[kwlug-disc] Cutting the cord

[R. Brent Clements]

I actually work with a guy who installs antennas professionally.  (in
the sense that I help him install the antennas).  The three local
transmitters listed above are really easy to pick up, tho some people
with high-gain antennas and powerful amps may have signal problems
with CKCO.  Not usually a problem if you are aimed in a different
direction, as most antennas are very directional, and the signal is
strong enough to come in anyway.

Most, tho not all, residents of KW can pick up the signals from the CN
tower and Hamilton without too much trouble, and that will give you
every Canadian network.  CBC and CBC french, and CityTV/Omni1/Omni2
are generally receivable.

You will have the best luck if your property is not the lowest point
in the surrounding area.  If you have to travel uphill when going
generally east you may have elevation problems.  In general the higher
the antenna the better.  We have found that if you are on the 8th
story or above you rarely have problems.  We have also installed in
some areas where the entire set of signals could be picked up when the
antenna is being held on the ground.  Your mileage will DEFINITELTY
vary.  Nearby sources of interference, such as transmitter towers in
your neighbourhood, also seem to cause problems.

As for what equipment seems to work best, our most effective
installation in SW Kitchener used a pair of our cheapest antennas and
picked up all of the Canadian content available, plus most of the US
stations transmitting out of Buffalo as well.  This antenna has a VHF
element integrated into it, which does help pick up a couple of
Canadian channels that are unlikely to transition to UHF, which is
something that all of the US has apparently done.

In general we install antennas as high as safely possible with the
equipment we have on whatever side of the house is necessary to point
directly at Toronto.  Sometimes it is on the roof or the side of a
chimney, sometimes it is on the side of a wall.

A preamplifier will almost always help.  You can split the signal
after the amp's power inserter.  If you need to split it more than
once sometimes a distribution amp can be of benefit as well.  A four
way splitter is almost always a two way split with each output split
two ways again.  Three way splitters will usually have outputs labeled
-3.5dB and -7.5dB.  The signal is stronger on the -3.5dB because that
one is not split a second time like the other one is.

On Tue, Feb 25, 2014 at 4:27 PM, Jason locklin <locklin.jason at gmail.com> wrote:
> http://freeknowledge.wordpress.com/2012/10/02/digital-tv-antenna-in-kitchener-waterloo/
>
> You should be able to get CKCO, Global, and TVO pretty much anywhere in
> Waterloo with an indoor or wall-mounted antenna.
>
> On February 25, 2014 3:26:56 PM EST, CrankyOldBugger
> <crankyoldbugger at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> I know there's a mountain of discussion on the web about ditching the
>> cable TV, or in my case satellite TV, but it's not always information that's
>> pertinent to Canadians.  So permit me to ask my questions here..
>>
>> Note that I can download any TV show I want via torrents (using RSS feeds
>> for automation), provided it's not something live such as hockey night in
>> Canada or some other sporting event, so watching "Big Bang Theory" every
>> week isn't a problem.
>>
>> But if I go to internet-connection only, can I more or less dial up any TV
>> channel (CBC, CTV, Global, History Chanel, etc.) on the internet and watch
>> what they're broadcasting at that moment?  Would I be able to watch CTV
>> Kitchener news at 6:00 from my TV?
>>
>> One of my TVs has a network port, so streaming to that one isn't a
>> problem, but for the other TVs in the house, how can I watch any movies that
>> I have on my network shared drives?  Do I need some sort of device to
>> convert ethernet or wi-fi to HDMI?
>>
>> If I got an HD antennae, would I be able to get any decent stations up in
>> North Waterloo without having to build a 50' tower?
>>
>> Most importantly, have any of the fine people in this mailing list cut
>> their cord, and if so, how's it going?  Are you happy, or are you missing
>> your TV provider?
>>
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>
>
> --
> Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity.
>
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