OTA FAQ & Knowledge Base

[stampeder]

1. What does OTA mean?

It stands for Over The Air television reception, as has been available free-of-charge in Canada since the early 1950s using antennas for reception. OTA is not to be confused with FTA, which is a form of satellite TV reception using entirely different gear.

2. Why are we switching from analogue to digital TV?

Analogue TV (also known as NTSC) is the original television standard in North America and it has served well for many decades but it is prone to many different kinds of interference that can make viewing troublesome for consumers. The new digital standard called ATSC (also known as DTV, for Digital Television) eliminates almost all of that interference, as illustrated in this split-screen video made by recneps77:

• broadcasting DTV requires much less transmitter power to cover the same area as analogue
• for consumers the availability of High Definition TV via antenna is only possible by via DTV
• the U.S. has converted their old analogue transmitters to DTV as of June 12, 2009.
• Canada has set its date for full DTV conversion to August 31, 2011
• Canada uses the ATSC (8VSB) standard used in the U.S.A., Mexico, South Korea, and Taiwan, with more Western Hemisphere nations expected
• ATSC is not compatible with the DVB-T standard used in all other countries except Japan, which has its own ISDB-T standard, and China, which has its own DTMB standard.

3. Is OTA expensive?

In an ongoing poll of DHC OTA users, the great majority have paid less than $500 Canadian for all the OTA gear they required. Less than 1% paid more than $1,000. Some have canceled some or all of their satellite or cable programming, so their OTA equipment will pay for itself in savings over time. There are no direct costs or fees to the consumer for OTA programming.

4. Are there OTA stations in my area?

The OTA Forum has a sub-forum called Reception Results which features a thread for every section of Canada. Read through the thread for your own area and if necessary the surrounding area(s) to see what DHCers have already reported. A vast amount of experience and trial & error has gone into those threads, so please read through yours from the beginning. See Post #10 in this OTA FAQ to learn how to use a variety of online tools for best aiming of your OTA antenna for the stations in your area.

5. Will I get stations from more than one city?

TV antennas need to be pointed at the broadcast antenna, so if the cities are fairly well lined up in one direction, aim an antenna and enjoy. If you are fairly evenly between two locations there are antennas that receive front and back simultaneously. If the cities are wide apart, mount the antenna on a rotor. You can program the rotor's remote control to turn the antenna into proper position, which will usually take less than 30 seconds. Some DHCers have used 2 or more antennas aimed in different directions rather than a rotor. See Post #16 in this FAQ for info on how to combine 2 or more antennas.

6. What if the stations are far away?

TV signals typically start to drop off in strength as they travel about 120 to 180 km outwards from the broadcast antenna, so reception in those deep fringe and deepest fringe areas requires special antennas, gear, and installation techniques as you reach or exceed the higher distances. Expert help is available to you by discussing your situation in the Reception Results thread for your area.

7. Will my TV get the Digital OTA stations?

Check to see that it has an ATSC Tuner. Older TVs and unfortunately some brand new HDTVs still have NTSC-only tuners, which will not receive DTV stations and will be obsolete after August 31, 2011. Until that date a consumer should have an NTSC and ATSC tuner so that they can get existing analogue and new digital stations. See Post #17 in this FAQ for more detail on ATSC tuners found in set top boxes, HDTVs, and other equipment.

8. Okay, which antenna do I need?

The DHC OTA Forum contains detailed threads about different OTA antenna brands and models. See also Post #3 in this FAQ for antenna buying tips, and also be sure to download the Antenna Decision Chart (PDF). You will likely need to do some reading in the OTA Forum to understand the rankings and other criteria in the chart. Keep in mind that just because a competing-brand antenna looks a lot like a leading brand antenna does not mean that it performs the same - there can be significant performance differences. Stick to our advice on brand and model recommendations and you will not go wrong! If its not on the chart, don't buy it. Also see Post #3 in this FAQ for essential Antenna buying and planning tips.

9. I'm pretty handy with tools. Can I build my own antenna?

Absolutely yes, and in Post #12 of this FAQ you'll find info on best plans, techniques, materials, and other great info for Do It Yourselfers, including how to use computer modeling software for antenna design. The DHC OTA Forum is the one and only home of the Gray-Hoverman do-it-yourself antenna project, which has created a home built super antenna for UHF reception.

10. Some new antennas look the same as my grandfather's old one! Aren't they old fashioned?

No, TV antenna technology is essentially the same as it has been for several decades because the laws of electromagnetism and physics apply equally now as they did then. Today some manufacturers are finding clever ways to cram antennas into small form factors, but unfortunately due to those laws of nature the antenna's performance drops the more they try that. Manufacturers now have modern materials to work with so the construction of their products seems to be more durable, but antennas have often lasted more than 20 years. Since TV antennas have been around so long, there is already a large body of real world knowledge about antenna designs and capabilities. See Post #5 in this FAQ for an explanation of how TV antennas actually work.

11. Which other OTA equipment will I need?

There may be conditions affecting your reception that require specific equipment, such as preamps, attenuators, distribution amplifiers, splitters, combiners, a tower, etc. If you try such equipment without proper knowledge or guidance you could damage your TV and other equipment. The OTA Forum is the right place to ask the experts. See Post #14 in this FAQ for further info.

12. Aren't satellite and cable TV better than OTA TV?

For specialty channels and pay-per-view movies and events, satellite (DBS) or cable (CATV) are needed because such channels as TSN and Discovery HD are not broadcast OTA. However, if you want regular, local programming, OTA is free of charge! Also, in case you are planning a move to another city, CATV set top boxes from one cable company almost always do not work with the systems of other cable companies, while DBS can be moved anywhere and OTA gear works fine as long as stations are available.

• With a top quality OTA receiver and antenna gear, the improvement in picture and audio quality over CATV or DBS can be spectacular, especially in HDTV, as many DHCers attest. This is not conjecture; the improvement is readily visible and audible on good systems, especially when seen in split-screen mode.
• Some consumers will want to have the best of both: keeping their DBS or CATV subscriptions and watching their favourite DTV programming OTA.
• Some will find no reason to use OTA because the quality of their DTV is satisfactory.
• Some will find that proper OTA reception, no matter how good their gear, is thwarted by densities of buildings in their metro/urban locale or sheer distance to their deep fringe location, and so will rely on DBS if they can aim a dish towards the correct satellite(s), or CATV
• Some will find going 100% OTA to be the most worthwhile solution, while watching DVD-based first run movies and specials on rental from video stores.
• Some CATV subscribers have had their FM radio service dropped by their providers. With an OTA VHF/FM antenna there are not only analogue FM radio stations available but also many HD Radio stations in border areas carrying digital audio that rivals CDs for quality.

If you have an ATSC tuner in your TV and live in a suitable area, what's the harm in hooking up an antenna and seeing OTA for yourself? Even so, suit yourself and respect the decisions of others. You can discuss these issues in the Pros & Cons of Going OTA thread.

13. Does Digital OTA TV have an On Screen Guide?

Yes, the ATSC standard incorporates a data standard called PSIP, which contains program, channel, time, and other data for the ATSC tuner to display. See this thread about PSIP data.

14. Why is everything here named in letters that I don't understand?

See the DHC FAQ regarding Acronyms & Definitions

15. What does DX mean?

Here in the OTA forum we sometimes use the term DX, which means Dial Crossing. DXing has been a hobby of enthusiasts going back to the early days of radio and now of television. DXers enjoy scanning broadcast frequencies in search of unusual or long distance signals, such as during odd weather conditions. Thus, DXers are very knowledgeable about high quality equipment and the techniques needed. Many TV DXers are also ham radio enthusiasts.

16. Isn't all this OTA stuff illegal, like satellite piracy?

NO! OTA television reception is the original form of television broadcasting and is 100% legal as always. See Post #13 in this FAQ for further information about the legality of OTA.

17. Is all this great OTA info free?

This web site, www.digitalhome.ca, is a private business run by Hugh. It cannot survive on bread alone. Please register as a member at our site, at no cost to you.

While we are happy to share our information here with other members and with guest viewers, this site asserts and respects copyright laws and we take a very dim view of plagiarism of our material. Please report sites that misuse our contents.

