Funny how you get used to new things and soon take them for granted..

I had a minor disaster the other day when the recorder for my Satellite
TV service ate it's storage drive. What was really annoying is that
I had many hundreds of hours of recordings on it, mostly of shows I
hadn't seen yet. I collect them to use when the regular channels all
go into summer vacation with no new shows on.

A big part of getting used to it is, I record virtually everything
I watch, even if just to watch it an hour later, so that I can
jump over commercials and i.e. watch a 2 hour movie in 90 minutes.

Another thing I miss is the ability to 'rewind' even a live
show if I miss something and want to see or hear it repeated
or pause the show to read something they showed too briefly
in print to read properly.

Anyways, I should have a replacement unit by Monday (it blew
Wednesday night) and the new fall season is starting next week
so I should have more things to watch I haven't seen before.

Another help at this point is Rogers have added 4 feeds of the
Starz Network which show mostly older shows and lots of movies
all commercial free.

Tonight I watched Stephen King's Christine for the 2nd or 3rd
time and, another that's so well known I thought I must have
seen it at some point (but apparently hadn't) The Notebook.

---
* SLMR Rob * Got my tie caught in the fax... Suddenly I was in L.A.
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

Hello Rob Mccart!

** On Saturday 13.09.25 - 08:46, you wrote to ALL:

I had a minor disaster the other day when the recorder for
my Satellite TV service ate it's storage drive. What was
really annoying is that I had many hundreds of hours of
recordings on it, mostly of shows I hadn't seen yet. I
collect them to use when the regular channels all go into
summer vacation with no new shows on.

Does it still spin up? I've heard that the hdds can be
repurposed for other storage outside the sattv box.

Yeah.. too bad that the hdd failed. I guess there really wasn't
any option to do a "backup" even if you wanted to. Sounds like
those drives were only intended to be for temporary storage,
not archival. So.. the idea is to watch watch what you record
"as soon as possible"?

..so that I can jump over commercials
..the ability to 'rewind'

Yes.. handy features/habits to have.

Another help at this point is Rogers have added 4 feeds of the
Starz Network which show mostly older shows and lots of movies
all commercial free.

Maybe no $'d commecials.. but they might interrupt the
programming with station calls or announcements?

Tonight I watched Stephen King's Christine for the 2nd or 3rd
time and, another that's so well known I thought I must have
seen it at some point (but apparently hadn't) The Notebook.

Never seen the former. I just learned that many of King's
stories are interconnected and related to each other. "As the
author himself has acknowledged, 'All of the books kind of
relate to other ones.'"

The latter was quite ok. But.. as with most Nicholas Sparks
stories, I think he paints the man as righteous and the woman
as the infidel.

Only ever had OTA TV here. I bought an LG HDD/DVR (don't
remember the year) and it was great to "pause" OTA and come
back to the program later, and even skip the commercials.

I also used it to transfer VHS to it. It allowed modest editing
to cut out unwanted parts. Once on the HDD, it allowed burning
to DVD. Quite nice. When a handful of people needed VHS tapes
preserved to DVD, I obliged.

I still have the HDD/DVD unit hooked up, but haven't used it in
years.


--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.64
* Origin: Stare into this point intently ->.<- (1:153/757.21)

I had a minor disaster the other day when the recorder for
my Satellite TV service ate it's storage drive.

Does it still spin up? I've heard that the hdds can be

>repurposed for other storage outside the sattv box.

These newer units have a 1TB SSD so, when it dies, it dies.
Looking online they say the average life is under 3 years
in most cases so maybe I shouldn't have been shocked.
I believe I've had this PVR for over 2 years.

Yeah.. too bad that the hdd failed. I guess there really wasn't

>any option to do a "backup" even if you wanted to.

No, you can add a second external drive if you like, but I'd
have to look into how much control you have, where things get
put when recorded, if they even give you the option. Mine was
relatively full but still had over 200 Gig of space left on it.

Sounds like those drives were only intended to be for temporary

>storage, not archival. So.. the idea is to watch watch what
>you record "as soon as possible"?

I suppose their main interest is for you to record things when
you don't have time to watch them, or are not home, until later.
Long term storage was likely never their intent.

