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  #61  
Old 04-15-2017, 06:38 AM
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Awesome analysis Wayne, I knew something was up when WHTM-27 in Harrisburg chose RF channel 10 and WCAU-10 in Phl switched to RF-34 In fact WCAU reduced power on analog 10 (or went directional) when WHTM fired up the DTV transmitter, until the end of analog.
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  #62  
Old 04-15-2017, 01:34 PM
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I live in an apartment building, so using an outdoor antenna anywhere is out of the question (as my apartment is on the first floor of a two-story building, I do not have an attic, and there are no chimneys easily accessible on the roof of the building). Moreover, I am not about to get into any kind of discussion with my landlord as to the FCC's rules regarding outdoor television antennas in apartment buildings; he probably wouldn't understand or care about them.

Channel 19 has 3.720 megawatts of power, so there is (or should be) no excuse for it not reaching my area, even today (although that doesn't concern me, for reasons I will explain at the end of this paragraph). I do not believe for one second they decreased their output when they went digital, but the fact that most of their signal goes over Lake Erie may have something to do with my reception problems. However, all of this makes no difference to me, as I watch TV exclusively via streaming video, not OTA.

BTW, your explanations of why certain Detroit TV stations do not reach your area went right over my head. I have an amateur radio license, but I have been away from the hobby so long, except for Echolink, an amateur radio linking app, and 2-meter FM (due to lease restrictions forbidding me to put up any kind of antennas, and the changes that have occurred in the hobby since I started in 1972), I have forgotten most of what I used to know about signal propagation or whatever it is. Since television went digital in 2009, I haven't the foggiest idea of how my flat screen TV works--all I know (or care about) anymore is that it does work with my Roku streaming video player, VCR, and DVD player.

If you have such trouble as you mention getting certain Detroit television stations at your home, why are you bothering with antennas at all? I'd suggest getting cable or satellite, unless your area of Michigan is so far out in the boondocks even these services won't work. Many cable companies do not provide service to extreme fringe areas, and satellite signals reach only so far.

I am leaving all the technical explanations to the experts and engineers (think wa2ise) on VK. I am beginning to think VK has changed so much since I joined these forums 15 years ago (with all the present or former TV technicians/dealers and engineers now posting here) that I don't belong here anymore. One VK member in Arizona told me, in a recent reply to one of my posts, he is about ready to stop reading my messages anyway, so maybe it's just as well.
I only get WTRF and WTOV since I live in the Ohio River Valley. If I was on top of a ridge or hill/mountain, I'd also pick up some Pittsburgh channels on rabbit ears but being down in a hole, my choices are limited. At least I get METV. BTW, don't leave the forum, I like to read your posts, they are interesting.
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  #63  
Old 04-15-2017, 01:44 PM
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I see some stations are being reassigned "channel 0." Does this mean they will stop broadcasting and exist as a subchannel of another station?
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  #64  
Old 04-15-2017, 02:28 PM
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I see some stations are being reassigned "channel 0." Does this mean they will stop broadcasting and exist as a subchannel of another station?
Or possibly cease to exist entirely. But for sure, some deals will be made/money will change hands over subchannel space and perhaps even main channels... could get interesting to see how this all shakes out! The fat lady ain't singing yet!

jr
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  #65  
Old 04-16-2017, 12:35 AM
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Or possibly cease to exist entirely. But for sure, some deals will be made/money will change hands over subchannel space and perhaps even main channels... could get interesting to see how this all shakes out! The fat lady ain't singing yet!

jr

I know in the case of WKBN-TV, Youngstown, OH, they have a new channel assignment of 0. I know the same company who owns them also owns channel 33 in Youngstown as well so I ASSUME WKBN could end up as a subchannel there unless like you said, they are still waiting for their new channel. WKBN is Youngstown CBS affiliate so I really cannot see them going dark completely, then again who knows? I know here in the Ohio Valley, WTRF-TV on 7 is the local CBS station but they carry ABC on a subchannel since WTAE-TV from Pittsburgh is a tough catch, almost impossible here.
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  #66  
Old 04-16-2017, 09:35 AM
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I see some stations are being reassigned "channel 0." Does this mean they will stop broadcasting and exist as a subchannel of another station?
The MyTV affiliate in Cleveland, WUAB-TV channel 43, is not going off the air, but it will become a subchannel of WOIO-TV 19, the CBS affiliate, probably by the end of this year. Channel 43 made a particular point of this when the change was first announced, probably to squelch rumors that the station would go off the air entirely. The whole thing started when channel 43 recently sold its spectrum space and transmitter after the recently-concluded spectrum auction; some people must have jumped to conclusions, thinking the station was leaving the air, never to return.

