I see WITF (W38AN) is setting up a 5KW LD on RF 33. Does anyone know when it will become active?

That will give me PBS from at least MD, PA, VA, & WV. :) I'm not counting on ever getting WETA back.

Dish just added WHPhd last night so they finally have all 4 Harrisburg HD locals. PQ looks very close to OTA. Great for me being my location is blocked my a mountain so I can never get Whp and WITF OTA.

DirecTV now has a fiber feed for WGAL-DT. No more OTA capture for WGAL.

I just found that I have a reliable contact at WITF. A friend who I didn't know he worked there. I asked about WITF-DT doing HD programming. He checked and he says that WITF just got some new equipment donated and should be back to doing HD (16:9) programming in approx. 3 months. I also asked about when D* will be picking up WITF-DT and presenting is in 16:9 format (even though WITF isn't doing HD right now). He didn't have a answer yet.

So is this why watching my daughter's recordings of Sesame Street is all over the place regarding aspect ratio? Sometimes it seems like WITF sends most of their broadcasts out in 4:3 (which is fine), but I've seen Sesame Street in this bizarre...it's hard to describe. The best I would put it is it almost looks like a 4:3 image in a 16:9 frame squished down to a 4:3 broadcast. On a widescreen TV, it looks like you're watching through a small picture frame (black bars on the top and bottom, with double black bars on the sides). Anybody else seen this?

So is this why watching my daughter's recordings of Sesame Street is all over the place regarding aspect ratio? Sometimes it seems like WITF sends most of their broadcasts out in 4:3 (which is fine), but I've seen Sesame Street in this bizarre...it's hard to describe. The best I would put it is it almost looks like a 4:3 image in a 16:9 frame squished down to a 4:3 broadcast. On a widescreen TV, it looks like you're watching through a small picture frame (black bars on the top and bottom, with double black bars on the sides). Anybody else seen this?

I noticed that today flipping through the channels. the show on WITF DT was a small box in the center of the screen. Quite strange looking.

Anyone know what happened to the "This Old House Hour"? It seemed to disappear from programming in the middle of a series.

So is this why watching my daughter's recordings of Sesame Street is all over the place regarding aspect ratio? Sometimes it seems like WITF sends most of their broadcasts out in 4:3 (which is fine), but I've seen Sesame Street in this bizarre...it's hard to describe. The best I would put it is it almost looks like a 4:3 image in a 16:9 frame squished down to a 4:3 broadcast. On a widescreen TV, it looks like you're watching through a small picture frame (black bars on the top and bottom, with double black bars on the sides). Anybody else seen this?

I've noticed this as well and its really annoying. 4:3 content seems to be fine, but any show marked HD which should be 16:9 is actually a 16:9 letter boxed to a 4:3 so the broadcast is chopped on all four sides. I've set media center to zoom in in order to get better viewing for the kids.

hopefully they enable 16:9 broadcasting... hd would be icing on the cake

i'll also add that i couldn't get the old dt or even analog witf until they did a full migration to dt and now it comes in great other than the aspect ratio mess

I emailed WITF and they said they should have their equipment in within 30 days to support full HD.. I asked if it required any engineering time to get the new system up and running and no reply yet ;)

Here in the Hummelstown area:

Comcast has been rearranging some channels. We have Limited Basic and now QVC HD has shown up. In the typical Comcast fashion they removed CW HD 15-1, FOX 43-1, TCM 72-5 and FoxNews 72-7. We still get all the other Government mandated clear Qam pass through local HD channels. I tried a complete rescan of channels on the HD TV and set up my old Samsung DTB-H260F tuner - no luck getting those missing channels back through Comcast.

That's nice of them but isn't this breaking the Law ?

I tried to call this in but was informed that the Local HD channels come In-and-Out of encryption and that I should feel lucky that I get some of them when I do. The 2 year CSR never heard of 'Government mandated clear QAM local HD pass through'. I got a really strong push to either get an Antenna or pay for an upgarde to an HD Package.

Think they're getting ready to convert our area Comcast to All Digital ?

I've noticed this as well and its really annoying. 4:3 content seems to be fine, but any show marked HD which should be 16:9 is actually a 16:9 letter boxed to a 4:3 so the broadcast is chopped on all four sides. I've set media center to zoom in in order to get better viewing for the kids.

hopefully they enable 16:9 broadcasting... hd would be icing on the cake

i'll also add that i couldn't get the old dt or even analog witf until they did a full migration to dt and now it comes in great other than the aspect ratio mess

Thanks, Byron. At least I'm not totally crazy in seeing this. I figure this is one of those oddball things since the DTV switch is only half-assed right now. Even though WITF switched, it seems like their still doing some things the old way. Here's hoping they take care of it by June at least.

Comcast has been rearranging some channels. We have Limited Basic and now QVC HD has shown up. In the typical Comcast fashion they removed CW HD 15-1, FOX 43-1, TCM 72-5 and FoxNews 72-7. We still get all the other Government mandated clear Qam pass through local HD channels. I tried a complete rescan of channels on the HD TV and set up my old Samsung DTB-H260F tuner - no luck getting those missing channels back through Comcast.

WOW. I had no idea Comcast did stuff like this (I'm new to the whole HD channels over QAM thing). I wonder if this explains why some of my channels get weirded out by my Tvix HD tuner (occasionally the channels show the wrong station with or without sound; it's pretty weird and I put it down to the tuner initially). Do you guys rescan your channels often? I've only had my tuner for a month and have only scanned once. I'd be bummed to lose FOX.

Honestly, I'd consider paying Comcast more for either their cheap sports package or more HD channels, but I'd either get too many channels I don't want or they try to stick me with a box (which I really don't want).

The HD Tuner in my HD TV needs a rescan to pick up any channel changes (location or new additions) but the external HD Tuner I have automatically picks up any new ones (at least most of the time). * All Tuners connected to the Cable directly.

Comcast does some odd and stupid things. One of them is that the local FOX HD channel has disappeared two Summers in a row. This is the first time they have wiped out the local Fox HD channel (and the CW HD channel) during the regular Season.

Time for me to reconnect the Antenna and see if I can pick up the OTA CW HD channel. As I recall, the Fox HD channel comes OTA perfectly.

I'l also be checking out FiOS, though like you I'm not really wanting a bunch of extra unwanted channels.

I emailed WITF and they said they should have their equipment in within 30 days to support full HD.. I asked if it required any engineering time to get the new system up and running and no reply yet ;)

Latest update is that it takes about 3 days for them to install, test and certify the new hardware.. So here is hoping to HD PBS in the WITF market by June (give or take)

The HD Tuner in my HD TV needs a rescan to pick up any channel changes (location or new additions) but the external HD Tuner I have automatically picks up any new ones (at least most of the time). * All Tuners connected to the Cable directly.

