ON - Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph, Cambridge, Bruce Peninsula

[026163]

decent results from the Kitchener area rajivd. no FOX i see, i guess thats one of the channels you'll want to work on getting, along with City-dt, and one of the SUNTV transmitter. For you, SUNTV 15 is the closest and is also more high powered than the Toronto SUNTV. It's not near as high up though. 24-1 and 25-1 are the same, one is remapped, one is original channel.


from my experience, using a powered amplifer along with a powered preamp completely cancels out your signal. might be wrong about this happening in every situation.

perhaps you could just try using your preamp with a high-quality splitter, and try to keep the splitting minimum, ie two way, three way at the max.

[rajivd]

Originally Posted by 026163

dfrom my experience, using a powered amplifer along with a powered preamp completely cancels out your signal. might be wrong about this happening in every situation.

I apologize for continued barrage of questions but signal theory is not really my field...

From channel master's website: "A Distribution Amplifier is a type of amplifier that is mounted indoors, usually in a central location, and is used to "distribute" signal to multiple locations. In areas with very weak signals you would need to use a pre-amplifier first to boost the signal levels up to a point where they can be distributed"

That is why I was thinking of putting in a powered amp in the mix as well.. off-course if that's going to make matters even worse, then no point in even trying it I guess

--Rajiv

[stampeder]

Rajiv, Don't use any further amplification. Here is an entire thread devoted to the various types of amplifiers so that we don't have to cover that topic again in this thread:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=42426

and here is the thread about splitters and other signal gear:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=42428

Great results for you already in KW!

[timbo]

Originally Posted by rajivd

I am rather irritated at canadian pricing of most of the stuff I need to buy ( $120-$170 for 4228 vs $70US to have it shipped from warren electronics to my hotel in US next time I travel ) & plan to purchase slowly as I travel to US for work every so often.

I just measured the box from my CM4228, 41" X 39". Make sure you can fit that into your trunk or interior.

Great results in your initial trials, rajivd.

[jbracing24]

Originally Posted by rajivd

irritated at canadian pricing of most of the stuff I need to buy ( $120-$170 for 4228 vs $70US

Irritated to say the least. Some Niagara dealers are catching on that there is money to be made. Some are starting to import these CM antennas and asking something like $240 for the 4228!!! In purchasing mine from the States and sent to a US address, the shipping costs almost equalled the cost of the antenna, so there must be some expense involved in the importing. The box is flimsy and the product is easily bent. These items are better off shipped in bulk on secured skids. But you can get one (4228) in the trunk of a car. Just don't pile luggage on top of it.

[rajivd]

I usually fly when I go to US. so I wil be checking it in.I have seen 4228 & my ebay antenna is definately way more flimsy than it. If that package travelled safely thru two plane changes all the way from florida to here, I am less worried aout 4228 getting damaged.

--Rajiv

[rajivd]

I put a 2x4 spanning a A frame in attic & mounted a copper pipe leftover from plumbing DYI project on the 2x4. put my antenna on the copper pipe & poined it approximately between buffalo & Cn Tower ( leaning slightly towards Buffalo ). After scanning tonight, here is what I get..

2-1 - WGRZ-HD ( Buffalo )
2-1 - WJBK-DT ( Detroit )
2-2 - WGRZ-SD ( Buf )
4-1 - WIVB-HD ( Buf )
4-1 - WDIV-HD ( Det )
4-2 - Radar
4-2 - WDIV-SD ( Det )
4-3 - WNLO-SD ( Buf )
5-1 - CBLT-DT ( Tor )
7-1 - WKBW-HD ( Buf )
7-2 - WNGS-SD ( Buf )
9-1 - CFTO-HD ( Tor )
15-1 - CKXT-2 ( Hamilton? )
21-1 - Low signal, No Lock, No Identification
23-1 - WIVB-HD ( Buf )
23-2 - Radar
23-3 - WNLO-SD ( Buf )
25-1 - CBLFT-D ( Tor ), Intermitant signal. bit of a fading out
29-1 - WUTV-HD ( Buf ), Low signal, intermitant loss & Fading
29-2 - WUTV-SD ( Buf ), Same as above
43-1 - WNED-HD ( Buf ), Signal was solid until about 5 minutes ago
43-2 - WNED-SD ( Buf ), same as above
43-3 - WNED-Th ( Buf ), same as above
57-1 - CITYHD ( Tor ), Intermitant signal loss & Fading.
62-1 - WWJ_HD ( Det )
66-1 - CKXT-DT ( Tor? )

This is the first time I have seen Detroit Channels show up on my TV. sure hope it lasts , but since they are coming in on an average at 50-60% signal strength, I am not too hopeful.

