I haven't visited this forum for awhile - it's great to see that there's lots of discussion still going on.

I'm at a point where I'd like to improve my HDTV setup. Currently I have the following:
- Samsung SIR TS-160 receiver
- Radio Shack outdoor antenna (125km VHF range, 90km UHF, 90km FM. Ideal for city and suburb use. Has 178cm (70") boom and 22 elements) at approximately eavestrough height, but directed b/w houses since my house is taller
- Radio Shack preamplifier

Which/what upgrade(s) would get me the best improvement in signal? I get NBC, CBS, CBC, CTV, PBS (getting more drop outs lately though...), FOX, and CityTV. I can't reliably get ABC or SunTV.

Thanks for any advice/help.

Well, there are several things you can do (in order of cost):

1) Make sure you are using quality RG6 cabling.

2) Improve antenna height - mount it at the top of your roof rather than the side, on a chimney, etc.

3) Upgrade your preamplifier. Radio Shack stuff really isn't that good. Look to the Channel Master 777x series.

4) Unless you're using the VHF portion of your antenna, look to an ultra long range UHF antenna (which will of course be a lot smaller than your current antenna and thus may be easier to move higher). Channel Master and Winegard make some good ones.

5) Upgrade to a new HDTV receiver - newer generation products offer greater sensitivity and better multipath rejection.

6) Do you have a rotor? Fine tuning an antenna's direction can be important to long distance reception, especially when what you want is in different directions. There are IR remote controlled models that I would suggest for convenience.

Hey Daniel, I noticed on the Channel Map that there isn't a new "must be live" date for Global. Were they given a two year extension till June 2008?

That's been happening to me for quite a while with Fox. I can always tell when it's going to rain the next day, the WUTV signal drops to almost nothing. I can't yet say that my WUTV reception is any worse now than before.

Yes, Global has been given to June 9 2008. I love this part: "this is the final extension to be granted by the Commission."

I own two older model Samsung recievers (SIR-T151, SIR-TS160).
Has anyone any real world experience comparing these models to the newer ones - Samsung SIR-T451 and/or others ?

I would be interested to know how the the newer models stack up against the older models, particularly with regard to reception.

I generally get very good reception on my older recievers, but would consider upgrading to a newer model if it will help fix those ocassional reception glitches I get. (currently rare - maybe one or two times a month during the summer, almost never during the winter) especially now they seem to be coming down in price.

Yup, same things happen over here...fine for a while and then goodbye...I would say they are not pushing much north, since everything else CBS, NBC,ABC, WB is rock solid all the time for me.

It is true that I'm a little to far (125Km) from the station (I'm in Caledon) ... but for me WUTV reception is now worse than before ... Now I have about 45-50% signal with frequent image freeze and before signal was between 75-80% without any glitch .... I'm using a 30" Sanyo HDTV with build-in ATSC tuner and Winegard PR-9032 antenna and Channel Master 7777 prea-amplifier.

WUTV is all but gone, which I do not understand for the sake of availability of the Fox network in Southern Ontario.

I am in Guelph and I was getting 60 to 70 signal strength now it is barely there at all with no picture whatsoever.

Too bad no Fox HD for Football

Makes it much better for those in Buffalo though!!! I think I'll probably go back to full-time indoor antenna and lose WNYO sometimes...not that they'll have anything on really when it becoems MyTV or whatever. Used to lose FOX sometimes indoors, now I won't. Canadien is out of question for me either way, so this really helps.

Gotta be terrible for you guys though.

Fox is still coming in OK for me in Markham, but then again I went overboard on my antenna system...

I sent the following email to WUTV this AM

Hi, I have read that you recently increased your output on your HDTV ( digital ) transmission from 35 Kw to a 1000 Kw in early aug.

I live in southern Ontario close to the lake and prior to this change my reception on WUTV was rock solid along with all the other networks, now however reception is not even close to what it was before with frequent break-ups and total signal loss. I get in all weather conditions from the US with the various attached channels CBS, PBS, ABC , UPN, NBC.

I also read that WUTV is not pushing much signal north which explains the sudden degradation of my reception of your station, this puzzles me since much of your advertising is aimed at Canada, the brick is a example that comes to mind.

I was wondering if you have any plans to adjust the amount of power you push north ?

Thanks for your attention

I lost FOX/WUTV briefly during "Americas Most Wanted" on Saturday, only about 30 seconds, but after reading other posts on here I'm worried it's going to be the shape of things to come.

I wonder if we should write to the Canadian advertisers and tell them WUTV have reduced their northward digital signal ? They probably wouldnt care too much, analog signal is fine, and that's probably what most people are tuning into at this point in time.

Oliver2000 - Please share with us any response you get back from your query, it will be interesting to know.

Most people would actually be tuning in cable. But since WUTV *does* target Canadian advertisers - basically any program that won't be simulcast by a Canadian broadcaster features a good number of Canadian ads - I would expect that they'd want to direct the maximum allowable number of watts to the north, which I'm pretty sure they aren't doing.

I think I now can say that WUTV is definitely worse for me after the transmitter change. No rain in the forecast, the doppler radar shows all clear over Toronto and Buffalo and for the first time I can remember, I can't receive WUTV when it's not raining. :-<