Macon, GA - HDTV [Text View] - Page 4

Ralph Carson

04-30-07, 10:47 AM

Hey Y'all:
A status report on WGXA's high power upgrade. We have completed construction on the transmitter itself, and have been working on remote control. Since we have two remote control systems and three transmitters, this got pretty complicated as we were moving things around. Some of you may have noticed numerous interruptions in our DTV signal late last week. Well, there is no way to work on remote control without doing this, you have to operate the gear to test it. Today we have to connect some status lights and then we hope to go to air. No promises however, we're still working out some bugs which always happen with the startup of a new system like this. Soon, very soon!

Ralph Carson
Assistant Chief Engineer
WGXA TV24/DT16

ToddUGA

04-30-07, 03:54 PM

Just ran a scan and BOOM! WGXA is coming in LOUD and CLEAR here in Eastman. My signal strength is a solid 87% at a little over 40 miles away. In fact, it's the strongest of all of the Macon digitals where I'm at. And this is in the afternoon. Thanks for all the hard work Ralph. Can't wait to watch a few HD programs.

oldave

04-30-07, 04:35 PM

ToddUGA

04-30-07, 04:40 PM

Not quite ready for prime time... still seeing signal drop to nothing/nearly nothing, and only making it to about 75% max here between Perry and Warner Robins (approx 18 miles from the tower)

Earlier this afternoon, signal strength was quite a bit higher...

Hmmmm. Just checked again and it's still a solid 87%. Are you using any kind of pre-amp? Could be overloading your receiver.

dwinters

04-30-07, 05:26 PM

Here in Hawkinsville signal is coming in 100% at 5.25pm. It looks great. Strongest signal so far.

dwinters

oldave

04-30-07, 05:38 PM

Hmmmm. Just checked again and it's still a solid 87%. Are you using any kind of pre-amp? Could be overloading your receiver.
I suppose it could be... everybody else looks good, though, including WGNM at a megawatt. Could be those pesky FMs (though the trap is turned on) over off Hwy 96... I'll have to look up the frequencies and see.

Taking the amp out is going to be more than a quickie, though, so it'll have to wait.

Update: A bit of an antenna alignment helped... now getting about 85%, will get around to taking the amp out maybe this weekend.

Ralph Carson

04-30-07, 06:53 PM

Hey Y'all:
Keep those signal reports coming in. They help us acess how we're doing. As y'all know already, we turned on the big transmitter today. I worked very hard on this but I am not the only one. Richard Blanton, my chief engineer played a major role, and of course the tower guys and the engineers and plumbers from Acrodyne. We also had some electricians come in and help. It looks real good. Those signal reports are very helpful. We want to know the location of your receiver, (general area only, don't want to help burgulars) signal strength, and stability. Thanks for all of your patience. I will check back in a few days.

Ralph Carson
WGXA TV24/DT16

ToddUGA

04-30-07, 07:01 PM

Update: A bit of an antenna alignment helped... now getting about 85%, will get around to taking the amp out maybe this weekend.

If you're getting 85%, I wouldn't worry about taking out the pre-amp. 85% is plenty of signal.

oldave

04-30-07, 07:34 PM

Up to 95% now, and steady. Alignment tweaks on the deep fringe antenna make a huge difference, especially with that 50KW FM about 5 miles away about 60 degrees off the antenna heading.

And my 2 meter rig at 25 watts blows it away... but it blows everybody away.

Of course, WRBL-DT, Columbus, comes in about 75% with the antenna pointed at Macon.

Da Chief

04-30-07, 08:17 PM

WGXA High power is working great! Plugged in a simple pair of rabbit ears in Macon and picked it up instantly!

kenglish

05-01-07, 07:43 AM

Hey......congratulations!

oldave

05-01-07, 10:51 AM

So now all the Macon/Perry digital signals are at full power... it's great. Now to see if/when the Let's Play TV stations convert to digital.

kenglish

05-01-07, 12:56 PM

WDMA-32 has a CP for Digital on 14.
W69DO hasn't applied for anything.

TBN on 50, has a CP for 50, as well. So, I suspect they will wait until the deadline and then flash-cut. Funny thing, they have enough programming to do several sub-channels....maybe they are waiting for the Digital Must-Carry rules.

HDSeeker

05-01-07, 09:07 PM

WGXA is coming in at 98/100% here north of Bolingbroke.
To compare
WMAZ is about 95%
WPGA is about 65%
WMGT is about 80%

evofxdwg

05-01-07, 11:51 PM

Tues nite about 11:40
Just east of Byron

channel..strength...S/N ratio
..............range %......dB
----------------------------------
13..........88-91..........31
24..........83-85..........28
41..........87-90..........30
58..........75-77..........24.5

Great news. Hopefully 24 will "burn" thru the leaves all summer now.

ToddUGA

05-02-07, 01:48 PM

You guys are lucky. Here's mine...

WMAZ 4 - 70% with noticeable breakups, tons of errors
WGXA 16 - 87% solid lock 24/7
WMGT 40 - 60-65% during the day with break-ups, solid 70% lock after around 7PM
WPGA 32 - 0-40% no lock, although sometimes comes in very late at night

I'm working on figuring out why WPGA doesn't come in for me. I'm thinking WMUM 29 may be overloading my amp since it's only about 12 miles away and putting out a hefty signal. My brother a couple of miles away gets WPGA at almost full power but doesn't use a pre-amp. I've tried re-aiming the antenna with no effect. One of the members here is working with me to figure out the problem.

As for WMAZ, I'm lost as to why WMAZ breaks up all the time. It could be pulse modulation interference from something nearby. I get a good strong signal but when I check my signal screen the error display is usually showing tons of errors.

This antenna stuff is a lot of work when you're far from the towers.

ToddUGA

05-06-07, 08:52 PM

Anybody else getting audio dropouts on WGXA 16? I'm at around 90% with no errors and I get audio dropouts on my Sony SXRD. I'm using a 7777 pre-amp. My brother is getting the same audio dropouts on a cheap LCD HDTV and isn't using a pre-amp.

kenglish

05-08-07, 07:18 AM

Have you asked the Power Company to check for PLI (Power Line-related Interference)?

seanmc1114

05-08-07, 01:16 PM

Does anyone have any recommendations for a small VHF-only antenna I can combine with my CM 4228 so I can get WMAZ-DT? I am about 30-35 miles from the tower. I have a CM 7777 pre-amp.

kenglish

05-08-07, 02:14 PM

The Delhi ZIP-8V or -12V are pretty good:

http://www.wade-antenna.com/Wade/VIP%20&%20ZIP%20Antennas.pdf

They look like the drawing to the left of the specs, but with several of the mid-sized elements in place of the small (UHF) that are shown.

ToddUGA

05-08-07, 02:26 PM

Have you asked the Power Company to check for PLI (Power Line-related Interference)?

I haven't called them. How hard is it to get someone out to check and who would I ask for when I call?

kenglish

05-12-07, 10:48 AM

Usually, you need to call their main outage-reporting/trouble-reporting number, and ask them to open a report on possible power-line related TV and Radio interference.

Most times, they will send you a checklist that gives things to try, such as turning off individual circuit breakers, listening around the srea with an AM radio, etc.

Then, the checklist will often ask you to note when the interference happens (day, night, weekdays-only, etc), since that can often be a major clue to where it's coming from.

Then, someone will usually call you and set up an appointment to come look around the neighborhood.

Here's a link to a web copy of the FCC TVI Handbook:

http://www.kyes.com/antenna/interference/tvibook.html

Another source is:

http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/smt-gst.nsf/vwapj/radio.pdf/$FILE/radio.pdf

ToddUGA

05-17-07, 08:11 AM

Last Rites

05-17-07, 08:39 AM

13 - 93%
41 - 85%
24 - 80%
58 - 76%

All with crappy DirectTV off air antenna

seanmc1114

05-20-07, 01:13 PM

Thanks Ken.

Right now I'm in the middle of upgrading my antenna setup. I'm just not happy with the 3671 and I'm going with separate VHF and UHF antennas. My 91XG should arrive soon and I'm looking to get a Wade 306 VHF antenna. I'm hoping that will do the trick. After the install is complete, if I'm still getting the interference, I'm going to give the power company a call.

I've noticed something else about my audio dropouts on WGXA. It only happens during prime time. Not sure why yet.

I agree with you about the 3671. I moved to a CM 4228 UHF antenna. Fortunately I get WRBL-DT from Columbus for my CBS signal but I would still like to add a VHF only antenna to pick up WMAZ. Have you located a dealer that sells the Wade 306? I can't seem to find one. Any suggestions from anyone?

kenglish

05-20-07, 02:49 PM

Have you checked the wade-antenna.com website? They list Cable TV equipment distributors, too, so maybe one of them can get it for you.

ToddUGA

05-21-07, 09:47 AM

Have you located a dealer that sells the Wade 306? I can't seem to find one. Any suggestions from anyone?

I've found a couple of dealers that sell them. Here's the numbers...

Goldcrest Electronics
Rochester, New York
1-585-546-8464

Cumberland Electronics
West Hartford, CT
1-888-501-9658

Ralph Carson

05-31-07, 10:37 AM

fortnerw

05-31-07, 10:23 PM

Thanks for your dedication Mr. Ralph Carson. No dropouts that I have seen and Signal Level 95-98 in upper Monroe County. Thanks

kenglish

06-03-07, 05:04 PM

Just wondering....
Has anyone ever asked the paper (Macon Telegraph) why their TV section has no mention of HDTV in it? And, of course, not a word about Digital TV, either.

ToddUGA

06-05-07, 07:45 AM

ToddUGA

06-11-07, 11:09 AM

Replacing the antenna with a 91xg and the 7777 pre-amp with a lower gain HDP 269 didn't help with the dropouts. It doesn't happen during the day and only happens occasionally at night during primetime. My brother at 5 miles away with a 3671 gets the same thing. Very strange.

Also, I had a channel 27 digital pop up on my channel list that seems to be an alternate audio version of WGXA. Is this for testing purposes?

Edit: Here's my new signal strengths after installing the 91XG and HDP 269 pre-amp.

WGXA - 98%, solid lock but with the occasional audio drop-outs during primetime
WMGT - ~60-65%, solid lock all day now with no dropouts of any kind, used to only lock at night
WPGA - ~40% with no lock, locks sometimes after 8 PM

So the 91XG definitely improved my WMGT reception. I still need to add a VHF antenna to my setup.

Also, I'm going to hook the antenna up to my E* VIP 622 and see if the audio dropouts on WGXA happen using that tuner.

oldave

06-13-07, 11:51 PM

Is ToddUGA the only one having audio dropouts during prime time? We are not hearing it here, but we have seen problems where our receivers were receiving OK, but some of our viewer's sets were having trouble. Anyway, if anyone else is having problems, let me know.

Ralph Carson
WGXA TV24/DT16

I can't say if there are dropouts or not... we only watched NASCAR on Fox, and never had a single problem since the new transmitter went on the air... we didn't notice any audio drop outs at all...

We're not in the target demo for Fox, so like good little boys and girls, we don't watch it... we prefer to do as we're told and watch the old folks' stuff on CBS :))

ToddUGA

06-14-07, 09:37 AM

I watch the two King of the Hill episodes every afternoon and never have the audio problems. It's only when I watch primetime stuff that it happens. My brother has it as well. It's weird. The only thing my brother and I have in common is we live in Eastman a few miles away from each other. Our televisions and antenna setups are completely different. Much be an Eastman thing. :)

Ralph Carson

06-20-07, 04:54 PM

Hey Y'all:
Apparently the audio dropout must be some kind of local interference. As for the extra channel, we checked into that. It appeared to be an extra PID that got inserted into our signal by the Fox splicer system. We think we got rid of it, but we will have to watch it. It identified our channel as 27-1 Arizona. Now where it got Arizona is anybody's guess. We rebooted the splicer and we will watch to see if it re-appears. It was not intentional.