--Rajiv

[dsspredator]

Originally Posted by rajivd

This is the first time I have seen Detroit Channels show up on my TV. sure hope it lasts

They won't (good tropo last night), but that is great reception in an attic. 21-1 is PBS Rochester or NBC out of Yougstown Ohio.

[026163]

rajiv, coincidentally, you picked a rare night in which Trop was very high to post your results, and therefore much of it is inaccurate.

for example, the reason you were getting fading on City-HD could have been because of a channel on the same frequency in Cleveland, OH.

same thing could apply for other channels...etc perhaps you might want to recheck everything again in the afternoon or some other regular night.

[rajivd]

Guys,

I am still getting these detroit channels. albeit they have been bit temperamental. I will read up on tropo stuff to understand what you guys mean. menwhile, buffalo channels are temperamental for me as well. I am going to try & chang direction of my antenna today so that I can get buffalo channels bit more reliably. I have set direction of antenna only by gustimate so far.

--Rajiv

[sqamar]

Well Step 1 is complete. I purchased 2 ATSC receivers. One is the Samsung TS-360 and the other the LG LSS 3200a. With either of them hooked up to the same RADIO SHACK mini state antenna, I get the following DTV signals fairly reliably:


2.1 WGRZ-DT
2.2 WGRZ-DT
4.1 WIVB-HD
4.2 Radar
7.1 WKBW-DT
7.2 WNGS-SD
23.1 WIVB-HD
23.2 Radar
23.3 WNLO-SD
43.1 WNED-HD
43.2 WNED-SD

Tom F.1. was right. Watching college football on CBS was great ! The pic quality is far superior to what I was watching before. Now keeping in mind the mini state antenna is still in the attic, I am thinking of getting a CM 4221 or 4228 for the attic. I'm thinking that if I can get these result with a mini state in the attic, the 4221/4228 should be FAR superior... I know a roof mount is optimal, but really not an option currently. Any thoughts ?

Also, I just bought a Toshiba 20" Widescreen HDTV for my bedroom. Is it possible to aim the 4221/4228 to Buffalo and feed it into the STB and use s-video to the TV and simultaenously run the mini state antenna for analog VHF/UHF (FOX mostly) directly into the TV coax input ?

Thanks in advance !!

[Remageno]

I bought my TV last week and I've been waiting for a new antenna to arrive.

Results thus far,

Analog:

6 (global)
8 CKNX (A-channel) snowy
9 CKTO (CTV - T.O.)
10 CKPL (A-channel) snowy
11 CHCH (CH)
13 CKCO (CTV)
17 WNED (PBS) snowy
19 (TVO - T.O)
23 (UPN) very snowy
25 (CBCF - T.O.)
26 jamestown
28 (TVO - Paris)
31 CITY (City2 - woodstock)
36 (CTS)
41 (CTV - T.O.) snowy
56 CBC (CBC - T.O.)
61 SRC (CBCF - paris)

DIGITAL:
D5-1 CBC-HD

[stampeder]

Remageno, are those results with your UFO antenna up on your tower? Do you have another antenna coming or is the MiniState the one you are staying with?

[Remageno]

I've had the ministate since 2003, ~400 masl, Decent analog, ~ a dozen (ch6-61). nearby trees to the east. JVC atsc tuner picks up 1 extra, D5-1 CBLT-DT.

Nuetron has been selling a few CM4228 with 7777 preamps, but no one has come back in with results. The '28 can pickup ch7-13 vhf and is good for 100+ km on its prime lobe and maybe 60 km on its secondary lobes.

CN tower is 84km @ 82'
N. Buf. is 140km @ 111'
Hamilton is 73km @125'
Jamestown is 170km @ 136`
KW and Paris are <60km south

If I point at Buf.-Ham, I might pick up T.O. and KW on the secondaries lobes, but I'll probably need a rotor. What do you think?

[026163]

ya theres no doubt you'll need a rotor, since because of your distance, your going to have to perfectly aim your antenna at the transmitters to get the signals.