Comcast does some odd and stupid things. One of them is that the local FOX HD channel has disappeared two Summers in a row. This is the first time they have wiped out the local Fox HD channel (and the CW HD channel) during the regular Season.

Time for me to reconnect the Antenna and see if I can pick up the OTA CW HD channel. As I recall, the Fox HD channel comes OTA perfectly.

I'l also be checking out FiOS, though like you I'm not really wanting a bunch of extra unwanted channels.

Fox comes in perfect - all the time. Whatever they're doing for OTA the rest need to do. CW works great as well. WGAL on the other hand is completley hit or miss - same with CBS.

I'm going to be moving the antenna from my garage surrounded by trees to the house in which the attic is a bit higher in elevation as well to see if that helps the CW/CBS/NBC reception. Otherwise i may just turn the rig around and pickup Philly or Baltimore markets and pretend central PA markets don't exist :)

I'm NW of Hummelstown.

Signal Meter
100% NBC FOX
82% CW
56 to 67% moving up and down on ABC and CBS
* readings are the best, taken after rotating the Antenna for Maximum signal.

using a Silver Sensor located on the 2nd floor !

Whatever NBC and FOX are doing, they are far far better than the others which happen to be much much closer to my house ! NBC is odd for me in that I recall my neighbors having trouble with their signal.

Wow am I really irked! The only two stations I watched on a regular basis were Fox News and Turner Classic Movies. Now they are both gone, Comcast continues to really make me Angry, first they take away the History Channel, then the ocassional On-Demand, and now this. Basic Cable isn't even worth it to me this rate.

I see the same "Postage Stamp" issue with MPT. I'm wondering if there is some sort of program setting that the individual State PBS systems aren't getting it right. I'm going to check my VA & WV PBS stations for the same issue.

Wow am I really irked! The only two stations I watched on a regular basis were Fox News and Turner Classic Movies. Now they are both gone, Comcast continues to really make me Angry, first they take away the History Channel, then the ocassional On-Demand, and now this. Basic Cable isn't even worth it to me this rate.

They're beginning to remind me of DirecTv when I had that - adding QVC HD channel and getting rid of others we really liked.

Wow am I really irked! The only two stations I watched on a regular basis were Fox News and Turner Classic Movies. Now they are both gone, Comcast continues to really make me Angry, first they take away the History Channel, then the ocassional On-Demand, and now this. Basic Cable isn't even worth it to me this rate.
Fox has disappeared for me too in Mechanicsburg, PA :(.

I am missing Terminator right now!! :(

Second time - another Comcast CSR tied to tell me that HD TV was not all that great and that the Analog channels were just as good. He had no idea that there was anything like clear QAM or that we were supposed to have our HD Locals.

Both of the Comcast CSRs said they have been working for Comcast for a few years now ! I'm glad I did not get one of the uninformed ones.....

I checked with the neighbor and they lost TCM and FOX both sometime wednesday or thursday, they said comcast just raised rates a $1+ last month also.

For those of you who have lost Fox... try a rescan. I just did a rescan and it looks like it was moved to CH 118-2.

Derek

Thanks Derek, any luck locating Fox News or Turner Classic Movies?

Looks like there still moving things around and slowly cleaning them up.

CW HD 15 is now at 118-1

I wonder how many days/weeks/months it will take them to remap CW HD 15 and Fox HD 43 back to where they were ?

Anyone know what happened to the "This Old House Hour"? It seemed to disappear from programming in the middle of a series.

It's still on WITF. I have it set to DVR new episodes and watched this weekend's episode late Saturday afternoon. It was the last installment from the Brooklyn project. I don't know when the next project starts, but I would guess this weekend's was the season finale.

I see a lot of you guys with Comcrap are seeing channels being removed and adding back in somewhere else. How on earth can Comcrap do this without telling their customers of the channel changes? This would really piss me off. Glad I am with D*.

Also, what are these -7 subchannels you refer to? Comcrap has several subchannels on some of their cable channels?

Those sub-channels are picked up using a HD Tuner (built-in or external) with clear QAM encoding and a direct connection, which means no Cable Box.

If I recall correctly the number of sub-channels can reach -32, which is rare. Those channels that have sub-channels usually just go anywhere from -2 to -9. A higher number of sub-channels commonly occurs with Music channels where a static image is displayed showing what the channel is focused on and who the artist is. I don't bother with those.

I heard yesterday from one of the local TV station GM's that one of the other local TV stations is operating under bankrupcy at this time. I am assuming this may be WHTM.

It's WPMT.

- Trip

Fox HD and the WB HD have returned to their respective stations, 43-1 and 15-1. Also a pleasent surprise, MLB HD is on station 134-2. We will see how long this lasts, but I'm currently watching opening day highlights and live bits from games around the league in HD.

I did a rescan last night and also got a Comcast sports channel? Something like 105-1, I can't recall the exact station. I don't remember this one from the first time I scanned, although maybe it's normal.

Will have to check on the MLB station, that sounds nifty.

anyone else experiencing issues with locals going in/out on dish network?

It's WPMT.

- Trip

Doesn't Tribune own them?

Doesn't Tribune own them?

Yes. Tribune filed for bankruptcy not too long ago.

- Trip

I'm currently sporting the Channel Master 4228HD (roof mounted) and have had pretty solid results. Any thoughts on whether or not I should consider a pre-amp to improve my results of distant channels? From what I've gathered, adding a pre-amp can often do just the opposite of your intentions. Also, I'm located in Carlisle...if that helps?

Many thanks,
Hugh

I've had good results. It's added about 10% to my signal strength on an OTA STB.

I'm currently sporting the Channel Master 4228HD (roof mounted) and have had pretty solid results. Any thoughts on whether or not I should consider a pre-amp to improve my results of distant channels? From what I've gathered, adding a pre-amp can often do just the opposite of your intentions. Also, I'm located in Carlisle...if that helps?

Many thanks,
Hugh

Hugh,
Every situation is different with digital TV. I can't tell you what may happen if you add an amp ..it may help or it may not. You have to try stuff out at your location with your equipment.

There are lots of variables at play here..
1. Direction, height, tilt, and gain of antenna
2. Gain of amp
3. Buildings, trees, other obstacles around you affecting multi-path
4. Length and type of coaxial cable as well as any splitters in line
5. Etc.

As you can see, it can take any combination of any of the above to make a station come in clean or prevent it at all.

You need to experiment with your own setup to see what works. Really, anything else is just guessing on our part.

