<div dir="ltr">Great stuff, Jason, thanks!<div><br></div><div>Let me ask a really dumb question. Remember I haven't played with antennas since the days when we could only get three channels anyway.. But in HDTV broadcasts, what will I see onscreen if it's a "weak" signal? Snow? flickering? Or does HDTV automagically correct the picture as it goes? </div>
<div><br></div><div><br></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 26 February 2014 11:20, Jason Locklin <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:locklin.jason@gmail.com" target="_blank">locklin.jason@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><br>
<br>
<br>
-------- Original Message --------<br>
Subject: Re:<br>
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2014 11:15:46 -0500<br>
From: Jason Locklin <<a href="mailto:locklin.jason@gmail.com">locklin.jason@gmail.com</a>><br>
To: CrankyOldBugger <<a href="mailto:crankyoldbugger@gmail.com">crankyoldbugger@gmail.com</a>><br>
<br>
Off brands tend to be cheap copies that don't hold up to weather. If<br>
they have internal amps, they are also often terrible. If you are doing<br>
the indoor or attic antenna, the cheap unamplified ones may work fine<br>
for many years, but if you are going to invest the time into doing<br>
something outdoor, I would only go Wineguard/Channel Master/Antennas<br>
Direct. A good antenna install should last a decade or more, and going<br>
up on the roof to fix things is not so fun. All your weak signals are<br>
UHF, so a UHF-only antenna like one of the 4-bay antennas should work<br>
fine. There are only a few places that sell these brands around here.<br>
My ChannelMaster originally came from Neutron Electronics in Guelph a<br>
few years back, but I have never had to return anything there. The only<br>
place with a significant online presence in Ontario is SaveAndReplay in<br>
Mississauga. They sponsor the OTA forum on Digitalhome.ca, and I have<br>
heard lots of positive things about them. Some of the Antenna<br>
installers around here are also dealers of those brands, so you could<br>
call around.<br>
<br>
Note: CHCH and the new CHCJ (CTV2 Hamilton) are really strong. You<br>
should be able to pull them off the side of an antenna pointed at<br>
Toronto.<br>
<br>
Also note: *If* you can pick up CITY-TV from Toronto, then you can<br>
easily get CBC (it's much stronger), and probably both OMNI's. All the<br>
CN Tower stations have improved in recent years, and that doesn't seem<br>
to be reflected on the databases.<br>
-Jason<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On Wed 26 Feb 2014 10:40:09 AM EST, CrankyOldBugger wrote:<br>
> Well, if I'm reading TVFool correctly, I should get:<br>
><br>
> Internal antenna:<br>
> CKCO<br>
> CIII (Global)<br>
> TVO (CICO)<br>
><br>
> Attic antenna:<br>
> Crossroads (CITS)<br>
> CHCH<br>
><br>
> Roof-mount:<br>
> CITY-TV<br>
> CFTO<br>
> TVO (CICA)<br>
> CHCJ<br>
><br>
> from then on it fades to grey...<br>
><br>
> So apparently I will need to go up on the roof and mount an antenna on<br>
> the chimney at some point after the snow clears...<br>
><br>
> Do you guys know if there's a big difference between no-name and brand<br>
> name antennas? What sort of features should I be looking for?<br>
><br>
> It just occurred to me that I've been a satellite TV user since the<br>
> early 80's. Remember those big 6ft dishes?<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> On 26 February 2014 10:18, Jason Locklin <<a href="mailto:locklin.jason@gmail.com">locklin.jason@gmail.com</a><br>
> <mailto:<a href="mailto:locklin.jason@gmail.com">locklin.jason@gmail.com</a>>> wrote:<br>
><br>
> Have you put your location in TVfool? I can help you read the output.<br>
> Can't really make a good recommendation without knowing the signal<br>
> levels. Anywhere within a few blocks is fine, so you don't have to<br>
> share your exact location.<br>
> <a href="http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29" target="_blank">http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29</a><br>
> -Jason<br>
><br>
> On Wed 26 Feb 2014 09:52:54 AM EST, CrankyOldBugger wrote:<br>
> > Again, so many good points have been brought up in this<br>
> discussion. I<br>
> > seem to have hit the jackpot for ideas!<br>
> ><br>
> > So... if I was to go out today and buy an antenna just to see what<br>
> > channels I can get, is there a particular make and model that<br>
> you guys<br>
