The only thing that will change with Cable & Satelite is more expensive prices. They've been ripping us off in Canada for a long time now with Over expensive high speed internet and cable/satelite viewing. Rogers, Bell & Telus are trying hard to keep other competators out of Canada which is not fair at all.

Hey all, long time reader first time poster - I have an 8bay aimed at somewhere between CN Tower and Buffalo and get all local channels perfectly. Also using a cheap 10db amplifier (one of these silver boxes that's about 20 years old now) to compensate for a relatively long line. The amp sits in the basement where the antenna line gets into the house. Signal has been pretty stable over the last few months.

I used to get 2-1 and 4-1 as well from Buffalo (NBC and CBS) - not perfect but definitely watchable, but suddenly sometime last week the signals for those two completely disappeared. Has something happened recently?

At the same time, I can now get 49-1, which I wasn't able to consistently get before. I have not been touching the antenna and I doubt it has moved...

The other thing crosses my mind is that weather got a lot cooler last week (from double digits to consistently near 0) , so could that have something to do with it?

I still have my Betamax and VHS VCRs, the main diff is the RF inputs aren't connected any more, ditto the composite/Svhs in, just the outputs, for playback of the old tapes.

{and if you can't guess, ask me how i view my old tapes on the computer monitors but at half-inch tape limitation of 242 lines of resolution it is soft focus, even SuperBeta, like the old Vaseline on the lens trick of porn movies.}

What you might want to consider is trashing the 10dB signal booster and pick up a nice Channel Master 7777 Pre-Amp. Almost guaranteed, you won't have a problem getting NBC and others, rock stable with a nice signal boost.

I used to have a RCA and a Philips 10dB booster and all it did was reduce image quality and drop my dB's lol.

Oh, I lost my not so long post. This is a false statement. Analog shut down already happened last June 2009 like I just said a few posts ago. Only Low powered and Translators transmitters are still analog. Therefore as a "corolario" Everything was not mandated but rather Normal or High Power Trnasmitters. This is stricly related OTA signals. I just want to avoid someone gets mislead by your previuosly false statement. False might sound to harsh for you ears or maybe some canadians but like the height of us humans, either you are Short or Tall, and I am a short person and that is a true statement. Statements are either true or false , wether we like it or not. Although I wish I was taller, lol. Oh Maria!!! lol.

Okay, I will probably semi-retire my VCR as well, at least until I can figure out a way to move some tapes to DVD, without spending a lot of money.  Some like our wedding video should probably just be converted by a service, providing the tape is still good, haven't looked at it in about 10 years.  For commercial videos probably cheaper to just toss them and rent the DVD if I really need to see the movie again.   Rentals on older movies are usually quite inexpensive.

Thinking about the transfer to computer, there are two ways, if you have a composite input that would work, otherwise hook the RF output to the NTSC input on the tuner card. 

BTW the vaseline on the lens trick, they usually used a filter holder and a plain piece of glass, the vaseline was put on the glass which was insterted into the filter holder attached to the lens, not the lens itself.  Lenses often have special coatings on them to reduce flare, reflections and correct for colour problems, if you look at a camera lens it's often coloured slightly, purple and yellow are common.  Applying another material could partly remove those coatings, lenses for MP cameras are very expensive, you don't want to ruin one.

Yep, the MDP-130s have a dongle with both Svhs/composite extension block on 'em.
Plus an late 80's switcher that also works for the LD players.

snip
....moved to off-topic thread...

....yep I should have said over the lens,not on.

Just my thought and method to transfer anything from analogue to DVD, easiest is to buy a dvd recorder, used ones available, then use PC editing software and reburn.

I got Feb 2010 mixed with 2009. Woops lol
""The House yesterday approved legislation to complete the US transition to new, higher-quality digital television by Feb. 17, 2009, and to help consumers pay for the equipment needed to ensure their old televisions do not go dark.""

By June 12, 2009, federal law requires that all full-power television broadcast stations stop broadcasting in analog format and broadcast only in digital format. Your local broadcasters may make the transition before that date, and some already have, so be ready.
FCC
[Link: fcc.gov]

On June 12, 2009 Television Became All Digital
http://www.dtvtransition.org/

Hope this means more OTA Digital stations!!!

Global HD is now coming is super clear with a strong signal. How do we find out if they've upgraded?

I just checked Global's stats within the Industry Canada's Spectrum database.
Still listed at 3KW and that's what Daniel has them listed at too.

For you maybe....not for me.....still watching on analogue 41. :-(

I'm hoping to get Global in HD over here on Grand Island after hooking up a CM7777 to my homebuilt 4-bay. Will advise in a few weeks.. .

To get Global HD you will have to point it directly toward the CN Tower. For me, it has it's days. If I get Global HD with a good signal, then I lose out on NBC 2-1, 2-2 & 2-3 RTV. But when I lose Global HD, then NBC is clear as day lol,

Hope Global HD upgrades to the stronger signal. And the CM7777 will make a HUGE difference.

I'd rather keep NBC.
If the promise, as on Daniel's chart, they go to 100KW and use UHF 41 with the carrier signal,
then I might stand a chance.