Simonizer, my recollection of your area is that it's lower in elevation. Any winter reception of WGRZ is going to be hit and miss for you there. More likely miss. Especially at 30'.

I live in Kitchener Williamsburg area (Fisher & Maxbecker)
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d67d954df0bff62

I have a CM4228HD and a CM7777 setup in the attic pointing south, split to two tvs.

currently getting the following channels:
6.1/6.2
10.1
11.1
13.1
28.1
29 analog
31.1
35.1
Didn't have much luck pointing East (CN tower) maybe if its mounted on the roof instead of the attic.
I would love to put it on the house, but it will have to wait for better weather.

Purchased the antenna and amp from Orion Electronics, amp was $90 antenna $100.. got $10 off for buying both.

I bought the RCA ANT751 ($40 KW surplus) before and had pretty good reception with it as well. (same configuration as the cm4228 but without the amp)
Was getting all the above minus channel 11 and 13 this was without the amp.


Once spring comes around i'll put the smalled ANT751 with the pre-amp on a J-pole outside and see the difference.

I wasn't aware that Orion sold Channel Master products. Interesting. Also interesting that you've managed to capture 10.1 (CFPL London, CTV2, RF10) with an indoor UHF antenna. It's about the furthest receivable VHF station from here. Good stuff.

Yes, a rooftop installation is definitely recommended. If it's within your budget, a rotator is also recommended to tweak signals.

Hi, new to the forum, so apologize in advance if question has already been asked many times (75 pages is a lot to go through).

I am in Keats Way & Erbsville area of Waterloo.

I have a DIY 4-bay DB4 style antenna and pre-amp installed in attic.

Best results so far have been pointing at Toronto where I get:
13-1 (Kitchener)
31-1 (City - Toronto)
41-1 (Global - Toronto)
47-1 (OMNI - Toronto)

Any idea why I can't seem to get 5-1 CBC at all? Seems with TV Fool details (below) and others results, I should be able to get this channel if I can get these others from Toronto.
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d0b869230d503cb

Any tips would be appreciated.

jmccrack650, welcome to the forums!

31.1 (RF 31) is actually coming from Woodstock.

CBC Toronto (CBLT, RF 20), is a strong station. Though it could be that your antenna's gain isn't as good lower down in the UHF band on channel 20.

Hi
Thanks for this useful forum. I am finally getting around to getting a new antenna setup at home after the digital transition.
I am located at King & Stirling area, downtown Kitchener, in a 2-storey house.

My question is whether it would be worth my effort (in terms of extra stations) to move my antenna from inside the attic to the roof. It is a bit of an effort, but do see a way of getting a 5-ft mast mounted to the top of the roof. Of course, a rotor is in question as well, but this all needs to be worth the effort, as I would have to mount it, and add all the wiring connections for signal, ground and (if applicable), the rotor wiring.

In my attic, I have an Antennas Direct ClearStream 4 antenna, with a CM7777preamp. With this setup, I get nice, strong reception on
6 - Global
13 - CKCO
28 - TVO
29 (analog) CBC (though a bit grainy)
61 (analog) CBC-french (also a bit grainy, but I don't really watch this station)

I did a quick 'balancing' act on the roof, and I will then get 31-CITY with strong signal, but it is entirely blocked out in the attic.

The main reason for my question: there are some big trees across the street from us (it woud be about 50 feet away, they are in the front yards of houses across the road). That puts them right in the Hamilton direction from us. I am pretty sure that some of the forum readers have had experience with this.

As I said, I am curious about whether the work/cost is worth it. If i were to only get CITY and a repeat of Global (on 41) and CTV (on 9), it would not be....but if it would also add CTV2 (10) or Hamilton stations, it would be. (I don't think I have much hope of getting Buffalo, in any event).

Any thoughts? (though I may try it out anyway).

Thanks

sparky640000, I'm near Greenbrook and Stirling. And while I have a 68' tower, my antenna does face into high evergreen trees in the direction of London. Yet I get great signal from CTV2 (CFPL, RF 10) London.

Note that I do have a VHF antenna (Antennas Direct C5), and you would likely require one yourself to have success with CFPL London. But I do believe you stand a good chance of receiving this station with a roof top install. And perhaps with a good VHF attic antenna.

