Did you try CBCHD by entering 58.8 manually? Might be worth a try.

Ok, I solved the mystery. Took two days to find it.

Because I am using a diplexer, the same cable carries the UHF, satellite LNB output signal *and* the LNB DC (14v/18v) power supply / polarization control.

When the LNB is powered up, the only HD I get is Global. No CBC-HD or CTV-HD. When I turn off the satellite receiver there is no interference and I also get CBC-HD and CTV-HD!

I do have some numbers for my two DIY antennas:

SIGNAL STRENGTH TABLE

Legend:
2up is the flimsy 2-bay cardboard and aluminum tape unit with solid reflector placed upstairs
4up is the solidly-built 4-bay unit with two oven-rack reflectors placed upstairs
2dn is the 2-bay placed downstairs

Channel 2up 4up 2dn

CBC-DT 62 77 32
GLB-DT 92 77 70
CTV-DT 62 47 no Lock

The two antennas were identically placed, running their signal through two diplexers and about 75 ft of RG-58.

For some reason the 2-bay with 8" elements seems to have higher gain at higher frequencies than the 4-bay with its 7" elements. Note the 92 in the table. All the analog channels come in clearer as well. Even A-Channel from Victoria comes in stronger with the 2-bay, despite being on the backside of the antenna!

(PS Why do HTML tables not work in this forum?)

Here's a photo of the antennas:

http://208.181.125.239/pix2place/4bay-2bay.jpg

qwinkits, almost all these forum sites use bbcode, so HTML tables don't work.

I sure hope you build an SBGH and just run some RG6 between it and your TV with no line sharing. ;) Here's how: http://www.digitalhome.ca/ota/superantenna/

qwinkits, almost all these forum sites use bbcode, so HTML tables don't work.

I sure hope you build an SBGH and just run some RG6 between it and your TV with no line sharing. ;) Here's how: http://www.digitalhome.ca/ota/superantenna/
Thanks for the insights. I was going to replace the old RG58 with a paired RG-6 last summer but it never happened. I think I will build a more permanent weatherproof see-though version of the 2-bay which is working so well and then put it outside. Trying a SBGH is on the list of things to do.

Any hope of getting UHF (or maybe VHF) from Bellingham or Seattle in Kitsilano by pointing a high gain antenna due south? We are at about 150' elevation, but there's a big hump in the city to the south. I grew up on the south slope of Vancouver and we got all the Seattle stations with a fixed VHF Yagi.

Due south wouldn't be the best aim. If you go to the TVfool.com site you can enter your latitude and longitude to find the precise aiming direction for SeaTac (probably between 165 and 170 degrees). See Post #10 in the OTA FAQ for instructions.

As far as the SeaTac UHF stations, the Vancouver-area people who get them tend to use big antennas like the Channel Master 4228, or you could build your own Double Bay Gray-Hoverman for even more gain.

You'd be best off to get a pro in to do a site survey of the SeaTac signals from your exact location in order to tell if they are worth the trouble.

I recently picked up a nice LG 32" LCD TV (Model: 32lg30) for my dorm room at UBC. Because of the lack of cable connection in my room, I figured that I might as well give OTA HDTV a shot. I live on the 6th floor of a residence building, with a window facing North-East (decent view of the mountains).

Initially, I picked up a Terk TV5 ($30) & a HDTVi ($80) from London Drugs on Broadway. The TV5 picked up CBC and Global, however required repositioning for each channel. The HDTVi received CBC, Global and CTV (all 3 available HDTV channels available in BC) however had to be positioned right smack in front of my TV to do so (otherwise I would lose CTV). The worst thing about these Terk antennas were HUGE.

After becoming frustrated with the size & price of the Terks, I returned them and decided to make my own. I ripped apart an old TV antenna, rebuilt it with some additional wire and duct tape, then taped it to one of my walls. All I can say is that it was a great success!

My home made antenna is a third of the size of the Terks, cost me practically nothing, and picks up CBC and Global reliably without any repositioning required.

The only downside right now is CTV. It will initially pick up the signal, show a few frames, then drops. Further experimentation with the location of my antenna may help improve this, but is there anything I could do to help improve the signal in its current location? E.g. add a metal shield behind the antenna?

Pictures:

http://www.splange.com/otatv/1.jpg
http://www.splange.com/otatv/2.jpg
http://www.splange.com/otatv/3.jpg

That's great, TAK, and you might want to build an SBGH :)

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=81982

just tried the hauppage 850 for the first time.
It doesn't find any ATSC using the portable intenna and only 8,32 and 42 on Analog and these are all so bad reception that they are unwatchable.
I live in downtown Vancouver in an apartment on the 23rd floor.
Any ideas how to get any digital channels? Is it impossible unless one gets a larger antenna? Strata obviously wouldn't allow anything on the patio so it would have to be internal.
thank you.

