Calgary, AB, Canada - HDTV

I don't believe there are any DTV channels on the air in Calgary. I'd check Digital Home Canada.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/hdtv/idx/0...el_Lineup.html

I believe Canada's counterpart to the US' FCC just announced that the analog cutoff date in Canada is August 2011. That's over 4 years from now, so more digital channels should start up as that time draws closer.

So no updates in Calgary? Still no OTA HDTV? Is Shaw the only choice they have for HDTV in downtown Calgary? I just got my dad a new TV and I'm sure he'd love to watch hockey in HDTV.

Checked today with CTV and Global - they are planning HD OTA in Calgary in late '09. There are none now. Calgary is pretty flat alright so reception should be good from most places.

Man, are they slow on this. They wouldn't do it at all if they weren't mandated to do it.

What about CBC ? When will they broadcast HD over the air ?

Apparently there is an OTA channel of CTV Calgary available right now. Check with Digital Home (even though they won't let posters from that site link here). I believe it is being tuned on channel 36.

Also, the same channel has been tuned in as unencrypted QAM on Shaw at channel 120-1. I haven't been able to receive either though. I have been able to tune in the digital music channels through Shaw on 92-2 through 92-98.

CTV in Calgary, CFCN-DT, is now operational on digital channel 36, remapped to 41.

In Calgary, not until sometime after August 31, 2011, the date of the Canadian analog TV cutoff.

What is "digital channel 36 remapped to 41 ?"

I've got a Samsung LN52A750. I've got a UHF/VHF rabbit ears antenna with separate outputs for the twin rods and the loop. I hooked up each antenna separately and put the TV input to antenna and set the channel to 36 and 41 and got nothing but snow.

Meanwhile, I get channels 2, 4, 5 and 9 with a lot of phase shift.

How do I pick up the HDTV broadcast in Calgary ?

Thanks.

This means that the physical channel is 36 but the ATSC tuner remaps this channel to 41. This enables stations to keep their current branding since you can tune straight to channel 41 after the remap.


Those channels would be analog [NTSC] and not digital [ATSC]. Digital signals cannot ghost, they pixelize or drop out.


You would need a UHF antenna strong enough to receive the 41.1 signal. You can check signal levels TVFool.com by typing in your longitude / latitude. Your TV also needs to have an ATSC tuner. If it doesn't, you can buy a digital converter box which has the ATSC tuner.

YUL-STL

Actually, I am quite sure that CFCN-DT should remap to 4.1 and not 41.1.

YUL-STL

Hi,

I have had a similar experience. I live in West hillhurst so in the bow river valley. I own a Samsung TX-R3079WH TV which according to the internet has a built in ATSC tuner. I have purchased a TERK CFDTV2 digital antenna (which may just be a piece of $#@!). I am unable to pick up any HDTV signals OTA.

However, when i connect my very cheap Nexxtech rabbit ears I can see a DTV input for CTV on channel 6. The signal with the rabbit ears is pixlated and there is no sound.

Strange huh? Perhaps Shaw is sending out a scrambling signal? Hahaha.

Or perhaps I am doing something wrong. Please let me know as I am definately not an expert.

C

I live in the Banff Trail area of town and have mounted an 8 bay CM 4228 antenna on a 10 foot mast ontop of my house pointing West. This recieves good analog signals on Channels 16 SRC (Radio Canada), Channel 32 CTS, Channel 38 Omni and in digital HD Channel 36 (remapped 4.1) CFCN-DT from the CFCN Tower. They have a 100 watt digital transmitter and an ERP of 1 Kw. I get 70% reception on a good day. (Good stable clear picture). I have also mounted a Wingard PR 9032 on my other 10 foot mast pointing due east and 10 Degrees to the south. It recieves a good digital HD signal (80% strength) on channel 41 (remapped to 2.1). It is CICT-DT transmitted from the 51 meter tower at the Global Studios on Barlow Trail and Center Avenue. Global has a 1 Kw transmitter with an approximate ERP of 3.2Kw from that location.
The Digital signals are about 50% of the analog signal strengths and so indoor antennas are not really recommended for these HD services. Once recieved however, the quality when in HD is truely superb! Good luck to all with HD reception

I live in Airdrie and I just built home made antenna from this site I found online
(out of coat hanger)
I am able to recieve 4.1 and 2.1 from my upstairs bedroom

Link to web site below

I am new won't let me add url

may be now.........

