Can't get any Canadian stations in Burnaby, BC
 

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.

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.

Tv antennas and Tv reception
 

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??

Apartments
 

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.