Yeah, I'm aware it that fact -- thanks. It's all just a temp hookup until I decide what's to be done in my circumstance vis a vis OTA.

My original thinking was to go FTA satellite, augmented with OTA for more local stuff ..and still is ;)

Hey Stampeder... thanks for the suggestion on the SGBH!! Just put it up and now getting CTV HD @ 85 (on my TV that's near 'good').. Global HD and CBC HD are at 95 or better!
Not going to worry about Sea-Tac yet, might have to build another one and aim it down south.

Hi All.

I realize I'm living on what is likely defined as "deepest fringe", being in the Alberni Valley, on Vancouver Island, but I've been doing a little research and testing and I'm thinking I may be able to pick up a signal off the stations on Mt Seymor.

I borrowed an RCA CANT711 indoor/outdoor antenna, and was mildly suprized to find that I managed to pick up CTV channel 32, although it was a fair bit snowy. It looks like this is also the most powerful of the broadcasts off of Seymor at 2,000,000 watts.

My Geography:
I had a close look on maps & google earth and I am almost due west of the Seymor location, just south of thier location by a 4-5 "minutes" (ie - miles)
My line of sight is over Cameron lake which is between the larger mountains, but there is still a hump of land in the way which is ~2500' - which is the close to the same elevation as the Mt Seymor broadcast sites. The "hump" is about 12 miles from my position.
The distance from here to Mt Seymor is 90 miles.

Before I build an SBGH or DBGH antenna, I thought I would ask if my "fringe" location sounds like a candidate worthy of spending the effort on.

Any comments would be appreciated.

rman60, I'd be delighted if you were to get the Mt. Seymour stations well, but what has always stuck in my mind was that the major Canadian networks deliberately put in repeaters for Port Alberni (CBC 4, CTV 11). That says something about the situation right there... ;)

OTOH, we know that the Mt. Seymour stations are picked up in Parksville so if you're up on Cherry Creek Hill or east of Port Alberni towards the Whiskey Creek area you probably do have a shot at Mt. Seymour stations given your hit on 32 already, but in order to test I would suggest you build an SBGH first, then once you've got that experience under your belt make it into a DBGH if necessary.

I agree with your comments, thats pretty much what I had figured on doing.
Thanks for the input.

I'll post a note on how it works once I have it built.

OK, so I built a SBGH last night and tried it from my location in the Alberni Valley (I'm at Sproat Lake). Unfortunately I can not get a good signal from Vancouver. I managed to pick up chnl 32 - almost watchable and chnl 8 - barely visible.

Oh well - it was worth a shot.

I do have the couple local channels which are on the repeaters here in the valley, although they are VHF chnl 4 and 11 and only 11 seems to come in ok with my new SBGH.
I might try and "fine tune" a home made balun to improve this a bit.

Any other suggestions for tuning to my couple local VHF channels would be appreciated.

Oh I didn't know you are on Sproat Lake. I would not have been so hopeful if I'd known... Sadly, I think you are SOL for OTA alternatives.

Also your reception will probably go all wacky every time one of the giant Mars water bombers takes off! :)

rman - I'm in Parksville (by macdonalds) and I've listed what channels I receive a bit farther back in this thread.
I was thinking of building another SBGH and bridging them together to have one pointed south towards SEATAC.

Watcha doing with your antenna? keeping it? ;) ;)

You can have it if you want, although it is fairly rough construction. I just mounted the bowties onto a 2x4 with some wood blocks for standoffs. I used aluminum rod - the stuff they use to support hanging cieling framework. PM me if your interested. I don't check this site every day, but I'll get back to you if you leave a note.

bowties, are you sure you built a SBGH? sounds like a 4 or 8 bay.. Could be wrong, fairly new to the OTA scene.

Hi,

I'm in Qualicum Beach and so far get the following digital stations

CBUT = %67
CIVT = %63

solid signal no drop out

I get global analog but no digital from global yet... :(

I'm going to buy a pre-amp. I made my antenna out of 8 coat-hangers screwed to wood and used a matching transformer. There was some movie on the net about it. I'm thinking I'm close to 100km away from the towers. The pre-amp will help.

I took an oven rack and placed it behind the antenna as a reflector

lol it looks pretty funny


My signal is now 70% for CTV and CBC

and now get global but only at 59%

hey network... I live down the highway from you in Pville... Just behind the temple store.

I have a sbgh up on the front of my house.. (now completely jammed with snow damn)... I know you will get MUCH better results if you switch to a SBGH or even a double bay!

PM me and after xmas if you're not too busy you could swing by and have a look!

My Mum has been fed up with Shaw cable, so I bought a silver sensor and a Zenith 901 DTV box.(she doesn't have an HDTV) I was only able to get two channels. I was going to put up an antenna but she doesn't want to have one outside, she thinks they are ugly. What would you recommend to put in her attic or what do you think of the winegard ss2000 (she thinks that one looks okay)?

Thanks

Jeremy

I purchased a pre-amp and now get 93% percent on CBC and 87% CTV and 73% on Global. Its kinda funny that my coathanger antenna works as well as it does.

Anyone north of Nanaimo receiving KVOS from Bellingham?? Before I risk life and limb on my roof ;) I would like to see if it's even possible!


NETWERK: where did you buy your pre-amp from?

I have learned a great deal from everyone in this forum, thanks. I live in Whistler and would like to access the HD channels available. I recently purchased a RCA CANT501 amplified antenna which gets me an almost perfect global analog reception and CBC analog with some shadowing. I have not been able to find anyone else in the forum from Whistler using OTA transmission. My TV only has a NTSC tuner (mid 90's zenith) so my next step would be to buy an HDTV with an ATSC tuner but, if I can't receive HD channels in Whistler I'm wasting my money. I have not been able to locate where the transmission towers are for Whistler, assuming it is Mount Seymour, will I be able to get the signal for HD or am I stuck with only the analog signal? I also ordered the Phillips phdtv3 antenna as that seems to be the popular choice on the forum, essentially being the same as the silver sensor or comparable clones believing this will do me better than the RCA antenna I just bought from future shop. Also living in a condo run by a strata won't allow me to put up an external antenna so the internal antenna is my only option. Any thoughts?

Hi seangraham, there are presently 4 analogue OTA channels in Whistler:

CBC 13
CTV 18
Global 9
CITY 21

There's a possibility you might get other analogue repeaters from the Pemberton, Squamish, and maybe even Lillooet areas but only in oddball weather. The digital stations on Mt. Seymour are on the south slope directly opposite to the direction of Whistler so the odds of getting any digital signals are nil. The CBC has been allotted Digital Channel 34 for Whistler if they ever decide to bring it up in the future.

CTV 18
CIVT does not have any transmitters besides the one in Vancouver, so it's most likely CHEK-TV out of Victoria.

Channel 18 in Whistler, BC is an operational CTV station licensed as CHWM. Check out the IC database:

http://www.user.dccnet.com/jonleblanc/Canada_TV_Stations/