Ralph Carson
Assistant Chief Engineer
WGXA TV-24/DT-16

Sing1gniS

07-22-07, 08:28 AM

Anybody having trouble with WPGA-58 ABC? For instance, the British Open started off in HD for about 30 seconds and then switched to SD. I watched about 15 minutes and had enough. There have been other shows that have bounced back and forth as well. Is this a local thing or just a problem with the national feed?

mchias1

07-22-07, 06:32 PM

think it's a local thing. ABC seems to have problems with HD feeds on the weekend. GMA is hit or miss whether it will be broadcast in HD here.

What QAM channels are people receiving through COX. I just bought a tv with a QAM tuner, and i'm getting ABC, CBS, NBC, and ESPN2 in HD. Are there any others and what are the channel numbers?

mchias1

07-23-07, 04:23 PM

Ralph,
this is a question for you. I called COX today to see if they could tell me the channel numbers for the HD locals they pass. The tech told me he had no idea what the channel number was because they just pass the signal on from the stations. FOX is the only local I can not catch via QAM. My question is do the stations determine what channel is broadcast via cable or does the cable company?

edit: I found FOX. My tv must have finally picked it up over night.

Ralph Carson

07-25-07, 06:11 PM

Hey Mchias1:
I don't think you were talking to a real engineer. They know what channels they receive us on, and what channels they retransmit us on. However, if you buy a set with a Cquam tuner, I don't know if the channel numbers will match their numbers. I believe our channel number on the Cox box is 702. It is the same number as the analog number preceeded by 70. I think they are all that way. I'm not sure, it could be 80 instead of 70, but you get the idea. We transmit on channel 16, but identify as 24.1 for the digital signal. Normally, the only time you would see 16 is when you are scanning for channels.

Ralph Carson
WGXA TV24/DT16

voomvoom

08-01-07, 02:32 PM

We transmit on channel 16, but identify as 24.1 for the digital signal. Normally, the only time you would see 16 is when you are scanning for channels.

Ralph Carson
WGXA TV24/DT16So Ralph, tell me something, when the analog cut-off date arrives (whether it's February 2009 or maybe it gets moved back or whenever), will we be watching Fox 24 or Fox 16?

Al

Ralph Carson

08-01-07, 05:53 PM

Hey Voom Voom:
I'm afraid I can't answer that question. We are in the process of changing hands, and that depends on what the new management (or the FCC) has to say about it. I suspect that at some point we will ID as CH 16. We have already aired slates that have ID'd us as WGXA TV24/DT16. It probably won't be immediately. One thing for sure, we will be transmitting on CH 16. I know it is about worn out, and parts are no longer availlable, but I guess I will feel sad about shutting down the old analog transmitter. It has been a very good transmitter. But if nothing changes, in 2009 it goes dark.

Ralph Carson
Assistant Chief Engineer
WGXA TV24/DT16

rockandchelle

08-25-07, 10:08 AM

Has anyone else lost CBS and the Doppler Radar (13-1 and 13-3) since the bad storms came through yesterday?? I have no signal strength whatsoever on the Digital feed. But, on the analog channel 13 it is coming in great.

cmaxwell

08-25-07, 04:31 PM

Sing1gniS

08-26-07, 02:03 PM

The ol' searching for signal for me.

Last Rites

08-27-07, 12:23 AM

Yup..me 2. Still nothing since Friday on 13wmaz. All I remember is that i watched the news on the analog station on friday night after the big storm. They said they got struck by lighting.....so hopefully they will be up and running soon on the digital side.

kenglish

08-27-07, 08:01 AM

They have info posted on their website. Here's a link to the type of antenna:

http://www.dielectric.com/broadcast/brochures/VHF-Deltawing.pdf

They have a THB-03-3M/9H-1-R.

rockandchelle

08-27-07, 07:14 PM

Yeah, they have a little write up about it here...

http://www.13wmaz.com/life/programming/index.aspx

I would like to know how long they think it will take to get going again.

kenglish

08-28-07, 07:44 AM

Anyone from 'MAZ ever on this board?

I'd hope they have had a tower crew look at it by now. If it's the antenna, it might take some time. If it's a fried coax on the divider, or at an antenna port connector, it might be something they can have air-freighted in.

We had the same thing a couple of months ago, but on the analog channel 5. The contractor had forgotten to put the lightning rods on the antenna. Parts, for ours, are on a boat from Germany.

ToddUGA

08-28-07, 11:39 AM

Maybe they can use this opportunity to do some upgrades and increase their signal strength. WMAZ digital is pretty much impossible to get here in Eastman.

oldave

08-28-07, 08:28 PM

Maybe they can use this opportunity to do some upgrades and increase their signal strength. WMAZ digital is pretty much impossible to get here in Eastman.
Unfortunately, that's very, very unlikely. They'd need to file an application for a construction permit for a change in a licensed facility, and that takes a bit of time to wind its way across the various desks at the FCC.

The only real hope is the transition in Feb, 2009. WMAZ appears to have elected to move their digital signal to channel 13, with 30,000 watts at 238 meters, at least according to the spreadsheet released by the FCC 3 weeks ago (Final DTV assignments).

Compare that to their currently licensed facilities of 7,000 watts at 180.8 meters on channel 4.

Propagation will be better at channel 4 than 13, though. I've not looked up the engineering data and predicted contours, so I can't speak to the expected service area.

ToddUGA

08-29-07, 09:45 AM

Unfortunately, that's very, very unlikely. They'd need to file an application for a construction permit for a change in a licensed facility, and that takes a bit of time to wind its way across the various desks at the FCC.

The only real hope is the transition in Feb, 2009. WMAZ appears to have elected to move their digital signal to channel 13, with 30,000 watts at 238 meters, at least according to the spreadsheet released by the FCC 3 weeks ago (Final DTV assignments).

Compare that to their currently licensed facilities of 7,000 watts at 180.8 meters on channel 4.

Propagation will be better at channel 4 than 13, though. I've not looked up the engineering data and predicted contours, so I can't speak to the expected service area.

Quick question...when 2009 rolls around will pretty much all stations be going full power and placing their digital antennas higher? I still haven't pulled the trigger on a VHF-only VIP306 antenna for WMAZ (new baby takes up a lot of your spending money). I'm seriously thinking of holding off on anymore antenna upgrades and just wait until 2009.

voomvoom

08-29-07, 12:30 PM

For those who may be interested, WMAZ Digital is back up! Thank You WMAZ! We appreciate it....

Al

I sure did miss the Doplar Radar. but I'm happier it's fixed before College Football starts back up. Thanks much WMAZ!

Sing1gniS

08-29-07, 04:18 PM

I'm getting real bad breakups and pixilation on 13-1. Anyone else experiencing this?

kenglish

08-29-07, 05:19 PM

They might be running at lower power, or with a distorted directional pattern, temporarily. Try calling their engineering department (this late, call the newsroom to get thru), and see if they can update their web page with the latest status.

oldave

08-29-07, 05:25 PM

Quick question...when 2009 rolls around will pretty much all stations be going full power and placing their digital antennas higher? I still haven't pulled the trigger on a VHF-only VIP306 antenna for WMAZ (new baby takes up a lot of your spending money). I'm seriously thinking of holding off on anymore antenna upgrades and just wait until 2009.

Currently, everybody in Macon is at full power, full height, and on their permanent channels, except WMAZ-DT, and I note that WPGA-DT has a construction permit for higher power... haven't seen an app for license to cover, so I don't know if they've built it yet. I doubt it, though.

ToddUGA

08-29-07, 09:27 PM

Thanks Dave. Here's hoping that when WMAZ switches in 2009 I can finally pick them up. I also hope WPGA ups their power like planned because I can only pick them up at night. That would give me all four networks.

Had another one of them rare nights when I picked up 21 digital stations. All but three of them were Atlanta stations over 100 miles away. I love nights like this. :)

Also, it looks like I finally solved the audio dropouts on WGXA. I switched from using the tuner in my SXRD to the one in my Dish Network VIP 622. Boom. No more drop outs. Strange.

oldave

08-31-07, 10:13 PM

Had another one of them rare nights when I picked up 21 digital stations. All but three of them were Atlanta stations over 100 miles away. I love nights like this. :)
Yeah, everybody was boomin' in from Atlanta... my gripes are that WAGA and WPBA have screwed up their PSIP tables, so my receiver just hangs on a scan.

Dunno if you've tried, Todd, but WRBL-DT from Columbus comes BOOMING in here, full strength, with the antenna pointed at the Macon tower farm (which makes it broadside to the Yagi... impressive). They're making a megawatt effective with the antenna about halfway to the ISS (ok, ok, 507 meters... about 1660 feet... that's height above average terrain... 2063 feet above mean seal level, 1578 feet above ground level... any way you look at it, it's UP THERE!). They're on channel 15... give 'em a try sometime.

ToddUGA

09-01-07, 12:23 AM

Yeah, everybody was boomin' in from Atlanta... my gripes are that WAGA and WPBA have screwed up their PSIP tables, so my receiver just hangs on a scan.

Dunno if you've tried, Todd, but WRBL-DT from Columbus comes BOOMING in here, full strength, with the antenna pointed at the Macon tower farm (which makes it broadside to the Yagi... impressive). They're making a megawatt effective with the antenna about halfway to the ISS (ok, ok, 507 meters... about 1660 feet... that's height above average terrain... 2063 feet above mean seal level, 1578 feet above ground level... any way you look at it, it's UP THERE!). They're on channel 15... give 'em a try sometime.

Thanks Dave. I tried WRBL 15 out of Columbus but didn't get any signal. I sometimes wish I had added a rotor to my system. Maybe I will sometime and point my 91XG towards that direction and see what happens.

rbird

09-06-07, 07:00 PM

Hey everyone,

I'm in a new location (Centerville) with a new receiver (DirecTV HR-20) and antenna (small Radio Shack indoor/outdoor, mounted outdoors). I am limited in my antenna choice due to wife acceptance factor, and also wanting to keep my neighborhood looking nice (and avoiding conflict with the HOA, even if I would be legally in the right).

My problem: I cannot receive WMAZ-DT. Not one blip of signal. I thought for sure it was just the storm problems, but apparently they are back up and I'm still getting nothing. I cannot figure out if my receiver is bad (VHF portion of the tuner broken?) or the antenna just doesn't like the low VHF range. I have also tried a couple of other set-top type antennas, and none of them picked up WMAZ-DT either. All other channels come in great (WPGA is marginal but locked in).

It's not the end of the world, because for some reason I can receive WRBL-DT out of Columbus with a 75% signal, although only at night. That's great for prime time, but it just won't cut it for SEC football, starting next week with my VOLS! I'm just confused, because WMAZ was always the strongest at my old house in Warner Robins, but then again I had a nice outdoor rooftop antenna there too, and a different receiver. Any input or suggestions to try would be greatly appreciated!

Bob

Sing1gniS

09-06-07, 07:39 PM

ToddUGA

09-07-07, 10:32 AM

I finally picked up WRBL-DT last night with my 91XG pointed at Macon, which was impressive since the 91XG is super-directional. I'm seriously considering adding a rotor to my system and seeing if I can pick it up better with my antenna pointed at Columbus.