I am also in/near Airdrie trying to get free HDTV. I tried a variety of cheap antennas from The Source but could only get a fleeting lock on CFCN (channel 36 / 4.1). The coat hanger version sounds interesting. Not sure if my wife will like it pinned to the wall though

Hah, good luck with that

I built the coat hangar antenna last night, stuck it outside in a snowdrift and now get CFCN with a 75% signal strength. Impressive!

Hi. I'm new here. Been a member over at stevehoffman.tv for several years.

Recently found out that CFCN and Global Calgary are already broadcasting their OTA HD signals on channels 36 and 41 UHF.

Friday evening I purchased an entry level $20 Jensen TV611 VHF/UFH antenna at Best Buy/Northland. After some time, I was finally able to get the Global signal on Ch.41. I'm getting nothing on Ch.36. The VHF signals for 2,4,5 and 9 are very poor/snow.
___________________

Yesterday/Saturday, I went to Future Shop/Sundridge and purchased the $90 RCA CANT501 Indoor Antenna. Same thing. Ch.41 which now reads DTV 2.1 on the Samsung LN46B530 TV we own, is all I'm getting for the OTA HD signals. Channel 36 is still just snow. The analogue 2, 4, 5, 9, 32 and 39 are still very poor with snow and coloured lines. The 30dB booster in the RCA device seems to have only amplied the snow and noise on the analogue channels. Also we're supposed to get CBC French Edmonton on Ch. 16 UHF. Nothing there either.

We live in a condo apt. in Harvest Hills. Balcony/terrace faces East.

Any idea as to why I can't get the CFCN signal? Would sure like to the watch the Olympics in HD.

Just spoke to the chief engineer at CTV/CFCN Calgary. He told me the antenna needs to be pointing south-west towards where their tower is located on "Signal Hill".

That's going to be an issue for me. The closest I can get would be to put an outdoor antenna on the terrace. I could point it straight south. Might be strong enough to pick up their signal.

His suggestion for equipment is the TERK outdoor antenna. He says they have had good success with it.

Terk makes a wide variety of different antenna products. Some are good, most are poor, due to the design trying not to look like an antenna.

Since you have both VHF & UHF stations you'd like to receive, I strongly suggest a VHF UHF directional antenna. Let me see if I can find a few ideas.

Thank you for the reply.

I really have a problem with the east facing apt. I took both VFH/UF antennas that I have outside yesterday. The closest I can get to pointing south-west is to point south. Nothing happened. Still snow on Ch. 36.

I was at a Future Shop this afternoon talking to one of the home theatre techs. He says that CBC Calgary has now signed on to their OTA HD channel and that Citytv Calgary is a couple/3 weeks away from signing on as well.

According to *http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_stations_in_Canada_by_call_sign"]Wikipedia*

CBC Calgary is Ch. 49.
Citytv Calgary is Ch. 52

I just tried Ch. 49. Snow.

Just spoke to CBC TV Calgary's tech, dept. The engineer I spoke to said their HD signal has not been turned on yet and there's no immediate plans to do so.

Not sure where that Future Shop tech got his information from.

CBC suggested checking back in a few months.
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Also just spoke to Citytv Calgary. Tech said their HD OTA signal will be turned on in and around mid-May, 2010.

Unfortunatly, I believe there are only 2 DTV stations on the air in Calgary at this time: CTV CFCN-DT (UHF 36) & Global CICT-DT (UHF 41). I'll see if I can find out more.

Go to TV Fool, enter your info and post the link here. That will help determine what kind of antenna you'll need.

http://tvfool.com/

Hey beasley,
I was the other tech at futureshop with the Canada jersey on. You inspired me to check into this ota thing. I originally picked up the RCA antenna. Upon taking it home I was only able to get global. However I researched and found that people in airdrie were getting CTV. So I did what they did and built a coathanger antenna as per YouTube. Not the most attractive option but I am in the SE by 52nd and Memorial, and now get both Global and CTV HD. It was easy to point and get signal, it cost me the price of a saw (10) and a transformer from the source (5).

Hey,

I watched the coat hanger video the other day. I'll try making the antenna in the next day or so. Again though, I'm facing East, 2nd floor of a 3 story buidling, so I'm not sure that will work.

Also the Citytv engineer yesterday told me their HD antenna may be in the same area as CTV's.