Maybe there is something wrong with your antenna?

Heh the birds had me laughing but through personal experience, I live in an apt. and I get those flying rats(pidgeons) that go on top of my balcony door's ledge and interfere withe signal, hehe.

My buff staitions.. (same as op listed) have all disapeared also.. worked fine last night .. My antenna and cable are brand new...My To channels are all fine .. So any other ideas's..

Nothing unusual for me last evening and this AM, everything except ION comes in 4-7 bars on my Samsung LCD.

These ill reception effect has happened to be as well...I'd make sure the aim is not altered. Otherwise, add 5-10 ft of height.

My Buffalo stations, along with the Canadian stations, all came in as usual last night (9/14) - in fact WGRZ was a little stronger than usual. maybe some wierd weather ? And they're all up right now.

Heh the birds had me laughing but through personal experience, I live in an apt. and I get those flying rats(pidgeons) that go on top of my balcony door's ledge and interfere withe signal, hehe.
Well when a bird lands on an antenna they become part of the antenna. When too many birds land on an antenna they can drastically reduce the antennas gain because they de-tune the antennas design.

http://vpnglobe.com/killerbirds.jpg

I've seen a lot of antennas around like the one shown in HDTV101's post #7. I think those are the old Winegard split-boom VHF-UHF antennas from the 1970s and 80s. Would anyone happen to know where I could find out what the gain figures were for those antennas? Thanks...!

I too have experienced a drop in signal/reception on 2.1-3, 4.1, and on 51.1-4. I thought that it was due to me upgrading the firmware on my HDHomeRun 2 days ago, so I did back is down again to the original that came with the box and my reception did improve almost back to normal (but still a bit lower than what I normally had been receiving). I am still having issues with Ion however... over the past few days it is very spotty, when normally it has been solid all summer long for me.


What is this that others have posted about it being fall and reception normalizing? are you saying that Ion is going to disappear now until spring?

Thanks to anyone that can clarify,

Bitablespore

On the local station transmitters that you have within direct LOS [line of sight within 50 miles] you should see very little change between the seasons. If you don’t have LOS due to trees, buildings or the distance and contour of the earth’s surface etc, then you have likely been receiving the non-LOS signals via something known as Sky Wave Propagation.

I hope this helps somewhat to understand why troposphere & ionosphere conditions can “ giveth & taketh away” ;)

Sky Wave Propagation :

Signals reflected from ionized layer of atmosphere back down to earth. These signals can travel a number of hops, back and forth between ionosphere and earth’s surface reflection effect caused by refraction.

The results of this research established that ionised regions ranging from approximately 70 to 1000 km above the earth's surface provide the medium of transmission for electromagnetic energy in the HF spectrum (2 to 30 MHz) and that most variations in HF system performance are directly related to changes in these ionised regions. The ionisation is produced in a complex manner by the photo-ionization of the earth's high altitude atmosphere by solar radiation.

The vertical structure of the ionosphere is changing continuously. It varies from day to night, with the seasons of the year, and with latitude. Furthermore, it is sensitive to enhanced periods of short-wavelength solar radiation accompanying solar activity. In spite of all this, the essential features of the ionosphere are usually identifiable, except during periods of unusually intense geomagnetic disturbances.

http://www.cs.mdx.ac.uk/staffpages/Apietukastriku/LectureNotes_2002_2003/Lecture8.ppt

Go to this file --> file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Dennis/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.IE5/98B1NSX0/Lecture8%5B1%5D.ppt#305,12,Slide 12

Skywave probably doesn't address OTA because the frequencies used are so much higher. The ionosphere is good for bouncing signals in the 2-30 MHz range but above that not so much.

Local tropospheric conditions play a bigger role in signal propogation, especially UHF which is what all the Buffalo channels are on.

Things do settle down in the colder weather but usually for the worse.

