So i put up the antenna on the roof the other day and I was surprised at how many channels I was able to receive. I live in Scarborough (Toronto) 18 miles east of the Cn Tower. I got all the canadian channels and the american ones which I was interested in even more including:

nbc 2-1, 2-1, 2-3
cbs 4-1
abc 7-1, 7-2
nbc 10 Rochester 10-1
whec 13-1 (yankees mlb sometimes)
pbs 17-1, 17-2, 17-3
cw 23-1
mytvBuffalo 49-1
ion 51-1

here is my problem: all these channels i managed to pick up over a span of a few days..so one day x channel comes in while y is missing, the next day channel y is good and x is missing..sometimes the signal is 80% then an hour later its 0%

i can't get global 41-1 in HD unless the antenna is pointed directly west which means then the us channels are totally gone

i have my antenna pointed southwest towards the cn tower and that is when the canadian channels are great but the us are missing..then i rotate the antenna southeast and its vise versa

the one channel i wanted the most is missing: Fox 29 WUTV Buffalo. My TV never picked up this channel at all which i read should be 14-1. I don't understand it either, the tower is a lot closer than cbs and nbc it should be picking up better than those stations.

Does anyone have any tips? I think i need a rotar to move the antenna around so i can pick up can/us stations. Would a CM preamp 7777 help at all? I'm intersted in buying one i just don't know if its worth it. (if so any tips where cheapest price may be)

Just to fill in my info:

1 rg6 coax cable runs from the roof directly into my samsung hdtv. i live in a house with no buildings around me

thanks a lot

I just read a very similar thread like mine and someone commented how a Cm preamp 7777 would destroy the local stations like city tv 57-1..so while it will help pick up the us stations the canadian stations will worsen

i don't know what to do..cbs and nbc are very important to me especially for sports like the NFL season

Is the antenna grounded? If not, ground the coax shielding to a pipe in the basement and try again.

Also, don't bother with a preamp... yet. Use that money more wisely and get a rotor! ;-)

PS: reception will improve in winter.

no its not grounded yet..i'll try out all those remaining options..and yeah i think i'll hold off on the preamp just yet. heard it improves weak signals but ruins local signals..
as well i am planning on extending the mast a few more feet so i think that could also help

but definately the rotar i think is a must since climbing onto the roof everyday to adjust the antenna would be pretty silly and would also ruin the shingles

wasn't aware about reception in the winter, good to know it can't get any worse from here on

the thing that bugs me the most is the lack of wutv fox 29-1 reception..my tv has not picked it up at all, not even on the radar..arg! that is one of the main channels i was hoping to receive

Bill or anyone else, any idea where is the cheapest to buy a rotor online? i'm hoping to find one under $85

You're getting better than me! As for the issue with NBC you mentioned in the other thread, try aiming southwest? You'll probably lose Rochester, but I don't see anything special there, they're just affiliates of major networks.

You're actually in one of the better locations as Buffalo and Toronto don't come in at extreme angles.

I'm in 'sauga and NBC's been coming in rock solid all week! Probably tied for 2nd most reliable with WIVB only behind WNLO. My issue seems to be getting our own channels :P

As for cheap rotors I'd try flea markets. I think there's a place that deals with antennas and stuff in dixie and matheson in NE 'sauga, but I don't really have much experience plus those places are kind of shabby. Best look around eBay or something ;)

i think missisauga is a little too far unless i find a store online with some hot deals..someone somewhere posted they got some great deals at partsforhdtv.com like the 7777 but i went and looked couldn't find it

with my signal its real inconsistent..the very first time i set auto program when i put the 4221 up on the roof, i managed to track 10-1 nbc and 13-1 which was airing the NY yankees game..since then i couldn't get those channels anymore

i really want fox 29 i'm getting 99.9% of the channels at some point or another that i was expecting and that 0.1% is fox

of all the US channels 23-1 seems to be strongest..then 49-1
right now NBC is airing NFL and its perfect..the reception has been great since like 2pm..cbs and abc are at 10% which i don't get why the towers are very close to one another

i'm still looking around for a rotor...dont know if the preamp is a must but no more cable bills = sure why not buy it too

If you have two 4-bowtie antennas aim one at the tower and one at Buffalo- no need for rotors. 57-1 and 41-1 are very weak- an amp will kill the weakest signals. Try channel 29-fox again. I lost it on 10-09 too and now its back. You should ground antennas in case of lighting.

I'm on Grand Island and shop at Radio Equipment on Vulcan St in Buffalo. Wouldn't know where to go in the GTA area.. .

Online; I just googled antenna rotators and quite a few places came up. SolidSignal was one of 'em and they have always seemed like a quality place to do business with.

Purchase locally and when in store ask for advise, otherwise purchase online. And be careful on your roof!

Welcome to OTA HDTV! Sometimes I get 5, 9, and 11 but most times I just get 5. Not knocking 5 (CBC) as they have the best programming.

Try replacing your 4221 with a 4228. You'll double you gain and your chances of pulling in the southern stations.

PS: There is no substitution to antenna height and quality of coax you use.

yea I use the cm 4221 hd

i actually read lots of messages concerning this topic..so you're saying i should forget about buying a rotor and instead put up a second cm 4221? so that would mean one points SW and the other SE

will there be any significant reception lost from the use of the splitter to both 4221 HD coax cables? i'm assuming this is where an amp would come in handy to compensate for the lost signal strength..i'm not expert so feel free to correct me if i'm wrong

if all this is correct, since i'm already using a cm 4221 should i buy a 2nd 4221 or a 4228 which i would use to track the distant US towers?

I'd recommend the 4228 only if you can find an older model. The new unit is only slightly better than the 4221 HD apparently due to some design flaws. You'd probably be better off buying another 4221 and then synching it with the first unit.

Stack and point each unit in the same direction in the same location. If you face them in different directions you will wind up with multipath which is going to result in loss of signals and dropouts on some channels.

Klaven, I just remembered reading about a mod that some folks have talked about on other boards to to improve reception with their 4221HD. The mod has something to do with removing the plastic caps where the dipoles are attached to the antenna. Apperantly these caps reduce the effective dipole length making it harder to pull in stations like WUTV 29 (UHF 14). The caps are for cosmetic purposes, but somehow affect the antenna dipole length. Try removing those caps and see if 29 comes in better.. .

thanks for the tip Bill

that sounds like interesting i'll try that today

Here is an interesting analysis of different antennas. Part of your difficulty may be that ch 14 is the low side of the UHF band

[Link: hdtvprimer.com]