Before investing in a VHF antenna, I would check one thing: Is the internal switch on the CM7777 set to "combined"? If not, try this...as it will combine VHF signals with your UHF antenna feed.

Either way, a rotator is recommended. There is enough of a difference in direction from London, Hamilton, and Toronto that a direction change is required on the antenna.

Visit www.tvfool.com for a reception report on your address. This website also offers a tool that draws lines from the transmitters to your location on a map....allowing you to visualize the signal path to see what lies between you and the signal.

Good luck!

Hi Jase88,
Thanks very much for your comments. Indeed, last weekend, I was playing with the switch on the CM7777--->as you were saying, it does have an impact on VHF channels,. Setting the switch to 'combined' allows me to pick up a strong signal on 6.1/6.2 (Global) from my in-attic installation, which is totally absent when the switch is on uhf-only.
We are actually on top of a hill facing in the London direction, so there is some hope of cfpl/london, though I do expect that I won't know for sure until I try it out.
Fortunately, I believe the former owner of our house had an antenna setup at some point...there is a crossbar that has been mounted just below the tip of our (sharp) roof, and that is easily accessible from a step-ladder from a 2nd floor balcony. And, there is a ground rod already pounded into the ground, near the old window that I intend to route the cables into the house from. So, a lot of the heavy physical work is already done for me in advance.
Anyway, I'll try it out, probably when the weather gets a little less icy (don't want to slip off the ladder, after all).
There is hope for improvement anyway, and this is an interesting exercise to try out.
As a sidebar....when I first moved into the area, back in the mid-90s, Rogers was in the middle of providing a 'reverse-option' cable, where they would jack up peoples' cable bills for extra channels unless the customer actively opted-out. Because of this, I vowed never to go to cable again. Up to now, rabbit-ears have been good enough, but with the digital transition, I now know I can do much better.
Finally, I have been seeing a bit of a supply problem with getting rotors these days. I'll have to check the store again (I have been going to Research Electronics, in the N end of Waterloo; it is about a block from where I work).
Thanks for your advice and work in helping people out in this forum! I'll post again with results when I have it all set up (probably later in the spring some time).
Cheers
sparky640000

PS: Indeed I am aware and have used TVfool. Using the directional diagram, in conjunction with the map and satellite images from google maps does indeed help in getting your bearings.

Yes, you do tend to see some sort of antenna installation or hardware on many of the older homes in the area. I'm sure I've even seen a couple TV towers on the hill around your home--I pass by there all of the time.

Once you get set up with a UHF antenna on the roof, I would try just pointing it at Toronto, and with a VHF at London (basically 180° apart). This may afford you reception of a satisfactory number of channels without the need of a rotator (though I still believe a rotator is the best option). Most Toronto stations are sufficiently powerful enough post-transition that a simple rooftop setup here in Kitchener may work well.

And yes, "negative option billing" is still something many people here in KW remember well. ;)

Hello forum, I'm a OTA neophyte watching your site for months and as helpful as you've been I'm clueless reading the instructions to modify my antenna. I'd love to meet up with anyone in the Stanley Park area of Kitchener with these skills.
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d0b86f17bdfaf15

Wow this forum is huge.

Can anyone recommend good installers for Cambridge?

I'm not looking to skimp out on quality. I want to try to get as many US and cn tower channels as possible without a rotor. Maybe even stack 2 identical antennas if I have to.

TIA

blitzo, welcome to the forums!

For questions regarding installers and/or parts sales, please see the Where Can I buy? (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=164) discussion forum. This thread is strictly for discussion of reception results in specific regions. I also encourage you to read the Welcome New Members (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=125161) thread.

Cheers.

HI,

I am looking for some advice to maximize my reception, with a couple of conditions.
1) It has to be an attic setup and 2) No rotator. 3) I want to add Buffalo stations

Here is my TVFool: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d40334260635ee3

As you can see, I am smack dab in the middle of a number of towers.

I first built a DIY 4 bay 4221 Clone two years ago. I have it pointing between Toronto and Hamilton. I have a SBGH build with tinfoil reflector pointed between Paris and Kitchener. Both are ganged by a 2:1 splitter feeding into a CM7777. From the output I am feeding 4 TVs, an ATSC Tuner card in a HTPC and a HDHomeRun.
I have built a “better” build of the SBGH using 300ohm’s design from 2008.
I want a third antenna pointing towards Buffalo.

