I tried it with cogeco a while ago, about 60 channels and the on demand movies occasionally if someone on the same cable loop as you was watching something, problem is they control the watching so you might get into and they pause it.

The electronics stores at Dixie and Matheson in Mississauga are now selling Chinese 4-bay bowtie antennas for $24. This antenna is a reasonable compromise for gain and size... but they work well using a physical antenna instead of an amplifier to deliver useful signal. ~60 degree beamwidth and around 12 dB gain.

I live @ 1029 King West, Toronto, ON, 3 stories high, facing south.

With Digiwave ANT-2084 Outdoor HD TV Digital Antenna(mounted indoor hanging off the rail from the 2nd floor of a loft, facing south-east) so that is about 3 stories high, I cannot see the CN Tower from my unit, and I get

5-1 CBLT Toronto
9-1 CFTO [CTV] Toronto
23-1 WNLO [The CW] Grand Island / Buffalo
35-2 CTIS [CTS] Hamilton
57-1 [CITY] Toronto
66-1 CKXT [Sun TV] Toronto


These are all very solid signals, tried to get others but I register virtually zero signals.

I have moved this antenna around and where it is right now, I get all solid signals, 1/2 inch in any direction and I will lose one or two channels.

Previously I used an amplified indoor antenna(Phillips), rabbit ears with a dish like thing, with that I got CBC and CityTV and nothing else.

I just started experimenting with this stuff 2 weeks ago, If I can pull in some more US Channels like NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX I am getting rid of Rogers Cable.

Tips suggestions welcome, thanks.

Hey 1029 kingwest, where did you buy your antenna and how much I was going to pick up the digiwave ANT-3045 yesterday but somebody bought the last one before me for 45 bucks.

[Link: digiwavetechnologies.com]

how close is the antenna to your window? are these solid signals both day and night? does your tv have a built in ATSC tuner or are you utilizing a separate HD tuner.

I answered Scottaswell on the other forum and see the posting from Kingwest here basically backing up what I said.

can anyone recommend a good indoor antenna?

It depends on a few things

1. Where are you located

2. What do you want to pick up. I.E. if you're canadian and only want canadian stations or american stations as well

3. What are you willing to tolerate, asthetically

I got mine from TechDirect on College east of Spadina, it was $44 with taxes

I tried analog, and I am getting a heap of analog broadcasts...mostly Canadian(Toronto) and a couple out of Hamilton.

The only ones of interest to me is the FOX, MYtv and PBS.

This now encourages me to attempt to get these in HD, possibly using a second antenna or if it's possible to boost the signal in anyway with this existing antenna.

Yeah I was thinking of boosting myself with my own homemade antenna, even order a gain amplifier from The Source (Radio Shack). But after seeing this antenna with it's own built in preamp of 36db. I'm now going to cancel. The one I saw was at Kennedy and Ellesmere in Scarborough. 45 bucks out the door no taxes. Best way to jump in with a purchase antenna. Way better than years ago with the huge antennas we had then.

Hi rfdude. Did you buy one of those antennas and try it out?

Does it look like the ones that Digiwave is selling?

[Link: digiwavetechnologies.com]

I'm just outside downtown Toronto. I use the Amplified Winegard SquareShooter with good results for both Canadian and US HD. It's for outdoor use but I use it indoors and it works fine.

I've also used the Amplified Winegard SS-3000. It also works, but not as well as the SquareShooter.

The Digiwave 2084 is the 4 bay bowtie sold now for $24 at the Dixie and Matheson stores. Also available is the yagi/corner reflector (Digiwave 2190) for about $60. I've tried both. The 2084 is more forgiving if you have the CN TWR and BUFFALO at close, but not quite the same azimuth. Say up to 50 degrees different. The Yagi (2190) is much narrower beamwidth that will let you eliminate ghosting problems... reflections coming from angles different than the direct line towards the transmitter.

These are good chimney mount antennas but can be used on balconies too.

A guy in Georgetown with a 2084 at roof level gets 13 HD channels (including subs). He aimed for CN TWR and got the strongest Buffalo too. Places like Nobleton or Woodbridge are great with the YAGI since Buffalo and CNTWR are lined up with each other. 21 HD channels including subs (essentially all that are available).

ITS NOT ABOUT GAIN and how much amplification you have! Yes, you need signal AND you need a directional antenna to get rid of ghosting. To aim the antenna I compared analog video quality from another transmitter in the same location and close in frequency. For instance, CITY TV 57 is 53 on HD. If you get a ghost free 57, you will get it in HD. As soon as the picture displayed a reflection, that was the end of HD. Weak signal is much less of a factor than multipath (ghost). There are people in Toronto with LOTS of CITY TV signal, but due to a poor antenna (aka amplified rabbit ears) can't get HD due to multipath. One house near High Park had a Radio Shack amplified Omni-State antenna on their chimney for a few years. Lots of signal, but many of the channels were impaired with multipath. They received only 3 HD channels with that antenna.

Check what is on your TV horizon and azimuths by inputting your coordinates into: www.tvfool.com

Is channel 36 (CTS) still broadcasting thier HD on 35 or was it a test? I tried the other day to lock in and for some reason it tuned in CTV HD (ch 40 or 9.1) ???? I had a similar problem with Omni 2 and CTV when Omni was first testing over a year ago, but on thier recent weekend of broadcasting all was OK.