<div dir="ltr">On Thu, May 1, 2014 at 5:08 PM, Khalid Baheyeldin <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:kb@2bits.com" target="_blank">kb@2bits.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><div class="gmail_extra"><div class="gmail_quote"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="ltr"><div>On Thu, May 1, 2014 at 3:23 PM, Paul Gallaway <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:paul@gallaway.ca" target="_blank">paul@gallaway.ca</a>></span> wrote:<br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><div>
<div class="gmail_quote">
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
I can report that I can successfully tune the Toronto stations<br>
(Global, CITY, OMNI1&2, CBC, Radio Canada (CBC Francais) and Hamilton
(CITS, TVO, CHCH - problematic), and a couple out of, I think, Paris
(TVO, another Global - channel 6). I do not get anything from Buffalo
and I do not get CTV2 (CHCJ, channel 35 I think) out of Hamilton. In
the end I used a roof mount, 10' mast galvanized 1.5" conduit (might
have been 1.25"), Antennas Direct DB8 and a mast mounted Channel
Master preamp (model 7777, I think).<br clear="all"></blockquote></div><br></div>Thanks for the wealth of info in your message.<br><br>Which area are you in (closest intersection)?<br><br></div><div class="gmail_extra">With the Philips SDV8625T antenna, less than 10 ft from the ground, I am getting these channels all the time.<div>
<br>
<br><div class="gmail_extra"><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">Real Virtual Call Sign Network<br>
</span></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace"><div>
<span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">20 5 CBLT CBC Toronto<br></span></div>17 6 CIII Global<br></span></div><div class="gmail_extra"><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">13 13 CKCO CTV<br>
</span></div><div class="gmail_extra"><div><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">25 25 CBLTF CBC Toronto French<br>
</span><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace"></span></div><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">28 28 CICO TVO<br>
</span></div><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">36 36 CITS From Hamilton<br><br>And this one comes in most of the time.<br></span><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace"><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace"><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace"><div>
15 11 CHCH From Hamilton<br>
<br></div>This one is not consistent.<br></span>35 35 CHCJ CTV 2 Barrie<br></span></span><br></div><div class="gmail_extra">I was getting them all before I put in the mast, which moved it for a foot or so and the height and orientation changed as well. This is not the end of it though, the antenna will be adjusted again when I get the permanent cable for it and run it through the house instead of across the lawn.<br>
<br>Your DB8 + CM7777 are just getting two more from Toronto: Omni 1 (channel 40) and 2 (Ch 47). I do see a weak signal for them, as well as 32 from Buffalo (WLNO), but not enough for the TV to tune any of those three channels. <br>
<br></div><div class="gmail_extra">This tells me the Philips is a good antenna, for $90 total price (no separate pre-amp), and a great antenna for $50 when its on sale.<br></div></div></blockquote><div><br>Following up on my previous followup ...<br>
<br></div><div>So, here is what I ended up with, <br><br>Antenna: Channel Master 4228HD. <br><br>It is $120 at Sayal, with a 7 day return. It is cheaper at Research Electronic but no return policy. Also cheaper at Angel Electronics in Mississauga, but you pay shipping and there is no return.<br>
<br><a href="http://angelelectronics.ca/shop/ota/outdoor-antennas/65mi-105km-over/channel-master-cm-4228hd" target="_blank">http://angelelectronics.ca/shop/ota/outdoor-antennas/65mi-105km-over/channel-master-cm-4228hd</a><br>
<br></div><div>
Pre-Amplifier: <br><br></div><div>I initially got the Channel Master CM-7777 pre-amplifier ($100 at Sayal with 7 day return), the new design, with one input and one output. It worked OK, but I returned it to try the alternative. It has the advantage that it comes in a weather proof housing, and includes a clamp. <br>
<br></div><div>What I ended up with is the KitzTech KT-200 (US$90 including shipping). <a href="http://kitztech.com/" target="_blank">http://kitztech.com/</a><br></div><div><br>There is no weather proof housing that come with it, and in emails he said you get/make one yourself and make sure there is a hole at the bottom (to drain any water). So I ended up with a $2.50 Betty Crocker container form the dollar store, upside down, and U-bolt from Home Depot ($1.40).<br>
<br></div><div>The Kitz pre-amp is more sensitive to directionality, and you have to find a sweet spot if you want Hamilton and Toronto at the same time. One weird thing is that with the CM-7777 and with the Philips antenna, the PVR was always tuning better than the TV (gets more channels). With the Kitz, it is now the reverse, specially with the two jittery channels mentioned below.<br>