Advertisers are very welcome to contact Hugh, and here's what consumers can do: whenever you contact any OTA-related company, station, network, supplier, vendor, installer, technician, marketing person, representative, or other corporate person, be sure to tell them about this site and that their advertising support here would be most welcome. Here's an example:

"Yes, I'm calling about your station's schedule to start up its digital transmitter. I read about it on the Digital Home website... have you visited that site before? Here's the URL..."

Also, please consider selecting one of our Paid Membership options. Please help us keep this web site going strong. Help us to help you.

[stampeder]

Why can't there be one simple OTA setup for everyone?

Originally Posted by 99gecko

This has been said many times before in different variations, but I'll repeat it now for the benefit of everyone. The type of antenna is just one variable in the reception mix for OTA.

These variables combined make every single OTA set-up unique.

For example, even in my house my reception is different in the basement than in the kitchen because the signal has to travel first to the basement for the HDTV, and then loop-out to the kitchen (for analogue).

Some variables that you have control over, or at least will vary between users in similar locations:

• Location of your antenna (indoor/outdoor)
• Height, direction, angle, & gain (type) of your antenna
• Length and type of cabling used (RG6/RG59/Twin Lead, etc)
• Whether or not a signal amplifer (pre-amp/distribution/booster) is needed/used and its proximity to the antenna.
• Local effects on your antenna: obstacles and reflective surfaces (buildings/trees/structures).
• Whether the antenna is fixed or on a rotor
• Age of the OTA Gear (new, used, ancient)
• Capablilties of your tuner (newer tuners have higher gain and are better at rejecting mulitpath interference)

Some of the other variables you can't control and affect all users (though not equally) such as:

• Broadcast antenna height/power/distance/direction/contour
• Weather factors
• Terrain

Why can't you just post a list of all the OTA stations I can get in my area?

Listing a bunch of stations is easy but not very realistic or helpful to readers because reception conditions are very local, even between houses on the same street if one is up high and the other is quite a ways downhill. The approach at this web site is to provide information that is extremely local to a person's location. We use Reception Results threads for every part of Canada rather than general lists that usually are not satisfactory. Over about five years we have accumulated Reception Results from people living all across Canada, so now the general expectation of what a person can receive has become clear for most major centres and populated areas. Unfortunately in some areas on the fringe of reception from DTV stations we just don't have very many user experiences to rely on. With time this will change, and we are grateful for the pioneers out there.

Five years ago we had almost no knowledge, experience, or factual information on how DTV reception in various parts of Canada would be. DTV was still very new so even the stations themselves were changing and improving all along, so that what a person found out one day would be different a week later. As of the middle of 2009 we are still fairly early on in the Canadian DTV conversion process, with about 30 operational DTV stations spread across several major cities. Canadians in border areas get a wide variety of U.S. DTV stations but the status of those stations has been changing frequently due to the June, 2009 U.S. DTV conversion.

Will I be able to just "set and forget" my OTA gear? If I need to change it can I get help with keeping my OTA system at its best?

Yes to both questions, but in all honesty TV stations change over time, and we do our best to keep our readers up to date. With members who are station employees and in other broadcasting positions we often get the news before anyone else does. Your OTA system may or may not need optimizing in the future to deal with changing situations, and here is a good example of a "power OTA user" and his evolving system:

Originally Posted by Biggy

I have been lurking “Digital Home” and several other sites for few years now. I only started contributing to this forum earlier this year and thought I would share some of my past experiences, in hope it might help others as more people are starting to discover digital OTA reception.

Since I went HD three ago years, I originally installed CM 4228 and CM 9521A rotor and have had very good results with it. I was able to receive all the stations available at that time, to this date.

Here are some of the challenges I had to deal with my installation, our home was basically located in a hole. I would have to stand on my tipi-toes if I wanted to have a chance even to see the CN Tower, if you know what mean. When I look south and west all I could see were trees and that’s standing on the roof top of our two story house. Of course I had to deal with all the other good things like bad weather etc.

At end of last year I starting playing with combining antennas like many of you are doing or already have. If you look back at some of previous postings you might see how my setup has evolved overtime.

To-date my setup consists of 4228 + 4221 (mounted the 4221 within an inch of each other fortunately it did not have any real detrimental effects) and a rotor, three distribution amplifiers four dual splitters and two 4way splitters, attenuators etc. With this arrangement I was able to receive all twenty five digital plus the additional analog channels. Distributing a good signal to eight TV’s or more throughout the house, similar to “cable TV” connection. Of course it still suffers the typical signal dropouts, as result of poor weather conditions, fog etc. A couple months ago Channel 7.3 stopped broadcasting sports and I have notice they have now shut down the carrier as well so were down to 24 channels.

I have had a lot fun and gratification, putting this together. Experienced many interesting problems from, ( similar to what many of others have in the forum) signal overload on one channel on one TV, to distributing a right signal level to each individual tuner throughout the house. Unfortunately all the tuners don’t have the same characteristics, as it might make life a little easier. At one point earlier this year I had two rotors now that was great learning experience, it was very handy (especially in winter “no fun climbing two story house”). I even tried three antennas, but found that two were sufficient. I still use my rotor for (testing) fine tuning for bad atmospheric conditions. Some other members have posted, that they have found combining antennas quite simple that’s great, but this is just my experience. I know that what works for me, may not work for all, every installation has own unique problems.

When I look back I always have a fond memories, of just the “4228 and rotor” it was relatively simple setup and worked for a couple years for me. I am pretty sure in "general" it would work for many other Mississaugan’s and others in the GTA.

I am looking forward to the future hopefully the CTRC approves more stations. It would be nice if TVO goes digital, but for now I am just sitting back and enjoying!

Biggy

BTW. I have really have appreciated reading all the posting on this forum, thanks to all.

[stampeder]

Do you have some antenna buying tips?

Antennas are designed along well known electromagnetic principles that predate HD, SD, DTV, etc. by almost a half century. Any vendor that claims that a particular antenna model is "better for HD" etc. etc. is full of it. Don't pay attention to that misleading sales & marketing nonsense. The original Channel Master 4228, for instance, is one of the highest rated UHF antennas out there today for all analogue and digital reception, yet its design is about 30 years old! Channel Master has replaced it with the 4228HD, which may mislead people into believing that it is better for HD when in fact independent research proves that it is weaker than the original that it replaced.

Avoid the hype... just the facts, ma'am.

In some central urban areas, such as atop a high rise in downtown Toronto, a set of cheap Canadian Tire rabbit ears might do the job if you just want the local digital and analogue stations, but in other urban areas, rural locales, and deep fringe areas there are a lot of things to consider before purchasing a TV antenna.

Keep in mind that TV antenna technology is essentially the same as it has been for several decades since the laws of electromagnetism and physics apply equally then as now, so this means we are fortunate that there is a body of real world knowledge and evidence about antenna designs and capabilities if you know whom to ask. There are enough real world examples out there for the experts to give you the best advice and save you a lot of trouble. Advice can be found here in the OTA Forum for those difficult situations or possibly pricey decisions. Don't be timid about asking newbie questions.

So, avoid impulse buys based on advertising claims (especially about reception range!) and ignore any claims of an antenna being "Digital Ready" or "HD Compatible" because those terms mean nothing. Never, never buy an antenna because it "looks great" on top of your TV. Getting the best reception is what its all about.

Essential buying and planning tips for OTA antennas:

• All OTA antennas are "digital ready" and "HDTV ready" (ignore those marketing words)
  • TV antennas of every kind just pick up signals whether they are broadcast in digital or analogue form
  • in theory reception of equal strength analogue signals versus digital signals (all other things being equal too) would therefore be exactly the same
  • in the real world many issues unrelated to the antenna can make such signals differ, as discussed in this OTA FAQ
  • the antenna itself handles both types equally
• Mount antennas outdoors and as high as possible, free from obstructions
• Attic or indoor mounting can present reception problems due to signal losses so they should be a last option
• Most DTV stations are in the UHF band but some are in VHF
• VHF and UHF antennas are different in size and shape because they receive different frequency bands
  • VHF has 2 bands:
    • VHF-LO contains channels 2 through 6 (54 to 88 Megahertz) requiring a huge antenna
    • VHF-HI contains channels 7 through 13 (174 to 216 MHz) requiring a large antenna
  • FM Radio (88 to 108 MHz) is in between VHF-LO and VHF HI so most VHF TV antennas are also excellent FM Radio antennas, referred to as VHF/FM and capable of also receiving HD Radio (Hybrid Digital) FM stations in CD audio quality from U.S. border areas
  • UHF band contains channels 14 through 69 (470 to 806 MHz) requiring a relatively small antenna
• Combo antennas feature a UHF and a VHF on one spar
• For consumers a Combo offers good performance with simpler installation and less room on the mast
• Pros and OTA hobbyists prefer the performance of separate UHF and VHF/FM antennas rather than a Combo
• Satellite Dishes cannot be used to receive OTA signals because they operate on totally different frequencies

Is there a warning list of OTA stuff that I should never buy?

