hd fan, Shaw Direct did have a web page of the requirements to get the free system and programming. Even their tech on the phone had told me that they were doing this for certain areas that lost their reception. Now you did not get any other programming for free, only the one station.

I guess it was just a temporary fix thing then. I remember they and Bell TV were asking the CRTC for some kind of free Local TV service around the time that FreeHD (now BluSky HD, no longer free) was propossing the free HD satellite based service. Even if the OTA viewer who lost its local stations has to pay for the sat equipment and install , still giving this free locals to those viewer seems like a good approach under the circunstances. There is a Local TV Improvement Fund being collected by the BDU's from their subscribers (BTW it is not mandatory so the subscriber can call in and upt out , I acctually did more , I cancelled my service all together, lol) that together with the money collected from the auction from the freed RF spectrum is supposed to fund this TV "improvement" (depending where you live) but all I see on a national scale is the contrary.

This is called "theft of service" and is illegal. Yes, you can do it, but there are consequences if you're the one out of ten thousand who get caught.

I think you misunderstood the statement Ernie. I think he was refering to the fact that on an Internet only Cable connection there are some Clear-QAM channels that can be picked up and even there are some clear analog channels one can pick up. If that is theft of service (signals are In The Clear or unscrambled) then watching the ITC Satellite signals from different countries or with ethnic or religious content brodacasted via several satellites above our heads also constitute theft of sevice. Should I call the police and surrender myself I wonder? , lol. I hope the sentence has nothing to do with the size of the dish , lol (my motorised one is taller than myself, 6 feet!)

Done in by Digital Continued
Gentlemen
My apologies for being away from the forum for the last month or so.I had to shingle my house & study for my job. Everything is completed & now is the time to see if I can improve my OTA reception. I found some information on my antenna & rotar
 
Antenna make N/A
Model # 88302B complete with main boom, Corner reflector boom, & Auxillary boom. The height is 30ft.

Antenna Rotator is Channel Master # 9510A, 120 VAC

Antenna cost me about $ 350.00 20 yrs ago.
I use to receive CTV 2 # 3, CBC # 16, & Global # 7. Since September CTV2 #3, with digital box.

Bruce being the fine knowledgeable gentlemen he is has directed me to TV on the internet & I am able to watch HNIC using my computer & TV as a monitor. Lots of set up time & average picture.

I need information on how to receive more than 1 station

Thanks
Angus Macphee

HD Fan
Please see the equipment I have & advise what I need to receive Global ,CBC & TVO for now.

Antenna make ?
model # 88302B c/w main  & auxillary boom and corner reflector.
Tower height around 30ft

Antenna Rotator : Channel Master part # 9510A

Digital Converter Box : Access HD, model # DTA 1030.

Currently receive CTV 2

Rotar not rotating & thinking of calling Wayne Kelly of Kelly antenna( local TV antenna installer )

Thanks
Angus 

I cant find nor the possible manufact neither possible specs on that now old 88302B antenna. First make sure it is a high gain UHF antenna since CBC, TVO and Global from Toronto are UHF only. Your local CTV 2 on VHF is so close , you will get it anyways probably.

you mention it has a main boom and a corner reflector , sounds to be some kind of yagui or similar therefore the more elements the antenna has the higher the gain and more directional. So count the elements (not the reflector neither the dipole/s).

Second, the size of the elements tells you wether it is UHF capable or not, for UHF they are usually less than 20-30 cm long , for VHF they are longer. If the elements are long then it is probably only VHF capable and therefore you will need a new one. Also maybe it is already damaged by the wind , missing elements, too rust, in that case consider buying a new antenna, High gain , Highly directional , possibly hi VHF capable for CTV ch 9 from Toronto. (local CTV 2 has other programming).

You do need a very good preamp like the close to 100 cad channel masters. Do a tvfool.org analysys using your coordinates and 30ft antenna height and tell us the results or post a picture. We need more info for further analysys. It is also a good idea to contact a reputable local installer, be a cuban and ask around, lol, for a recomendation.

Just another option if I have not mention it before , although expensive will give you tv stations from almost every corner of the world with a motorised system.

I am not aware of CTV or Global being available via satellite C or Ku band 24x7 but all CBC and RDS timezones (5 each) are available3 via C band (requieres a 6 feet dish installed on the patio, full cost of dish only 200 cad). You will need a new HD MPEG4 DVB-S2 digital sat receiver like the cheap Openbox S10 that usually cost 130cad. Consider extra 200 cad to install and setup. This is just an option, for extra 100 cad this dish can be motorised so you will get lots of channels accross the satellite arc (close to 60 satellites)

Keep us posted.

Thanks HD
My antenna cost around $250-300, 20 years ago. I had a property west of Penetang & received TVO, CBC Global, Chex. CFTO on VHF & UHF. Since I moved to Barrie I reduced my tower from 40 to 30ft. the anntena is now missing some rods & the rotar does not turn.

Thinking of calling Kellys antennas to service the rotar & antenna. Kelly told me since the switch OTA reception has been reduced.If receiving 7 stn on analog you now receive 3 on digital. I spoke to a tech who works for CTV 2 & he mentioned OTA reception is limited since the switch.

I will do the evaluation on TV org & advise.

You mentioned C band is alive & well. I thought it died with direct TV. Home many stations are availble?Is ABC,CBS NBC, & Fox available?Hard sell with my wife having a 6ft dish on my patio. Do you use C band?
regards
Angus

Yes C & KU band is still alive and the "free" or open channels by satellite can be found here:

http://www.lyngsat.com/

There is also other links on the site for info. I have had over 20 years a 10 ft perforated alum. C & KU dish and used it for all my needs until quite a few yrs ago. It is still in working order and it is available 4 sale cheap, buyer must remove.

