Can't get any Canadian stations in Burnaby, BC

[dkoneill]

Hi,

I'm another guy looking to dump his cable subscription, and having some trouble getting the stations he wants.

Location:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...7fb9847fd4b67e

I live at the summit of Burnaby Mountain (1200 ft above sea level), which should give me excellent reception for stations broadcasting from Mount Seymour, just 6 miles away. The only obstructions worth mention are a single line of concrete condo towers between me and Mt. Seymour.

I live in a wood frame condo, so there's not a lot of structural steel to worry about. An outdoor antenna is out of the question because I'm not allowed to pierce the building envelope.

Channels I'd like:

CBC (CBUT-DT)
CTV (CIVT-DT)
Global TV (CHAN-DT)

(I'd like to have a PBS station from Washington state too, but that may be too much to ask.)

Equipment:

I have a relatively new Samsung HD LCD TV.

I'm using a home-built Gray-Hoverman antenna (constructed using the plans found at http://www.digitalhome.ca/ota/superantenna/design.htm) My antenna does not have reflectors on it, as I was hoping to pull in stations from both the north (Mt. Seymour) and south (Bellingham). I have played with a foam-board and aluminum foil reflector to isolate the Mt. Seymour transmitters (no joy), but perhaps I got the spacing wrong.

I am also using a 10db pre-amp from Radio Shack, left over from another project.

Reception:

After experimenting with various positions for the antenna, and with the amp in place, the best I have been able to do is 5 stations, all from Washington state. I get KVOS very clearly with almost any positioning of the antenna. I also get CoolTV well, a Spanish channel, and a couple of home shopping channels.

I am puzzled that I can't tune in a single Canadian station, since the broadcast towers are much closer. I'm interested in any theories and suggestions you can offer.

[GroundUrMast]

Signal levels are strong enough to argue vigorously against the use of the Radio Shack amplifier.

Do you have access to a non-amplified indoor antenna to use for a test? A simple set of rabbit-ears with UHF loop should provide good to excellent reception, including K24IC, real CH-24, a translator for KBTC, a PBS affiliate based in Tacoma, WA.

http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=2828

The concrete condo structure may be significant. Concrete and steel can make an effective RF shield.

[Electron]

So how close is this concrete building that is between your location and Mt. Seymour?? Across the street?? Two blocks away?? A mile away?? 5 miles away??

[dkoneill]

Thanks for the questions, guys.

The concrete towers are between one block and four blocks away, in a line curving away from my building. There are significant gaps between them (100 feet or more) but they range all along the line of sight to Mt. Seymour.

I will try without the amp, and see if I can locate a simple pair of rabbit ears for testing.