Bents

Coolray in Selma here, be interested in know how you feel the PQ from Comcast in HD compares to what you were getting OTA. I will never have cable out here at the reservoir, but my father-in-law lives in Muncie and he does have a HDTV monitor and a BUD in addition to Comcast and thought I would pass along to him the info that you reported.

Thanks
Coolray

Since yesterday I have had trouble getting PBS 20.1. I have a 90 quality signal and have done a channel scan several times on my DTC-100. Anyone else experiencing a problem?

Last night I was watching a show about Auschwitz on PBS HD (via Comast), and the screen went dark for a very long time, with just their channel logo in the corner. It was out for a long time and I finally changed channels. I haven't looked again, but maybe they are having problems this weekend...

WFYI is on now. Both the HD and SD channels are there.

uote:
Originally Posted by RWB
What a curse this has become or as the wife calls it 'HD-OCD'.

It takes awhile for it to sink in, but when it finally hits you have to scratch your head. In the pursuit of OTA HD channels we go to great lengths as noted by many here by buying large antenna, stealth antenna, booster boosters, preamp preamp boosters, gold tipped connectors with oxygen free shielded cabling, moisture reducing coatings, variable speed rotors, and 80ft extension ladders just in case you need to make that final tweak......And all of this so I can get the faith channels (nothing against the religious stations) that I don't watch......Maybe that's why we went to the Moon?


LOL. Me thinks you're trying too hard! Or, maybe like they say in the real estate game, it's location, location, location. From the INDY southside (Southport area) I'm getting lovely reception from all around. 4228 antenna hooked to old wire and a SIR-TS360. Haven't even tried to tweak the antenna to boost the signal. (but I did need the antenna as I couldn't get much before it). Sorry 'bout your luck. I've been there before, just not with DTV.

Bents

Coolray in Selma here, be interested in know how you feel the PQ from Comcast in HD compares to what you were getting OTA. I will never have cable out here at the reservoir, but my father-in-law lives in Muncie and he does have a HDTV monitor and a BUD in addition to Comcast and thought I would pass along to him the info that you reported.

Thanks
Coolray

The HD from Comcast looks really good but the other non-HD channels look a little worse than they did when using s-video but over all im happy with the PQ. If I wasnt getting the extra movie channels I would probably just stick with OTA HD but if you are already paying for the DVR then you can get HD for no extra charge.

The one drawback is the idiot who installed was in an obvious rush and had no idea what he was doing and had the component cables plugged in wrong so for an hour I was messing with my tv settings trying to figure out why it looked so bad until I finally just had everything unplugged and done right. The odd thing was the guys shirt said "Lucas Cable" on it.

If he has the DVR then its a no brainer.. If not you could set him up for a month and see if he likes it and if he doesnt just cancel it.

The HD from Comcast looks really good but the other non-HD channels look a little worse than they did when using s-video but over all im happy with the PQ. If I wasnt getting the extra movie channels I would probably just stick with OTA HD but if you are already paying for the DVR then you can get HD for no extra charge.....
If you are noticing the non digital channels looking worse on a DVR box, it is due to the fact that the non-digital channels have to be converted to MPEG in order to be able to be recorded. There are certain digital artifacts generated in the conversion.

If it's really bothering you, you could split the feed before it goes into the box, and take a feed directly to the tuner on your set. Then you could watch the analog channels using your TV tuner. Of course, if you want to record one of them, you're pretty much stuck.

Ken

I'm finally able to get PBS in HD here in Btown, but I don't think it looks that great. This is the first HD material that I've watched on my tv. Do the other HD stations look better? PBS looks about like my upconverted DVDs so it's not bad at all just not what I expected.

Why doesn't WB4 broadcast the game in HD? And if they aren't why won't they let InHD broadcast it locally in HD? It was annoying when I was trying to watch game 3 that it was available on InHD but I couldn't see it and then when I switched to WB4 it wasn't in HD. Are we going to have the same issure for game 5?

David

Some of PBS HD broadcasts are just standard HD. When Austin City Limits Most (Nova) and others are on you will see they look very good in 1080i.

