Tropo Ducting Forecast!

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Firetxmi

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I try to check it about every other day. Sometimes it is pretty accurate, other times.......

Nevertheless, it is a good tool.
 

KC1UA

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You guys ever check out the tropo forecast?

http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html#hour6

I use this to determine when i will get HDTV broadcasts from far away.


Very cool site.

That is a good site.

I don't want to hijack the thread, but it's very interesting that you're DX'ing HDTV. The eventual elimination of analog TV is viewed as an "end of days" of sorts by many TV DX'ers. While digital TV will complicate the process I wouldn't think that it would eliminate this aspect of the hobby at all for those that wish to and have the means to continue. It's nice to hear that someone's already doing it.
 

VE3RADIO

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Yes sir.. i bring in HDTV from as far away as Chicago and Iowa (i live in the western part of Toronto).. its great.. a couple channel master antenna pointed in a couple strategic directions in my attic and bang.. more HDTV than even my cable company offers! (you generally need a external tuner however for best results) i use a samsung sir-350
 

VA3QRM

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Muf

http://www.vhfdx.net:80/spots/map.php?Lan=E&Frec=MUF&Map=NA&mycall=&myloc=&freq=&prop
This website shows sporadic E Ham radio activity and Maximum Usable Frequency. Not 100% sure of digital TV frequencies but channel 2 is around 55 megahertz. Have enjoyed ridiculous success during sporadic E and tropo outbreaks on 6 metres ( 50 - 52 megahertz ) sideband and FM with a vertical antenna and only 5 watts output; six countries, 40+ states, 6 provinces, should be some good HD TV DX there for you as well!
 

VA3QRM

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you'll need this as well?

http://gatorradio.org/Operating_Training_Aides/Ham_US_Grids 2005.pdf
This is a grid square map used to give 'acurate' location for hams, especially with VHF activity. I am in EN82 in Windsor, guessing you are in FN03 in Missasaugua. So if there is activity, trends will develop: east west.....north south etc. etc. but don't be afraid to spin your antenna around. Just curious are you using a pre-amp and/or stacking a pair of antennas? Photos? I would be curious as to your stations you are able to log as well. My mother-in-law has a pair of channel masters on two separate towers and is not interested in cable TV ($) and I am thinking about picking up a pre-amp and digital converter box for her TV but am not convinced it will work.
 

VE3RADIO

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http://gatorradio.org/Operating_Training_Aides/Ham_US_Grids 2005.pdf
This is a grid square map used to give 'acurate' location for hams, especially with VHF activity. I am in EN82 in Windsor, guessing you are in FN03 in Missasaugua. So if there is activity, trends will develop: east west.....north south etc. etc. but don't be afraid to spin your antenna around. Just curious are you using a pre-amp and/or stacking a pair of antennas? Photos? I would be curious as to your stations you are able to log as well. My mother-in-law has a pair of channel masters on two separate towers and is not interested in cable TV ($) and I am thinking about picking up a pre-amp and digital converter box for her TV but am not convinced it will work.


I will try and take some pics... i do use a pre-amp to ensure that that weaker signals stay strong, but for local stuff i have a separate feed. If you pre-amp local stuff you will actually do the signal more harm than good and cause it to flake out. I have two channel master 4221 stacked at one end of my attic pointing south west towards Erie, PA..this config picks up Buffalo locals at 80-100% and occasionally Erie locals at around 70%. at the other end of the attic I have a second array, identical in setup to the first array, however pointed at the CN Tower, this picks up the Toronto locals at 100% as well as the Rochester, NY locals at around 65-80% however in winter Rochester drop to 30% and are unwatchable)

as for DXing.. my Buffalo/Erie array often picks up Chicago, Iowa, Cleveland and Columbus when the tropo is strong.... in fact.. last summer i picked up KDFI from Dallas, Texas... for a couple hours... then it dropped off.

My Toronto/Rochester array picks up Syracuse/Watertown, NY and Scranton, PA when the tropo is good.
 

VE3RADIO

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I would be curious as to your stations you are able to log as well. My mother-in-law has a pair of channel masters on two separate towers and is not interested in cable TV ($) and I am thinking about picking up a pre-amp and digital converter box for her TV but am not convinced it will work.

You mentioned that you were in Windsor, this is every HDTV DXer's dream! Windsor DXer's are the most fortunate in all of Canada! From Windsor you should be able to pickup all the Detroit, Toledo and Cleveland locals without a pre-amp! In addition you should have no problem's DXing Chicago in the summer as it will skip right across lake Michigan! Not to mention Indianapolis and all of the other small cities in that area.. Kalamazoo-Battle Creek... i would guess that with $200 worth of CM-4221 or even 4228 you would be able to get in excess of 30 stations reliably.

Let me know how it works out if you try it!.. and post some pics!
 

k8tmk

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Analog TV won't go away in my lifetime.

Plans are already in place to "turn off the lights" on the feds in February 2009.

Randy
 

VA3QRM

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You mentioned that you were in Windsor, this is every HDTV DXer's dream! Windsor DXer's are the most fortunate in all of Canada! From Windsor you should be able to pickup all the Detroit, Toledo and Cleveland locals without a pre-amp! In addition you should have no problem's DXing Chicago in the summer as it will skip right across lake Michigan! Not to mention Indianapolis and all of the other small cities in that area.. Kalamazoo-Battle Creek... i would guess that with $200 worth of CM-4221 or even 4228 you would be able to get in excess of 30 stations reliably.

Let me know how it works out if you try it!.. and post some pics!

I'm heading out to mother-in-law's this weekend, she is in Wheatley. East of Leamington on lake Erie. Cleveland/Detroit should be OK...we'll see. Likely no big DX?
 

VE3RADIO

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from there.. Toledo, OH and Erie, PA would also be possible ... as for DX you might get Pittsburgh or Wheeling, WV... the lake is the great equalizer...
 
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