The following are my readings using the meter in the HDHomeRun. My antennas are in my attic.

Readings – Morning March 12
4221 Clone
Channel Strength
11 CHCH 87
19 TVO 96
20 CBC 82

SBGH – Pointed between Kitchener and Paris
6 Global 99
10 CTV 76
13 CTV 94
28 TVO 92
31 City 82
36 CITS 84

SBGH – Pointed to Buffalo
33 NBC 61
38 ABC 73
39 CBS 68
7 MeTV 47
43 PBS 60
I haven’t played with the antenna pointed towards Buffalo since, so I don’t know if weather was a factor or not. It was a nice day.


Readings – Evening March 21
4221 Clone
Channel Strength
9 CFTO 69
11 CHCH 86
19 TVO 96
20 CBC 97
41 Global 81
44 City 74
47 CFMT 75 - 80 00

SBGH6 Global 95
10 CTV 81
13 CTV 94
22 FOX (Erie) 67 - 70
28 TVO 90
31 City 85
36 CITS 80


1) Do I have the right antennas?
2) I have the parts to turn my SBGH (new build) into a DBGH with mesh reflector.
3) How do I gang three antenna’s together? Two splitters, or one 3:1

The SBGH appears to be doing far better than what I'd expect from an attic install in Cambridge. A DBGH might improve on that somewhat.

Unfortunately the warm weather conditions have made Buffalo reception results unpredictable this month.

No doubt a challenging area with lots of high-rise buildings, and the home itself only a bungalow.

TV Fool Report (http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d0b869f81de6987)

With only a very directional high-gain VHF antenna (the Wade-Delhi VIP307SR), an 8dB-gain drop amp, and about 30' of RG6, I was able to receive the following:

CIII; Global; RF 6; Paris; 100%
CKCO; CTV; RF 13; Baden (Kitchener); 100%
CICA; TVO; RF 28; Paris; 70%
CFPL; CTV2; RF 10; London; 70%

With a UHF antenna, we hope to get CITY TV Woodstock, and maybe some of the stronger Toronto stations.

Is that your old one Jase?
How did manage that into an attic?

Yes, my "old" (new and hardly used whatsoever) VIP307SR.

The antenna comes in three sections and the elements are hinged. It was easy to assemble in the attic and deploy the elements. Though being 16' long, you can't get it close to the peak of the roof. Therefore probably not the best antenna for an attic install--though it does have excellent gain.

I am in the centre of Guelph with using a DB8 Antennas Direct, with a CM7778 amp mounted on my roof (about 30 up). I sit on a hill, and unfortunately the direction the antenna points actually looks towards the slope (meaning I probably have less height than I think).

I am running about 75 feet of coax directly to my TV. I am pointed at about 90 degrees (using magnetic north).

Here's my TV fool - http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d0b867b3d28de77


I currently get:

5 CBC
6-1 Global (sometimes)
11 CHCH (sometimes)
13 CTV (Kitchener)
25 CBC French
31 CTS
41 -1 Global

Unfortunately, my TV doesn't give the best information when it comes to signal strength (so i have no percentages to contribute).

I thought I would get CITY and OMNI from Toronto, but I have only gotten City three times in the past 6 months. From time to time I also pick up US stations. Do I need to switch to a more directional antenna (Yagi 91X)?

I would like to get a few more stations, specifically the Toronto ones. Any thoughts?

So I'm assuming that the slope is in the actual direction of the CN Tower? In your case that's 81° actual, 91° magnetic? If so, you may be beat. Though you're getting Global from Toronto, so that's a good sign.

The 91XG may be a better option, though the DB8 is an excellent antenna. The 91XG would allow for more mast space, where you could install a small VHF antenna to possibly receive CFPL London, CHCH Hamilton (until it moves to UHF, currently rumoured to occur this summer).

Before you change antennas, I would suggest a rotator for fine tuning. There are plenty of transmitters available to you that aren't from Toronto. For example: CITY TV 31 Woodstock, TVO 28 Paris, etc. But you need to rotate the receive these.

Though my guess is that a decent rotor will allow you to fine tune more stations.