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ON - Niagara Peninsula - OTA

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510K views 2K replies 256 participants last post by  cj47 
#1 ·
OTA Results for the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, including the area from Grimsby east to Niagara-On-The-Lake, down to Fort Erie, westward to Dunnville, and back north to Grimsby. This is an open discussion forum, but keep your posts on topic.
 
#2 ·
OTA: Port Colborne, Ontario

Here's a list of stations and signal strength I get in Port Colborn(About 20 minutes south west of Niagara Falls)

I'm using an ATI HDTV wonder and a RCA 30dB indoor antenna.

29-1 WUTV-HD 61-64% (FOX HDTV)
23-1 WIVB-HD 85-88% (CBS HDTV)
23-2 WIVB Doppler 85-88% (CBS Doppler)
23-3 WNLO Digital 85-88% (UPN)
2-1 WGRZ-D 71-74% (NBC HDTV)
7-1 WKBW-HD 80-82% (ABC HDTV)
7-2 WKBW-SD 82-85% (ABC SDTV)
4-1 WIVD-HD 85-88% (CBS HDTV
4-2 WIVD Radar 85% (CBS Doppler)
4-3 WNLO SD 80-85% (UPN)
43-1 WNED-HD 91% (PBS HDTV)
43-2 WNED-SD 91% (PBS SDTV)
43-3 Think B 91% (Kids network)

Every now in then I get 14-1 and 33-1 I know that 33-1 is NBC but I have no idea what 14-1 is as it never comes in.

Reception is acceptable and watchable on all the stations I mentioned
Fox is VERY picky. Anywhere else and I get from 0-66%
 
#506 · (Edited by Moderator)
Port Colborne

Here's a list of stations and signal strength I get in Port Colborne

29-1 WUTV-HD 61-64% (FOX HDTV)
23-1 WIVB-HD 85-88% (CBS HDTV)
23-2 WIVB Doppler 85-88% (CBS Doppler)
23-3 WNLO Digital 85-88% (UPN)
2-1 WGRZ-D 71-74% (NBC HDTV)
7-1 WKBW-HD 80-82% (ABC HDTV)
7-2 WKBW-SD 82-85% (ABC SDTV)
4-1 WIVD-HD 85-88% (CBS HDTV
4-2 WIVD Radar 85% (CBS Doppler)
4-3 WNLO SD 80-85% (UPN)
43-1 WNED-HD 91% (PBS HDTV)
43-2 WNED-SD 91% (PBS SDTV)
43-3 Think B 91% (Kids network)
Hello - I have a retired aunt in Port Colborne who just gets a few channels with an indoor antenna.

Now with the US stations going fully digital I'd like to know what to do to help her to get the right antennas. It looks as if you could use an outdoor UHF antenna and also an
indoor VHF to get the signals. Then I guess I have to buy the new converter box for her. Any ideas on models and prices for all of this? I'd also like to know about who installs these things and prices for that too.

Any help is appreciated.
 
#5 ·
Welland

Hi,

These are the channels I receive; all of which are well in the 80 percentile for signal strength.

Network Call Sign Channels
FOX WUTV-DT 29.1
UPN WNLO-DT 23.1, 23.2, 23.3
NBC WGRZ-DT 33.1
WB WNYO-DT 49.1, 49.2
ABC WKBW-DT 7.1, 7.2
CBS WIVB-DT 39.1, 39.2
PBS WNED-DT 17.1, 17.2, 17.3
CBC 5.1


Crispy
 
#6 ·
St. Catharines

tlpl said:
I live in St. Catharines too. The problem is that Toronto and buffalo are in totally opposite direction from here. I tried to use two antennas, one for each direction. but it over lap the signal or something I couldn't get it to work. I pointed my antenna just to buffalo right now. I can receive ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS and UPN. I am using the wineguard squareshooter.
Copied and pasted from another post.
 
#7 ·
St. Catharines

dsspredator said:
I'm in St. Catharines and CITY 53.1 is difficult to receive.
You will get Toronto 1 at 66.1 and 15.1 without problems.

Now with a pre-amp all buffalo channels come in strong except
for NBC 33.1 and WB 34.1.

33.1 is giving me problems since UPN came on with a very
strong signal at 32.1.

And 34.1 has a weaker signal than CITY.
Copied and pasted from another post.
 
#8 ·
St. Catharines

Zoltar101 said:
I too live in St. Catharines close to the lake. As Johnny said you should be able to receive stations from Buffalo and Toronto 1, but you will have great difficulty tuning in CITY. Acccording to their tech department they do not transmit their signal over Lake Ontario towards St. Catharines.
My OTA setup was only able to receive PBS and Toronto 1 until I installed a quality preamp
Zoltar101 said:
I am using a Delhi Super Flying Arrow for UHF reception only. It is a directional antenna with high forward gain set on top of a rotor attached to my chimney. As well I ran RG11 cable to reduce loss due to a cable run of about 100 feet.
Copied and pasted from another thread.
 
