Hi there: I'm located in West Island (Montreal) and am getting my HD channels from ExpressVu (6100). Are there any more HD channels available to me OTA, and if so do I have to mount an external antenna ? I'm new to the "OTA world" and would appreciate any help. Thanks !
I have to be in the most difficult area to get good reception. I just purchased a 4228 and one of those GE inline amplifiers. I receive all of the US channels including channels from Watertown NY just south of Kingston.(originally thought it was Toronto/Buffalo)
What I did is use tie wraps to connect the rear screens tightly together, this was a suggestion I found somewhere among the forums, and 22.1 comes in solid, as well as 3.1 and all the others. From what I've read, tying the two sections close helps with VHF reception.
What I did is use tie wraps to connect the rear screens tightly together, this was a suggestion I found somewhere among the forums, and 22.1 comes in solid, as well as 3.1 and all the others. From what I've read, tying the two sections close helps with VHF reception.
I,ve done the screen tying but I had to weld them as they are now coated with paint.
anyway 22.1 is ok so no problem with VHF but 3.1 is UHF53 and this is where I'm having problems I think it's related to the "boost clipping" induced by the strong 17 and 35.
I get all analogs from montreal, burlington and sherbrooke. (and sherbrooke's are as clean as montreal's channels) so far no 57.x (but I don't care)
People may ask why we get better reception in the Laurentians ? : elevation at my antenna is 263 meter over sea level. This is the trick.
FYI, I had to turn my antenna slightly west of south to pull in all channels. I would have to check to see if it was 44.1 or 3.1 that needed the adjustment.
I think it's related to the "boost clipping" induced by the strong 17 and 35.
a lot of people have to "notch" the power on some strong channels to allow full amplification on other weak channels. you can read some information about it if you search "Notch" and user "KRO". I have a 26db preamp that I can't use full power as it will saturate the same way an audio amp will create distortion if the input signal is too strong; right now it at half power until I can find a way to reduce signals from 17 and 35.
I understand the concept behind band-stop filters and how a range of frequencies get attenuated while the rest remain unaltered. It is really no different than attenuating an incoming hot cable signal.(well almost no difference lol!)
What I don't get, is how can TQS be too strong in Prevost? Smog is getting 2.1 and 6.1 and they are stronger signals, in the same line of sight.
One other thing that I find confusing is the use of the term 'Amplifier' for 'Preamp.' I have seen references where an inline or distribution amp has been called a Preamp. This is why I have to ask, which amp are you using? I could be wrong and this is a learning step for me, but from what I've seen with preamps only the FM trap is adjustable.
I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed so please be Patient with me.
Look at the map below if you are in the Red or Orange you will most likely overload (With pre-amp like CM-7778 and it will be worst with the CM-7777).
Exemple I'm in the red for CIVM and Orange for CFJP the overload of CIVM is very bad (It almost kill WWWF-DT and CFJP-DT and affect the other. CFJP affect 33-1, 44-1, 3.1)
Anyway if you want to have an idea check the map below.
the overload problems are not related to digital channels but with analog 17 and analog 35 that are too strong. reducing the adjustable gain on the preamp helped a lot.
by the way : to reduce the gain on almost any preamp, just send less than the mandatory 12v up the coaxial rg6. My bet is 6v to the mast mounted preamp will give you half the gain you had with 12v
When I called TQS they said they were broadcasting at 13KW, pretty low if you ask me. According to your map, I`m green for both.(iles Perrot) The only problem is that over-sized speed bump in the middle of Montreal.
To expound on montrolla`s question, I can measure a cable signal coming in and know whether it needs amplification or attenuation, can we do the same with OTA signals
Smog, do you think it could be the preamp itself? Is there really a huge difference? I will be getting a preamp to replace the inline that is installed, just need to find one reasonably priced.
You have a 4228, you live close to Montreal and you already pick all US channels.
a preamp will not help with 2.1 and 6.1 if Mt Royal is blocking them. a preamp will most likely overload and kill signal quality on all other channels.
according to Kro, I live in an "Orange" area north of St-Jérome so the overload is a possibility.