Brad

Yes you will

The FCC has released its report of the stations involved in the second round process. One area station is on that report. WIPB-DT (PBS), Muncie, applied for ch. 23, since WNDY-DT will be staying on ch. 32, and has received tentative approval. Here's the complete list of stations.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-991A2.pdf

BTW, per the previous posts, IMO, WIPB-DT 52 (49.1) has the best looking HD (1080i) of the PBS stations in this area (WIPB, WFYI, WTIU).

Unless something changes in the meantime, here's the way the channel selection should look in this area on February 17, 2009:

Bloomington/Indianapolis/Kokomo/Marion
WTTV-DT 48
WTTK-DT 29
WRTV-DT 25
WISH-DT 9
WTHR-DT 13
WXIN-DT 45
WFYI-DT 21
WHMB-DT 16
WIPX-DT 27
WCLJ-DT 42
WNDY-DT 32
WTIU-DT 14

Lafayette
WLFI-DT 11

Muncie
WIPB-DT 23

Terre Haute
WTHI-DT 10
WTWO-DT 36
WFXW-DT 39

Steve

I love that WTWO will be on 36.

QUESTION - Once analog broadcasting is dropped, will number rerouting still be allowed? I mean, will WTWO still be able to say they are on 2-1 when they are really on 36? Seems to me they should have to go to 36-1. If not, channel numbers would be rediculous. They should just scrap them if that's the deal.

Number re-routing? Not allowed, but mandated! WTWO will be REQUIRED to still bill themselves as 2-1.

Tom Weber
Engineering
WISH / WNDY / WIIH / LWS / and more!

I'm finally able to get PBS in HD here in Btown, but I don't think it looks that great. This is the first HD material that I've watched on my tv. Do the other HD stations look better? PBS looks about like my upconverted DVDs so it's not bad at all just not what I expected.
I am in Crawfordsville, and routinely pick up WTIU-DT in the late evenings (about 65-70 strength). I don't think 30.2 or especially 30-3 look great. 30.1 looks about as good as 20-1 (WFYI-HD), and they have the exact same programming. Depending on the program, I think PBS HD looks fantastic-- for the travel shows or NOVA (or in my daughter's case, I think Boobah looks a lot better in HD).

I love that WTWO will be on 36.

QUESTION - Once analog broadcasting is dropped, will number rerouting still be allowed? I mean, will WTWO still be able to say they are on 2-1 when they are really on 36? Seems to me they should have to go to 36-1. If not, channel numbers would be rediculous. They should just scrap them if that's the deal.


What's really entertaining about WTWO is this.....

Of course the locals here in the valley have been praying that TWO (NBC) would eventually start broadcasting in HD. And of course we keep hearing that will become a reality when he!! freezes over. Well, I saw something yesterday that finally takes the cake....Their early news broadcast had the weatherman talking about what was coming up later on the main news. What's strange about that? Nothing, other than Jesse Walker is talking aobut this while standing in front of a widescreen plasma set and yes the entire screen was filled with the channel 2 logo. Now for a station that will not broadcast HD widescreen material how cruel is this. Of course this maybe a subliminal message to the masses that they actual do. :p

I've said it over and over.. the best thing for Terre Haute would be for Nexstar to shut down 2 and 38. Then we'd have WTHI for all of our local news, and would be able to get HD nationals of NBC and Fox over DirecTV.

I've said it over and over.. the best thing for Terre Haute would be for Nexstar to shut down 2 and 38. Then we'd have WTHI for all of our local news, and would be able to get HD nationals of NBC and Fox over DirecTV.


Problem is Jason there are some folks who do not have or can not afford cable or dish. While I maybe frustrated with 2 and 38, they are still a choice at this time. Once you lose something it's hard to get it back and considering the market size for TH that would probably be likely.

And the hits just keep coming for WTWO. Sorry Jason you're right, WTWO just needs to disappear.

http://www.tribstar.com/local/local_story_129224439.html

And the hits just keep coming for WTWO. Sorry Jason you're right, WTWO just needs to disappear.

http://www.tribstar.com/local/local_story_129224439.html

Sorry to pour more fuel on the fire, but it's also a bad time to be affiliated with NBC (WTWO). This article reflects on only one night of the week.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_4693.asp

Steve

I came home from Washington DC last month to do some wedding planning, and I happened to catch the WTWO weather ads. I was laughing the whole time. My brother in law said that everyone at the Ballyhoo (where he works) was talking about the ad a few weeks back, and that it did seem over the top.