Channel 43 was Cleveland's first independent station, having initially signed on in 1968. It was followed by WKBF-TV (Kaiser Broadcasting, now Univision affiliate WQHS-TV) on channel 61 soon after, with a third independent station, WBNX-TV in Akron, signing on channel 55 in 1985.

The announcement that channel 43's spectrum had been sold was almost certainly what started the rumors of the station eventually going dark. Whomever started this rumor apparently did not realize the station would remain on the air, only on a subchannel of channel 19. A similar change will be taking place in New York and Chicago, where the NBC affiliates in those cities will share their RF and DTV channels with other local stations. In New York, WNBC-TV will be sharing its spectrum with WNJU-TV; in Chicago, WMAQ-TV will be doing the same, sharing its channel space with Telemundo affiliate WSNS-TV. Whether or not this means the shared stations will be on subchannels of the main one, however, remains to be seen, although it would not surprise me if the stations did move to subchannels.
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Last edited by Jeffhs; 04-16-2017 at 09:45 AM.
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  #67  
Old 04-20-2017, 08:17 PM
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Originally Posted by jr_tech
Or possibly cease to exist entirely. But for sure, some deals will be made/money will change hands over subchannel space and perhaps even main channels... could get interesting to see how this all shakes out! The fat lady ain't singing yet!
Indeed..... The govt doesnt offer to pay for anything UNLESS THEY HAVE AN AGENDA!!

Last edited by Dude111; 05-01-2017 at 04:58 PM.
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  #68  
Old 04-23-2017, 09:22 PM
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I know WKBN in Youngstown was assigned a "0" and on the www.pbrtv.com site (Pittsburgh area and surrounding areas for radio and TV), WKBN will be on channel 33's signal since both stations are owned by the same company. I suspected that much.
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  #69  
Old 05-02-2017, 07:40 AM
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All channels above 36 will be required to shift down. While the transmitters are frequency agile to some extent, the antennas are not. Many stations may simply not be able to afford the shift. Is this part of the government's conspiracy to drive OTA broadcasters out of business?
The government is paying for our shift to the new channels.
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  #70  
Old 05-24-2017, 01:37 AM
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Yes because they have an agenda..... They wouldnt pay for that otherwise!!!

Something soon will be apparent!!
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  #71  
Old 05-24-2017, 01:48 PM
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I see some stations are being reassigned "channel 0." Does this mean they will stop broadcasting and exist as a subchannel of another station?
Sad to see the small people in the field will end up jobless after this DTV repack.The same goes for these big radio conglomerates as they fall apart.
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  #72  
Old 04-03-2019, 02:25 PM
RON WA9RHU RON WA9RHU is offline
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yes,they want you to pay thru the nose and somewhere else, where is the FCC for the consumers?we already watch 5 minutes of commercials every 3 minutes of program material. the FCC is busy selling off spectrum to phone companies and everybody and their mothers to finance the government staying in the pink, meanwhile I cannot get ATT to repair their idiot cable system that keeps rebooting every day, I have to play repairman and spend 20 minutes sometimes 2 or 3 times a day to watch an overpriced WIRELESS cable system.Streaming is next your really going to pay once OTA is gone.
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  #73  
Old 04-04-2019, 11:03 AM
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yes,they want you to pay thru the nose and somewhere else, where is the FCC for the consumers?we already watch 5 minutes of commercials every 3 minutes of program material. the FCC is busy selling off spectrum to phone companies and everybody and their mothers to finance the government staying in the pink, meanwhile I cannot get ATT to repair their idiot cable system that keeps rebooting every day, I have to play repairman and spend 20 minutes sometimes 2 or 3 times a day to watch an overpriced WIRELESS cable system.Streaming is next your really going to pay once OTA is gone.
Ron, I have Spectrum (Time Warner) cable service and have had few problems; part of this may be due to the fact that I have the company's lowest tier of service, which does not require a cable box (I use a Roku device and receive all my TV over the Internet). I am not familiar with and cannot speak for AT&T, but it seems to me they may be having problems with their system which are beyond your (or anyone else's) control.

