Need advise on type of antenna I could use

[johnpia2]

Hello, I am totally clueless on tv signal broadcasting, but glad there are people out there that are trying to keep free tv broadcasts alive!

I live near Montreal Canada; my signal report is:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3dda329b5a349066

I could install an outdoor antenna on the roof of my house, about 25 ft from ground; what type of antenna would you recommend for me?

Thanks a lot.

[Tigerbangs]

There are several ways to proceed, depending on different factors. How many TV sets are involved? Do you currently have a TV set(s) with digital tuners? Are you interested in the US stations from Burlington, VT, as well? My thoughts here are that you could use a 2-antenna system, one aimed at Mt. Royal and the other aimed at Mt. Mansfield, in VT along with an A/B switch, but the ultimate decision will be based on your needs and wants.

[johnpia2]

I got one digital tv, one analog. I am interested in US stations. For a 2-antenna system, is there such a thing as a 'combination' antenna, mounted on one mast? what type of antenna do I need? I am a bit confused with the 'backround colors on my TV signal report, it shows different colors in each column.

Thanks for answering Tigerbangs.

[Tigerbangs]

No problem: There is no one antenna that will get both the Mt.Royal stations AND the Mt. Mansfield, VT stations without using a rotator. Using a rotator is not much of an issue for one TV set, but using 2 TVs can be a bit of a hassle when you want to watch different programs from different cities at the same time.

The Vermont stations are already all-digital, and you do have some digital stations in Montreal, but most of them will go digital by August 31, 2011.

In any case, you will eventually need a digital converter box for the non-digital TV set that you own. I would recommend using a box that has an analog pass-through connector that will let you use the built-in analog TV tuner in the older set to watch the existing Montreal analog stations.

if this was my installation, and I was limiting my installation to 2 TV sets, here is how I would proceed:

Mount 2 antenna on your roof: a small all-channel antenna aimed at the Mt. Royal transmitters in Montreal. I would use a Winegard HD-7080P or an Antennacraft HD-850 aimed at 325 degrees by your compass for this purpose. You will need a bit larger antenna to see the Vermont stations, and an AntennaCraft HBU-44 or a Winegard HD-7696P will do the job for you if you aim it at the Mt. Mansfield transmitters (150 degrees by your compass)

Here's where it gets a bit confusing: we want to run cables from BOTH antennas to separate 2-way splitters centrally mounted where they can be easily connected to cables that will run to each TV set. We will split each signal 2 ways, then run one cable from each splitter to both TV sets, so that both TV sets will be seeing a signal from each antenna.

We then use a coaxial cable A/B switch at each TV set to take the two cables coming from the antennas, connect the two cables to the inputs of the A/B switch, and run ONE cable out of the A/B switch to the antenna connector of each TV tuner. You will then select which city you want to watch by selecting the antenna by using the A/B to connect the TV tuner to the correct antenna: one selection for Montreal, the other from Vermont. A/B switches are available from a number of sources, such as The Source in Canada:
http://www.thesource.ca/estore/product.aspx?language=en-CA&catalog=Online&category=AVSelectors&product=1501232

[John Candle]

Remote control A/B Tv antenna switch http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/DISTRIBUTED-BY-MCM-AB27RS-/32-4425 , http://www.saveandreplay.com , scroll down to OTA Accessories and click on OTA Switches

[johnpia2]

Great; thanks a lot guys, and a happy new year