Bents

My father in law is going to get the HD box brought out to his house and try it. Does it have a Digital Optical cable slot for Dolby Digital in the back and also how many component inputs and out puts does it have on the back of the box.

Also on the digital channels from Indy, how are they mapped on the box, do they show
up as 6.1 and 8.1 and so on and so forth or do they have a different number. Also have you tried what the guy above suggested and did it improve your analog picture quality.

Thanks
coolray

Bents

My father in law is going to get the HD box brought out to his house and try it. Does it have a Digital Optical cable slot for Dolby Digital in the back and also how many component inputs and out puts does it have on the back of the box.

Also on the digital channels from Indy, how are they mapped on the box, do they show
up as 6.1 and 8.1 and so on and so forth or do they have a different number. Also have you tried what the guy above suggested and did it improve your analog picture quality.

Thanks
coolray

With the Motorola box that Comcast uses, all of the output ports are active simultaneoulsy. You can run S-Video or composite video from the box to a different input on your TV, and use that for non-HD programming. The picture ends up looking a bit clearer than when the box upconverts 480i images to 1080i.

The drawback is that you have to change TV inputs when you go from HD to SD, in order to get any benefit. I keep everything at 1080i, mostly because of this reason. It's just less hassle when channel surfing.

I'm new to the HD world, but not by choice. I've had a 50' HDTV for a few months now, but my wife wasn't sure if she wanted to pay for cable with all the bells and whistles and didn't want an ugly antenna. Finally...after she splurged on yet another purse...she decided that it was my turn to buy something "silly". I drove well over the speed limit to Best Buy and purchased an indoor antenna (Terk) for $59.

-embarrassing side note...I put the thing together, put it on top of my TV, plugged it into my TV and proceeded to get irate when it didn't work...I forgot to plug it into my surge protector...genius...

I am in Greenfield and getting 6.1, 8.1, 13.1, 20.1, 23.1, and 59.1 (plus a few religious channels). All are coming it at about 70-75%. I have been very happy so far. I had hockey, Nascar, and NBA Playoffs this weekend...I loved it. I was a little confused about not getting 4.1 WTTV 4 at first. I called someone at the station earlier today and he told me about the new tower/antenna going up. I believe he said by July or something like that. I'm looking forward to it!

I may end up getting rid of the antenna though. My wife thinks this thing (which I think looks a heck of a lot better than any other antenna I've ever owned) is just ugly. So, maybe I will talk her into cable instead. Anyone have good/bad things to say about Insight Cable and their HD broadcast? Thank you...glad to be here...finally.

I'm in Bloomington and my only complaint about Insight is that sometimes the HD picture is a bit "choppy". Not pixellated, but just like it's dropping frames. We've had one tech come out and basically just shrug his shoulders at it (that didn't work). If I unplug the unit and plug it back in, the choppiness goes away but as a long-term solution that just sucks. I haven't figured out yet for sure whether it is channel-isolated or whether it happens on all the HD channels (I think the latter) but it is definitely one of those problems that is sporadic rather than constant, so of course when someone comes to look at the problem in person you can't recreate it on demand. It's even a thing where a picture might look choppy while I'm watching it, but if I happen to be taping it on the DVR (whether I am or not I don't think itself has an impact on the problem) and I go back to it later on the DVR the chop isn't there.

All of this is IIRC, I haven't done any detailed troubleshooting--blame it on a new baby, but it is definitely a complaint I have with Insight. It was a major pain during March Madness. I don't know if anyone else has had this problem, but I find it hard to believe I am the only one.

.......but my wife wasn't sure if she wanted to pay for cable with all the bells and whistles and didn't want an ugly antenna. Finally...after she splurged on yet another purse...she decided that it was my turn to buy something "silly". I drove well over the speed limit to Best Buy and purchased an indoor antenna (Terk) for $59.

....I was a little confused about not getting 4.1 WTTV 4 at first. I called someone at the station earlier today and he told me about the new tower/antenna going up. I believe he said by July or something like that. I'm looking forward to it!