Yes, there is a humourous thread called Wacky, Tacky OTA Gear (What NOT To Buy!) that is well worth reading to help you avoid wasting your money on junk and OTA gear NOT to buy. Avoid gimmic antennas such as the ill-conceived Terk 55, the fraudulent Xium Air, or the ones that promise to turn your household AC wiring or aluminum eaves troughs into a TV antenna. Additionally, the OTA Clone & Coat Hanger Antennas - Avoid Most Of Them thread warns of cheap "clone" antennas that may look like high performance models but are usually poor performers.

If you are unsure about a product, the OTA Forum has many threads that deal with specific items and/or brands in which you can read or offer advice. A fool and his money are soon parted.

Can I just go to my local consumer electronics store for OTA stuff?

Yes, it is possible that some of those stores may have some OTA equipment and OTA-savvy knowledgeable staff, but as of early 2009 in Canada it seems that retail staffers in general are not well briefed on Digital OTA. You can read through the Popularizing OTA HDTV In Canada thread to get a better understanding of the situation. For this reason we recommend dedicated, knowledgeable OTA vendors for your parts, sales, service, and installations.

Is it okay to use an old antenna?

Oxidation may be a problem on many old antennas if it is causing welded or soldered joints to fail. If your antenna is still solidly constructed you are fine to clean it with steel wool. I would use something like an SOS or Jet pad for that. Clean the feed points too (where the balun is connected) and replace the old wingnuts or screws with new ones.

As for reception, oxidation will reduce the antenna's effectiveness but it would happen over a long time from when it was new, not suddenly. If you were to take a perfectly new version of the same antenna and compare it side-by-side with your older one you might see some difference in the resulting signal strength, but not at a worrisome level. I have an old-timer 4-bay bowtie reflector on my roof that was almost white with oxidation but I did not hesitate to use it after a cleanup and it works beautifully.

Can I put up my own antenna?

Absolutely, and Post #21 of this FAQ gives a variety of useful tips and links to discussion threads about important antenna installation topics. For those who do not wish to put up their own antenna and OTA gear, experienced, professional installers can be found in almost any part of Canada and the United States.

An Overview of Various Antenna Types

As you read through your printed-out Antenna Chart, here is further info on the most highly regarded consumer antennas. If you cannot locate one for purchase, try to find the next highest one rated on the Antenna Chart:

• VHF/FM-Only: does not receive UHF stations but receives locally available VHF TV Channels 2 through 13 and FM Radio stations
• VHF-HI-Only: receives locally available VHF-HI TV Channels 7 through 13
• VHF/FM/UHF: is called a "Combo" and is capable of receiving all locally available TV channels and FM Radio stations
• VHF/FM/UHF Deepest Fringe: It is best to leave this category to pros or experienced OTA hobbyists. Mount 2 UHF antennas in stacked configuration (see Post #16 in this FAQ) with a VHF/FM, feeding them into a high-gain all channel preamp atop a minimum 20 foot tower or similar elevation with unimpeded signal from the target. A heavy duty rotor and/or mount is advised due to the weight and wind load. NOTE: A Deepest Fringe setup is NOT suitable for closer use because its great reception power can overload and/or damage amps, TVs, and receivers if proper safeguards are not in place.

  

• Metro/Suburban, Condo, RV, or Apartment:
  • Outdoor antenna products like the costly Winegard Square Shooter, the Super Delhi, the pricey Antennas Direct Lacrosse, or the Channel Master 3010A-Stealth antennas have been introduced to be esthetically suitable (smaller) although they are often no match beyond the near fringe range for mainstream antenna gear.
  • UFO-style omnidirectional antennas like the Antennacraft 5MS9000 Mini-State, Winegard MetroStar, or Channel Master SmartTenna are useful on Recreational Vehicles and boats, but are prone to suffer from multipath signal interference more than standard antennas. In Canada the one and only location in which I would consider a UFO antenna as a viable alternative to a standard antenna is in the central and northern part of the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario since the Toronto, Hamilton, and Buffalo stations surround the area and are relatively equal in signal strength.
  • Clip-on satellite dish OTA antennas rarely offer anything but extremely local performance so should be avoided.
  • Indoor Antennas: See Post #6 in this FAQ
  • UHF-Only: See the section immediately below.

UHF-Only Antennas

Here's what the antenna pros have found over the years about each type of UHF antenna, in very brief form. Today's consumer-grade UHF antennas, needed for receiving the great majority of DTV stations OTA in Canada, are divided into two basic designs:

• Corner Reflector Yagi (pronounced yoggy)
• Bowtie Reflector

Both have their relative strengths and purposes. The three main antenna manufacturers in the Canadian consumer marketplace (Delhi, Channel Master, and Winegard) make variations on those designs. There were Parabolic models available to consumers many years ago, but that category is now exclusively used by professionals, such as in CATV Head End scenarios or in research.

Corner Reflector Yagis

If you have a clear, direct, unobstructed, line-of-sight aim from your antenna mast to the transmitting antenna and it is within about 80km of it, consider purchasing a corner reflector yagi like a Delhi CYD1470, Channel Master 4248, Televes DAT-75, Winegard PR-9032, or Antennas Direct 91XG (the best of this breed). It is very easy to aim because you can point it like a rifle at the broadcasting site and lock it into place. On a rotor swinging around to several different azimuths it loses out to the other type of antenna because it is so directional (biased in one specific direction) with a fairly narrow receiving aperture and relatively small side lobes, therefore can be quite picky to aim. This is actually a positive feature of the Corner Reflector Yagi because in known areas of signal crowding its great side-rear rejection qualities are needed. Some users do well with long distance reception using a preamp and a fixed mount. Some users do fine with a Yagi on a rotor, but in almost all such rotating situations it is bettered by the other antenna type.

Bowtie Reflectors

If some obstructions such as large trees lay between your antenna, or the broadcast site is more than about 80 km away, or if the stations are at several different azimuths and you want to put an antenna up on a rotor, you require a bowtie reflector such as a Winegard PR-8800, Terrestrial Digital DB-8, or the original Channel Master 4228 (the best of this breed). It's reflector mesh is great at gathering UHF signals that tend to scatter over long distances. Its receiving aperture is very wide and its side lobes are relatively large, meaning that on a rotor it will generally tend to get a digital lock on a DTV station before the Yagis above will. Having said that, it is also fine in suburban situations and in fixed positions for all-purpose situations. Each bowtie (x-shaped signal receptor) is known as a bay, and the greater the range to the station, the greater the number of bays should be. Four-bay versions exist for suburban to fringe use, such as the Delhi 4BT-1483, the Winegard PR-4400, and the new Channel Master 4221HD (the best of this breed). Some bowtie antennas such as the Delhi SL-4BT are sold without reflectors, giving a figure-eight reception pattern to those who are located in between desired stations. The chief difference between a CM4228 and a CM4221HD is that the CM4228 is more directional and provides about 3dB more gain, while the CM4221 has a wider reception pattern.

UPDATE Oct. 31, 2008: Channel Master has stopped making antennas in the USA and moved manufacturing duties to China. They have substantially changed (through outsourcing) all their antenna designs in the process.

UPDATE Jan. 27, 2009: OTA gear suppliers in Canada have run out of stock of the original-style Channel Master 4221s and 4228s. Additionally, testing reveals that the new CM4228HD antennas are weaker in performance than the original CM4228 models. It is advised that if an original CM4228 cannot be purchased, the reader should consider purchasing the next best model shown on the Antenna Chart.

