Getting WWNY 7-1, WNYF 7-2 and WNYS 43-1, Cool TV 43-2 this morning. These are channels I haven't received in previous tropo weather conditions.

I was picking up 50.1/50.2 from my attic antenna last night. Was neat to see.

Was anyone else in eastern Ontario enjoying the Montreal stations on Sunday night and into Monday somewhat? I was getting a pile of Montreal feeds Sunday evening here near Franktown.

I think I'll be playing around some more tonight and see whats coming in from the good old USA. Warm up the antenna rotor.

Finally got my antenna's outside and was receiving the following this morning (checked from 7-10am) and most tonight from Bridlewood Kanata

2-1, 2-2, 2-3 WGRZ
2-1, 2-2 WKTV
4-1 WIVB
7-1, 7-2 WWNY, WNYF
8-1 WROC
10-1, 10-2 WHEC
43-1 WNYS
43-2 Cool TV
50-1,2 (get these all the time it seems now)
68-1 WSYT
68-2 Country

Those are good results. I havent seen WKTV in ages. Just got a blip on WNYS tonight. Getting all the Watertown channels though. WIVB is tough since 39 is also a really strong TFO analog channel. Maybe in Kanata youre far enough away from it.

Nice tropo last night, was getting all the majors from Plattsburgh to Watertown, too bad they are all the same channels. Still no ABC or NBC.

Finally got Plattsburg, South Colton, and Watertown last night, with an old hoverman, a CM Spartan preamp, and an RCA converter box indoors -- WCFE, WNPI, and WWTI. No sign of WNYF, but my best guess at the SNR for WNPI was 21 dB. I guess I would need at least 6 dB more on 23 before I could get 18. No sign of WWNY on 7 with rabbit ears, or of PBS on 41.
Reception was best around 10 last night. WNPI came in this morning briefly around 6 and then faded away.

Great reception of Syracuse WSYT and WNYS tonight, as well as late last night. All Watertown channels too except missing WNYF out of Watertown for the moment. Also still looking for WTVH.

update - at 10 pm WTVH was booming in. No program info though. Also, lost CITY tv and OMNI-2 is breaking up for the first time ever, possibly from 700 MHz radios in Syracuse

Last night and this morning my channel list on my converter box went from 7 to 27:

Utica WKTV 2.1/2.2
Syracuse WSYT 68.1/682, WNYS 43.1/43.2
Watertown WPBS 16.1/2/3 WWTI 50.1/50.2
South Colton WNPI 18.1/2/3 WNYF 28.1/2 (finally! - no program info, though)
Plattburgh WCFE 57.1/2/3
WCFE appears to be using the protocol that allows converters to display 4:3 SD programming fullscreen instead of mailboxed on a 4:3 display. What's that called?
(WWNY doesn't, which is a shame, since their local news is 4:3)

Most reliable were WCFE and WWTI. Most interesting was WCFE MHz Worldview.

Regarding WCFE, I presume you're referring to AFD?

- Trip

Regarding WCFE, I presume you're referring to AFD?

- Trip
Yes, Trip, thanks. That's the acronym I was searching for. Here's the Wikipedia explanation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Format_Description

I'm surprised more broadcasters don't use it. Does rabbitears.info list which streams use AFD?

Anyone experiencing RF interference this pass week ?

It is very visible on analog channels, you see a static line running horizontally across the screen and cascading slowly upwards. On digital channels you get pixelation and difficulty on a stable lock and total blank on weaker stations.

I wonder what is causing this ?

cascading horizontal lines come from the beat frequency difference between 2 analog channels. CHCH which is channel 11 very often has this from Kingston channel 11 interfering.

The tropo has been very strong the past few weeks. Here in Ottawa we havent gone a single night without being able to pick up most or all of the Watertown channels and Syracuse almost every night (not tonight though) . Conversely, City-TV is pixelating because of some other channel 17 from upstate New York.

Yes, Trip, thanks. That's the acronym I was searching for. Here's the Wikipedia explanation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Format_Description

I'm surprised more broadcasters don't use it. Does rabbitears.info list which streams use AFD?

Not yet. It's something I'd like to add, but I don't have a consistent way of determining it yet. In addition, there appear to be some stations that only use it during network programming or otherwise seem selective about when it is used.

- Trip

I decided to play around with the rotor this morning and see what I could scan in here and I was impressed with what I locked in! The signal just faded a while ago but here's some of what I got:

WCAX 3-1
WPTZ 5-1
WTEN 10-1
WGRZ 2-1
WTVH 5-1

And this strange one I couldn't really find anything on TV Fool but will google it now:

VPT HD 33-1

(Just found out they were Vermont Public Television from Burlington, Vermont!)


http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j387/bowhunt3r/WCAX.jpg
http://i1083.photobucket.com/albums/j387/bowhunt3r/WTEN.jpg



I had forgotten how fun it was to play with skip in the hot summer weather, it reminds me of my days as a kid playing on the CB radio:)

WOW really nice evening for OTA

got these in one scan

2.1wktv-hd nbc
2.2 cw
10.1 wten-hd
10.2
10.3 retro
50.1 abc
50.2
55.1 ion
55.2 qubo
55.3 ionlife

Realy great night for Syracuse here. Getting everything - even WKTV. Just not getting WSYT. Strange. I'll look for that ION channel.

cant get ION - WSPX is channel 15 which is SRC out of Kingston. Is interfering.
Also, have lost most Ottawa channels. 27 Omni 1 is out as is City TV 17. Also, analog 32 is almost completely snow, which I think is WNLO kicking in. Had WROC from Rochester a bit earlier.

Channel 32 is no longer the local Ottawa channel CTS. It is WNLO:

http://s214.photobucket.com/albums/cc44/gbriggs12/IMG-20110723-00084.jpg

WCAX is the worst for me for the past few weeks...barely watchable

Great report, Gerry! I haven't't got any tropo ducting since mid week last week, when I topped out at 27 channels (Syracuse, Watertown, Utica, Plattsburgh + the locals)

cant get ION - WSPX is channel 15 which is SRC out of Kingston. Is interfering.

small nit - SRC 15 is Belleville, not Kingston. SRC Kingston is 32.
ION is pretty low power -- not sure you would get it. WNLO has 1MW omni, so it has the most oomph of all the Buffalo stations. i'm still amazed that it obliterates HC channels -- is there an obstruction between you and Herberts Corners, or just between you and Plattsburgh and South Colton?

Unlike previous years in which we had just a single Tropo thread for all of Canada (the parts that regularly get Tropospheric Skip and Ducting of TV signals, that is) there are now three threads:

OTA: Eastern Ontario & Quebec DXing, Tropo, Odd Reception: 2011 (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=139033)

OTA: Lake Ontario Area DXing, Tropo, Odd Reception: 2011 (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=134624)

OTA: Southwest Ontario DXing, Tropo, Odd Reception: 2011 (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=139032)

This means that the days of Phil81 (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/member.php?u=68149) in Leamington, ON automatically winning the Longest Grab Bragging Rights (farthest distance in a straight line between station and home antenna) have sadly come to an end. ;)

In order for us to find out who will win it in each of the three Tropo threads we'll need to look at photos or screen captures of your longest grab, please.

We'll know by about October who has pulled in the longest grab as the Tropo dies down for the year. I can only offer bragging rights, but if anyone wants to put up some challenge incentives that's fine by me!

Good luck!