ON - City of Toronto Metro Area <OUTDOOR Antennas Only> - OTA - Page 158 - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

chinadog · 2012-06-08, 10:18 AM

jcoop

It's exciting to have the scanner light up with so many channels. These have been great reception days; I have certainly been getting the best signal levels of the year here in Bradford. Unfortunately signal levels, especally those from more distant transmitters will fluctuate wildly through the cycle of weather changes that come our way.

You want "acceptable levels" to be stable throughout the year.

My advice regarding your varying signal levels.

1) check all connections, it takes only one bad connection to mess things up.

2) a second-tier antenna with less reliable assembly standards and connections may be playing with your signal. Put the best antenna that you can afford on your roof so that when you weather unfriendly to OTA hits, you will not lose the channels that you want. Amortizing the cost of a second install on your roof over 5 years and may help you decide that it is worth doing

jcoop · 2012-06-08, 11:10 AM

I think it's just CTV, but hard to tell since it's so sporadic. It also seems to be time specific - just after 7AM is particularly bad every day. What can cause interference?

Goldielover · 2012-06-08, 01:17 PM

You are way to the east of me, so that WNYO as well as ION are probably easier for you than they are for me. Being towards the west end of Toronto, I have no problems with CHCH Hamilton (which I know gives many east enders problems) and get TVO Kitchener year round. I can get those two even with the Terk HDTVi indoors, but the signal strength is better with the C2V outdoors.

HWP · 2012-06-08, 01:20 PM

Just speculating, but maybe it's a combination of two or three factors:

1) your antenna is a uhf antenna and the channel you're having trouble with is a vhf station, and...
2) the big trees south west of you possibly blocking the CN Tower.
3) possible clone antenna

People out in Oshawa are able to get CTV on channel 9 flawlessly with four-bay bowtie uhf antennas so you should be able to get good reception of CTV at only five miles from the transmitter. But maybe it's a combination of the above factors.

One more piece of speculation. I have no technical expertise at all on this. But, does the subway run underneath your house? If it did, could the electrical and the trains passing have an effect on his VHF?

El Gran Chico · 2012-06-08, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Well, this probably isn't tropo, but I finally managed to catch 49.1 WNYO and 49.2 CoolTV.

I don't think it's tropo either. I've posted quite a bit in the Toronto reception thread about my issues with WNYO. For the past 72 hours, it's been as strong as I've ever seen it. Starting to wonder if something changed at the transmitter.

Back to tropo.... Even with the nice weather lately, the Rochester stations haven't made their usual appearances. Only seen WQLN Erie once this year so far.

chinadog · 2012-06-08, 07:09 PM

I just helped a friend solve a problem with his dish. He had complained that he would lose signal every morning between 6 and 8 am. Eventually all signal was lost. I isolated the problem and had to replace a section of cable. It could have been the condensation (that happens at that point in the morning) that ate away at an imperfection in the cable. Could that be your problem as well ? Good luck!

bigcam406 · 2012-06-09, 10:53 AM

ION is a hit and miss for me.only receive it during spring and summer months.what kind of amp do you have hooked up to your C2V?

BeckEller · 2012-06-09, 12:47 PM

Anyone else having trouble with City rf44? The signal on my Samsung LN40C630 is fluctuating between no lock and 23-24 SNR quite quickly with the average SNR around 19-20. The signal seems weak overall, but does the fluctuation indicate multipath. There are trees between the tower and my antenna, and they are close to me, ie. in my neighbours' yards.
I don't see the problem with OMNI 1 rf47 also from the CN Tower, its signal is stronger and more stable at my location. Everything else from the tower is just fine.

Goldielover · 2012-06-09, 10:57 PM

I have a Winegard HDP269. I'm fairly close to the tower, so needed something which could handle stronger signals without overloading. Last summer I was using only the Terk HDTVi with no pre-amp, and was getting excellent DXing results with it.

bigcam406 · 2012-06-10, 08:53 AM

the reason why im asking is because i was at a flea market over the weekend and i saw a c2v brand new in the box for sale.your setup came to mind.it was tempting......

Goldielover · 2012-06-10, 10:21 AM

Do you have access to the outdoors to put the C2V, even if not permanently? I have mine mounted on an IKEA lamp pole, so can move it around on the balcony when DXing, and it comes inside once the weather gets too cold to have the balcony slider open slightly. In the winter I use both the C2V and the Terk indoors. They are hooked up with an A/B switch, and are aimed in slightly different directions. The Terk doesn't like 5.1 CBLT with the blades in the horizontal position, but if I put them in the vertical position which will pick it up, it kills most of my Buffalo stations. The C2V doesn't like 5.1 CBLT when inside either. With the dual antenna set up, I can leave the Terk blades in the vertical position, use the C2V as my main antenna and just hit the A/B switch if I want to watch CBLT. In the summer outside, of course, the C2V is the only antenna in use, as it picks up everything.

