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.