I have to agree with the previous posts. Their signal is crap. Are they emmitting all their power in the atmosphere? There is no way they can be full power. I sent them a nice professional comment on their web page, it will be interesting to see if i get a reply.

Can someone that has a email-relationship with randy find out what is going on? I wrote him awhile ago (again, professionally) and never got a reponse.

Well, I purchased that RCA ANT1245 from Wal-Mart and I do get better reception than with the old rabbit ears. I was able to pick up 5, 11, 8, and 17. WHO-13 wouldn't pick up. I can't figure out how I was able to pick up 5 and not 13. Odd. After some messing with the antenna last night, I picked up the MNF Game on WOI and it was beautiful. I only watched the second quarter and halftime but what I saw I was pleased with.

On another note, does anybody know if Dish Network is ever going to offer the locals in HD? I think I read somewhere that DirecTV is already offering this. Thanks!

On another note, does anybody know if Dish Network is ever going to offer the locals in HD? I think I read somewhere that DirecTV is already offering this. Thanks!

Haven't heard anything about E* (Dish) but D* (DirecTv) will be starting to offer locals in HD in the top few markets by years end (supposedly). I suspect that DM will be late next year. Here is a link to a thread on another forum regarding this topic (as far as DirecTV is concerned):

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=46689

Link to the markets:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=574540

Des Moines is #73

I wish Dish would get the locals in HD soon too because I cannot get WHO-DT and of course WOI-DT in OTA at all.

.....I picked up the MNF Game on WOI and it was beautiful. I only watched the second quarter and halftime but what I saw I was pleased with.



I watched most the game and it was smoothe as a baby's butt. All the locals seem to feed into my home crystal clear....not sure if it's just where I live or what.

About 3 weeks ago I got up in the attic and adjusted the antenna. Since then my lowest signal strength is 80+ for both WOI and IPTV. KDSM comes in at 85+ and KCCI and WHO at 93+. My antenna is an older VHF-UHF style that I got from RS nearly 11 years ago. After adjusting my antenna the WOI signal went from 60 to 0 and is a solid 80+ now. For a few days the picture from WOI did not improve until I checked on the weekend. The signal was the same but the PQ was rock steady.(No pixelation) Ever since then no problem with WOI.(Not overly impressed their HD programming) I live about 18 miles from the towers and have a pretty good size hill between me and the towers. Sorry to ramble but I was in WOI limbo also but now everything is working fine. :cool:

I received a phone call at about 11a.m. today. I was shocked when I looked at the caller id and seen WOI, I wish I could remember the guys name, but I don't. He called to ask me a few questions about my digital reception. I told him about the pixallation and break ups, he mentioned the possibilities of them having antenna problems and they would be checking into it. Now if nothing else I have to belive that they are attempting to fix the problems. On the WOI website there is a a feedback area for the digital feed, I would encourage everyone to go there and fill it out. They say that they will reply to everyone that fills it out, they called my house about 2 days later. Lets give them as much feedback as possible and get the problems fixed.

Was anybody able to get to tune into LOST on 5.1 last night? I didn't have any trouble picking up Monday night's game but couldn't get a thing last night. Just curious if it was me or WOI.

Was anybody able to get to tune into LOST on 5.1 last night? I didn't have any trouble picking up Monday night's game but couldn't get a thing last night. Just curious if it was me or WOI.

Last night was a horrible evening, reception wise. Constant break-up and the green monster...at least every few minutes. Finally gave up.

Here is what I got back from Randy Today:

Because WOI is high on the spectrum on channel assignment for HD (channel 59), some viewers are having problems picking up our signal and come up with some of the same symptoms as you. I have been calling and emailing several viewers and have come up with the following solution. The problem was actually solved by a viewer in Fort Dodge. What he has done is bought a Phillips brand Amplified Antenna (model MANT510), which can be purchased at Wal-Mart for $29. It is a 50db antenna. We also suggest that you use RG6 cable. He has his antenna in the garage and his television in the basement and receives our HD channel.



Please let me know if this works for you. If not, we will try something else.



Thank you for your input.

Now that WOI-DT is broadcasting, I've switched my focus toward KPWB-DT. I read their Q & A section on their website and it says the following about HDTV:

Q. Is KPWB airing digital or HDTV programming?
A. KPWB-TV is currently assessing our ability to provide a digital signal. A best-case scenario would have us transmitting in digital sometime in 2006, but that is unlikely.

Don't they HAVE to have their digital broadcast up by the end of 2006? I'm not 100% on the legal stuff, but maybe they need a fire lit under their butts.

Here is what I got back from Randy Today:

Because WOI is high on the spectrum on channel assignment for HD (channel 59), some viewers are having problems picking up our signal and come up with some of the same symptoms as you.
Please let me know if this works for you. If not, we will try something else.

Thank you for your input.
Hey gang,

I've been watching this thread play out for months. I have to side with Randy on this one. If they are at 1 megawatt, which they say they are...

1. RG-59 cable signal loss is HUGE at channel 59. If you've got it, and you have a run more than 10' long, you're losing significant signal. If it's 50' or more, you're losing lots of signal. If 100' or more, be glad you are getting anything! Replace with RG-6 and see if it comes in better. If you have a 20' run or longer, it should
be noticeably better.

2. I am 61 miles west of the Chicago transmitters, in a river valley, with a 1-story attic and a ChannelMaster 4228 8-bay UHF antenna. It locks all the Chicago digitals solid except WXFT-DT, also on 59. (Unless there's massive tropo going on, it shouldn't interfere with WOI-DT). They are at 200 kilowatts and I barely
lock them. Yet, a station on channel 27 with only 15 kilowatts locks solid!
Why? My 4228 does not do all that well above channel 51. Head to the antenna
topic board and look at Bob Chase's posts about putting this antenna and the oher major league ones on a scope from 8 miles out. The study is incredible...he did a great job! Basically speaking, the ChannelMaster 4248 (UHF Yagi) does best from channel 27 up, and does a very nice job from channel 14 to 27. But it does
at least 3 dB better on channel 59. Every 3 dB, you double your signal. A local
antenna tower installer I know in town puts a 4248 up for long-distance
reception for hispanic viewers. They want to see analog 60 and 66, Telefutura
and Univision in clearly. The 4228 has some snow out here with the two analog channels; the 4248 gets 'em in fantastic. Don't get me wrong, nobody is taking my 4228 away. :-) But I would try this antenna first before anything else to get channel 59. Gosh, I thought nothing beat the 4228. Still, unobstructed at 60 miles outdoors, you should get WOI even with the 4228 (though you may need a preamp). BTW, the 4228 beat the 4248 from channels 13 to 27, and tied through channel 32.

Just my opinion: RG-59 cable should be banned from the face of the earth for TV antenna installs! You can lose 20 db of signal on channel 59 from a 100' run of it.
Plus, it is unshielded, and that can lead to even more problems, especially close
to high-power cell phone and TV transmitters.

P.S. to Spurge: KPWB signed on too late for them to have their own separate digital channel allocation. Therefore, they will be required to "flash cut" to digital at the end of analog shutdown, sometime between the end of 2006 and April 4, 2009. :-) My guess is that it will be 2009. But didn't I hear somewhere that they're trying to buy an unused
digital allocation so that they CAN broadcast in digital before analog shutdown? Maybe I'm thinking of another channel.

Okay, I'm confused with what channed WOI is broadcasting on. Is it not broadcasting on 5.1? That is what I tuned into the MNF game on. I've read they are on 59. Am I tuning into the wrong channel on 5.1?

WOI is actually broadcasting on Channel 59, but your receiver reads the datastream and remaps them to channel 5.1. The same goes for all the other stations in the area:

KDSM is on 16, but maps to 17-1, 17-2
WHO is on 19, but maps to 13-1, 13-2
KCCI is on 31, but maps to 8-1
KDIN is on 50, but maps to 11-1, 11-2

So in other words, you can probably key in on your receiver either 59 or 5-1 and you'll get the same channel...

That makes perfect sense now. Thanks!

They finally fixed their "Sign-Off" schedule. I can now record West Wing, SNL, and others by using TiVo again!!!

Thanks to everyone who participated in writing to WHO and/or DirecTV!

Yep, unfortunately the HD version of Enterprise isn't offered in syndication yet. But yes, if it were, we do have one HD deck that the show could be played out of. It's actually kind of depressing seeing the deck sit next to all the other machines and receive very little use.

What about Today's Homeowner? :)

They finally fixed their "Sign-Off" schedule. I can now record West Wing, SNL, and others by using TiVo again!!!

Thanks to everyone who participated in writing to WHO and/or DirecTV!


That's great!
But who is responsible for this fix?

Bryan

What about Today's Homeowner? :)Hah... I wondered why that was in 16:9. :p Well, then...read as above. :D

Originally posted by SBORMAN@HOTMAIL october 20th.
The problem was actually solved by a viewer in Fort Dodge. What he has done is bought a Phillips brand Amplified Antenna (model MANT510), which can be purchased at Wal-Mart for $29. It is a 50db antenna. We also suggest that you use RG6 cable. He has his antenna in the garage and his television in the basement and receives our HD channel
Well guys I tried this and the same result. Get all channels but woi, no signal at all on the Phillips indoor antenna for channel 5. So I don't think a viewer in Fort Dodge is getting WOI on an antenna in his garage. I am 20 miles closer to the towers than Fort Dodge and can get nothing with this antenna on channel 5. I do get 60% signal from my roof mounted antenna on a good day, usually have pixellation and break up, I get 13,8,17,11 at 90% plus signal all the time with no problems. I am going to try an amplifier for my roof mounted antenna next and see what happens.
I will let you know.

Whats up with WHO and Nascar today? It's not in HD and have found out it's a local issue. Can't get in touch with anyone about it. Someone taking a nap at the studio?

P.S. to Spurge: KPWB signed on too late for them to have their own separate digital channel allocation. Therefore, they will be required to "flash cut" to digital at the end of analog shutdown, sometime between the end of 2006 and April 4, 2009. :-) My guess is that it will be 2009. But didn't I hear somewhere that they're trying to buy an unused
digital allocation so that they CAN broadcast in digital before analog shutdown? Maybe I'm thinking of another channel.
Yes, they're trying to get FCC approval to buy the construction permit for a new digital-only station to be called KDMI. So far, it doesn't look like the sale has been approved yet.

So I was trying to tune in the MNF game last night and couldn't tune in a thing on 5.1. Nothing. So I tried 59.1 and was finally able to get it tuned in. Once I did, It looked awesome! One question- How are people finding out their signal strength? I have a Sony KDP-51WS655 that has the tuner built in and I haven't seen an option or read in the manual of anywhere to see the signal strength. Just curious as I'd like to know how strong a signal I'm locking into. Also too I have the Dish Network 811 HD reciver that also has the OTA Tuner. Is it any better to hook my antenna up to that tuner? Will it be any better or worse picking up the local HD?

Lemonhead-I don't know anythng about your tv, but if you hook up your ota to the 811 it will give you a signal strength. The 811 will not lock onto anything less then 60, so if it don't lock on that is why.

I have an 811 and it will pick up more staions than my tuner on the TV.

I received a phone call at about 11a.m. today. I was shocked when I looked at the caller id and seen WOI, I wish I could remember the guys name, but I don't. He called to ask me a few questions about my digital reception. I told him about the pixallation and break ups, he mentioned the possibilities of them having antenna problems and they would be checking into it. Now if nothing else I have to belive that they are attempting to fix the problems. On the WOI website there is a a feedback area for the digital feed, I would encourage everyone to go there and fill it out. They say that they will reply to everyone that fills it out, they called my house about 2 days later. Lets give them as much feedback as possible and get the problems fixed.

I just provided my feedback on their site, so I am interested to see if I hear anything back. I have been having problems with getting WOI in for a number of weeks now, and it is getting quite old. They had things working pretty well for a pretty good stretch of time, but then something happened and I have been unable to get signal above 35%. Another post mentioned that Randy commented that viewers should get a new antenna, but I don't understand this because things were working fine for awhile, and I can't imagine that everyone tinkered with their antenna pointing and messed it up. I rescanned tonight, and no change. Hopefully they get this resolved soon, I would really like to be able to enjoy some of MNF in HD for the last year on OTA.

I hear what you are saying, I have my antenna in the same position that I had it in when I got WOI for a short time. The whole idea of buying a low grade "rabbit ear" type antenna to pick up WOI from 60 miles away is foolish at best.

I've come to the conclusion something is just plain wrong with WOI. I've tried moving around my antenna and such. Does anyone have the zenith silver antenna and the amplifier? I am considering buying the amplifier to see if that will help at all.

I guess I'm curious, to those who can actually get a readout, depending on your HD reciever, what kind of signal strength they get and approximately where you are located at.

I am in norwalk, and I'm lucky to get 63% on my 811. Of course that means theres major pixellation. I easily have a clear line of sight to the north.

I'd really be interested to see what kind of reception they get in Ames/Nevada/Boone/Ankeny/Granger/Johnston/Polk City or any other towns that are within 20 miles bird's eye of WOI's transmission site.

I have a radio shack vhf/uhf combo antenna on my two story house. I am 47 miles from the towers according to antennaweb.com. I am about 20 miles southwest of Fort Dodge in Gowrie, I get 13 8 11 in the high 90% signal and 17 in the 80's. I am getting WOI at 66 % at best, and usually 62% on average. I get pixelation at this % rate. I tried a pre amp and then the signal went to 49% with no picture at all, I was told maybe with the pre amp it was too strong and it overloaded the reciever. My understanding is the channels on the higher freqency are harder to get in. I am going to try a channel master 3023 antenna this week and see if it helps. From what I have read It should pull in the higher channel stations a bit better. I think if I can get to 70% the picture should be fine. I should know later this week, I am expecting to get the antenna today. With the nice weather I should be able to get up on the house and give it a try. I will let you know what happens.