Nothing like egging you on, of course, but if it is a genuine C2V and not a knock off, and is cheaper than the mainstream stores sell it for, then I'd be inclined to grab it to play with.

bigcam406 · 2012-06-10, 10:41 AM

this vendor seems pretty legit.he also sells CM products amongst others,as well as FTA satellite equipment.myself and the gf were walking by his booth and there it was brand new in the box.i went and asked how much,and the price was comparable to what ive seen it listed for.i dont have access to mounting it outside,but i can mount it similar to yours on a lightstand by my window where i have my Terk.

Goldielover · 2012-06-10, 12:23 PM

Indoors expect roughly the same number of channels that a Terk can get, although the signal levels may be a bit higher. I know I get FOX 29 more reliably with the C2V indoors than I do with the Terk. One other issue - the C2V, while not huge, will take up more space in your living room. Is there anyone else in your household who will have conniption fits about that? I'm a single Mom, so can more or less do as I please in that regards. My teen didn't like the sight of it at first, but was soon made happy by the fact she could watch her favourite Judge Judy shows without so many break ups. I lessen the width a bit by not having the VHF dipoles fully raised - just enough so that CHCH comes in reliably. I actually do the same outdoors as well - not because of space (or eyeball!!) considerations, but because of the pigeons. When I had them clamped into the extended position, they considered it a handy perch. They had a nasty shock when they tried to perch on them when I didn't have them clamped, and one went for an unexpected ride when the dipole collapsed under his weight.

TOTVBuff · 2012-06-10, 10:22 PM

City TV is MIA. I have not been able to get any reception from City Toronto tonight. Now I live near downtown (east of the DVP) and have not experienced this before, at least not with City.

bigcam406 · 2012-06-11, 12:31 AM

lol,no one will have a conniption,live alone,the dog is leary of the Terk on the window ledge though.gotta luv those pigeons.....

2012-06-08, 10:18 AM	#2356
chinadog Join Date: May 2011 Location: Bradford, 6th Line and West Park Ave Posts: 72	Stable Reception over time jcoop It's exciting to have the scanner light up with so many channels. These have been great reception days; I have certainly been getting the best signal levels of the year here in Bradford. Unfortunately signal levels, especally those from more distant transmitters will fluctuate wildly through the cycle of weather changes that come our way. You want "acceptable levels" to be stable throughout the year. My advice regarding your varying signal levels. 1) check all connections, it takes only one bad connection to mess things up. 2) a second-tier antenna with less reliable assembly standards and connections may be playing with your signal. Put the best antenna that you can afford on your roof so that when you weather unfriendly to OTA hits, you will not lose the channels that you want. Amortizing the cost of a second install on your roof over 5 years and may help you decide that it is worth doing

2012-06-08, 01:20 PM	#2359
HWP Join Date: May 2010 Location: Toronto, East York (Greenwood & Mortimer) Posts: 1,143	Just speculating, but maybe it's a combination of two or three factors: 1) your antenna is a uhf antenna and the channel you're having trouble with is a vhf station, and... 2) the big trees south west of you possibly blocking the CN Tower. 3) possible clone antenna People out in Oshawa are able to get CTV on channel 9 flawlessly with four-bay bowtie uhf antennas so you should be able to get good reception of CTV at only five miles from the transmitter. But maybe it's a combination of the above factors. One more piece of speculation. I have no technical expertise at all on this. But, does the subway run underneath your house? If it did, could the electrical and the trains passing have an effect on his VHF? __________________ OTA, HD7697P, CM7778, Rotator, CM3218, TiVo, HDHomeRun Apple TV, Netflix, Teksavvy, Unblock-us, Wind, MagicJack

2012-06-08, 07:09 PM	#2361
chinadog Join Date: May 2011 Location: Bradford, 6th Line and West Park Ave Posts: 72	Bad cable ? Condensation water seapage.? I just helped a friend solve a problem with his dish. He had complained that he would lose signal every morning between 6 and 8 am. Eventually all signal was lost. I isolated the problem and had to replace a section of cable. It could have been the condensation (that happens at that point in the morning) that ate away at an imperfection in the cable. Could that be your problem as well ? Good luck!