Another help at this point is Rogers have added 4 feeds of the
Starz Network which show mostly older shows and lots of movies
all commercial free.

Maybe no $'d commecials.. but they might interrupt the

>programming with station calls or announcements?

A lot of specialty 'pay' channels don't have commercials, but
for some reason they managed to add these without charging extra.
The colour of thelisting in the guide tells you whether a channel
is temporarily available or if it's a 'regular' channel, and it
appears these are regular now.

Tonight I watched Stephen King's Christine for the 2nd or 3rd
time and, another that's so well known I thought I must have
seen it at some point (but apparently hadn't) The Notebook.

Never seen the former. I just learned that many of King's

>stories are interconnected and related to each other. "As the
>author himself has acknowledged, 'All of the books kind of
>relate to other ones.'"

There are often overlaps with places, and maybe charcters, but
most of his movies stand alone fine, other than the sequels
he's made of a few of them.

The latter was quite ok. But.. as with most Nicholas Sparks

>stories, I think he paints the man as righteous and the woman
>as the infidel.

Interesting.. I didn't think to look into where the story
came from. I don't recall in the info that it was based on
a book of his but likely I just missed the line.
Looking back through my Library records for 15 years I haven't
read any of his books yet. It looks like 11 of his books have
been made into movies. I may have seen some of those..

Only ever had OTA TV here. I bought an LG HDD/DVR (don't

>remember the year) and it was great to "pause" OTA and come
>back to the program later, and even skip the commercials.

OTA as in by antenna? I'd recently heard that was coming back.
Many years ago we could get a whole 3 channels here by antenna
but they started dropping off one at a time until they were all
gone since no one wanted to repair the equipment to keep them on
the air. We all had to start using satellite services, or cable
in towns.

I still have the HDD/DVD unit hooked up, but haven't used it in

>years.

Ha.. my LG DVD player can play/record VHS Tapes, but that's the
only unit I have other than the PVR. I have probably well over
100 Tapes but most are so old I don't think they are watchable
any more. It's years since I tried one I recorded. The tapes are
likely still good but the magnetic recording itself deteriorates.

---
* SLMR Rob * Shin: A device for finding furniture in the dark
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

Hello Rob!

** On Tuesday 16.09.25 - 09:33, you wrote to me:

Only ever had OTA TV here. I bought an LG HDD/DVR (don't

remember the year) and it was great to "pause" OTA and come
back to the program later, and even skip the commercials.

OTA as in by antenna? I'd recently heard that was coming back.

OTA == Over The Air. Yes.. analog specifically. Albiet OTA can
refer to digital broadcasts now, I guess.

We could get CBC, CTV and Global. The antenna has a rotor
(that has long since ceased up) ..but the East direction was
still pretty good for CBC and excellent for Global. Global was
the last hold out. When Global went off the air, I reverted to
DVDs or the things I could watch from collecting online - store
on a USB stick - and play them on modest media-play connected
to the TV.


--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.64
* Origin: Age Doesn't Matter Unless You're a Cheese (1:396/45.29)

Only ever had OTA TV here.

OTA as in by antenna? I'd recently heard that was coming back.

OTA == Over The Air. Yes.. analog specifically. Albiet OTA can

>refer to digital broadcasts now, I guess.

We could get CBC, CTV and Global.

Okay, that's what I had originally, but they started dropping off.

Someone else mentioned it to me and said that the OTA signals were
coming back, as if it were required, and a person they knew with
an antenna was getting 10 or 12 stations, but likely down closer
to Toronto. I have my doubts you or I would have much luck these
days but I could bewrong if it's coming back. I should try some
rabbit ears on my old TV.. B)

---
* SLMR Rob * Commitment: See mentally deranged... Also marriage
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

--- Original Message ---
From: Rob Mccart
Date: 2025-09-19 14:25:25
Subject: TV Woes

We could get CBC, CTV and Global.

Okay, that's what I had originally, but they started dropping off.
Someone else mentioned it to me and said that the OTA signals were
coming back, as if it were required, and a person they knew with
an antenna was getting 10 or 12 stations, but likely down closer
to Toronto. I have my doubts you or I would have much luck these
days but I could bewrong if it's coming back. I should try some
rabbit ears on my old TV.. B)

Perhaps that "Someone" is referring to digital OTA. That is a real thing. Global converted to digital broadcasting but the new tower is twice as far away east than the original analog OTA, and operates with much less power. I can't pick it up. Digital OTA operates mostly in the UHF bands.

