Metallo, you have got to read the OTA FAQ and the Antenna Chart to get up to speed on the antenna brands and almost all other OTA considerations. :)

Hi,

what about the satellite dish on my roof?
Could that be a valuable alternative? It is about 60 cm diam.

Is there a site where I can see the free satellite broadcast stations?

Basically the question is:

Shall I invest in the OTA or is it also worth to check the free satellite possibilities?

Regards,
Alex

Metallo, please refer to the Free to Air Satellite Television (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=57) forum for discussion on that subject.

Hi Metallo,

I think the advice you got about your TVfool report is good advice. The hardest station for you to get will be CTV off of Mount Champlain, near Saint John. You'll need a VHF-hi antenna pointed south to get this station. CTV is the most popular station in Canada and shows most of the top rated US network shows. It also will be showing the summer Olympics this year, and carries NFL football. I would try to get this station first since it will be the hardest to get; if you can get CTV 9 from the south you might also pick up the weaker Global 12 from the same location. Global also shows mostly US network programming, and golf on many weekends. If you can't pick up Global from the south, then the same signal is also coming on channel 44 from WNW.

CBC is your source for general Canadian made programming, NHL hockey, and tape delayed track and field and skiing on the weekends in season. Their transmitter is nearby and you should pick it up with any external antenna and probably even an internal antenna inside your home.

I will agree that a Channel Master 4228HD pointed in the suggested south direction should work too, although it might have trouble with Global.

Hey folks, From Digby County here, I am new to OTA and was wondering if anyone knew what kind of channels would be possible to get around here? Would be really awesome to get digital but I imagine the tv channels are too cheap to transmit around here. Thanks!

It might be possible to get CTV and Global digital in Saint John from Digby town with an outdoor antenna 15 feet or higher. Check out tvfool.com for details.

I have received channels like PBS and ABC back in the day before the US pushed for Digital with simple rabbit ears inside my house, they came from Maine. I see there are in grey on the list for my location on that site, extreme measures they say. Is CBC, CTV and Global nowadays digital or are these channels still analogue in Canada. Is digital harder or easier to pick up? Sorry for asking so many questions.

The difference between analog and digital is that analog can be considered usable by some (not me) even when it provides a snowy, noisy picture. Digital is either visible or not visible, most of the time. If extreme measures are required, that means that likely those stations would be problematic to receive and, if you do receive them, it probably would be hit or miss depending on conditions, so not a reliable system. Not too satisfactory.

In Halifax, I can now receive 14 miles from the transmitter towers absolutely reliably CBC, CTV, and Global digital channels using inside amplified rabbit ears. Reception of these digital signals is excellent 720p (CBC) and 1080i (CTV, Global: full 16x9 format) HD: technically the best way to receive them even compared with pay TV which compresses the signals to deliver poorer quality video to the subscriber. Ironic isn't it, that free is better than pay.

Here, and I believe in your case too, there are no Canadian analog signals available to receive anymore as of August 31 last year with the exception of CBC French which is still available in analog on local channel 13. Some areas elsewhere in Canada still have analog signals available.

Hello there.I'm from Digby co. and I get ch.24 and 34 in analog from the new edinburgh tower(cbc).And I get 12.1 global from SJ and 9.1 from SJ ctv.In the summer I can get up to10 digital channels from maine but it has to be a clear day.I just have a tiny 4 foot long antenna 25 feet high on a rotor.Next year I'm putting a bigger antenna up just to see.

The tower in New Edinburgh (sp?) is CBC? I always got Channel 11 here where I am when I messed with OTA before which IIRC comes from Yarmouth, and also got 9 and 12, though 12 was always weak for me on rabbit ears. Channel 3 was always the strongest, but was French and I don't know French. You must live in the Weymouth Area? I just live outside of Weymouth off the 340. I've never picked up 24 and 34 before the tower must be very weak? I'll have to try sometime. Will they be switching to Digital?

Yuuup.24 is cbc english and 34 is cbc french,they're both in analog.I don't know when they'll be switching to digital.12.1 is global from SJ and 9.1 is ctv from SJ and they're both in HD.From maine I've gotten ch# 2.1 2.2 5.1 5.2 7.1 7.2 8.1 8.2 13.1 13.2 13.3 and 3 or 4 in the 60's.These channels were fox cbs nbc cw pbs a news channel from maine called news8 and few ion channels and abc too.By the way I live in the Clare area.Being close to the water probably helps allot.

This reception report is interesting. Are you currently receiving all (some?) of these US stations with that antenna only 25 feet high? Or is this the cumulative total of all US stations ever received with that antenna over the years? Those Canadian signals all make sense, but it is quite good that you are receiving those US stations with that antenna installation.

I thought that was interesting too. I actually searched where the poster was located to compare.
I'm on the water, facing west towards Maine, and cannot pick up anything with a roof-monuted antenna with an amplifier.

If the US channels are being received via tropospheric propagation as tvfool indicates, then reception could be hit or miss and would be susceptible to propagation conditions on any given day. This is fun for a hobby, but not too good for actually using the stations to watch programming.

A favour to ask our members in the Atlantic provinces - we're all still learning what the DTV situation looks like across such a wide area so please post the link to your TVFool report as it is extremely helpful. Some of you have done that already, but it wouldn't hurt to post it again periodically.

cheers

Note that when TVFool lists "tropo" as opposed to single or double edge diffraction as the non-line-of-sight propagation method, it refers to tropospheric scatter, not tropospheric ducting. They're not the sme thing, and produce different kinds of results.

Hey guys,couldn't answer I was working.I'm actually quite high up above sea level but ch# 7.1 7.2 8.1 8.2 13.1 13.2 13.3 come in all summer on sunny days. If it rains I get the 7's and the 13's but you guys are right about the rest of them,they're a hit and miss.I would check them out now but my rotor is stuck.Corrosion on the connections.One the joys of living next to salt water.

During the days of analogue in the US, I had rabbit ears and Picked up channel 7, 8, and 13 on nice days, all from the US and they actually came in loud and clear considering analogue (very little fuzz on screen). That is with rabbit ears on top of the tv set :O. I live in generally the same area (outside of Weymouth not far from the line (road)).

I don't know if signals get funneled where my house is or what but even fm radio works good here.When I hook a radio to my little antenna I can turn the rotor and get c100 and 101.3 the bounce out of halifax or turn to Maine and get 105.1 wtos the mountain of pure rock.I can't wait to get a bigger antenna.I doubt I can get too much now,this winter I lost 2 elements on it.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d7fcf1e1e3d1ac8 here's the tvfool from Chez Jean less than 2min south of Weymouth. For us dtv the reception up there is unbelieveable, no wonder there's so many old monster yagis still up on the towers up there.