[kach22i]

UPDATE: 01/05/14

I finally have the roof antenna up and running. Installed it with the help of a friend over a week ago, but until recently didn't have time to mess with the path inside of the house.

CBET-DT (Channel 9 - Canada) is 152 miles from my home in Ann Arbor, the farthest station of the 50 I'm picking up (almost double the stations I was getting with Comcast's basic package).

The Ch-9 station only comes in clear early in the morning before the airwaves become all cluttered up. I grew up watching CBC hockey, news, comedy and more so I'm a little disappointed on this one issue.

I recently read on the Internet that someone outside of Ann Arbor located at a high elevation was getting Channel 9 intermittently.

My home is in a very low area, and my HD Stacker antenna came with a pathetically short 5-foot post which barely clears the roof peak. Maybe in the spring I'll get a longer mast pole, but then I assume it will be more prone to wind sway.

However, I'm delighted with the improved image and especially the improved sound which this antenna set up provides.

Coincidentally, the signal meter on my FM tuner crapped out so I cannot example the reception other than saying it appears all of my stations come is as clear as before, if not more so.

Here is what I experienced and learned:

1. The weather proof rubber boot from the antenna to post mounted preamp is too short to be used with the long coaxial termination jacks which come with the HD Stacker kit. The connector busted out the tail of the boot, I had to use many layers of electrical tape to seal it up.

2. The cable ground connector is made of flimsey pot metal and will break if you try and relocate it more than once. ACE Hardware had a much better dual unit which I'm using, JB Weld was not to be trusted to fix the broken original which cracked into two.

3. At first I forgot to disconnect the Comcast scramblers, nothing was going to pass though those pieces of garbage.

4. I had to update my 4-way signal splitter, Radio Shack to rescue.

5. The power strip I first plugged my signal booster to had gone bad, this took me a while to figure out.

6. I strongly suggest you watch a Youtube video on how to make your coaxial terminations with the kit supplied tools before you attempt installation. It takes a while to get the hang of it, the supplied tool seems to have a break in period before it starts working right. I also suggest testing your runs prior to climbing up a ladder an installing them (a Multi-Meter will do). Had I done this first, I would have been more confident in my problem solving routine if they were a known to be good element. Thankfully my connections were not one of the problems, but I also know I could do them better now, and may do so in the spring if installing a new longer mast pole.

7. Overall, the self-made connections and Denny's supplied cables outperform the free cheap jumper cables supplied by Comcast. Those things are terrible on any signal, I'm clearing my house of them, giving them all back to Comcast along with their worthless scramblers and DTV Converter.

8. I need to Coax-Seal or Duct-Seal my exterior connections, will do this after our pending snow storm.

I am a free man!

FYI : I still need a TV digital to analog converter for my old CRT tube TV with built-in VCR in the basement. If anyone has an old one (with remote) they never plan to use again, please send me a PM or e-mail and I'll help you clear that old gear out of your house/garage. I'm giving Comcast all of their stuff back, I want no links of any kind with them.
The government issue (with coupon) HD Access D/A-TV converter (Model DTA1030D) I tried hooking up appears to be failing, otherwise I'd be all set. The other two units we had failed years ago, this one was our the last working one (or so I thought) - made in China, what do you expect?