I hate to post questions that may have been answered, but I cannot locate anything on this site... here goes:

I am attempting to secure ESPN for the coming NFL season. I currently pull the major networks thru comcast clear qam (VERY basic service at under $10 a month) and DVR with an old PC and MyHD mdp-130. I've done some research and even had DTV tech come out. Seems that the trees block too much of the Southwestern sky and he cannot get a clear view of the 5 satellites required for HD :-(

My Southern sky is pretty clear... does D* have the same limitations (5 satellites)? Is D* worth the $? I've heard the compression is more than Comcast. Any body like TurboHD?

I've heard you can request HD and DVR with your comcast basic service and end up paying only $30 to $35 and that ESPN happens to be included... is anybody doing this? Depending on the comcast person I speak with, it seems plausible.

Anyhow, thanks in advance!

I've had DirecTV since 1998 and have been happy since. I get all of the HD hockey and HD baseball I'd ever want. Can't get this with comcrap, unless you only like the Philly teams. I've seen comcrap HD and it doesn't compare to what I get from DirecTV (HD channel qtys or PQ).

I dumped Comcast and HSI over a year ago because of their constant station removals, rate increases, and lousy connectivity. I went back to OTA for DTV reception and DSL for Internet. Reduced my monthly Out-of-Pocket expenses and can't be happier.

dewster1977 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/member.php?u=8021096) informed me that WGAL is doing 02:00-06:00 tests of their DTV transmission on channel 8. Supposedly, they started this morning and will continue testing until Saturday. Anyone else know about this? I'm thinking about getting up around 04:00 and check my setup.

Yes, they are testing digital channel 8 thru Saturday morning from 2am till 4am. I received a very solid signal at 40 miles west on the first morning of testing, May 27th. On a side note, people with Dish Network and some cable companies may not receive WGAL during the testing as digital channel 58 will be turned off.

WGAL testing is 2am to 4 am

I got up just after 03:00 (I think. maybe it was just after 04:00 - very groggy) and was getting "ET" on channel 8. they had Helio on. there was no digital signal.

I got up just after 03:00 (I think. maybe it was just after 04:00 - very groggy) and was getting "ET" on channel 8. they had Helio on. there was no digital signal.

You missed it, programming during the test is Poker after Dark 2am - 3am and Jay Leno 3am - 4am.

Checked this morning and found that W08EE-D is overpowering WGAL-DT. I did find that I was receiving WBFF-DT (watchable - Southpark and some movie about South Africa). With W08EE-D at 216.4° and WGAL-DT at 77.5°, pointing the antenna at WGAL-DT, I still was picking up W08EE-D. Neither were viewable, but W08EE-D was the only one listed in my channel list.

Did you send an e-mail to channel 8 to let them know. I thought that might be a problem for some areas. I had my alarm set but never heard it at 2 am.

Not yet, I would like to see if I can try checking again, before I write WGAL-DT off.

Well I check WGAL DT this morning, Had the antenna set with a nice clear picture of WGAL Analog 8 in the evening, checked the digital signal on 8 No signal present, got up at 2:15 and checked analog 8 was off, checked the digital signal had a signal on the meter but not enough to lock onto, but was receiving WHTM on DT 10. so I sent my e-mail off to them with the results. I think if the would increase fom 7kw to 15 or 20 kw they would come in.

Well I check WGAL DT this morning, Had the antenna set with a nice clear picture of WGAL Analog 8 in the evening, checked the digital signal on 8 No signal present, got up at 2:15 and checked analog 8 was off, checked the digital signal had a signal on the meter but not enough to lock onto, but was receiving WHTM on DT 10. so I sent my e-mail off to them with the results. I think if the would increase fom 7kw to 15 or 20 kw they would come in.

I seem to have lost WGAL on three of my four OTA tuners. Are they having signal issues?

I guess will just wait until next weekend to rescan and see what happens when WGAL changes to VHF.

I seem to have lost WGAL on three of my four OTA tuners. Are they having signal issues?

I guess will just wait until next weekend to rescan and see what happens when WGAL changes to VHF.

I guess there is not much interest in Harrisburg, PA OTA. Oh well, I will wait until Friday and see what happens. Thanks.

I see WGAL is asking for an increase in power http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101314629&formid=301&fac_num=53930

The extra 0.6 kW will likely not make much difference.

- Trip

Yeah, 600 Watts doesn't mean much for TV broadcasting.

I am wondering what time that the Harrisburg channels plan on their Analog Shut-down times?

I am wondering what time that the Harrisburg channels plan on their Analog Shut-down times?WGAL says they are switching at Midnight.

WHP has nothing on their website, so I called and they told me they are switching at Midnight.

Those two are the only ones that really matter, as they are changing from their digital allotment back to their original analog frequency.

WPMT, WHTM, & WGCB will be remaining on their digital frequency, so it really doesn't matter as all they are doing is shutting off the analog channel.

http://www.wgal.com/technology/19734204/detail.html
The switch to digital television at WGAL is scheduled for midnight Friday.

http://www.whtm.com/news/stories/0609/631035.html
abc 27 will turn off its analog signal at noon.

http://www.fox43.com/news/newsatten/wpmtfox43-angieboddorfdtvswitchover-6-11-09,0,1091317.story
Friday at 9 am the plug is being pulled on analog broadcasting.

WGAL-8 = 11:59pm Midnight
WHP-21 = 11:59pm Midnight
WHTM-27 = 12:00pm Noon
WPMT-43 = 9:00am
WGCB-49 = TBA

Had WHTM here in Reading, PA around 3:30 p.m. Showing strong signal. However, it was only showing on its real channel (10). I did not get a virtual signal (27). This is the only station for which the virtual channel is not registering.

After midnight, getting the WHP signal at full strength on my converter box.

I was getting a strong lock this afternoon, while I was at my in-laws in Mercersburg.

Why is WPMT-TV (FOX43) broadcasting on RF8?

When didi you notice that? I will have to check and see itf I can get it.

I've discovered that it's not WPMT-TV I'm seeing. It's a harmonic from the Insignia -APT (Zenith 901 clone) RF output.

I seem to have lost WGAL on three of my four OTA tuners.


This was a near perfect 99 to 100 signal level for me for at least a year. Now I can't get it at all. I tried every possible adjustment to my antenna but it's gone gone gone. And, yes I've done rescans each time.

Other than that:

Channel 21 now comes in but it cuts out.
I still don't get channel 27.
Channel 33 also cuts out but that's the same as it has always been.
Oddly, channel 43 went from around 92 up to a level 98 on my HD Tuner.

This was a near perfect 99 to 100 signal level for me for at least a year. Now I can't get it at all. I tried every possible adjustment to my antenna but it's gone gone gone. And, yes I've done rescans each time.

Other than that:

Channel 21 now comes in but it cuts out.
I still don't get channel 27.
Channel 33 also cuts out but that's the same as it has always been.
Oddly, channel 43 went from around 92 up to a level 98 on my HD Tuner.