UPDATE Mar. 16, 2009: Ken Nist, of HDTVPrimer.com, has published an easy hardware hack that corrects a significant flaw in the design of the new CM4228HD antenna, improving its performance significantly. Read about it in this thread.

UPDATE May 1, 2009: A thread discusses hardware hacks that consumers can make to improve the performance of their CM4221HD antenna.

Money Is No Object

If you must, and absolutely MUST, have the ultimate in UHF antenna performance, you can buy precision cut single channel or log periodic antennas from professional-grade manufacturers such as Wade or Blonder Tongue, or you can contact Wade about their colossal CATV head end parabolic models. If you think you need one of these bad boys (especially the dual dish model) parked up on your roof, go see a psychiatrist but definitely check your local bylaws and ordinances before you drain thousands of $$$ from your bank account!

[stampeder]

Let's face it, for Canadian consumers the choice of TV antennas usually comes down to a short list of four main brands that give the best performance for the money and especially in Canada's wide geographic areas and cold, cold winters/hot, hot summers.

On another web site I read a commentary in which a consumer said something like:

...the price of the [name of manufacturer]'s antenna was higher so I assumed it was better than [name of other manufacturer]'s antenna, but it wasn't.

Please, please don't fall for the price = quality myth. I also read about a person who custom ordered an antenna from Europe at high cost, only to find out that its performance was not much different from a much cheaper main brand. By all means check the technical specifications of antennas, but also ask here in the DHC OTA Forum about performance in the real world, which is where it really matters. We also give second opinions here, in case you've gotten advice elsewhere.

My personal opinion is that for almost any customary consumer usage in Canada I would be very surprised if you cannot find a satisfactory antenna from one of the four main manufacturers. Most of the TV antenna professionals and experienced hobbyists in Canada have personal experience with them and can easily get parts and accessories for them. Buying from Canadian suppliers is also good for our small business economy too.

Main Consumer Grade Antenna Brands in Canada and the U.S.A.

Wade-Delhi and Winegard are veteran North American companies that manufacture their own antennas and supply other companies with product for commercial rebranding under such names as AntennaCraft, RCA, Zenith, Philips-Magnavox, Terk, Radio Shack, and others. Both companies offer wide ranges of antennas, amps, and related OTA gear.

Delhi Antenna (made by Wade Antenna and includes Delhi and former Jerrold consumer brands)
Manufacturer - Canada
Leader in consumer VHF/FM and VHF/FM/UHF Combination antennas
http://www.wade-antenna.com/Wade/Delhi_Antennas.htm

Winegard
Manufacturer - U.S.A
Consumer antennas - leader in UHF corner reflector yagis
http://www.winegard.com/offair/products.htm

Antennas Direct (a.k.a. Terrestrial Digital) - U.S.A.
Manufacturer - consumer antennas sold only via the Web - range of different types - some great, some poor
http://www.antennasdirect.com/

The Source (Canadian retail electronics chain)
Marketing - as of March, 2009 owned by Bell (changes yet to be seen)
Sells a limited selection of rebranded Antennacraft and Orbyx antennas through The Source
http://www.thesourcecc.com

Channel Master (original pre-2008 stock only)
Manufacturer - USA
Consumer antennas - leader in UHF bowtie reflectors

Originally Posted by videobruce

Important Channel Master News August 19, 2008

I finally got to talk to Ron Morgan at Channel Master engineering regarding the replacement 4228HD.

1. CM just closed their manufacturing plant in the US last week!

2. All the new antennas are made in (guess where) China.
3. They are even farming out testing the new design to another testing facility (no specs yet).
4. They should be shipping them in November.
5. The weight of the new design is around 10 lbs (3 lbs less than the orginal).
6. The horizontal elements of the reflector are solid.
7. It comes assembled, but you have to extend the "bow tie" brackets out from the reflector. The shipping box is around 3" thick.
8. They are attaching a warning sticker on the matching network not to overtighten the F fitting. It seems they have had problems with their preamps with overtightened fittings. (the same goes with Antennas Direct)
9. The matching network is NOT replaceable (see above).

My high regard for Channel Master just went in the toilet.
(The engineer wasn't happy about the closing either stating how long Channel Master has been in business in the US)

Better get the orginal design while you can.

Antennacraft/Radio Shack - U.S.A.
Manufacturing and Marketing - sells own and rebranded antennas through stores, web, and U.S. Radio Shack chain
http://www.antennacraft.net/
http://www.radioshack.com (Home Entertainment -> Accessories -> Antennas)

Gemini/Philips Accessories - U.S.A.
Manufacturing and Marketing - sells own and rebranded antennas through stores - range of different types including gimmick antennas - some rebranded as Magnavox, some as Zenith
http://www.gemini-usa.com/gemini/pro...r%20Antenna s

Terk/Audiovox - U.S.A.
Manufacturing and Marketing - sells own and rebranded antennas through stores - range of different types - still living down bad reputation from certain gimmick antenna products - recently teamed with Winegard to improve Terk's product quality
http://www.audiovox.com/webapp/wcs/s...ductId=&brand=

Professional, CATV, Military, and Research (Highest Quality)

Wade's professional division (TACO), along with Blonder Tongue, cater to the highest end of the professional OTA market, in which CATV Head End installations and Research are the main usage. Products like precision cut single channel yagis, log periodic antennas, and giant parabolic reflectors are therefore built to exacting standards and in fact are often not useful to average consumers wanting basic UHF/VHF/FM antennas due to their specific designs for only certain uses. It is possible to find useful consumer-grade antennas from them, but they'll be very expensive. Each manufacturer offers a wide range of professional grade OTA antennas, amps, and related OTA gear.

Wade Antenna (TACO brand & former Lindsay products)
Manufacturer - Canada
http://www.wade-antenna.com/

Blonder Tongue
Manufacturer - U.S.A.
http://www.blondertongue.com/Reception

International Antennas

Keep in mind that due to smaller broadcast areas across Europe and Asia, the antenna manufacturers give less emphasis to the kind of fringe and deep fringe conditions that we take for granted in North America, but more emphasis on side and rear signal rejection due to greater competing station density over there. Certain UHF antennas from Europe and Asia are unusable here due to some frequency differences. VHF antennas from Europe are not suitable for Canada, usually due to polarity differences.

Blake - UK
Manufacturer - consumer antennas - solid construction and build quality
http://www.blake-uk.com/prod_product...selection.aspx

Televes - Spain
Manufacturer - consumer antennas - products are very distinctively designed and coloured - UHF corner reflector yagis
http://www.televes.es/ingles/producto/ficha.asp?COD=242

Kathrein-Scala - Germany
Manufacturer - professional and consumer antennas - rare in Canada - highly regarded in Europe
http://www.kathrein-scala.com/uhf-tv.htm

Triax - Denmark
Manufacturer - consumer antennas - rare in Canada
http://www.triax.dk

Orbyx and Many Other Brands - China
Manufacturers - rebranded by The Source, Radio Shack, others
http://www.orbyxelectronics.com/

Channel Master (post-2008 stock only)
Manufacturer - China
Consumer antennas
http://www.channelmasterintl.com/doc...mentation.html

[stampeder]

In the passing age of Analogue TV reception, indoor antennas have suffered a myriad of reception problems, and more money has probably been wasted on them over the years than on any other type of OTA equipment. In fact, the Consumer Electronics Association, which provides general ratings of all standard antennas, continues to refuse to rate indoor antennas.

The transition to Digital TV is helping to overcome many of the reception difficulties faced by indoor antennas, but not all such problems can be easily cured. For this reason, they should be considered last or only if an outdoor antenna is not a possibility.

Zenith Silver Sensor & Clones

The Zenith ZHDTV1Z Silver Sensor indoor antenna is considered the benchmark design for indoor UHF ATSC antennas.



Other manufacturers build clones under their own brand names, such as Terk, Philips, Samsung, and others. Its distinctive flying-vee style is instantly recognizable. Consumers will find occasional differences in some ZSS clone brands, such as a single, non-sectional element cover and/or the addition of extendable rabbit-ear elements for added VHF reception and/or an integrated signal amplifier.

