TV antennas

Previous Thread Next Thread
J

JoyfulC

New member
Sep 23, 2004
917
0
0
www.honeydelight.net
(antennae??)

We recently got rid of our cable TV at the apartment in town, and we're seriously considering ditching the satellite out on the farm.

About the only TV programming we might need is Hockey Night in Canada, and so we're thinking of buying some TV antennas.

Do we need the digital compatible here in Canada yet? Will we soon?

We're looking for something to attach directly to the TV (not a big tower antenna outside the house) -- recommendations?

I should note that our TVs are all 80s JVCs for the most part (... hey! they work just fine!) and one is a TV tuner in one of our systems. No fancy equipment here.

Any advice or recommendations welcome.

..c..
 
T

Tower

Retired from the Hobby
Dec 17, 2002
1,190
0
0
West End
Rabbit ears are fine if you're just looking for CBC.
 
T

The Bandit

Lap Dance Survivor
Feb 16, 2002
5,754
0
0
Anywhere there's a Strip Joint
In the next few years there will no longer be any analog signals of any local stations...Global, CBC, CTV, City will only be available on cable.
 
H

hunter001

Almost Done.
Jul 10, 2006
8,629
0
0
The Bandit said:
In the next few years there will no longer be any analog signals of any local stations...Global, CBC, CTV, City will only be available on cable.
Click to expand...
I believe there still is a requirement to broadcast a digital signal which can be used without cable.
 
oldjones

oldjones

CanBarelyRe Member
Aug 18, 2001
24,460
12
38
Digital does not mean cable, any more than over the air means analogue. As any WiFii user can attest, digital signals do quite well over the air.

WNED carries the This Old House boys flogging the $40-70 set-top box that antenna users will need if their set is not digital-ready. You'll need one for US stations in Feb'09. Canadian digital will still be another year away.

BTW not that it was an exhaustive survey, but three Targets and a BestBuy in Michigan were out of those boxes two weeks ago.
 
T

Tangwhich

New member
Jan 26, 2004
2,254
0
0
The Bandit said:
In the next few years there will no longer be any analog signals of any local stations...Global, CBC, CTV, City will only be available on cable.
Click to expand...
They will all be (are) required to broadcast digitally over the air. All the toronto stations are now up and running and giving glorious HD for free.

You can get started here:

http://www.remotecentral.com/hdtv/

If you've got a little time and a place to mount it, the best antennas are home made ones. I can give more details if you want it..
 
G

Gentle Ben

Senior Member
Jan 5, 2002
7,214
0
36
As of Feb 2009 for US and Aug 2011 for Canada, Television Stations will halt over the air analog broadcasts and will be digital only after those dates.
Over the air broadcasts will require a digital tuner for the older TVs, prices and quality range as always, I bought a Zenith Digital tuner off ebay for under $50 including shipping, I get about 8 channels in my area so far.
Digital broadcast uses the UHF frequency band so a good UHF antenna is required, and a rotor will increase the signal strenght & channels you can recieve
 
T

Tangwhich

New member
Jan 26, 2004
2,254
0
0
Manji said:
More details please.....:D
Click to expand...

It's extremely simple. All you need is a piece of wood, a baun/transformer (less than $5 at Canadian tire), some mesh (optional) and some coat hangers/wire/rods. I found t-bar ceiling rods to be ideal, and they are dirt cheap at rona/home depot.

There's a HUGE thread on this topic at this website:
http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9613

You have to sign up to read it, but if you're looking for lots of technical details, it's worth signing up for.

Originally the people on there were duplicating a commercially based antenna and except for a few variations on dimensions, they are essentially making something like this:

http://uhfhdtvantenna.blogspot.com/

Try it without the backing first and rest it up against the wall.

I got fairly good results with it (much better than any commercial antenna I've tried - indoors!)

There's a video of a guy making one on youtube also, with slightly different measurements:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWQhlmJTMzw

More recently somebody copied a design of an older style of antenna and for me, the results were fantastic, better than any of the others I've tried.
The details and drawings for that are here:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/ota/superantenna/index.htm

It's not as complicated as the first look of the schematic might make you think. It's basically just 2 lengths of wire/rod that are bent in a few places. It's extremely simple and very effective.

Good luck!
 
B

benstt

Well-known member
Jan 20, 2004
1,636
501
113
oldjones said:
Digital does not mean cable, any more than over the air means analogue. As any WiFii user can attest, digital signals do quite well over the air.

WNED carries the This Old House boys flogging the $40-70 set-top box that antenna users will need if their set is not digital-ready. You'll need one for US stations in Feb'09. Canadian digital will still be another year away.

