[FranKllr]

Hi,

I need advice for post-transition problem. This is for my grand-mother. She is living countryside and right behind a mountain. Only VHF appear to get through. She only watches CKTM-TV CH13 (SRC) and want to continue. Problem is after transition, it will go to CH28! She has a corner yagi (I don't know brand/model) on a tower. Is there anything to do? Or would it be possible to try for CBVT-DT CH12 (SRC)? After transition it is suppose to double its power...

TVFool
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id=da32fc54bc6e24
Topographic map.

Thanks!

 

[downbeat]

Do you already receive CBMT-1 on Channel 28 currently? If you do, it might be a feasible catch as a post-transition DTV station.
In any case, you might as well try for CBVT-DT now — Radio-Canada recently got CRTC approval to maintain its current ERP and HAAT for that station.
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2010/2010-849.htm

 

[FranKllr]

Can only receive VHF, so channel CH8 and CH13, rest don't make it through. Someone 2 km to the south, but in front of the Church with a indoor antenna (temporally setup, I made the holl_ands's "UHF+Hi-VHF Bowtie-In-Loop") was able to get 8, 13 and 45 but not 28.

About CBVT-DT, Industry Canada data suggest it could go from currently 2450 to 4900.

I guess CBVT-DT is the only hope to get SRC.

 

[downbeat]

CBVT's ERP could go as high as 4.9 kW if CBC/SRC wanted, but as the link above suggests, they aren't going there.

 

[mille]

arrow uhf antenna

May be her best hope will be to install a UHF arrow style antenna (exterior)
like the one i installed at the cottage in the Laurentians
HD-9032 (UHF Only) + a pre-amp

and you turn the antenna to catch the signal, may be channel 28 is bouncing at a nearby mountain.
Did great for me
It will be easier to aim the antenna when the signal will be digital, with the signal meter of the TV or the converter box...

 

[stampeder]

FranKllr do you have a photo of her antenna?

 

[FranKllr]

No. I will try to take one this weekend.

 

[FranKllr]

I went there today. Here are the photos. There are actually two antennas there.

 

[tvlurker]

It's hard to tell from the picture if the antennas are higher than the trees.
According to the TVFool, your grandmother should be able to get the Trois Rivieres UHF stations with those types of antennas, assuming there aren't nearby trees in the way.

Some ideas:

1. Is it possible that your grandmother's TV is in "Cable" or "CATV" mode. That would make UHF appear to not work, since the channels above 13 are mapped differently.

2. From the picture, it looks like she's got 300 ohm twin lead. The twin lead may have deteriorated, and/or the connection may have come loose at the antenna or combiner. Replacing this with RG-6 cable and a preamp/combiner with 300 ohm inputs and a 75 ohm output should help a lot.

3. Is there a rotor on the tower? It's hard to tell from the picture. If so, you'd need to rotate to get CBVT-DT. If not, you'd need to turn the antenna(s), and then you'd probably lose out on the T-R stations.

Good luck. That's a pretty impressive set of antennas there. Others more versed in commercial antenna design can probably identify the specific models.

 

[stampeder]

That giant, boombastic lower one is a Delhi-Jerrold VHF/FM and was considered one of the top DXing antennas of the 1970s-'80s. If you take it down someone would probably think about buying it, but if you keep it you can clean it up, straighten all the elements, and check/repair any problems and then put it up again.

The top one looks to be a fairly common Winegard/Antennacraft/Radio Shack model (same one sold by all three) or similar, but there are much better choices now, especially the Antennas Direct 91XG. If you are able to build your own antenna I'd suggest a DBGH to really grab the distant UHF signals. Judging from the map you gave, it seems to me that the UHF antenna should still be able to "see around" that mountain's edge.

Which ever UHF you choose, put it up at the top of the pole and aim it for CBMT-DT Channel 28 in Trois-Rivières, then re-install that big VHF below it and aim it for CBVT-DT Channel 12 in Quėbec City, then combine their outputs. I agree that fresh cabling would be a must. This is all assuming that it is safe to go up that tower and that the cost suits her budget.

 

[FranKllr]

The rotor is broken or just jammed into the trees. Those trees are the only one around. In direction of CBMT-DT (trois-riv.), there is a field of maybe 200+ meters, then tree + mountain. Direction of CBVT-DT (qc) is clear.