#9 ·
Port Colborne

sphinx said:
Here's a list of stations and signal strength I get in Port Colborn(About 20 minutes south west of Niagara Falls)

I'm using an ATI HDTV wonder and a RCA 30dB indoor antenna.

29-1 WUTV-HD 61-64% (FOX HDTV)
23-1 WIVB-HD 85-88% (CBS HDTV)
23-2 WIVB Doppler 85-88% (CBS Doppler)
23-3 WNLO Digital 85-88% (UPN)
2-1 WGRZ-D 71-74% (NBC HDTV)
7-1 WKBW-HD 80-82% (ABC HDTV)
7-2 WKBW-SD 82-85% (ABC SDTV)
4-1 WIVD-HD 85-88% (CBS HDTV
4-2 WIVD Radar 85% (CBS Doppler)
4-3 WNLO SD 80-85% (UPN)
43-1 WNED-HD 91% (PBS HDTV)
43-2 WNED-SD 91% (PBS SDTV)
43-3 Think B 91% (Kids network)

Every now in then I get 14-1 and 33-1 I know that 33-1 is NBC but I have no idea what 14-1 is as it never comes in.

Reception is acceptable and watchable on all the stations I mentioned
Fox is VERY picky. Anywhere else and I get from 0-66%
Copied and pasted from another post.
 
#10 ·
Thorold

Thorold is above the escarpment, between St Catharines and Niagara Falls, "where the ships climb the mountain". Initial set up of the Samsung T451 to VHF/UHF attennas in the attic gave me the following results:
2-1 WGRZ-D
4-1 WIVB-HD
4-3 WNLO-SD
5-1 CBLT-DT
7-1 WKBW-DT
7-2 Blank
23-1 WIVB-HD
23-3 WLNO-SD
29-1 WUTV-HD
29-2 WUTV-SD
29-3 Blank
43-1 WNED-HD
43-2 WNED-SD
43-3 Think Bright -WNED
 
#11 ·
Remapping question & VHF/UHF reception in Niagara

A quick question... I'm looking at mounting a CM4228 in my attic (or possibly two CM4221's with one pointing at Toronto and one pointing at Buffalo) and I'm curious as to how this will work with channel remapping.

CBC Toronto shows up as 5-1 which is a VHF signal correct? But it was remapped from channel 20 which is UHF.

If I mount a CM4228 will I be able to pick up channels 2-12 with it? Or do I need to also mount a VHF antenna?

I am not at all interested in analog signals... just HDTV.
 
#12 ·
There are no HDTV channels on VHF in this area. Virtual channels are designed to make the transition easier. I think it just adds to the confusion. The lowest DTV channel at the moment is Fox with 14. All the Buffalo channels will be staying in the UHF band after the analog shut off.
 
#13 ·
Your tuner will show both the original VHF analog channels and the DTV UHF remapped ones. For instance, here in the Vancouver area we're seeing analog channel 32 as the CTV station and digital 32 as the remapped 33.1 CTV station. As I say, your tuner will show both. I agree that remapping is confusing, but it was a response to broadcasters who had invested a lot into their station "brands" over the decades and wanted to avoid having to spend the $$$ to change over.
 
#14 ·
da_jonesy said:
If I mount a CM4228 will I be able to pick up channels 2-12 with it? Or do I need to also mount a VHF antenna?
Actually the CM4228 does a very good job with VHF High band channels (7-13) but does nothing in the 2-6 range. A good VHF-only antenna should do the trick, such as a Wade-Delhi 306. Oh ya, I forgot, you're going to try to do this in your attic... :(:mad::p
 
#15 ·
Pt. Colborne and CITY-DT difficulties

Network Call Sign Channels
FOX WUTV-DT 29.1
UPN WNLO-DT 23.1, 23.2, 23.3
NBC WGRZ-DT 33.1
WB WNYO-DT 49.1, 49.2
ABC WKBW-DT 7.1, 7.2
CBS WIVB-DT 39.1, 39.2
PBS WNED-DT 17.1, 17.2, 17.3
CBC 5.1

crispy iam in port colborne hi ..i have a old 1970s delhi uhf that i got from a
lady down the street and i cleaned it up put some stainless bolts on it and
i get all of your list and on some days i can get city tv 57 always and dt 53-1
some time ..great as city has that directional ant. i dont know what # the
ant is ....it has 3 stacks of small directors and the corner reflector and very
light......i use radio shacks pre-amp the price is right and it works ..louis
Crispy[/QUOTE]
 
#16 ·
Need Info about getting Toronto DTV in Upper Niagara

I would like to hear from Niagara OTA users about reception success with the Toronto HD stations given the recent startups. I can receive CBC-HD on a good night
With Stampeder's encouragement, I would like to start experimenting with my antenna "out of the attic". If it is worthwhile, to get the Canadian stations, I might invest in a tower, rotor and CM 4228. First though, to play with what I've got. Buffalo is already loud and clear.
 