As for WMAZ-DT, I can't pick it up either. I wish they had picked another channel to broadcast their digital signal on besides a VHF low station like 4. It's way too susceptible to all kinds of nasty interference. Hopefully when they switch to 13 in 2009, things will be better.

ToddUGA

09-10-07, 09:49 AM

Well, my Wade VIP 306 VHF antenna should be here this week. It's about the most powerful VHF-only antenna you can buy. If this doesn't give me WMAZ-DT here in Eastman then I give up.

kencal51

09-10-07, 06:42 PM

Well I noticed that WPGA-DT has been off the air this weekend. I don't know how reliable these DT stations are going to be once the analog channels go dark. It seems that out of the 4 networks in Macon, at least one is either off the air or having some problems all the time.

"The weak link is the Flexicoder which takes the digital receiver signal and processes it into the transmitter link out to Cochran short route. It then is demodulated and goes into the digital exciter to drive the transmitter. They have only one flexicoder, one microwave transmitter, one microwave receiver and one exciter. These units are not field repairable."

A quote from an email I received from a retired TV station engineer.

voomvoom

09-10-07, 08:04 PM

Digital 58.1 is still off the air. I've gotten into the habit of watching there 7p.m. Newscast. I tried to watch the analog Newscast tonight, I couldn't stand it, only watched about 7-8 minutes. If anyone at WPGA is reading this, I suggest you get your problem fixed before my habit turns to something else. This really only concerns the 7p.m. Newscast, as I can watch the ABC Digital programming from Columbus or Atlanta. I sure hope you start to keep needed parts on standby when things like this occur. I hope even more, the needed parts aren't coming on a slow boat from China. These days, seems like 80% of all goods, come from China. Whatever your problem is, I hope you solve it sooner than later....

Al

rockandchelle

09-10-07, 08:44 PM

I sent an email to head engineer I believe is his title at WPGA, and this is the reponse I received from him.

Microwave link died Saturday. Repair parts in tomorrow (Tuesday). Back on (?) by early Wednesday.

So, that is what is going on...hopefully it will be back in soon.

oldave

09-11-07, 01:21 AM

I sent an email to head engineer I believe is his title at WPGA, and this is the reponse I received from him.

So, that is what is going on...hopefully it will be back in soon.

It's worth noting that once they only have the digital, they'll have spares on hand. This is growing pains.

kenglish

09-11-07, 10:02 AM

They might also use the old analog microwave's frequency for a second STL, as a hot standby.

But, whatever anyone does, remember that broadcast equipment ain't cheap. It's kinda like asking why airlines don't keep spare jets sitting on the runways. Big markets have two of everything. Small markets have problems buying one.

ToddUGA

09-11-07, 01:32 PM

Just wanted to let you guys know I started a forum for people in the Middle Georgia area interested in high definition television. I like AVS, but the Macon thread kind of gets lost in the shuffle.

http://middlegahd.proboards78.com/index.cgi

I figured we needed a good place to discuss OTA, satellite, and cable HD in the Middle Georgia area.

kencal51

09-11-07, 06:19 PM

ToddUGA

09-11-07, 07:24 PM

kencal51

09-11-07, 09:18 PM

oldave

09-11-07, 10:30 PM

In talking to a friend of mine who is retired (engineer) from WMAZ, he said that 60 miles was about max for getting DT channels, so I guess I will have to do with Macon' offerings...they just seem so unreliable right now...hopefully this will improve.
How's Lacey doin'?

I can see Atlanta pretty regularly at night if I point at 'em, and my TV antenna's only 15 feet up...

Granted, I do have an amp on it, which makes things fun now that the Macon stations are at full power, plus there's a 50KW FM about 8 miles away that's directly in line with Atlanta...

100 watts of HF single sideband tends to mess with the digital signal, too :eek:

ToddUGA

09-12-07, 07:17 AM

I am using a Rat Shack model VU-190XR that I just put up there to replace an old antenna....I know there are much better antennas, but I bought this about 10 years ago when it was on 1/2 price sale ($49) and had it stored in the box until now.
I have read both pros and cons on this particular antenna, but it really is a pretty decent antenna, I made a few changes to the structure to beef it up a little and weather proof it better. I am using a Philips preamp 24 db gain. I also have a Channel Master rotor to turn it with.

This replace my old Kay-Townes antenna and preamp... that thing was a beast in size and the Rat Shack model (even though smaller) has about the same level of performance as the K-T did when it was new.

In talking to a friend of mine who is retired (engineer) from WMAZ, he said that 60 miles was about max for getting DT channels, so I guess I will have to do with Macon' offerings...they just seem so unreliable right now...hopefully this will improve.

There are lots of ways you could go as far as trying to pick up the Atlanta stations, but I'm not sure it would be worth it since there's no guarantee you'll get them. 80 miles is definitely a stretch.

You could go with a bigger and more powerful antenna, such as the Winegard HD-8200P, point it at Atlanta, and see what you get. You'd also need some kind of pre-amp like the Channel Master 7777, but I'd worry that it would overload your tuner when trying to watch the Macon stations.

Unfortunately, there's no guarantees when it comes to this and you might find after spending an exorbitant amount of money that you still can't pick them up. Your best best may be to stick with the Macon stations.

kenglish

09-12-07, 09:53 AM

How's Lacey doin'?

I read that Lacy Worrell died, over on the Radio-Info board:
http://www.radio-info.com/smf/index.php/topic,62143.10.html

Maybe he's talkin' about Jim Lawhon, Charlie Player, or Ed Discher.

ToddUGA

09-12-07, 04:58 PM

Is WGXA down for anyone else?

oldave

09-12-07, 05:30 PM

Got GXA here

oldave

09-12-07, 06:12 PM

I read that Lacy Worrell died, over on the Radio-Info board:
http://www.radio-info.com/smf/index.php/topic,62143.10.html

Maybe he's talkin' about Jim Lawhon, Charlie Player, or Ed Discher.

Thanks... I don't keep up like I used to... since I'm not in broadcasting anymore.

ToddUGA

09-12-07, 06:16 PM

WGXA is back up again, but the signal strength has dropped greatly for me here in Eastman. Where I used to get a signal strength between 90-100%, I'm getting around 50-60%. What is everyone else getting?

WPGA is back up and I'm actually picking it up during the day for the first time ever. Signal strength is around 60%. I hope this continues. It would be nice to pick up WPGA all day instead of occasionally at night.

Edit: WGXA is back up to 100% for me now.

rob1404@alltel.n

09-12-07, 08:29 PM

ToddUGA

09-13-07, 08:47 AM

okay here's my question! I live in Warner Robins and i'm getting WMAZ-DT signal in just fine, but i'm not getting ABC, NBC, or Fox which use to 100% signal but all three of those stations aren't coming in no more. I'm using the Terk HDTVi indoor antenna which is in my attic. I'm wondering if it's my antenna or just the digital signals are down? If anyone can help with this I would appreciate it.

As of this morning, I was receiving all three here in Eastman. Sounds like it could be some kind of hardware problem. Tell me a little more about your setup, such as are you using any type of pre-amp, how it is wired, what kind of digital tuner are you using, etc.

rob1404@alltel.n

09-13-07, 05:31 PM

As of this morning, I was receiving all three here in Eastman. Sounds like it could be some kind of hardware problem. Tell me a little more about your setup, such as are you using any type of pre-amp, how it is wired, what kind of digital tuner are you using, etc.

ok here's what i got. I've using the Dish Network HD DVR 622i Reciever that has a off-air antenna plugin, that comes directly from the terk antenna.

RwayneS

09-13-07, 09:50 PM

okay here's my question! I live in Warner Robins and i'm getting WMAZ-DT signal in just fine, but i'm not getting ABC, NBC, or Fox which use to 100% signal but all three of those stations aren't coming in no more. I'm using the Terk HDTVi indoor antenna which is in my attic. I'm wondering if it's my antenna or just the digital signals are down? If anyone can help with this I would appreciate it.

It appears that you and I are experiencing the same problems while using similar equipment. I live in NW Macon and have not received any off-air channels other than WMAZ-DT for about a week now. I had good reception with all prior to this outage. I am using a Terk HDTVo outdoor amplified antenna (mounted on roof) connected to a Dish Network ViP 622 DVR. Does anyone out there think this could be a problem with Dish Network's receiver?

rob1404@alltel.n

09-13-07, 10:39 PM

are you also having a problem with the dial out features ( buying pay per view)?

RwayneS

09-14-07, 06:49 AM

are you also having a problem with the dial out features ( buying pay per view)?

I don't know, because I never use PPV. I plan to hook up my smaller LCD HDTV w/built in tuner this afternoon. I will post my findings.

ToddUGA

09-14-07, 07:30 AM

rob1404@alltel.n

09-14-07, 05:07 PM

no it goes thru the receiver. i've done the reboot but will try it again.

RwayneS

09-14-07, 05:22 PM

That is a strange problem. I'm using the VIP 622 receiver from Dish as well and am not experiencing any trouble. You could try deleting all of your locals and then doing a rescan and see if it helps. Another thing to try is rebooting the receiver.

Does it do this with the tuner in your television?

I hooked my antenna to my LCD HDTV and picked up all HD channels with excellent signal strength. I've tried rebooting several times to no avail. Somehow I think this may be an electrical issue or poor design of the VIP 622.
I have always had pixeling when various appliances are used such as microwave, ice-maker, or AC unit. Since all the channels that Rob and I are missing happen to be UHF, could the UHF Remote Antenna for my second TV be the culprit? It happens to be an inch or so from the off-air antenna input.

rob1404@alltel.n

09-14-07, 05:46 PM

I hooked my antenna to my LCD HDTV and picked up all HD channels with excellent signal strength. I've tried rebooting several times to no avail. Somehow I think this may be an electrical issue or poor design of the VIP 622.
I have always had pixeling when various appliances are used such as microwave, ice-maker, or AC unit. Since all the channels that Rob and I are missing happen to be UHF, could the UHF Remote Antenna for my second TV be the culprit? It happens to be an inch or so from the off-air antenna input.

Did you just hook it up to the ant 2 connection? i've also had interference when microwave or hair dryer is on. i'm going to try it going directly to my tv and see if that works. it's not my antenna i'm thinking it's the box also, i just connected it up directly to the tv and all stations work so it has to the box what you think?

Ralph Carson

09-14-07, 06:26 PM

Hey Y'all:
We have been having transmitter problems with our digital transmitter output cavity. The factory will send us a field mod kit to correct the problem. We have been on the low powered backup transmitter during the day, but have been full power at night. When the kit arrives, we will go on the backup again during the day while repairs are made. The repairs are too extensive to be done easily overnight. Our analog transmitter has been operating normally, so it is availlable for viewing during times when signal strength is too weak to receive.

Ralph Carson
A.C.E.
WGXA TV24/DT16

ToddUGA

09-14-07, 06:34 PM

Definitely sounds like a 622 problem. You may want to head over to dbstalk.com and see if anyone else is having problems with OTA and the 622.

rob1404@alltel.n

09-14-07, 06:36 PM

kenglish

09-15-07, 10:30 AM

All but WMAZ-DT are in the UHF band. Has something (maybe a softward upgrade) reset your receivers to CATV mode?

rob1404@alltel.n

09-15-07, 04:18 PM

I hooked my antenna to my LCD HDTV and picked up all HD channels with excellent signal strength. I've tried rebooting several times to no avail. Somehow I think this may be an electrical issue or poor design of the VIP 622.
I have always had pixeling when various appliances are used such as microwave, ice-maker, or AC unit. Since all the channels that Rob and I are missing happen to be UHF, could the UHF Remote Antenna for my second TV be the culprit? It happens to be an inch or so from the off-air antenna input.