Generally a consumer can feel comfortable that a ZSS clone will perform almost identically to the original ZSS.

Originally Posted by hoosierdxer

One correction on the Indoor antenna section. Zenith did not design the Silver Sensor. It was developed by Antiference in the UK as the SS100 for Digital TV over there. I,and a few others purchased them through a Mom & Pop importer here in the States sometime around 2001-2002. Wish I still had one for old times sake. Not sure how the connection with Zenith was made, but I do know they were overwhelmed with orders and were looking for a US company to license the antenna and extend the production away from the UK.

The following discussion thread deals specifically with ZSS and ZSS-clone antennas:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=40741

Rabbit Ears

I have to use an indoor antenna and I only get VHF stations. Which kind of indoor antenna will work?

If your intended stations are all on VHF and you will not be getting any UHF stations, a set of good old fashioned rabbit ears is okay for your situation since you cannot use an outdoor antenna. Just remember that conventional rabbit ears are not suitable for UHF reception. Don't spend a lot of money on rabbit ears - the cheapest basic unamplified ones from Zellers or WalMart are fine - don't read the claims on the boxes when you are shopping!

You will need to put the aerials completely flat horizontally from the centre stand, not upwards or in a Vee. The lower the channel number, the more you need to extend them outwards. The higher the channel, the more you need to push them in. Practice makes perfect.

Further, you will need to rotate the rabbit ears to get the intended stations, depending on which direction the signals are coming from. The aerials have to be at a right angle to the direction of the signals.

If this doesn't work out for you, try an amplified set of rabbit ears, but keep in mind that amplifying indoor TV signals actually amplifies ambient signal noise too so your results will vary.

Antennas Mounted In Attics

Analogue TV reception with attic-mounted antennas has traditionally been haphazard and unsatisfactory for most people due to problems with ghosting and other interference caused by reflection of signals off of metal hardware such as sheet metal flashing, electrical boxes, aluminum siding, etc.

Digital television had similar problems in attics during the first few generations of ATSC tuner, but the situation has been greatly improved with the Generation 5 and newer chipsets now on the market. The problems have not disappeared... they've just been addressed a bit better electronically.

Having said that, of course an indoor and/or attic antenna is generally no match for a proper outdoor antenna in almost any situation, so an attic mount should always be considered last after exhausting all outdoor antenna mounting possibilities.

[stampeder]

First a little bit of electronics theory to clarify some concepts

Hopefully this will not leave you glassy-eyed or confused, so you can skip this part if you like and go right to the next post in the OTA Knowledge Base & FAQ.

• TV signals travel in waves between the transmitter and your antenna(s), with the transmitter's waves causing the receiving antenna(s) to resonate in the same pattern
  • this is like having several tuning forks in a room close together - if you strike one (the transmitter) the identical tuning fork (the receiver) will resonate the same, just quieter
  • the harder you strike the transmitting fork the louder it will be and the louder the receiver fork will resonate or the farther the receiver fork can be to still resonate
  • the other bigger and smaller tuning forks will remain silent through it all and show no resonance because the transmitter waves do not affect them, no matter how powerful the transmission
• TV signals are separated from eachother by their frequency, expressed in multiples of 1 Hertz. At a frequency of 1Hz a wave is replaced every second, which is why 1 Hertz used to be called 1 cps (cycle-per-second) in many parts of the world
• the range of all frequencies is called the frequency spectrum
• contiguous frequencies are grouped together on the spectrum in bands, such as the VHF or UHF TV bands or the FM Radio band (for a detalied list see the table in Post #20 of this FAQ)
• the VHF and UHF TV bands are divided into channels (VHF-LO = Channels 2 through 6, VHF-HI = Channels 7 through 13, and UHF = Channels 14 through 69)
• the FM Radio band does not have channels - stations are assigned frequencies expressed in MegaHertz from 88.1 MHz to 107.9 MHz
• a broadband antenna is one that is designed to pick up all channels in a certain band, such as for the VHF, FM Radio, and/or UHF bands
  • the opposite of a broadband antenna is a channel cut model, which is optimized for just one specified channel
• the lower the channel number on your TV, the lower the channel's frequency
• the lower the channel's frequency, the longer its wavelength (frequency goes down while wavelength goes up, and frequency goes up while wavelength goes down)
• the longer the channel's wavelength, the wider the receiving antenna's element must be to capture each wave
  • Channel 2 has a frequency of as low as 54 Megahertz with a wavelength of 5.55 metres (18.22 feet)
  • Channel 69 has a frequency of as high as 806 Megahertz with a wavelength of .37 metres (1.22 feet)
  • this is why VHF antennas are so much bigger than UHF ones
• when TV stations wish to build an OTA transmitter they must calculate the power required to cover their desired geographical area
• this area is called their contour
• transmitter design is a highly technical feat of engineering and is overseen in Canada by federal government authorities (Industry Canada handles the technical details and issues, while the CRTC handles licensing details and issues)
• the power that a TV station is authorized to transmit with is called their Effective Radiated Power (ERP)
• thus, for example, under normal circumstances a TV in Fredericton cannot get an OTA station in Moncton because the ERP of the Moncton station is only sufficient to cover a locally specified contour

Why do some stations broadcast in the VHF band while others are in the UHF band?

Usually a station's assigned channel is a matter of it being available in a given area so that it will not interfere with another station on the same channel in a different area. VHF channels were the original ones, but over the decades channels in the UHF band were assigned by Industry Canada (and the FCC in the U.S.A.) as demand for channels by broadcasters increased.

Broadcasters prefer the VHF-HI band due to the laws of physics and electromagnetism. VHF channels require much less transmitter power to cover the exact same area as UHF channels. For example, to cover a certain area, the higher the channel number, the more power it would take. Conversely, the lower the channel, the less power it would take to cover that same area.

Another factor is that VHF-HI signals tend to travel (propogate) better over a given area than UHF signals. Unfortunately in the case of VHF-LO channels the signals tend to suffer interference worse than VHF-HI and UHF channels. During the transition to digital TV across North America, the use of VHF-LO channels is being phased out and the frequencies reassigned to other uses than television.

How does a bowtie reflector antenna work?

Originally Posted by Zozo

Why are the wires on the CM 4228 and CM 4221 at angles to the horizontal? I have been reading up on the fundamentals of antenna theory and one of the things that I learned is that the polarization of the transmitter and antenna must be the same in order to get the best signal reception. I have read that TV broadcasts use horizontal polarization.

My question now is why are the receiving wires (bow ties?) on these antennas in the V shape with angles away from the horizontal. Would it not be better if all the wires were horizontal - parallel to the ground?

Originally Posted by Rop

Hi Zozo,

You can't just look at a single wire, but have to take the resulting effect of the entire bowtie into account (in fact, all those bowties and the reflector affect each other greatly as far as electromagnetic field goes). The two-wire bowtie is actually a crude approximation of a cone-shaped solid conductor, which turns out to work over a wide frequency range compared to just a single wire. Engineers found out that by making them with just two wires instead was almost as effective, and much cheaper, less wind sensitive etc. In any event, the nett effect is that it's horizontally polarized, and has a wide bandwidth. Just what you want for a TV antenna.

-Rob-

What does a reflector on an antenna do?

Reflector meshes or rods cause an antenna to be "directional" by causing signal strength from behind to be lessened while simultaneously causing the gain at the front of the antenna to increase by the same amount. The reception pattern thus becomes very forward-biased, which is rated as its Front-to-Back ratio (FB). The higher the FB, the more directional the antenna is.

On the other hand, a reflectorless antenna has a figure-eight reception pattern with an equal FB.

[stampeder]

Do you have a diagram of how Digital OTA works so that I can print it out to explain it to my friends?

This illustration gives an overview of the Digital OTA broadcast process from a TV station's cameraman all the way to a typical 2008 full OTA home installation with outdoor antenna (skipping tons of technical detail, of course!):

So, will I need all this OTA gear shown in the diagram?

Maybe, maybe not, (See Post #2 in the OTA Forum Knowledge Base & FAQ) but the best way to find out is to read through the Reception Results thread for your area to see how others have done.

