Fascinating!

Since New Year's Eve I've been picking up channels like CITY 57.1, CTV 9.1, CHCH 11.1 and WNYO 49.1 which I don't normally pick up as my antenna is pointed MORE toward Buffalo and LESS toward Toronto.

Yesterday I was thinking at CITY 57.1 must have boosted their signal because I do not normally get this channel unless I point quite a bit further toward the West (say SW, and presently I am SSW even SSSW if you get what I mean). However, CITY 57.1 dropped out last night, so I was guessing it is some sort of weather effect. Again today I'm getting CHCH 11.1 which is almost entertaining as I was going to adjust the antenna a slight bit today to see if I could pick up this channel.

This antenna-thing is quite the adventure!

well, I am happy to see some American DTV visiting again. I am a tad surprised though considering the DXing forcast doesn't really show that there should be.
For example three stations from Erie, Pa have been really strong this evening.
Are other experiencing tropo? I wondering if recent enhancements in my system have any bearing to the stronger signals?
conditions from London airport @ 10 PM
temp: -9 C
wind: N 7 km/hr
RH: 70%
pressure 103.10 kPa
visibility: 24 km
ceiling: unlimited

channel 24-1 WJET-DT (RF 24) signal meter averaging 80-90%
channel 66-1 WFXP-DT (RF 22) signal meter averaging 80-90%
channel 54-1 WQLN-HD (RF 50) averaging 35-55% getting co channel from WNEO

I do not want to turn the rotor as it is pretty cold so I cannot confirm other markets.

Probably ducting rather than tropo skip. :)

Something's definitely up. My summer regulars from Erie are coming in strong (WQLN, etc). ION is strong, as is WNYO...

If Mr. Hepburn isn't predicting tropo I'm inclined to think its a very local effect happening over Lake Erie. Check out GeorgeMX's early post in this thread (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showpost.php?p=716995&postcount=376) about ducting and "lake effect" layers.

If Mr. Hepburn isn't predicting tropo I'm inclined to think its a very local effect happening over Lake Erie.

As we hams often call 'em, temperature inversions. :-)

Although last night temps dipped here in the Hammer to -20C, FM saw some enhancement last night and it picked up early this morning, and the enhancement just wasn't over water. Several directions were affected. The really cold blob of air is on it's way out for a while so I suspect various segments of the RF spectrum to become slightly enhanced at times in the near future.

Cameron

Calgary has been having temperature inversion effects big time over the last couple of weeks too according to reception reports there.

temperature inversions, ducting, tropo etc.... bring em on. I'll take anything that assists in reception of fringe signals.
Thanks for the input guys.

Inversions tend to lock dirty, smoggy, cold air down at ground level though... :eek:

Inversions tend to lock dirty, smoggy, cold air down at ground level though... :eek:

And we in the Hammer NEVER get that.... Right? ;^)

Cameron

ION and WXXI (Rochester) are making unseasonable entry into KW tonight...

i just got up this evening(i work nites) and did a scan,anticipating better reception due to the warm southerly flow we were experiencing today.all western new york stations came in clear with signal strengths over 60(tivax box).wnyb49 came in with a 80-90,wgrz 70-80,wivb 70-80,wkbw 50-60,wned 70-80.all these stations during this time of year usually are hard to get,and if i do receive them,usually with signal strengths of 40.

I have to make this quick, since it's nearly 7am and I still haven't gone to bed. But there has been some AMAZING tropo tonight! Around 11:30 - 12am I didn't think anything was unusual. But when I turned the antenna, I noticed a flicker on RF29. Then I noticed a flicker on RF51. Last time that happened, it was Chicago, so I quickly threw on my hat, dragged the antenna outside and put it on a ladder parked on top of the shed. In that position, Chicago's WMAQ rolled in off and on through the night (much more than it did last Summer.) I also caught two new catches. I caught WPWR on RF51, which is also from Chicago. But then I caught something I'd never heard of on RF22 - WBUI. Looked it up on Wikipedia and it's the CW of Central Illinois. But what really bowled me over is that when I looked up the distance on HDTV Magazine, it shows up as a mind blowing 542 miles away from me!!! I gotta double check that! This might be a new record for us on Digital Home! My first record was WMAQ at 446 miles, which was recently beaten by Phil81 with his catch of WRBU at 487 miles. But 542 miles.....this is insane!!! It only came in for maybe 15 seconds though (got about 5 or so pics.....pixellated out very quickly.) Also picked up some of my more familiar catches with Cleveland's WEWS on RF15, and Detroit's WMYD on RF21. The odd thing about tonight was that there seemed to be channels trying to come in on almost every frequency! Yet, only a handful decoded. (But what a handful!) The Hepburn maps showed today being a moderate opening and it's supposed to be bigger tomorrow.....get those antennas ready - hopefully tomorrow will be just as exciting! :)