....I may end up getting rid of the antenna though. My wife thinks this thing (which I think looks a heck of a lot better than any other antenna I've ever owned) is just ugly.

Welcome to HDTV, jrcorwin. LOL about the wife comments. Why is it that women think antennas are ugly??? Isn't an item with such usefulness a thing of beauty?

The info you received relating to WTTV-DT is correct. I work with one of the station engineers, so I get some periodic updates. The new high-power transmitter is currently being installed. It should hit the air sometime in June.

Steve

Quick question...if I have an indoor antenna and my signal strengh is now 75%-85%...can I expect that to be lower in the winter (and about how much)? I don't know if the cold/snow has an effect. Thanks!

Quick question...if I have an indoor antenna and my signal strengh is now 75%-85%...can I expect that to be lower in the winter (and about how much)? I don't know if the cold/snow has an effect. Thanks!

Since you are within line of sight reception of the locals, I doubt that you'll see much of a difference this winter from what you are currently seeing. Reception conditons in this area have recently been very similar to winter conditions, or dead band conditions. In the coming weeks, Mother Nature will begin to play around with the atmosphere, which can cause an increase or a decrease in local signal strengths from time to time. These conditons usually exist during the evening and overnight hours.

In December, I was checking reception in Kokomo (35-38 miles from most of the Indy towers) using a small indoor antenna (Silver Sensor with an amplifier on the line) and was able to get most of them quite easily. Location is usually the secret to a good, strong signal. My 2 cents.

Steve

IndyJeff

Thanks for the response and I will pass that info along as soon as he gets his new boxes and starts the long process [for him] of hooking them up.

Thanks
coolray

Bents

My father in law is going to get the HD box brought out to his house and try it. Does it have a Digital Optical cable slot for Dolby Digital in the back and also how many component inputs and out puts does it have on the back of the box.

Also on the digital channels from Indy, how are they mapped on the box, do they show
up as 6.1 and 8.1 and so on and so forth or do they have a different number. Also have you tried what the guy above suggested and did it improve your analog picture quality.

Thanks
coolray

When he gets the box hooked up he should be able to hit the "Menu button on the remote and see a "HD" option. If he selects that he will see the list of HD stations that start at 202 with ESPNHD and goes up from there. It does have the Optical Cable slot and I am using that.

I was told by the installer that the DVI out was disabled but you can still use the the other outputs. I did not try what the guy suggested but it will help.

Since you are within line of sight reception of the locals, I doubt that you'll see much of a difference this winter from what you are currently seeing. Reception conditons in this area have recently been very similar to winter conditions, or dead band conditions. In the coming weeks, Mother Nature will begin to play around with the atmosphere, which can cause an increase or a decrease in local signal strengths from time to time. These conditons usually exist during the evening and overnight hours.

In December, I was checking reception in Kokomo (35-38 miles from most of the Indy towers) using a small indoor antenna (Silver Sensor with an amplifier on the line) and was able to get most of them quite easily. Location is usually the secret to a good, strong signal. My 2 cents.

Steve

I have a Terk indoor antenna...is there an amplifier I could use with this? What type of price range are we talking? What would be a safe estimate of how much improvement I would see? Sorry for all the questions. Thank you very much for the info.

-I found this...could I use this? Would it do me any good? I have no clue...
CE LABS 6001 Prograde 1 GHz Bi-Directional RF Amplifier
http://www.sjgreatdeals.com/cei6001.html

...or this instead
TERK BIA20 In-Line Amplifier
http://www.sjgreatdeals.com/terbia20.html

I have both D* & E* (HD) and when I recently up-graded to the new DISH 1000 and VIP 622 DVR from DISH, I removed one of the DISH 500 dishes. It was located close to my outside OTA antenna (original free VOOM) and then I found I lost WTTK-DT on 29-1 (same as WTTV 4-1 located north of Noblesville in Windfall) Guess that dish had somehow increased reception to the OTA. Bought a 10 DB booster/splitter from Home Depot and ran the outputs to my D* and E* HD DVRs and reestablished a good signal and picture from 29-1 (and now 29-2 also). Since all my other Indianapolis OTA stations are south of this location the antenna faces SW, but with this cheap booster I can pick-up 29-1 again. Doubt that I will ever be able to receive 4-1 OTA up here with any increased signal.