[stampeder]

I go way back with Over The Air (OTA) television. When I was a kid my dad was doing TV and Antenna repair/service in the 1950s as a moonlight job while he was an avionics guy in the Royal Canadian Air Force so I grew up all across Canada as Dad got transferred around. Then through the '60s and 70s he worked in educational television program production in Ontario. I worked with my dad in the TV program production world and doing CATV installations in schools and large buildings.

OTA is a hobby of mine that had gone away until the promise of ATSC DTV (Digital Television) brought things right back to life again in the late 1990s. When I joined the Digital Home web site, finding folks there who shared my OTA interest was a bit difficult although there certainly were very knowledgeable OTA folks, but besides them I was struck with how few people seemed to understand the past, present, and future of OTA. I had been lurking in several U.S. OTA forums and had been actively posting at Home Theater Spot's Antenna Spot for awhile, where I got to know quite a bit about today's ATSC environment as it was unfolding in the U.S. a few years ahead of the Canadian OTA scene. I realized that much of what was known about analog OTA was applicable to digital OTA too, but there are some rather key differences.

Hugh, the Digital Home site owner, was very supportive and helpful about starting a forum here specializing in OTA, and so it is my pleasure to have created and moderated the Digital Home Canada OTA Forum to share such info. It is my hobby, and so you will find a spirit of friendly good-fellowship there.

We get some veteran OTA professionals and hobbyists there who chip in and offer their expertise, and some of them have been posting at Digital Home for several years. Overwhelmingly, though, the visitors are newcomers to OTA and generally too young to remember when antennas were a necessity and cable (and especially satellite) TV were really new or unheard of.

Thus, my philosophy regarding the OTA Forum is that it is a Knowledge Base, so that people setting up or adjusting their gear for the first time or the fiftieth time can have some of the guesswork reduced or eliminated no matter what level of knowledge the reader arrives with. I delight in reading the first results reports from newcomers, and it is pleasant when the more experienced readers offer advice and assistance to fix problems or address concerns. To me the advice must also come in the form of warnings, "gotchas", and other tips. We keep in mind that there are no stupid questions and no technical OTA issues too small to discuss. There is only one way to do things right, and that is to do them the right way. Cordially disagreeing with me is quite alright, by the way.

Here is my personal web page if you wish to find out a bit more about me: http://www.user.dccnet.com/jonleblanc/

[hugh]

Nice work stampeder. It's really nice when members take the time to help others.

On behalf of DHC and all members, thank-you!

[stampeder]

WARNING: If you have not already read Post #2 in the OTA FAQ please do so now. Even with the best prediction tools as listed below, your results may vary!


Using TV Fool to Determine Your Available OTA Stations in Canada

A fellow named Andy Lee has integrated the U.S.'s FCC database information and Google Earth to create some nice visual representations of signal strength, and transmitter locations. As of October, 2009, Industry Canada database information has been added, making the TVFool experience much more accurate for Canadians. Follow these step-by-step Instructions:

1. • use your proper address and put both your city and province into the city field, OR
   • use Google Maps Canada to zoom in to your location and get your exact Latitude and Longitude map coordinates
   • enter your exact map coordinates at the TVFool site and wait for your results page to load
2. after it loads, copy-and-paste the URL of your personal TVFool report to a file or clipboard for future reference
3. verify the operational status of the Canadian stations in your report by using this site: http://www.user.dccnet.com/jonleblan...a_TV_Stations/
4. read through the Reception Results thread for your area to see how others have done, in case there are local reception issues
5. if you require assistance analyzing your TVFool results just post the URL you saved above into a post at this site

Using SJM's site:

Originally Posted by sjm

I've built a visual application that integrates tv transmitter data with Google Maps. I've plugged in co-ordinates, distance and bearing as well as showing the channels that are broadcast from each transmitter.

At the moment I have only loaded in Ontario and New York state data but would welcome any feedback as to the usefulness of the application. If people think it's a good idea I'll gladly spend more time in polishing it and rolling out more data.

http://www.sjmillerconsultants.com/ota/

Using the FCC's Online Mapping Engine:

You can go to the FCC's OTA maps site and punch in your Canadian postal code to see if any U.S. stations will reach your area. When it shows the stations you can click on one to see a direct line from your location to it: http://www.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps/

Using Google Earth and/or Google Maps:

Originally Posted by Mingy

Part of my planning is figuring out which way to point my antenna. I figured if I got lucky I could go with a roof mount which wouldnt be visible from the front of my house.

One major question was: which way did I have to point the antenna. I wrestled with the math for a while and then I found this site:

http://www.movable-type.co.uk/scripts/LatLong.html

Using google earth, I wrote down the coordinates of my house in Milton to Toronto (43 38 51.27N 79 22 49.49W, and Buffalo (42 53 13.34N 78 52 48.57W) I copied the numbers into the above site and found that it is 54 KM and a bearing of 76 Degrees 04' 55" to Toronto and 117.58 km and 127 degree 10' 15" to Buffalo.

Armed with my compass, I should be able to site the antenna and, when necessary, align the antenna(s) to the above bearings.

That's a great starting point. With most ATSC tuners you should have a signal strength or signal quality meter that will let you take the final setup step of "peaking" your antenna for its specific best performance. Make sure to do that with all the expected channels in that direction so that you can come up with the best compromise among them. I've seen signal strength change with even just a tiny twist of the mast, so taking this step is definitely worth it.

One more thing: if you're using 2 or more antennas don't be surprised if your common logic about aiming goes awry as their reception lobes superimpose and interact. You might discover like some other DHCers have that some really weird effects happen, with resulting aiming that is counter-intuitive. It doesn't always turn out too radical, but ya never know...

Originally Posted by bimmer

An easier method (though not as refined) is to use the Measure tool in Google Earth:

1. Draw a line between your antenna and the transmitter using the measure tool.
2. The line will pass through landmarks along the sight line to the transmitter.
3. Aim the antenna at a landmark you can see / recognize.

No compass, no measuring, no calculations

In my case I aimed my silver sensor at Grand Island, NY and I can pick up a couple of Buffalo stations as long as the weather's not too bad.

I've done a Google Earth mashup of all present and future Vancouver, Victoria, Bellingham, and Seattle/Tacoma OTA TV stations as per the Industry Canada and FCC databases. It is really cool to zoom in on the Mt. Seymour antenna farm or the multi-tower installations in Seattle and Tacoma.

1. If you don't have Google Earth, you can download it for free for Windows, OS X, and Linux from here: http://earth.google.com/
2. Download my mashup file (Save To Disk): http://www.user.dccnet.com/jonleblan...SeaTac-OTA.kmz
3. Start Google Earth and make sure you have it installed and properly running
4. In the File Menu select Open and select the downloaded file to begin.
5. If you have any difficulties with Google Earth you can read through their help page here: http://earth.google.com/support/?hl=en

I might do some other Canadian areas, but if someone follows my format as a template and does a mashup of their own area of Canada, please post a link to your mashup file here and we'll see if we can get a good collection going. Note that this is not done with Google Maps, it is done with Google Earth.

Here is a screen capture of it from a fairly high altitude:

Originally Posted by roger1818

Here is a mashup of the OTA TV Stations available in Eastern Ontario/Western Quebec.

http://www.user.dccnet.com/jonleblan...WestQC-OTA.kmz

Here is a screen capture of it:

Here's one for the folks in Winnipeg, S. MB, and SE SK (don't expect these stations to necessarily be available without Deepest Fringe gear in many places outside of Winnipeg):

http://www.user.dccnet.com/jonleblan...rth-ND-OTA.kmz

OTA Stations in the Sault Ste. Marie Ontario and Michigan area:

http://www.user.dccnet.com/jonleblan..._Marie-OTA.kmz

OTA Stations In Calgary, Alberta (created by DHC members gsjacobs and csclgry)

http://www.user.dccnet.com/jonleblan...ansmitters.kmz

Using the Rabbit Ears site:

Originally Posted by 99gecko

Stumbled upon this site the other day: http://rabbitears.info/
Info seems to have the same FCC database errors as TVfool.com, but there is some Canadian data. Things I found neat:

• the market map
• the TVGOS serivce list
• and the Max Contour Tool (I never would have thought that in the Buffalo market WNYB was champ!)