--- BinktermPHP v1.6.3
* Origin: myPoint System ~ myPoint System - https://mypoint.lovelybits.org (1:153/149.42)

Okay, that's what I had originally, but they started dropping off.

Someone else mentioned it to me and said that the OTA signals were
coming back, as if it were required, and a person they knew with
an antenna was getting 10 or 12 stations, but likely down closer
to Toronto. I have my doubts you or I would have much luck these
days but I could bewrong if it's coming back. I should try some
rabbit ears on my old TV.. B)

Here in the states, when they went digital, they were (and still are)
sending out an OTA signal but it can only be picked up with digital capable equipment. It also does *not* travel near as far as the analog OTA signals
did (IIRC, because they turned the power down), so that is how many people in rural areas lost OTA service.

Before the digital transition was completed, I could get about 10 stations
from the two closest markets, plus one from Cincinnati (farther away). Afterwards, I could no longer get any.

In Canada, did they actually turn off OTA all together at some point?

Mike

* SLMR 2.1a * Aibohphobia, n. -- the fear of palindromes.
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

Hello Mike!

** On Friday 19.09.25 - 11:00, Mike Powell wrote to ROB MCCART:

In Canada, did they actually turn off OTA all together at some point?

We still have OTA (free) tv broadcasting.. albiet it's all
digital.

--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.64
* Origin: Age Doesn't Matter Unless You're a Cheese (1:396/45.29)

On 20 Sep 2025, August Abolins said the following...

We still have OTA (free) tv broadcasting.. albiet it's all
digital.

I'm located somewhat between Toronto & Niagara falls so have two antennas stacked. One pointed at Toronto & the other at Buffalo, so we get a good mix of Canadian & American television. There's a few stations we get that we uncheck (hide) so that we don't have to see them like QVC (shopping) or the religious stations. But it's nice getting CBC, CTV, Global, CITY, TVO, CHCH, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CW for free in full HD.

We plug the antenna into a Tablo OTA DVR that connects to our network, so we just record any of the programs we want and then watch them on our Apple TV & skip the commercials. We don't watch live television all that often, perhaps during an election. If we needed wanted to, we could also watch live or
recorded content on our phones, though I've rarely needed to do so.


Jay

... I've found a great way to start the day - I go straight back to bed!

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Northern Realms (1:229/664)

Someone else mentioned it to me and said that the OTA signals were
coming back, as if it were required, and a person they knew with
an antenna was getting 10 or 12 stations, but likely down closer
to Toronto.

Perhaps that "Someone" is referring to digital OTA. That is a real thing. Glo

> converted to digital broadcasting but the new tower is twice as far away eas
>han the original analog OTA, and operates with much less power. I can't pick
> up. Digital OTA operates mostly in the UHF bands.

That could be. I hadn't heard of that system before.

I finally got my new PVR from Rogers. So much for 'overnight' shipping,
I got it 6 days later. Purolator postponed it by a day or two saving
up to get enough deliveries in my area to make the drive worthwhile.

Still watching a lot of movies on those new Starz network channels.
As I mentioned, commercial free, and all the newer movies are in
high def (not that I care for my CRT TV) but I was a bit surprised
to grab a movie the other night that had full frontal nudity.
Possibly those are purposely broadcast later in the evening..

Not a 'porn' type movie, just something with sex in it that had
a woman walking around undressed.

---
* SLMR Rob * Cryogenics: Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR)
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

Someone else mentioned it to me and said that the OTA signals were

>> coming back, as if it were required, and a person they knew with
>> an antenna was getting 10 or 12 stations, but likely down closer
>> to Toronto.

Here in the states, when they went digital, they were (and still are)

>sending out an OTA signal but it can only be picked up with digital capable
>equipment.

Yes, August mentioned that for up here as well.

In Canada, did they actually turn off OTA all together at some point?