... Does anyone have the zenith silver antenna and the amplifier? ....I'd really be interested to see what kind of reception they get in Ames/Nevada/Boone/Ankeny/Granger/Johnston/Polk City or any other towns that are within 20 miles bird's eye of WOI's transmission site.
I have a silver sensor-like antenna. Its actually the antenna that came in the box with my ATI HDTV Wonder PCI ATSC tuner. I have it up in my attic with a line running to a 3-way splitter in the basement. Off of the -3.5dB output I have another run of cable to the living room where the signal is split 4-ways (-7dB) into each of my 3 Media Center PC tuners and my Panasonic tv input. I can get WOI without pixellation in this setup (no preamp either, I couldn't find one that helped, the noise figures were all too high and it ruined the SNR). Anyway, I am on the SW side of Ames, and I live in a 2-story house with no trees around. I can only say my signal strength is 4-yellow bars up to 6-green bars (full) on my Media Center Digital Signal Meter. I can't get real quantitative numbers out of MCE2005 unless someone can tell me how (I don't use the software that came with the tuners, because I have enough trouble keeping Media Center working as it is). Anyway, it works here. As a note, I really improved my reception when I put the antenna in my attic. All the channels used to pixellate and drop out. Now almonst all are 6 green bars all the time. Only Fox and ABC drop to 4 or 5 bars every once in a while (WOI is at 4 bars about half the time I check it though, but it still works).

I just provided my feedback on their site, so I am interested to see if I hear anything back. I have been having problems with getting WOI in for a number of weeks now, and it is getting quite old. They had things working pretty well for a pretty good stretch of time, but then something happened and I have been unable to get signal above 35%. Another post mentioned that Randy commented that viewers should get a new antenna, but I don't understand this

Exactly.

This stinks. I first got HD programming last month when I got the new tv. the first few weeks....WOI came in perfect. The last week or so? GARBAGE!!!! 95% of the time, all I can get in is a green screen which breaks up. The other locals are all strong and clear. But WOI has went belly-up. My gear is set up EXACTLY the way it was earlier...but now it's WOI that is having problem. :( :mad:

How could there be a problem on my end after 2 weeks....and still get the others in around 94%? When you plan on watching MNF in HD and have to switch over to the ugly standard channel...it's a bit of a tear-jerker.

What is this channel 59 you guys speak of? I can't seem to get to it.

I haven't had a bit of problem from any of the digital stations in quite awhile.
5,8,11,13, and 17 have been nearly flawless for me for the past month or so.
I am 30+ miles from the towers and have a channel master with preamp.
Bryan

What is this channel 59 you guys speak of? I can't seem to get to it.
59 is the "actual" channel WOI-DT is using for its digital signal. Your tuner just "maps" it to 5-1 using data that's part of WOI's signal. In fact, all of the DT stations in Des Moines are "actually" transmitting on UHF channels at this time -- KCCI on 31, KDIN on 50, WHO on 19 and KDSM on 16.

After the transition is over, though, all of these stations except KDSM will move back to their original channels and broadcast DT on them.

Plan your antenna purchases accordingly.

I pick up WOI on 59-1. Some times I can tune it in better on 59-1 than on 5-1. Just trying to tune in 59 gets me nothing but snow. I don't know why 59-1 would tune in better that 5-1 as they are coming from the same place.

I just moved back from St. Louis and was using the Zenith Silver Sensor indoor antenna there for local HD. Unfortunately for me though, it doesn't look like it will be enough to pull in WOI. All I could get last night for MNF was an occassional still frame. Disappointing after watching the first seven weeks in HD.

I have had ongoing problems getting WOI-DT and WHO-DT in because I live in a very low lying area in WDM. All other dig channels come in strong. I have the antenna line (RG6) coming into my pre-amp behind my TV then from there to my surge protector, then to a splitter which goes to two different HD tuners (one is a Dish Network 811 model and the other is LG3200 model-an old DirecTv tuner). Last night I did some testing and tweeking to my connections and my Radio Shack 22db Pre-amp, which the gain has been all the way at max. Here's what I did:

1) Removed all the middle connections (pre-amp, surge protector and splitter) and connected directly to the 811 tuner. That actually lowered my signal on all channels by about 15-20%. I was told by an engineer at WHO that I am probably getting too much signal to my receiver. This test proved that wrong.

2) Added the pre-amp back in but lowered the gain to the lowest. This increased the signal back up to the original signal and in fact above it by about 5% on all the dig stations.

3) I then connected the surge protector and spitter back up and there was vurtually no change in the signal. I thought that might lower it slightly but it didn't, in fact it may have increase the signal by 1% on most channels.

After doing these tests and lowering the gain on the pre-amp, I did notice slightly increased signal from WOI-DT and WHO-DT but not enough to get a solid picture.

During all the steps above, I was doing this on the Dish Network 811 tuner. I then switched over to the LG3200 tuner and WOI-DT was MUCH more stable with a little pixalization periodically. WHO-DT even came in periodically but not enough to watch.

So my conclusions, the older LG3200 tuner is superior to the Dish 811 tuner.

Has anyone compared the 811 to other tuners and what were your results?

Thanks.
Jeff

Don't know what happened but tonight I have woi at 75% with no break up or anything. They must have changed something. I didn't get my new antenna up yet. I am thinking if this holds out, I will be returning it. Maybe they finally figured out what they are doing. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Don't know what happened but tonight I have woi at 75% with no break up or anything. They must have changed something. I didn't get my new antenna up yet. I am thinking if this holds out, I will be returning it. Maybe they finally figured out what they are doing. Keeping my fingers crossed.

After reading your post, I flew to the HT to see if I too had awaken from the WOI nightmare! Nope. Nada.

I filled out the feedback form and heard back the next day. Same info I've heard here in this thread. Ok, Ok...I'll try the new ant. and all.....but I think it's a different problem. Maybe I'll just wait a few years until watching WOI again. :(

Don't know what happened but tonight I have woi at 75% with no break up or anything. They must have changed something. I didn't get my new antenna up yet. I am thinking if this holds out, I will be returning it. Maybe they finally figured out what they are doing. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I also went and checked after reading this post and was VERY happy to see 69% signal strength, and a good picture and sound.

Well, I went back up on the roof and played with the ant. and I improved the signal/picture a little. At least the green glob and pic breakup happens less. Still can't get strength to go over 69%. It is always between 53 and 69...back and forth....back and forth. Now I have this tiny little pixel block that flashes all the time and it ALWAYS is in the same spot. Weird. If you don't know it's there you have to at first look for it to find it. But of course I know it's there! Anyone seen this before? It's only on WOI.

Guess I'll have to get that amplified ant. from walfart and see if it betters my viewing. Of course I'm broke so the suffering continues.

near the top and in the center? i see it too, sometimes more obvious than others

near the top and in the center? i see it too, sometimes more obvious than others

yup...thats where it is always located. At least I know it's not just me. I wonder what thats all about? 3 weeks ago, when I first got HD hooked up and got ALL the locals with a great signal and picture....it was NOT there. At least to the best of my knowledge. Anyone else see it and know what it is or why it's there?

well, its most likely something in the circuitry at woi. if it was a network problem it would be nationwide and more noticed in the internet forums (and possibly fixed). anyway, its just a few pixels which may be due to improper settings or faulty hardware. i wonder if they know about it. anyone tell them about it yet?

i wonder if they know about it. anyone tell them about it yet?

I'll be letting R. Shelton know later tonight or in the morning via mail AND his #....515-457-9645. Mr. Shelton told me to call and speak with him in person if I still had reception problems after trying another antenna. Since I sorta fixed that....I'm sure he won't mind hearing about this little bug. Maybe if a few of us call...... :)

near the top and in the center? i see it too, sometimes more obvious than others
I notice it too, but maybe only when I watch broadcasts that are not HD? I will pay more attention on the HD broadcasts and see if it is there.

I notice it too, but maybe only when I watch broadcasts that are not HD? I will pay more attention on the HD broadcasts and see if it is there.

That seems right. I was checking out a few minutes of Pirates in HD earlier and the flashing block was NOT there. Just checked the news at 10....flashing block there.

It's almost at the very top and slightly to the right of center.

Is WOI ever going to broadcast a college football game in HD? I was watching the game on KCCI and they had a short clip of the Penn St.-Wisconsin game that they showed that was in HD. If CBS can get the clip from ABC that is in HD wouldn't you think WOI should be broadcasting the game in HD. WOI is really starting to tork me off.(again and again and again) For CBS to get a HD clip of the game, it must be broadcast in HD. :mad:

The Penn-State game was not in HD yesterday, actually, ABC does not televise any of the regional games in HD, and I think the only college game so far this year they have done in HD was the FSU-Miami Labor Day game, and then they also do the BCS games, but that is about it. CBS may have just stretched the clip, but I promise, I watched the Penn State game on my digital channel and there was no HD.

I just moved from Colorado Springs to the des moines area, why is there no NFL games on Fox (KDSM)??? Although it is nice to have more than 2 local HD stations!

KDSM is showing Bears VS Saints at 3PM.
This week CBS has the double header so they show a game at 12 and a game at 3.
FOX and CBS alternate who gets the double header each week. So next week KDSM gets the double header and KCCI only shows 1 game.

Bryan

I just moved from Colorado Springs to the des moines area, why is there no NFL games on Fox (KDSM)??? Although it is nice to have more than 2 local HD stations!

Just wait until 3pm, it'll be on. There's usually 3 games televised between Fox & CBS in the afternoon. Today 2 of those 3 games are at 3pm.

I am moving to DM in a month and was doing a lot of research on cable providers. After looking through this forum, I am still a bit confused what I need. I want HD as well as the local channels in HD. I will be living in an apartment in WDM so I am not sure if I can get Dish Network or not. Anyone know if renters are allowed to put dishes off their balconies? If not I will prolly be stuck with Mediacom's HD package and higher prices.

Either way, I will still want my local channels like NBC, CBS, FOX, ABC etc. in HD as well and I wanted to know exactly what I should buy. I read a lot about these antennas going on the roofs and such but I was wondering what in-door antennas would be good since I will be living not that far from the HD signal towers. Hopefully someone can help me out.

cooke23,
You may be able ot get dish network, however, from my experiences, or friend's experiences, there is a company through adel you need to go through to get it on your balcany (if your landlord makes you use a bucket and concrete. I can get you that info if needed. You should be able to get all the HD stations unless you are in a really low area of town. If you are in Sun Prairie, they shouldn't really be a problem, especially if you are on the 2nd floor or above. I am not gonna guarantee it though.
I have the zenith Silver antenna and its great. PM/Email me at sbormann@hotmail.com

wow...
Turned on 5-1 today and the signal strength is at 85%? This is comparable to FOX. I have not changed my setup at all.

Good luck, cooke23.

If you need any help moving....I own the best moving company in town and I'll give you a forum discount of 5%. Hey...a little is better than nothin'. :)

I've also noticed that the WOI signal being much stronger the past week or so. I also get WHO-DT in as well now for past week, which I was not at all before that. I think a lot of that for me is that the trees are mostly bare now from leaves, in which there are a lot of trees blocking the air waves between me and the towers (as well as a hill and houses up on that hill).

I sent position feedback from WOI's website today with a "Good Job", stating they must have done something to increase their signal the past week.
Jeff

thanks for the info Sbormann......another question but alil off topic. I am looking for apts. there and was wondering what areas of town to stay away from.....DM is pretty good size town and I really wanna move into a place that is relatively safe and nice. As well, as not be in a low part of town where I wouldn't be able to get HD local. I have looked at a place on the northern part of DM right in the center. That any good of an area? There called Northtown Apts. 3830 6th Ave. It's in the Oak Park neighborhood. There is another called Valley Acres apts. and they are in the Southwest part of DM. Basically, I am just looking for a place around $500 per month where I can get HD and not get shot at. lol :) Anything that anyone can tell me would be great. Either through personal experience or word of mouth, it will all help me out. Thanks everyone!

For the best shot at HD with bunny ears, Ankeny, Altoona, Bondurant, Pleasant Hill are the best bets. Not sure if you can get to the $500 price range in those areas or not, but they are safe and close to the transmitter towers.

cooke23,
Your best bet for apartments is just to look at the neighborhood houses near/around it and check it out. I haven't heard of either apartment complex you're thinking about, but i'd just been on the west or northwest side(urbandale/grimes)

If you are interested in going with dish, email me, I have some more info for ya.



thanks for the info Sbormann......another question but alil off topic. I am looking for apts. there and was wondering what areas of town to stay away from.....DM is pretty good size town and I really wanna move into a place that is relatively safe and nice. As well, as not be in a low part of town where I wouldn't be able to get HD local. I have looked at a place on the northern part of DM right in the center. That any good of an area? There called Northtown Apts. 3830 6th Ave. It's in the Oak Park neighborhood. There is another called Valley Acres apts. and they are in the Southwest part of DM. Basically, I am just looking for a place around $500 per month where I can get HD and not get shot at. lol :) Anything that anyone can tell me would be great. Either through personal experience or word of mouth, it will all help me out. Thanks everyone!

thanks for the info Sbormann......another question but alil off topic. I am looking for apts. there and was wondering what areas of town to stay away from.....DM is pretty good size town and I really wanna move into a place that is relatively safe and nice. As well, as not be in a low part of town where I wouldn't be able to get HD local. I have looked at a place on the northern part of DM right in the center. That any good of an area? There called Northtown Apts. 3830 6th Ave. It's in the Oak Park neighborhood. There is another called Valley Acres apts. and they are in the Southwest part of DM. Basically, I am just looking for a place around $500 per month where I can get HD and not get shot at. lol :) Anything that anyone can tell me would be great. Either through personal experience or word of mouth, it will all help me out. Thanks everyone!