Wayne in your menu screen goto HDTV setup and make sure your analog type is in off air mode. i've get them back!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank god now i can watch CF in HD again

RwayneS

09-16-07, 08:17 PM

Wayne in your menu screen goto HDTV setup and make sure your analog type is in off air mode. i've get them back!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank god now i can watch CF in HD again

Thanks so much. This problem is solved. I am getting all the UHF channels as well. I am sure I never changed this setting before, so it must have been the result of one of those late night software updates provided by DishNetwork.

Ralph Carson

09-18-07, 12:19 PM

"The weak link is the Flexicoder which takes the digital receiver signal and processes it into the transmitter link out to Cochran short route. It then is demodulated and goes into the digital exciter to drive the transmitter. They have only one flexicoder, one microwave transmitter, one microwave receiver and one exciter. These units are not field repairable."

A quote from an email I received from a retired TV station engineer.[/QUOTE]

We have a Flexicoder. It was hard to get set up right at first but has operated fairly reliably ever since. But it's not redundant. If we lose it, we will be down for the count on local programming and local commercials. Same is true for our Evertz upconverters and our analog coder microwave system. If we lose the Fox splicer, we can patch around it and go low def digital.

Ralph Carson
A.C.E.
WGXA TV24/DT16

Ralph Carson

09-18-07, 12:41 PM

is that why Wmaz-dt is coming thru but not fox,nbc or abc signal

No, That has absolutely nothing to do with why WMAZ is coming through.
Nor does it have anything to do with why ABC, and NBC are not coming through. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Ralph Carson
A.C.E.
WGXA TV24/DT16

Ralph Carson

09-18-07, 06:01 PM

ToddUGA

09-18-07, 08:57 PM

Hey Y'all:
I tried to log into the Middle Georgia Hi Def forum, and now after I verified, it's telling me that a staffer has disabled my login. So an Email to the forum results in a "return to sender" message from the mailer daemon. So, I don't know what to think.

Ralph Carson
A.C.E.
WGXA TV24/DT16

Weird. Try it again. I know someone earlier had the same problem. If it doesn't work I can delete your account and have you make another one.

Ralph Carson

09-21-07, 05:30 PM

OK, I got in.

Ralph Carson

ashley76

09-25-07, 07:57 PM

Ralph, any word on when DISH is going to pick up the station in HD?

Ralph Carson

09-27-07, 05:40 PM

No, I have no idea when any of the satellite services will have us in HDTV.

We found out what was wrong with our output cavity. There is a thing we call a top hat that was loose. It is corrected and we now expect reliable operation. We did power calibration today, and the power was stable. Before it was all over the dial.

Ralph Carson
WGXA TV24/DT16

oldave

09-27-07, 09:32 PM

We found out what was wrong with our output cavity. There is a thing we call a top hat that was loose. It is corrected and we now expect reliable operation. We did power calibration today, and the power was stable. Before it was all over the dial.
Changing the capacitive loading on the output won't make the finals happy, that's for sure... hard to tune, too! Vibration from just the fans would probably send the capacitance skittering around.

ashley76

09-30-07, 05:12 PM

No, I have no idea when any of the satellite services will have us in HDTV.

Ralph Carson
WGXA TV24/DT16

Bummer

oldave

10-01-07, 11:37 PM

I would be willing to bet it'll be sometime in the next 16 months.

Actually, it may not be HD, but it's a fairly safe bet the ghosting on WPGA will go away on Dish Network.

Alan Gordon

10-02-07, 01:31 PM

No, I have no idea when any of the satellite services will have us in HDTV.

Just checking in on the Macon thread and read this... thought I'd add a little information for everyone.

A couple of years ago, Dish Network stated that they only intended to offer 50 DMAs in HD. They said it wasn't cost efficient for them to do anymore when you their subscribers could get local HD using an antenna. Of course, with DirecTV's plans regarding HD-LIL, Dish Network had to change their mind... and have now announced that they intend to offer HD-LIL to 100 DMAs after the launch of a new satellite. This satellite launch, if I remember correctly has had their satellite launch delayed to either LATE this year or EARLY next year. While Dish Network will probably offer some DMAs outside the top 100 DMAs, I'd be surprised if Macon was one of the ones chosen... so I wouldn't expect HD-LIL on Dish Network next year... maybe in 2009...

DirecTV however, is another story. While DirecTV's next satellite launch has been delayed as well (LATE this year, but most likely EARLY next year), and their newest launched satellite has spot-beam issues (spot-beams are how they provide LIL... with the exception of the 72.5 DMAs), DirecTV should have most DMAs up in HD by next year... in fact, Macon should be available by the end of the 2nd quarter, or by the beginning of the 3rd quarter.

Also of interest is that DirecTV should start moving SD-LIL off of 72.5... which means that a 2nd dish will not be needed to receive SD-LIL for Macon after some time next year...

~Alan

WRDawg

10-05-07, 05:25 PM

I've read that Cox is adding TBS HD and CNN HD and see that many cox locations already have these stations. Does anyone know when we might have these in Mid GA. It would be nice to have the baseball playoffs in HD.

Flashram

10-07-07, 01:27 PM

Why haven't the Falcon games on Fox been in HD the past few weeks? The Cox channel guide shows they should be.

voomvoom

10-08-07, 01:00 AM

Just wondering if anyone in the Macon/middle Ga. area are able to get the Atlanta or Columbus DT channels OTA and if so, what equipment are you using and where are you located?

I can get the Macon DT channels just fine (between 90 and 98 signal level on all), but can't get any of the Atlanta DT channels...I live in Jones Co. near Gray and that puts me about 80 air miles away from either Atlanta or Columbus. I have my antenna on top of 60' tower.I can and I'm about half way between Lizella and Roberta. I use the largest Winegard VHF/UHF/FM antenna they make (I think, and I don't recall the model number). It's about 30' above the ground (and I'm sort of on a hill), and I use the Winegard DA-1136 Distribution Amplifier (40-1000MHZ 37DB Signal). It does pretty well most of the time, Weather can be a factor along with Atmospheric Conditions. I also have a Rotor.
From Atlanta I get these:
WSB DT 39 on 2.1 (ABC HD) some days and all nights
WSB DT2 39 on 2.2 (SD) Blank Screen, formally ABC World News Now
WAGA DT 27 on 5.1 (Fox HD) some days and all nights
WAGA DT2 27 on 5.2 (Fox SD) some days and most nights
WXIA DT 10 on 11.1 (NBC HD) all the time
WXIA DT 10 on 11.2 (NBC WeatherPlus SD) all the time
WPXA DT 51 on 14.1 (ION SD) rare days and most nights
WPXA DT2 51 on 14.2 (Qubo SD) rare days and most nights
WPXA DT3 51 on 14.3 (ION Health SD) rare days and most nights
WPXA DT4 51 on 14.4 (Worship SD) rare days and most nights
WPCH DT 20 on 17.1 (Independant SD) most days and all nights
WPBA DT 21 on 30.1 (Atlanta PBS HD) no days and some nights
WUVG DT 48 on 34.1 (Univision SD) some days and most nights
WUVG DT 48 on 34.2 (Telefutura SD) some days and most nights
WATL DT 25 on 36.1 (MyTV HD) some days and all nights
ATLC DT 42 on 42.1 (The Atlanta Channel info SD) never days and rare nights
WUPA DT 43 on 43.1 (CW HD) most days and all nights
WHSG DT 44 on 63.1 (TBN SD) most days and all nights
WHSG DT2 44 on 63.2 (Church Channel SD) most days and all nights
WHSG DT3 44 on 63.3 (JCTV SD) most days and all nights
WHSG DT4 44 on 63.4 (Enlace SD) most days and all nights
WHSG DT5 44 on 63.5 (SOAC SD) most days and all nights
From Columbus I get these:
WRBL DT 15 on 3.1 (CBS HD) all the time
WRBL DT2 15 on 3.2 (First Alert 3 Weather SD) all the time
WTVM DT 47 on 9.1 (ABC HD) most days and all nights
WTVM DT2 47 on 9.2 (Weather Now SD) most days and all nights
WLTZ DT 35 on 38.1 (NBC HD) rare days and some nights
WXTX DT 49 on 54.1 (Fox HD) some days and most nights
WXTX DT2 49 on 54.2 (SD) Blank Screen, formally "The TUBE Music Channel"
Since you're in Jones County, I will suggest trying to point your antenna towards Augusta. I get WJBF DT 42 on 6.1 (ABC HD) and 6.2 (Weather SD) quite regularly after dark, give it a shot? I also get WAGT DT 30 on 26.1 (NBC HD) and 26.2 (CW SD) some times after dark. It's not as strong as WJBF.

Al

Edit: After reading ToddUSA's post #840, I realize the antenna I have is the "Winegard HD-8200P". Also I don't have to point my antenna at the Macon Towers to get them, so I'm not worried about burning anything up. I'm about 20 miles OTA from them, about 76 miles or so from the Atlanta stations, and about 69 miles or so from the Columbus stations.

kenglish

10-08-07, 09:55 AM

voomvoom....

I wish you would write this up as a "Letter to the Editor" in the local paper, maybe as a commentary about the Digital TV Transition.

It would probably do more good than all the government-mandated PSAs the stations could ever run!

Glad to see you are getting good reception.

Ralph Carson

10-15-07, 06:00 PM

Why haven't the Falcon games on Fox been in HD the past few weeks? The Cox channel guide shows they should be.

Hey Flashram:
Are you watching this on WGXA-DT? If so, I will look into it.
I do not know if the Falcon game was a Fox network feed or a syndicated game. If it was syndicated, it will not be in HD. We're not equipped to do that at this time.

Ralph Carson

10-17-07, 04:29 PM

Apparently, though the Falcons games are network programs, Fox is not transmitting them in high def. However, I do not know why at this time. If I find out more, I will pass it on.

Ralph Carson
WGXA TV24/DT16

Flashram

10-20-07, 10:27 AM

Hey Flashram:
Are you watching this on WGXA-DT? If so, I will look into it.
I do not know if the Falcon game was a Fox network feed or a syndicated game. If it was syndicated, it will not be in HD. We're not equipped to do that at this time.

I was watching it on WGXA-DT, yes. At the time I posted that the game did finally switch to HD sometime in the 3rd Quarter. After that it would switch between SD and HD randomly during the remainder of the broadcast.

Ralph Carson

10-25-07, 05:50 PM

ToddUGA

10-29-07, 07:30 AM

I am rather baffled. I was told that those (Falcon) games weren't DTV. Also, we have auto follow switching that should have prevented that HD then NTSC then HD kind of action.Since we have observed no complaint with regular HD programming, I have to believe the auto switching is working. Was this a one time incident?

Ralph Carson
WGXA TV24/DT16

I noticed the same thing a few weeks ago. The game started out in 4:3 SD and switched to HD later. It continued switching back and forth the entire game. I've only seen it happen during that one game I believe.

Ralph Carson

10-29-07, 09:36 AM

It must have been something Fox did. They said these games were not in HD. Although, I don't understand why if they could, they wouldn't transmit it in HD. As far as I know, we did what we were supposed to do.

