Whats the story with Fox 6?

[gobble]

Just got my tv set up and can't get 6-1 tuned in.  I'm in Germantown and have a rooftop antenna in my attic.  Is it up and running?  Is the signal so bad that it won't make it to Germantown?  Are they doing Packer games in widescreen?  Why are they so far behind every other network?

[Tom Snyder]

Hey gobble!

Go http://www.milwaukeehdtv.org/cgi/search.cgi?action=intro&default=1">HERE

Search all open forums for WITI, FOX, FAUX, 6 or 33 and you'll find all your answers....

[gobble]

I did that search earlier and was hoping someone would respond with better news.  My search so far has told me that Fox 6 has a crummy picture if you can even get their signal.  They appear to be far behind everyone else and don't even pass through the widescreen football broadcasts.  

I don't understand why my receiver finds 6-1 in the channel scan but gives me a black screen when I tune it in.  Tom, where are you in Germantown?  Can you get 6-1?  Can you get any of the Chicago or Madison stations?

[Gregg Lengling]

Because you have  a marginal signal...at times when you scan you can get enough data from the PSIP to provide you with channel mapping and callsign info...but not enough uncorrupted data to give you a picture and sound.  I can only receive them when 12 and 4's digitals are not on the air as they are marginal here in Cedarburg.

Good luck unless you live in Brown Deer or the south side of Mequon.


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Gregg R. Lengling
RCA P61310 61" 16x9
glengling@ameritech.net

[gobble]

Are there any "super antennas" that can be purchased to pick up channels from far far away.

[Tom Snyder]

 

Tom, where are you in Germantown? Can you get 6-1? Can you get any of the Chicago or Madison stations?

Far Northwestern G'town, Radio Shack Double Bowtie, attic level height in  cathedral ceiling lving room. Good signal strength on every other local digital signal... I've ever ever goten even a peep from 6-1/33.. even when ducting was getting me 70's and 80's from Chicago and South Bend digital channels... never got any Madison channels.

[This message has been edited by Tom Snyder (edited 10-24-2002).]

[Pat]

To answer gobble's question: yes and no.  Satisfied?  

Like light, high frequency signals don't bend or pass through objects very well.  The higher the frequency, the lesser the bend and the lesser the penetration.  (In fact, "Loran" (I think that's its name), used by submarines, is VERY LOW frequency and goes through the entire earth nicely.)

As the station's signal reaches the horizon, especially in UHF, it is far weaker than it started out (because of the distance), but if it is strong enough (or you have a good antenna), it can still be usable.

But once you drop below the horizon, UHF signals don't bend very much, and the signal cannot be detected, no matter how good the antenna or how strong the signal.  Its passing over your head.

Normally, the horizon for a transmitter is 50-60 miles away.  It takes very large increases in height to make significant changes in the horizon's distance.

Signals do reflect, so I imagine there are cases where signals can reflect over the horizon from fixed objects.

Sometimes, the air itself can reflect the signals.  There was much discussion about this earlier this fall on this board -- people were receiving signals from all over the place because they were reflecting off variations in air density, especially over Lake Michigan.

[Gregg Lengling]

Actually Loran is the predessor to GPS and was used for positioning....Project ELF (up the north) is the submarine communiations system (stands for Extremely Low Frequency).  The lower the freq. the lower the bandwidth.

Penetration into buildings actually increases in UHF vs. VHF......just look at the low power Networks for computers on 2.4 and 5.6 GigaHertz.....


------------------
Gregg R. Lengling
RCA P61310 61" 16x9
glengling@ameritech.net

[mcq]

 

Originally posted by gobble:
I did that search earlier and was hoping someone would respond with better news.  My search so far has told me that Fox 6 has a crummy picture if you can even get their signal.  They appear to be far behind everyone else and don't even pass through the widescreen football broadcasts.  

  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I forget what was your question.......

[xdew]

I live in menomonee falls and I get fox 6 on channel 34 signal strength is about 71

[Gregg Lengling]

Check you signal strength when 28-1 (channel 4) is off the air and then again when they are on the air.  I have reduced signal on Fox whenever 28 is on the air making it unusable.  Most of their programming seems to be stretched 480i...not much to see....only thing is the color is better....


------------------
Gregg R. Lengling
RCA P61310 61" 16x9
HiDTV Pro 2 computer reciever card
glengling@ameritech.net

[StarvingForHDTV]

 

Originally posted by lummox:
Most of their programming seems to be stretched 480i...not much to see....only thing is the color is better....

I have to agree.  I tried watching another "widescreen enhanced" show, I think it was called Firefly.  Well anyway the picture is definitely inferior to DVD, not even close, in my opinion.  In fact I feel the Sony HD200 upconvert of digital non-HD feeds like channels 1.2,1.3,10.2-10.4 etc are far superior to Faux's best signals that I have seen.  I have to wonder if our local Faux is really passing on the "widescreen enhanced" signals properly from the network.  If they are it's pretty pathetic.

Don't feel like you are missing out if you do not receive 6.1  Just my opinion.

Starving

[mcq]

I Live in Milwaukee... not the SMSA... the City. I have never had 33 register on either my DTC-100 or my HiDTV. I have a rooftop antenna and get every other MKE digital station. What city is FOX 6 licensed to service anyway?

[Gregg Lengling]

Just Brown Deer I think and maybe the south side of Mequon.  A 150' antenna and a nine volt battery from Hwy57 and Brown Deer Road doesn't go far.


------------------
Gregg R. Lengling
RCA P61310 61" 16x9
HiDTV Pro 2 computer reciever card
glengling@ameritech.net