Thats right across the street from Linn's Supermarket...there on 6th ave. Highland Park and Oak Park are really pretty much the same neighborhood and my moving company, Highland Park Moving is based there. I've moved people into/out of those apartments many times. There is a mixed crowd there....and it's a busy street. One good thing is that the HD signal should be strong there....they don't call it Highland Park for nothing. :)

I try to stay away from the east and south side. :cool:

Check to see if anything is available in the Valley Junction area of WDM, too. Sometimes you can find a nice apt or even a small house for rent.

Good luck!!

Hey-

Haven't posted on here for a while but I am still having trouble picking up WOI 5-1 down in Oskaloosa. I know I'm about 60 miles from Alleman where the signal comes out of, but I don't have trouble getting 8-1, 11-1, 13-1, or 17-1. I would love to watch MNF in HD but I have just had trouble. I know my overal % for each of these isn't great but I get them pretty well (no real break ups). Wondered if I should be contacting WOI or just assume I'm too far away?? My set up is on a 8 ft. pole with a pre-amp on top of the house.

Why would I be able to get all the other channels but not WOI?

Thanks
gun

I've also noticed that the WOI signal being much stronger the past week or so.

I sent position feedback from WOI's website today with a "Good Job", stating they must have done something to increase their signal the past week.
Jeff

Wish I could send a positive word as well....but it's only gotton worse. Today I'm getting 0 to 30% with freezing pictures and green globby screens....a real nightmare. All other locals are 89 to 98%!! So...once again...NO MNF!! :( :mad:

No...I still have not upgraded antennas. I need time to do that and I'm working day into night every day almost. Thing is, as I've mentioned before, my first 2 weeks of OTA signal from ALL stations was near 100%...including WOI! For the past week...WOI is the ONLY signal to suck! And like I said...it's only worse now. Why would this be. I tried tweeking it again just for kicks but it did nothing. Dammit! You did something WOI, about a week ago or so....what was it?

The rollercoaster ride continues....so I'm here to share. I like talking to myself. :)

Just spent the last hour on the roof, in the dark, fresh on a 40 ouncer( :eek: ) and determined to grab something from WOI in HD. Manning to Harrison in HD is just essential viddey and I must see it. After a comedic cell phone conversation with the wife who was watching the signal meter, I finally got mad and pointed the damn thing away from the tower location....and got a 63% signal. Not great....but no picture breakup. I made it down off the roof....and I'm ready for another 40 ouncer. :)

Still trying another antenna....but if I get through the game...I'll consider this night a winner. :D

Now...will the signal hold out? T-minus 39min and counting and we will find out, ey?

Tommygun-

My grandparents are able to receive WOI in Osky, but they have an antenna on a 20 foot tower over the house and no pre-amp, while my parents have one at the roofline and can only get a few blips of a signal on the meter, with no pre-amp. They are both located in clear areas with straight shots towards the alleman towers, so I would think if you played around with yours, you should be able to get something. If not from WOI, perhaps KCRG, or the Kirksville ABC (not sure if they are HD)

Thanks for the info about your Gparents and parents here in Osky. I've tried to get all three of those ABC stations. I got KTVO out of kirksville once but it was spotty and then I couldn't get my des moines channels. I've heard some can get KCRG out of CR, but I never have. I think the biggest problem that I have is that my TV has the built in tuner and I run the antenna into that. However, in order to get channels I have to scan on my TV menu and I can only get what the TV picks up. So it has no function that will let me just put it on 5-1 and rotate the antenna. IT really sucks. I guess my general feeling is that if the signals for CBS, NBC, FOX are all coming from that area and I have no trouble then why wouldn't WOI be the same???

WOI's digital channel assignment is quite high, so perhaps your antenna combined with the frequency they are on is causing issues, or it may be because they are still slowly turning the power up on the transmitter. That sucks that you can't manually tune in a channel unless it captures it.

Is anyone having bad ghosting/shadow problems on WHO-DT? For the first time...I noticed bad shadow casting during the Apprentice and the start of ER tonight. Same for commercials. No other channel is doing it. Especially bad with the color red. A woman in a black dress can be standing center camera with a red chair behind her....and the red comes through the dress. What could this be?

Hmmm....it seemed to go away as soon as they cut to the local news. Wonder if that means when they switch to Letterman, it will be a problem again?

Don't know, but I saw it too. I assume it was just an abberation in their system (or possibly from NBC). Hopefully it will not be a regular occurrence.

Yes, I saw that too. I checked back when Leno was on and everything looked great again. I thought it was my TV so I'm glad to know that everyone else saw it too.

Has there been something doing on with KCCI lately? I get a great 80-85 signal strength on all of the stations, INCLUDING WOI. I also get 80-85 on KCCI - but the picture is STILL breaking up all over the place, to the point that it isn't watchable. I've sat and watched the signal strength meter for 5 to 10 minutes and it is stable. But the actual shows breaks up all over the place. Any ideas?

well, I finally got my apartment situation all figured out and plan on moving into Sun Prairie apts. in West DM on Saturday. I was looking at their cable offering and they have this stupid Vision Systems TV provider. They offer Dish Network but they make you buy their fricken Basic plan which is all the local channels plus they make you pay $50 for HDTV installation and another $28 for Cable installation that I don't want to begin with. If I could go straight through Dish Network they are having a great deal now where 1st 23 months is only 19.99 with Free installation and Free HDTV reciever. I better not hafta buy a reciever as well. This is a huge ripoff but I was wondering if I may be reading into it too much. This can't be the way it is. Anyone else know about this Vision Systems company. Anyone ever heard of it? I sure haven't but I already don't think I will like it. Too bad they told me about this after my lease was all signed.

Has there been something doing on with KCCI lately? I get a great 80-85 signal strength on all of the stations, INCLUDING WOI. I also get 80-85 on KCCI - but the picture is STILL breaking up all over the place, to the point that it isn't watchable. I've sat and watched the signal strength meter for 5 to 10 minutes and it is stable. But the actual shows breaks up all over the place. Any ideas?
I haven't seen anything weird while monitoring the off-air signal, yet. Where abouts are you, what kind of receiver do you have and when did this all start out? I know about mid week last week the PSIP software was upgraded, so I'm wondering if that couldn't be freaking out your receiver.

I haven't seen anything weird while monitoring the off-air signal, yet. Where abouts are you, what kind of receiver do you have and when did this all start out? I know about mid week last week the PSIP software was upgraded, so I'm wondering if that couldn't be freaking out your receiver.
I am west of I-80 in Clive, towards Waukee. I am using a DirecTV HD Tivo receiver. These problems are fairly recent, as I've never had a problem with KCCI before. The issue is always the same, great signal strength on the meter, but picture breakups all over the place.

I can't offer much help but I will say that KCCI comes in great with no break-up in picture and it's always around 93% strength. In fact, KCCI comes in better than the other channels by far. It's WOI that I can't watch often....20%. :mad:

Whats up with FOX? No HD after 10pm or something? I understand the game delayed tonights Prison Break, but I wish they would now wake up and switch over to HD....it looks like crap.

Well I've lost WOI......but I'm getting 5-10 seconds of "Searching for Signal", then a still blotch of green with a partial still picture.

WHO, KDSM, KDIN, and KCCI are all present and accounted for.

It's been that way for me for too long now. No matter what antenna I use, where I have it pointed or what the weather is....I just can't watch anything on WOI in HD. All other channels are perfect. I keep soundling like a broken record but jesus...enough is enough.

BTW....with the first snowfall and all....anyone else NOT getting a signal for most HD channels except Discovery? I don't remember bad weather causing this kind of "no signal" damage in years previous. I get one of the ESPN channels in, but not the other. Whats up with that?

Gutwrencher - are you a DirecTV sub? I had signal loss on the main bird this evening though 110 and 119 were okay. It was all back to normal by 7.

And WOI's back, with some occasional signal loss that I attribute to the weather (though the others are fine.)

Yup...I've had D* for about 5 years and just added HD last month. It's all back to normal now and hope that does not happen every time it snows! I called them around 6pm and they ran me through some tests. My HD channels would not even show up in the channel guide. They feel something is not right and are sending out a tech on Friday.

Also, as I mentioned last night....why won't FOX 17 broadcast HD after 10pm? Last night it was Prison Break that was delayed due to the Hawks game. Tonight because of the game....Bones and House were shown later but not in HD as normal. Would this be a local issue? I don't get it. :confused:

I would assume KDSM is tape delaying the network programming... Chances are they don't have the capability to tape delay an HD program at this time.

I would assume KDSM is tape delaying the network programming... Chances are they don't have the capability to tape delay an HD program at this time.

Well, at least that makes sense. Bummer. Thanks for the input.

I am west of I-80 in Clive, towards Waukee. I am using a DirecTV HD Tivo receiver. These problems are fairly recent, as I've never had a problem with KCCI before. The issue is always the same, great signal strength on the meter, but picture breakups all over the place.
Jeff, are you still experiencing issues? I was waiting for more users of the same box to respond, but maybe you're the only one in the area using that box?

About the only two ideas I can give you for now would to either try rescanning the channels to make there isn't some weird PSIP data stuck in there, or maybe borrow a different STB to see if the same issues exist.

p.s. If you turn on your PMs, I can try to help you off the main board and then we can come back here when something gets figured out. :cool:

Got this reply today from KDSM:

FOX HD is sent directly to our transmitter bypassing our analog master
control. That is why it looks so good. The signal is never reprocessed.
Unfortunately that also means that when we have to tape delay FOX prime
shows, we must do so with our analog equipment and then up convert it to
HD. The consensus was that the upconverted shows on 17.1 looked better
stretched then small with grey bars on the sides. 17.2 offers the same
programming in SD without the stretch.

Regards,
Doug Hammond
KDSM Chief Engineer

There you have it. Don't know about anyone else but having it stretched never looks good.

JeffCarp-I am in NW Arkansas, and use a D* HD receiver as well, and just recently both myself and another user with a D*box are having pixelation problems on the local CBS affiliate here as well. The CBS HD on D* has been fine however, so I don't know where the problem could lie. I have the Samsung TS-160.

Don't know about anyone else but having it stretched never looks good.
I agree!!! My father in law always watches SD shows in stretched mode. Drives me nutts!! :eek: I don't understand why anyone would. SD looks awful stretched.

It's been that way for me for too long now. No matter what antenna I use, where I have it pointed or what the weather is....I just can't watch anything on WOI in HD. All other channels are perfect. I keep soundling like a broken record but jesus...enough is enough.

Just in case you have a preamp in line (or video distribution amp), try bypassing it, or putting in some attenuation. I'm feeding 5 different TV's from my antenna, and had been using a RS distribution amp...could not get WOI no matter what. Just as a test I ran the feedline directly into the Samsung 360 and presto, WOI-DT perfectly. Then went back and bypassed the RS amp, but used all my splitters and still solid WOI-DT. My standard channels suffered, however. So, I put a good low noise preamp in line and used that to drive my splitters. Result: standard channels cleaned up nicely, but WOI-DT disappeared again.

Time to get out the calibrated step attenuator (81 dB in 1 dB steps!). I found I needed between 10 and 15 dB of attenuation at the ouput of the preamp and before the splitters to clean up standard TV and then get WOI-DT. Interestingly, all of the other HD channels OTA were perfect, no matter what combo I used. Obviously, too much sig was reaching the HD receiver for WOI-DT.

Warning: I tried using a RS (Radio Shack) variable attenuator (0-20 dB) in place of my calibrated step attenuator, and it would not work. No setting would permit WOI-DT, and most of the standard channels suffered. That is most strange. Removed the RS and put back in my step attenuator and perfecto. Next step, build my own 12 dB fixed attenuator and put it in line and see what happens.

For several weeks now, I have had solid signals from all the local HD channels, including WOI. No drop outs, pixellation, etc. I'm using the channel master 7700 preamp as a distribution amp (not at the antenna) by driving splitters, and all is now well. I do want my step attenuator back, as it is a valuable piece of test equipment, so it's time to get the soldering iron out.

Thanks hasan, for the details. Man, you know yer stuff!


Just in case you have a preamp in line (or video distribution amp),

I was about to go down that route so your info was needed. I'm going to keep working on it . I was going to fool around outside today but it's just cold,cold, cold.

i Can't seem to get WHO-DT, i get WOI-DT, and KDSM-DT perfect. I am using a sylvania over the air tuner with an indoor antenna, i am located in West Des Moines by George Mills and I-35. Also is there any way to use the over the air receiver to pull in the locals over Mediacom's family cable? Or do they encrypt the locals as well?

i Can't seem to get WHO-DT, i get WOI-DT, and KDSM-DT perfect.
A couple weeks ago, I tweeked my pre-amp by lower the gain and started getting a good signal from WHO-DT. But I checked a couple nights ago and again last night and I can't get WHO-DT in at all now. That always seems to happen with WHO-DT. Every few months I will try to tune it in. Sometimes I can get it and other times I can't. Then once I do get it tuned in, it goes away a couple weeks later. I have no clue as to why this happens. I've given up on WHO-DT at my location (low in a valley with a hill, trees and houses toward the direction of Alleman). I get all the other stations in just fine.
Jeff

What is up with Mediacom not having WOI-DT and KDSM-DT???? Anyone know when Mediacom will be adding these???