BTW not that it was an exhaustive survey, but three Targets and a BestBuy in Michigan were out of those boxes two weeks ago.
Click to expand...
Rogers sales guy tried to tell me their digital cable terminal would also handle over the air digital broadcast. Anyone know if that's a load of bull?
 
M

Manji

The Balance of Opposites
Jan 17, 2004
11,801
129
63
Tangwhich said:
It's extremely simple. All you need is a piece of wood, a baun/transformer (less than $5 at Canadian tire), some mesh (optional) and some coat hangers/wire/rods. I found t-bar ceiling rods to be ideal, and they are dirt cheap at rona/home depot.

There's a HUGE thread on this topic at this website:
http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9613

You have to sign up to read it, but if you're looking for lots of technical details, it's worth signing up for.

Originally the people on there were duplicating a commercially based antenna and except for a few variations on dimensions, they are essentially making something like this:

http://uhfhdtvantenna.blogspot.com/

Try it without the backing first and rest it up against the wall.

I got fairly good results with it (much better than any commercial antenna I've tried - indoors!)

There's a video of a guy making one on youtube also, with slightly different measurements:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWQhlmJTMzw

More recently somebody copied a design of an older style of antenna and for me, the results were fantastic, better than any of the others I've tried.
The details and drawings for that are here:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/ota/superantenna/index.htm

It's not as complicated as the first look of the schematic might make you think. It's basically just 2 lengths of wire/rod that are bent in a few places. It's extremely simple and very effective.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Not sure if I'll give it a try....
I'm not very handy....

Worst comes to worst...guess I'll buy one....
Got a normal antennae but I guess I'll have to upgrade (got to a new TV as well)....
 
E

emvee

Member
Nov 8, 2004
458
0
16
Pu'u Ola'i Beach
JoyfulC said:
(antennae??)

We recently got rid of our cable TV at the apartment in town, and we're seriously considering ditching the satellite out on the farm.

About the only TV programming we might need is Hockey Night in Canada, and so we're thinking of buying some TV antennas.

Do we need the digital compatible here in Canada yet? Will we soon?

We're looking for something to attach directly to the TV (not a big tower antenna outside the house) -- recommendations?

I should note that our TVs are all 80s JVCs for the most part (... hey! they work just fine!) and one is a TV tuner in one of our systems. No fancy equipment here.

Any advice or recommendations welcome.

..c..
Click to expand...
Your 1980s JCV will have an NTSC (analog) tuner. That will be fine until August 31, 2011 (still 3 years away), when television transmission will be ATSC (digital) in Canada. For the past few years and the next 3 years, both NTSC and ATSC are working in parallel. BTW, the US date is Feb. 17, 2009 (7 months from now)

On Sept. 1, 2011, the tuner on your JCV will be useless with an antenna. You'll need a digital-to-analog converter, like a Zenith DTT900 or an Insignia NS-DXA1 (there are lots of other available but these 2 are popular, work well, and are easier to find).

Unfortunately or fortunately depending on your prespective, ATSC is only available in a few places in Canada. The Toronto area is the best place in Canada right now. If you live close enough, buying a converter and going digital is worth it since the signal quality is so far superior.

Not sure if I'll give it a try....
I'm not very handy....
Click to expand...
I'm not either, but I built one of these antennas and it works better than my ebay bought one. If you have a pencil, ruler, screwdriver, a 30 inch piece of 2x4, 6 wood screws, 6 flat washers, a 300 to 75 ohm transformer, and two 54 inch wires or rods (copper or aluminum are best), you can build it in less than an hour.

Currently, here are the Canadian digital channels in the GTA:

In Toronto (point your antenna towards the CN tower, or First Canadian Place for the Omnis)

CBC channel 20, mapped to 5 or 5.1 or 5-1 depending on your tuner
CTV channel 40, mapped to 9 ....
CITY channel 53, mapped to 57 ...
Global channel 65, mapped to 41 ... (although some tuners can't handle the mapping - Canwest are working on it)
Sun TV channel 66 (not mapped)
French channel 24, mapped to 25 ...
Omni 1 channel 64 (not mapped)
Omni 2 channel 44 (not mapped)

(BTW, TVO is still analog only)

In Hamilton (point your antenna towards Stoney Creek)

CHCH/E! channel 18, mapped to 11 ... (although some tuners can't handle the mapping - Canwest are working on it)
Crossroads TV channel 35 (mapped to 36)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Previous Thread Next Thread
Toronto Escorts
Top Bottom