@GarthJ
fantastic catch there my friend from Markham! I was inspired by your recent catches. This has been a great few days for tropo here in Southern Ontario.
Just this morning I have finally pulled in channel 5-1 from Chicago (WQAM) but wait, what is this........drum roll please
indeed a K designation station
just pulled in KWKB 20-1 (RF 25) a CW affilate from near Iowa City, Iowa. A quick check is just short of 500 miles but none the less a pretty sweet pick for January.

panama,garth,awesome results,especially for this time of year!

ION's coming in like crazy (70%!). I got blips of signal (no picture) on the following.

RF33 (Something else must be killing WGRZ. Usually if ION is up, WGRZ would see a strong increase. It bounces between 20-50%, something else on 33 must be killing it. I don't know what)

RF28 (WUHF) 10%
RF45 (WROC) 15%
RF50 (I don't know what this is) 10%

Perhaps tonight will reveal more yes?

Seeing some decent tropo coming out of the east here. Been seeing three stations out of Albany, NY, 26.1, 34.1, 43.1. Also seeing Utica in on 29.1. Almost all of the Syracuse locals are in very strongly, for the first time in months. Should be an interesting afternoon and evening.

Damn, I missed all this. Reception was strange early this morning with just a couple central Michigan tropo regular stations noticed. No wonder some of the local reception around here was really trashed and screwy early this morning. :o

That's remarkable with those 450-550 mile stations there. How long did those last before fading Mark?

Conditions are coming in right now from all over Ohio. I picked up at least 20 stations so far...everyone should be pointing to Ohio right now! ;)

Awsome! I just picked up briefly Global CIII-41 DT for the first time ever on RF65.
CBLT-DT RF20 made a brief appearance the first time since last Sep 24th. Also another never before digital WITI-DT 6-1 RF33 Fox Milwaukee, and WPBN7.1 NBC/7.2 ABC WGTU on RF47 from Traverse City, MI.

Others picked up in the last 2 hrs
CIII-6 Paris NTSC
CFPL-10 London NTSC
C???-25 NTSC
CITY-57 NTSC

Digitals:
WLNS-DT RF36 CBS Lansing
WILX-DT RF10 NBC Lansing
WLAJ-DT RF51 ABC Lansing
WOTV-DT RF20 ABC Kalamazoo
WLMB-DT RF5 FamilyNET Jasper, MI
WJRT-DT RF12 ABC Flint
WCMU-DT RF26 PBS Mount Pleasant
WEYI-DT RF30 NBC Saginaw
WFUM-DT RF28 PBS Flint
WAPQ-DT RF48 TCT Saginaw
WGRZ-DT RF33 NBC Buffalo
WKBW-DT RF38 ABC Buffalo
WPTA-DT RF24 ABC Ft Wayne
WGGN-DT RF42 Religious Sandusky/Castalia
WHME-DT RF48 South Bend, IN
WBGU-DT RF27 Bowling Green/Lima
WOSU-DT RF38 Columbus
WISE-DT RF18 Ft Wayne
WJET-DT RF24 Erie

Was something on RF4 from the west but signal way to unstable for anything. Guessing WOCK-CD digital in Chicago (MEGA-TV) at 0.3kW ERP.

--------------------------
edited to add the following

WPXJ-DT ION 51-1 Batavia, NY (another newcomer on RF23)
CHCH-TV 11 Hamilton (extreme snow/rolling picture totally unwatchable)
CICO-TV 18 London TVO
CKXT-DT RF19 SunTV London
WNIT-DT RF35 PBS South Bend, IN
WDCQ-DT PBS Bad Axe/Bay City, MI
WANE-DT RF31 Fort Wayne, IN
WOHL-DT ABC/FOX RF35 Lima, OH
WINM-DT TCT RF12 Angola, IN
WQLN-DT PBS Erie
WNYO-DT RF49 MyTv Buffalo