Sinclair Broadcast Group owns KDSM, so it's probably an issue of them demanding payment for carrying KDSM-DT and Mediacom not wanting to do so.

I'm not sure how WOI's owner is handling this issue, but it may be a similar problem.

Email i just got from KDSM:

Thanks for your inquiry.

Mediacom has not yet agreed to pay Sinclair for the rights to air our HD
signal, which cost us a lot of money to purchase. The good news is that
there is hope. Comcast, the largest cable provider in the country, did
reach an agreement recently with Sinclair in the markets it covers. So
hopefully Mediacom will follow suit.

I would recommend letting Mediacom know how important it is to you to
have the HD signal.

Please let me know if you have any other questions, and again, thank you
for your inquiry.

Sincerely,
Beth Grant
Dir of Mktg and Programming

Do the other local stations (WHO-DT & KCCI-DT) get paid by Mediacom to broadcast their HD signals? Just curious.

Jeff, are you still experiencing issues? I was waiting for more users of the same box to respond, but maybe you're the only one in the area using that box?

About the only two ideas I can give you for now would to either try rescanning the channels to make there isn't some weird PSIP data stuck in there, or maybe borrow a different STB to see if the same issues exist.

p.s. If you turn on your PMs, I can try to help you off the main board and then we can come back here when something gets figured out. :cool:

Haven't been on for a while, but thought I'd check out the DM local forum to see if others were having the same issue with KCCI. Looks like at least jeffcarp and I are having the same issues - I've always had my best OTA HD reception on KCCI until recently. I also have the DirecTV Tivo. I get excellent reception on all off the other local HD signals, even WOI most of the time. Nothing has changed in my setup, no changes in the positioning of the antenna, etc.

Is anyone still getting 5-1?
I still get all the other's fine at their normal signal strength ratings, so I doubt my antenna has moved.
I hope they get it back up before MNF as that is really the only thing I normally watch on ABC.

Thanks,
Bryan

Nope, not getting 5-1 here either. I'm in West Des Moines near 60th and Ashworth.

Not getting 5.1 in Windsor Heights either. Has anyone called WOI to find out what the problem is. I have not been able to get any signal for several days now.

not getting 5-1 her either..

Is anyone still getting 5-1?
As of a couple nights ago or so, I haven't been getting 5.1 either. No signal at all. They've done something.
I sent an email to them (hdtv@woitv.com). We'll see if I hear back. I'll post back if I do.
Jeff

Barely any signal on the SW side of Ames. Nothing to tune into, just 1 red bar out a possible 6 green bars (all other stations are 6 green and WOI used to be as well).

From the WOI web site:

A failure in the transmission line on a broadcast tower built especially for HDTV was discovered on Thanksgiving Day. Crews have begun to address the troblem, but may repairs may take up to a week before viewing on Channel 5-1 WOI-DT returns to normal.

We hope you'll continue to watch our programming schedule on Channel 5 WOI-TV.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.



posted 11/26/2005

I wonder if this will fix all the problems they seem to have with there digital broadcast? And what are the odds it will be fixed bye Dec. 3 for all the championship games that ABC is showing in HD.

As of a couple nights ago or so, I haven't been getting 5.1 either. No signal at all. They've done something.
I sent an email to them (hdtv@woitv.com). We'll see if I hear back. I'll post back if I do.
Jeff
It's been at least a day, perhaps two. I've been a bit out of it with passing a kidney stone (arrrghhh!), but I just rechecked a few minutes ago and it's not there. I'm glad it's not a problem here, as things have been working well for several weeks.

Please post whensomeone sees it.

Heard that WOI is working on the tower today (Thu), and that it's now Monday at the latest. With no additional info my bet is on the "latest" part of that, which would mean no ABC college football in HD this weekend.

Hi guys, I'm new to this forum. I live in the S/SW part of Ames. I had a question that maybe somebody here can answer. Does the mediacom here have Digital Cable Cards and does anybody have a estimate of what channels they have in HD? I called them a couple weeks ago and the guy seemed pretty clueless about the card and I wanted to get a solid answer before calling them again. Thanks.

Well College Football Championship Saturday (plus USC/UCLA) is here and still no signal! Damn WOI!

probably no monday night football either.

probably no monday night football either.

I must have missed it, but just what IS there problem? Why are the off the air?

At least we can watch the UGA/LSU game in HD...looks real nice (just saw a punt blocked in living hi-res <grin>).

It would have bee really nice to see V. Young and then R. Bush in HD...very disappointing.

I've always had issues in the past with getting 5-1 here in Oskaloosa, IA. I can lock on 8-1 & 13-1 at about 50%. I think I may have figured out why I haven't been able to get it. Today I was reading their post on their site about tower issues and noticed that their tower is located at Slater, IA. According to google I'm 86 miles from Slater and only 77 miles from Alleman. Anyone think this could make a difference? I still haven't tried to bypass my pre-amp, mainly b/c it comes into my basement and then splits to the tv's.

I've always had issues in the past with getting 5-1 here in Oskaloosa, IA. I can lock on 8-1 & 13-1 at about 50%. I think I may have figured out why I haven't been able to get it. Today I was reading their post on their site about tower issues and noticed that their tower is located at Slater, IA. According to google I'm 86 miles from Slater and only 77 miles from Alleman. Anyone think this could make a difference? I still haven't tried to bypass my pre-amp, mainly b/c it comes into my basement and then splits to the tv's.


Tommygun,

I have a hard time believing that the Google-derived separation of 9 miles between Slater and Alleman has anything to do with your inability to lock in WOI. Based on my eyes, I would say there is no more than 1-2 miles between any of the 4 towers (though I have no idea which one belongs to who). While the physical address might be Slater, there is no way that its 9 miles further away.

WOI has always been an issue for me here in NW Ankeny. I am about 5 miles from the towers, and I am able to get CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS all at 100% with nothing more than a pair of rabbit ears. I still had never seen a signal higher than 60% from WOI.

Not that I am a big WOI user at all, but the fact is we are a month away from 3 straight days of big time bowl games, and 2 months away from the ABC-produced Super Bowl XL. Oh, and the fact that Eva Longoria looks absolutely stunning in HD!

You stole the words from my mouth about Eva and Bowl Season. If only CBS had the BCS bowl series!

Received from WOI just minutes ago:

We are transmitting on 5.1 (59) but we had a problem with our transmission line on Thanksgiving Day. We discovered when the tower crew installed our line that it was not done correctly, causing a burn out in portions of the transmission line. We now have to replace the burned out sections. After receiving the new line the tower crew has been working on reinstalling the line. We hope to be back full power by late tonight or tomorrow. Thank you for your patience.

:( This could explain why they always had bad transmission problems.

Nice surprise that the Victoria's Secret show was in HD last night. TitanTV didnt have it as an HD feed on KCCI.

So, BIG Thanks to KCCI for that. Had a few guys over to watch the Iowa/UNI game last night in the theater. I changed channels after the game and hit CBS. Needless to say, the boys stuck around a bit longer. Even the girls were impressed -- nothing like an HD fashion show with lingere to sell the wives and girlfriends on getting a new HD TV set!

~JR

Received from WOI just minutes ago:

We are transmitting on 5.1 (59) but we had a problem with our transmission line on Thanksgiving Day. We discovered when the tower crew installed our line that it was not done correctly, causing a burn out in portions of the transmission line. We now have to replace the burned out sections. After receiving the new line the tower crew has been working on reinstalling the line. We hope to be back full power by late tonight or tomorrow. Thank you for your patience.


Thanks for the update, I missed the original to this thread for some reason, then found it later. My apologies for asking something that had already been posted. Now let's see if they are up this evening when I get home.

I got my HDTiVo in February and got frustrated trying to get all the DSM stations in HD so I get them from DTV instead. Sounds like it might be time for me to give it another shot. Thanks to everyone for all the information.

tk

Anyone getting WOI tonight? I get 8-1, 17-1, 13-1 but can't seem to pull any signal at all from 5-1. Just using an indoor antenna from RS. Also, watching this program on the Pope in HD but I am noticing that the lip syncing is a bit off when I listen through my surround system. The TV volume is right on but the theatre system is off and thats the only channel it is off. Anyone know what may be causing this?

I noticed that a bit too on Sunday evening...though I really had to stare at it to see the problem. Since network commercials seemed fine I would take a good bet that it may have been a problem with the master transfer at the network level. I haven't checked over on the main programming board to see if anyone else noticed the same, though.

Anyone getting WOI tonight? I get 8-1, 17-1, 13-1 but can't seem to pull any signal at all from 5-1. Just using an indoor antenna from RS. Also, watching this program on the Pope in HD but I am noticing that the lip syncing is a bit off when I listen through my surround system. The TV volume is right on but the theatre system is off and thats the only channel it is off. Anyone know what may be causing this?

Nothing for quite a few days, as they report having feedline problems. They are supposed to be replacing it. It's basically watch and wait at this point. I check it every night when I get home and have seen nothing from here. I get a solid signal when they are up and running at normal power. (North of Ogden, IA)

I thought the message from woi was that they would be up and running yesterday? Do you suppose they are working on it at all? Or just lip service.........

CAD,

Have you seen the weather outside. I for one would not want to clime to the top of the tower in these conditions.

John

CAD,

Have you seen the weather outside. I for one would not want to clime to the top of the tower in these conditions.

John

agreed! i'd hate to see anybody injured just so someone could sit on the couch and watch Nightstalker (or whatever) in hi-def instead of ntsc...

woi updated their webpage the other day... Funny, i told them in an email it would be a good idea...

A failure in the transmission line on a broadcast tower built especially for HDTV was discovered on Thanksgiving Day. Crews are working on the tower and repairs may take till the end of the week before viewing on Channel 5-1 WOI-DT returns to normal.

We hope you'll continue to watch our programming schedule on Channel 5 WOI-TV.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.



posted 12/6/05

Anyone else glad to hear that the BCS is moving to FOX next year for the next 4 years?? I can't wait... unfortunately the super bowl in 2006 is on WOI. I'm hoping to be able to lock onto 5.1 by that time.

Well, it's the end of the week, and the weather today is nicer, so lets hope.

I haven't gotten WOI's digital for some time now. Anyone know what's going on ?


Chucko

I haven't gotten WOI's digital for some time now. Anyone know what's going on ?
Chucko

check 4 posts up... they're repairing the line on or near the tower...

No joy on 59.

WOI is such a huge joke of a station. It's been over two weeks now. They are lucky many of the regular shows are in repeats now, but if they don't fix 5.1 by bowl time, they will get some nasty phone calls and emails. Not that it's going to make them hurry up.

Regular channel 5 is unwatchable in most parts of Des Moines also. How have they got away with being a substandard affiliate for so many years?

agreed! i'd hate to see anybody injured just so someone could sit on the couch and watch Nightstalker (or whatever) in hi-def instead of ntsc...

Then next time...throw me the feakin' gear and a "how to fix screw-up" guide and I'll climb the damn thing.

Still nada from WOI. :(

"Climbing Cold Steel for Dummies" ?

I got an email a few minutes ago from Randy Shelton at WOI regarding the hd outage:

They have now replaced all of the bad transmission line. When they did a test late last night they found a few small problems. They hoped to finish up last night, but it got too dark. The tower crew plans on making adjustments today and tomorrow and have it full power by tomorrow night.

I'll believe it when we see it. WOI has had so many empty promises in the past that it's hard to trust anything they say.

I'll believe it when we see it. WOI has had so many empty promises in the past that it's hard to trust anything they say.

i was just telling you what they reported to me; i wasn't saying they promised anything to you, me or anybody else...

whoa 5-1 is back

Hi--I'm moving to Urbandale from the San Francisco area. As I browse through this thread, I don't see too much talk about your local cable company. Most of you seem to use OTA or one of the satellites. I'll want to get high speed internet and also maximize my HD content. Currently, I subscribe to bay area cable to get internet access, the network feeds in HD, all the premium channels and the HD DVR cable box (Motoraola 6412). How is mediacom compared to other means of getting programming--Ideally, I would get all of the available major networks in HD, also FOX, HBO and showtime. I also want HD DVR capability.

Seeking advice from those in the know,
Mike

Hi--I'm moving to Urbandale from the San Francisco area. As I browse through this thread, I don't see too much talk about your local cable company. Most of you seem to use OTA or one of the satellites. I'll want to get high speed internet and also maximize my HD content. Currently, I subscribe to bay area cable to get internet access, the network feeds in HD, all the premium channels and the HD DVR cable box (Motoraola 6412). How is mediacom compared to other means of getting programming--Ideally, I would get all of the available major networks in HD, also FOX, HBO and showtime. I also want HD DVR capability.

Seeking advice from those in the know,
Mike


Mike:

Are you sure you want to trade in the beautiful California weather for an Iowa winter? I think we are due to top out at 10 degrees on Sunday. I currently get my HD via the cable company, in our case Mediacom. Here is their lineup as of this morning:

Mediacom Lineup as of 12/16/05:

808 - KCCI DT (CBS)
811 - KDIN DT (PBS/IPTV)
813 - WHO DT (NBC)
830 - ESPN HD
831 - ESPN2HD
840 - Universal HD
841 - Discovery HD
850 - HDnet
851 - HDnet Movies

Pay Channels (come free if you subscribe to the channel)

880 - HBO HD
885 - Starz HD
890 - Showtime HD
892 - The Movie Channel HD

As you can see, Mediacom does not carry FOX, ABC, WB, UPN, PAX, Fox Sports Net, TNT, and other things you probably got in a bigger bay area market. I use OTA to get FOX and ABC (which are broadcast in addition to CBS, NBC, and PBS). Those are our only OTA channels. So, if you need FOX and ABC, the cable company is not your answer.