Many years ago I could only ever get 3 Canadian channels by antenna
broadcast from the nearest cell tower I believe. But when satellite
and cable started coming out more my best guess is they just ignored
the OTA equipment, and as it broke down I lost the channels one at
a time it seemed.

By the time I moved up here, as opposed to using it as a cottage
on weekends and holidays back when I was still working full time,
it made sense to get a Dish.

Back then (late 80's) I was paying $20 a month for about 25 channels.
These days I get more channels in the basic package, I think I heard
69 channels, although if I could choose I'd probably be happy dropping
3/4 of those as useless to me to save a few dollars.. These days it's
up to over $100 a month.

As I said, this is their basic package, no extra cost in there
for any specialty channels added.

Generally Rogers (was Shaw.. was Star Choice..) gives you more
for the same money than you'd get from Bell. Bell's packages are
often a little cheaper at first but there are extras you'd pay
more to have added if you wanted them from Bell. Some included
premium type channels at no extra cost and Time Shifting so you
can get a show from 3 or 4 different time zones each day instead
of just one, separate feeds from the West coast to the East coast.

---
* SLMR Rob * User Friendly: Requires two or more users to operate
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

In Canada, did they actually turn off OTA all together at some point?

We still have OTA (free) tv broadcasting.. albiet it's all
digital.

So it is basically the same as here... all digital and doesn't travel as
far any more. :|

Mike


* SLMR 2.1a * I am Drunk of Borg. Resistance is floor tile!
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

By the time I moved up here, as opposed to using it as a cottage
on weekends and holidays back when I was still working full time,
it made sense to get a Dish.

OT, but I saw a video on YT the other day from a fellow that does a lot of radio and TV broadcast videos. I didn't watch it, but the title suggested
that they are doing away with satellite tv in the UK. I didn't watch
because it didn't sound like something that'd be happening here.

Mike

* SLMR 2.1a * MilliHelen: Amount of beauty needed to launch one ship.
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

Hello Rob!

[...] and all the newer movies are in high def (not that I
care for my CRT TV)...

Why not drop by a nearest thiftshop and pick up a fine LED TV
for less than $50? I see plenty of 32" tvs at my local
thriftshop. Someone might even be trying to offload one on
kijijii near you.

--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.64
* Origin: Stare into this point intently ->.<- (1:153/757.21)

Hello Rob!

Back then (late 80's) I was paying $20 a month for about
25 channels. These days I get more channels in the basic
package, I think I heard 69 channels, although if I could
choose I'd probably be happy dropping 3/4 of those as
useless to me to save a few dollars.. These days it's up
to over $100 a month.

Not long ago, I helped a friend reconfigure their Bell TV
package to something more reasonable. Originally, he was
paying over $150/mo with Bell's higher tier package. To make a
long story short, I dropped him down to the StarterTV =$25/mo
and we just added the specific ones he wanted a la carte, $4ea.
He ended up with something just under $50/mo

As I said, this is their basic package, no extra cost in there
for any specialty channels added.

No "starter" offering with Rogers?

Generally Rogers (was Shaw.. was Star Choice..) gives you
more for the same money than you'd get from Bell. Bell's
packages are often a little cheaper at first but there are
extras you'd pay more to have added if you wanted them
from Bell. Some included premium type channels at no extra
cost and Time Shifting so you can get a show from 3 or 4
different time zones each day instead of just one,
separate feeds from the West coast to the East coast.

True.. Bell's time-shift is an added feature for $X/mo. But
my friend didn't need that. His habit was to just watch
whatever is available in the designated time-slot. He didn't
really use the PVR at all.

I have to wonder how many people with Bell TV are overpaying
simply because they don't use or need the "extra" tools - don't
realize they can pay less?
--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.64
* Origin: Stare into this point intently ->.<- (1:153/757.21)

Hello Mike!

[...] but I saw a video on YT the other day from a fellow
that does a lot of radio and TV broadcast videos. I
didn't watch it, but the title suggested that they are
doing away with satellite tv in the UK. I didn't watch
because it didn't sound like something that'd be happening
here.

SATTV is still in play. Only specific standard-definition (SD)
channels are swithing over to high-def (HD) ..from I can find
online.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/33457428/sky-freesat-uktv-tv- channels-disappear-satellite-switch/



--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.64
* Origin: Age Doesn't Matter Unless You're a Cheese (1:396/45.29)

Hello Mike!