AT&T could be using very old, outdated equipment that should have been replaced years or even decades (!) ago; however, this is just speculation on my part. Also, cable systems sometimes run into problems when too many people are watching a given channel, causing that channel to temporarily freeze or disappear altogether (this often happens on popular cable channels such as ESPN, when the network is showing popular content such as playoff games, etc). Cable operators do have an obligation to keep up with the state of the art (for example, the mandatory switch to DTV from analog in June 2009), but many do not perform updates not directly affecting the cable (such as guide updates) because they may feel if they do, they will have no choice but to pass on the cost to subscribers; this means, of course, higher bills.

As for commercials, well, I'm afraid we are stuck with them on every network except PBS. I agree, however, that there are far too many commercials on TV, but what can we do? The commercials keep our favorite programs on the air. Personally, I just ignore the commercials and wait for the program I am watching to resume. I've been doing that for quite a while now, and it's a good thing since, as you mentioned, there are already at least five minutes worth of these things on every program.

I don't see OTA TV disappearing any time soon. There are many people in this country who cannot afford even basic cable, and rely on OTA television. If the FCC does away with OTA, people who use antennas will have no choice but to go without TV or to watch DVDs, VHS video tapes, or streaming services. The streaming services such as Youtube TV, Hulu, et al. do charge a monthly fee and an initial sign-on fee, but these are far lower than cable; further, you do not need a cable box ahead of your TV to use these services, so anyone who watches TV through YTTV or Hulu can eliminate that monthly charge for good, unless of course they want movie channels the likes of HBO, Cinemax, et al.
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Last edited by Jeffhs; 04-06-2019 at 09:39 PM.
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  #74  
Old 04-09-2019, 11:39 AM
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  #75  
Old 04-26-2019, 08:00 PM
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NowhereMan 1966 NowhereMan 1966 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffhs View Post
The MyTV affiliate in Cleveland, WUAB-TV channel 43, is not going off the air, but it will become a subchannel of WOIO-TV 19, the CBS affiliate, probably by the end of this year. Channel 43 made a particular point of this when the change was first announced, probably to squelch rumors that the station would go off the air entirely. The whole thing started when channel 43 recently sold its spectrum space and transmitter after the recently-concluded spectrum auction; some people must have jumped to conclusions, thinking the station was leaving the air, never to return.

Channel 43 was Cleveland's first independent station, having initially signed on in 1968. It was followed by WKBF-TV (Kaiser Broadcasting, now Univision affiliate WQHS-TV) on channel 61 soon after, with a third independent station, WBNX-TV in Akron, signing on channel 55 in 1985.

The announcement that channel 43's spectrum had been sold was almost certainly what started the rumors of the station eventually going dark. Whomever started this rumor apparently did not realize the station would remain on the air, only on a subchannel of channel 19. A similar change will be taking place in New York and Chicago, where the NBC affiliates in those cities will share their RF and DTV channels with other local stations. In New York, WNBC-TV will be sharing its spectrum with WNJU-TV; in Chicago, WMAQ-TV will be doing the same, sharing its channel space with Telemundo affiliate WSNS-TV. Whether or not this means the shared stations will be on subchannels of the main one, however, remains to be seen, although it would not surprise me if the stations did move to subchannels.
Yeah, know here in the Ohio Valley, WTOV is NBC on 9.1 but carries Fox on 9.2 and MeTV on 9.3 Channel 7, WTRF from Wheeling is CBS on 7.1 but carries something else (they have a lot of crime shows) on 7.2 but still labeled Fox (Fox used to be on 7.2 before switching to 9.2), ABC is on 7.3 and Escape in on 7.4. WTRF carrying ABC is a good idea because Channel 4 out of Pittsburgh is tough to receive west of Pittsburgh even in analogue days. I know Pittsburgh stations have been affected but I live in the bowl called the Ohio Valley, the Ohio River is several blocks form me and both sides of the Appalachians surrounding me are 600 to 700 feet higher up so Pittsburgh TV goes 1000 feet above my head and my 1959 Rembrandt Rabbit ears. In other words, forget about it. Well at least with MeTV, I'm happy. I also like Fox, I like to catch the Simpsons, Family Guy and especially the Orrville.

You mentioned CHannel 19, I remember receiving them form time to time in the Western suburbs of Pittsburgh until Johnstown for WFAT at that same time.
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Last edited by NowhereMan 1966; 04-26-2019 at 08:22 PM.
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