As for the cable modem, it works very well for me. They are currently providing 5 mbps service in our area, but I believe they also offer a 10 mpbs service for a bit more per month.

Now for the costs. Last month I subscribed to regular cable (ch 2-78), got all the HBO's (including HD), all the Starz (including HD), the HD tier (ch 830-851), high speed internet w/ modem rental, and the Motorola 6412 w/ DVR service. My bill came to about $127. You will notice I do not pay for the digital channels like discovery health, history channel 2, and whatever other crazy stuff is in that 200-250 channel range. I find that with the HD channels we get, there is usually someting on that is watchable in HD. The picture quality on the HD channels through the box is excellent.

whoa 5-1 is back
I just got back from Ames and noticed the same thing.

A few oddities, though, at least on Friday night: It seemed that 5-1 was having trouble at times when coming up from black after commercial, or when switching from local breaks back to ABC-HD. It looked as if it was recovering from a dropout. Also, that stray pixel which used to be at the very top of the picture on the upconverted analog seems to have moved downscreen.

Other than that, they seemed to be doing OK and putting out a rock-solid signal.

Anybody else notice anything like this?

Well I have checked 5-1 almost everyday and night and cant seem to ever pull it in. Even the last couple days when others say they can get it, i am never able to. I get all the rest of the HD channels fine but never WOI. Am I too far away or something. I live in West DM (Sun Prairie Apts) on the 3rd floor and using a Radio Shack indoor HD antenna. Like I said, I get all other channels but have never tuned in WOI. Another issue for some reason it even powers off my TV when I go to 5-1 right after I turn it on. It will like power off but I can still hear the fan going and the red light is still on but absolutely no picture and I can't change anything with the remote. Only can shut it off then power up again. This is soo wierd......anyone have any clue why this is happening? I have a brand new Toshiba 52HM95 tv that works great on all other channels.

Another issue for some reason it even powers off my TV when I go to 5-1 right after I turn it on. It will like power off but I can still hear the fan going and the red light is still on but absolutely no picture and I can't change anything with the remote. Only can shut it off then power up again. This is soo wierd......anyone have any clue why this is happening? I have a brand new Toshiba 52HM95 tv that works great on all other channels.
Just a hunch, but you may want to re-scan your channels. Your set may still be remembering some bad data from the last time it saw channel 5. Depending on your tuner, it may not be dealing well with any changes WOI-DT may have made since they went off the air.

No problems getting WOI in State Center, using a $20 outdoor antenna from Radio Shack. I watched the game for 20 minutes last night with no hiccups. I can finally look forward to the BCS games over the new year....also last night was the first night that I noted that every local had something on in HD...pretty amazing considering how long it has taken the DSM area for that...

For some reason WDM has a hard time getting 5.1. It's only like 20 miles away but most of that city must be low or something. A friend of mine has a full size rooftop antenna and it's a big no-go on 5.1. So he is not happy with the BCS and Super Bowl coming up.

For some reason WDM has a hard time getting 5.1. It's only like 20 miles away but most of that city must be low or something. A friend of mine has a full size rooftop antenna and it's a big no-go on 5.1. So he is not happy with the BCS and Super Bowl coming up.

I live by 50th and Ashworth in WDM and I have had little problem getting 5.1 (when they are actually broadcasting). It comes in at around 70%, and my antenna is in the attic.

I got a message back today from WOI-DT and I think they have been great considering the whole cold and snow going on. The guy told me they are about 50% right now and hope to be up to 100% by Januray. I know they aren't up to what the other channels have, but lets give them a break! After all... it is free over the air programming!!

You could be paying for it from Cable or Sat.

I got the game in last night at about 65-72 percent with a few problems at the start but went pretty smooth most of the night, too bad it didn't go so smooth for my packers.

You mean the Packers were playing Monday night too? I thought they just showed up for the free chips and dip. :eek: :p

I'll also add that I've now officially had my first run of a consistent reception for WOI. Though I did change my cabling for my antenna, so I'm pretty sure that had more to do with the better reception than anything.

kc0bsn-

What type of changes did you make?

heh, that's what I get for typing at night. :) All I really did was change out my antenna cable for some RG6 and also moved the silver sensor into the middle of the apartment. The antenna had been sitting near the south facing patio window. Maybe someday this week before I go to work, I'll move it back to the window location to see which change it was that made a difference.

I own a Sony Grand Vega KDF42WE655 HDTV. I currently subscribe to my local mediacomm regular cable. I have no digital box, just the basic cable. I have an antenna for my HD stations. I was messing around and found out that i can receive my local CBS station's DTV channel on 8.1 through my cable feed. Can i get any other DTV stations from the local networks through the cable without using the cable box? Can anyone else do this? I don't have a cable card installed that i know of unless it came with it when i bought it. that would be great if i could. thanks!

8-1 is QAM unencrypted, as is 13-1 and 13-2 (the last time I checked here in Ames on Mediacom). If you look up at post 1898 there is a list which suggests to me that PBS would also be available in unencrypted QAM. There are some other stations unencrypted on digital cable, but last I knew none of the other networks were available and none of the premium content is unencrypted. The local stations are unencrypted in many locales because there is some FCC rule which may or may not require cable companies to offer these broadcast stations "in the clear" with any basic cable package. I am not in Des Moines and have not checked this lineup in quite some time, but I thought I would let you know what I could. I was receiving the QAM stations with an LG HDTV tuner/DVD player (LST 3510, I think), but I returned it because the OTA stations did not lock in very well at the time.

thanks denyart. So if i'm understanding you correctly, 13.1 and 11.1 should be available through the cable with a cable box. last time i tried, it didnt' work. But i'll try again. Where can you get a QAM encrypted card at anyway? Can i get a card and then pay for the EPSN, and all the other HD stations? sorry for naive questions, i'm still new to all this :)

thanks denyart. So if i'm understanding you correctly, 13.1 and 11.1 should be available through the cable with a cable box. last time i tried, it didnt' work. But i'll try again. Where can you get a QAM encrypted card at anyway? Can i get a card and then pay for the EPSN, and all the other HD stations? sorry for naive questions, i'm still new to all this :)

I am thinking that 13.1 (and possibly 13.2, the RADAR) and 11.1 (and possibly 11.2) might be available somewhere in the QAM digital cable spectrum unencrypted. I do not know this for sure. As for a cable box, that does not necessarily give you these channels because the cable company controls the box and tells it what it can and can't output. A standard digital box also may not be able to tune any HD channel because it is QAM 256 whereas the other standard digital channels are QAM64 (I think). So the long and short of it is this: If you have a QAM tuner (built into your TV I am sure) you should be able to tune in any unencrypted digtal channels which quite possibly includes 8.1, 11.1 and 13.1 digital rebroadcasts. If you want premium digital content you will either need a cable box from Mediacom or a cablecard from Mediacom. They may not want to give you a cable card at first. In fact they may not even know what they are or that they have them. They actually may not have them yet either, but they should by now. If you want to get two-way premium channels such as Video On Demand you will need the box from the cable company because I doubt your TV has a 2-way cablecard. If all you want is the premium HD content, you need to subscribe to the Mediacom HD package (and HBO and Cinemax if you want those HD channels) and then get either a CableCard or a digital HD box from Mediacom. If you want to try CableCard, please post your results. I think many people on this forum may be interested your luck with Cablecard and Mediacom in Des Moines.

thank you very much denyart. you explained it all and then some. thanks!

Ahhh, score!

WOI-DT is now on 805 via Mediacom :)

Ahhh, score!

WOI-DT is now on 805 via Mediacom :)


SnakeEyes:

Do you think WOI on Mediacom is a permanent spot, or maybe just a temporary fix considering there are BCS games on this week and the Super Bowl a month from now? I remember about this time last year that Mediacom offered to carry FOX-HD for the Super Bowl, but FOX said "you want it, you pay me for it". I wonder if FOX will ever show up on Mediacom?

Also, are you getting any program information on your Mediacom guide? All I am getting is some "To Be Announced" information, which makes it a few more steps for me to record programs on the DVR.

Other than that, it looked great last night for "Snow Dogs" (not that I watched, just made a few casual trips to 805 to make sure it was still working). :D

SnakeEyes:

Do you think WOI on Mediacom is a permanent spot, or maybe just a temporary fix considering there are BCS games on this week and the Super Bowl a month from now? I remember about this time last year that Mediacom offered to carry FOX-HD for the Super Bowl, but FOX said "you want it, you pay me for it". I wonder if FOX will ever show up on Mediacom?

Also, are you getting any program information on your Mediacom guide? All I am getting is some "To Be Announced" information, which makes it a few more steps for me to record programs on the DVR.

Other than that, it looked great last night for "Snow Dogs" (not that I watched, just made a few casual trips to 805 to make sure it was still working). :D

That's a good thought, I dunno. If the station was holding out for a fee why let Mediacom get big sports events? Though on the other hand I still have no guide data as well. However, when WHO and KCCI first showed up they didn't either. Mediacom did air TNT's NBA All Star weekend a few years ago but that was before TNT-HD was live, it was basically a test weekend. So take your pick. I'm going to be optimistic and say WOI is staying.

I switched over to Snow Dogs every so often and did watch NYE, very good PQ.

woi is gone for me again. Don't know what the deal is .It has been fine after the fixed it up until today. Only 49% signal. Anyone else having the same thing today?

woi is gone for me again. Don't know what the deal is .It has been fine after the fixed it up until today. Only 49% signal. Anyone else having the same thing today?

Yeah, and it's gettin' old. I'm having to viddey the game in SD and it looks like crap. Once in a while, I'll switch back over to see 5 seconds of HD...then the green monster eats the screen, freeze and dry and all that. I totally just missed the sack from Hawk on BQ. I'm sick to death of WOI. In fact, I've decided to not watch the game at all. :mad:

Who am I kidding? I'll have it back on uglovision as soon as this is posted. :p :)

I had no problem with the games yesterday. However, my friend who lives off of Hwy 6 (Hickman Road) and 142nd street (Urbandale address) has a high powered antenna in his attic and rarely receives KDSM and never WOI. Could it be his antenna needs to be pointed differently or is Urbandale/Waukee a low area that cannot receive the signal? My parents in Chariton have zero problems with the signal and they are an hour south of DSM and more to the Ankeny signals. Any ideas why my friend is having problems?

It is not too likely to be a direction issue. All the towers should be within a few degrees from that location. He could be having problems just because of his antenna and/or coaxial cable. The signal from Fox and ABC are the weakest two for many people, but that is not always the case. I am pretty sure these 2 stations may be broadcasting at lower power levels (and for WOI they are at the far end of the UHF spectrum) which makes their signals that much more difficult. You could try looking at changing the angle a little, and you could also take out your amplifier and any splitters if you can to see what happens to the signal. Sometimes a weaker signal with no amplifiers is also cleaner (less noise) and tunes in better. For me, I am on the southwest side of Ames and a SilverSensor-like antenna in the attic (2-story, no trees) picks up enough signal to split it 3 times (-10.5dB) and still lock in on all the signals (5-1, 8-1, 11-1, 13-1, 17-1). When I tried an amplifier (ChannelMaster 4-port, I forget the model) it actually made the signals worse. Just my $0.02

Just got done watching the Penn State vs. FSU Orange Bowl. I must say it was a good game. And WOI came through for me. I was getting roughly 81% the whole night with no visual or audio drops.

I can't wait for the Rose Bowl tomorrow in Hi-Def! Go Longhorns!

I'm getting sick of not getting any WOI digital!! I missed the BCS now I'm planning on missing the superbowl.

On Saturday, I was receiving WOI DT with my Silver Sensor indoor antenna during the football games. It was the first time I tried watching it since I moved back here in November. I had tried to get MNF in then, but couldn't lock a signal. During Saturday's football game, it was perfect other than one short drop. I hope they continue with the higher power output at least through the Super Bowl.

Just thought I'd let you all know that KCCI-DT is currently at about 67% power. I'm not exactly sure what the problem is, but it took one of the three cabinets offline. I'm also not sure when it will be back up to 100%, but I'll let you know. (So, no, I have no answers... but I didn't want people yanking their antennas around either.) ;)

Sad....very sad.

I am trying to get WOI-DT in using an off AIR antenna and I live in Johnston Iowa. It is a directional antenna. I get WHO-DT, FOX-DT, PBS-DT AND KCCI-DT in just fine. Do I need to get a multi directional antenna? Does anyone have a recommendation on what antenna to purchase and where or is there something I can do with my current antenna? the one I have is a "High-Definition Amplified Outdoor TV Antenna" from Radioshack installed in my addic. It is Model: 15-2185
Catalog #: 15-2185 if you want to view it on the radioshack website.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am hoping to have this resolved before the superbowl.

I would suggest going to www.antennaweb.org and they can tell you where to point the antenna and what type of antenna to buy. Another good site is www.checkHD.com or www.titantv.com.

Thanks for the advice.

The CheckHD site was good as well as the antennaweb site. Looks like I need to find out if the one I have is a Medium Directional Antenna to get the extra WOI-HD site.

Don't be completely surprised after you get everything it says to get, that you still don't get WOI-HD. The station has been terrible up to this point. Read earlier posts to check it out.