[...] but I saw a video on YT the other day from a fellow
that does a lot of radio and TV broadcast videos. I
didn't watch it, but the title suggested that they are
doing away with satellite tv in the UK. I didn't watch
because it didn't sound like something that'd be happening
here.

SATTV is still in play. Only specific standard-definition (SD)
channels are swithing over to high-def (HD) ..from I can find
online.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/33457428/sky-freesat-uktv-tv- channels-disappear-satellite-switch/

Here is the video in question:

https://youtu.be/H3Qg6exDBAI?si=eWRqSn8WMCpCJhn5

Sounds like sat tv might be a thing of the past in the UK and Ireland after 2030 due to a lack of interest in replacing the existing satellites, which will reach the end of their life spans around then.

Mike
$$
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

I'm located somewhat between Toronto & Niagara falls so have two antennas sta

>d. One pointed at Toronto & the other at Buffalo, so we get a good mix of Ca
>ian & American television. There's a few stations we get that we uncheck (hi
> so that we don't have to see them like QVC (shopping) or the religious stati
>. But it's nice getting CBC, CTV, Global, CITY, TVO, CHCH, ABC, NBC, CBS, FO
>CW for free in full HD.

That's pretty good. If I had that here I would probably be happy enough.

I don't seem to find any way to find out what channels are available
in this area with online searches and such, plus I'd imagine what's
available in the nearest town would not reach where I am, given the
weaker Digital TV signals.

I'm too far from any big cities in Canada or the USA..

---
* SLMR Rob * Gourmet: One who doesn't put ketchup on steak
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

OT, but I saw a video on YT the other day from a fellow that does a lot of

>radio and TV broadcast videos. I didn't watch it, but the title suggested
>that they are doing away with satellite tv in the UK. I didn't watch
>because it didn't sound like something that'd be happening here.

I can maybe see that in and near big cities but there will always be
a lot of people too far out to get a TV signal any other way.

Maybe they expect those to get theirs through the Internet. (?)

---
* SLMR Rob * Buy-sexual: One who has to pay for it
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

[...] and all the newer movies are in high def (not that I
care for my CRT TV)...

Why not drop by a nearest thiftshop and pick up a fine LED TV

>for less than $50? I see plenty of 32" tvs at my local
>thriftshop. Someone might even be trying to offload one on
>kijijii near you.

My Toshiba CRT is a 29" set so it's not too bad. I could easily
afford a much bigger LED, but until last winter my place was left
to freeze over the winter and that can destroy the LCD type sets.
(LED are still LCD) They warn they are only good down to about -20c..

Even if I get a second place I wouldn't want to be hauling a big
LED TV back and forth for the winter..

---
* SLMR Rob * Democracy: 3 wolves and a sheep voting on what to eat
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

OT, but I saw a video on YT the other day from a fellow that does a lot of

>radio and TV broadcast videos. I didn't watch it, but the title suggested
>that they are doing away with satellite tv in the UK. I didn't watch
>because it didn't sound like something that'd be happening here.

I can maybe see that in and near big cities but there will always be
a lot of people too far out to get a TV signal any other way.

Maybe they expect those to get theirs through the Internet. (?)

I watched the video, and that is exactly it. The satellites that supply
sat tv to the UK & Ireland will reach their EOL around 2030 so they are hoping to get most folks to switch over to streaming before then, rather than
replace them.

Mike

* SLMR 2.1a * Southern DOS: Y'all reckon? (Yep/Nope)
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

On 23 Sep 2025, Rob Mccart said the following...

I don't seem to find any way to find out what channels are available
in this area with online searches and such

I used this site:

https://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29

It was pretty accurate for what's available in my area. It also lets you know the signal strength based on how high your antenna is. That's how we knew we needed ours to be 30ft in the air to reliably get the stations from Buffalo.

When I typed my Dad's address into that site (Muskoka), he can get one station reliably (CTV), and might be able to get Global & CHCH if we were able to get the antenna high enough. A far cry from the ~30 stations we can get down here.