The contributors to Rabbit Ears are mostly folks from one of the big U.S. online OTA forums.

Using the Antennapoint site:

Antennapoint provides a quick set of aiming points for U.S. DTV stations nearest you:

http://www.antennapoint.com/

Using the Earth Tools site:

Originally Posted by Ahuntsicguy

...this height thing.....you piqued my curiousity to find out how many feet above sea level. I found it here:

http://www.earthtools.org/

Using the Touratel site:

There are topological maps online here:

http://www.touratel.com/

Determining Your Magnetic Declination in Canada:

Don't trust compass bearings until you've factored in the magnetic declination for your location:

http://geomag.nrcan.gc.ca/apps/mdcal_e.php

[stampeder]

Industry Canada database (all present and future Canadian OTA TV stations, including U.S. Border Zone station data)

http://www.user.dccnet.com/jonleblan...a_TV_Stations/

FCC TV Database Query (all present and future U.S. OTA TV stations, including Canadian Border Zone station data):

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/audio/tvq.html

[stampeder]

Yes, you can build your own TV antenna, and the very best of the designs are the Gray-Hoverman and the M4, both available in several variants for different reception requirements. Our Antenna Research & Development sub-forum contains a wide variety of discussions on almost every aspect of building a TV antenna. There are several threads stickied to the top of the listings, and each contains detailed construction plans for several GH and M4 variants. Have fun!

Some examples of Gray-Hoverman variants:

An example of an M4 antenna:

[stampeder]

Originally Posted by Mokrofuz

I'd like to ask for a any advice or insight about legal issues related to OTA reception from the antenna installer's perspective. I want to make sure that by installing antenna(s) to a client, I'm not exposing:

a. my client
b. myself as a service provider

to legal consequences caused by eliminating the fees (or any other duties), that would otherwise hypothetically flow from the cable or satellite provider towards an individual broadcaster on behalf of the individual subscriber. By this fees I mean copyrights, program licenses, etc. I don't know if such fees and flows do exist or not, just want to make sure I'm legally clear.

I was trying to get an answer to this question talking to CAB or CRTC, but no one is willing to provide me with any binding statement.

I myself have a couple of other "underlying" questions such as, who is the owner of the individual transmitters? A broadcaster? Are this transmitters available for the public or are they part of the infrastructure to help distributing the signal? How can broadcaster measure how much audience they reached through OTA transmission in order to quantify airtime price for advertizing? What would motivate a broadcaster to invest their money into OTA transmition when potential reach is (for now) so tiny?

Originally Posted by magnet

OTA is free to receive...
You are not stealing... these are public broadcasts... just like listening to FM in your car.

By broadcasting OTA, this establishes a TV channels local region which defines what area it has advertising rights to simsub over on Cable.

TV broadcasting in Canada has been done Over The Air since the 1950s. Cable and Satellite came along later as supersets of that. OTA is 100% legal and always has been.

By installing antennas for clients you are not exposing yourself or your clients to any legal consequences arising from their receiving Digital OTA TV. Antenna installers have been doing it for almost 60 years in Canada and it is completely safe from a legal perspective regarding their clients' reception of broadcasts.

Originally Posted by vmpv

There are other aspects to consider...
1. Who in fact owns the property where the antenna is to be located
2. Local bylaws regarding such installations
3. MATV setups as discussed in this thread and others:http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/show...=antenna+condo

Originally Posted by Mokrofuz

Okay, to sum up: In terms of bylaws, ownership issues, etc., this can be handled by a disclaimer transferring responsibility on the client.

In my own municipality of Delta, British Columbia, Canada, a home owner can erect a self-supporting TV antenna tower without the need for a permit provided that no part of the tower, including its guy wires, may touch a building or structure on the property. If the tower is to be bracketed to a roof joist or if a guy wire is to be anchored on the home, garage, deck, or other structure on the property a building permit must be obtained.

[stampeder]

Overview

In a perfect OTA world, a consumer would just connect a small antenna to their HDTV and proceed to pick up all the wonderful DTV programming available in their area. In reality there may be cases in which the OTA gear needs to be of a certain quality and performance capability to bring in distant or dispersed signals. Boosting the antenna's output is often the answer, so preamplifiers and signal amplifiers are commonly available for OTA users to accomplish that task. Not all OTA amplifiers are alike. Each type of amplifier has separate roles to play, and they should not be confused with eachother. In some cases the signal from the antenna might be too strong, so there are ways to lower that signal while keeping the quality of the signal high.

Key Concepts:

• Amplification = Boosting or increasing the OTA signal
• Attenuation = Reducing or lowering the OTA Signal

OTA Amplifiers - A Quick Introduction

• Preamplifier:
  • input = antenna signal
  • Output = very clean, boosted antenna signal
• Signal amplifier:
  • input = any unamplified OTA signal
  • Output = one boosted OTA signal but usually more noisy than a preamplifier
• Distribution amplifier:
  • input = any unamplified OTA signal
  • Output = 2 or more with boosted signal but usually more noisy than a preamplifier
• Drop amplifier: same as Signal amplifier but is really for CATV use due to extended frequency range past OTA frequencies

OTA Preamps - a Pleasure To Compare

Preamps are used for taking in your antenna's signal as close as possible up the mast nearest the antenna and amplifying it in very specific ways to allow the signal to travel strongly down a cable to your tuner. Don't assume that any old TV/CATV amplifier will do, it has to be a specifically designed antenna preamp.

In many cases an antenna gives strong enough signal power on its own to drive the tuner so a preamp would not be necessary. In most cases, a weak signal in a fringe or deep fringe area can be dramatically improved with a preamp. In other cases, a mixture of near and far stations can cause preamp problems. For example, someone in downtown Toronto should ask before using one because of their proximity to the CN Tower's already strong signals. There are always ways around those problems using filters, blockers, attenuators, traps, etc.

Originally Posted by roger1818

Another purpose for a preamplifier that is often overlooked is to compensate for a noisy first stage amplifier already in your TV. Back when most people used OTA, all TVs had low noise amplifiers to help receive weak signals, but now that most people have cable or satellite, many TVs have cheaper (noisy) first stage amplifiers. A preamp with enough gain will cause the Automatic Gain Control (AGC) circuit controlling the internal first stage amplifier to "turn off", and if your preamp isn't as noisy you will be able to receive weaker stations more easily.

Not all preamps are alike, even from the same manufacturer. Some have higher amounts of added "noise", others lower. Noise is the enemy of TV tuners, so the lower the better. Some provide low amounts of "gain" (boost), others are for very high gain. Don't assume that the preamp with the highest gain figure is necessarily the best for all conditions. Bad idea.

Due to the very critical role that OTA Preamps play, the manufacturers almost always provide reliable specifications for those products. People have been using Preamps for decades, so their Gain, Noise, Loss, and other properties are well known. It is possible to make direct comparisons between them, so in our case we have the charts and tables in the OTA Forum that clear up any questions. When a new type of Preamp like the model from Research Comms comes along that clearly outperforms the others, that's big news and you'll read about it here!

Professonal Signal Amplifiers, Drop Amplifiers, and Distribution Amplifiers - Reliable and Known Performance

If a preamplifier is not sufficient to provide a strong enough signal to all your TVs, FM radio tuners, PVRs, and other receivers below the antenna, it is time to put in an amplifier below the preamplifier. Having said that, there are times and places in which a very high gain/low noise preamplifier can do the job itself, but seldom the other way around. A signal amplifier is not therefore a lesser thing than a preamplifier; it has 2 benefits: some models can be purchased with several outputs, some with adjustable input and outputs, and in all signal amplifiers are generally capable of handling high power input signals and spreading them evenly across one or more outputs. Other more specialized signal amplifiers allow blending of such things as the OTA signal with CATV, Satellite, etc.

High performance Signal Amplifiers, Drop Amplifiers, and Distribution Amplifiers (especially for MATV systems) are offered for sale by well known and reputable companies like Blonder Tongue, Tin Lee, and others, and from the big antenna manufacturers like Winegard and PCT (the new Channel Master) too. The specs are published, the performance attributes are well known, and the results are predictable. These are the preferred choice of OTA professionals and hobbyists, and they understandably carry a price tag that may seem out of reach for some consumers.