Thanks tommygun_00

Their is another helpful site called antennasdirect com

I found a link on the woitv com website to let them know if I having trouble getting their HD site. I made it sound like they will contact me to see that can be done. I will give it a try.

is there anyone in Johnston on close to johnston that is getting the site with little to no issue.

RJ, I've always had trouble getting WOI-DT with my antenna in the window. Then one night I had to do some cleaning, so I moved it across the room and into the kitchen of the apartment (away from the window). Suddenly I haven't had any trouble with WOI, in fact everyone except for KDSM comes in very well now.

Moral of the story is don't be surprised if what you don't think should work, does work.

KCCI-DT is back to full power. :D

KCCI-DT is back to full power. :D

:D Thanks for the update! However, I didn't notice a change. I've always received KCCI at about 87 - 90% and it didn't change for me back a few weeks ago when you said that the power had been lowered. KCCI-DT has always been rock solid for me! Wish I can say that for WHO-DT and WOI-DT. Thanks again! It's awesome to get updates and comments from someone on the "inside".
Jeff

Just FYI, I don't know if WOI-DT was still on Mediacom channel 805, but they say they will be on for the SuperBowl. So those of you with tuners that do unencrypted QAM tuning (and have any kind of cable) could check to see if channel 805 has the WOI feed on it. If not now, it should have it for the SuperBowl. Also, anyone still having problems with getting their over the air WOI should try some of the advice already listed; change antenna positioning, change out cable for better/shorter RG-6, try removing amplifiers, try adding amplifiers, try changing amplifiers, cross your fingers and knock on wood. I know this antenna stuff is frustrating because it is not all that simple. There was an article in a home theater magazine a couple years ago about this very issue. This extremely knowledgeable electronics installer (aka professional hometheaterphile) went to a few dicey locations and using a signal analyzer was able to tune in quite a few OTA stations in places where people thought it was impossible or at least very difficult. Moral of the story, if you really want it there is always something else you can try to make it work.

WOI-DT is on Mediacom

I had Mediacom come out last Saturday to install high speed internet and 2 HDDVR's. They arrived on time and did a great job hooking up the cable feeds to all rooms, testing the signal and getting my high speed internet up and running. Unfortunately, instead of bringing to HD boxes, they only brought 1 digital standard def box. The installer told me that they had lots of the DVR's in stock that morning, but that my work order hadn't called for it--so they didn't bring it on the truck. That afternoon, I drove into Des Moines to the Mediacom office to trade the box they gave me for Hi Def DVRS--but alas, they told me they were out. It didn't help that I mentioned that the installer told me there were lots of them there in the morning. Then I asked for HD boxes. They told me that they won't hand those out over the counter. They told me that they would hand out a DVR over the counter. I was told that they are expecting another large shipment of DVRs in this week. I will try to call and figure out when they have them so that I can get back to normalcy.

Strange, when they hooked up my HD/DVR I was told they are only allowing 1 box per household since they couldn't get enough of them. Has that policy changed?

We all know that Mediacom has their ducks in a row all the time...HA!

Frog

I had Mediacom come out last Saturday to install high speed internet and 2 HDDVR's. They arrived on time and did a great job hooking up the cable feeds to all rooms, testing the signal and getting my high speed internet up and running. Unfortunately, instead of bringing to HD boxes, they only brought 1 digital standard def box. The installer told me that they had lots of the DVR's in stock that morning, but that my work order hadn't called for it--so they didn't bring it on the truck. That afternoon, I drove into Des Moines to the Mediacom office to trade the box they gave me for Hi Def DVRS--but alas, they told me they were out. It didn't help that I mentioned that the installer told me there were lots of them there in the morning. Then I asked for HD boxes. They told me that they won't hand those out over the counter. They told me that they would hand out a DVR over the counter. I was told that they are expecting another large shipment of DVRs in this week. I will try to call and figure out when they have them so that I can get back to normalcy.

Need some help. I must install my antenna in the attic and I'm about 15 miles from the transmitters. Can someone please recommend an antenna for me in Altoona.

Thanks.

I am in Pleasant Hill and am using the larger sized conventional antenna that Home Depot sells on a short mast mounted to a truss in the attic. My power levels are great (low 90's-high 80's). It did take me about 10 minutes of turning the unit to fine tune for max power. This is best accomplished with a helper watching the power levels on your tuner.

You DO NOT need a fancy antenna to pull in digital, if you can tune in conventional KDSM and KPWB, you should be fine for digital.

As close as we are, a fancy HD antenna is just wasting money. I am in the same boat as you and must mount in the attic, I think if we could be outside we could get by with a much smaller antenna, but no one cares how big of a unit is in the attic. At least the insulation has never complained much :-)

Better get it tuned in in time to watch my Steelers crush Holmgren.

Hey, I am in Ames, and just FYI I get great reception (6 green bars in Media Center, full signal) with just a Siver Sensor-like antenna in my attic (2 story with no trees and a direct LOS to towers). If it works for you, it would be much easier to install. I must say though that antennas are a funny thing, and you may try quite a few things before you find something that works (if at all). Good luck!

When I first got my HDTV just before Christmas I bought a real cheapo indoor OTA. KCCI-DT was the only channel that came in. I got a better rooftop model and hooked it up with a temporary mount (just to check reception). I still got KCCI-DT plus KDSM, WOI, PBS, and WHO. When I moved the OTA to its final location all the way on the top of my house I still had all the ones listed before, but now no KCCI-DT. It doesn't come in and out its a blank screen. I think it is strange since it was the strongest before with a weaker antenna. Thoughts?

Jtuck - is the antenna you got from Home Depot a multi-directional or uni-directional?

Thanks.

I'm in Altoona and all I have is a $29.99 antenna that I purchased at Target. Perfect signal on all the locals. I brought it over to my friend's home in Clive/Waukee area and plugged it into his big screen in his basement and we were able to get all the locals, even WOI which is the station he could not get at all. The plan is for me to bring my antenna over to him for the SB, too. BTW, he has a high-powered antenna in his attic and he struggles to get WOI and KDSM.

I ended up buying the CM4221 - hopefully I can grab that elusive 5-1 ABC channel. I'll let you know how it goes.

dlbeck let us know if the CM4221 works to get the WOI 5.1 channel. Also if I followed the chains correctly did you get this at Target?

No, I ordered off the internet at Warren Electronics. Needed to get some RG-6 with it.

When I moved the OTA to its final location all the way on the top of my house I still had all the ones listed before, but now no KCCI-DT. It doesn't come in and out its a blank screen. I think it is strange since it was the strongest before with a weaker antenna. Thoughts?

Cyko--This looks like a classic case of getting too much signal level on the strongest channel. The symptoms can look very much the same as too little signal. It overdrives the input stage of the receiver, and the receiver can't handle it. Perhaps your new OTA antenna is an amplified (powered) model? You might need to pad your antenna back down a little bit. If you have an amplifier, see if you can turn the amplification level down. Or, even with passive antennas, you can knock down the level by installing an in-line attenuator. Last I checked, Rat Shack carried a couple inexpensive attenuators, a fixed -6db model, and an adjustable model with a rotary pot.

O.K., guys....it's getting close to Bowl time. After months of WOI's weak signal, I finally just grabbed one of the Phillips amp'd indoor models and to my surprise, I'm actually getting WOI at about 69%. I can live with that. Whats strange is....now I can't get KCCI or WHO....two stations that come in at over 80% with my rooftop. Oh well, I can always just tap into my rooftop anytime so it's all good.

Question:

It's been so long since I last saw WOIHD that I never noticed the following weirdness. Where you see the WOI flag/bug....it says something underneath, most likley...Des Moines, Ia or whatever. It's BELOW the screen with only the very top visable. This does not happen with any other station....not even on my sat feeds. Is this something that everyone else is seeing too? Or just me?

I see it too. I can adjust the overscan to the point where I can see it all if I want. I just wish they (and all other stations) would go a little further and put the bug off the screen. Anyway, glad to hear you can get the signal now. You could use a remote controlled A-B switch or a signal combiner to use your current 2 antenna setup easier. A combiner that puts the UHF channel 59 for 5-1 along with all the rest of the spectrum from your other antenna would do nicely.

You could use a remote controlled A-B switch or a signal combiner to use your current 2 antenna setup easier. A combiner that puts the UHF channel 59 for 5-1 along with all the rest of the spectrum from your other antenna would do nicely.

The remote controlled sounds nice. Thanks...I'll look into that! :)

I adjusted my off air antenna in the attic last night and now I get WOIHD at 720P and WHOHD and KCCIHD at 1080i. it is a directional amplified antenna. I have about 100-150 feet of cable for the feed. the antenna came with an amplifier to put behind the TV. With out it I can not get any HD Stations.

Bottom line most people in my area in Johnston get off air HD for WOI. Some even have very simple antennas on their HD recievers. We all are in an elevated neighborhood with a clear vision of the national gard in Johnston, which maybe why we can get HD in so easily for channel 5.

I live in Johnston also (NW 53rd St) and cannot get PBS or WOI with my terk indoor amplified. I have basic cable which I don't use (comes free with my internet) so I'll try plugging that in to see if I can get the local HD's like some people are getting. If that don't work, I'll try an outdoor antenna attached to my deck (upper level-roof height) to see if that will work.

I live in Johnston also (NW 53rd St) and cannot get PBS or WOI with my terk indoor amplified. I have basic cable which I don't use (comes free with my internet) so I'll try plugging that in to see if I can get the local HD's like some people are getting. If that don't work, I'll try an outdoor antenna attached to my deck (upper level-roof height) to see if that will work.
Do you have an HD ready TV? I had to ask someone at Radioshack about the antenna. They had a couple in the side office room that we not out on display. I went to the radioshack by the super target just south of I80. It was in a white box about 3 feet by 5 feet and 4 inches thick. Here is the link to it. http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103091&cp=&kw=antenna&parentPage=search

My tv has the HD tuner built in. I was considering that particular antenna from Radio Shack. I may stop by tomorrow and check it out. Thanks.

Its surprising to see all the problems you folks in the DSM and surrounding cities are having. I live in State Center and have/am getting all the locals with no problem using my $25 dollar radio shack antenna shown here:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103088
Its strictly a UHF antenna so its fairly small....aiming is just as important as size of antenna as well

I don't know about the rest of the Des Moines area, but I know my particular street in Johnston has trouble with OTA stations. Before I got local channels on DirecTV, I was using an indoor antenna and it was difficult getting the local broadcasts, both upstairs and down. WHO and KCCI came in the best (though not perfect), KDSM was OK, and WOI was bad (but WOI is bad everywhere in Des Moines). My next door neighbor had the same trouble. He had a roof antenna installed for his locals and the guy who did it explained why this street had problems, but I can't remember what it was! Maybe it's because my street slopes up, and I'm only the 3rd house from the bottom.

Right now I'm able to get HD from WHO, KCCI and KDSM. Don't really care about PBS since I never watch it, but would like to have WOI for the Super Bowl and college FB.

Yeah...Sunday is all I'm thinkin' about. I tweaked my indoor antenna and there seems to be a position for recieving everything. Now the question is....will my party of guests be cussin' when the green monster takes over my screen during a big play? :eek: :eek: :rolleyes:

This is a good site to help you determine what antenna specs to look for.
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

I just go with HD WOI on the cable these days, i'm tired of messing with it to get nothing most of the time. Though I will say my reception with mediacom's cable is still less then great a lot of the time. The HD channels are decent put not as nice as the off air even when I only got it 76% max most of the time. The digital channels on the other hand usually look horrid, they are so blocky it's unbearable at times. God forbid it's raining or there is a stream in a movie, nothing but tons of huge blocky crap.

Yeah...Sunday is all I'm thinkin' about. I tweaked my indoor antenna and there seems to be a position for recieving everything. Now the question is....will my party of guests be cussin' when the green monster takes over my screen during a big play? :eek: :eek: :rolleyes:
Does your comment relate to the screen taking on a green tint to the picture if the signal is low? I have seen the green tint before, but I never knew what caused it.

Does your comment relate to the screen taking on a green tint to the picture if the signal is low? I have seen the green tint before, but I never knew what caused it.

Not a tint....the screen just goes green with green blocks and well....all green screen. Just happens when the signal starts to break up.

I'm ready for the bowl. Just spent big bucks at the store for party food and beer....and the signal so far today is awesome.

Any ideas whats going on with KDSM? The rest look good but no signal for fox...its around 12:30pm Sunday...

Any ideas whats going on with KDSM? The rest look good but no signal for fox...its around 12:30pm Sunday...

Good call. I just checked and I get nothing...no signal at all unless I just tune into the standard channel. Hmmmm.

Thank God it's not WOI today.

I live in Altoona and I'm hooked onto WOI-HD at around 84% - so hopefully it stays strong for another 7 hours. I used to have problems getting WOI, then got the $30 signal amp from Radio Shack and it boosted the signal quite a bit. Lot of people knock it, but it worked for me.

I just started receiving HD through Mediacom yesterday.
So far, I am very pleased with the quality of the HD channels and WOI in HD today.
The pregame show is looking great.

Anybody else lose the WOIHD feed from Mediacom tonight at halftime? Why does it have to work all week then not when I want it?!!?! How annoying....oh well, looks like they'll be getting a call here shortly >(

Anybody else lose the WOIHD feed from Mediacom tonight at halftime? Why does it have to work all week then not when I want it?!!?! How annoying....oh well, looks like they'll be getting a call here shortly >(

WOI is at least stable tonight, but WHY do they have to keep switching ?! Just let the network feed go through. Halfway through the Ads, they switch it to SD, and it looks like ass, and the volume doubles waking the kid in the next room :(

Other than that, the signal has been just fine. Just leave the feed alone!