Ralph Carson
WGXA TV24/DT16

SchwettyBalz

10-30-07, 04:52 PM

I recently purchased a Terk HDTVa antenna to test the waters of OTA HDTV, in preperation of an anticipated move from Cox to DIRECTV to take advantage of their HD programming. Since 90% of what i watch is abc, nbc, cbs and fox, being able to pick these up is imperative. When i put the antenna on my TV i seemed to be able to pick up fox, abc, nbc fine, and could not get any trace of cbs. i moved it to my attic (where it would be anyway) and tried again. this time i was able to pick up all four, but nbc seemed to be pixelated and stutter at some points. I turned the signal booster on, and CBS won't come on. I live in Bonaire and was wondering if those of you with DISH or DIRECTV have receptions problems and what antennas you use. Thanks!

rockandchelle

10-31-07, 08:50 AM

Is anyone else seeing some random pixelation/breakups on WGXA TV24/DT16. I noticed it while watching some shows the other night, and wasn't sure if it was me or something on there end. I get a fairly strong signal, and this is the first it has done it since I have put up my outside antenna and could pickup WGXA (and that has been for about a year).

Ralph Carson

11-02-07, 09:16 AM

rockandchelle

11-04-07, 03:47 PM

Dear Rockandchelle:
We had some trouble with our microwave transmitter. That may account for the random pixellation you saw. We believe we have the problem corrected now. Let me know if you are experiencing problems still. If not, let me know that also. Thanks for watching,

Ralph Carson
A.C.E.
WGXA TV24/DT16

That sounds great, thanks for getting back to me. I have been watching some of the falcons game today, and haven't seen any problems.

ToddUGA

11-26-07, 02:33 PM

Anybody else having trouble with WPGA-DT 32? I can usually pick it up at night starting around 7 PM but the last few days I haven't been able to get a signal at all.

Edit: Can pick it up again.

nmcdaris

11-27-07, 07:04 PM

I am new to OTA HD I get everything but 13 WMAZ in HD I am located in Centerville with a cheap set of Phillips HD rabbit ears on top of the entertainment center. Does anyone have any recommendations on what is wrong?

ToddUGA

11-29-07, 08:08 AM

Ralph Carson

11-29-07, 06:06 PM

MmcDaris:
You probably have an antenna designed primarily for UHF, since most DT stations are UHF. Put up a UHF/VHF antenna outside. a little above your rooftop ought to do it. If it's in the back yard, you probably won't be able to see it over the gable, keeping the neighbors happy. Be sure to use surge supressors. Centerville should not be a challenge unless you're in a hole. If you are, or you're in a creek bottom like the one just north of town, you might have to get more heigth. However, I would think that if you can pick up the UHF stations, you should be able to pick up 13, provided the antenna is VHF capable. It's a longer wavelength, so a VHF capable antenna will be much larger than one designed for UHF only. A rotor isn't necessary, if you just want the locals (Public TV excepted) as all the stations are transmitting from the same place. Good Luck.

Ralph Carson
Assistant Chief Engineer
WGXA TV24/DT16

overfedexed

12-01-07, 02:04 PM

MmcDaris:
You probably have an antenna designed primarily for UHF, since most DT stations are UHF. Put up a UHF/VHF antenna outside. a little above your rooftop ought to do it.

Ralph Carson
Assistant Chief Engineer
WGXA TV24/DT16

Ralph or any Centerville/WR AVS members,

I'm in the same area as nmcdaris. I had the same problem also. Do you think that the Terrestrial DB2 antenna http://www.antennasdirect.com/DB2_Indoor_antenna.html , installed in my attic, will work?

The UHF channels come in at about 85 to 90% with just a small indoor UHF/VHF antenna.

Thanks

nmcdaris

12-02-07, 03:22 PM

rockandchelle

12-03-07, 09:17 AM

Ralph Carson

12-05-07, 09:41 AM

Ralph or any Centerville/WR AVS members,

I'm in the same area as nmcdaris. I had the same problem also. Do you think that the Terrestrial DB2 antenna http://www.antennasdirect.com/DB2_Indoor_antenna.html , installed in my attic, will work?

The UHF channels come in at about 85 to 90% with just a small indoor UHF/VHF antenna.

Thanks

That antenna will only properly receive UHF which has a shorter wavelength than VHF. You can put a larger VHF/UHF antenna in your attic if there's room for it. If the roof isn't metal, it should work. That is a good way to install an antenna without it being ugly, but be aware that it can still attract lightning through your roof. This could set your house on fire. To reduce the risk of that problem, a set of lightning rods on the roof peak over the antenna should help. The lightning rods would be grounded to a copper clad rod driven into the ground. The lightning rods would be less unsightly than the antenna itself.

mavrick240

12-07-07, 11:15 AM

Ralph is anything going on on WGXA's end for since you went full power I have been reciving your stations signal at 100% but over the past week the highest I have seen is between 85% to 90% and the signal fluxs when it used to just stay pegged at 100%

overfedexed

12-07-07, 08:46 PM

I put the antennas up all the way and finally got 13 in HD to come in. I am in Eagle springs and am getting the uhf channels great. Do they make a vhf antenna you can put in your attic or does it have to be on the outside to get a good signal

I'm in Eagle Springs also.(Brentwood) Where exactly did you mount it and what is your signal strength for 13.1?

I'm messing with the DB2 now and I can tell you that the $30 Walmart antenna worked better than the DB2 and it was a lot easier to place. Of course I have not put it in the attic yet.

Funny thing is that on the instructions for the DB2 it said that putting it up there would decrease the signal by 40 to 50%.

overfedexed

12-07-07, 09:21 PM

That antenna will only properly receive UHF which has a shorter wavelength than VHF. You can put a larger VHF/UHF antenna in your attic if there's room for it. If the roof isn't metal, it should work. That is a good way to install an antenna without it being ugly, but be aware that it can still attract lightning through your roof. This could set your house on fire. To reduce the risk of that problem, a set of lightning rods on the roof peak over the antenna should help. The lightning rods would be grounded to a copper clad rod driven into the ground. The lightning rods would be less unsightly than the antenna itself.

Thanks for that great info Ralph. The DB2 did only pull in about 28% max from inside my house. Maybe I will try this one. http://www.antennasdirect.com/V15_vhf_antenna.html

What do you think?

Thanks

oldave

12-07-07, 09:39 PM

I don't know what the deal is with WPGA 32-1 DT (local 58), but it is really starting to get on my nerves. Last night I was getting pixelation all over the place on it. I have my antenna hooked up to my Dish Network Receiver that receives OTA Digital Channels, and my signal strengths for each channel are as follows:

13.1 - 100%
24.1 - 90-92%
41.1 - 94%
58.1 - 70%

Now, I used to pick up 58.1 the best of any of them, but it just seems to be getting worse.

Two things are happening there... most importantly, their cheap Chinese encoder has been having performance issues (reckon there's too much lead in the paint?)... a new encoder should be along next week, and it'll be configured and put on the air as quickly as possible upon arrival...

Also, plumbing is underway for their high power transmitter - sometime soon (almost certainly January/February), they'll be going from 32 kilowatts effective radiated power to 100 kilowatts effective. That'll help, too.

Then, as the DTV transition continues, they'll increase power more once they don't interfere with WNEG/Toccoa (their analog is channel 32... WPGA-DT is on channel 32).

That's the latest I have on 58.1 :) As I learn more, I'll post it here.

ToddUGA

12-10-07, 09:18 AM

Interesting on WPGA. It's my worst channel as well.

Yesterday around 12 PM I was flipping through the channels and noticed WPGA was coming in loud and clear. I never pick them up during the day like that. I hope this is a sign of things to come, especially with new Lost episodes coming soon. :)

My only other problem channel is WMGT. I can usually pick it up completely at night, but have occasional drop outs during the day. I wish they were upping their signal strength too like 58.

nmcdaris

12-10-07, 06:53 PM

I am in Tivoli Gates. When i get some free time i am planing on installing a uhf antenna in my attic and a vhf antenna but have to figuer out a place to put it out of sight my house backs up to eagle springs dr.

ToddUGA

12-16-07, 12:27 AM

Has something happened at 41? Looks like my signal strength has gone down a good bit. Also, they've been showing SD instead of HD. Problems?

rockandchelle

12-19-07, 10:38 AM

Yeah, I don't know what is going on with this channel (41.1), but I was really disappointed to see JourneyMan in SD the other day....it looked like crap.

ToddUGA

12-19-07, 06:30 PM

Yeah, I don't know what is going on with this channel (41.1), but I was really disappointed to see JourneyMan in SD the other day....it looked like crap.

I e-mailed them but, of course, never got a reply.

ToddUGA

12-19-07, 09:42 PM

An update...

I got a reply from Barry Stubbs, the Chief Engineer at WMGT. He stated there was a problem with the HD/SD switching system but that everything should be working now.

As for signal strength, he said all of their instruments show their signal strength is the same but I wasn't the first to complain about fading HD coverage. Hopefully he'll be able to pinpoint the problem. If your signal strength has gone down, go to WMGT's website and use the contact us form to let him know.

Bob934

12-27-07, 12:46 PM

I live in Cochran and have a RadioShack VU-190 outdoor antenna. Up until a few weeks ago, I had a Sanyo 30" widescreen HDTV. I have recently replace it with an LG
42LB5D. Fox, ABC, NBC and Channel 64 come in clear as a bell. When I got the Sanyo a couple of years ago, Channel 13 was a very strong station, but it seems that about a year ago, maybe a little more than that, 13's signal has gone almost non-existant. Any suggestions?

DavidHoffman

01-02-08, 12:32 PM

First e-mail Channel 13 about your situation. I live in the center of Warner Robins and the signal strength from goes up and done all the time. They seem to be adjusting the output of the digital signal to keep the complaints down while keeping the electrical bill low. Remember they are running both an analog and a digital tranmitter and they run the digital as low as possible to keep the eledctric bill low. They will not go full power until after February 17, 2009. I e-mailed them about a low signal that would not hold lock about a 6 weeks ago and within 3 weeks the power level went up just enough to lock the signal. I had to tell them the exact street address where I lived.

rbird

01-07-08, 10:41 PM

Great to see more Eagle Springs folks here (another Brentwood resident, after living for 8 years in central Warner Robins). I look forward to hearing any working solutions for CBS in our area. I tried a folded dipole (twin lead cable cut to length and soldered) cut to the appropriate wavelength for channel 4, with no effect. I can pick up everything else OK with my compact outdoor antenna (mounted on my patio). I could even pick up CBS from Columbus in the evenings during the summer. It's just pixels now, though.

It's a darn shame, because CBS was the first to broadcast in digital locally, and I used to have no problem picking them up several years ago when they were the only channel around.

Anyone hear any more news from DirecTV on when they might be able to offer Macon locals in HD? I enjoy OTA, but at this point I'll take what I can get (unless it involves switching to cable, which I'm not anxious to do).

Bob

Ralph Carson

01-09-08, 10:35 AM

I have never heard of any station reducing power just to reduce electric bills. They usually operate at their licenced power. Of course during the startup most stations used low power transmitters such as our Harris Ranger. But we ran it for all it was rated to do, a full 250 watts! Engineers who are in charge of transmitters normally want them to be putting out all they can get. Of course, I can't vouch for channel 13 since I don't work there.

Ralph Carson
WGXA TV24/DT 16

DavidHoffman

01-10-08, 05:49 PM

Ralph Carson
I have a Samsung ATSC tuner set top box that has a signal power level display. Channel 13 WMAZ used to come in at 0 to 1 bars out of 10 possible. I could not get a consistent picture display. Channel 24\DT16 WGXA came in at 3 to 5 bars and I got fantastic picture and sound. Now Channel 13 comes in at 2 to 4 bars and I get decent picture and sound. I have not changed anything in my antenna orientation or the way I hooked up the Samsung box.
I think I can logically say the transmitted signal power went up from WMAZ.

