Antenna Advice for the Rocky Mountains, Alberta Canada

[Blackhawks]

I was wondering if anyone can give me advice on a relatively small portable antenna (3-5 ft maximum) for deep/extreme deep locations in the Rocky Mountains, Alberta Canada.

I currently have a satellite dish but may get rid of it in the near future. I only need to use the antenna a couple times per year during the NHL Playoffs and the annual man’s camping trip (no women, no kids, and a lot of beer!)

Here are the 3 most common campsite locations, in order of best reception, as shown on TV Fool radar reports:
1) Elbow Falls, http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...e1c6ce80085d39
2) Bow Valley http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...e1c6bcd7c46083
3) Interlakes http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...e1c6f84c4f366d

I am only interested in obtaining UHF signals, in particular, CBRT-21 CBC located in Calgary, Alberta http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...-DT%26type%3dD

The problem is that the last two camp sites, our favourites of Bow Valley and Interlakes, need to get the TV signals over 6500 – 9800 ft mountains! The portable install will be on my satellite tripod about 4 feet high.

Please recommend an antenna that would get all 3 sites if possible at all. The 3rd location Interlakes is really deep in the valley behind many 9000ft+ mountains. If not possible, what about an antenna that would do the first 2 Elbow Falls and Bow Valley?

Does anyone think WineGard FL6550A (http://www.winegard.com/get-free-tv/.../flatwave-air/) would work for all 3 locations? This antenna is only 14” x 14”!

Does anyone think the RCA ANT751R (http://www.rcaaudiovideo.com/antennas/?sku=ANT751R) would work for the first 2 locations? This antenna is about 3 feet long.

Any advice/discussion would be very much appreciated!

B.

[ADTech]

The math says the third location is empty.

The first and second might get something with a deep fringe Yagi or 8-bay plus a low noise preamplifier. You might have some luck there (or even at the third site) by aiming at an opposite valley wall to see if you can get a usable reflection.

Tough spots, prospects aren't particularly good.

CBRT uses a highly directional transmitting antenna that sends minimal power back towards the mountains: http://www.rabbitears.info/pattern.p...on=0&erp=373.4 In addition, its tower is only 840' high (4912' ASL) and the antenna has a 0.6° downward tilt to its main transmission lobe. that means that even less power is actually going towards the 9000' peaks and that the TVFool calculations are way too optimistic.

A computerized coverage area map is at http://www.rabbitears.info/contour.p...90506000&map=Y Unfortunately, it also does not include the vertical elevation pattern of the transmitting antenna, either.

[Blackhawks]

Awesome information ADTech! It is just not so good for me.

Yes, 3rd location has no math. I sort of expected this location to be near impossible. But I was a little surprised about locations 1 and 2.

Location 1 has NM values anywhere from -1 to +2 according to TV Fool. Location 2 has values from -10 to -15. Yes I know these are only suggestive, but good to know about the 0.6 degree tilt would reduce these values.

I could not find any antenna gain values directly from RCA but many say the WineGard 7000R is equivalent which gets about 5-6dB above Channel 13. I cannot find anything for the WineGard FL6550A maybe because it is designed differently but would hope it could equal the RCA.

Do you think either of these small antennas have a 50% chance or higher of getting uninterrupted signals for Location 1?

B.

[ADTech]

No, I don't. My interpretation is that the TVFool plot is way too optimistic to be depended on.