I thought the picture quality for the game tonight was mediocre (receiving OTA), though the signal stayed strong throughout the game for me. The switching to analog for some commercials was also annoying. I think they were doing that because they had to insert their own graphics on some of the tv show promos because the shows were being preempted due to Iowa State basketball games, and they don't have a way to do that on the HD feed.

I thought the PQ on Mediacom was pretty good, but I don't have much HD experience to compare.

The analog switching was highly annoying.

I seem to have a different problem. I live 4 miles west of Indianola, and have an antenna in my attic. I am about 31 miles from Alleman, as the crow flies.
I have very little problem with WOI, KDSM, KDIN and WHO. Signal strength on WOI is 88 - 90.
KCCI, however, breaks up for a very short time intermittently. Maybe once or twice a minute.
Audio can drop at the same time, of by itself.
Signal strength is around 97 - 98. I have RG6 from antenna to set. I have tried various amps, and attenuators, and straight from antenna to set with no big difference.
My house is a 2 story, and I am in a little valley.
Any ideas?

I seem to have a different problem. I live 4 miles west of Indianola, and have an antenna in my attic. I am about 31 miles from Alleman, as the crow flies.
I have very little problem with WOI, KDSM, KDIN and WHO. Signal strength on WOI is 88 - 90.
KCCI, however, breaks up for a very short time intermittently. Maybe once or twice a minute.
Audio can drop at the same time, of by itself.
Signal strength is around 97 - 98. I have RG6 from antenna to set. I have tried various amps, and attenuators, and straight from antenna to set with no big difference.
My house is a 2 story, and I am in a little valley.
Any ideas?
I would try this website to verify you have the correct antenna - http://www.antennaweb.org

If you feel that you do, I would also suggest rotating it to see if that helps.

I don't believe there is a clear answer - it is all trial n' error.

you may also want to find an antenna with a high front to back ratio. these antennas are designed to reduce ghosting for analog stations. they do this by reducing multipath, which could be your problem. one special note: for possible over the horizon installations (which you may or may not have) you should try raising and lowering your antenna and its pitch to get the signals to clean up. the highest antenna isn't always the best in an oth situation.

Today, my new Winegard SS-3000 SharpShooter antenna arrived. I've had it running for 3 hours now and I have to say that so far I am hopeful. WOI has been completely solid for that entire time. The antenna has a powered injector, which I also tried on the Silver Sensor and could not get the same good results. So, I have to believe it is the antenna and not just the addition of the power injector.

With the SS-3000, my signal strengths are NOT higher. However, they are very solid and stable. They vary a BUNCH based on the orientation and location of the SS-3000 but once you tweak the location, the signal strength appears to stay put. WOI isn't bouncing all over, it is a straight, solid 71 or so. The SS-3000 literature says that the antenna was specifically engineered for multipath problems and designed to pick up reflected signals indoors and filter out the rest. Evidence by my now stable WOI signal strength, I have to say that I am impressed so far.

I will let you know how this works out through a variety of weather conditions.

Jeff, you posted this message a while back and I was wondering how you felt about the SS-3000 today. Does it still work well for you? I am looking to get one VHF station at frequency 11, which is my local NBC station. I get most else with a Silver Sensor. If the 3000 can get both, it may be worth the investment.

Not sure if you still monitor this site, but if you do, any updates would be appreciated. Thanks.

It just showed up yesterday for me. Solid signal, looks like it is showing exactly what 17-1 is showing. Is it a "duplicate" as a result of some sort of remapping or is it in fact a new station?

...hasan, N0AN

Not sure what the antenna was I was using. It's a combo VHF/UHF I installed in '92 when I built the house.
I needed a RED, so I bought and installed a Channel Master 4228 yesterday.
Not much difference, although I got a couple of extra stations.

Not sure what the antenna was I was using. It's a combo VHF/UHF I installed in '92 when I built the house.
I needed a RED, so I bought and installed a Channel Master 4228 yesterday.
Not much difference, although I got a couple of extra stations.

Dennyi -- you mentioned earlier that your KCCI-DT reception was in the 97 to 98 range, while WOI was lower, down around 80. Looks like your signal strength is good...maybe too good on KCCI-DT...and the problem may be that your received signal level is to hot for your receiver. A lot of people get thrown off by using amplifiers, powered antennas, etc., and get problems, not realizing the problems that look like weak reception are actually due to overdriving the input stage on their TV tuner. This was a problem with analog TV, too. I suggest trying an attenuator to pad it down a bit and see if that helps. That may not be the problem, but it's a cheap experiment. BTW, don't get too wrapped up in the marketing of "HDTV" antennas. It's still just UHF...all that's changed is that the channel is modulated differently. You need a good UHF antenna, and good RG6 antenna cable. If it does a good job of picking up analog UHF stations, it should be good for DTV. I have a very similar situation, where I found an old VHF/UHF in my attic in Clive. I threw out the old twin-lead that was attached to it (the flat brown wire), rewired it with RG-6 coax, peaked it up toward Alleman, and it's been working great on all the local OTA, digital or analog. The only other thing I can suggest is that you might consider getting the antenna out of the attic and up on the roof. I know, that's a pain, but roofing materials do cause attenuation and multipath. Doesn't sound like signal attenuation is a problem for you, but maybe multipath might be involved. On analog TV, multipath shows up as "ghosting". On a digital TV, it isn't visible at all at low levels, until it gets bad enough that it interrupts the signal entirely.

Does anybody know why for the last several weeks, LOST hasn't been shown in HD? When I tune into 5.1, it's just digital, not HD. What gives? That's my favorite show!

Dennyi -- you mentioned earlier that your KCCI-DT reception was in the 97 to 98 range, while WOI was lower, down around 80. Looks like your signal strength is good...maybe too good on KCCI-DT...and the problem may be that your received signal level is to hot for your receiver. A lot of people get thrown off by using amplifiers, powered antennas, etc., and get problems, not realizing the problems that look like weak reception are actually due to overdriving the input stage on their TV tuner. This was a problem with analog TV, too. I suggest trying an attenuator to pad it down a bit and see if that helps. That may not be the problem, but it's a cheap experiment. BTW, don't get too wrapped up in the marketing of "HDTV" antennas. It's still just UHF...all that's changed is that the channel is modulated differently. You need a good UHF antenna, and good RG6 antenna cable. If it does a good job of picking up analog UHF stations, it should be good for DTV. I have a very similar situation, where I found an old VHF/UHF in my attic in Clive. I threw out the old twin-lead that was attached to it (the flat brown wire), rewired it with RG-6 coax, peaked it up toward Alleman, and it's been working great on all the local OTA, digital or analog. The only other thing I can suggest is that you might consider getting the antenna out of the attic and up on the roof. I know, that's a pain, but roofing materials do cause attenuation and multipath. Doesn't sound like signal attenuation is a problem for you, but maybe multipath might be involved. On analog TV, multipath shows up as "ghosting". On a digital TV, it isn't visible at all at low levels, until it gets bad enough that it interrupts the signal entirely.

I have tried 1, and 2 atenuators. About the same.
The new antenna has helped a little, but not perfect.
Tonight, during the snow we had, my wife said that the HD was unwatchable on the new TV, but analog was OK.
I had her go downstairs, and my PC, with an MIT MDP-130 tuner in is was good.
Seems like the problem I am having is with my new Panasonic 37" Plasma. Maybe the tuner is not as good as my PC's tuner.

Does anybody know why for the last several weeks, LOST hasn't been shown in HD? When I tune into 5.1, it's just digital, not HD. What gives? That's my favorite show!

I believe it is because WOI has been running the show later because the IA State game the last two weeks has been during the normal network feed time. The way I understand is that local stations do not yet have the capability to rerun shows in HD if they are not coming directly from the network during normal network time. kc0bsn from KCCI can explain that in more detail. I believe he has mentioned this in a previous thread.

I think that sucks too. I also enjoy that show in HD!

Yeah, somewhere in here the same was asked about a show on KDSM. I think most stations in the area just don't have the toys yet to tape-delay network HD programming... and no, it's not as simple as running down to Best Buy and picking up an HD Tivo. ;) In other news, when I finally get my HD card installed in my PVR, maybe I'll finally be able to watch some of these shows that are on when I'm at work... though I probably won't watch Lost. I haven't watched it from the beginning and whenever I've seen it, I'm lost. (rim shot) Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week! :eek: :D

When I was flipping today, I noticed a new channel 8-2. On my set, it is called KCCI---S. So far, I have not seen any actual programming on this channel, but the signal strength is the same as KCCI-DT on 8-1.

Does anybody have any idea what is planned for this frequency? Also, is anyone else picking up the Fox channel 27-5 (looks to be an exact copy of 17-1.)

Dennyi -- you mentioned earlier that your KCCI-DT reception was in the 97 to 98 range, while WOI was lower, down around 80. Looks like your signal strength is good...maybe too good on KCCI-DT...and the problem may be that your received signal level is to hot for your receiver. A lot of people get thrown off by using amplifiers, powered antennas, etc., and get problems, not realizing the problems that look like weak reception are actually due to overdriving the input stage on their TV tuner. This was a problem with analog TV, too. I suggest trying an attenuator to pad it down a bit and see if that helps. That may not be the problem, but it's a cheap experiment. BTW, don't get too wrapped up in the marketing of "HDTV" antennas. It's still just UHF...all that's changed is that the channel is modulated differently. You need a good UHF antenna, and good RG6 antenna cable. If it does a good job of picking up analog UHF stations, it should be good for DTV. I have a very similar situation, where I found an old VHF/UHF in my attic in Clive. I threw out the old twin-lead that was attached to it (the flat brown wire), rewired it with RG-6 coax, peaked it up toward Alleman, and it's been working great on all the local OTA, digital or analog. The only other thing I can suggest is that you might consider getting the antenna out of the attic and up on the roof. I know, that's a pain, but roofing materials do cause attenuation and multipath. Doesn't sound like signal attenuation is a problem for you, but maybe multipath might be involved. On analog TV, multipath shows up as "ghosting". On a digital TV, it isn't visible at all at low levels, until it gets bad enough that it interrupts the signal entirely.

I am having the same problem all of a sudden. KCCI has always been good for me. I have not moved the antenna or anything and now I get a signal of 98% or so. The screen is blank, except for the info at the top showing the channel signal strength and all. Then in a minute or two after being on KCCI it seems to freeze and my receiver will re-boot and aquire satellite signal and all and go back to the channel I was on before I switched to KCCI. I have a dish 811 HD receiver. I am wondering if I am getting too much signal on KCCI now as well. I still get the other four stations with no problem. Anyone else experience the same thing?

Wonder why titanTV dtv schedule doesnt have local pbs 11.1 listings?

Also, is anyone else picking up the Fox channel 27-5 (looks to be an exact copy of 17-1.)We have a "KFXA Fox 28" in Cedar Rapids. It's "actual" channel is 27, it transmits at 1 MW from central Benton County -- three counties east of Ames -- and it currently does not map properly on my Samsung receiver. Its map on the FCC website shows a contour which reaches just past Newton and almost to Pella. (Not quite Ankeny, mind you, but signals don't necessarily stop at that contour.) And their news originates from the same place that KDSM's Fox News At Nine does -- Broadcast Park in Cedar Rapids, where they have a local marketing agreement with Sinclair-owned KGAN CBS 2.

Then again, their non-network schedule isn't the same as KDSM's, though Tiffany O'Donnell anchors newscasts for all three stations.

Just a hunch ...

I'm not exactly sure that is what's going on. Folks in OKC are also reporting a new 27-5 channel coming out of their Fox affiliate. Perhaps it's something that is being triggered by the network level? I haven't been home very much, but I've only seen 27-5 during primetime network hours... I just checked now, and it isn't there, but I wonder if it will be there once primetime gets going.

I'm looking at some HDTVs for my parents in Ankeny, and I was wondering which locals are doing OTA in HD currently?

Last I checked (I have a relative in Ames), WOI (ABC), KCCI (CBS), KDIN (PBS), WHO (NBC) and KDSM (Fox) were all broadcasting in HD when available from the network. I believe all but KDSM are available in HD on cable as well as over the air.

KPWB (The WB) and KFPX (Pax/"i") came on the air too late for a digital channel, so they're only doing analog for now.

Just got my Toshiba 42hp95 set up last night...yes. Live in West Des Moines and am getting a very good signal with indoor antenna. HD picture is exciting.

I have a question about non-HD. I currently have Mediacom (analog) cable. I had planned on keeping that and simply using my antenna for HD reception. At this point, the PQ is rather disappointing through my cable though. Is this just how it is, or could the signal be "boosted" or anything? Is digital cable that much better? How about dish? AT this point I'm very, very pleased with my antenna HD signal, so i don't think i have much to gain as far as HD (except for a couple of channels of course). Opinions appreciated.

When you say poor PQ on analog cable, do you mean just the analog channels, or the local HD stations are spotty as well?

I'm on analog in WDM as well, and WHO, KCCI, WOI and IPTV all look good in HD/Digital over cable. I could swear there's less blocking/artifacting on the OTA side, but they are quite acceptable considering the convenience of having everything on a single tuner, and a higher signal strength than I get via antenna. Yes, the usual analog channels look horrible, even in my neighborhood, where the cable runs are under 5 years old and done with RG6. I've consulted neighbors who haven't switched to satellite or digital, and they confirm the same poor analog PQ. And I don't mean it's poor in comparison to digital, it's poor compared to other cable systems I've seen.