I have a Terk indoor antenna...is there an amplifier I could use with this? What type of price range are we talking? What would be a safe estimate of how much improvement I would see? Sorry for all the questions. Thank you very much for the info.

-I found this...could I use this? Would it do me any good? I have no clue...
CE LABS 6001 Prograde 1 GHz Bi-Directional RF Amplifier
http://www.sjgreatdeals.com/cei6001.html

...or this instead
TERK BIA20 In-Line Amplifier
http://www.sjgreatdeals.com/terbia20.html

You for sure don't need a bi-directional RF Amplifier. You won't be transmitting back to the transmitter. Bi-directional amps are for cable TV systems where you send back information to the cable company (on demand TV, etc.)
I don't have any idea if either of the above amps are any good, but would question a fourteen dollar amp based simply on the cost. I have used Winegard products for a long time, and I've always found them to be of high quality and very reliable for many years. I like the HDA-100.
http://www.winegard.com/offair/pdf/WC-819_HDA_100_&_200_hdtv_amplifier.pdf
Low noise amps seem to work better for me than high amplification amps.
I am not sure an amp will help all that much with an indoor antenna, but who knows!
Good luck.
Nat Hill IV

I have a Terk indoor antenna...is there an amplifier I could use with this? What type of price range are we talking? What would be a safe estimate of how much improvement I would see? Sorry for all the questions. Thank you very much for the info.

-I found this...could I use this? Would it do me any good? I have no clue...
CE LABS 6001 Prograde 1 GHz Bi-Directional RF Amplifier
http://www.sjgreatdeals.com/cei6001.html

...or this instead
TERK BIA20 In-Line Amplifier
http://www.sjgreatdeals.com/terbia20.html

Here's an example of what I use with the Zenith Silver Sensor.
http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=44964&WT.mc_n=4&WT.mc_t=U&cm_ven=COMPARISON%20SHOPPING&cm_cat=GOOGLE&cm_pla=DATAFEED->PRODUCTS&cm_ite=1%20PRODUCT&cm_keycode=4

I actually own 2 of these which I purchased from Ebay. I use one with the Silver Sensor for checking conditions in various locations (portable) and then I use one with my high-band VHF outdoor antenna to boost the signal for stations like WLFI-DT, Lafayette. A few years ago I read a review about this booster from a radio/antenna design engineer in Kokomo. It works quite well and usually isn't prone to overloading like some boosters and preamps. A friend of mine near Southport uses this booster with an indoor antenna and has very good signal levels.

I'm sorry, but I'm not familiar with the items you listed. Sometimes you just have to try an item to see if it will work for your situation. Before buying, check on the return policy of the retailer so it can be returned if it doesn't work for you.

Steve

Did anyone notice that the headline on the AVSForum main page talks about Blu-ray discs being made in TERRA HAUTE?

Why do people always do that?!?!? It burns me up!!! It's not Spanish! (I sent her a PM)

UPDATE - She fixed it

Here's an example of what I use with the Zenith Silver Sensor.
http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=44964&WT.mc_n=4&WT.mc_t=U&cm_ven=COMPARISON%20SHOPPING&cm_cat=GOOGLE&cm_pla=DATAFEED->PRODUCTS&cm_ite=1%20PRODUCT&cm_keycode=4

I actually own 2 of these which I purchased from Ebay. I use one with the Silver Sensor for checking conditions in various locations (portable) and then I use one with my high-band VHF outdoor antenna to boost the signal for stations like WLFI-DT, Lafayette. A few years ago I read a review about this booster from a radio/antenna design engineer in Kokomo. It works quite well and usually isn't prone to overloading like some boosters and preamps. A friend of mine near Southport uses this booster with an indoor antenna and has very good signal levels.

I'm sorry, but I'm not familiar with the items you listed. Sometimes you just have to try an item to see if it will work for your situation. Before buying, check on the return policy of the retailer so it can be returned if it doesn't work for you.

Steve

Thank you very much for your help! I really appreciate it.