WGAL returned to broadcasting on RF channel 8 this past Friday night. WHTM is continuing to broadcast on RF channel 10. Both are VHF high channels. You need to verify that your antenna is capable of receiving VHF.

I've got the classic indoor Silver Sensor !

I seem to have lost WGAL on three of my four OTA tuners. Are they having signal issues?

I guess will just wait until next weekend to rescan and see what happens when WGAL changes to VHF.

8-WGAL is back! I also get channel 21-WHP a lot stronger than I did before. I also get 15, 43 and 49. I still can not get channel 27 or 33. I can get 27, but the signal is too weak to watch. I get nothing for 33. Any hope that these two will change broadcast signals?

I get 'em all here near Etown... 8.1, 15.1, 21.1, 27.1, 33.1, 43.1, 49.1 in addition to 3.1, 10.1, 17.1, 29.1, 35.1, and 57.1 from Philly with my homebrew antennas. 3.1 and 10.1 are at approx. 90% signal here. It seems no one outside of Philly can get 6.1 anymore, though with the switch back to low-VHF. WPVI and the FCC are considering options such as moving back to ch. 64 temporary or finding an open UHF channel.

Annyone else still having issues with 8.1?

I never had trouble with WGAL 8.1 over the past few years and easily picked it up on a TV and PC tuner card using Silver Sensor antennas. I was able to get the TV to pick it up after diddling with the antenna and getting it higher, but with the PC tuner card, no matter what I do, 8.1 shows a signal strength of 0. Channels 33.1, 15.1, 43.1, and 49.1 come in fine with signal strengths near 100.

Admittedly, the PC tuner card has always been weak on picking up stations, but 8.1 was always a strong reliable signal and it never mattered before which way the Silver Sensor antenna pointed--it always picked it up.

8.1 is still crystal clear and 98% here near Etown.

Annyone else still having issues with 8.1?

Still missing for me.

Location: 1.5 miles NW of Hummelstown.

I had a very strong signal in Reading when WGAL was UHF. Now the signal is 0-15%, not enough for picture or sound. But then again, I am indoors without a high gain VHF antenna.

After trying a few other things with my PC tuner, including hooking up an older amplified Terk antenna and waving floppy discs in a figure 8 pattern over my Silver Sensor while chanting, a cheap set of rabbit ears from my junk pile easily picked up 8.1 and 8.2, although the WGAL signal seems overly sensitive to changes in the position and direction of the rabbit ears, compared to other channels like 33.1 or 43.1.

I've been noticing that about DTV on VHF-Hi. Very sensitive to antenna location.

Hi all I just moved into Hummelstown and am having some problems picking up the local stations. I currently have the indoor Silver Sensor antenna. I just moved here from Buffalo, NY and looking for some advice about my antenna. I tend to get 21, 27, and 33 ok but rarely get 8 or 15. I have never been able to receive 43. I live in an apartment so a roof antenna will not be possible. Thank you for any advice.

Please post a link to your http://www.TVFool.com/ results.

Hi all I just moved into Hummelstown and am having some problems picking up the local stations. I currently have the indoor Silver Sensor antenna. I just moved here from Buffalo, NY and looking for some advice about my antenna. I tend to get 21, 27, and 33 ok but rarely get 8 or 15. I have never been able to receive 43. I live in an apartment so a roof antenna will not be possible. Thank you for any advice.

Direction to the towers and antenna type are likely the problem. You have towers in three different directions. 15 is to the east, 43 and 8 are to the south, 21, 27 and 33 to the west. WHTM DT 27 is broadcasting on RF channel 10 and WGAL is on RF 8, both VHF. It looks like the Silver Sensor is a UHF only antenna. I would think it will be very difficult to get all of the channels with one antenna in the same position.

8-WGAL is back! I also get channel 21-WHP a lot stronger than I did before. I also get 15, 43 and 49. I still can not get channel 27 or 33. I can get 27, but the signal is too weak to watch. I get nothing for 33. Any hope that these two will change broadcast signals?

Okay, by changing the antennae location I can now get 27 and the suchannels with a strong signal. I still can not get 33-1.

I went TVfool. Here are the results. The Silver sensor antenna I have is UHF but it will pick channel 27 and get a signal for channel 8 but not enough to watch. I know channel 8 and 27 are vhf so I dont understand how the Silver Sensor is picking these up. Thank you are any help.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d618a5f9614cadb

I finally have found how to acquire WLYH-DT. :)

The FCC Database tells me that I need to put my antenna on a heading of 66.3° True, but for some reason, I need to set my antenna so that it's at 90° Counter-Clockwise to that heading. :eek::confused:

It doesn't work for WGAL-DT, WHP-DT, or WHTM-DT. :(

At least I can get WTTG-DT, WJLA-DT, WTAJ-DT, WJZ-DT, WLYH-DT (new), WDCA-DT, WNPB-DT, WUTB-DT, WHAG-DT, WWPB-DT, WVPY-DT, WPMT-DT, WBFF-DT, WGCB-DT, WWPX-DT, WPXW-DT, WMPB-DT, & WJAL-DT. :D

Waiting for WITF and WDCA LD's to come on-line. :cool:

No idea if WITF-DT will ever show HD again. They were supposed to be putting in the needed equipment back in April, but still no HD programming on 33.1.

Fortunately, I get WITF and Maryland public TV (MPT) equally well.
I had abandoned MPT a long time ago when WITF was the place to go for HDTV.
Seems to me , as I remember it, WITF had HD morning noon and night!

........and now, zero HD. Months and months of no HD!
For the time being I get my PBS HD from Maryland , but sure miss the old days with WITF.

Every time I see a new posting in this thread I cross my fingers and hope someone has some info that HD has or soon will return. And the wait goes on!

I have an update from my contact at WITF. He says they are planning on showing HD programming again at the end of July. He didn't give details, although I recall a previous press release stating they WITF would be aligning itself with the MHZ service. I don't know how this relates to PBS however. I know MHZ is on WYBE 35.1 in Philly. I would hope the current PBS programming would also be available in HD, however.

More updates as I get them.

Thanks for the update.
Someone said awhile back they were hoping they'd resume HD in June.
Waited and waited as the weeks pasted, then June came and went, ....now 'the plan' is end of July. We'll see.

On another note, I don't know anything about MHZ service, had to look it up @ Wikipedia. That didn't help much, still don't know what to expect.
Just want WITF - HD the way it was. Loved it back then!

Yeah, the problem really seems to be related to the PBS HD service going away over the winter. The programs on PBS still say 'available in HD' but WITF doesn't present them in HD. I am hoping for the way it was.. lots of good PBS stuff in HD.