The Sorry State of Common, Store-Bought Signal Amplifiers

Now contrast that with the sorry state of Signal and Drop amplifiers that are sold blister-packed, far and wide, in consumer electronics and department stores. Apart from their Raw Gain figures, none of the critical specifications such as Noise, Return Loss, and others are listed on the packaging nor even on the web sites of the companies shown on the labels. Indeed, it is often impossible to tell whether any company electronics engineer would exist to answer questions about those specs. Most likely the amp was imported and relabeled for our marketplace. So, while it might be tempting to simply add "12.5dB of boost" to your OTA system as the packaging material might say, you might also be adding unacceptable noise and/or other properties that cripple reception.

I completely understand that some of you are hoping for a comparison chart or objective test evaluation of commonly available signal amps discussed above, and I would absolutely welcome any such test results posted here by someone with electronics testing experience, but at some point the consumer has to acknowledge that the entire category of them is suspect. As with any product, some people have good luck with them, but I personally have avoided them since the 1980s when the better ones started to disappear from the marketplace.

Attenuators

If your chosen amplifier's output is too high, causing trouble with TV reception, it is possible to either adjust a distribution amp's output level downwards on some models or put an attenuator downstream of the amp. Attenuators are for purposely lowering the signal strength in a cable run in order to prevent such symptoms as signal overload, in which a TV or FM Radio tuner cannot cope with too strong a signal. Its not good to try to fill a balloon with a fire hose...

You can get them in a wide variety of attenuation levels from a good antenna store, but I also found them in 6db strength (only) at The Source for a low price, where they are sold under the Nexxtech brand. They look like simple F-type coax couplers, but a little bit longer. They are handy to have around if you are trying out a new preamp/amp. Adjustable attenuators are also avaliable but are more expensive. Reasonably priced adjustable attenuators can be found on the Antennas Direct website.

Important note: If you have a preamp and you are putting the attenuator in its direct path you need to make sure that your attenuator does not block DC current from the preamp's power supply or the preamp will not have power to operate.

Filters

Sometimes there are cases in which we might wish to raise or lower the signal on an entire band, such as when joining two antennas to use the UHF band from both of them but using only the VHF band from one of them. Perhaps we might wish to just raise or lower the signal on specific channels in relation to the other channels, rather than on all of them. For this we use filters. Filters cannot amplify; they only attenuate.

• Filters work the same on the VHF, UHF, and FM Radio bands.
• If we're filtering an entire band the device is known as either a Band Pass or a Band Stop filter.
• Band Stop filters are often named as Traps for the affected band, such as an FM Trap filter on a preamp.
• Some filter devices have variable filtering levels for stopping/trapping certain channels or likewise passing them.
• If we're filtering just certain channels instead of entire bands the device is known as a Notch filter (they get the name "Notch" from the diagram of their operation).
• Some notch filters block or pass just one channel, while some do several at once.
• Some notch filters allow you to select the channels yourself, while others have to be purchased with the filtered channels preconfigured.
  • a Stop or Trap, which allows all channels through except for the one(s) that you want blocked (you'd ask for a "Channel 12 stop filter" or a "Channel 12 trap")

    Allowing all, but stopping/trapping 4, 7, and 9:
    
     2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 13
    ______   ______   ___   ___________
          [-]      [-]   [-]
    
    ...

  • a Pass, which stops/traps all channels except for the one(s) you want allowed (you'd ask for a "Channel 33 pass filter")

    Stopping/Trapping all, but allowing 2, 5, 8, and 12:
    
     2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 11 12 13
    ]-[______]-[______]-[_________]-[__
    
    ...

[stampeder]

Sub-Channels

In layman's terms:

• a Canadian Over The Air Digital Television station is given a specific channel n to play with by Industry Canada (channel 23, for example)
• the old analogue system could use that channel for one station only
• the new Digital TV system allows a station to carve up that channel's bandwidth (alotted space) in a variety of ways
• how that station divides up that bandwidth is up to them (NOTE: the CRTC has never given an opinion on whether ATSC subchannels will be used in Canada - only a small number of stations actually use the feature but it is very common in the U.S.A.)
• High Definition signals require huge amounts of that channel's bandwidth compared to Standard Definition signals because they are so much more complex
• using data compression, a station can squeeze down the size of an HD signal but at a cost in picture and audio quality - the more compression, the worse the HD signal
• maybe the station will throw all their energy into just one uncompressed HD feed in order to provide the best quality picture and sound (just channel 23.1, for example)
• such a signal would show up on a consumer's ATSC tuner as channel n.1 (some ATSC tuners use dashes instead of dots) because it is the one and only subchannel being used (for example, 23.1)
• maybe they'll decide to compress the HD signal to allow space in their bandwidth to allow 2 or more subchannels operating at a much lower quality, such as in SD or in other data types
• in such a case the HD signal might show up as subchannel n-1, an SD signal as subchannel n-2, and another SD signal as subchannel n-3
• maybe they'll decide not to broadcast in HD at all, dividing up their bandwidth into several SD and data subchannels instead
• it is up to the station's management on what they decide to apply to the CRTC for in order to cover their broadcast area
• Canadian consumers can intervene in CRTC application proceedings to either support or protest the plans of the stations to use their bandwidth for subchannels
• U.S. stations use the same system of subchannels, as approved by the FCC

Channel Remapping

This is a feature of the ATSC standard for use during the analogue-to-digital transition that allows broadcast stations to telecast on a newly assigned DTV channel but "trick" the receiver at your home into displaying a channel number that corresponds to the original analogue channel or any other unused channel they please.

For a fictional example:

An analogue station called CKZZ on channel 8 spent 39 years in a market and has branded itself heavily on its channel number. Their DTV assignment is channel 43 so they must move all their programming over to 43.1, but now they face a big advertising job and the loss of almost 4 decades of "Channel 8" market branding. Using PSIP Channel Remapping, CKZZ-DT begins telecasting on 43.1 but sets its PSIP data to display 8.1 on home receivers. Their "Channel 8" identity is thus saved. After the transition period is done (2009 in the U.S., 2011 in Canada) and the analogue Channel 8 transmitter is permanently shut down, CKZZ-DT's owners make the strategic decision to physically broadcast on 8.1 and leave 43.1 behind for Industry Canada and the CRTC to reassign to any other TV station they choose. Effect on the consumer? The home receiver picks up the change and adapts accordingly with no consumer effort needed. Once again, their "Channel 8" identity is thus saved. Everyone is happy.

Originally Posted by Yaamon

stampeder I don't understand what you meant here.

"CKZZ-DT's owners make the strategic decision to physically broadcast on 8.1 and leave 43.1 behind"

Are you saying that station wil broadcast on is 8.1(Vhf frequency), or set the psip id to 8.1 but broadcast on a UHF frequency ?

This would make more sense to broadcast on uhf and set the psisp to chan id 8-1. If not what will happend to those customers that currently has only a uhf antenna?

DT stations will be allowed to reoccupy/replace their original old VHF analogue channel slots as long as they are in the high band (7 through 13) because VHF-low is being reassigned away from TV. In the example I gave, CKZZ analogue channel 8 goes dark one day, CKZZ-DT digital channel 43.1 (that remaps to 8.1) then shuts down momentarily, then comes back up genuinely on 8.1 and no longer on 43.1, which the authorities are now free to reassign to any other station that wants channel 43.1.

It is much, much more energy-efficient ($$$) to broadcast in the VHF-HI band than in the UHF band to cover the same area, so this is a desirable move for some stations to make. Others will decide to just stay where they are with their new assignments.

You can check the FCC database to see which stations in the U.S. near the Canadian border have elected to go back to VHF-HI and which have elected to stay in UHF. As always, the situation up here in Canada is murky at best.

This is why I will always keep an excellent VHF-HI antenna around...

Originally Posted by Nester5000

I understand how remapping works and in general don't have a problem with it. What I don't like is having a virtual channel the same as an actual channel in the same market.

There ought to be rules against that, but unfortunately as a Canadian there isn't much you can do to ask the U.S. station(s) or the FCC to take action.