I can get 14 CITS with my antenna aimed at Buffalo:  The signal strength is weak, but watchable.   

With the antenna aimed west I'm getting a stronger signal from CKCO 13 than I am from CHCH.

Re: CHCH-DT
I'm in North York and this channel is very intermittent for me. As of right now I can't lock it at all. It was locking about an hour ago. There has been tropo enhancement over the last few days and I suspect WNBF-LP Buffalo is interfering, plus possibly even the very high power WEWS-DT Cleveland on occasion, if enhancement is towards the SW, since I've received Erie, PA on FM the last few days. My antenna, while on a rotor, always faces towards Buffalo with the expectation of getting the stronger locals off the sides. I always had a reliable signal when CHCH's antenna was still on the escarpment. Aside from that location being more within the receive beamwidth of my antenna, the signal was stronger, as a large part of the path was over water. Now the path for me is completely over land. Interestingly, CITS-DT from the same new tower locks at least 90% of the time and almost always in winter months, thus my curiosity around WNBF being the main culprit. When you look at WNBF's signal pattern, the field strength increases towards eastern Toronto. So, I'm not sure why CHCH chose that particular new site to serve Toronto. With most Toronto rooftop antennas fixed looking south, their broadcast antenna is now sitting at 90 degree orientation for a sizable portion of their audience. Also, they have no doubt lost most of their OTA viewers around Fort Erie as WNBF-LP sits just across the river. I guess something has to give when most broadcasters now want to be on the UHF band and have to share only 23 channels.
 

City and TVO are usually pretty solid. And yes, I do have an amp coming into the house or I'd get a lot less from Buffalo. It is very weird that the signal strength is there but the picture often isn't. Sometimes, though, it's just fine. Other times it's not. Depends a lot on the weather. 

But of course as you know moving the rotor even a little often means something else stops coming in. So you really can't win.

Still, I wouldn't give up my outdoor antenna for anything. 

When WBXZ first came on the air I could get them all the time.  They had several technical problems and then I lost their signal.  I think it was around the re-pack of frequencies.  Can't recall if they moved,  but no, I can't pull them in. 

WBBZ 67 is come and go for me...would rather be able to get them all the time.  Someone Commented once that they were only a few miles from their transmitter and couldn't get 67 either!

RadioActive wrote:

City and TVO are usually pretty solid. And yes, I do have an amp coming into the house or I'd get a lot less from Buffalo. It is very weird that the signal strength is there but the picture often isn't. Sometimes, though, it's just fine. Other times it's not. Depends a lot on the weather. 

But of course as you know moving the rotor even a little often means something else stops coming in. So you really can't win.

Still, I wouldn't give up my outdoor antenna for anything. 

Ditto. I've had one for decades.  Regarding your Global/CBLT, did or have you tried removing the amplifier to see if that changes anything?  I've always been leery of amplifiers, especially the older vintage ones. A bad amp can do one of two things: In strong signal areas, go into an overload state and wipe out weaker stations or, as they age, begin to self-oscillate, meaning they generate a spurious signal internally that interferes with select channels or even all. I can't say for sure that the amp is the problem but it would be where I would start if I saw the effects that you are experiencing. Anecdotally, preamps that were mounted up by the antenna were notorious for just outright failing due to the adverse conditions they had to endure. That's about the worst place to have to troubleshoot!
 

Evuguy wrote:

RadioActive wrote:

City and TVO are usually pretty solid. And yes, I do have an amp coming into the house or I'd get a lot less from Buffalo. It is very weird that the signal strength is there but the picture often isn't. Sometimes, though, it's just fine. Other times it's not. Depends a lot on the weather. 

But of course as you know moving the rotor even a little often means something else stops coming in. So you really can't win.

Still, I wouldn't give up my outdoor antenna for anything. 

Ditto. I've had one for decades.  Regarding your Global/CBLT, did or have you tried removing the amplifier to see if that changes anything?  I've always been leery of amplifiers, especially the older vintage ones. A bad amp can do one of two things: In strong signal areas, go into an overload state and wipe out weaker stations or, as they age, begin to self-oscillate, meaning they generate a spurious signal internally that interferes with select channels or even all. I can't say for sure that the amp is the problem but it would be where I would start if I saw the effects that you are experiencing. Anecdotally, preamps that were mounted up by the antenna were notorious for just outright failing due to the adverse conditions they had to endure. That's about the worst place to have to troubleshoot!
 

My amp is, indeed, way high up on the tower, although somewhat shielded from the harshest conditions by an over hang. I know it works - I've unplugged it a few times and saw nothing from Buffalo. But when I plug it back in, everything comes back. There's also a tree issue in my backyard that may be causing some troubles, as well. 

Weather plays a factor as well. Sometimes, a station will be there in the morning and all day, and suddenly gone at night, only to pop back in a few hours later, with no rotor movement at all.  

As it stands now, I'm not in any condition to climb up there and replace the amp, although maybe I can still find someone who does that kind of work. Antenna folk were plentiful in the old days. Now it's almost impossible to find anyone. 

But I appreciate the suggestion of what may be going on and I'll look into it. Thanks!

Worth a try. Thanks for the suggestion. I will say if it's a choice between getting the Buffalo channels or CBLT, guess which one I'm going for?