Incredible night for tropo towards these markets. Where to start?
This is what I have received tonight
2-1 KDKA 2.
3-1 WPSU-HD, WPSU-D1 (Create), WPSU-D2 (World) NEW
6-1 WJAC-DT (I got it for 2 mins, then it remapped back to 61-1 WQHS-DT) NEW
11-1 WPXI-HD, 11-2 RTN
13-1 WQED-HD, 13-2 WQED-D1, 13-3 WQED-D2 NEW
44-1 WOUC-HD, 44-2 WOUC-UN, 44-3 WOUC-SL
45-1 WNEO-D1, 45-2 WNEO-D2, WNEO-D3, 45-4 WNEO-D4
53-1 WPGH-DT

Crazy tropo with tons of channels between 1230-230am. Quite a few new ones never seen before popped up and are drifting in and out right now. I have no time to get distances or the images uploaded until Sunday, but I can list all the stations I got right now. All of these channels listed are 100% tropo stations.

*NEW is beside never before seen stations.

WWMT-DT 3-1 CBS Grand Rapids, MI RF8
WGVU-DT 35-1 PBS Grand Rapids <--NEW! remapped WTOL on RF 11
WLMB-DT 40-1 WORD/Ind Jasper, MI RF5
WOTV-DT 41-1 ABC Kalamazoo, MI RF20
WLAJ-DT 53-1 ABC/CW Lansing, MI RF51
WLNS-DT 6-1 CBS Lansing RF36
WTTE-DT 28-1 FOX Columbus, OH <-- NEW! Remapped from stored WLNS
WSFJ-D1 51-1 TBN Columbus/Newark,OH <-- NEW! Remapped stored WJET RF24
WAPQ-DT TCT Flint/Saginaw, MI RF48
WWHO-DT 53-1 CW Columbus/Chillicothe, OH <-- NEW! Remapped WUPW RF46
WBNS-DT 10-1 CBS Columbus <-- NEW! Remapped from WMYD on RF21
WCMH-DT 4-1 NBC Columbus <-- NEW! Remapped from WKBD CW on RF14
WCSN-LP 32-0 Analog Columbus <-- NEW! Svr interference by TVO CICO32
WMFD-DT 12-1 Ind Mansfield, OH RF 12
WINM-DT 12-1 TCT NE Indiana/Ft Wayne RF12
WJRT-DT 12-1 ABC Flint RF12
WRGT-DT 45-1 FOX Dayton, OH <-- NEW!
WBDT-DT 26-1 CW Springfield/Dayton <-- NEW! Remapped stored WVIZ RF26
WDTN-DT 2-1 NBC Dayton <-- NEW! Remapped from stored WEAO RF50
WOHL-CD 35-1 ABC/FOX 720p Lima, OH LOW POWER @ 9kW/551 ft <-- NEW!
W23DE-D 23-3 (bkn mapping) 3ABN Christian Network Low pwr digital @ 3kW! Lima <--NEW!
WBGU-DT 27-1 PBS Bowling Green/Lima RF27
WANE-DT 15-1 CBS Ft Wayne, IN RF31 Remapped stored WPXD ION
WILX-DT 10-1 NBC Lansing/Onondaga, MI RF10

didn't get a couple of sub channel shots from two or three Columbus,Dayton stations as they faded out too soon.

2 close calls to note...

WSYX-DT on RF13 in Columbus. Killed totally WTVG Toledo, no signal for both.
WHIO-DT on RF41 in Dayton. killed WXYZ Detroit briefly, but just not strong enough to overcome.

Sweet!

low and behold,
as Phil has eluded too, the tropo is crazy this morning up here in London too.
It started with most of the Columbus, Oh stations being received with full signal SNR ratios. Soon after Cincinnati rolled in shattering my previous record of 286 miles to a new personal best of 320 miles. Yee Haw!
5-1 WLWT-HD NBC RF 35 Cincinnati, Oh
5-2 WLWT-WX WEATHER
6-1 WSYX-DT ABC RF 13 Columbus, Oh note:this one is interesting as I get 13 CKCO analog pretty strong and the interference showed with decent signal strength numbers but pixilation on account of interference
10-1 WBNS-TV CBS RF 21 Columbus, Oh
10-2 WBNS-TV2
14-1 WPTO-HD PBS RF28 Cincinnati, Oh
14-2 Prime
14-3 Learn
14-4 DT
19-1 WXIX-DT FOX RF29 Cincinnati, Oh
19-2 WXIX-THIS
28-1 WTTE-DT FOX RF28 Columbus, Oh
48-1 WCET-DT PBS Cincinatti, Oh
48-2 Create
51-1 WSFJ-D1 TBN? RF24 Columbus,Oh
53-1 WWHO-DT CW RF46 Columbus, Oh
64-1 WSTR-DT MYNetwork RF33 Cincinnati, Oh
there are also some more PBS stations, but I have seen them before.
Honestly, it felt like the Superbowl of DTV Dxing here today.
Lots of pictures to be posted to my flicr account within the day.
@Phil
son of a gun, heck of a nice pickup there from the Leamington area. Ah home sweet home.