It doesn't mater digital or analog, the problem is related to the frequency amplitude at the input of your tuner. if the signal is too strong, it will overload the tuner, affecting ALL channels.
in our case, the channels 17 and 35 are strong. So adding a preamp will create distortion affecting the signal quality on all channels.
it's not related to digital or analog
BUT you can see the problem in the picture quality of analog channels
My problem is completely different. I have two splits in my cable run, this is because I am using an old sat run which was not long enough to reach my antenna. Come spring I will run a new cable that will stretch from my TV to distribution amp then straight to the antenna. I would remove the inline amp and replace with a preamp at the mast. This should give me the ultimate reception, right now reception is good but could be better, certainly if I remove the excessive splits in my run it would help.
This is something that everyone getting involved in OTA should be cautious about, splits cause weak signals down the pipe and over amplification can cause undesirable effects. Come spring with the new run I will repost my results.[Fingers crossed]
Be ware of using TVFool coverage maps for canadian stations. TVFools's software uses the data from the FCC database, and none of the analog stations have the antenna heights incorrect -- usually, they're set at 0.
You can see this from the posted plots of CIVM and CFGS -- there appears to be a severe obstruction to the 'East' (Montreal 'South') for these stations, and for that matter all other Mount Royal stations.
Anyone who has been on the South Shore knows that the Mount Royal Candelabra Tower is clearly visible.
A lot of those channels listed are not actually on the air with their DT channels. Some have been assigned channels, but that does not mean that they are actually on the air.
As far as I know, only the following are available on OTA...in the Montreal area
Dollard-des-Ormeaux, about 1km north of the Trans-Canada on boul. des Sources.
Anyone from the West Island area of Montreal catching all of these? I just got a CM 4228 but haven't installed it yet (waiting for snow to melt some more). Should I just point it in a general southern direction and catch all of the above? I suspect I won't get CBC because of Mt Royal blocking the signal.
I put my Channel Master 4228 out on the patio and tried to point it south. Disappointingly, I got nothing but NBC at about 50%. A friend of mine tells me I need to put the antenna higher, especially since I have some condo buildings right behind my house. I've yet to try it in the attic, but plan to do so this weekend (if other competing priorities allow). I also picked up a 20db VHF/10db UHF pre-amplifier from DDO Electronique for $10. I haven't tried it yet, so can't recommend it...
daMaster,
Just a bit North/West of u in Deux-Montagnes. Change ur direction from South to about 10 degrees South /East for better chance of getting USA channels.
This is my 1st post. I'm in Pierrefonds, 2km W of St-Charles, 1km N of 40.
I have a CM4228 on a mast on my rooftop and a 7777 preamp.
I get the same that others get around here, i.e. NO SRC or CBC due to Mt-Royal blocking SRC-CBC transmissions from the top pof their building downtown.
I'm living north of D.D.O. I'm able to catch very well HDTV. My setup starts with an antenna CM-4221 with a pre-amp (Winegard 19db UHF). Then a splitter to divide the signal between a Viewsonic TV with ATSC tuner and a setup box Channel Master 7000 to convert HD for a regular TV.
My results are from the Channel Master converter:
2.1 at 50%
3.1 and 3.2 at 100%
5.1 and 5.2 at 100%
6.1 at 78%
33.1 to 33.4 at 100%
35.1 at 50%
44.1 to 44.2 at 100%
57.1 to 57.3 at 70%
With a rotor It is possible to get better results but it is fine as it is without.
Note I never found level indicator for my Viewsonic. Also channel 2.1 is not working on it, because its tuner has a problem when channel 17 is on air. I tried one night after channel 17 was off and the Viewsonic TV was finally able to catch 2.1 (Channel 2.1 is transmitted on channel 19 with not much power and their actual antenna location very bad for me).
Are you using a Pre-amp with your antenna??? You might also want to re-think the direction of your antenna. I too have a DB8 antenna, and it works very good. From Deux Montagnes, I aim my antenna "south-east" (I get wcax 3.1 at 90+ pbs).
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