ToddUGA

01-15-08, 10:48 AM

On 13, be aware that since it is on VHF-Lo 4 it will be susceptible to local electrical interference. Fluctuating signal strength could be a sign of this.

I live way down in Eastman and had the hardest time picking up 13. I eventually had to call the power company to check for sources of electrical interference. They found a ton of problems and fixed them. Now I get WMAZ at over 70% signal strength with no drop-outs (and I live an hour away).

Ralph Carson

01-15-08, 01:49 PM

Yeah, we upped our power not too long ago from 250 watts to 25 kilowatts at the input to the transmission line. I suspect they have done something similar. In our case we went from a small transmitter to a large one. But in either case, the transmitter was run at it's full output or at licensed power for the big one. Reducing power until people complain just to save on the power bill? Broadcasters just don't do this. The results would be loss of viewers and subsequent loss of revenue. An unappealing prospect. It wouldn't save that much on the power bill anyway. Current still has to be maintained in the IOT or Klystron, filaments still have to glow, blowers still have to blow, pumps still have to pump. The savings in the power bill would never make up for the loss of viewers.

Ralph Carson
WGXA TV24/DT16

mchias1

01-15-08, 09:03 PM

for those of you on Cox cable. i have found on their middle georgia website a link to submit channel requests. you have to go to the cable section->channel lineup. there is a link right before the channel listings.

not sure if it will go to someone or fall into a black hole. For the past 3 weeks I have put in a request for the rest of the HD channel lineup that the rest of the country has.

i list CNN, Versus, NFL, NHL, TLC, Animal Planet, and FOOD/HGTV

Bob934

01-16-08, 07:43 PM

ToddUGA

01-18-08, 10:01 AM

I may be up the creek without a paddle in regards to reception of Channel 13 then. I live right next to a set of major power lines here in Bleckley County. I may have to wait until Direct TV sends out an HD signal.

If you think it's electrical interference, you can do the AM radio trick and see. Take a small AM radio, tune to a low unused channel, and walk around your neighborhood. If there's any interference, you'll hear it as a loud hum. That's what I did. I managed to narrow it down to a couple of poles. I called the power company and at first got the runaround. I called them again and threatened to call the FCC if they didn't fix the problem and they were here for a couple of weeks making sure the problem was fixed.

If it turns out you find a few poles that seem to be putting out some interference, you need to call your power company. The FCC looks down on interference from power lines.

Also, 13 will be moving its digital signal from 4 to 13 when the digital switchover happens next year. That should help greatly.

Bob934

01-18-08, 07:52 PM

ToddUGA

01-24-08, 07:58 PM

So, do you think I should wait til the changeover? I am wondering if it isn't electrical interference because a couple of years ago, 13's digital signal was the strongest of the two stations I received. Wish my new LG had a signal meter to it. But I don't want to make a stink over just one channel.

I'd still get the power company to come out and check for interference. Their equipment isn't supposed to be putting out interference like this. The only way they'll ever know is if somebody reports it to them.

gawva

01-24-08, 08:08 PM

I live between Haddock and Milledegville and want to add an HD over the air antenna to my Dish HD722 DVR , what would be the better choice , I have looked at one of these
Terrestrial Digital DB ? 2 4 or 8, seems the 8 is the farthest range or can I use a lesser one to get the Macon Channels or go with the 8 and maybe get Atlanta also.
or what have others has luck with in the area.
Thanks for any advice , New at this stuff

voomvoom

01-25-08, 03:11 PM

gawva, it's hard to say what will work best, because every location is different. It would probably be best to look around your neighborhood and see what types of antennas are being used. Then knock on some doors and ask them how well the reception is, and see if you can decide which would be best for you.
I would think you should be able to get Macon with a mediocre antenna, but it will need to be a VHF/UHF to get all the digital stations, and it might need an amplifier for better results?
If you want to go for out of market stations, I would suggest the biggest deep fringe VHF/UHF antenna you can find with an amplifier and rotor. From your location you should be able to get Macon, Atlanta, and probably Augusta.
I personally would not get anything, antenna related, from Radio Shack. Not that the antennas are that bad, but the amplifiers are worthless. If you want a Good reliable antenna, get either a Channel Master or a Winegard. Also, I wouldn't recommend any antenna for attic or any Indoor antenna. Get an Outdoor antenna, preferably with an amplifier and a rotor. And put it as high as you can get it, without any obstructions. Good Luck!

Al

gawva

01-25-08, 06:07 PM

Thanks
I realized after my post , I forgot to say we have no neighbors to knock on the doors and in live in a wide open field. Those people I know who live in the area are not up to HD yet.

gawva

01-27-08, 05:51 PM

voomvoom

01-27-08, 07:10 PM

I picked up a Channel Master 3020 today , mounted about 25 ft off ground
pointed toward the macon towers

I pick up
13, 24, 41, 58 and pbs at 100 percent with no amp or moving the thing

Crystal Clear

Thanks for the Info on this BoardThat sounds great, but are these the digital channels? It looks like these are the analog channels? In your spare time try pointing at Atlanta and see what you can get? Or maybe give Augusta a try?

gawva

01-28-08, 06:54 PM

Yes , they are the digital
I will try the Athens stations and Atlanta again

gawva

01-28-08, 10:45 PM

I tried the Atlanta stations today
I picked up Channel 2 , wsb Channel 5 fox and 17 , all three digital at about 60 percent
this lowered the Macon stations to about 55-60 percent.
I could probably leave the antenna pointed toward the Atlanta Stations and get an Amp
and get both Macon and Atlanta.
I got nothing pointed toward Augusta , not Athens
If I get the amp , will post the results
Can not beat FREE TV

DavidHoffman

01-29-08, 05:23 PM

Yes , they are the digital
I will try the Athens stations and Atlanta again
gawa: Are you getting the PBS digital signal from the PBS station in Atlanta? That is the only one Georgia Public Broadcasting is saying is working in digital.

overfedexed

01-29-08, 08:01 PM

Thanks
I realized after my post , I forgot to say we have no neighbors to knock on the doors and in live in a wide open field. Those people I know who live in the area are not up to HD yet.

Sometimes I wish that I could put my antenna on the roof but in Centerville (Eagle Springs subdivision) you can forget it unless you are lucky so....

I bought a Terrestrial DB2 and it works great on everything but.....13 (As long as my wife can watch American Idol in HD)

Everything comes in at almost 100% and I must admit that this DB2 is a deal for $38. I have not tweaked it yet but 33% is all I get for 13.1 and 13.3

I will do some adjusting later on this weekend as the antenna is up in the attic but I'm not holding my breath.

ToddUGA

02-03-08, 02:37 PM

We've pretty much lost 41 down here in Eastman. At first I thought it may have just been me but my brother is also having trouble picking it up as well. All other UHF stations are coming in loud and clear.

dwinters

02-04-08, 05:41 AM

I have lost 41.1 here in Hawkinsville also.

ToddUGA

02-04-08, 09:16 AM

I have lost 41.1 here in Hawkinsville also.

I'm trying to get in touch with the engineer over there. I'll keep you updated.

mavrick240

02-04-08, 10:08 AM

I have Lost 41.1 in Warner Robins also.

ToddUGA

02-04-08, 10:52 AM

I have Lost 41.1 in Warner Robins also.

Sounds like they may be completely down at the moment.

ToddUGA

02-04-08, 01:17 PM

Here's the response I got back...

Todd,

Due to maintenance, we were on the low powered backup transmitter this
weekend. The high powered is back up and running and you should now be able
to receive 41. Sorry for the inconvenience.

If you have any questions please let me know.

Thanks.

Justin Bowen
IT Engineer
Web Director
WMGT-TV/DT
Morris Network, INC.

voomvoom

02-07-08, 08:16 AM

gawa: Are you getting the PBS digital signal from the PBS station in Atlanta? That is the only one Georgia Public Broadcasting is saying is working in digital.I'm getting it, it's currently one stream with no sub-channels. Don't know how low the power is, but it drops out a lot in daylight and holds very well after dark? I noticed a message yesterday, saying channel 29 will be experiencing outages due to construction, so we should get WMUM on channel 7 with-in a couple of months and the sooner the better. It seems as if they've picked Cochran as the 2nd Digital PBS for the GPB Network? That's Good for Middle Georgia!

marknga

02-07-08, 08:22 AM

I live in Warner Robins, west side of Centerville in the Quail Run North area close to Hwy 41. Anyway I have Directv with a HR20 HD receiver with rabbit ears for my locals. I just started noticing this week that 13.1 is no longer listed on my channel guide. 13.2 receives signal but has no picture and 13.3 is the doppler radar. Is anyone else experiencing this also?

For what it is worth, I have tried many set top antennas and have yet been able to receive anything other than 13.1 and 24.1 (on occassion but not usually) I have never seen 41.1 or 58.1 broadcast. Guess I need to go with a better antenna system or better yet I wish that DirectTV would broadcast Macon HD.

Thanks for your time,

Mark

voomvoom

02-08-08, 01:01 PM

For what it is worth, I have tried many set top antennas and have yet been able to receive anything other than 13.1 and 24.1 (on occassion but not usually) I have never seen 41.1 or 58.1 broadcast. Guess I need to go with a better antenna system
MarkI would suggest an outdoor antenna, with the current low power for most digital channels, I wouldn't expect to much from any indoor antenna? However, if you can hold off for another year (17 February 09), they should go up on the power enough to use your indoor antenna?

evofxdwg

02-12-08, 10:37 PM

Whats the deal with WPGA (58)? Its been off the air for a day or so and now is back with no sound.

nmcdaris

02-19-08, 09:10 PM

evofxdwg.. I have lost 58.1 also only getting SD in Centerville

ToddUGA

02-22-08, 09:33 AM

I'm getting 58 just fine, but 41 continues to be a problem for me.

seanmc1114

04-02-08, 05:36 PM

I would suggest an outdoor antenna, with the current low power for most digital channels, I wouldn't expect to much from any indoor antenna? However, if you can hold off for another year (17 February 09), they should go up on the power enough to use your indoor antenna?
I know that all of the stations are not necessarily broadcasting their digital signals at full power yet, but will they automatically kick it up to full power on 2-17-09 unless granted a waiver? In other words, are we going to see extremely noticeable increases in signal strength immediately after the deadline passes?

oldave

04-04-08, 09:07 PM

I know that all of the stations are not necessarily broadcasting their digital signals at full power yet, but will they automatically kick it up to full power on 2-17-09 unless granted a waiver? In other words, are we going to see extremely noticeable increases in signal strength immediately after the deadline passes?

Actually, in the Macon market, WGXA (Fox) and WGNM (Christian television) are up and at full power. WMGT (NBC) may be at full power (they're making 110,000 watts), but I'm not certain if they will increase power post-transition.

WPGA (ABC) will be increasing power post-transition. Currently they are making 100,000 watts.

WMAZ (CBS) will definitely move back to channel 13 post-transition and likely increase power... they currently are the lowest power at 7,000 watts, but they're on RF channel 4, so coverage is pretty decent.

WMUM (PBS) appears to be in the process of building out their digital facilities... currently, they are not on the air.

voomvoom

04-08-08, 05:02 PM

I'm getting an 8.2 sub-channel on WGTV today. It's an SD simucast of the HD channel on 8.1. Maybe WMUM DT isn't too far from a reality?

oldave

04-09-08, 10:43 PM

I'm getting an 8.2 sub-channel on WGTV today. It's an SD simucast of the HD channel on 8.1. Maybe WMUM DT isn't too far from a reality?

