Thanks to danbcman, I tried to tune the Sea-Tac stations.

I am not getting any Seattle, but with a silver sensor clone pointed to the south I am getting:
18 KCPQ 80% FOX
27 KBTC 65% PBS Tacoma
14 KTBW 80% TBN

This gives me a bit of ammunition to get an outdoor antenna mounted this summer.

ardsa

I actually have 18 dtv ota recieved it is wild right now for me

I"m getting about 10 channels, both VHF,UHF. I live in the Vancouver-Kingsway area and I have gotten both CBC and Global HD/digital channels using an indoor antenna. How come I don't have CTV in UHF/digital? I should be getting that channel but i'm not, so any clues?

What kind of antenna are you using, and are there any obstructions between your location and Mt. Seymour?

I'm using a RCA CANT501 Indoor Antenna, yes some trees are blocking my view of Mt. Seymour. Other than those trees no big obstructions like buildings are present.

Okay thanks - hopefully you can return that antenna for a full refund. See the Antenna Chart:

Right now as Obama is sworn in as Presedent i'm getting full signal strength from both CBC and Global both HD. Unfortunely I can not refund my antenna, I was just wondering if it was possible to pick CTV-DT up because the antenna I have is an amplified VHF/UHF/FM but is indoor. :) Would a Zenith silver sensor & clone do any better at picking up the remaining two possible digital channels?

If you can buy a ZSS or clone with a refund I think it is the way to go. You can see another antenna from The Source on the Antenna Chart that people have had good results with. In your location you should be getting CTV in digital.

Ok, thanks. I'll pick one up soon.

First post here, so please bear with me.

I have an apartment in a highrise in downtown Vancouver on 23rd floor. There's windows all along and a balcony (the whole apartment faces south east). There are no high-rises blocking my view as they are far away (I can see the BC Place Stadium from home). Also, my TV is capable of picking up HD OTA signals.

I've gone through the FAQ section as well as Antenna Chart.

Now my question is:

1. Would I be able to get HD OTAs using an indoor antenna like Silver Sensor?
2. Would I be able to receive signals from American broadcasters, e.g. Seatac, using an indoor antenna?
3. I may be able to put a small size antenna in the balcony (the strata doesn't allow it), in that case is there any benefits for me to put the antenna outside on the balcony?

Thanks

Hi Typhooon, you will definitely get the Canadian digital stations from Mt. Seymour, and with the height of your apartment off the ground you'll also get the two digital stations from Bellingham. For SeaTac stations you would definitely need to try an outdoor antenna of the larger variety (8-Bay Bowtie) so it would be hard to camouflage it. ;)

I've decided to buy a Terk HDTVa antenna. Do you think it'll meet my needs for receiving both digital and analog channels? Is there any better indoor antennas out there?

A ZSS clone like the Terk HDTVa will be fine for your needs.

Stampeder, apparently HDTVa from Terk is about $52 whereas the one from Philips (PHDTV3) is $19. Is there a huge difference between the two?

They perform identically apart from maybe the strength of their internal amps, which may or may not make a difference. I'd say given those prices your choice is clear. :)

I got a Philips Silver Sensor clone hooked into the TV input of a Hauppage 150 card. I'm located on the north slope of Vancouver with a clear LoS to Mt. Seymour (other than for the branch of a redcedar tree).

I get good signal/picture from 17, 26, 32 and 42 but horrible from 2 and not that great from 8. Any idea why? Is it because I'm not using a digital tuner (haven't bought the HDTV yet).

Did you try a digital scanning sounds like you did only anolog scan?

Well it seems I mis read the post I beleive your saying the card is not digital rather than you did not do a digital scan may be the antenna is for digital reception?

cockroach, it sounds like your silver sensor clone is UHF only antenna (2 and 8 are VHF channels). The basic silver sensor is UHF only but some clones have telescopic dipoles (rabbit ears) for VHF reception. You might have better luck with rabbit ears.

A digital tuner would solve your problem too because 2 and 8 transmit HD in digital on 58 and 22 respectively.

Thanks, bwalter. I'll wait until I get the HDTV then.

I'm on a 3rd floor of a 4-storey apartment building at 3rd & Clark in Vancouver. Our main window and balcony face due south and there's a building in that direction (but only a few feet taller than our apartment). We also have a small east-facing window.

I bought a new Samsung 32" HDTV and using "plain old rabbit ears" we're getting beautiful CBC and CTV in HD, although the reception is rather finicky. Mt. Seymour is northeast from us, and that's roughly where the rabbit ears have to point (precariously perched on a love seat right now) in order to get good reception.

No sign, analog or digital, of any US stations no matter where we point the antenna.

I've taken a look at the antenna chart. I'm considering getting a better one to see what reception we can get; however it won't be possible to put anything outdoors.

Edit: Let me add that Global has yet to *ever* show up. One unfortunate characteristic of this Samsung TV (LN32A300) is that the only way to lock onto a DTV channel is to find it in the scan. I can't just enter, for example, "22-1" into the box and then start waving around the antenna to see where the signal strength is best. The tuner has to find it first on a scan, or I can't even monitor signal strength.