Jay

... Miss Stove seems to be going off the boil

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Northern Realms (1:229/664)

Hello Rob!

Why not drop by a nearest thiftshop and pick up a fine LED TV

for less than $50? I see plenty of 32" tvs at my local

My Toshiba CRT is a 29" set so it's not too bad. I could
easily afford a much bigger LED, but until last winter my
place was left to freeze over the winter and that can
destroy the LCD type sets. (LED are still LCD) They warn
they are only good down to about -20c..

All the more reason to go for a 2nd hand one at much much less
cost than a new tv.

Even if I get a second place I wouldn't want to be hauling
a big LED TV back and forth for the winter..

Not planning to stay the whole winter this time?

--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.64
* Origin: Stare into this point intently ->.<- (1:153/757.21)

Sounds like sat tv might be a thing of the past in the UK and Ireland after

>2030 due to a lack of interest in replacing the existing satellites, which wi
>reach the end of their life spans around then.

That sounds like something that might effect everyone, everywhere.
I doubt the UK has their own satellites exclusive to them..

---
* SLMR Rob * Stupid dead cat tricks - Play dead!... Good kitty.
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

Sounds like sat tv might be a thing of the past in the UK and Ireland after

>2030 due to a lack of interest in replacing the existing satellites, which wi
>reach the end of their life spans around then.

That sounds like something that might effect everyone, everywhere.
I doubt the UK has their own satellites exclusive to them..

They actually sort of do. The type of service in question relies on geo-stationary satellites. So the 4 or so in question are in place specifically for the UK, Ireland, and (if I understood correctly) West
Africa. While the number of people served is still in the millions, it
might not be enough to make it cost-effective to launch replacements when
the time comes.

Mike

* SLMR 2.1a * Hell is full. The damned are now in Tech Support.
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

Hello Mike!

** On Monday 22.09.25 - 19:38, you wrote to me:

https://youtu.be/H3Qg6exDBAI?si=eWRqSn8WMCpCJhn5

Sounds like sat tv might be a thing of the past in the UK
and Ireland after 2030 due to a lack of interest in
replacing the existing satellites, which will reach the
end of their life spans around then.

That does not bode well for people in more rural areas. I
suppose the alterative might be one of the LEO sat/internet
systems like Starlink to satisfy that tv entertainment urge.

Personally, I think tv is overrated.

Many households in my region opted for sattv early on in the
game when OTA analog started to drop and when C-Band started
scrambling their feeds.

I really can't justify paying for TV at $100+ per month.
--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.64
* Origin: Stare into this point intently ->.<- (1:153/757.21)

I don't seem to find any way to find out what channels are available
in this area with online searches and such

I used this site:

https://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29

It was pretty accurate for what's available in my area. It also lets you kno

>he signal strength based on how high your antenna is. That's how we knew we
>ded ours to be 30ft in the air to reliably get the stations from Buffalo.

When I typed my Dad's address into that site (Muskoka), he can get one statio

>eliably (CTV), and might be able to get Global & CHCH if we were able to get
> antenna high enough. A far cry from the ~30 stations we can get down here.

Well that was interesting. I went there and it *appears* I should be
able to get 25 stations altogether, although I think a lot of them are
repeats from the same major network. It did mention though that the
information is about 8 years old so I don't know if it's still accurate.

They did show that for almost all of them I'd need a very high quality
outdoor antenna (tower?) to pick up though.

It even showed me 8 channels I could get Analog.

Both showed CTV and Global feeds. The digital ones added CBC and TVO
as well, and SRC which is French I believe..

Thanks for mentioning that anyways.. B)

---
* SLMR Rob * ... Gotta run... Cat's eating my Tarantula...
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

My Toshiba CRT is a 29" set so it's not too bad. I could
easily afford a much bigger LED, but until last winter my
place was left to freeze over the winter and that can
destroy the LCD type sets. (LED are still LCD) They warn
they are only good down to about -20c..

All the more reason to go for a 2nd hand one at much much less

>cost than a new tv.

Our local Thrift store has almost completely stopped offering
electronics. I bought a Lot of computer stuff there a few years
ago but they don't carry it anymore.

Even if I get a second place I wouldn't want to be hauling
a big LED TV back and forth for the winter..