Anyone else having random pixelation issues with WPMT Fox 43 on D*? I've seen this for the past 2 or 3 weeks. The other local HD stations from D* are fine. I have this issue with Fox 43 on my HR20-700 and HR22-100.

I recently put up a DB8 and have no problem catching the Hburg channels, I have a friend that lives near me and he said he is picking up Philly, Wilkes-Barrie/Scranton and Baltimore channels. He said he has 36 currently. I haven't been able to get ahold of him to ask him the questions that I am asking here so I was hoping for some advise.

I have a pre amp and rotator which I know are needed, I live ontop of a mountain range in Lebanon Co. I guess my question was:

I currently use Directv, there is a way to get OTA channel guide to pull up the locals but you can only choose 2 zip codes. so If I use hburg/york zip for the primary code and for my secondary I can use philly zip that will pull up the channels for both of those areas but how do i get the channels for scranton and bmore. would i use a splitter and hook up another coax into my tv. if that is the way then must i keep running rescans to watch everything. My goal is to not have to pay for the NFL sunday superfan ticket anymore ($350). If I can get some NY feeds via WB/Scranton and Philly feeds along with Bmore/Wash and my local Pittsburgh feed then I can pretty much watch the games that I aim for anyways.

I hope this makes sense. Thanks in advance.

Using the HR20 IRD from D*, you are right, you can only enter the zip codes from 2 DMAs to get the local digital channels through the IRD. If you can also get Scranton, Allentown, etc., you'd either have to reset the IRD to re-enter different zip codes (a real pain in the butt) or I would simply rescan your TV's ATSC tuner and watch these other cities (other than the 1st two you enter in your antenna setup on the HR20 IRD) on the TV's tuner.

The HR20 IRD can only handle remapping from two DMAs.

Yeah I decided to Demo a Samsung LN52B750 that rescans and has a built in signal meter. Thanks for getting back to me.

Hey all. I live in Good Hope Farms. I currently have a Radioshack 15-1892

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2131034

and I can't seem to get both WGAL-DT (8.1, NBC, Lancaster, 139°, 24.2 miles) and WPMT-DT (43.1, FOX, YORK, 139°, 25.3 miles) at the same time. I can get decent signal strength from every other network, but these two for some reason are the problem children.

(Please see attachments for map of address somewhat near my house and a chart showing the distances, etc. to different towers)

I don't think that the fact that this particular antenna is amplified makes a difference. I have it sitting in my attic, plugged in, and a wire runs outside and down to my family room (less than 50' total, I think).

I tried a Terk unamplified antenna, but it didn't get quite as good of a signal, so I put the Radio Shack one back.

1) Do you think a different antenna would be able to get all the networks?
2) I don't want to go external unless you all *really* think that is the best option. (I'm not that handy!)

I am studying some threads here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=381623
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1037779

but am hoping that someone can help me out because I'm not getting very far very fast.

Thanks.

Doug,

You are to far away for an indoor antenna to work. How many TV’s is the current antenna feeding and are they HD or on a converter box.

Doug,

You are to far away for an indoor antenna to work. How many TV’s is the current antenna feeding and are they HD or on a converter box.

Just one HDTV, no converter box. The signal is being split 3x (1x to Tivo, 1x to Replay, and 1x that I'm not using... I guess I should go down to a 2x splitter...)

I can get the stations, just not both at the same time. And, well, I cannot get them at a decent sustainable quality. The TiVo tells me I can get about a 60-70% signal at that distance, but only on one or the other.

I guess I can look at going external, but it just seems like I'm so close with what I already had from before.

Just one HDTV, no converter box. The signal is being split 3x (1x to Tivo, 1x to Replay, and 1x that I'm not using... I guess I should go down to a 2x splitter...)

I can get the stations, just not both at the same time. And, well, I cannot get them at a decent sustainable quality. The TiVo tells me I can get about a 60-70% signal at that distance, but only on one or the other.

I guess I can look at going external, but it just seems like I'm so close with what I already had from before.

Unfortunately, I think a small outdoor combo yagi will be required for WGAL and WPMT.

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=HD7694P

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=HBU22

The reason I asked about your set up is I was thinking if you were currently using a converter you could add a second box connected to an available A/V input for a second antenna pointed at Lancaster and continue using your current antenna for the Harrisburg stations. This wound keep the cost down by not needing a rotator. Rotator are currently in short supply. You could still skip the rotator and use a AB switch between the antennas. Push button AB’s are about $10 or you could get a wireless one from Radio Shack for $43.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2049643

I know outdoor is not the answer you were looking for. I see you posted over on the technical forum also, maybe you will get some more recommendations over there.

Good Luck

Also, can you confirm if W35BT is broadcasting on digital channel 7 or are they still analog on channel 35?

Thanks

W35BT should be broadcasting digitally on channel 7. Someone confirmed this to me, though I personally did not see it last time I was through the area.

- Trip

Unfortunately, I think a small outdoor combo yagi will be required for WGAL and WPMT.

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=HD7694P
http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=HBU22

The reason I asked about your set up is I was thinking if you were currently using a converter you could add a second box connected to an available A/V input for a second antenna pointed at Lancaster and continue using your current antenna for the Harrisburg stations. This wound keep the cost down by not needing a rotator. Rotator are currently in short supply. You could still skip the rotator and use a AB switch between the antennas.


The reason I don't want to use a rotator (or an AB switch) is that I use a couple of DVRs. So I have to get all of the stations at the same time.

Based on my location, do you think that either of the combo yagi's that you mentioned would get me all of the stations at the same time, if I mounted it externally?


Also, can you confirm if W35BT is broadcasting on digital channel 7 or are they still analog on channel 35?
Thanks

When I pull up W35BT in my Tivo setup, it shows up as just "35", not "35-1", etc. And it doesn't come in at all. That is probably because it is pretty much the opposite direction of where my antenna is currently pointed.

I don't think that answers your question. Perhaps the other poster did. I am more than happy to switch the direction and test some things if you tell me what to check.

Why is it that WITF has gone from no HD to Stretch-O-Vision (at least it's that way every time I tune in lately) ?

First it was too small and now they've expanded the picture beyond it's limits.

Ok. I've narrowed it down to three, I think.

Can someone/anyone please in the Mechanicsburg area tell me if they have any knowledge and/or experience with what I'm trying to accomplish? I know you're out there! ;-)

Will *any* of these work? Will one work better than the others?

I'd like to install it in the attic first, then if not what I want, I'll try on the roof.