I dunno. In January, they were granted an extension on their CPs for most of their digital stations.

Tower work may be completed on the WMUM tower - on Feb 5, the GPB Blog says they were going to take both the TV and FM off the air while "new wiring is installed" on the tower.

Haven't yet seen a signal on channel 7, but I check now and then.

voomvoom

04-19-08, 01:12 AM

WMUM DT 7.1 is "On the Air"...!!!
Anyone know how long they've been live? I haven't checked in 3-4 days, but they are "On the Air"..!!!

Congratulations WMUM and GPB...!!!!!

ToddUGA

04-20-08, 09:27 AM

WMUM DT 7.1 is "On the Air"...!!!
Anyone know how long they've been live? I haven't checked in 3-4 days, but they are "On the Air"..!!!

Congratulations WMUM and GPB...!!!!!

Seems like I checked a couple of days ago and saw nothing. Coming in super strong here in Eastman.

seanmc1114

04-20-08, 12:19 PM

I'm getting WMUM-DT with a signal strength of about 95 in Reynolds since I scanned it yesterday. It's actually the strongest digital signal I'm getting now and looks great.

ToddUGA

04-20-08, 02:43 PM

Now my only problem is Dish Network not giving me any guide data. I wonder if it's because they still list 29 as WDCO and not WMUM...

Sing1gniS

04-20-08, 08:51 PM

Did anyone have to reposition their atenna to receive the new WMUM? I live in WR and can't seem to "find" it. I get every other channel fine.

ToddUGA

04-21-08, 12:10 PM

Did anyone have to reposition their atenna to receive the new WMUM? I live in WR and can't seem to "find" it. I get every other channel fine.

I didn't have to, but I live about 15 miles from Cochran where the tower is located. Do you have a VHF/UHF antenna or a UHF-only antenna?

RickGA

04-22-08, 08:50 PM

I live just south of Adrian and WMUM is blasting quite a signal into this area. With my antenna pointed towards Cochran, I get a 95%+ signal. Right now I am aimed at Savannah and still get 85%. I wish all stations had the coverage WMUM has. I live near the point where three DMAs meet--Augusta, Macon & Savannah; so, I am at the fringe of ALL reception. Other than WMAZ, none of the other Macon stations seem interested in complete coverage. Macon is my assigned DMA. I can't wait until WMAZ goes back to channel 13. While they have a strong 85-95% signal here, impulse noise is a problem. I hope channel 13 is better than 4 and maintains the same coverage area.

oldave

04-22-08, 11:03 PM

WMUM-DT is booming in here in Perry, on channel 7, and I haven't touched the antenna... it's pointed at the Macon tower farm.

97% signal quality on the (recently upgraded) USDigital receiver.

ToddUGA

04-23-08, 07:33 PM

Is it just me or is the HD picture on WMUM outstanding? Watch the news on PBS at 6 PM then flip over to the nightly news at 6:30 on WMGT. WMUM's picture looks much better than WMGT's, which is literally crawling with compression artifacts. In fact, I'm finding that WMGT's picture has gotten worse since I started watching their digital signal a while back. Anybody else feel the same?

DavidHoffman

04-28-08, 06:15 PM

Did anyone have to reposition their atenna to receive the new WMUM? I live in WR and can't seem to "find" it. I get every other channel fine.
Sing1ginS,
I had to adjust the gain on my antenna to get WMUM DT 7.1. I had to give up the local Christain DTV station to get GPTV DTV. This antenna gain stuff is often a zero sum game. You get a station you did not get before, but you lose one that you had. This was using the internal ATSC tuner in my little Polaroid HDTV. The Samsung HF260? box I have picks up all the DTV channels just fine, but its more trouble to use, so I gave up a channel I rarely watch. I hope more DTVs are built with tuners as good as the Samsung.

voomvoom

05-05-08, 10:50 AM

Has anyone else noticed WMUM DT is now remapping to 29.2...? Haven't seen any sign of a sub-channel yet, but WGTV DT has a simulcast SD version (8.2) for the HD version (8.1) at this time. I read somewhere, a while back, that GPB was going to have up to 5 channels of programming, with only 2 channels in the Primetime hours, when all is said and done...???

mcdave71

05-06-08, 10:51 PM

My first hd tv is on the way! I have been looking at the different antennas trying to decide what's best for my situation and thought I would ask your opinions.

I'm in Bolingbroke about a mile south of where I75/475 come together. I have a 40' mast to use for my selection so i think I have height covered. What I can't find out is, is one antenna capable of picking up macon at 20 miles south and atlanta at 65 miles north? If it was all uhf I would think I could, but with 13.1 south of me and channel 10 to the north the vhf causes some problems?

I would rather go with two separate antennas with a combiner than using a rotator on one. The reason I say this is I would prefer not having to wait on rotation and there's nothing else out there I want to pick up.

I don't have to be able to pick up channel 4 so should help cut out the low vhf on the macon end. I'll wait til they move to 13 at the switch over. Anybody out there have a setup like this or am I dreaming too big?
Thanks!

DavidHoffman

05-07-08, 05:19 PM

mcdave71
First try using the website www.antennaweb.org. That will give you a good idea of what overall size antenna you need. I put in the approximate location you listed and it showed large antenna with preamp. This would be something like a Channelmaster 3671 or a Winegard HD8200U. These will cost about $150-@$200 with shipping from www.SolidSignal.com. I would not use the preamp. It boosts the noise more than the signal most of the time. The most important thing I have seen is to put up the largest antenna possible using a single run of high quality antenna cable to the TV. I think you can get away with just the one antenna. The reason I say this is that people in my area of Warner Robins are using ancient medium sized roof mounted antennas and cable resulting in getting great reception of OTA HDTV. No one gets Atlanta becuase we are just too far South, but you might be close enough with that 40ft mast. They did use rotators in some cases, but only for the initial antenna alignment. It is easier than going up and down the roof several times. For a more detailed look at antennas go to the reception hardware section of AVS Forum.

voomvoom

05-12-08, 11:56 AM

mcdave, I'm about halfway between Lizella and Roberta, on the south side of a line between the two. I have a Winegard VHF/UHF/FM deep fringe antenna with amplifier on a Rotor. I don't remember the number for it, but it was the biggest antenna they made at the time, and they have discontinued that model. I would suggest you get a similar model if you want to get Atlanta. I get good reception on all these from 69+ miles, WSB 2.1 - ABC HD, 2.2 - RTN (dt 39), WAGA 5.1 - Fox HD, 5.2 - Fox SD (dt 27), WGTV 8.1 - GPB HD, 8.2 - GPB SD (dt12), WXIA 11.1 - NBC HD, 11.2 - NBC Weather Plus (dt 10), WPCH 17.1 (dt 20), WUPA 43.1 - CW HD (dt 43), WHNG 44.1 - TBN, 44.2 - Church Channel, 44.3 - JCTV, 44.4 - Enlace, 44.5 - (SOAC) Smile Of A Child (dt 44), and WGCL 46.1 - CBS HD (dt 19) after dark, but WPBA 30.1 - PBS HD (dt 21), WUVG 34.1 - Univision, 34.2 - Telefutura (dt 48), and WATL 36.1 - MyNetwork HD (dt 25) I get them half the time after dark. On occassion I get WPXA 14.1 - ION, 14.2 - Qubo, 14.3 - IONLife, 14.4 - Worship (dt 51) and 42.1 (dt 43) the Atlanta Channel. I get WXIA, and WUPA 24/7, and WSB, WAGA, WPCH, and WHNG most all of the time, day and night.
I am also 63+ miles from Columbus and get WRBL 3.1 - CBS HD, 3.2 - Weather (dt 15) 24/7, WTVM 9.1 - ABC HD, 9.2 - Weather (dt 47), and WXTX 54.1 - Fox HD/MyNetwork SD, (54.2 - the TUBE now dark) (dt 49) some days and all after darks, and WLTZ 38.1 - NBC HD (dt 35) on occassion.
Good Luck..!!!

Almost forgot, I get WMUM, and WMAZ no matter where my antenna is pointed, and WMGT, and WPGA almost anywhere, and WXGA from most directions...

voomvoom

05-12-08, 12:25 PM

mcdave71

05-12-08, 12:33 PM

Thanks for the info. This should help me make a choice here shortly. I will probably end up with a deep fringe on a rotor. You never know what you'll need in the future and it helps to do it right the first time. I'm learning that now having to set up some extra sat dishes for hi def.

oldave

05-12-08, 03:36 PM

Of course right now, I'm only getting WMAZ and WMUM and that religious channel on 31 analog from any of the Macon stations. I'm assuming the others are Off Air due to the Tornado's yesterday morning.......
WMGT may be on their low power digital transmitter... they're up on Dish Network, but it looks like digital with occasional pixelization. Probably a generator that can't handle the full transmitter load... for either full power transmitter.

When I left the house this morning, I could only see WMAZ-DT and WMUM-DT.

WMAZ has a large generator plant at the transmitter, and WMUM is in Cochran.

Seems power is (or was... won't be able to look in 'til I get home after 5) out on Ocumulgee East Blvd.

mavrick240

05-12-08, 03:50 PM

oldave

05-12-08, 04:01 PM

Dont know about Dish Network but I know that Directvs uplink site is in WMGT's studios so if dish is in the same place that might explain why we can still get them for WMGT's signal may be hardwired to the uplink. This is all speculation though as I don't know how they are connected to the uplink I just know that when I lost everything on over the air via my antenna I lost them all on Directv also except for WMGT they kept coming in over Directv sat just fine but not on my antenna.

Dish Network's POP is in the WMGT building, as well. As I said, there was occasional pixelization last night, like you'd get on a weak digital signal, so I'm speculating that WMGT at least has their low power digital transmitter on, likely because they have generator capacity for that, but not the full power transmitters.

WGXA has a direct fiber feed to Cox, so probably that's up and means cable customers are getting them... I'd suspect WPGA also has the direct feed to Cox... but I don't know, as I live in Bubba's Cable territory down by Perry.

None of the stations' websites mention not being on the air, which is pretty silly in my not-so-humble opinion. This is the only place I've seen a word about the stations being off the air.

Of course, if they're on Cox, they are actually reaching the majority of those folks who have power and need any info that's being passed along. The rest of us just have to sit tight and wait for the lights to come back on out at the tower farm in Twiggs county.

voomvoom

05-12-08, 06:42 PM

WMUM is now Muxing 3 channels:
29.1 = HD GPB feed
29.2 = SD GPB feed
29.3 = SD Not sure, but it has Nightly Business Report on while the News Hour is on the other two....

voomvoom

05-12-08, 06:46 PM

WPGA is now on Digital, but still No Analog

ToddUGA

05-12-08, 07:55 PM

overfedexed

05-12-08, 10:52 PM

I'm getting WGXA now at only around 58%, where I used to get about 100%. Same with WPGA, which is only coming in at around 52%. I'm getting nothing on WMGT. Is the signal lower for everyone else as well or do I need to climb on the roof and check my 91XG UHF antenna?

BTW, WMAZ and WMUM are coming in at full strength so my VIP306 VHF antenna is still working fine.

Todd,

I was headed to my attic because I thought that somehow my DB2 had moved. The winds did get pretty bad Sunday but still I couldn't figure out how that antenna would have budged being "inside" the house.

I came here and read a few posts and that, combined with the Storm stories on WMAZ convinced me to leave it where it was.