2012-06-09, 12:47 PM	#2363
BeckEller Rookie Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Toronto, Broadview and Danforth Posts: 14	Poor CITY reception Anyone else having trouble with City rf44? The signal on my Samsung LN40C630 is fluctuating between no lock and 23-24 SNR quite quickly with the average SNR around 19-20. The signal seems weak overall, but does the fluctuation indicate multipath. There are trees between the tower and my antenna, and they are close to me, ie. in my neighbours' yards. I don't see the problem with OMNI 1 rf47 also from the CN Tower, its signal is stronger and more stable at my location. Everything else from the tower is just fine.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

2012-06-08, 11:10 AM	#2357
jcoop Rookie Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 6	I think it's just CTV, but hard to tell since it's so sporadic. It also seems to be time specific - just after 7AM is particularly bad every day. What can cause interference?

2012-06-08, 01:17 PM	#2358
Goldielover Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Toronto (Midtown) Posts: 244	You are way to the east of me, so that WNYO as well as ION are probably easier for you than they are for me. Being towards the west end of Toronto, I have no problems with CHCH Hamilton (which I know gives many east enders problems) and get TVO Kitchener year round. I can get those two even with the Terk HDTVi indoors, but the signal strength is better with the C2V outdoors.

2012-06-09, 10:53 AM	#2362
bigcam406 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: south oshawa Posts: 211	ION is a hit and miss for me.only receive it during spring and summer months.what kind of amp do you have hooked up to your C2V?

2012-06-09, 10:57 PM	#2364
Goldielover Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Toronto (Midtown) Posts: 244	I have a Winegard HDP269. I'm fairly close to the tower, so needed something which could handle stronger signals without overloading. Last summer I was using only the Terk HDTVi with no pre-amp, and was getting excellent DXing results with it.

2012-06-10, 08:53 AM	#2365
bigcam406 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: south oshawa Posts: 211	the reason why im asking is because i was at a flea market over the weekend and i saw a c2v brand new in the box for sale.your setup came to mind.it was tempting......

2012-06-10, 10:21 AM	#2366
Goldielover Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Toronto (Midtown) Posts: 244	Do you have access to the outdoors to put the C2V, even if not permanently? I have mine mounted on an IKEA lamp pole, so can move it around on the balcony when DXing, and it comes inside once the weather gets too cold to have the balcony slider open slightly. In the winter I use both the C2V and the Terk indoors. They are hooked up with an A/B switch, and are aimed in slightly different directions. The Terk doesn't like 5.1 CBLT with the blades in the horizontal position, but if I put them in the vertical position which will pick it up, it kills most of my Buffalo stations. The C2V doesn't like 5.1 CBLT when inside either. With the dual antenna set up, I can leave the Terk blades in the vertical position, use the C2V as my main antenna and just hit the A/B switch if I want to watch CBLT. In the summer outside, of course, the C2V is the only antenna in use, as it picks up everything. Nothing like egging you on, of course, but if it is a genuine C2V and not a knock off, and is cheaper than the mainstream stores sell it for, then I'd be inclined to grab it to play with.

2012-06-10, 10:41 AM	#2367
bigcam406 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: south oshawa Posts: 211	this vendor seems pretty legit.he also sells CM products amongst others,as well as FTA satellite equipment.myself and the gf were walking by his booth and there it was brand new in the box.i went and asked how much,and the price was comparable to what ive seen it listed for.i dont have access to mounting it outside,but i can mount it similar to yours on a lightstand by my window where i have my Terk.

2012-06-10, 12:23 PM	#2368
Goldielover Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Toronto (Midtown) Posts: 244	Indoors expect roughly the same number of channels that a Terk can get, although the signal levels may be a bit higher. I know I get FOX 29 more reliably with the C2V indoors than I do with the Terk. One other issue - the C2V, while not huge, will take up more space in your living room. Is there anyone else in your household who will have conniption fits about that? I'm a single Mom, so can more or less do as I please in that regards. My teen didn't like the sight of it at first, but was soon made happy by the fact she could watch her favourite Judge Judy shows without so many break ups. I lessen the width a bit by not having the VHF dipoles fully raised - just enough so that CHCH comes in reliably. I actually do the same outdoors as well - not because of space (or eyeball!!) considerations, but because of the pigeons. When I had them clamped into the extended position, they considered it a handy perch. They had a nasty shock when they tried to perch on them when I didn't have them clamped, and one went for an unexpected ride when the dipole collapsed under his weight.

2012-06-10, 10:22 PM	#2369
TOTVBuff Rookie Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: SW Riverdale, Toronto Posts: 17	City TV is MIA. I have not been able to get any reception from City Toronto tonight. Now I live near downtown (east of the DVP) and have not experienced this before, at least not with City.

2012-06-11, 12:31 AM	#2370
bigcam406 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: south oshawa Posts: 211	lol,no one will have a conniption,live alone,the dog is leary of the Terk on the window ledge though.gotta luv those pigeons.....