yes, just enough tropo here to get WUTV Fox 29.1. I can get WNLO all the time and the WUTV transmitter is so close to that one, just don't quite have enough signal to get WUTV all the time, someday I'll have to tweak my setup to try to get Fox all the time. But tonight - yes!

yes, just enough tropo here to get WUTV Fox 29.1. I can get WNLO all the time and the WUTV transmitter is so close to that one, just don't quite have enough signal to get WUTV all the time, someday I'll have to tweak my setup to try to get Fox all the time. But tonight - yes!
WUTV's transmitter though broadcasting at 1000kW like WNLO, is more directional to the south/southeast. Even here on the shores of Lake Ontario in Mississauga, it's a little weak for me (stable no dropouts) but I had trouble getting it in my early DTV setting up.

Try a 4221 with a 7777 preamp and aim around the southeast.

Ah, that explains it. Thanks.

very strong tropo coming from Ottawa in Montreal last evening and this morning
CBOT-DT was coming at 100% !
it disturb the signals coming from Mt-Masfield (WCAX and WPTZ, as well as the others ABC PBS FOX ...etc...

we will have some tropo disturbance next week too

see

http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html

year-round tropo-skip, anyone?

Had a little skip Tuesday, but Wednesday/Thursday has been dead- the rain/fog doesn't help. Interestingly WUTV 29 (RF 14) stayed strong while other south Buffalo stations decreased in strength.

Quite night here. Last night, I had Albany, Utica and the LP Watertown station in. I've received them all before, but seeing them this late in the year is a bonus. Still able to see the Syracuse channels, so all is not lost.

Looks like the winter months are showing signs.... signals for me here the past few days have been on the weak side for any fringe signals 50 miles or more. The weather hasn't helped, rain and haze don't seem to help signals. Lost a few channels...

indeed DigitalRocks.
I have had less than desirable reception from here in London too. I still think though that the recent patch of tropo resulted in some of the finest catches so I am inclined to think that perhaps the trade off will be Hero to Zero syndrome.
In the past days I have had the time to add a third television to my loop, and now am using a Winegard 4 way splitter. I have terminated the four input and I am asumming that the loss on each output is around 7.5 dB as compared to my Channel Master 2 way splitter that had 3.5 loss per output.
Now I am just gonna see and wait.
My Channel Master 7778 should easily make up for this loss, but I am hoping that the additional atennuation could assist me. Or will the result be lest effective for my fringe signals.
I will be sure to pass along my results as tropo reappears.

All is not lost, here in Eastern, Ontario. We seem to have Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Watertown in, plus Utica is also in at a respectable 55%. I wasn't going to DX much tonight, but may do a search every hour or so. Who knows what may visit tonight. Still trying to log those Binghamton, NY, locals, with no luck all of this year. Strange, since I get a signal from nearby Elmira, about once a month. I've had better luck with Albany and Burlington, Vermont, then those locals in Binghamton. Anyone been able to receive those channels on good tropo nights, in Ontario? I think that they're on RF 7, 8, 34 and 42.

Didn't have the TV on since Fri night, but right now (~1115pm Sat) signals from Cleveland are just booming. Most every channel is currently there even that very very rare WBNX. Temporarily high signal with WVPX,WJW,WKYC,WEWS,WEAO. Even seeing WOIO with it's pathetic 1.14kW in my direction too. WUAB like usual is still crap though, barely there. I know it won't last long though, they are fading already :P.

Obviously some minor tropo is happening right now even WLNS,WPXD are around. Surprising considering the all cold, mist and fog (dense).

EDIT Cleveland has faded out considerably, but still getting WPXD,WLNS, and pixellated WLAJ as CHCH 51 is now filled with digital snow

I tried to DX.
What equipment do you need to DX?

I have an EagleStar 4221 clone and just today installed a 7777 preamp. Very satisfactory! Getting all the locals now, and even ION and WNYB saying hello on a regular basis w/o tropo!

Judging by the posts here though, most of the good tropo happens in the far east of Ontario, and the far southwest. What about the GTA? How come I don't hear about good catches here?

I would think my extreme proximity to Lake Ontario (southwest mississauga/near oakville) would be a plus, but the best catch I've ever got was Rochester, and very weakly.

Is it location, or the equipment? And I guess you need a rotor right?

A pretty fine morning of DX, coming out of the east. WCAX, Burlington, Vermont, was booming in, close to 90% most of this morning. I also pulled a new one, WPTZ, out of Plattsburgh, NY, on RF14. Weird, I've been scanning around and these are the only ones that I see on the long distance front. Around 1AM, I had Albany, NY on channels RF34 and 26. I've had them before, but having them in, this late in the season, was a treat. If your around, swing it toward the Champlain Valley. WPTZ on RF14 and WCAX on RF22 are booming in. From the Belleville area, it's a good 300 mile ride, so good hunting!!