#17 ·
Toronto DTV in Upper Niagara

jbracing24 said:
I would like to hear from Niagara OTA users about reception success with the Toronto HD stations given the recent startups. I can receive CBC-HD on a good night
With Stampeder's encouragement, I would like to start experimenting with my antenna "out of the attic". If it is worthwhile, to get the Canadian stations, I might invest in a tower, rotor and CM 4228. First though, to play with what I've got. Buffalo is already loud and clear.
You will get ALL Toronto HDs but CITY-HD (53). I get 20, 40 and 66 with my 20 year old tower pointed towards Buffalo. If I move it just right I can get CITY but there are some breakups. If you are in Thorold you have OVER 200 feet in extra elevation perfect for Buffalo, Toronto, Rochester and Erie.
 
#18 ·
Thorold Test

I did some experimenting on the weekend with the UHF antenna, which I took from the attic. My normal setup has been stationary VHF and UHF antennas in the attic with a 25db line amplifier feed analogue to 3 tvs (crappy, I know, but a decent backup to *C). My Samsung 451 is also fed from this lineup, giving me Buffalo Digital from NBC, CBS, ABC, UPN, FOX and PBS, CBC from Toronto with breakup and no signals from anything else.
Attaching the antenna to an outside pole, set a few feet above the roof line and directly fed to the Samsung did not change the lineup. But turning the antenna toward Toronto stabilized CBC but killed NBC Channel 2. Facing toward Buffalo gave me back NBC but CBC became unstable. Experiment over, the antenna is back in the attic (sorry Stampeder) but now facing Toronto to bring up CBC (*C will give me NBC). Until I can afford a proper setup outside, I would like to try a rotor in the attic, any suggestions?
A proper tower, rotor and antenna purchase will be essential for all round reception but, I think, much will depend on the Toronto stations to provide a decent digital signal toward Niagara.
 
#19 ·
jbracing24 said:
I did some experimenting on the weekend with the UHF antenna, which I took from the attic.
A good effort but not wasted because it shows that you've got to be losing something like 25db in that attic, but it makes me a little nervous that you have such a high energy amp driving equipment with noisy signal. Nevertheless you're right that if all things are equal by including that line amp why not leave it in the attic until you decide whether to go with a full outdoor mast. BTW if there's room for the antenna to turn inside the attic then a rotor would be fine.
 
#20 ·
stampeder said:
BTW if there's room for the antenna to turn inside the attic then a rotor would be fine.
The antenna I have looks like 3 or 4 bowties about 12" wide and the antenna is about 3 to 4 feet long, mounted on a pole vertically. I only need clearance of a foot or so between the trusses. Height could be the problem, unless I go nearer the center of the roof.
Any good links to rotors or are they all the same?
 
#22 ·
jbracing24 said:
The antenna I have looks like 3 or 4 bowties about 12" wide and the antenna is about 3 to 4 feet long, mounted on a pole vertically. I only need clearance of a foot or so between the trusses. Height could be the problem, unless I go nearer the center of the roof.
Hey I just thought of a great idea: you could extend the pole downwards through the ceiling so that it protrudes into the house with a steering wheel on the end, then when you want to change channels you just turn your antenna... :D:D:D Anyway, I heard of a guy who arranged something like that with a rope and pulley up at his cabin. Never mind...
jbracing24 said:
Any good links to rotors or are they all the same?
I think you can find rotators on the Wade, Winegard, and Channel Master web sites. CM has a highly rated model with remote control of the STB. Yaesu is also a good heavy duty brand if you have more than one big antenna up there on the same mast (HAMS use Yaesu a lot) and I think Radio Shack U.S. sells a rotator too.
 
#25 ·
Welland: Square Shooter SS-2000 update

Well,

Finally got off my ass and up on my roof to tweak my Wingegard Square Shooter.

Here is my updated list as to what I can get. I only kept channels that were ghost free.

Take into account that the Square Shooter is a fixed antenna and very directional.

33-1 (2-1) NBC WGRZ 2

39-1 (4-1) CBS WIVB 4
39-2 (4-2)

20-1 (5-1) CBC CBLT 5

38-1 (7-1) ABC WKBW 7
38-2 (7-2)

9 CTV CFTO-SD
40-3 (9-1) CTV CFTO-HD

23-0 UPN-SD WNLO 23
32-1 (23-1) UPN-DT WNLO 23
32-2 (23-2)
32-2 (23-3)

14-1 (29-1) FOX WUTV 29
14-2 (29-2)
14-3 (29-3)

34-1 (49-1) WB WNYO 49
34-2 (49-2)

43-1 PBS-HD WNED 17
43-2 PBS-SD
43-3 THINK

49-0 WB-SD WNYO 49
55-0 GLOBAL-SD

Crispy
 
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