My signals are about like yours. I got almost 100% on all my channels before the storm. (except 13 of course, 25% )

voomvoom

05-12-08, 11:32 PM

I'm now getting these OTA:
WMAZ DT 13.1, 13.2 (dark), 13.3
WMAZ TV 13
WGXA DT 24.1
WGXA TV 24
WMUM DT 29.1 HD, 29.2 SD, 29.3 SD
WMUM TV 29
Daystar TV 31
WMGT DT 41.1
WPGA DT 58.1

Channel 41.1 is not showing Leno in HD, while Atlanta's 11Alive is....... Hope they aren't having a problem with it?

mavrick240

05-13-08, 08:00 AM

WPGA is now on Digital, but still No Analog

And Directv must be using the Analog signal instead of the Digital one for there was still no WPGA on Directv and WGXA was not there last night even though I was receiving their Digital signal via my antenna and when WGXA restored their Analog signal they were back on Directv which leads me to think that Directv must be using the analog signals for retransmission instead of the digital signals.

voomvoom

05-13-08, 12:52 PM

oldave

05-13-08, 01:18 PM

Looks like all the analog channels are back On-Air now. WGNM DT 64.1 is still Off-Air, I think there analog went dark with FCC approval a while back. Since I don't watch it, I'm not real sure? But, no sign of the digital yet...???
The analog was turned off a while ago, yes, with the FCC's blessing. And their engineer is in Idaho working on a station... heh.

Ralph Carson

05-13-08, 03:15 PM

Hey Y'all:
Y'all know that WGXA as well as other stations experienced outages due to the tornadoes that ripped through Bibb and Twiggs counties. The tornadoes destroyed the power lines feeding WGXA and others coming from either substations Reed and Zipper. The lines from Zipper were severely damaged, and the ones from Reed were severely damaged but less so. Power was restored from Reed late May 12. Our digital antenna was damaged only modestly, but we dercided it would be better to wait for an inspection could be done before we attempt to put the 25KW Acrodyne back on the air. We are currently transmitting on the 250 watt Harris Ranger. We will resume high powered transmission once the damage has been repaired. Also, we are operating at low power on our RCA 60 KW analog transmitter. This will also continue until inspection and any repairs necessary can be made. This date is unknown at this time. Thank you,

Ralph Carson
Assistant Chief Engineer
WGXA TV24/DT 16

Sing1gniS

05-18-08, 02:17 PM

So who's going to call WMUM about getting guide data on DIRECTV/DISH? I sure would like to be able to record some shows.

daniellee

05-19-08, 06:57 AM

No, I have no idea when any of the satellite services will have us in HDTV.

Ralph, this quote is from Sept. '07 - can you give us an update on Directv or Dish's plans for HDTV locals in the Macon DMA (#121). DirecTV should be converting around 75 more DMAs to HD in the up coming months as their new D11 satellite goes online.

voomvoom

05-20-08, 01:20 AM

For anyone interested, the GPB channel in Warm Springs is now on. WJSP DT 23 is mapping as 28.1, 28.2, and 28.3.

Ralph Carson

05-20-08, 06:03 PM

Daniellee:
I have heard nothing about when Dish Network or Direct TV will be picking up WGXA or the other Macon stations in Hi Def. They will have to receive us in high def after the shutoff date, but what they do with that signal is up to them. Will they downconvert to NTSC or will they put it on in high def. I have also heard that the cable and satellite companies are adding extra compression to signals to decrease the bandwidth, and the result is inferior to the over the air broadcast. However, I haven't been able to verify this. Thanks for watching.

Ralph Carson
WGXA TV 24/DT 16

rockandchelle

05-24-08, 04:03 PM

Anyone else having problems getting WPGA DT (58.1)? I just noticed I am not getting it anymore.

Sing1gniS

05-24-08, 06:20 PM

Anyone else having problems getting WPGA DT (58.1)? I just noticed I am not getting it anymore.

Black screen for me too.

voomvoom

05-25-08, 08:59 AM

Anyone else having problems getting WPGA DT (58.1)? I just noticed I am not getting it anymore.
Whatever problem they had, must be fixed? I'm getting them this morning.

oldave

05-25-08, 11:11 AM

Whatever problem they had, must be fixed? I'm getting them this morning.

It's still not doing well... plenty of RF from the transmitter, so it could be an encoder problem or just an STL path issue...either way... looks like no Indy 500 for middle Georgia today. At least not in high def OTA.

voomvoom

05-25-08, 10:59 PM

It's still not doing well... plenty of RF from the transmitter, so it could be an encoder problem or just an STL path issue...either way... looks like no Indy 500 for middle Georgia today. At least not in high def OTA.I was out of the house Thursday evening, went to Macon, and was recording WPGA @ 9 for Grey's Anatomy 2 hour season finale. Didn't know when I would get home, but it turned out I was home before it started and WPGA was not in HD. I watched it on WSB HD instead. So, they've had the Encoder problem since at least Thursday night. I usually watch the Atlanta channels for various reasons, but always record from Macon channels (when I record) to ensure no drop-outs. I would have been pi**ed, if I had later went to watch WPGA's recorded Grey's Anatomy and found it to be in SD. So, I'm glad I was home in time to see it in HD on WSB.

mcdave71

05-27-08, 05:32 PM

Is 58.1 still down? Reason I ask is I just set up my first antenna and this is one channel I don't get. I installed a Winegard 7694 which should be plenty big enough to get it.
Thanks

Sing1gniS

05-27-08, 09:39 PM

Is 58.1 still down? Reason I ask is I just set up my first antenna and this is one channel I don't get. I installed a Winegard 7694 which should be plenty big enough to get it.
Thanks

Still offline here.

voomvoom

05-28-08, 07:09 AM

I haven't watched any OTA for a couple of days and wasn't aware they were off the air. They are still off at 7am this morning.

voomvoom

05-29-08, 02:55 PM

Last time I checked, sometime yesterday/last night, it was still off. But, it's baaackkk......
WPGA DT is back "On the Air"

voomvoom

05-29-08, 03:06 PM

I noticed last night, at the 6pm news, WLTZ DT (38.1) of Columbus (NBC), they had the local news in HD. They had some stunning pictures. I would like to see WPGA DT (or any/all of the others) go HD on the news. But my point here is, the people you see Anchoring the news on 58 in Macon are the same people you see on 38 in Columbus. Which gives me a spark of hope that HD News is right around the corner...? Of course the "in the field" people are different, but if they can show an HD Studio from Arkansas (or where ever) for WLTZ, they can do the same for WPGA.
Of course you realize, I have no idea what I'm talking about. This is all speculation and hope.....

ToddUGA

06-05-08, 10:48 AM

WMUM's picture quality has gotten worse since adding the subchannels. Whenever there is quick motion, there's noticeable pixelation. I freakin' hate subchannels. :mad:

Ralph Carson

06-10-08, 05:57 PM

Hey Y'all:
I don't know about the other stations, they are a little further along with HD local because they had to buy HD switchers. But we escaped that because Fox supplied the splicer system. So, before we could do anything local, we would have to make that purchase. I suspect that the build out will pick up after analog is turned off. The easiest thing to do would be syndicated sports programs, and syndicated shows. News would be much more expensive to do, so it would probably be last. This transition is actually more difficult than phasing in color in the 1960's. (I wasn't there for that). At least the engineers dealing with color could still run black and white through distribution equipment designed for color. None of this HD stuff is compatible with NTSC. Also, the color signal would play on a black and white set. Not true with ATSC. It will not play on an NTSC set unless, of course, you add a converter box.

Ralph Carson
WGXA TV24/DT16

RickGA

06-28-08, 11:31 PM

According to the FCC's database, WMAZ-DT has filed to increase post-transition power to 52.6 kW. That's up from the previous 30 kW ERP. This should be good news for those of us living on the fringes. The increase does not significantly extend the coverage area, judging by the FCC's maps; but, it should provide a more reliable signal. I'm also looking forward to less problems from impulse noise with the move from channel 4 to 13.

In addition, WPGA has applied for a change in ERP--up from 100 kW to 1,000 kW.

ddauber

06-30-08, 09:38 AM

Anyone know if Cox is going to provide more HD channels anytime soon? Noticed that other Cox areas already have more HD available.

Thx

dwinters

07-09-08, 06:10 AM

oldave

07-09-08, 11:34 PM

Hi, I have not been here for a while and I have a question. Can someone tell me if 58.1 and 41.1 are back on the air I am still not receiving them. I may have issues with my system, If I use my pre amp I get no signal cannot even get 24.1. If I take out the channelmaster pre amp I can get 24.1, I have even tried a winguard preamp. But I still get no signal 41.1 and 58.1 when they used to come in over 80%. There analog comes in but is not watchable. Thanks for any info.

dwinters

Everybody's up and at full power right now (some will be increasing power... including 58).

I suspect you have issues with your system. I have a deep fringe antenna, a ChannelMaster amp and no problems at all with any of the Macon gang.

Make sure your coax coming from the antenna's in good shape.

Ralph Carson

07-10-08, 05:28 PM

If I use my pre amp I get no signal cannot even get 24.1. If I take out the channelmaster pre amp I can get 24.1,

dwinters

It sounds like your amp could be bad. Incidently we have been a little down on power with our DT signal. We have been having cavity problems and we should have it corrected soon.

Ralph Carson
WGXA TV24/DT16

voomvoom

07-14-08, 12:54 AM

Ralph, on February 17 next, is WGXA going to become Fox 16? Or are you possibly going to switch to DT 24 and remain Fox 24?

Trip in VA

07-14-08, 07:11 AM

They will be "Fox 24" 24-1 operating on DT-16, just as they are now. The FCC rules dictate that this is the case.

- Trip

Ralph Carson

07-14-08, 09:42 AM

We will stay on 16. It's a lower frequency, and should perform a little better than 24. Whether we will change our identity to reflect that, I don't know, but we already ID as WGXA TV24/DT16. I suspect we will eventually lose the 24 and it will just be WGXA DT16.

Ralph Carson
WGXA TV24/DT16

P.S. We are back up to full power now, with our digital signal.

Ralph Carson

07-21-08, 06:03 PM

Hey Y'all:
For all y'all football fans, We're working on a little project for fall. Can't say anything other than that, because there's a possibility it might not happen. I'll let y'all know more as things develop.

Ralph Carson
A.C.E.
WGXA TV24 \ DT 16

rockandchelle

07-22-08, 10:47 AM

Can someone in the Middle Georgia Area that has Cox HD, please list all of the available HD Channels. I currently have Dish and am weighing my options as Dish is starting to make some bonehead decisions. Also, if you know of any planned HD channels coming, please list those. Thanks.

Ralph Carson

07-22-08, 01:57 PM

Ralph Carson

07-22-08, 02:49 PM

Hey Y'all:
For the project I mentioned in an earlier post, I just ordered the equipment.

Ralph Carson
A.C.E.
WGXA TV 24/DT 16

rockandchelle

07-23-08, 11:49 AM

You will need Cox's HD box to get their HD channels. If you have a TV with a QAM capable tuner, you can pick up the major network broadcasts. But it's not in 8VSB, so if your set has no QAM capability which is not in the ATSC standard, you will need the HD cable box. The box allows you to receive the non HD digital channels, and they will be a great improvement over the analog channels. HDTV displays don't handle analog picture noise very well, and the digital transmission method cleans it up nicely. Most of these channels are scrambled, so you won't be able to pick them up with just a QAM tuner.

Ralph Carson
WGXA TV

I understand all of that, I just wanted to get an accurate channel lineup for HD Channels. Because if it is what is up on there website, then there lineup pretty much sucks compared to Dish Network and DirecTV. I was hoping maybe it was wrong, and someone could clear it up for me.