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q299/PrinceLH22/100_0202.jpg

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q299/PrinceLH22/100_0201.jpg

most of the good tropo happens in the far east of Ontario, and the far southwest. What about the GTA? How come I don't hear about good catches here?For DXing in large urban areas like the GTA it is sad but true that the tall buildings and greater number of sources of interference have a natural tendency to reduce the signal of even the most powerful tropo events, even as suburban DXers are having much more luck. In the GTA there are summertime reports of Rochester and Erie DTV being picked up, but seldom from much farther away. On the analogue side, GTA DXers over the years have picked up Barrie, Kitchener, Peterborough, and sometimes further during the summer.

Look at this topographical image and you'll see that the geography of Southern Ontario plays a major role in how tropo propagates - from Windsor to London is flat as a billiards table while Niagara north to Georgian Bay has the Escarpment causing problems, and the Golden Horseshoe has a variety of other hills, valleys, and of course conurbated areas disrupting the signals:

http://www.user.dccnet.com/jonleblanc/images/s-ontario.png

As for best DXing gear and conditions in Canada, I would buy a lot right next to Phil81 in Leamington, put up my ideal Deepest Fringe gear, and challenge him to regular DXing duels! :D

I would say Jase88 has a pretty good DX (OTA) set-up and along with his locale (i.e., good elevation), he has recorded some pretty good tropo...

(Who does have the best OTA set-up? Wasn't there someone who was working at an old hotel site and had a monster tower and was trying to mount several antennas?...)

Just came home from my day out and turned on the set to see that Burlington and Plattsburg are still in tonight. Started to scan with no other results. Yes, Utica is in, but that is not abnormal in these parts. Weird that that one region is coming in strongly, but many of the closer stations are only fair. Still scanning.......

Though I get your point, I still kind of don't understand.

I'm not in the urban part of TO, and I have no buildings interfering. Actually the area I'm in isn't even suburb-y. It's probably the most sparsely populated area of Mississauga. Trees are a bigger issue, but I've cleared the few that stand between me and the lakeshore.

I can understand how trying to DX northern signals wouldn't work (Barrie/Kitchener/Peterborough come in fine on analog if pointed in the right direction), but I'm literally stone's throw from the lake, and have LOS to all Buffalo stations except WGRZ and WNYO (1edges which come in fine for me now). I would expect US tropo would be easier.

Could it be the lake bouncing signals randomly? Or is it because I'm on lower ground? The niagara penninsula perhaps?

I mean I HAVE recieved traces of WICU and an unknown RF21. Nothing with RF21 nearby. I've gotten all of the Rochesters at some point or another. I'm just in awe how some of you can pull off massive 300+ mile catches haha.

It's just weird. I guess a 4bay isn't the best antenna to do DXing is it? :P

Ha good one stampeder lol. In your terrain map I'm actually just north of that big hump at the bottom of it's downslope. That gives me no LOS to Toledo and Cleveland, and those are the two trouble markets for me. My tvfool (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/picture.php?albumid=329&pictureid=1679). Results lite up like a Christmas tree just 3-4 km to my southwest on top of that ridge where there is total LOS to all 3 markets. Lots of ham's with towers and strange antennas up on that large hill too.

When I started reading here over a year ago I was shocked that many in the GTA have LOS and reliable reception to most if not all the Buffalo stations in excess of 80+ miles from where they live. Here I have big time reliability issues with even 55-70 mile stations. (thick evergreen trees in almost every direction don't help either) DX'ing isn't poor where I am but there are much better places around here for it i'm sure, getting further away from the local strong torch analog stations and FM towers would help quite a bit as well.

Have fun all with this last bit of tropo, looks like winter is here fast by the end of the week :o.

little-infinity,

I've found that those 300+ mile results are pretty rare and only happen on the best of tropo evenings. I've only had a few over the entire year so far (WBAY,KWQC,WVAH). Most times I only get some of the 80-100 mile stations with mild tropo like Lansing, Flint MI,Akron OH, or London, ON.

Also depends what time you search for DX stations. I find some of the furthest catches only show themselves well after 1-2am!

Knowing this thread is also more than just tropo and DXing, being also for odd reception, I wish to add this:

Been monitoring WCAX and WPTZ, from the Champlain Valley, since 1AM this morning. Those stations have been in, all day, here in the Belleville area, wih very few dropouts. Why is this weird? They have been in stonger than any other digital channels, including WWTI, out of Watertown, which is my rock, for signal strength. WWNY is in around 38%, WWTI at 55%, WPBS is 48%, my top Syracuse on RF24, is 45%, top Rochester, RF10 is 40%, top Buffalo channel is RF33, at 35%. WCAX is in at 65%, as is WPTZ at around 65%. No low power Watertown on RF35, but do see WNPI at 35% going east. No other Burlington/Plattsburg locals have been seen. I have also seen Utica in, off and on, in the low 40's. It's weird because it's been like this, all day. I've even seen the Champlain Valley stations hit in the 90's, at times. Been scanning everything, west to east, also concentrating on the Boston/lower New Hampshire markets, with no luck. Albany has appeared a couple of times, on RF34 and RF26, but no consistancy, since 2AM this morning. Weird event happening from this area, with no explaination.