Need some help with my signal analysis

[JLEAF]

Hey guys I'm hoping for some advice or point out what I'm doing wrong.

I'm having a little trouble picking up a few channels. Here is my signal analysis http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3dec1242ad912e62

I'm able to pick up CHCH(67) , CFTO(21), and CIII(7). I was hoping to be able to pick up any CBC channel for the hockey games. It looks like there are three but I haven't been able to get anything. I'm also wondering why I can't get CKVR because it shows up as the strongest signal in my analysis.

I bought the antenna I'm using a few years ago and I can't remember what brand it is but it looks like this http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=tv+antenna&hl=en&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=_d7gSa1X-YJIQM:&imgrefurl=http://www.easy2bid.com/products/tv-antenna-av-4035-5947.html&docid=7-b1xrKm4E9JyM&imgurl=http://imgs.easy2bid.com/picture/product/oldpic%25255CQiaohua_765B434DBBC261B3.gif&w=1143&h=857&ei=PqXhTvr3I-Hx0gGY0piOBg&zoom=1&biw=1382&bih=682&iact=rc&dur=658&sig=101081441494319790725&page=3&tbnh=134&tbnw=202&start=41&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:41&tx=89&ty=74 Not sure if that really helps...

If I'm leaving out anything important please let me know. I don't really know much about this stuff and any help would be appreciated.

[GroundUrMast]

A few questions:

What make and model television and, if used, which DTV converter are you using?

Are you currently receiving any digital signals?

What direction is your antenna pointing?

I believe that CKVR is now broadcasting in digital format based on rabbitears.info and a brief look at "OTA Reception Results" at www.digitalhome.ca

I get the impression you are using an analog only TV. If that's not the case, please pardon my assumption.

[JLEAF]

To be honest with you I'm not really sure if my TV is analog only or not. It is just a cheap old 10-15 year old CRT tv that I pulled out of my basement. I do have a DTV converter box and with that I'm able to get CHCH and CIII. To get CFTO I have to shut it off which was what made me think that CFTO was analog and the other two stations were digital. If my TV is the problem, I do have a fairly new plasma TV (maybe 2-3 years old) I could drag up there. Do you think that could solve my problem?

[JLEAF]

I missed a few things last post. I've tried aiming the antenna in every direction and it only seems to work when I point it south and a touch east. I dont know what brand the TV is because all the markings on it wore off a while ago. The DTV converter box I have is this one http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3955576&CatId=384 I picked it up mostly because it was pretty cheap.

[GroundUrMast]

To be honest with you I'm not really sure if my TV is analog only or not. It is just a cheap old 10-15 year old CRT tv that I pulled out of my basement. I do have a DTV converter box and with that I'm able to get CHCH and CIII. To get CFTO I have to shut it off which was what made me think that CFTO was analog and the other two stations were digital. If my TV is the problem, I do have a fairly new plasma TV (maybe 2-3 years old) I could drag up there. Do you think that could solve my problem?

I'm quite certain the TV described would be limited to standard definition and equipped with only an analog tuner.

CKVR-DT, real channel 10 should be easy to receive with the antenna aimed SW if it's on the air.

When I enter the truncated LAT/LON coordinates from your TV Fool report, it indicates your location is about a mile offshore, in Lake Simcoe, roughly 3 miles NW of Big Bay Point. Do you live on a houseboat? I'm wondering how accurate your TV Fool report is... so I'm reluctant to suggest any changes to your antenna system at this point.

[JLEAF]

No I don't live on a houseboat, but I'm am just a few hundred feet from the shoreline. Feel free to recommend any setups that wouldn't be too difficult/costly to set up. It isn't my permanent residence and I'm just looking for a simple setup that might get me 5-10 channels

[GroundUrMast]

You're correct, CKVR should be easy to receive... if it's on the air. A simple indoor antenna (http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=2828) aimed ESE should be enough antenna.

The digital signals south of you would require a large antenna such as the Winegard HD7698P and a good low noise preamp such as the Antennas Direct CPA-19. Outdoor, roof top mounting will be needed. Indoor or attic mounting will leave the antenna with little signal to intercept.

It would be worth your time to inquire at digitalhome.ca to get the latest information regarding what analog signals are expected to remain on the air. TV Fool is depending on Canadian government information that seems to be slow to update.

If you find there are analog signals on real channel 2 through 6 that interest you, I would amend my antenna recommendation to an all-channel design. You may also need a rotator.

[JLEAF]

I picked up a new dtv ready tv and I'm going to give that a try. If it doesn't work I'll probably end up getting a new antenna. Thanks for the help

[JLEAF]

Hey there, I went back and checked the coordinates for my signal report and found that the first ones were way off. I did a couple new fors for both 10 ft http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d7fb977d8be3d9c
and 25 feet http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d7fb97cf6e45617 and it looks like there isnt much difference so I'm not going to try to get it up to 25 feet.

Once I looked at these reports, the channels I'm receiving make alot more sense and I figure I won't be able to get CBC for the hockey games. I was also wondering if maybe you could suggest a fairly simple setup to get the most channels possible. I think the old antenna I'm using may be the problem and would like to know which one you guys think would be the best for my situation.

[JLEAF]

After looking in to it, I noticed that CBLFT is CBC but the french station. I imagine it would still show the same game so any suggestions on how to get that signal would be alot of help.

[Dave Loudin]

With noise margins in the minus 30s, there's not much hope of anything beyond sporadic reception.

[GroundUrMast]

After looking in to it, I noticed that CBLFT is CBC but the french station. I imagine it would still show the same game so any suggestions on how to get that signal would be alot of help.

If you are referring to CBLFT-D, real CH25, Dave is correct.

One challenge for the TV Fool database is that the Canadian government has not finished updating the publicly available information regarding which analog stations have ceased operation and which digital stations are now operational. You may find more current field reports for your area at digitalhome.ca

[JLEAF]

Just wondering, I've seen people selling satellite dishes and was wondering if there is some sort of set up where one could be used to get free ota signals. I'm a little discouraged with the lack of signals available and was just wondering if you guys had any alternatives to suggest

[Electron]

It is FTA = Free To Air Satellite Tv. http://www.ftalist.com. A seller of FTA equipment in Canada is http://www.saveandreplay.com.

[Electron]

At the Pending Applications part of the tvfool radar map is the , Analog Only list of tv stations. If transmitting , these Analog tv stations , CIII-Tv 7 GTN , CHCH-TV 67 IND , CKVR-TV 3 A , CFTO-TV 21 , CICA-TV 51 TVO , CBLFT-15 channel 34 SRC can be received. Install a ChannelMaster CM3671 antenna with a CM9521A rotor. DigitalHome is the place to go to to find information about what channels are being transmitted where in Canada. http://www.digitalhome.ca