Jim Hall: When will I be able to watch 1-1 again?

[Tom Snyder]

Ever since the foliage thickened up this last Spring, I can't get a watchable signal on 1-1 here in Germantown.

I'm wondering if you've made a decsion on when you'll go to full power (or at least enough juice to allow your suburban viewers without a rooftop antenna to pick up the signal in Summer)...

or, in lieu of that...

if there has been any progress made in negotiations with Time Warner to carry your digital signal.

[borghe]

First let me say that I have watched a LOT of CBS this first week of having my STB. Aside from my Thursday night which CBS already owned I also watched Monday which I would do now and again and even Sunday. Anywho, let me get to the topic at hand. While most of the time I can get a signal from 70-100 on channel 58, I have to work VERY hard with my existing antenna. Also a lot of the time even with a very strong signal strength it will go through huge fluctuations causing me to lose picture. Now 4 and 10 both also have to have the antenna repositioned (it's a little amplified RCA indoor), but for both of those it's usually a quick repositioning and then I get 100 signal strength with no fluctuations. Now I know 10 is on VHF, but 4 comes in rock solid at 93-100 with very little trying. I'm not mad, I'm not complaining, and I CERTAINLY am not going to stop watching, but if some enlightenment could be provided it would be appreciated. Is this a result of not running at full power? Are you running at full power? Just curious.

[Rafiki]

On Thursday evening, I had planned on watching CSI and Agency but the signal level was 23-30.  Did anyone else have the same problem?

Thanks.

[borghe]

My antenna just needed a normal amount of messing with but I was able to get 70-90's. Every once in a while it would break up, but not too bad once I got it in good.

[Gregg Lengling]

You guys really need to put up outdoor antennas.  I always have an 82 on 1-1 (all I need is 38 for a locked signal), and higher on 10-1 and 4-1...once in a while I get 38 or higher on 6-1 but don't count on it.  I'm 8 air miles from their Transmitter at their studios and my antenna is on a 50' tower....of course their antenna is aimed in the opposite direction from me.  They point mainly South and I'm North.


------------------
Gregg R. Lengling
RCA P61310 61" 16x9
gregg@camelcomm.com

[Tom Snyder]

But should we have to? THAT, as I see it is the reason why HDTV isn't acheving critical mass... I can hear it in houses all across the nation...

"So how much are these TV's? Holy Canoli!!! And I also need a Set-top box to actually tune in any stations? How much are those? You gotta be kidding!!!  And I need to subscribe to DirecTV? Jeez! But I see some local stations advertising HDTV.. can't I just get them for free? WHAT? I need to buy and put up a rooftop antenna? That's it.. NFW!"

[MesaV]

Wow, you've been holding that in to long Tom, you're going to have to vent more often.  

[borghe]

I've posted some other things in the hardware forum, but in here I will post that I am simultaneously receiving 100 signal strength on all 3 channels with my RCA antenna. That's not really big news with 4 or 10 but with 58 that's unheard of for me (for the whole week I've had my box). Don't know if they cranked up the signal a notch or two but tonight I am getting the best reception of all time.

Good thing there is all the HD material to watch on 58 tonight.  

[This message has been edited by borghe (edited 07-05-2002).]

[Tom Snyder]

 

Wow, you've been holding that in to long Tom, you're going to have to vent more often.

Yeah.. I feel MUCH better now.  

It's just sooo frustrating to finally have another local HD channel.. one that actually has stuff I want to watch... I get a good solid signal between 68 and 70 but every 20-30 seconds the signal just drops to zero.. picture pixelates or goes black until it locks back in... Can't watch it.  NEVER a problem with 4 or 10.  


[This message has been edited by Tom Snyder (edited 07-06-2002).]

[Tom Snyder]

 

Don't know if they cranked up the signal a notch or two but tonight I am getting the best reception of all time.

Don't know if has anything to do with it, but for the past few days, atmospheric conditions have been conducive to receiving distant signals... Muskegon radio stations have been coming in like they're in our backyard.

[JimHall]

 

Originally posted by Tom Snyder:
Ever since the foliage thickened up this last Spring, I can't get a watchable signal on 1-1 here in Germantown.

I'm wondering if you've made a decsion on when you'll go to full power (or at least enough juice to allow your suburban viewers without a rooftop antenna to pick up the signal in Summer)...

or, in lieu of that...

if there has been any progress made in negotiations with Time Warner to carry your digital signal.

'Tom;

What you are probably experiencing is not a drop in our signal level, but rather a ghosting effect.  In the new DTV world, ghosting has far more impact on the signal than the old analog transmission.  In digital, a ghosting signal that is strong enough will cause the STB or receiver to lock-up or go dark.  I know that at my home with an in-door antenna, if I tweak it to receive our station, I will loose WTMJ-DT and WMVS-DT.  And the tweaking is only 6".  The great thing about DTV is when the picture is there, its nearly perfect, and the bad thing is that just a little interference can cause havoc.   I would suspect that the leaves on the trees may be causing a ghosting effect for you.

Our current plan for operating is status quo for now.  And for carriage on TWC, all I can tell you is that we are in discussions with them for carrying our DTV signal.

Jim Hall
CBS - Milwaukee



[This message has been edited by JimHall (edited 07-08-2002).]

[Tom Snyder]

Thanks for the response... Anything else I can do to minimize the ghosting besides moving my antenna around? Like turning off the antenna amplifier, or moving the antennae to something other than a straight horizontal position?

My antenna is in my living room, but it's as high as an attic antenna would be (big cathedral ceiling in the living room with a spot above the media closet that puts it up about 12 feet, but still somewhat hidden from view...) but I need to get my big ladder up to tweak it, so it's not something I want to do regularly...  

[Kevin Arnold]

Tom, here's a thought. What about putting a pair of bowtie UHF antennas under the eaves of the appropriate side of the house. Combine them with a splitter to get more signal and perhaps run the cable thru the vents. Could paint the antennas to match the house. This would give you outdoor antennas but not the visual problems. I'm thinking of the Radios Shack cheapies here. What do you think?