php?albumid=120&pictureid=2938

I have been awaiting for the tropo to lessen to post his results.

With this setup he gets
2-1 WJBK FOX RF7
3-1, 3-2 WKYC NBC RF17
4-1, 4-2 WDIV NBC RF45
5-1 WEWS ABC RF15
7-1, 7-2 WXYZ ABC RF41
8-1 WJW FOX RF8
10-1 WOIO CBS RF10
20-1 WMYD MYN RF21
23-1, 23-2, 23-3 WVPX ION RF23
25-1, 25-2, 25-3, 25-4 WVIZ PBS RF26
43-1, 43-2 WUAB MYN RF28
50-1 WKBD CW RF14
55-1 WBNX CW RF30
56-1, 56-2, 56-3 WTVS PBS RF43
62-1 WWJ CBS RF44

the Detroit stations are 24/7 with rare 4-1 being lost during tropo.
Cleveland's 3-1,5-1,8-1 are 24/7 and the rest can be lost during certain times

I guess your dad lives much further south than me.
I cannot get Cleveland all that well here. The land drops in elevation sharply as one travels NW-N of Leamington. WBNX has and always been exceptionally rare. Never got it on analog even. I might see it for a bit on afternoons with good enhancement.
WOIO is extremely weak and on the edge, mostly unwatchable. ION and others are tropo only at 89 miles distant. Last week when things were super quiet WVPX,WEAO were not seen at all. WJW has been trounced by that new LP in Detroit. Before that it was pretty much 24/7 though.

Suprised that WTOL and WTVG aren't on the list. Those two are the only ones from Toledo that can be picked up to a degree when facing off axis.

I have even picked up WTOL-DT with fair to poor reception from a twin lead dipole with balun attached to a Kitztech 1dB NF preamp in the back yard about 5 ft off the ground.

actually to assist here is his tvfool: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3da362001f03124c

This set up is fixed with no rotor. There are some notable channel's I left off as in this setup as they are tropo.
As far as Toledo's WTOL 11-1, 11-2 RF11, and WTVG 13-1, 13-2, and 13-2 RF13 He can receive them well when pointing them towards that way. In his current setup WTVG has hit the PISP but barely comes in even off axis.
channel's like 52-1 WGGN, and WNEO, WGTE are just a few that have been loaded in the PISP but don't really come in.

I just wish to report that I built a Centipede-8 and now can receive
2-1 WJBK FOX RF7
4-1, 4-2 WDIV NBC RF45
7-1, 7-2 WXYZ ABC RF41
20-1 WMYD MYN RF21
38-1, 38-2 WADL
50-1 WKBD CW RF14
62-1 WWJ CBS RF44

Thank you all very much with all the information that lead to this result.

This question is specific to persons in the East Windsor/Riverside area.

I was wondering if anyone is picking up any Toledo stations. I visited the local antenna shop they stated it should be possible, my antenna is an fairly old Channelmaster with a rotor, inspection shows it is still in ok shape, I had no problem with most of the Detroit locals, so I added a Pre-amp antennacraft 10G201 and it got me a few channels 31 ION in Anne Arbor and WFUM 28 out of Flint but Toledo is still not coming through.

Anyhow before I shell out anymore money for a new antenna I just would like to confirm if anyone in the Riverside area of Windsor is picking up Toledo stations.

Welcome here! Use the Search This Thread tool to the upper right beside Thread Tools and put in "Toledo Windsor" as your search term and you'll find previous posts from where you live so you can compare. :)

My parents are in Forest Glade and use a pre-amped CM4221HD about 20' above ground. They can reliably receive WTOL but that about it.

Years ago when they had a 40' tower, all the Toledo stations came in.

Hey mkenny,

I'm located near Clover & Mchugh (2 mins from riverside drive) and have absolutely no issues picking up Toledo. I pick up WTOL, WTVG, WGTE, WNWO basically 100% of the time. The only station that is hard to pickup is Fox - WUPW. I am using a combo antenna designed for the new 7-51 band, an antenna craft HBU 33 along with the same antennacraft pre-amp you're using. I have it roof mounted, but the difference may be that being a new sub division there is no trees anywhere near... do you have any obstructions?

Good point about obstructions. My parents' antenna basically points at a massive tree in their front yard when aiming at Toledo. I'm sure that is a factor.

Meanwhile, to catch the Detroit channels they have to aim slightly more west because of the "high rise" apartment smack in the middle of Forest Glade.