Antenna advice for downtown Toronto

[Toronto7]

I live in downtown Toronto, Canada and would like some advice on which indoor antenna to buy.

I live on the 48th floor of a condo building facing South across Lake Ontario toward Buffalo. The CNTower is essentially located behind my condo building (to the left) so I wonder if that will pose a problem for reception of Canadian broadcasts. But, the good news is that being on such a high floor I have no obstructions in front of me facing South toward the US broadcasters.

I have a Panasonic G25 plasma screen which is HDTV compatible with built in ATSC tuner that I would like to connect. I am only really interested in digital channels.

My postal code is M5V 3V9.

I'm attaching my TVfool.com analysis.

Any assistance on selecting a good indoor antenna would be much appreciated.

TVFool.com Signal Analysis Results

Radar-Digital.png (58.5 KB) Viewed 1692 times

[ProjectSHO89]

Wow, a 480' antenna tower!!!!

Place a ClearStream 2 in the window facing Buffalo. You should be fine with everything from Buffalo except WNGS (which would likely require an antenna that would be impractical for your condo).

You may need to readjust the antenna for the Toronto stations, but you'll have to experiment with that.

I did not check to see if any of the Toronto stations will be on VHF channels post-transition. Is so, a simple high-VHF dipole can easily be added to the C2 for them.

[Toronto7]

It was difficult to source the ClearStream 2 locally so I decided to try the Terk HDTVa mainly because it would be easy to return and it got positive reviews on HDTV Labs. I'm happy to report the results are pretty good.

With the Terk HDTVa by the window facing South i'm able to get the following digital stations:

2-1 WGRZ-HD 1080i
2-2 WGRZ-US 480i
2-3 WGRZ-RT 480i
4-1 WIVB-HD 1080i
7-1 WKBW-HD 720p
9-1 CFTO HD 1080i - audio cuts out intermittently, signal strength reported by my TV 64%
11-1 CHCH-DT 1080i - audio cuts out intermittentlysignal strength reported by my TV 65%
17-1 WNED-HD 1080i
17-2 WNED-SD 480i
17-3 WNED-TH 480i
23-1 WNLO-HD 1080i
29-1 WUTV-HD 720p
29-2 TCN 480i
36-1 CTS HD 1080i
49-1 WNYO-HD 720p
49-2 Cool TV 480i
66-1 CKXT-DT 1080i - audio/video cuts out consistently, signal strength reported by my TV 38%

If I get a ClearStream 2 do you think I can improve my results for 9-1, 11-1 and 66-1? I tried moving the antenna around but it doesn't seem to help much. I also tried turning on the amp but it didn't help.

Any other suggestions for improving my results would be much appreciated.

Also, why is it that i'm NOT able to pick up 5-1 CBLT-DT (CBC) when it is being transmitted from the CNTower the same as 9-1, 11-1 and 66-1?

[ProjectSHO89]

I'm concerned that the Terk with amp that you purchased may be causing the extra problems. If you could find the unamplified version (HDTVi), it would likely be better. Even with the HDTVa's amp switched off, it does have a deleterious affect on the incoming signals. You might try, as an experiment, removing the HDTVa's "Christmas tree" from the base and connect your cable to it. Try various aiming directions both towards and away from the CN Tower

At your location of less than two miles from the CN Tower, your greatest problem is likely to be either strong signal overload or strong signal multipath. Rerun your TVfool with your actual height above ground and you'll see a number of your local stations now register with overload warnings. You might consider asking about to see if you can find a 20 dB variable attenuator.

The C2 should be available at Save and Replay and at Angel Electronics in Mississauga.

[kidcoconut]

Hi, great forum!

Any help appreciated ... am looking for advice/suggestions on choice of HDTV antenna

Postal code: M4N 2S2
TVFool Signal Analysis: Attached

I have recently tried the Terk HDTVa (amplified-on and sitting just on top of my main floor TV, est 6ft elevation) and was able to pull in 10 digital channels (not bad at all); the signal for some is weak/spotty however.

I am considering returning the above and trying the Terk FDTV2A instead (omnidirectional)
- I could not find a review for this model on your site ... does such an animal exist?
- how does this beast compare in range, reception, compared to the HDTVa?
- does anyone know the difference between this model and the FDTV1A?

- my only preference for the Terk brand is the form-factor (sexy!), but am open to other brands (of equal or higher sexiness ... ; ) )
- I am also looking for a VHF/UHF combo (some of my fav channels have not been digitized(?) yet
- I also prefer an indoor antenna (am not inclined towards the mechanical, or for scaling the side of my home for that matter) ... but if you strongly advise, I may (re)consider
- I intend to connect to two analog televisions. Any advice on splitting, and signal conversion would be helpful ... or point me to a pertinent post, if possible.

Thanks in advance!