<br></div><div>They also sent an FM filter with it, but I did not notice any difference, since we don't have much channels in UHF, so did not end up putting it in the final setup.<br><br></div><div>I also extended the mast up by tying two 10 ft galvanized pipes ($12 each at Home Depot or Lowes) together using two clamps ($1.40 each). The top one is resting on the fence so it cannot slip, and the bottom one attached to the fence using 2 thingies (can't remember what they are called) with 2 screws each ($5 or so for screws and 3 thingies). <br>
<br>The effective mast height is around 15 ft because of the overlap (~ 5 ft?)<br>
<br>The wiring is like so (repeated from an earlier email):<br><br>
<div class="gmail_extra"><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">Outdoor | Indoor<br></span></div><div class="gmail_extra"><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">Ant - Pre-Amp - | - Pwr Injctr - Surge - 3 wy spltr</span></div>
<div class="gmail_extra"><br>Ant = Antenna<br>Pre-Amp = Pre-Amplifier, on the antenna mast<br>Pwr Injctr = Co-axial Power injector for the pre-amp (comes with it)<br>Surge = APC Surge protector which has coax protection<br>
<br>There is no separate cable for power. The same antenna cable is used to send power to the pre-amp from an inside outlet.<br><br>Then
from the splitter, there are only two connections: one to the TV, and
the other to the PVR (which has an ATSC tuner), each is an RG6 3 ft
connection. One connection is unused, and uncapped.<br>
<br></div><div class="gmail_extra">The dashes in the above 'diagram' are all RG6. All are 3 ft, except for the one form pre-amp to indoors which is 100 ft.<br><br></div>The 3 way splitter is an old 1990s from the pre-digital era.<br>
<br>With that setup and a bit of experimenting in direction, here is the final line up.<br></div><div><br></div><div><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">5-1 CBLT-DT CBC Toronto<br></span></div><div><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">6-1 CIII-HD Global Toronto, from Paris tower<br>
</span></div><div><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">9-1 CFTO CTV Toronto (same as 13, but Toronto news)<br></span>
</div><div><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">11-1 CHCH-HD Independent from Hamilton<br></span></div><div><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">13-1 CKCO CTV Kitchener (same as 9 except for news)<br>
</span></div><div><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">19-1 TVO TVO Toronto <br></span></div><div><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">25-1 CBLFTDT CBC Toronto French<br></span></div><div><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">28-1 TVO Same as 19, but from the Paris tower<br>
</span>
</div><div><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">35-1 CHCJ-DT CTV Two<br></span></div><div><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">36-1 CITS-HD Christian Hamilton<br></span></div><div><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">40-1 CJMT Omni<br>
</span></div><div><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">41-1 CIII-HD Same as 6, but from CN Tower<br></span></div><div><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">47-1 CFMT Omni<br></span></div><div><span style="font-family:courier new,monospace">57-1 CITYTV City TV Toronto<br>
</span><br></div><div>As you can see, there is some duplication, as some channels broadcast from different towers. Also, CIII comes in two flavors, -1 for HD and -2 for SD.<br><br>During the day, 35 and 47 may be pixellated, but they are mostly solid in the evening. Channel 57 is sometimes like that too, but less so than the first two. As I said in another email, rattling the cables beside the TV changes things, so that is about the only thing I will work on, perhaps getting a new splitter.<br>
<br></div><div>There is no PBS nor WNLO from Buffalo. Only one night I got the latter, on the older Philips antenna, but perhaps that will not happen because of directionality (more to the left now than before).<br><br></div>
<div>Here is my TV Fool report. Note that some channels are not listed (e.g. CBC)<br><br><a href="http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3de1c6921ecc5a5d">http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3de1c6921ecc5a5d</a><br>
<br></div><div>For recording, I got the MediaSonic HomeWorx HW-150PVR for $48 or so from BestBuy, with price match for Amazon.ca<br><br><a href="http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/homeworx-homeworx-high-definiton-digital-converter-box-hw-150pvr-hw-150pvr/10273439.aspx">http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/homeworx-homeworx-high-definiton-digital-converter-box-hw-150pvr-hw-150pvr/10273439.aspx</a><br>
<br></div><div>Its interface sucks, but it does the job. One hour of video is around 6 GB in .mts format. So, a 2 TB portable Toshiba Canvio drive ($110 at Staples, with price match for the out of stock Best Buy).<br><br>
</div><div>I am at the point where I say: this is satisfactory for my needs, given the obstacles, impracticality of a roof mount, and such. So it has to end here.<br><br></div><div>And, I am not really handy, so if I did it, anyone can do it too.<br>
</div></div>-- <br>Khalid M. Baheyeldin<br><a href="http://2bits.com" target="_blank">2bits.com</a>, Inc.<br>
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