Best OTA setup for GTA area?

[garbj]

Please share your setup, what is the best solution around GTA,for local reception /Toronto/ and distant /Buffalo/ with different angle.
My setup is, rotor with short wide-range roof antenna. Not very happy with it.....
Any better solution?

[fonger]

winegard ss-2000 aiming at the cn tower, hitting some buffalo
full list here: /hxxp://www.remotecentral.com/hdtv/index.html
and a big map here: /hxxp://www.remotecentral.com/hdtv/bigmap.htm

[jcbcd01]

Channel master antennas are very god. I have 4 8 bay antennas set up here for buffalo and toronto area

[Seadog.]

I'm using a sonicview 8000HD
I have an indoor antenna homemade from coathangers. I receive 14 channels, can. and us
What kind of receiver do you have ? it does make a difference

[punnzzells]

Wow... I have never tried using an FTA to get the HD antenna signals... but, I think that there's a new line of antennas coming with a better scope/range, higher dBI as well.

You see, most of the antenna's now, including my channel master one that's on my house now, only have a 45 degree beam width.... but I've been reading about this newer DB4E antenna that has a 60 degree beam width and is able to pick up singles from front to back.... yes, it's a bit more expensive; but you know what they say... you get what you pay for... well, most of the time. :)

I am going to pick one up soon and can report back if you like?

[fonger]

please do... and thanks

[Terryl]

Wow... I have never tried using an FTA to get the HD antenna signals... but, I think that there's a new line of antennas coming with a better scope/range, higher dBI as well.

You see, most of the antenna's now, including my channel master one that's on my house now, only have a 45 degree beam width.... but I've been reading about this newer DB4E antenna that has a 60 degree beam width and is able to pick up singles from front to back.... yes, it's a bit more expensive; but you know what they say... you get what you pay for... well, most of the time. :)

I am going to pick one up soon and can report back if you like?


The wider the fronts beamwidth, the less it's forward gain will be.

Also it's not a good idea to have an antenna that would pick up signals from the back side, we found many many years ago that the TV signals will bounce off structures (and other things) in the background and cause signal fade.

Looks like the new engineers are forgetting the lessons learned by the older ones that came before them, maybe it's time for a trip to give a refresher course to some on antenna design basics and theory.

And if that 40 year old antenna is still in good shape, it will work just as good as one right out of the box, the best thing to do on an old TV antenna, is replace the coax and bauln transformer with new stuff.

You want to pick up signals from two widely spaced directions?

Then use a rotor, or two antennas and an A/B switch.

And there is no difference between a standard TV antenna and a HDTV antenna, it's all marketing hype, so you will buy that new fangled, super duper, hi-gain, ultra range, best design on the market HDTV antenna.

In some areas the old rabbit ears (or a couple of coat hangers) will out perform one of those so called set top HDTV antennas.

[punnzzells]

Very interesting points... I think that maybe some further research is needed.

thanks,

[Terryl]

If you really know what your doing, and do your homework right, you might be able to co-phase two antennas together.

Then would have to be of the same type and manufacture, and you would need a precision 2 antenna combiner, but it could be done.

To do this right your would need an RF spectrum analyzer, this would help to get the phases right.