You for sure don't need a bi-directional RF Amplifier. You won't be transmitting back to the transmitter. Bi-directional amps are for cable TV systems where you send back information to the cable company (on demand TV, etc.)
I don't have any idea if either of the above amps are any good, but would question a fourteen dollar amp based simply on the cost. I have used Winegard products for a long time, and I've always found them to be of high quality and very reliable for many years. I like the HDA-100.
http://www.winegard.com/offair/pdf/WC-819_HDA_100_&_200_hdtv_amplifier.pdf
Low noise amps seem to work better for me than high amplification amps.
I am not sure an amp will help all that much with an indoor antenna, but who knows!
Good luck.
Nat Hill IV

I appreciate your help. Thank you!

Ok, I have a 51' Philips (51PP9100D/37) and recieve my HDTV broadcast via an indoor antenna. When I choose to view "info" the channel number, channel name, show now/info, signal strengh, Date, and TIME are all listed. There is only one problem...the time is listed as being an hour earlier than it really is. The time is set correctly on the TV by going through the menu. I called Philips and they told me that info in the "info" box is taken directly from whoever is sending the signal. Well 6, 8, 13, 20, 23, and 59 all say the same exact date/time...one hour earlier that it really is. Why is this? Anyone else have this issue? I know it isn't a bid deal, but I would just like for it to display correctly. Thank you...

DTV stations send out Universal time (Zulu or Greenwich Mean time) and dtv receivers make the conversion to local time except viewers need to program their receiver for local time zone so check your menus and (re)configure for Eastern Daylight Savings time.

DTV stations send out Universal time (Zulu or Greenwich Mean time) and dtv receivers make the conversion to local time except viewers need to program their receiver for local time zone so check your menus and (re)configure for Eastern Daylight Savings time.

My reception is through an antenna and not through a cable/satellite provider. This information is being taken directly from the signal. I have no ability to adjust the local time zone through the TV menu. While it may be 6:00 p.m. in my area...my DTV info reads as 5:00 p.m. Every channel is consistently 1 hour behind.

I experienced the very same thing the first Sunday after time change. The time shown by my set top box was one hour off and I was convinced I was right and the stations were all wrong. I even called the engineer at our station and he double checked and we were transmitting proper GMT. Eventually I found the right menu in my s.t.b. and after I checkmarked "observe daylight savings time" the times began displaying correctly, so really was my bad.

Hmm...I don't have an option to change that. Guess I'm stuck like this, oh well.

Did anyone notice that the headline on the AVSForum main page talks about Blu-ray discs being made in TERRA HAUTE?

Why do people always do that?!?!? It burns me up!!! It's not Spanish! (I sent her a PM)

WTHI had a three part series this week on their news cast about hi def in the Valley. They talked about Blu-ray one night and last night the discussion centered on HD tvs/and broadcasting.

I have some questions about satellite HD, maybe or maybe not coincidental with Comcast being out ALL NIGHT last night during season finalé week... :)

1. I looked into DirecTV once, but I could not get their HD signal due to trees. The only way possible was to hang the dish over the edge of the garage, right next my elderly neighbors' garage in my duplex (and they would NOT want to look at a dish every day, so I didn't even pursue it). My other neighbor, in the building next to me, wants to switch to satellite, and he has a much better view of the sky. Is it possible to share a dish with a neighbor if it's not the same building (we're about 50 feet apart).

2. How many satellite dishes are required for Dish Network these days if you want to get all their HD programming? The last time I looked, they required 2 or 3 dishes, which is really not feasible.

Thanks,
Jeff

WTHI had a three part series this week on their news cast about hi def in the Valley. They talked about Blu-ray one night and last night the discussion centered on HD tvs/and broadcasting.Did they talk about Nexstar's lack of HD on WTWO and Fox38 (whatever the call letters are now)?

They should have slapped WTWO back with an attack ad worthy of the Daily Show! ;)

Did they talk about Nexstar's lack of HD on WTWO and Fox38 (whatever the call letters are now)?

They should have slapped WTWO back with an attack ad worthy of the Daily Show! ;)

:p No they didn't Jason, but one thing they did was kind of :eek:


Mark Allen mentioned how this wonderful new technology allowed them to create side channels such as 10-2 or 10-3. Uh oh.......

