@fundyshore: Can you provide a more accurate description of how you are receiving this station? (Antenna, TV/tuner, etc.)

And this on a basic hanging Dipole fashioned from some 300 ohm twin lead :)

Danster, the Mt Hope tower is for Fredericton and is only about 20 KM from you.

The tower for SJ is just west of Greenwich.

And now I want to be home from Greenwich (Cottage) and see what I get off the SJ Global from home as I can just get the analog from SJ so I was very curious to see what the digital signal would do from such a distance...

Sunday... I'll post my reception results.

They must have the tower on Mt Champlain pointed SJ and east.
I'm in the Lepreau area and cannot pick up a thing! I've got a booster, and my antenna is in the attic above the TV (so a "short" run).
Wish I could also pick up PBS out of Calais... I could get the analog signal (was 2nd best after ATV) but no more.

Ya, the gang of them are all up there. That is also why CBC was slagged by people and the CRTC because it made no sense for them to relocate their transmitter as it could have been set up to cover all of SJ, Freddy and quite a pile around all from there.

If I get REALLY ambitious, I may try to pick up PBS and CBS off of Mars Hill but I am not holding my breath. They are 65 miles away so it would be a real achievement.

I am surprised you are getting nothing from the CH 12 broadcast though. According to TV Fool, you should be able to do OK for Global and CTV.

rpokane-

I know from the top of the hill of Maces Bay road it was possible to even get 57 WLBZ and 61 WABI from Calais. I tried it once with a small antenna, but I would expect you would need an 8-bay channelmaster and a good preamp right at the antenna, mounted outdoors, to get a good digital signal of WMED-PBS. I think some of the analog repeaters are still up - at least for WLBZ on 57.

NTV HD reception update:

This morning we were having a bit of a wind and rain storm in the area.....the signal for NTV was low enough that I could not get a good picture on any of my tuners. The SONY LCD gave readings up to 70 but constantly varied from 60 to 25. The normal up to this point was 63 - 65. The 7000PAL gave readings of 61 -58. The normal was 64 - 66.

I removed a couple of splitter legs. I terminated the leg to one TV that does not have a converter yet and connected the theatre leg directly to the 7000PAL and will have to use the analogue bypass feature for CBC (I had the leg split to the analogue tuner and the 7000PAL). I guess my signal is just barely strong enough (needed a powered 2-way splitter [upstairs / theatre split] to get a signal initially) and supposedly the rain cuts the signal strength or is it just coincidental with some NTV adjusting?

My signal strength on the SONY is now around 75 (much better than previously) but the 7000PAL is still showing 61 - 66 (about the same as before). I am not sure if the changes caused the better numbers or if it was the fact that the rain seems to have let up somewhat!

I will have to get another amplifier of some sort for the signal, but does this mean that in our snowy winter weather I am probably going to have reception problems. How much does the weather alter the signal strength?
Is snow falling worse than rain and presumably heavy rain is worse than light rain. There were no problems noticed over the last few relatively foggy drizzle saturated days. When CBC switches over, their signal will be less than 10% of their present analogue strength.....does this mean no CBC during bad weather or is the VHF (ch8) signal going to be less prone to weather related signal losses?

Is anyone else around the area having similar problems? I am not exactly on the fringe area (~ 35 -40Km from the transmitter).

A bit disappointed,
P.E.H.

I can't speak to the NTV issues but I can say that I am also interested in the rain and snow performance of OTA HD.

I have my HDHomerun on order and it should be here later this week. Once here, I will be adding it to my SageTV setup and going active with whatever channels are available from this point on. This should give me a good assessment of what kind of signal loss there will be when it rains for the Fredericton area and a bit of an idea for anyone else that is interested.

I have been quiet on DHC for a while but all this OTA for the Maritimes will have me here with whatever updates and info I can provide.