I will check TV settings next time. I think they are good.
There is the coax cable, a box then it goes into TV. If this is an Amp, could I just remove that? There is only 1 TV plugged to the antennas.

Ok, I will verify if that tower is safe to climb. Trim the trees, change cable, add pre-amp and turn the Delhi-Jerrold to Québec. That will be a good start. But I won't do it in winter, will have to wait for spring.

Thanks a lot guys

 

[Betamax]

I think that you will need to wait until CKTM-TV 13 analog is shutdown, because it can cause adjacent interference with CBVT-DT 12.

 

[tvlurker]

I wouldn't presume that 13 would interfere with 12 on that monster antenna. They're at about 75 degrees apart from each other, and that's likely to provide at least a 30dB null towards 13 when pointed towards Quebec's channel 12. According to TVFool , there is only about a 34dB difference between them, so I don't think 13 analog will be a problem with that antenna.

 

[stampeder]

Yep, look at all the directors on that big VHF antenna - that means that it has an extremely directional beamwidth. That's what made it so popular as a DXing antenna.

 

[MageMinds]

QC - Estrie, Centre-du-Quebec

I tried to find this thread, but I failed, probably because there aren't many English channels is this area. Anyways I decided to start one!

But I'm looking for an answer about a problem I have with CKMI-DT-2 RF 11 located in Sherbrooke. Since yesterday morning I can't seem to see the channel, my USB tuner can't lock on the channel like there are nothing on that channel. Maybe the antenna got damaged during the wind storm of the night of January 17? I'd like to know if I'm the only one.

I'm located in Centre-du-Quebec with LOS to the Sherbrooke transmitting tower, I used to receive CKMI-DT-2 100% according to my USB tuner. Now... nothing.

I also had trouble with CKSH-DT, they had signal but no program in it, but that problem is now gone.

Adding to that CIVS-DT was completely down too, live CKMI-DT-2, but has now been repaired.

What's happening to CKMI-DT-2, please confirm I'm not alone in the dark.

 

[bomberman411]

Need help from professionals

Hi everyone,

I've been using a channel master 4228HD antenna for about 2 years now and I really enjoy using OTA signals over videotron or bell tv services.

I receive a decent amount of watchable channels even though I live wayyy out in the boonies. I would like to post a screenshot of my TVFool scan to show everyone what signals I see in my area but I don't seem to be able to... is that aloud on this forum?

Anyway, since I only have the CM4228HD antenna with a cheap chinese line-amp, I have been thinking for a long time about getting a good PRE-amp. From what I read, I should be careful about which one I get since I could be amplifying the noise instead of the actual signal. I have been looking at vanguard pre-amps (8230 if I'm not mistaken) which is very powerful but also adds 3db of noise on VHF and UHF signals...

Now I know I haven,t posted alot of information concerning the channels I receive and I really wish to post my TVfool screenshot but I can't right now. I wanted to know if I should go for the bigger/more powerful pre-amp and not worry about the noise being amplified or should I calculate my needs and basically go for a specific / lower noise amplification pre-amp like a channel master 7777... I'm new to all of this (in a way) and I don't want to buy the wrong pre-amp for nothing.

I will repost from home tonight (at work right now) with more details about the channels I'm getting and hopefully I will be able to post a screenshot of TVfool as well so that anyone nice enough to help me out will have all the information needed to help me choose wisely.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Dave Loudin]

You can post the URL of your TVFool report (the explanation is at the top of your page), which is the preferred method.

 

[holl_ands]

Did that help???? AFTER entering your location into www.tvfool.com and viewing Results,
copy/paste Results URL into a post.

Location can be street address or LAT/LONG (e.g. GoogleEarth or an on-line locator).
Google Maps displays coordinates of a location, just right-click on the map and select "What's here?".
Zipcode alone isn't accurate enough.

URL is the webaddress at the top of your browser, beginning with www.tvfool.com/...etc...
May be preceeded by that http:// thingy....either way works....

 

[bomberman411]

thanks for telling me how to post my TVfool results

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id=0b868d33616647

 

[bomberman411]

Thanks for letting me know how to post TVfool results guys,.. i'm just waiting that a moderator reviews and posts my post.