Channel Master 4228HD Long-Range Outdoor Rooftop HDTV Antenna
http://www.amazon.com/product/dp/B000FVVKQM

AntennaCraft HBU22 22 Element High-Band VHF UHF Outdoor HDTV Antenna
http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=HBU22

Winegard HD 7694P High Definition VHF/UHF HDHD769 Series Antenna
http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=HD7694P

Dougmeister,

I used an inexpensive (less than $100) Radio Shack antenna for a few years in Mechanicsburg. Without touching the rotator, I was able to get 8, 15, 21, 27, 33, and 43. I haven't tried it in about a year since I no longer need it for HD locals (DirecTV). It is sitting in my garage - PM me and you can have it. If it works, great. If not, give it to someone else.

BTW - This was mounted outside. I never tried it in the attic.

dewd,

What a great offer. If you have time could you look up the model number (if it’s handy or still listed on the web site) so we can take a look at the spec sheet?

Dougmeister,

I used an inexpensive (less than $100) Radio Shack antenna for a few years in Mechanicsburg. Without touching the rotator, I was able to get 8, 15, 21, 27, 33, and 43. I haven't tried it in about a year since I no longer need it for HD locals (DirecTV). It is sitting in my garage - PM me and you can have it. If it works, great. If not, give it to someone else.

BTW - This was mounted outside. I never tried it in the attic.

Thanks for the offer, dude! I mean, "dewd" ;-)

PM Sent. (so the rest of you don't think I'm a loser!)

Dougmeister:

If the Radio Shack antenna does not work for you, or more accurately, some of the channels suffer from multipath because they are in different directions from you, you might consider use of multiple antennas (one or more of which can even be cheap rabbit ears or a homemade dipole because you are so close to some of the towers) and a jointenna or two to combine them.

See http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=285263

On a scan my TV found FOX 43-2, same programing as 43-1 !
What's the point?

Probably a placeholder until real programming is ready to be put up.

I have a hunch, but nothing to back it up...

- Trip

I am getting:

Cable:

43-0 Analog SD
43-1 Digital HD
43-5 Digital SD

OTA:

43-0 Analog SD
43-1 Digital HD

Confirmed 43-2 here, too. I guess since they are only 720p, they aren't losing needed bandwidth causing 43-1 to suffer. I wonder what they'd put on 43-2 assuming they will be using it again. The Tube was pretty cool.

Is anyone else seeing an audio sync problem with 43-1, while 43-2 is synched and leading 43-1 by a second or two?

Anyone else notice that channels 33 played with a new Logo over the weekend ?

It was a golden sploch, like a paintbrush with a lot of paint made a thick stoke across where the old Logo should have been. This had "WITF" inside of that. The really odd part was that they still were using Stretch-O-Vision and a quarter of the old Logo was still on the screen at the extreme right.

So far this week, that I've noticed, they've wiped that all out and have reshrunk the entire picture back to the way it was from the beginning of the Year.

I wonder if they'll still have this all screwed up when the next Donation Drive happens ?

-----


Anyone else hate the new FOX 43 Logo ?

What's with WITF double postage stamping "Clifford?" W38AN is a small square in the middle of my 20" set. I might as well have a 13" television.

No idea what's going on at WITF. Maybe they don't either.

Theme of next Donation Drive:

" We'll give you real HD if you give us real $$$ "

Thanks for the offer, dude! I mean, "dewd" ;-)

PM Sent. (so the rest of you don't think I'm a loser!)

How did the antenna work for you? The suspense is killing me. :D

How did the antenna work for you? The suspense is killing me. :D

Sorry. Life has been busy.

I hooked it up that very night. I can't find the paper I wrote my numbers down on, but it did the job very nicely. I am getting 43-1 and 8-1 just fine now (it increased reception of those 2 stations by at least 10 percentage points). I lost a bit on some of the other channels, so I guess the old antenna was more "omni-directional". But they're all coming in good now, so it was a good trade-off.

Thanks again for the awesome deal!

http://www.wgal.com/news/20437981/detail.html

WGAL Boosts Digital Broadcast Strength By 75 Percent
FCC Grants Permission To Boost Digital Signal

SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY, Pa. -- After the switchover to DTV on June 12, many viewers told News 8 they were not able to get WGAL with an antenna as well as they could with the old analog signal.

We reported these concerns to the Federal Communications Commission and we're happy to announce that our digital broadcasting power has been increased by about 75 percent.

“It means that we're hopefully going to be able to be received,” said Paul Quinn, WGAL’s general manager. “If they were not receiving us with an outside antenna or rabbit ears, they should rescan and see if they can find us."

If you have friends, neighbors or relatives who have not been able to receive our new digital signal, you should encourage them to rescan their converter boxes to see if they can find our stronger digital signal.

So what output power is WGAL using now?

I think I actually saw a 16:9 program on WITF last night that didn't look stretched.

Did anyone notice that WITF's OTA feed was off the air around 9:30pm last night? I was recording History Detectives and noticed WITF's OTA feed was off the air. I switched over to the SD feed from D* and it was on.

WITF began broadcasting true HD at 6:00 am this past Friday morning. This was as a result of their purchase (thanks to a donation) and installation of new HD equipment. It is possible there may still be some fine-tuning that is necessary. If anyone runs into any issues and would like me to pass this on to the appropriate people at WITF, please feel free to email me at sshearer@keeferwood.com

I don't work for WITF, but was the individual who made the donation to allow them to purchase the new equipment and am very interesting in making sure that everything works properly (as are the people at WITF).

Scott Shearer

Someday I'll be able to get PA PBS. W38AN isn't transmitting yet.

I do get MD, VA, & WV PBS.

WITF began broadcasting true HD at 6:00 am this past Friday morning. This was as a result of their purchase (thanks to a donation) and installation of new HD equipment. It is possible there may still be some fine-tuning that is necessary. If anyone runs into any issues and would like me to pass this on to the appropriate people at WITF, please feel free to email me at sshearer@keeferwood.com

I don't work for WITF, but was the individual who made the donation to allow them to purchase the new equipment and am very interesting in making sure that everything works properly (as are the people at WITF).

Scott Shearer

Thank you Scott! WITF's OTA feed was off the air Monday night, but they may have been tweaking something. Was fine last night and in 16:9 HD.

Only been able to get WGAL once since their power increase, for 5 minutes. I will get the PSIP data but no signal. Of course I get PSIP for WPVI and I'm 150 miles from them.

Maybe power isn't the answer, since it appears people closer area still having issues, could it be overload??? Wouldn't there be a point when the power level could overload persons in the general area of the transmitters, but improve reception for those further away, Example I get WJLA 7 from DC fine, but people in the DC metro area can't receive them. I still think a station is trying to cover to much area from a single transmitter.

It would be interesting to see how many of these trouble stations are using circular transmission patterns.

Only been able to get WGAL once since their power increase, for 5 minutes. I will get the PSIP data but no signal. Of course I get PSIP for WPVI and I'm 150 miles from them.