Reception report from Keswick Ridge right above the Dam. Installed a VHF HI Antenna (Wineguard 1713) + booster 10ft above my mothers deck this week. No problem receiving Global SJ on 12 by aiming south. Also was able to receive Global Fredericton on 44 as virtual 8.1 on the back side of that antenna while aimed 180 degreas away at Mars Hill Maine for WAGM 8 and PBS on 10 which saves rotating for it ;-)

Hoping to be able to do the same trick with CBC Fredericton on 19 when they get it on air. Last concern will be CTV on 9. Anyone have the post transition power levels for 9 vs 12. Would love to have a shot at also getting 9 without resorting to more antennas or a rotor. Will report those results next month.

robcreaser, what kind of strength are you getting from Mars Hill?

Just curious but is there anyone receiving any OTA digital signals in either N.S., P.E.I or we have not heard from the Moncton area if there Global digital signal is up and running yet?

No real way of measuring sig strength other then "bars" on the older Samsung digital tuner box that I was using.. I got 4 bars on chan 10 and a constant lock. 8 was weaker at 1-2 bars with rainfade in the bigger showers and intermittent glitches. I may install a bigger amp once the transition is completed and I can test with a newer built in digital tuner in a new panel.

What is max bars on that box? That way, I have a better idea on the relative strength.

Ten bars would be full strength. Just under 61 miles from that location to the transmitters on Mars Hill.

Rothesayman - I was tuned to CIHF-TV-14 channel 42 Charlottetown analog yesterday. This channel is fed OTA from Moncton (essentially as a translator). So it is safe to say that Moncton was still analog yesterday. This is just my opinion, but I'm expecting all CTV, CBC and SRC stations in the maritimes and everywhere else to go right around the deadline. I think Global Halifax will be next and very soon (since Shaw's conversion page has said late July and it's been reported that SJ was for a time broadcasting the Halifax feed). Then Moncton and shortly afterwards, Charlottetown. These are all just hunches though.

I wonder though about some of the TVA, V, and SRC affiliate translators in northern NB. I could see them switching sooner.

Well Dan, it is not just you...

I assume that Global is messing about, fine tuning things or at least testing things. I got back to the house today and cannot get Global HD for Fredericton but could JUST grab a slice of Global HD SJ.

I even dug out my larger antenna and still no dice so I am solidly convinced that I did get lucky and catch the start of a very short testing window last weekend.

As of today, there are no digital transmitters active in Moncton.

At the CKCW-TV site, there is a flurry of activity to change from Channel 2 to 29. New antennas above the FM bays (CFQM) were installed last week. Could that be a temporary channel 2 antenna to be used during the transition? The new UHF array is on the ground, awaiting installation.

I have pics, but cannot post.

Jeff

Thanks for all the info guys. Global HD Saint John is still up and running and looking great really impressed with OTA HD can't wait to see CTV HD later this month in the Saint John area. I am just guessing too but I would be watching closely in Moncton, Halifax and Charlottetown this week and the following week I am betting Global wants to be the first to have all up and running before Aug 31.

With all these new DTV stations popping up throughout the Maritimes, I can encourage you to tell all your friends about the coming transition and explain what's going on.
Longtime/current OTA users are the best DTV transition ambassadors — better than PSAs for sure. ;)

phannon, those are some interesting issues you're having.

I've only ever lived relatively close to digital transmitters, so I don't have much experience with how adverse weather could affect weaker signals.

You really don't seem too far from the transmitter, I am surprised at the reception problems you're having. I find digital reception can be strange, though. For example, a TV I was experimenting with recently, using a simple 'wire' antenna was getting a 97% strength, but I was getting drop outs. I moved the antenna, and the 97% didn't change, but the dropouts were resolved!


I believe that due to digital power being rated differently, the power ratings will normally be much lower after the DTV switch than their analogue counterpart (that is, if they are remaining on the same channel #) .. CBC shouldn't be affected too much, although I do recall their DTV coverage map being a little smaller than current analogue coverage.

I've never received DTV in the VHF band so I am interested to know how weather will affect it.

We'll have to wait it out and see.. hopefully some other locals find this board and can discuss as well..

I once had, but misplaced, the NTV transition proposal which included an expected coverage area map. I'll see if I can dig that up, along with their old analogue map.