> > recommend? Let's just assume for a moment that I'm willing to pay a<br>
> > couple of extra coins for quality if it means eventually getting rid<br>
> > of the monthly satellite TV bill (just a couple of extra coins,<br>
> not a<br>
> > lot!).<br>
> ><br>
> > If there isn't a clear make and model known, what sort of<br>
> features do<br>
> > I look for instead? The last time I bought an antenna it was a<br>
> set of<br>
> > rabbit ears that sat on top of the old RCA TV.....<br>
> ><br>
> Have you put your coordinates into TVfool? I could help you read the<br>
> output. Can't really make a good recomendation without knowing<br>
> what the<br>
> signal levels are. Anywhere within a couple blocks is fine, so you<br>
> don't have to share your exact address.<br>
> <a href="http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29" target="_blank">http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29</a><br>
><br>
> -Jason<br>
><br>
> > If I can't get any stations over the antenna in my location then I'm<br>
> > just going to take it back to the store, so obviously I would prefer<br>
> > to deal with a reputable dealer.<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > On 26 February 2014 09:40, Jason Locklin<br>
> <<a href="mailto:locklin.jason@gmail.com">locklin.jason@gmail.com</a> <mailto:<a href="mailto:locklin.jason@gmail.com">locklin.jason@gmail.com</a>><br>
> > <mailto:<a href="mailto:locklin.jason@gmail.com">locklin.jason@gmail.com</a><br>
> <mailto:<a href="mailto:locklin.jason@gmail.com">locklin.jason@gmail.com</a>>>> wrote:<br>
> ><br>
> > * In regards to two antennas: It's tricky, but it can work, it's<br>
> > called<br>
> > "stacking" in OTA parlance:<br>
> > <a href="http://overtheair.saveandreplay.com/Antenna_Stacking_Ganging.asp" target="_blank">http://overtheair.saveandreplay.com/Antenna_Stacking_Ganging.asp</a><br>
> ><br>
> > Generally, it's tricky to keep signals from both antennas from<br>
> > interfering with each other because of being just slightly<br>
> out of<br>
> > phase, but it can work with a little patients. One<br>
> exception, being,<br>
> > that if you are combining signals from two different frequency<br>
> > bands. I<br>
> > have a VHF/UHF coupler that I plan on using to add a VHF<br>
> dipole which<br>
> > bypasses my amp, so that the local CTV on channel 6 stops<br>
> overloading<br>
> > things. The coupler only allows VHF signal from one antenna,<br>
> and UHF<br>
> > from the other, so there is no issues with phasing.<br>
> ><br>
> > If you are going the PVR route, such as with MythTV, and you are<br>
> > having<br>
> > trouble with your stacked antennas, you could run two lines down<br>
> > to two<br>
> > tuners. It will be slightly more expensive, but you will get<br>
> much<br>
> > better performance, and double your simultaneous recording<br>
> ability.<br>
> ><br>
> > * Regarding TV guide information: All the Channels are<br>
> broadcasting<br>
> > guide information now, but only for 12-25 hours ahead. This<br>
> works fine<br>
> > with MythTV because I can set automatic recordings and even<br>
> automatic<br>
> > searches to enable recordings. If you have a PVR that<br>
> requires manual<br>
> > scheduling, it would be a pain, as you can only see a day's<br>
> worth at a<br>
> > time. I did have a Schedules Direct membership for a while<br>
> because<br>
> > Global didn't used to broadcast guide data at all. It was<br>
> generally<br>
> > more accurate and had about a month of data.<br>
> ><br>
> > * Regarding XBMC and MythTV: I have been using XBMC as a<br>
> frontend for<br>
> > MythTV for a couple years. It has never worked very well for<br>
> me, and I<br>
> > usually end up switching to the MythTV frontend to watch<br>
> recordings. I<br>
> > just have a script that alternatively starts the two<br>
> programs, so when<br>
> > I exit MythTV, XBMC starts, and vise versa. It's a bit slow,<br>
> and I<br>
> > thought of putting them on two different virtual desktops and<br>
> > using the<br>
> > window manager to flip back and forth instantly, but because<br>
> they both<br>
> > use graphics acceleration, there was issues. I also thought<br>
> of running<br>
> > two X-servers and switching back and forth, but I never got<br>
> around to<br>
> > trying that.<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > _______________________________________________<br>
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</blockquote></div><br></div>