Just on the outskirts of the city of Buffalo! Here's my tvfool info:

[Link: tvfool.com]

The wife and I decided to finally ditch our $150-$175 a month Directv service and move to an OTA setting. We already had netflix, just signed up for hulu and bought the standard Mohu Leaf indoor antenna. And let me say, the Mohu Leaf is great, I get 18 crystal clear channels, can't get Ion but I'm not looking at this to be the long term solution.

Just like my cable company wanted more money from me, I'm taking my greed to get more OTA channels by setting up an outdoor antenna. I would like to receive as many of the Canadian channels plus all the channels in my area, if that is possible. I don't know, nor have I seen many outside antennas in my area as most Americans like their cable.

So I'm asking the experts of this site what kind of outside antenna would work best for me. I don't want no gigantic antenna if I can avoid it lol. And was also wondering if I can use the old Directv cable lines to attach to antenna or will I have to use a different cable wire. Thanks for your help!!

One thing at a time, the existing co-ax from sat, can be reused, normally very good cable.

The other questions, from your location, stations are in all directions, to get all, an outdoor antenna with pre-amp on a rotor is the only option. Otherwise, with some testing and "fun", look at the map, see what channels you get now AND which ones more you would like.

Then start doing one thing at a time. I would look at using an outdoor pre-amp and antenna to get the distant channels in one direction, eg Toronto, run co-ax into house, and After the power inserter just before tv, place a two way splitter and combine your locall indoor antenna with the outdoor one, to your tv AND see what happens.

Keep in mind Toronto is very hard to get, CN Tower blocks signals to the south. Check with others in your area about their successes.

Have fun and good luck.

PS: Any good 8 bay antenna covering chn 14 to 69 should work, Toronto chn 9 is actually on chn 9 rf VHF, not available on UHF bow tie antennas.

Thanks for your reply! Sucks to hear Toronto doesn't like Buffalo, might be because of the hockey teams lol. I might gradually move to an 8 bay antenna. I'll start with a small outdoor antenna first. Would like to know, out of the 4, which is considered the best:

RCA ANT800
Winegard MS2002
Lava HD2805
Mohu Sky

Thanks for the replies!

More likely Buffalo advertisers were able to exert influence and have the Toronto stations minimize the Canadian ads that go into the US. This might even be an international treaty issue! I doubt hockey is THAT important. But hey, I'm in California, where it's 9:30 AM and the temperature has lately gone down into the sixties....


Definitely.


This is true as regards the direction signals come from, but you might need to work out some way to bypass the amp when the antenna is pointed generally toward strong stations. A strong signal can overload the amp and make it perform poorly (no damage as a result, though), including perhaps not letting a weak channel get through when strong ones are in the same direction.


Also try a switch instead of a splitter. If one antenna has a great signal from a station and the other has a totally crappy signal from that same station, combining the two may give a crappy result. When the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers mix, the first one does not clean up the mud of the second one: the combo is muddy all the way to the gulf.


Right. Look at the tvfool info's "Real" channel column. Bowties won't pick up any stations from 13 on down.

You're doing great with 18 channels and getting great advice.

In Welland I'm getting 29 [that's counting the subs] with an omni/multi directional pie-plate that doesn't rotate, Ernie's point is probably why WNED doesn't show up on my outdoor, yet comes in at 64-81% strength on the indoor, probably needs an attenuator to suppress UHF 43 but I don't worry about it. (the inline amp is a tiny thing, about 2x2x2inches)

As stated before, my reception of WBBZ is dependant on Mother Nature's whims, ION once in a blue moon but on occasion I can pickup Rochester, Erie PA and once last year on a very hot day Columbus Ohio.
Adding spars for VHF high would get you WBBZ and some others but CFTO is disturbingly low powered and currently I can't pick it up (VHF9), but now can receive CHCH and don't care.

As I do, if you really miss the pay-tv stuff {eg.Game of Thrones} you can download/stream with a really good internet connection.
PM me for links if you have to but Google/Yahoo are your friends, remember, link sites are just links....file hosts are separate.

If you're savy, you can build your own OTA DVR.
My capture cards even have a time-shift, if I'm cooking or have to go to the bathroom, I hit the pause button once to start it [then roll back] or with a second hit of the pause button, still frame it and pick up where I left off.

I'm in Amherst (Sheridan/NF Blvd area) and I can get quite a few of the Toronto stations with a CM4228 mounted in my attic, no preamp. I can get CICA (TVO), CBLT (CBC), CBLFT (CBC French), CITS (Crossroads - Hamilton), and CIII (Global). Some of them depend on the day but can get most pretty reliably.

With a good 8-bay like the 4228 mounted outdoors, you should be able to get all of those from Cheektowaga, if not more. Adding a preamp will probably help with weak channels too. I'm going to move mine outdoors in the spring (just moved and don't feel like doing it in this weather), hoping to grab a few more.

CFTO (CTV) is difficult to get with the 4228. A VHF antenna would probably get it. I can occasionally see it, but never get enough signal to make it watchable. I do, however, pick up WBBZ on 7-1 with the 4228. Although I get that through Fios too, so don't typically watch it through there, as right now I don't have a rotor and keep the antenna pointed at the CN tower.

CHCH is now impossible to receive, at least from Amherst, as there's a low power repeater of WNYB on channel 15 on Grand Island. Considering that's right between me and Hamilton, I have no hopes of receiving that anymore. Used to be able to get that off-and-on using the 4228 on VHF 11.

Unfortunately, "better" antennas are those with higher gain, and higher gain typically means bigger in size. However, a bowtie antenna is a lot smaller than a Yagi, and can be hidden easier (although for the best reception, you want to elevate it above all obstacles, which makes it pretty easy to see.

Just a word of caution, going from a 4 bay bowtie to an 8 bay, reduces your beamwidth by 1/2 and may affect received channels that are obtained by a reflection or bounce.

On the other hand, a 3db gain doubles the distance a signal can be received in free air, no obstructions, line of sight!

Thanks to everyone for their feedback! I will keep everyone posted on the antenna I will get and what channels I receive!! Thanks again!!!!

A little late to the party, but Cheektowaga just outside of Buffalo sounds like exactly where I'm at (off Cleveland Drive and Eggert Road to be exact). I have a CM 4228 (older model) mounted on my roof with no amp or pre-amp, and I get the following Canadian stations regularly:

Aimed at Toronto:

5 (20) - CBLT (CBC)
9 (9) - CFTO (CTV - 4228's can pick up VHF signals if strong enough)
19 (19) - CICA (TVO)
25 (25) - CBLFT (CBC French)
40 (40) - CJMT (Omni 2)
41 (41) - CIII (Global)
47 (47) - CFMT (Omni)
57 (44) - CITY (CityTV - this is supposed to be near impossible to get in WNY, but I haven't had a problem for years)

Aimed at Hamilton:

36 (36) - CITS (CTS, a Hamiton Independent)
42 (42) - CKVP (CTV 2, this is actually a repeater of CKVR in Barrie, ON whose antenna is located on Fonthill, ON)

Keep in mind, I have the older version of the CM 4228, which is no longer produced and tough to get. The newer version supposedly isn't as reliable.

Stack the two 4-bays one atop the other. Better reception.

That's what I'm getting with just an ordinary INDOOR antenna you can easily buy from any Best Buy or Walmart store:



Stay warm and safe.

Chris in TO