Not planning to stay the whole winter this time?

So far the plan is to stay the winter again this year.
Unfortunately the place 2 doors down from me just sold and they
were the ones paying to plow out the road last winter.

I don't know if the new owners will want to or have to do that,
so my costs could go up quite a bit. Several times last winter
they paid $225 for plowing in a single week.

I gave them some money towards the plowing even though they said
I didn't have to since they had to plow it out anyways..

---
* SLMR Rob * Dogs have owners.. Cats have staff..
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

I really can't justify paying for TV at $100+ per month.

It is becoming increasingly more difficult to do so for sure.

Mike

* SLMR 2.1a * if it has tires or tits, you're gonna have problems
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

On 25 Sep 2025, Rob Mccart said the following...

Well that was interesting. I went there and it *appears* I should be
able to get 25 stations altogether, although I think a lot of them are repeats from the same major network. It did mention though that the information is about 8 years old so I don't know if it's still accurate.

Another site I found was:

https://www.rabbitears.info/searchmap.php

There were a couple of differences (for my area at least), e.g: the original CHCH tower had been torn down and the new one was put in service in a slightly different area.

They did show that for almost all of them I'd need a very high quality outdoor antenna (tower?) to pick up though.

That's what we found in our area as well, we're in the middle of Toronto & Buffalo, but not exactly *close* to either. So we bought two high-gain directional antennas to point in each direction. It works well enough, and if there is heavy rain it can sometimes pixelate or drop out.

Both showed CTV and Global feeds. The digital ones added CBC and TVO
as well, and SRC which is French I believe..

Some of the far away ones on our map are repeats like CTV out of Kitchener and Global out of Paris, repeats of what we're getting out of Toronto.


Jay

... Love conquers all things except poverty and toothache

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Northern Realms (1:229/664)

Sounds like sat tv might be a thing of the past in the UK and Ireland after

>2030 due to a lack of interest in replacing the existing satellites, which
>will reach the end of their life spans around then.

That sounds like something that might effect everyone, everywhere.

>> I doubt the UK has their own satellites exclusive to them..

They actually sort of do. The type of service in question relies on

>geo-stationary satellites. So the 4 or so in question are in place
>specifically for the UK, Ireland, and (if I understood correctly) West
>Africa. While the number of people served is still in the millions, it
>might not be enough to make it cost-effective to launch replacements when
>the time comes.

Okay, I hadn't thought of it that way. You usually think of the
satellites as passing off their signals to the next in line all
around the earth but I suppose it makes sense that not all users
want or need access to other parts of the world.

I was thinking more like as with satellite phones you can call
from anywhere on earth if you have line of sight to the chain
of satellites over the equator.

---
* SLMR Rob * TAG... You're it.
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

Sounds like sat tv might be a thing of the past in the UK
and Ireland after 2030 due to a lack of interest in
replacing the existing satellites, which will reach the
end of their life spans around then.

That does not bode well for people in more rural areas. I

>suppose the alterative might be one of the LEO sat/internet
>systems like Starlink to satisfy that tv entertainment urge.

In theory anyone with Internet access can get a lot of TV networks
without paying much (or anything) beyond the cost of having enough
data to stream Television shows. Obviously you can pay something
to get more, newer or special Television but most everything you
get on Satellite TV should be available in another way.

Personally, I think tv is overrated.

I think that depends on the individual a lot. People not working
full time have a lot of hours to fill and, depending on their
exact situation, may rely on TV to fill their days.

(Plus.. electronic baby sitter for a lot of parents..)

I read a lot, hours a day, plus my living situation takes me more
time than for most people but I still watch 3 or 3 hours of TV in
the evening to fill time.

But I agree they charge more than seems fair for the service.

---
* SLMR Rob * Every 15 seconds in North America a Tagline is stolen
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

Well that was interesting. I went there and it *appears* I should be
able to get 25 stations altogether, although I think a lot of them are repeats from the same major network. It did mention though that the information is about 8 years old so I don't know if it's still accurate.

Another site I found was:

https://www.rabbitears.info/searchmap.php

There were a couple of differences (for my area at least), e.g: the original

>H tower had been torn down and the new one was put in service in a slightly d
>erent area.