It's your antenna, bernie888 - that little thing that comes with the Hauppauge 850 is a piece of junk. Check the Antenna Chart for a proper indoor antenna like a ZSS. Which direction does your side of the building face?

thanks, I thought it might be. Although I thought I'd pick up something and then be able to decide if its worth spending more money on a bigger antenna.
I face South and East (corner unit).

I just buy a LG Plasma TV 60" , which allow me to use a OTA antenna.
I would like to know , what kind of antenna I should use to catch some OTA channels and If is possible get some of them or even , the regular channels.

Hello olilo, see the links in Post #389

Sorry if I am totally out to lunch but, when buying a LCD TV and wanting to get as many channels in HD for free through "over the air (OTA)" methods, is there something I should be looking that it says on the box or in the manual that the TV can accept an antenna?

Sorry if I sound a little misinformed, it's because I am.

My wife and I just bought a Sharp Aquos due to being cheap...I am tight, I know.

ATSC QAM tuner. 1080i for starters. I'm sure others will add to the list. My old Sony HD tube set had rf inputs for cable and antenna which I prefer. The newer lcd only has 1 cable input which forces me to use an A-B switch or feed it thru a satellite receiver.

I would look at the avaible inputs list there it should say antenna for ATSC.
Look on the net at the manufactures site for specs on the model you are thinking of getting I put my neck out a little and state that every tv that has a ATSC tuner in fact has to have a input for the antenna to hook up to.

Are cable companies in Canada similar to those in the US in that they carry local "lifeline" service for apx. $16 a month that include local channels that a qam tuner can pick up??? Here, for example, Comcast carries the locals (Seattle...4,5,7,9,11,13,16,22, plus NWCable News) in digital and a qam tuner can pick those HD signals up without a cable box.

Also, a friend got a good deal on a 52'? Panasonic plasma set, but it didn't have a tuner. He had to hook it up either to a cable box or satellite box.

So, when comparing tvs be sure that it has a tuner.

90210Brandon, please read the links I'm providing in this post so that you can get up to speed on OTA as quick as possible. Also, North Van can be tricky for OTA .

levibluewa, Canadian cable companies don't provide anything like that, so we'll stick to helping him with OTA. :)

I think my Samsung ZSS clone is starting to let me down. I have line of sight to Mount Seymour from my condo on the 19th floor and signal strength usually seems reasonably strong but it does fluctuate somewhat.

Over the past month or two I've been starting getting choppyness to the point where things are unwatchable, usually after 8:30pm and possiblye into the early morning hours. CIVT-DT is most affected but CHAN-DT and CBUT-DT are not immune. I haven't had much chance to check the signal strength while the problem is occuring because I use Vista MCE to record and usually don't notice it until after the fact, otherwise I'd also take a look at the analog signal on channel 32 as well to check for interference.

I don't think it's a problem with VMCE though, as normally I am able to record 2 digital and one analog channel without any hicups but when there are problems even a single digital recording is unwatchable.

Also our cats like to rub against the antenna so it's possible they've bent the fins slightly (it is secured so they aren't moving it), but that still doesn't explain why receptions is a problem only at certain times.

I'm thinking of buying a 4 bay bowtie (too bad they seem to be hard to find locally and expensive to ship) or building a SBGH to see if that solves my problem.

The other thing that is also a bit suspect is my wiring. I found the best reception was with the antenna in the bedroom and since I don't have cable vision I connected it to the cable outlet there and have the VMCE PC connected to the cable outlet in the livingroom. (Actually, I have a 4-way distribution amp now between the outlet in the livingroom and the tuners in the PC because when I added the additional tuners the signal became too weak.) Most of those cables are cheap push-on types that come with VCRs etc which I'd like to replace with shorter lengths of better quality but I don't think they're the cause of my problems. I think it's more likey that using the cable vision cabling in the wall is picking up interference? Not sure why this would have changed though. I could temporarily run a 50' length of cable directly from the bedroom to the livingroom though.

bwalter it looks like you've correctly identified several possible culprits for the choppiness on playback - personally I'd suspect the computer, but as you say there are a few other things. The reason I suspect your computer is that from 19 floors up with direct LOS you should never be getting any choppiness in reception, and since the Vancouver Station Status thread doesn't get reports of CIVT-DT getting weak every night I think that's our key evidence. ;)

Thanks stampeder! I understand our new Sharp can accept HD OTA channels and now, after reading the links you have provided, I am on the look out for a quality antenna to start this exciting new hobby!