Maybe power isn't the answer, since it appears people closer area still having issues, could it be overload??? Wouldn't there be a point when the power level could overload persons in the general area of the transmitters, but improve reception for those further away, Example I get WJLA 7 from DC fine, but people in the DC metro area can't receive them. I still think a station is trying to cover to much area from a single transmitter.

The most obvious question to ask you is where do you live?

The most obvious question to ask you is where do you live?

Western Franklin County,PA

Wow.. you can get PSIP for WPVI and you're in Franklin County? Wow. Not sure what WGAL's pattern is, but since there is a channel 8 in Altoona or Johnstown, maybe they have a signal void over that direction on purpose? Can you get channel 8 from Altoona/Johnstown (I don't know what actual channel they are on now)?

I am only 75~80 miles west of Phily and I've never gotten a WPVI signal (PSIP or programming) since they moved back to VHF.

Wow.. you can get PSIP for WPVI and you're in Franklin County? Wow. Not sure what WGAL's pattern is, but since there is a channel 8 in Altoona or Johnstown, maybe they have a signal void over that direction on purpose? Can you get channel 8 from Altoona/Johnstown (I don't know what actual channel they are on now)?

I am only 75~80 miles west of Phily and I've never gotten a WPVI signal (PSIP or programming) since they moved back to VHF.

I don't think 8 in Johnstown is the problem, they are blocked by a mountain just to my west, I just tried WGAL again and it would pop in and out. If you look at the FCC contour map I'm just outside of it, so one would think I should receive them, I'm well outside of WJLA Ch 7 contour but get them almost all the time, the maps really are a joke at best.

I also get WBRE on RF11 and WYOU on RF13 late at night and early morning, with this really humid weather, while still able to get WBAL and WJZ if I turn the antenna, no interference problems here, and with a 20kW+ on RF12 just around 30 miles to my south.

Dewster1977, don't forget about W08EE-D (RF8) just ~30 miles South of your location.

Dewster1977, don't forget about W08EE-D (RF8) just ~30 miles South of your location.

Don't get that eaither, blocked by a church stepel, my parents get it just fine, and do get WGAL most of the time since the power increase.

I would also do better at 50' instead of 30'

Someone told me WGAL was planning fill-in translators since there's really nowhere to go from channel 8. That person was not kidding. They want:

Channel 43 from the WITF tower.
Channel 49 from an FM tower near Ephrata.
Channel 31 from the WZXQ tower.
Channel 15 from a tower in downtown Lancaster.
Channel 27 from an FM tower near Carlisle.
Channel 27 from the WGCB tower.

- Trip

Someone told me WGAL was planning fill-in translators since there's really nowhere to go from channel 8. That person was not kidding. They want:

Channel 43 from the WITF tower.
Channel 49 from an FM tower near Ephrata.
Channel 31 from the WZXQ tower.
Channel 15 from a tower in downtown Lancaster.
Channel 27 from an FM tower near Carlisle.
Channel 27 from the WGCB tower.

- Trip

Finally maybe I'll stand a chance of getting WGAL again. At least I'll have LOS to the Gettysburg translator.

Hopefully some others will follow WGAL if it helps them. There are plenty of towers in the area to piggyback on. Guess it was just a matter of work out agrements. There are 3 radio towers I can think of in the Chambersburg area stations could use with a directional antenna in the current contours of the Harrisburg/York/Lancaster stations.

still no go south of chambersburg for wgal used to get on uhf strongest signal of all but nothing with the increase in power. I think the local channel 8 is killing me but who know I really miss wgal. What does this fill in translators mean anything that will help here in souther franklin county

I'm hopeful that even though we are not in the contour, there might be enough power to pick it up, since it shoud be LOS

With WHAG as a local NBC affiliate, I'm not sure WGAL has any interest or control in Chambersburg.

On a side note, has anyone else noticed a 10 second pulse that is causing macro-blocking on 10, 24, 25, 31, 42, 60, & 68? Since the weekend, It's been happening to me, when I have my antenna pointed from about 290° to 360° (I've got video).

With WHAG as a local NBC affiliate, I'm not sure WGAL has any interest or control in Chambersburg.
AFAIK Chambersburg is within their service contour and Franklin County is in their DMA so why wouldn't they be interested. The presence of WHAG does mean they're less likely to put a fill-in translator there because there is another NBC affiliate close by.

WGAL hold their town hall meeting in Chambersburg from time to time and has better news coverage of the area than WHAG, and yes we are in WGAL's DMA, we are not in WHAG's DMA of Washingston, DC. even though their transmitter and WWPB is only a mile or so from the Mason-Dixon Line.

As a side note, I have been taking notice to all the application for translators in the mid-west. I thought a station wasn't allowed to use translators to extend beyound their main contour? Some appear to be relaying thier signal 100 miles or more from their main transmitter.

Although WNPB in Morgantown, WVa and WITF in Harrisburg, PA have been doing it for years, or are there special rules concering PBS stations?

Fill-in translators, which were specifically created last year to correct digital problems, are constrained to within the contour.

Standard translators have been around since the 60's and have no such restriction.

- Trip

WGAL hold their town hall meeting in Chambersburg from time to time and has better news coverage of the area than WHAG, and yes we are in WGAL's DMA, we are not in WHAG's DMA of Washingston, DC. even though their transmitter and WWPB is only a mile or so from the Mason-Dixon Line.

As a side note, I have been taking notice to all the application for translators in the mid-west. I thought a station wasn't allowed to use translators to extend beyound their main contour? Some appear to be relaying thier signal 100 miles or more from their main transmitter.

Although WNPB in Morgantown, WVa and WITF in Harrisburg, PA have been doing it for years, or are there special rules concering PBS stations?

Where is there a translater for WITF? What channel do they use?

Where is there a translater for WITF? What channel do they use?
W38AN is licensed to Chambersburg and should go digital on channel 33 in the future.

They also have W24CS in Reading.

I've had a rough time with WITF lately. For a short bit there it came in great, full widescreen HD happiness! Then it just went dark. I've been getting lots of completely blank screens lately. I'm not ready to completely absolve my DVR of guilt (QAM tuner over Comcast) but WITF is the only channel I've seen do this consistently. It could be that we watch little to no TV and what we do watch is mostly on WITF, so I just notice that channel's problems most.

DirecTV and WPMT are currently working on the pixilation issues we've seen the past 2 months. I know because I am involved in the process.

DirecTV and WPMT are currently working on the pixilation issues we've seen the past 2 months. I know because I am involved in the process.

That's been driving me crazy! Its the only channel I'm getting pixilation issues with.

