[kwlug-disc] Fwd: Re:

Jason Locklin locklin.jason at gmail.com
Wed Feb 26 11:20:12 EST 2014




-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re:
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2014 11:15:46 -0500
From: Jason Locklin <locklin.jason at gmail.com>
To: CrankyOldBugger <crankyoldbugger at gmail.com>

Off brands tend to be cheap copies that don't hold up to weather. If
they have internal amps, they are also often terrible. If you are doing
the indoor or attic antenna, the cheap unamplified ones may work fine
for many years, but if you are going to invest the time into doing
something outdoor, I would only go Wineguard/Channel Master/Antennas
Direct. A good antenna install should last a decade or more, and going
up on the roof to fix things is not so fun. All your weak signals are
UHF, so a UHF-only antenna like one of the 4-bay antennas should work
fine. There are only a few places that sell these brands around here.
My ChannelMaster originally came from Neutron Electronics in Guelph a
few years back, but I have never had to return anything there. The only
place with a significant online presence in Ontario is SaveAndReplay in
Mississauga. They sponsor the OTA forum on Digitalhome.ca, and I have
heard lots of positive things about them. Some of the Antenna
installers around here are also dealers of those brands, so you could
call around.

Note: CHCH and the new CHCJ (CTV2 Hamilton) are really strong. You
should be able to pull them off the side of an antenna pointed at
Toronto.

Also note: *If* you can pick up CITY-TV from Toronto, then you can
easily get CBC (it's much stronger), and probably both OMNI's. All the
CN Tower stations have improved in recent years, and that doesn't seem
to be reflected on the databases.
-Jason



On Wed 26 Feb 2014 10:40:09 AM EST, CrankyOldBugger wrote:
> Well, if I'm reading TVFool correctly, I should get:
>
> Internal antenna:
> CKCO
> CIII (Global)
> TVO (CICO)
>
> Attic antenna:
> Crossroads (CITS)
> CHCH
>
> Roof-mount:
> CITY-TV
> CFTO
> TVO (CICA)
> CHCJ
>
> from then on it fades to grey...
>
> So apparently I will need to go up on the roof and mount an antenna on
> the chimney at some point after the snow clears...
>
> Do you guys know if there's a big difference between no-name and brand
> name antennas?  What sort of features should I be looking for?
>
> It just occurred to me that I've been a satellite TV user since the
> early 80's.  Remember those big 6ft dishes?
>
>
>
> On 26 February 2014 10:18, Jason Locklin <locklin.jason at gmail.com
> <mailto:locklin.jason at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>     Have you put your location in TVfool? I can help you read the output.
>     Can't really make a good recommendation without knowing the signal
>     levels. Anywhere within a few blocks is fine, so you don't have to
>     share your exact location.
>     http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29
>     -Jason
>
>     On Wed 26 Feb 2014 09:52:54 AM EST, CrankyOldBugger wrote:
>     > Again, so many good points have been brought up in this
>     discussion.  I
>     > seem to have hit the jackpot for ideas!
>     >
>     > So... if I was to go out today and buy an antenna just to see what
>     > channels I can get, is there a particular make and model that
>     you guys
>     > recommend?  Let's just assume for a moment that I'm willing to pay a
>     > couple of extra coins for quality if it means eventually getting rid
>     > of the monthly satellite TV bill (just a couple of extra coins,
>     not a
>     > lot!).
>     >
>     > If there isn't a clear make and model known, what sort of
>     features do
>     > I look for instead?  The last time I bought an antenna it was a
>     set of
>     > rabbit ears that sat on top of the old RCA TV.....
>     >
>     Have you put your coordinates into TVfool? I could help you read the
>     output. Can't really make a good recomendation without knowing
>     what the
>     signal levels are. Anywhere within a couple blocks is fine, so you
>     don't have to share your exact address.
>     http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29
>
>     -Jason
>
>     > If I can't get any stations over the antenna in my location then I'm
>     > just going to take it back to the store, so obviously I would prefer
>     > to deal with a reputable dealer.
>     >
>     >
>     >
>     >
>     > On 26 February 2014 09:40, Jason Locklin
>     <locklin.jason at gmail.com <mailto:locklin.jason at gmail.com>
>     > <mailto:locklin.jason at gmail.com
>     <mailto:locklin.jason at gmail.com>>> wrote:
>     >
>     >     * In regards to two antennas: It's tricky, but it can work, it's
>     >     called
>     >     "stacking" in OTA parlance:
>     >     http://overtheair.saveandreplay.com/Antenna_Stacking_Ganging.asp
>     >
>     >     Generally, it's tricky to keep signals from both antennas from
>     >     interfering with each other because of being just slightly
>     out of
>     >     phase, but it can work with a little patients. One
>     exception, being,
>     >     that if you are combining signals from two different frequency
>     >     bands. I
>     >     have a VHF/UHF coupler that I plan on using to add a VHF
>     dipole which
>     >     bypasses my amp, so that the local CTV on channel 6 stops
>     overloading
>     >     things. The coupler only allows VHF signal from one antenna,
>     and UHF
>     >     from the other, so there is no issues with phasing.
>     >
>     >     If you are going the PVR route, such as with MythTV, and you are
>     >     having
>     >     trouble with your stacked antennas, you could run two lines down
>     >     to two
>     >     tuners. It will be slightly more expensive, but you will get
>     much
>     >     better performance, and double your simultaneous recording
>     ability.
>     >
>     >     * Regarding TV guide information: All the Channels are
>     broadcasting
>     >     guide information now, but only for 12-25 hours ahead. This
>     works fine
>     >     with MythTV because I can set automatic recordings and even
>     automatic
>     >     searches to enable recordings. If you have a PVR that
>     requires manual
>     >     scheduling, it would be a pain, as you can only see a day's
>     worth at a
>     >     time. I did have a Schedules Direct membership for a while
>     because
>     >     Global didn't used to broadcast guide data at all. It was
>     generally
>     >     more accurate and had about a month of data.
>     >
>     >     * Regarding XBMC and MythTV: I have been using XBMC as a
>     frontend for
>     >     MythTV for a couple years. It has never worked very well for
>     me, and I
>     >     usually end up switching to the MythTV frontend to watch
>     recordings. I
>     >     just have a script that alternatively starts the two
>     programs, so when
>     >     I exit MythTV, XBMC starts, and vise versa. It's a bit slow,
>     and  I
>     >     thought of putting them on two different virtual desktops and
>     >     using the
>     >     window manager to flip back and forth instantly, but because
>     they both
>     >     use graphics acceleration, there was issues. I also thought
>     of running
>     >     two X-servers and switching back and forth, but I never got
>     around to
>     >     trying that.
>     >
>     >
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