OTA DTV in Oshawa

[MetalCarnage]

Just bought a new Samsung HDTV because i wanted something a little bigger and decided it would be nice to have a couple free OTA DTV channels to watch the news at night, etc (i pretty much only watch Netflix, so i don't subscribe to cable TV).

Anyways, i was in Future Shop picking up something and decided to grab a UHF set-top antenna, was a RCA Flat-Top indoor antenna that is supposed to be superior to the rabbit ears.

I live in South Oshawa south of Wentworth/Simcoe.

Anyways, i fired it in, ran the auto programming for DTV Air channels and got nothing. Returned it and bought the rabbit ear style thinking maybe the product wasn't good, ran it again, no channels again. Rotated it, moved it to different positions and notta.

Now i don't know if its the TV or i am just in a really ****ty receiving spot, but from my understanding Ch 22 is being broadcast from somewhere in North Oshawa, so i should at least be getting 1 channel????

Anyone else using DTV in Oshawa area that could maybe confirm if this is a deadzone? I see lots of posts on sites with people in Oshawa claiming to get 20+ channels with an outdoor antenna, but shouldnt i at least get one or two with an indoor?

Thanks

 

[VE3RADIO]

I live in North Oshawa and get around 40 channels of OTA HDTV. I would go with an outdoor antenna for sure, the set top units are not worth the cardboard box they come in. I know there is another member on here who lives near you who gets quite a few channels also (close to 35 IIRC)... and he just has an outdoor antenna on a tripod on his patio. Give ABLE Antenna of Whitby a call.. for about 150 bux you will get 20-40 high def tv stations for free for life.

 

[MetalCarnage]

I live in North Oshawa and get around 40 channels of OTA HDTV. I would go with an outdoor antenna for sure, the set top units are not worth the cardboard box they come in. I know there is another member on here who lives near you who gets quite a few channels also (close to 35 IIRC)... and he just has an outdoor antenna on a tripod on his patio. Give ABLE Antenna of Whitby a call.. for about 150 bux you will get 20-40 high def tv stations for free for life.

Should i be getting at least one or two channels with the set top though? Im more in the troubleshooting stage right now wondering if the TV is defective?

 

[VE3RADIO]

Should i be getting at least one or two channels with the set top though? Im more in the troubleshooting stage right now wondering if the TV is defective?

Nope there are no OTA HD broadcasts in Oshawa.. the only two channels in Oshawa are 12 and 22 and those are good old analog.. your new tv probably does not have an analog tuner in it.. (i believe all tv's made this year forward just have a ASTC tuner .. digital)

 

[torontokris]

try to aim towards scarborough (ch 9) or downtown toronto (a few channels like CBC)

Both 5 and 9 use to come in for me with the rabbit ears, however im in scarborough so a bit closer to toronto

 

[MetalCarnage]

Nope there are no OTA HD broadcasts in Oshawa.. the only two channels in Oshawa are 12 and 22 and those are good old analog.. your new tv probably does not have an analog tuner in it.. (i believe all tv's made this year forward just have a ASTC tuner .. digital)

Thanks, I guess that answers my questions. I don't have an antenna tower, but hopefully i can mount something high enough to pick up a couple channels.

Is yours on a antenna mast?

 

[mikewazowski]

your new tv probably does not have an analog tuner in it.. (i believe all tv's made this year forward just have a ASTC tuner .. digital)

They all have analog tuners since cable still broadcasts a lot of channels in analog.

There's also a lot of analog ota still around.

 

[mrweather]

Not aware of any real broadcasters around the GTA still transmitting in analog. And that does not include the bootlegger in downtown TO.

All digital OTA in Toronto transmits from the CN Tower. Rogers may still maintain a presence on First Canadian Place for CFMT, CJMT and CITY but they were supposed to have migrated to the CN Tower a month or so ago. SunTV (CJXT) went off the air at the end of October per their licence requirements.

CFTO transmits on VHF (channel 9) but all others are on UHF. CHCH transmits on VHF as well (channel 11) but unless you're west of the Humber River or you've got a proper VHF antenna it is hard to receive reliably.

To the OP, that small set-top antenna probably won't work for CFTO. However, you should be able to receive at least CBC ("physical" channel 20, "virtual" channel 5) and Global ("physical" and "virtual" channel 41) with that antenna from Oshawa.

Having said that, your best bet would be an outdoor antenna.

 

[bigcam406]

i live at Park and Bloor area,and i pick up 20 -30 stations with a Terk HDTVA antenna.i had a RCA flat ant like you had and picked up just as many,so i dont know why you wont pick up anything.you live in a prime location for receiving signals.you should try placing your antenna facing west at a window if possible,and when you do a scan on your tv,make sure it is in the "ANT" mode,not CATV mode.