WITF began broadcasting true HD at 6:00 am this past Friday morning. This was as a result of their purchase (thanks to a donation) and installation of new HD equipment. It is possible there may still be some fine-tuning that is necessary. If anyone runs into any issues and would like me to pass this on to the appropriate people at WITF, please feel free to email me at sshearer@keeferwood.com

I don't work for WITF, but was the individual who made the donation to allow them to purchase the new equipment and am very interesting in making sure that everything works properly (as are the people at WITF).

Scott Shearer

Thanks to whomever purchased the equipment! I had been writing the engineers at WITF and it was June.. then July.. then August and i sort of gave up questioning when ;)

I *REALY* want to see the National Parks show in FULL HD at the end of the month but i have a TERRIBLE time receiving WITF DT.. its either all or non and weather seems to make it worse.

Running a huge antenna in my attick with preamp in my attick into Windows Media Center.. all other channels come in fine. I'm in strasburg so i'm just curious if its better for me to point to philly or baltimore in the end.. unfortunately antennaweb stopped showing me the details of Baltimore or PHL when i use my zipcode.

But thanks to whomever hooked WITF up, hope they iron out their problems or get licensed to increase their signal output or get a tower closer to Lancaster feeds

If you can contact WITF, ask them when D* will be carrying their HD signal. I talked to a guy there last week who thought D* already carried WITF. I had to tell the WITF guy that D* carries only their DT signal and downconverts it to 4:3 SD.

I got this response from Ron Hetrick at WITF about their WITF-HD carriage on D*:

"Thank you for your email. There is an agreement in place with DirecTV that should allow public broadcasters to have their HD channel carried on the DirectTV system. We are working with APTS and PBS to lobby for WITF carriage. Unfortunately, we do not have an ETA."

Moral of the story.. keep bugging D*, PBS national, and WITF for HD carriage.

I got $5 off my bill for 15 mo. for being with Directv for 15 years. I thought I'd ask them about 33 and 15 in HD. Heres the response I got back.
Thank you for your message! I see that you have been a loyal DIRECTV customer for many years. I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying your DIRECTV Loyal Customer gift.

We'd love to offer local channel 33 and local channel 15 in HD, but our satellite capacity doesn't allow it today. However, we continue to expand our HD capacity and hope to offer them in your area in the near future.

I know how important HD programming is to you and I assure you that we are doing our best to bring more of it to you as soon as possible. We value your opinions about our programming, so I have forwarded your request to DIRECTV management, who review every suggestion, inquiry and complaint for trends from our most important customers to determine what channels should be considered.

In addition, whenever we add channels to our lineup, we release a statement to the press, so keep an eye on the news to find out about the newest channels or visit our web site at directv.com/pr.

WITF seems to be coming in beautifully out here in strasburg pa now. Thankfully i'll be able to enjoy National Parks tonight unless something else breaks ;)

BTW, i did point to philly and i got everything but WHYY.. anyone know if WHYY isn't broadcasting at full power? as far as i know every stations uses the same tower farm to broadcast from philly so i was surprised WHYY 12.1, 12.2

Last I saw, there were test channels already set up for WITF and WLYH.. I hope they are added soon.

I haven't been able to reliably get WHYY for a long time.. only approx. 5% of the time can I get garbage... 95% I get no signal at all.

Someone told me WGAL was planning fill-in translators since there's really nowhere to go from channel 8. That person was not kidding. They want:

Channel 43 from the WITF tower.
Channel 49 from an FM tower near Ephrata.
Channel 31 from the WZXQ tower.
Channel 15 from a tower in downtown Lancaster.
Channel 27 from an FM tower near Carlisle.
Channel 27 from the WGCB tower.

- Trip

trip just wondering if this is true what channel would you find lets say the one on 27s channel would they all still be 8.1 it does look like they have applied for permits to do this but I dont know if they have it up and running if so I can not seem to pull any signal

They would all display as 8-1.

The FCC has not approved any of them, so they are not operating.

- Trip

That sure is a lot of overlapping. Probably a good way to resolve the VHF-High issues when you don't have access to a full power UHF frequency.

If they get approval for all of them, I'll be able to acquire WGAL on RF31. Why are they listing that filling as Gettysburg, when the tower location is so close to Chambersburg?

Because all the power is being aimed at Gettysburg care of a directional pattern. Check the contour maps and you'll see that very little power is going back toward Chambersburg.

- Trip

I did, but it's enough to have reception in Franklin, Co.

Just in case anyone didn’t already know, WPMT’s DT2 channel now airs local news 24/7.

are you receiving channel 8 at this time if so what degree and broadcast channel are they on thanks mike

My two favorite channels have returned to the digital line-up for pick-up with most HDTV's and digital tuners. I was so angry with comcast when they removed them the first time. I sure hope they are here to stay now.

Turner Classic Movies on 79-5
Fox News on 79-7
(This appears to be the FoxNewsHD squeezed into 4:3 signal)

Comcrap is squeezing Fox News HD (16:9) signal into a 4:3 format?

Sorry if it's been pointed out already but I'm from the Harrisburg area and subscribe to Comcast Basic Cable Harrisburg. In the past month or so I noticed I lost two of my local HD channels WITF 33.1 and WHP 21.1. Anyone have any clue what changes happened here? I am receiving local HD through the the unscrambled QAM cable tuner in my newer tv. Now I can't watch most Steelers and Ravens games in HD... At least I still get FOX 43.1 in HD for the Eagles.

I also get my locals from Comcast on my QAM tuner.
Sometimes comcast moves them around.
When I've lost stations in the past, all I had to do to recover them was to rescan channels in the Tv menu. That always worked for me.
Good luck !

tunamike,

If you're asking me about WGAL reception, it's nada for me.

Since I get WHAG (NBC), WTAJ (CBS - Altoona), WGCB (I), WJAL (I), WWPX (iON), WPMT (FOX), WTTG (FOX), WMAR (ABC), WJLA (ABC), WNUV (CW), WLYH (CW), WUTB (MyN), and WDCA (MyN) strongly, I'm more concerned about not getting PA PBS, especially since I can get MD, VA, & WV PBS very well.

Just in case anyone didn’t already know, WPTM’s DT2 channel now airs local news 24/7.

I believe you mean WPMT.

I noticed. It's nice to be able to catch, when you've missed the first run. Too bad they only do 7 a.m., 8 a.m., and 10 p.m.

I wonder if they'd consider doing a short live weather segment at the top of each hour? WJAL does something like that (looks recorded, but frequently updated) at hour+58.

Yep, sorry for the typo. I saw it the other day around 8:30pm and they were showing the morning news and weather. Thought that was strange.

Comcrap is squeezing Fox News HD (16:9) signal into a 4:3 format?

No

http://www.foxnews.com/widescreentv/index.html