Well, using a 25 foot tower and locations within 60 miles this one only
showed me 4 options, 2 Bad, one poor and one fair. The fair one is in
Muskoka and is CHCH TV, not the best station for good programming..
The others were (2) CTV and Global.

It showed 10 if I went for within 100 miles, but I have my doubts you'd
get a decent signal, if any, from 100 miles away..

So we bought two high-gain directional antennas to point in each

>direction. It works well enough, and if there is heavy rain it
>can sometimes pixelate or drop out.

Many years ago, before rotors, we were out in the country and we
had 2 heads on the antenna as well. It did work pretty well..

---
* SLMR Rob * Taglines are childish and I refuse to use them
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

They actually sort of do. The type of service in question relies on

>geo-stationary satellites. So the 4 or so in question are in place
>specifically for the UK, Ireland, and (if I understood correctly) West
>Africa. While the number of people served is still in the millions, it
>might not be enough to make it cost-effective to launch replacements when
>the time comes.

Okay, I hadn't thought of it that way. You usually think of the
satellites as passing off their signals to the next in line all
around the earth but I suppose it makes sense that not all users
want or need access to other parts of the world.

I was thinking more like as with satellite phones you can call
from anywhere on earth if you have line of sight to the chain
of satellites over the equator.

It is difficult for me to get my head around geo-stationary, too. I think
of the Earth spinning and of satellites moving. Somehow, they get them
moving at the same rate of the Earth's spin, and sometimes makes small corrections with thrusters, so they stay in the same relative area.

Mike

* SLMR 2.1a * Go ahead, back up to the RAM disk. I dare you!
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

I was thinking more like as with satellite phones you can call

>> from anywhere on earth if you have line of sight to the chain
>> of satellites over the equator.

It is difficult for me to get my head around geo-stationary, too. I think

>of the Earth spinning and of satellites moving. Somehow, they get them
>moving at the same rate of the Earth's spin, and sometimes makes small
>corrections with thrusters, so they stay in the same relative area.

Yes, that string of satellites is known as the Clarke Belt, named
after the Sci-Fi author Arthr C. Clarke who suggested the idea in a letter/article he wrote in 1945 called Wireless World, long before
the idea of satellites was even considered, where he suggested it
could be used to give world wide radio coverage.

A satellite 22,236 miles above the earth circles it in 23 hours,
56 minutes and 4 seconds, the same rate that the earth spins at so,
relative the the ground below, it doesn't move, but it does have to
be over the equator which limits access to far North and South areas
due to the curve of the earth.

---
* SLMR Rob * Warning!Taglinemayhavesettledduringupload
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

Here in the states, when they went digital, they were (and still are)
sending out an OTA signal but it can only be picked up with digital capable equipment. It also does *not* travel near as far as the analog OTA signals did (IIRC, because they turned the power down), so that is how many people in rural areas lost OTA service.

Before the digital transition was completed, I could get about 10 stations from the two closest markets, plus one from Cincinnati (farther away). Afterwards, I could no longer get any.

In Canada, did they actually turn off OTA all together at some point?

Mike

* SLMR 2.1a * Aibohphobia, n. -- the fear of palindromes.

Whiile reading I thought about a TV station that was on Channel 5 was causing interference to a Station 100miles away so the FCC had the local station change broadcasting to Channel 3.
The station is WAVE-TV.
Later WHAS-TV came on the air as Channel 9 but I can't recall why they were told to change to Channel 11.
Yep, I remember when there wasn't Television just AM Radio.
Ed
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)

Whiile reading I thought about a TV station that was on Channel 5 was causing interference to a Station 100miles away so the FCC had the local station chang
broadcasting to Channel 3.
The station is WAVE-TV.

I had heard that story before but I had fogotten it!

Later WHAS-TV came on the air as Channel 9 but I can't recall why they were told to change to Channel 11.

IIRC, there is a Channel 9 in Cincinnati, too, but I don't know if it was
on the air yet back then.

Yep, I remember when there wasn't Television just AM Radio.

Are you old enough to remember where WHAS-AM was before it became 840? ;)

Mike

* SLMR 2.1a * "When I was a boy the Dead Sea was only sick." - G. Burns
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)