Reddit reviews Channel Master CM-7778V3 Titan 2 Medium Gain TV Antenna Preamplifier [Version 3]

We live in Binbrook & get about 35 stations (this includes some religious stations which we promptly delete). CTV is a pain in the ass to get. Most of the time if we align our antenna to get CTV, we'll have it for a day or two and then it drops out. We've all but given up on that station. We get all the US stations perfectly, so anything we'd want to watch on CTV we can usually get from the US.

The best advice I can give is: Install your antenna outdoors, the higher the better. This makes all the difference in the world.

We're using two stacked antennas, the 8 bay is pointed towards the US & a smaller one pointed towards Toronto. We have a preamp up on the antenna which really seemed to help.

We're also using the Tablo OTA DVR so we can record our shows and pause live TV, the cool thing about this setup means we have only one device plugged into the Antenna and we can watch on several devices. We have the 4 Tuner version, so can watch or record 4 things at a time.

I actually have great advice on this! I live in Willowick, which is east of Cleveland. My fiance and I are cable cutters as well, and we have put up an antenna on top of our house. We had a very difficult time getting 19 and 8. After some analysis, we found out that 19 and 8 are pointing different ways, and are different signals (one is VHF the other UHF). Using TV Fool's TV signal locator is a good first start to determine exact pointing locations. Here is the link for that:

https://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29

We also decided to use a preamplifier to boost signal. I do not know if this will help, but I will list all components I used to to my setup. I know it might seem overkill, but I probably have around 40-50 channels, so it works.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C4XVOOC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013CGNGY?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00

I know what I wrote was overkill, but the main takeaway is that you need to determine where 8 and 19 are located. Also, I would strongly recommend that your antenna be outside. The higher up and the clearer the pathway, the better the antenna will work.

Exchange the preamp.

Preamps can be DOA fairly easily. It's worth another shot.

Example of DOA units from amazon revievs:

https://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-CM-7778-Medium-Gain-Preamplifier/product-reviews/B0013CGNGY/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_search_rgt?filterByKeyword=DOA&search-alias=community-reviews

Another thing to keep in mind is that your preamp, which is fairly high power, may overpower your HDHomeRun tuner. People who live in an area with good quality signal should generally use a lower-gain preamp, like the RCA Preamp.

I was getting weak signals for ABC and CBS, and no signal at all for UPN before hooking up the amplifier. IIRC, I was getting about 35 total channels with no amp. I hooked up a Channel Master CM-7778 and pulled in over 100.

I have heard that if you live very near to the towers, you can overamplify and degrade your signal. I have a bit of distance and topography between me and the towers, plus having the antenna in the attic instead of outside on the roof has a negative effect so the amp works well for me.

https://i.imgur.com/9mmRi4hl.jpg

I have a peak roof and mounted it on the back of the house. Here's and image of it mounted. This bracket I bought from Amazon for $26 bucks. It's very strong and I have no worries that it would fall off. I bought a Preamplifier to help boost the signal. The mast I bought from a local store, so hopefully you can find one in your area. Hope this helps, if have any questions just let me know.

Sure. You may need an amplifier if the run is longer than 20 feet or so but they are cheap. http://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-CM-7778-Medium-Gain-Preamplifier/dp/B0013CGNGY/ref=sr_1_9?s=audio-video-accessories&ie=UTF8&qid=1412543018&sr=1-9&keywords=tv+amplifier

That's good information regarding WBKI/WMYO. Definitely solves one of my problems.

Between the HD7694P and CM-2018 which one would be "better" (I know that word is usually subjective) for my situation?

Is the Extreme Broadband BDS104h a decent splitter?

If I do need to add a preamp would one of these two be acceptable?
Winegard LNA-200 Boost XT

Channel Master CM-7778

Thanks again!

I bought this

https://www.primecables.com/p-356275-cab-av-0966v-primecables-hdtv-outdoor-antenna-high-gain-vhf-uhf-combo

and paired it with one of these because i had a long cable run
https://www.amazon.ca/Channel-Master-Antenna-Preamplifier-Amplifier/dp/B0013CGNGY/ref=sr_1_sc_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1502478310&sr=1-4-spell&keywords=channelmaster

works great, I get 14-ish channels i think (even on cloudy and rainy days). Indoor antennas only got me about 6 on average. You can probably opt for a cheaper amplifier if you want.

I tried a similar indoor antenna that you had at another house and couldn't even pickup a single channel without massive interference.

But if you don't want OTA you could try Vmedia. internet+TV+phone for less than $100/month

Thank you. I think that I will probably go with the Channel Master from Amazon here and see if it makes much of a difference.