Another analog station bites the dust - Videokarma.org TV - Video

Carmine · #1 08-09-2012, 05:56 AM

Detroit has had "ION" TV on channel LP-48 (I think?) for many years now. Rather than the usual spanish language nonsense, or TV preachers, Ion actually had normal programming. (Lots of crappy CBS shows). I never even knew they were a Detroit channel, they seemed vaguely Canadian with all their wholsome sugar-coated goodness. Last month I probably watched it for an hour when they actually had a decent show playing. Sometimes I'd tune in and they just had a "no signal" message transmitting, as if I was watching digital!

Anyways, I was happy they existed because it meant I could at least receive a half-decent picture on the ol' Zenith roundie that lives in my unheated/uncooled breezeway. I've never bothered to connect a converter, but I'd occasionally turn the set on for visitors who seemed interested. I did just that today, and instead of some Jerry Bruckhiemer dreck, was greeted with this:

Which contained a scroll telling me to re-scan my converter box... Which is fairly dumb because I'm evidently not using a convertor box if I can see the message, but I got their point. (A message saying they'd moved to a digital transmission would have made more sense.)

So I "rescanned", as in turned the UHF knob and found this:

An actual Canadian channel (42) which came in well enough for me to see it was Olympic rowing, but not enough to even tune in color worms. The set has only the most marginal UHF loop attached to it. There was also another very weak channel, religious I believe. At some point I plan to put up a good outdoor antenna for some LP DX'ing.

If your curious what the set looks like:

I got this set perhaps 6-7 years ago in a home where it was still connected to cable in a basement outside Toledo. The picture tube was replaced at some point before I got it. It has the later Zenith-style yellow ring just begining to show. No other service work since I got it beyond simple gray-scale and convergence touch ups. Set was in a heavy smoker house when I got it. Did some cleaning, but the chassis has never been removed. It just works, even though temps in that room go below freezing to above 100.

gellis · #2 08-09-2012, 01:56 PM

Loosing these analogue stations is a shame. There are so few left and they are the only true way to enjoy watching these older analogue TV's. Its not the same with a cable box (or digital converter box if you are not a subscriber to cable TV). I do NOT enjoy watching DVD (or the older VHS tapes) on them either as it seems too artificial. Its fun to watch the TV like how it once was where the TV was receiving the raw signal out of the air and "doing all the work on its own". Having to use the cable box (or the other aforementioned devices) is like having the TV on life support. We have lost a lot.

PS, you have posted this topic in the wrong forum. Please consider posting in the appropriate forum in the future my friend.

Sandy G · #3 08-09-2012, 02:05 PM

Uhh, no he didn't. This forum is just fine. But I wholeheartedly agree w/you on the loss of OTA analog transmissions.

Carmine · #4 08-09-2012, 02:16 PM

Look all, I don't want to tick anybody off. I suppose this could have gone in the digital forum (since that's what it's really about). I guess I just figured since I observed it on one of my Zenith roundies, that I'd post the photos here.

You can feel free to move the posting.

tvcollector · #5 08-09-2012, 02:25 PM

All of the low powered UHF channels are all gone around these parts..

snelson903 · #6 08-09-2012, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sandy G

Uhh, no he didn't. This forum is just fine. But I wholeheartedly agree w/you on the loss of OTA analog transmissions.

dido

snelson903 · #7 08-09-2012, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carmine

Look all, I don't want to tick anybody off. I suppose this could have gone in the digital forum (since that's what it's really about). I guess I just figured since I observed it on one of my Zenith roundies, that I'd post the photos here.

You can feel free to move the posting.

but usely never go there so i would never had seen it.

DavGoodlin · #8 08-09-2012, 03:52 PM

The last analog channel I personally witnessed was KYW, where a test pattern could be seen quite a while past 6-12-09 with a scrolling message.

Oddly it was this area's first channel by far ..WRCV Philadelphia VHF - 3

And I usta be tickled to death if I got a '53-'65 set with fact'ry UHF tuner.

Nice Zenith Carmine, there's never too many beauties like that here.

ctc17 · #9 08-09-2012, 04:33 PM

I bet they left Detroit on extra long because its such an economically impoverished failing city. Residents cant afford flatties or converters.

The last two UHFs were turned off here about a year ago.

AiboPet · #10 08-09-2012, 05:22 PM

San Diego......We just have the Mexican stations left. I think all UHF. We get two "just okay"...and on a REAL good day maybe four. There IS one English language station still coming in from some distance, but no idea where it's from.

I'm doing the home transmitter thing. I have a DVD player, COX cable box....and a media player into a switcher, and then into a little 50mw "HLLY" transmitter. I'm still sort of "utilizing" the whole TV set to get a signal. The set has to see channel 13 to get my "station" anywhere within about 300 feet.

ctc17 · #11 08-09-2012, 06:24 PM

You should get that ch6 station nice and strong in sandeigo. The mexican religious station that also has a full FM MPX carrier in it so it comes in on the FM dial too

AiboPet · #12 08-09-2012, 06:40 PM

Yeah....I think I remember that "XETV" or something WAY back. You could get it also at the very bottom of the FM dial as well. I think that station is now only "barely" visible here. I'm not sure if they had to cut the signal or something. This USE to be one of the easily watchable stations here.

We use to get 6 (XETV), 8 (CBS), 10 (ABC), 12 (PBS), 39 (NBC)...and 51,69 were a couple independents that were good and strong.

I don't even know really what is "out" there still as DTV.....I HATE the DTV signals since you can NOT watch one while mobile. You either GET it, or you don't. There is no "futzing around" for a good signal.....so I don't

Sandy G · #13 08-09-2012, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AiboPet

Yeah....I think I remember that "XETV" or something WAY back. You could get it also at the very bottom of the FM dial as well. I think that station is now only "barely" visible here. I'm not sure if they had to cut the signal or something. This USE to be one of the easily watchable stations here.

We use to get 6 (XETV), 8 (CBS), 10 (ABC), 12 (PBS), 39 (NBC)...and 51,69 were a couple independents that were good and strong.

I don't even know really what is "out" there still as DTV.....I HATE the DTV signals since you can NOT watch one while mobile. You either GET it, or you don't. There is no "futzing around" for a good signal.....so I don't

No kiddin'...A LOT of thought on the part of officialdom went into this whole DTV thing...Like maybe 15, 20 seconds...You CAN'T "Futz" in a signal, they don't work during thunderstorms, or, so I've heard, blizzards...Just the times when maybe, just POSSIBLY, people might be looking to their local stations for guidance and/or info...Or am I being my usual silly self ?!?

wa2ise · #14 08-09-2012, 08:14 PM

I would have thought that a few pirate analog TV stations would have popped up from time to time since the DTV only era. In inner city areas, where people can't afford converter boxes or cable. Like the FM radio pirates that often show up in cities like NYC, with advertisers like restaurants that serve up goat's head stew...

Username1 · #15 08-09-2012, 09:29 PM

Nice tv carmine, I got one like it, but with speakers on both sides of the screen.
I got a few vhs tapes with ota content on them, including ghosts, and snow....