QC - Montreal-East, Laval, Laurentides, Lanaudière - OTA

[mille]

7.1 & 9.1 are from SHerbrooke not Montréal , they are just on the same direction , may be 1 or 2 degree apart , in Sainte-Marguerite. And they both come with a strong signal....

[interdit_450]

Hi guys,

I'll be helping my buddy upgrade his antenna situation on the next long weekend at his summer cottage in Prevost. He currently has a VHF-only antenna (looks a lttle worse for wear) on a 15-footish mast. He used to get SRC 2, CBS 3, NBC 5, CBC 6, TVA 10 and CTV 12 as well as some other occasional analogs before the transition.

Currently he can only bring in CTV 12.1 and TVA 10.1 at around 30% strength(no amp)

Question is which setup has the greatest chance of bringing in the most Montreal locals and hopefully some of the US channels:

1) I replace the entire antenna setup with a CM4228HD (pre-amp required perhaps?)

2) I add a UHF-only antenna (91XG?) and join to the VHF


In both cases we would simply re-use the existing 15ft mast. The cottage is low down in a valley near a lake.

Ideally, option 1 would be preferred as his current antenna has seen better days and is a bit of an eyesore in this very picturesque part of cottage country

TV Fool report for the area is here:

Any input or suggestions would be appreciated!

[digclaude]

Option 1 is the best one i think.

I live in st-jerome,got a dbg6 that i builb myself and a preamp.

I buy the pre amp to catch fox 43 and to minimize the loss of a splitter.

tvfool: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...134907d028515a

[BOUVAL]

Interdit_450,

Your buddy would be better off with a CM4228HD and a CM7777 pre-amp.

Throw away that VHF crap and use some brand new RG6 coax.
.

[interdit_450]

Sounds good, thanks for the input - option 1 it is!

BOUVAL, good point about the RG6 ... I think he currently has twinlead installed from what I recall. I'll ask him to check before I head up

[fireflimoon]

Finally got some decent results after using a preamp and raising the antenna another 5 feet or so - seems like the extra 5 feet really did help along with cutting some branches off of nearby pines to clear a portal through the trees.

This worked out quite well - received CBS, NBC, VPT, and V (ch30) (among the total of 19 channels when including the subchannels) which is a surprise because the signal strength is not listed as very strong.

Maybe the info will help someone else.

tvfool

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...9900c34f2b55a9

[BOUVAL]

Fireflimoon,

Your Mom must be happy !

Can you imagine what you'd get with a 30dB preamp like the CM7777. Getting RF30 V from Mount-Orford is a real long shot.
.

[fireflimoon]

Yes she is so now I am in real trouble because I have to find a way to make this reliable haha.

V came in later in the afternoon when I did another scan using the TV (Dynex), I had been messing around with a haupphage usb tuner connected to a laptop to find out where the best signal was by using NBC as the telltale channel - I had a gut feeling about a spot and decided to cut the branches on a couple of pines that were in the way. I almost gave up before raising the antenna another 5 feet or so and then my mom starting saying b9, C3, D4 (SNR) for NBC and that did it. Then CBS, and VPT came. Later on in the afternoon I did a rescan using the tv and it got V. go figure that one out.

[StickDaChalk]

Hello, I’ve been doing some research and it’s a little confusing, so I come here asking for some advice (I hope this specific QC thread will be able to help). I am missing the "yellow channels" and I would also like to have at least two of the "red channels"...

First, let me put you in context: I live in RDP, i.e., Rivière-des-Prairies, a borough (arrondissement) on the east end of the island of Montreal. I have a Winegard multi-bay antenna (HD-8800) in the attic (facing to the true south) which is connected to my living room TV (for standard viewing) and laptop (for recording).

The exact connection to the tv is as follows: antenna > 4’ coaxial cable > coupler > 50’ coaxial cable > coupler > 8’ coaxial cable > splitter > 3’ coaxial cable. The connection to the laptop is the same but after the splitter there is a 4’ coaxial cable.

My TV signal analysis can be found here: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...9900eac76fad2b

I get all the digital channels in the green background color without a problem. Bad reception artifacts are extremely rare (1 second per month at the most).

