OTA NETWORK Status: GlobalTV

[FunkyTown]

I'm located in the Ottawa region. Global has been unavailable to both of my TiVo PVRs this afternoon. It shows up as no signal. All of the other channels are coming in fine. I'm not certain as to what they are doing, but I hope they restore the station soon.

[OttawaGuy999]

Just visited the "OTA en francais" forum and it looks as though SRC has applied to use RF33 in Ottawa!

I was really hoping that Global would have applied to use this channel considering the reception difficulties on RF6.

[micah]

Is there a link to the CRTC application?

[OttawaGuy999]

There is...

https://services.crtc.gc.ca/pub/DocW...ppNo=201115220

Here's a rough translation...

"This application is for a change from channel 9 to channel 33, and an increase in average effective radiated power from 1,800 watts to 282,000 watts (maximum effective radiated power from 3,500 watts to 480,000 watts). The HAAT (I'm pretty sure it's HAAT) has also been recalculated in light of the recalculation of the radiating centre by using more precise topographical values. This will change from 424.9 metres to 397.7 metres. Since the 1st of September, our post-transition CBOFT-DT broadcasts on the VHF band, on channel 9. Since this time, we have noticed a number of viewers who received the channel on its pre-transitional channel 22 are now having difficulties receiving Radio-Canada. The company has received a high number of complaints from viewers in the Ottawa region in this regard."

"Cette demande reflète un changement du canal 9 au canal 33, et une augmentation de la puissance apparente rayonnée moyenne de 1 800 watts à 282 000 watts (puissance apparente rayonnée maximale de 3 500 watts à 480 000 watts). La HEASM a aussi été recalculée en fonction du nouveau centre de radiation et en utilisant des donnés topographiques plus précises. Celle-ci passera de 424,9 mètres à 397,7 mètres.
Depuis le 1er septembre 2011, notre émetteur numérique post-transitoire CBOFT-DT diffuse sur la bande VHF, au canal 9. Depuis ce temps, nous avons remarqué que certains téléspectateurs qui recevaient convenablement le signal au canal 22 en période de transition éprouvent maintenant de la difficulté à obtenir une réception de qualité de Radio-Canada. La Société a reçu un nombre très élevé de plaintes de téléspectateurs de la région d'Ottawa en ce sens."

[flavoie]

The "funnier" part of this is... SRC Ottawa/Gatineau locks in at 100% all the time at my place and I have a hard time getting Global Ottawa.

[flavoie]

Let's play musical chairs. I guess Global Ottawa could now go to channel 9 at the top of the tower ? SRC's new application mentions a lower tower height.

[amateur_GH]

Translation from OttawaGuy999

The HAAT (I'm pretty sure it's HAAT) has also been recalculated in light of the recalculation of the radiating centre by using more precise topographical values. This will change from 424.9 metres to 397.7 metres.

@flavoie ... I wonder if that lower tower height is only (or in part ?), caused be a revision in the topographical data ?

[rmchahn]

Subject to all of the gov't approvals, etc, wouldn't it be simpler for Global to just increase their ERP? Or am I over-simplifying things?

[flavoie]

Originally Posted by amateur_GH

Translation from OttawaGuy999
@flavoie ... I wonder if that lower tower height is only (or in part ?), caused be a revision in the topographical data ?

I don't know. Ideally they could share the antenna for 30,34,40, i.e. all the other french channels located in the same channel range.

[downbeat]

The application explicitly states there are no changes in tower/antenna height, it is all due to a recalculation of HAAT.

[tvlurker]

Originally Posted by rmchahn

Subject to all of the gov't approvals, etc, wouldn't it be simpler for Global to just increase their ERP? Or am I over-simplifying things?

Perhaps, but Global's exisitng antenna has a very sharp null towards Orleans, and probably would have to be replaced, preferably higher up on the tower. Once they're doing that, they might as well apply for 9, 12, or 50. 9 and probably 12 have the possibility of piggybacking on existing antennas.

There is also the issue of the other 88 MHz FM transmitters. Any capital expenditures required on the FMs to co-exist with a super-power channel 6 would be on Global's dime.

[TOTVBuff]

Okay it seems the first Friday of the month Global Toronto OTA goes off the air around 9 pm and comes back about 11 pm just in time for the news. Any ideas?

[GeorgeMx]

Originally Posted by tvlurker

...
There is also the issue of the other 88 MHz FM transmitters. Any capital expenditures required on the FMs to co-exist with a super-power channel 6 would be on Global's dime.

Peak power from horizontal and vertical sync on analog would easily exceed the maximum ERP from a more powerful digital transmitter. I don't see any issue here.

[Jase88]

TOTVBuff, I didn't lose CIII channel 41 Toronto between 9pm and 11pm on Friday. Nor have I see any indications in this thread or the Toronto station status thread that anyone else (besides yourself) lost it either?!?

[tvlurker]

Originally Posted by GeorgeMx

Peak power from horizontal and vertical sync on analog would easily exceed the maximum ERP from a more powerful digital transmitter. I don't see any issue here.

George, were Global to stay on channel 6, they would have to use a new antenna without such a sharp null towards Orleans. According to TVFool, the ERP towards Orleans is only 70 Watts.
The null towards Montreal, originally there to protect a 100kW analog stations on channel 6, causes woefully inadequate coverage of Orleans, a highly populated suburban area. To overcome that null would either require going to much higher than 50 kW average, or a new antenna. Either way would require re-engineering of the colocated FM stations. Hopefully Shaw has a deal to use channel 9, which should work fine if the power was increased from 3 kW to something like 20 kW or more, or is willing to pony up to build a high power station on channel 50.