When you say poor PQ on analog cable, do you mean just the analog channels, or the local HD stations are spotty as well?

I'm on analog in WDM as well, and WHO, KCCI, WOI and IPTV all look good in HD/Digital over cable. I could swear there's less blocking/artifacting on the OTA side, but they are quite acceptable considering the convenience of having everything on a single tuner, and a higher signal strength than I get via antenna. Yes, the usual analog channels look horrible, even in my neighborhood, where the cable runs are under 5 years old and done with RG6. I've consulted neighbors who haven't switched to satellite or digital, and they confirm the same poor analog PQ. And I don't mean it's poor in comparison to digital, it's poor compared to other cable systems I've seen.

how do you get WHO/KCCI/WOI/IPTV/WB in HD/Cable with basic mediacom? i have understood that the only way to get HD/Digital local channels from mediacom was to get the digital package. all of the channels were rather poor PQ (including the locals) but i am pretty sure that all of them (including locals) were only an analog signal. it was late last night (about midnight) when i finally got everything hooked up, so maybe my thinking wasn't completely clear either.

in terms of the other channels though....from what you're saying, the only real option to improve PQ would be to switch to dish or to mediacom digital?

thanks for your help.

how do you get WHO/KCCI/WOI/IPTV/WB in HD/Cable with basic mediacom? i have understood that the only way to get HD/Digital local channels from mediacom was to get the digital package. all of the channels were rather poor PQ (including the locals) but i am pretty sure that all of them (including locals) were only an analog signal. it was late last night (about midnight) when i finally got everything hooked up, so maybe my thinking wasn't completely clear either.

in terms of the other channels though....from what you're saying, the only real option to improve PQ would be to switch to dish or to mediacom digital?

thanks for your help.

If you ask Mediacom . . . you can't. But if your TV has a built-in HD tuner, and can handle QAM (and I think yours does), you can get any digital signal from Mediacom as long as it's not scrambled. That also assumes that the cable from the pedestal to your TV is good enough to carry the signal. If you haven't already, either do another auto-tune to see if the channels are there, or try going directly to 13-1, 11-1, 8-1 and 5-1. If you can't get them, your cable is probably old or lossy.

Mediacom customer service will deny it's possible to get local HD broadcast via analog cable, and that if you do, you're actually getting it OTA, not from them. They're wrong, at least if your TV is capable of QAM :). I can also see on-demand programming that other people in my neighborhood are watching, and my TV also displays which tuner is in use, and the signal type (antenna or cable-based) for each channel in the info box.

Also, regarding the picture quality of the basic cable channels, the PQ won't go up because you get the digital package. (Someone slap me with a fish if this has changed...) Channels 2-78 will still be analog, you would just be getting them through the cable box. Channels above that, however, would be digital.

Channels 2-78 will still be analog, you would just be getting them through the cable box. Channels above that, however, would be digital.
This is correct. A little over a year ago, I was wanting to switch from D* to Mediacom "Digital Cable" and so Mediacom came out and hooked it up with the HD DVR 6412 and I was very dissappointed that channels 2-78 were still analog, which looks very bad on a large wide screen (I have a 60" Sony LCD rear proj). When I signed up for "digital cable", I thought all channels were digital, but no. At that time, for local channels, Medicom only supplied KCCI and WHO as digital. As soon as he hooked it up and I saw that channel 5 and 17 as well as other cable channels that I like to watch were still just analog and very poor PQ, I had him disconnect and take back the HD DVR receiver. I won't ever consider cable until they switched ALL channels to digital PQ.

I ended up switching from D* to E* a couple mths later (about year ago now) and wish I would have waited a couple months because a month after I switched to E* the HD DVR 942 came out for E* and as a current customer, I couldn't do the "lease" deal on the 942. Instead I would have had to purchase for $700 and I wasn't about to. And now with the new 622 HD DVR, the same issue, as an existing customer, I can't do the lease deal with that reciever either. So I'm waiting for either E* to allow existing customers to lease that receiver or going to switch to D* when their new HD DVR reciever (HR20) comes out this summer or fall.
Jeff

If you ask Mediacom . . . you can't. But if your TV has a built-in HD tuner, and can handle QAM (and I think yours does), you can get any digital signal from Mediacom as long as it's not scrambled. That also assumes that the cable from the pedestal to your TV is good enough to carry the signal. If you haven't already, either do another auto-tune to see if the channels are there, or try going directly to 13-1, 11-1, 8-1 and 5-1. If you can't get them, your cable is probably old or lossy.

Mediacom customer service will deny it's possible to get local HD broadcast via analog cable, and that if you do, you're actually getting it OTA, not from them. They're wrong, at least if your TV is capable of QAM :). I can also see on-demand programming that other people in my neighborhood are watching, and my TV also displays which tuner is in use, and the signal type (antenna or cable-based) for each channel in the info box.

thanks for all of your help. i did get 5/8/11/13 in hd last night through my cable. i haven't been able to figure out if i can get FOX or WB over the cable. is this possible?

also, i assume that the PQ from dish/satellite is much better than my cable. is this an accurate assumption?

Fox (KDSM 17-1) isn't carried on cable yet, so you would need to grab them over the air. Also the WB affiliate (KPWB 23), or CW, or whatever letter network they will be ;) doesn't have a digital channel, so no one is getting them.

also, i assume that the PQ from dish/satellite is much better than my cable. is this an accurate assumption?
Yes, Dish Network (E*) and DirecTv (D*) PQ is much better for the SD channels (at least the channels that are between 2-78 on Mediacom). Not sure about Mediacom's non-HD "digital" channels, which most of these non-hd digital channels are analog originally and converted to digital before sent to Mediacom's customers (most E* & D*'s regular channels are the same - original source is analog). Medicom's fully analog channels (2-78) are very grainy on larger screens. E*'s regular SD channels have a little better PQ than those same channels on D*. I think the HD channels are about the same, but not sure.

If you ask Mediacom . . . you can't. But if your TV has a built-in HD tuner, and can handle QAM (and I think yours does), you can get any digital signal from Mediacom as long as it's not scrambled. That also assumes that the cable from the pedestal to your TV is good enough to carry the signal. If you haven't already, either do another auto-tune to see if the channels are there, or try going directly to 13-1, 11-1, 8-1 and 5-1. If you can't get them, your cable is probably old or lossy.

Mediacom customer service will deny it's possible to get local HD broadcast via analog cable, and that if you do, you're actually getting it OTA, not from them. They're wrong, at least if your TV is capable of QAM :). I can also see on-demand programming that other people in my neighborhood are watching, and my TV also displays which tuner is in use, and the signal type (antenna or cable-based) for each channel in the info box.

Jason... I am trying to understand what you are saying above. I have a Philips 30" HDTV with a biult in HD tuner. I am thinking about signing up for Mediacom, what exactly is the minimum i should order? I called them today and they gave me two plans one had channels 2-22 for around $17 and the other i think was their digital for around $50. Is there another plan i should be asking about. Thanks for your help.

Welcome to spring! It's time again for semi-annual sun outages. This weekend, the casualty will be the NASCAR Busch Series in Mexico City on KDSM. The outage can potentially last anywhere from 1:15pm - 1:45pm. During that time, the race should be dropped down to SD...though, I guess if they aren't paying attention, you may see dropouts if they don't upconvert their SD feed during that time.

"All HD splicers will lose the HD feed during the outage on the "A" receiver. Each station will need to upconvert the SD feed during the outage. Sun outages will start on the west coast at approximately 14:15 ET and sweep across the country to end on the east coast at approximately 14:45 ET."

Jason... I am trying to understand what you are saying above. I have a Philips 30" HDTV with a biult in HD tuner. I am thinking about signing up for Mediacom, what exactly is the minimum i should order? I called them today and they gave me two plans one had channels 2-22 for around $17 and the other i think was their digital for around $50. Is there another plan i should be asking about. Thanks for your help.

What I mean is, as long as you have any Mediacom service, and your physical cable (from pedestal out back all the way to the TV) is good, you can receive WHO, WOI, KCCI and IPTV in digital/HD for nothing extra on top of an analog cable package. In theory, if you're a cable customer, your physical cable is receiving all the digital channels that they offer, but pretty much everything digital except the local broadcast stations are scrambled. If you want anything else - Discovery Health, G4, etc, you will still have to pay for them.

Personally, I pay $16.95 for the basic 2-22 analog channels. I view the local HD stations as a nice bonus. :)

Hey kc0bsn is KCCI looking at utilizing 8-2 for March Madness...maybe have a way to view 2 different games if a viewer likes...one in HD the other in SD?

Since when does fog interupt D* service? Or does it? For the last 2 weeks, when there has been a storm or fog....I can't get anything but DiscoveryHD and maybe an ESPN channel. No trees nearby...nothing obstructing...nothing different than the last 3 years. Anyone else losing service....especially tonight? Right now, no storms in the area....long gone. Only thing that remains is light fog.

Sounds like a tech needs to do some readjusting.

Hey kc0bsn is KCCI looking at utilizing 8-2 for March Madness...maybe have a way to view 2 different games if a viewer likes...one in HD the other in SD?
I don't believe so. Occasionally it can happen by mere chance. CBS sometimes puts stations on a "flex" game... meaning if what game you were watching was a blowout, the analog side could switch to a different game, but typically the HD side stays with the original game.

Though it won't be broadcast quality, NCAA is offering the March Madness on Demand (http://www.ncaasports.com/mmod) VIP pass for free this year. It will let you watch any game that isn't the primary game on KCCI (or whatever you local affiliate is determined to be).

Do you have a built-in QAM tuner in your TV? The HD signals he is referring to are unencrypted QAM. These channels reside near the top of the cable spectrum, but they usually do not put a filter on the cable to block them out. If you have older RG59 cable that could be causing a loss of signal, but I can't say much else without knowing more about your TV and cable connection.

Do you have a built-in QAM tuner in your TV? The HD signals he is referring to are unencrypted QAM. These channels reside near the top of the cable spectrum, but they usually do not put a filter on the cable to block them out. If you have older RG59 cable that could be causing a loss of signal, but I can't say much else without knowing more about your TV and cable connection.


thanks for the info...i actually figured it out.

D* subs - A little help with some research please.

In my local market, Sinclair Broadcasting group operates our local FOX affiliate, WVAH. I am a D* sub and although I get guide data from analog WVAH-TV, I do not get guide data from WVAH-DT. SBGI also operates the ABC affiliate WCHS as well.

I have talked to managers at the station who tell me there is nothing they can do as the guide data has to be manually typed in. Yet they are able to provide guide data for WCHD-DT.

According to the SBGI website, KDSM is a FOX affiliate operated by SBGI. So I would like to ask the following question of DirecTV subs, specifically those with HR10-250’s. Non-D* subs need not respond. ;)

1.) Do you get guide data from KDSM-DT via your D* High Definition set top box?


Thank you for your response.

(I originally posted this in Cedar Rapids and thought you might be interested.)

It looks like the Hawkeye game this Friday will be coming from an HD site, Auburn Hills.

Unfortunately the UNI game after it will not, and it looks like the Panthers will have to get to at least the semifinals to be in HD.

All the more reason to root for 'em.

Source: http://cbs.sportsline.com/cbssports/schedules/page/collegebasketball

[size =3]

1.) Do you get guide data from KDSM-DT via your D* High Definition set top box?



Short answer: I do get KDSM-DT guide data on my D* (Samsung TS360) receiver.

Long answer: (hey, I might as well write about TV, since there's nothing on it tonight) Program guide data for local analog and local DT channels come from separate places if you're a satellite subscriber to local-into-local service. Local analog guides come from the satellite service. WVAH does not have to input that data directly on a daily basis. They just periodically provide their local programming information to the national data services that support printed and online TV listings. Those services integrate that information with network lineups, etc., to produce daily listings. D* and Dish subscribe to that data, and use it to populate their program guides. The satellite services do not provide guide data for local DTV channels, though, because they don't feed them to you...not unless you live in one of the few larger cities that are just beginning to get local-into-local HDTV via satellite. They simply supply you with a set-top box that includes an OTA DTV receiver. The program guide data for the local DTV channels comes to you over the air, embedded in the PSIP data that is a part of all DTV signals. It is up to WVAH to populate their own DTV PSIP with guide data. Yes, that could mean they'd have to type it all in themselves, but they could also retrieve it automatically over the internet from the very same data services that D*, Dish, and the TV Guides of the world use. WVAH apparently doesn't have the money and/or technical resourcefulness to do either, and they are pushing things legally with the FCC by not providing a program guide in their PSIP. Sinclair stations are famous for that kind of stuff, because they run their stations on the cheap. Fortunately, KDSM at least has a couple good engineers, and they do supply a basic guide with program titles.

Hi, I'm newly registered, but have been reading for a few months now. I live in Clive and have been having problems with KDSM FOX for the last few evenings, and the past two Sunday afternoons. I have an E* 811 and when I tune to 17-1 OTA, the lack of signal (I guess) causes my 811 to crash and reset. Anyone else having this problem? Just before the crash the signal strength indicates 82%, which seems OK. Thanks!

Looks like KCCI Channel 8.2 is broadcasting a continuous feed of their Live Super Doppler 8 Network radar. Weather lovers rejoice!

One word: SWEET! :) This'll be nice too, since this radar is actually used by the meteorologists to analyze storms during weather, as opposed to Mega Doppler on 13-2. 13-2 used to be their main radar, but after they got their new weather system, it's all integrated. Since then, I think I've only seen the radar move around a couple times...