On a clear day, I get two of the yellow background color channels: CBS (3.1) and NBC (5.1). On a very clear day, I get the other yellow background color channel: PBS (57.1) and sometimes even one of the red background color channels: ABC (22.1). I never get the red channel Fox (44.1), which is rare, since it has a better signal than ABC.

So, my goal is to get all yellow channels all the time... And if possible, I would also like to get the two red channels mentioned above.

I am planning to buy a pre-amplifier like the CM-7777 and place it as close as possible to the antenna (most probably replacing the first coupler). I will place the power inserter PCT-MPI-1G closer to the tv (right before the splitter).

I have a couple of general questions:

• Anybody here from RDP with an attic antenna?
• If so, do you get the American channels?

I don't know if this is the place to ask technical questions, but just in case, here they are:

• Is the CM-7777 the best choice for my configuration?
• If I use the CM-7777 what should I do with the FM trap?
• Does the CM-7777 has an internal VHF/UHF switch? If so, what to do with it?
• Should I be worry about overload because of some of the powerful signals I get?
• Is there a power inserter like the PCT-MPI-1G with two ports? If so, should I use it to replace my current splitter?
• Are there any other things to consider?

Thank you very much for your help,

Stick da Chalk.

[BOUVAL]

Stick da Chalk,

I tried the CM7777 (30dB gain) and it's too strong; you'd be better off with a CM7778 or another brand, but not more than 23dB gain.

Look at my TV Fool, I've got almost the same distances from the transmitters as you: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...267eee22a6d100

The FM trap doesn't matter much, unless there's a FM station very close to you.

The new generation CM7777/8 don't have an internal VHF/UHF switch.

"power inserter like the PCT-MPI-1G with two ports?" No.
.

[StickDaChalk]

Hello Bouval,

Thank you for the advice. I really appreciate it.

Did you install your CM7778 close to the TV or did you install it closer to the antenna (as you would with a pre-amp)? Also, do you get all the American channels listed on your tv fool analysis?

One last question, you said that you tried the CM7777, does this mean that you have found a store in the Laval/Montreal area where you can buy an amplifier, test it and then return it? All the stores I called do not accept returns...

Thank you and have a nice day,

Stick da Chalk.

[BOUVAL]

Stick da Chalk,

For a preamp, the closer to the antenna the better. Otherwise, you'll amplify more noise than signal.

I get all the american channels except ABC RF13 and I get issues once in a while with CBS RF22 because of adjacent channel CBC RF21.

Your reception is hard to predict for an attic install. You'll have to aim your antenna at 169 degrees magnetic with a compass.

The only stores I bought from so far are Vi-Tesse electronics and Montcalm elec.
.

[pioneeruser]

Canadian channels seem to be no go tonight! Just when I wanted to see Colbert (Save for Metro 14)

[gabwey]

Good evening all,

It has been one year since I bought my antenna and I am pleased with the results. My father who has cable is even jealous of the quality of my image!


However, I am having troubling with 2 channels : NBC (WPTZ 5.1) and FOX (WFFF 44.1). I have a CM-4228HD with an amplifier CM7777. The antenna is located on top my of 2 story house (about 25-30 ft above ground). I live in vimont (http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...2df9f5cae0a752)

Is the problematic reception normal? Should I adjust/change something in my setup? I want to have the best recpetion possible before cold weather runs in, to watch NFL football.

Thank you for your help!

[EdT]

Originally Posted by gabwey

Good evening all,

It has been one year since I bought my antenna and I am pleased with the results. My father who has cable is even jealous of the quality of my image!


However, I am having troubling with 2 channels : NBC (WPTZ 5.1) and FOX (WFFF 44.1). I have a CM-4228HD with an amplifier CM7777. The antenna is located on top my of 2 story house (about 25-30 ft above ground). I live in vimont (http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...2df9f5cae0a752)

Is the problematic reception normal? Should I adjust/change something in my setup? I want to have the best recpetion possible before cold weather runs in, to watch NFL football.

Thank you for your help!

Where are you aiming your antenna at ?, best to be aiming it straight at Mount-Mansfield. What are your results like without the amp ?

WPTZ 5.1 should rarely cut out as it has a strong signal, while WFFF 44.1 is iffy and cuts out occasionally if the weather is bad at the borders.