View Full Version : Antenna Help/Cambridge, ON.
Caboum
02-09-2005, 12:59 PM
Hi, I'm looking to put an HDTV Antenna and a card to my pc to get the free air HDTV channels ,can you please tell me wich Antenna and card can i buy and where can I place the Antenna for best result because I'm living close to Guelph .Thanks
mjones73
02-09-2005, 01:03 PM
Give us your antennaweb.org results and we can suggest from there...
kevinw
02-09-2005, 01:54 PM
Courtesy of TigerBangs from another Forum..
YUP...been there, done that: You have 2 digital channels currently coming from Toronto: CITY-HD and Toronto1-HD, and CHCH-DT on Channel 18 from Hamilton. CITY-DT is on channel 66, and Toronto1-HD is on 53, with more to follow. Additionally, almost everyone within an hour or so of Toronto should also be able to see the Buffalo stations and/or the Rochester, NY stations. In order to get these stations, you will need a good rooftop antenna, probably with a preamplifier and a rotator. You will also need an ATSC tuner to see the digital stations. ASTC tuners are difficult to find in Canada, since there are only a handful of stations available at the moment. The Bell HDTV satellite receivers are ASTC upgradable, but most of the other satellite equipment is not. Receivers from LG, Motorola, Samsung and RCA are widely available from eBay, or you can always mail-order one from the USA. I personally suggest the LG LST-4200 myself, but others will tell you their favorites, as well.
As for which antennas to use: well, the obvious choice for a Canadian is to use an all-channel Wade-Delhi antenna, like a VU-935SR or a VU936SR. These are Canadian-made antennas of very high quality with excellent performance and longevity. Outdoor mounting and a rotator are absolutely necessary to get the best results with one of these antennas. You may also decide to use a preamplifier if signals are weak in your area. While Wade markets preamps, I think you would be better served by a preamp like a Channel Master Titan 7777 or a Winegard AP8275. There are distributors in New York state who can supply with these products, or they can also be mail ordered.
If you choose a Wade VU-series antenna, I always suggest that you use their optional VU8PZ UHF POWERZOOM attachment, which provides additional gain on UHF channels. Hrere are some links for you to look at:
Ratman
02-09-2005, 01:59 PM
Moved and retitled by moderator
In your area you would need something like this to get the OTA channels from Toronto/Buffalo. This guy lives right near you and he's running an amp and RG-11 cable...
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=4058014&a=30635307&p=63157582&f=0
If you have access to Rogers cable, take it. If not BEV is probably a good choice.
kevinw
02-09-2005, 02:40 PM
In your area you would need something like this to get the OTA channels from Toronto/Buffalo. This guy lives right near you and he's running an amp and RG-11 cable...
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=4058014&a=30635307&p=63157582&f=0
If you have access to Rogers cable, take it. If not BEV is probably a good choice.
HMM seems a little desperate for OTA. Does it have an aircraft warning beacon on it? :whistle:
tigerbangs
02-09-2005, 10:51 PM
Cambridge, ON to Buffalo is about 70 miles, or 110Km. Since a lot of that distance is over the lake, chances are very good that digital TV would be available to you with a good antenna. The antenna system linked in Kevin's post is probably a little more radical than you are likely to need, though it sure is cool! As for those Blake antennas, many people will tell you that, while they look cool, they really aren't any more effective for most people than a plain old Channel Master 4228
