[cglaser]

I live in Lockport, NY....i am 34-37 miles north of the Buffalo,NY ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX affiliates for DTV and 49 miles SSE for CBC, and CTV from Toronto,NY .....i am also 55 miles W of the rochester ABC affiliate (which is relatively unimportant considering i have a better line of sight to the buffalo ABC affliate.)


I have pretty much settled into either a Antennas Direct DB2 or Channel Master 4220 which i can mount outside of my window at my apartment...i am on the 3rd floor of a 3 floor apartment building.


What i am stuck on is which preamp i should use. I have a fair amount of tree's/vegetation to deal with...though none withing a couple hundred feet of my home. I was looking at either a Channel Master CM0068DSB or a Winegard AP 4800 preamp. Which would better serve my purpose? I'll be aiming the Antenna mostly Northward to maximize gain from Toronto while trying to allow for Reception from Buffalo as well without having to move the antenna regularly.


Any assistance or useful alternatives would be appreciated.


Side Note: I can get all the mentioned channels with my Terk HDTVa, but the reception from Toronto is just enough to hold the picture with occasional breakups....i to also have to set the indoor antenna outside pointed directly at Toronto to achieve this.

 

[bill-tb]

A better idea would be to just get the four bay DB4 or 4221 and no preamp. The thing is, preamps add noise, cost money, passive antenna gain adds more signal --- so your are better off with a higher gain antenna than you are by adding a preamp.

 

[nybbler]

Definitely go for the 4-bay, there's no advantage to the 2-bay.


You're unlikely to get channels from both the north and the south from an apartment window; the building is going to be in the way, unless you're contemplating raising it higher than the roofline.

 

[EscapeVelocity]

Im gonna second cglaser's 2 bay and amp decision. I think it will be a good one as long as its not to mountainous or hilly around there. If you are traversing a lot of water to Toronto, that will help as well. The 2 bay will give him a wider beamwidth across the spectrum too. Which can help with one position aiming.


Better yet get an amp, DB2 2 bay, and CM4221 4 bay and test out which solution works best. They arent expensive and you can return the unused items.....be gentle opening up your packages and save all the baggies and parts.

 

[cglaser]

Which Preamp would be a better choice...both Channel Master and Winegard seem to be fairly reputable companies....CM having a UHF gain of 23 and Winegard of 29 .......by comparison the preamp that comes with indoor HDTVa is i believe 12db. I had considered the DB4, but i am concerned for the size and mounting off the side of my apartment building, the landlord isnt crazy about the idea but they really cant prevent me from doing anything since they dont have a OTA antenna on the building for tenant use.


I was sent a link for the Antennas Direct C2....anyone heard anything about this one??


PS I live on the on top of the escarpment....im on higher ground in Lockport NY, mine line of sight to Toronto is fairly clear minus some vegetation. Yes, a good portion of that distance is over lowland beyond the escarpment and over Lake Ontario. Also for buffalo, the DTV antennas are outside of the city to the east, i also live east of the northeast of the city and have relative clear sailing to buffalo DTV antennas...i dont have to aim over any overly developed landscape, just rural areas.

 

[EscapeVelocity]

That AD Clearstream 2 is too new for anyone to say with any authority whether it is a good performer or not. Its a gambe, and many are skeptical just by its looks.


Your location sounds good.


Id opt for the Winegard of those 2. How long of a cable run will be between the antenna and the tuner?


Are you sure you dont have any VHF Hi either now or in the future after the Feb09 analog shutdown in the US where some broadcasters will be moving their digital broadcasts back to VHF frequencies?

 

[cglaser]

ya the C2 looked fairly new and cheesy....sort of a 'look at me im new!' sorta design....when i see 'tapered rings' i say to myself....infomercial


I really like the DB2, i'd put up a DB4 but i'd really be pushing the amount of space i have available. I will be fabricating a bracket that will latch to the window sill and utilize a triangular frame with a rectangle base to stabalize against the building...i can avoid drilling into the brick that way. With it being anchored at the top it should prove stable as there will be plenty of surface contact preventing any movement in the mounting setup.


When its all said and done i'll have to post a picture.


I'll be running roughly 80-100ft of Quad Sheild RG6 Coax cable. I havent done all the measuring and figuring as my TV is on the opposite side of the apartment building so i have to make it run across my entire apartment with as little visual intrusion as possible.

 

[EscapeVelocity]

Definitely go for the higher power Winegard, then.


The DB2 is a fantastic little antenna. Hope it works out for you. Sounds like you have a good plan.


Definitely post pics and results.

 

[cglaser]



Quote:
Originally Posted by nybbler /forum/post/14245213


Definitely go for the 4-bay, there's no advantage to the 2-bay.


You're unlikely to get channels from both the north and the south from an apartment window; the building is going to be in the way, unless you're contemplating raising it higher than the roofline.

from the side of the building i was going to install the antenna i have sight lines to all necessary towers.....buffalo is south and toronto is NW.....its a wide angle to span, but if the Terk HDTVa while hanging out my window can do it while focused directly on toronto then i am hopeful that a DB2 can pull it off....worst case scenario is i'd have to get a UHF antenna combiner and back-to-back a couple of DB2's or any other such antenna.....im not against altering my idea or spending more money if i have to, but i am aiming to start small and go bigger if/when/where necessary.


I'd rather not have to adjust the antenna for certain stations....it gets damn cold here in buffalo come november - march


Thank you all for your input, i very much appreciate the ideas and thought processes...keep em coming!

 

[cglaser]



Quote:
Originally Posted by EscapeVelocity /forum/post/14249264


Definitely go for the higher power Winegard, then.


The DB2 is a fantastic little antenna. Hope it works out for you. Sounds like you have a good plan.


Definitely post pics and results.

thanks man, absolutely...if i have success with this the way i hope then i will certainly post the results and pictures. Perhaps what i hope to accomplish will help someone else...whether it sparks there own fabrication idea for a bracket or whatever. I am sure there are other people in my area with a similar predicament especially considering TWC's poor lineup of HD channels and such...and of course Buffalo Bills football is huge here....and we love it big and in HD....and if OTA is the best way to get it done, then LET THERE BE FOOTBALL PARTIES!

 

[cglaser]

I ordered a Antenna's Direct DB4 (measured it out and i can fit in within the frame of my window) as well as a Winegard AP 8780 Chromstar 2000 UHF/VHF Pre-amp (VHF/UHF, 17dB/2.9dB, 28dB/2.7dB).


I will also be able to use the preamp that came with my Terk HDTVa to see which results work best for me. The Terk is a VHF/UHF, 12dB/11dB preamp...the noise level is unknown though due to lack of documentation provided by audiovox(terk).