Nice to see some decent tropo tonight, here in eastern Ontario. It's been a tough week but now see Elmira, Utica and Albany. Still gunning for Binghamton, NY, but still no action. Elmira is 30 miles west and is coming in good tonight. Why no Binghamton, is a weird one to understand. Both are equal distance from here, but still no luck.

I have been tracking a most interesting path of tropo that has had me land many new channels
From Scranton Pa 300 miles I have been watching football on 16-1 WNEP-TV ABC.
56-1 WOLF-HD and its sub channels
then
29-1 WVHL-HD a low powered MYnetwork from near Altoona, PA
10-1 WJAT-HD Altoona
finally 35-1 WSEE-DT pays me a visit from Erie,Pa (I have only seen this once in the last 6 months.
Heck there are a few others but to busy Dxing
hope you all have good luck pulling them in.
Lots of pictures to follow.

Strong tropo on Buffalo - Ottawa tonight with WGRZ booming in as well as WIVB. Also very very strong Watertown, even got the new WNYF HD on RF 35 whcih is 100 miles away in Watertown and only about 2 kW ERP in our direction..

It's only 230 miles from Buffalo to Ottawa so not an exceptional DX but pretty good for here.

Great out here too! I've got all the Syracuse Area channels coming in strong last night and this morning.

A couple of new hits for me between 2-4am. I picked up WEYI-DT 30 (25-1) from Saginaw Michigan, & WHMT 34 (17-1..) from Schenectady NY. Later WUTR 30 (20-1) from Utica came in and wiped out WEYI from MI.

Incredable Tropo coming from the east, this morning. I have 3 Albany channels, coming in 75% +. WCWN, on 43, is a new one for me. I turned the antenna due east and hit WCAX out of Burlington, Vermont. That is quite a pull, from Belleville, Ontario. I had all three Utica locals, even channel 27, which is new. We have a local analog 27, 22 miles away and it still came in. Last night, Elmira made an appearance, around 1AM. The east channels are still in, at 11AM, this morning. Nice to get one more shot at it, with the season winding down.

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q299/PrinceLH22/img_0594.jpg

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q299/PrinceLH22/img_0596.jpg

what on earth's going on? i got CITY-TV on 57 (from the CN TOWER!) *very* briefly around 3:30 AM... too brief to get my DSi and take a picture, but i was able to see a couple commercials for toronto-area businesses. this is a personal best for analog OR digital DXing, all with my little four-bay UHF-only antenna. Go little thing, GO! *cheers it on!*

later in the afternoon, dad learned a bit about DXing, as i'll explain below:

As my dad and i were driving home from a family member's house in Lakeshore, he was shocked to hear "FM96" all the way to our house near the bridge. he asked me how it's possible. I simply told him that its radio waves were bouncing off the atmosphere and radiating back down onto windsor becuase the lack of clouds over us and the warm weather is boosting them... though being a "superpower station" (at 300-something kW) helps, too.

i didn't know CFPL-FM's signal could push past tilbury, especially into the crowded detroit-windsor FM market.

So... that's CITY-TV 57, and CFPL-FM 95.9.... time to calculate distances...
CITY-TV: 333.42 km (207.18 miles)
CFPL-FM: 162.98 km (101.27 miles)

It was really incredible this morning, the tropo moving east to west. My post from this morning shows a signal that skipped over the Adirondack Mountains, to my antenna in eastcentral Ontario. It went over 300 miles to get from there to here. I've been playing with my rig, that I put up in the spring, all summer till now and it was the best and longest catch of the year for me.