However, there are other options, for a smaller $ per month to receive digital channels, pm me if interested.

Yes I do use C/Ku band (more like a hobby for me) but somehow limited(acctually there are just a few signals I am not able to get after fully teaking my system) because I only have a 6 footer (recommended minimum is 8.5 with 10 ft the safer choice) with the exception of FOX , the other major US networks are available on C band (PBS ku), but there is at least a FOX affiliate somewhere. PBS and NBC are available on Ku (all HD , all timeshifted national signals). CBS and ABC (all timezones) are also unscrambled on C band but those feeds are super high quality (they use MPEG4, 8PSK, and very high FEC 8/9, I have never seen them BTW) therefore it requieres a 10 footer for 100% availablity all the time. CW and ION (all timezones) are also on C band with a 6 footer. FOX and most of its owned cable channels and the rest of the Canadian networks are unfortunaelly scrambled.

C Band as it was before (read subscription channels for a small monthly pay) is still alive but with way fewer choices . It is called HITS and requieres only a fixed 6 footer aimed at 105W plus an authorized DCII digital receiver. Check Drsat.ca for available packages and pricing. I do not subscribe to that though, my tv channel list currently has 2000 channels (it increases over time due to temporary sports/concerts/events/news feeds like last weekend UFC) so it really has probably 500 TV stations from all over the world (DW, NHK, Al jazeera, Azteca,BBC News,France24,RAI, you name it) but unfortunaelly most are not in english so from an english speaking only tv viewer there are probably only 200 channels and from those most are religious or ethnic. If you enjoy the Opera or world famous Theatrical Plays or performances from major theaters then check Rick's Satellite feeds listings or pay the entry fee at your local movie theater to watch them lol. Most come from Europe and usually at least 1 signal is available on Ku (they usually have a backup signal or even recorded reruns at 7 pm ET
just in case the local theater did not recorded it live)

Anyways I am looking forward to watching this weekend the PPV Boxing figth Pacquiao vs JM Marquez either with 1 hour delay on TV Azteca from Mexico or LIVE on the possible C band feed (if they do not choose to scramble it as soon as the main event starts like the last time around).

For more info on channels and LIVE feeds (a feed is a master signal going from the postproduction or news truck to the tv central studios, no ads, highest quality) check Rick's Satellite Wildfeeds. For ITC or unscrambled TV and Radio channels check Mike Khol's global-cm.net . For more info and board discussion on SAT stuff see SatelliteGuys.US.

I think no one better than Kelly or another local insaller should advice you on OTA channels locally in Barrie, so keep us posted , it might help another of your neighborgs down the road.

Thanks HD
Unsure as what to do next. Someone who works for CTV 2 told me the digital switch has been a disaster for OTA viewers. A week digital signal & I think the TV stations were unprepared for the switch. I do not know if any impovements arecoming soon. Keep you posted HD
Thanks Angus 

Of course its been a disaster but it has nothing to do with how reliable or robust the technology is but rather how poorly implemented its being. I bet almost no one in Europe is complaining about their digital TV switch eh?.

One note though, They were well prepared to drive their BMW's to the local TV station parking lot eh?. Just briefly I will mention Radio and TV services an average european have enjoyed for years for free OTA with the purchase of a simple TV or Radio.

- Full Teletext services with news , paper headlines, weather, horoscope , etc on their TV screen (we only got merely english or french close captios)
- Full FM RDS Radio Data Service with not only song title or station ID but also traffic info , automatic radio station switch and more. All you need, a car radio!

Mentioning that almost all OTA tv networks are available for free via satellite in Europe is pointless.

I think the real issue is that cable tv and satellite tv have a lot of money and clout. The OTA broadcasters are often owned or controlled by the same cable and satellite companies.... ie CITY owned by rogers and CTV by BCE. They have very little interest in broadcasting OTA for free... they want everyone to subscribe to their services. In addition, CRTC has very little clout and no power to force the OTA broadcasters to up their signal. It makes at lot of sense for them to broadcast miniscule power so everyone is forced to abandon their antennae and move to a subscription service. For example, CTV, a profitable station owned by BCE is using a miniscule 7 KW. They were 300 KW before on analog.

Its all economics and the bottom line.
I predict OTA will disappear in ten years or so as more stations lose money and go out of business.

Good post, hd fan. Poor implementation is the obvious result when most of the work was done by Rogers, Bell, and Shaw. Gone are the days when station is locally owned and operated, with only a few exceptions.

Also a good post by NFASTRO, but I'm a little more optimistic about the future of OTA. It might be smaller than today but still not dead. OTA's ace in the hole is that millions hate their Cable/Satellite provider. I saw some survey (US I think) where "don't have to deal with Cable/Satellite provider" was the top reason for cutting the cord, ahead of cost savings, ahead of better picture/sound quality.

Cable operators and Satellite are competing with each other, not with OTA users.

Cable is not everywhere, there are still plenty of rural areas not serviced by cable.
Satellite technically is everywhere, but again there are limitations based on the direction a dish has to point, and even in some cases bylaws in condo communities restricting owners from using dishes. So OTA is and will likely be for a long time something necessary to ensure your channel(s) are getting out to as many people as possible. That is what the advertisers want and in the end they are the one's paying the bill.

Also keep in mind that the number of people "cutting the cord" is relatively small.
New condos and home developments are growing everywhere you look, and those are plenty of new subscribers.

Now when we start to see better and easier ways to access content on line, thats when cable and satellite companies need to start to take notice. And it's already here for the techy types, just not ready for prime time yet.
Apple TV is just a teaser of whats to come.