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I do remember reading somewhere that it can be very difficult to receive channel 19's DTV signal in some far-suburban/near-fringe areas without a large, fringe-area antenna. The fact that 19's DTV signal is being transmitted on VHF channel ten isn't helping matters much either. It strikes me as odd, again, that the station was assigned a high-VHF channel for its DTV transmissions, when most TV stations in this area (and nationwide) are now on UHF DTV channels. There is a Canadian television station, almost due north of Cleveland across Lake Erie, on the same channel as channel 19's DTV assignment; this is causing some problems for both stations, in the form of co-channel interference during temperature inversions and other seasonal conditions that cause TV signals to travel hundreds or even thousands (!) of miles beyond their normal service area. As I mentioned in my last post, channel 19's owner and licensee, Raycom Communications, applied for and was granted permission to increase the station's ERP power level substantially so as to cover the Akron, Ohio area as close to reliably as possible. This power increase is, IMO, a poor solution to the problem (my experience as an amateur radio operator tells me that a more reliable way to increase the range of an RF signal is to raise or improve the antenna system--not to rely on a power increase while using the same antenna system), but apparently the station is doing it this way until such time as they can move their DTV signal to a UHF channel, whenever that may be. Unfortunately, however, even that power increase is not enough (nowhere near) to remedy the reception problems in areas to the far east and far west of the station's antenna towers in the Cleveland suburb of Parma. The only way, again, that the station is going to even come close to ending these reception problems is to move its signal to a UHF channel. All other TV stations in this area are on UHF DTV assignments, and I can receive them quite well at my apartment using the Zenith amplified DTV indoor antenna. I was experimenting with the antenna earlier today and found that, with the antenna in one certain spot, I could receive 24 DTV channels, but not channel 8 (RF 8) or 19 (RF 10). Some of the stations I am receiving are stations listed in Antennaweb's charts with a violet marker, meaning that a high-power, amplified outdoor antenna must be used to get reliable reception of said stations. Why I am getting these stations "just like downtown" with an indoor antenna is beyond me, but I'm not complaining. Since I watch channels 8 and 19 most of the time (their subchannels carry Antenna TV and MeTV, respectively), however, I have gone back to cable for the time being, until such time as the reception difficulties at both stations are no longer a problem in my area. Since these stations are almost certainly losing a substantial number of viewers due to these reception problems (many people cannot afford cable, even broadcast basic cable, or satellite, and so have no other choice but to use an antenna), I would hope the stations' owners would do whatever they had to do to improve their signals so that they will cover the entire northeastern Ohio area with few or no gaps or dead spots. Any television station which is affiliated with a major network, after all, cannot afford to be in a situation in which some parts of what should be its normal reception area do not get a usable signal from that station. I'm sure channels 8 and 19 are losing goodness only knows how much advertising revenue because of these reception problems; for that reason, again, I hope they do whatever is necessary to resolve these difficulties. I don't think the amount of lost revenue will be anywhere near enough to put the stations out of business (both are owned and operated by large media groups), but it isn't doing them any good, either. CBS is currently America's #1-rated TV network, so it is very important that its affiliates reach as much of their coverage area as possible.
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Jeff, WB8NHV Collecting, restoring and enjoying vintage Zenith radios since 2002 Zenith. Gone, but not forgotten. Last edited by Jeffhs; 01-28-2015 at 11:25 PM. |
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" Licensee: WOIO LICENSE SUBSIDIARY, LLC Service Designation: DT Digital television station Transmit Channel: 10 192 - 198 MHz Licensed Virtual Channel: 19 (viewer sees this channel number) Network affiliation: CBS File No.: BLCDT-19991110AAR Facility ID number: 39746 CDBS Application ID No.: 428322 41° 23' 15.00" N Latitude Site in Canadian Border Zone 81° 41' 43.00" W Longitude (NAD 27) Polarization: Circular (H = V) Effective Radiated Power (ERP): 3.5 kW ERP Antenna Height Above Average Terrain: 304. meters HAAT -- Calculate HAAT Antenna Height Above Mean Sea Level: 567. meters AMSL Antenna Height Above Ground Level: 293. meters AGL" For another web study on reception in your area, try 'TV Fool", but I suspect the results will be about the same, however : http://www.tvfool.com/ jr I also gather , from reading through some of the applications on the "Application List" that the station is indeed, now running 9.5 kW ERP (and has for several years) under the authority of a Special Temporary Authority (STA). . Last edited by jr_tech; 01-28-2015 at 11:46 PM. Reason: add info on 9.5 kW ERP STA |
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I also tried the other site you mentioned (TVFool.com), but I cannot use that one either because I do not know the latitude and longitude of the area in which I live. Isn't the name of the village (or the city closest to it) enough? Why do I have to mess with those other numbers? If channel 19 is running at 95 kilowatts, I should be getting it here just using a piece of wire connected to where the antenna goes, and I wouldn't have to use the amplifier in my DTV indoor antenna. Honestly, I wish the FCC had left the country's television system alone. The old NTSC analog system served us well for over 50 years; now we have a DTV system that doesn't work for many people without cable. I like my TV, don't especially care anymore how my favorite shows get here (meaning I don't care about the technical stuff behind DTV), and do not appreciate all this trouble I have to go to just to get the two channels I watch more than any other TV station in Cleveland. Is there any chance the FCC will realize what a flop DTV is in most areas, and revert to the NTSC analog system? At least with that system there was a picture if your TV signal was weak; with digital, it is all or nothing. I like DTV from the standpoint of a clearer picture and more channels, but I can do without the reception problems. Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh!!
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Jeff, WB8NHV Collecting, restoring and enjoying vintage Zenith radios since 2002 Zenith. Gone, but not forgotten. Last edited by Jeffhs; 01-29-2015 at 11:50 AM. |
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You must have miss-read the power that I stated; it is 9.5 kW ERP *not* 95! jr |
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