I know there are some users of the Motorola DCT 6412 DVR in this forum. Today I swapped my old 6412 for a new unit, a "Phase III" box. If you have an older box, and if you care at all about the quality of picture on your analog stations, you should definitely take the time to get the Phase III box.

The difference in picture quality on the analog stations is like night and day. The analogs on the Phase III box look as good as the digitals now. With the older Phase II box that I had, the analogs were grainy and fuzzy, and text (such as headline text on CNN or MSNBC) would flicker noticeably. Some of the analogs were just terrible (all the locals, SciFi, CNN, and Bravo were the worst). Now, all the stations are as clear as I've seen anywhere, cable or satellite.

Identifying a DCT 6412 Phase III (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Identifying_your_model)

Jeff

I live out SW of Indianapolis about 20 mi. past the airport. For the last 17 years or so I've had a race day party where we watch it live!!! At first I turned my antenna towards Terre Haute, and we watched on channel 38. Then I got C-Band so PrimeTime24 provided us with ABC from afar. Now I find that PrimeTime24 has ceased operation, and channel 38 is a FOX affiliate. Any ideas as to how to watch it this year? The 10-foot mesh dish is still completely operational. Time is definitely of the essence.

Greg

I live out SW of Indianapolis about 20 mi. past the airport. For the last 17 years or so I've had a race day party where we watch it live!!! At first I turned my antenna towards Terre Haute, and we watched on channel 38. Then I got C-Band so PrimeTime24 provided us with ABC from afar. Now I find that PrimeTime24 has ceased operation, and channel 38 is a FOX affiliate. Any ideas as to how to watch it this year? The 10-foot mesh dish is still completely operational. Time is definitely of the essence.

Greg

Sorry, I don't know your options with C-band, but as for terrestrial stations I'd say that WICD-15 or WICD-DT 41(15.1), Champaign (ABC) are your best bets, if you have a very good antenna setup. WICD's tower is located just south of I-74 between Champaign and Danville, IL. FCC coverage map for WICD-DT is below. Good luck.

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT1031586.html

Steve

I've just discovered that if I buy a Motorola 4DTV receiver or sidecar I can subscribe to the Denver 5 channels using Digicipher technology. I am grandfathered in as far as buying network programming since I did it long before there were rulings concerning local affiliates. Now to find one ASAP. There may also be C-Band wild feeds of the race, but I doubt it. Thanks for the coverage map. I'm right below the last E in Greencastle.

Apparently this one was under the radar screen or at least I hadn't heard anything about it until I was in the area this morning and noticed the new tower immediately next to the WHMB-40 tower with a tower crew near the top working on the new top-mounted antenna. I called the station and confirmed that this is their new tower for WHMB-DT 16. According to FCC files, it appears the station will be transmitting 163 kW with a directional antenna (strongest signal to the east and south) @ approx. 960 feet (HAAT). This station is currently operating at low power (18.6 kW @ 445 feet) from the station's first analog tower located at the studios on St. Rd. 238, southeast of Noblesville. It should be on the air by July 1.

Steve

Well, I have only had HD for a few weeks now and my options for an antenna are limited. I have an apartment and can't really get away with much else. I am pulling in 6.1,8.1,13.1,20.1,23.1,59.1 with a decent signal strength. I do of course have days where a few of the channels give me trouble however.

My problems are now history! I finally got the wife's approval for HD cable! It is being installed on Saturday (May 27th). It's with Insight so I should have all of the local HD, Universal HD, ESPN HD, Discovery HD Theater, HDNet, and HDNet Movies. I asked about ESPN2 HD but they didn't have any information for me. Oh well...I'm happy for the time being. It's just too bad the 500 won't be broadcast in HD so that I could watch the re-broadcast that night on ABC.

Anyone have info on Insight? Quality? New HD channels coming soon? Thanks! Everyone has been a big help in the short period of time I have been here.

Hey Hoosiers, I need help chosing an antenna. I am located on the south side of Indianapolis in Beech Grove. I live in a dowstairs apartment. I'm just getting into this OTA thing. I just bought an HDTV and I picked up a Philips multidirectional antenna. I was shocked when I saw the picture quality but I don't pick up all the stations I'd like and there are a couple that go in-and-out of reception. I've heard the Zenith Silver Sensors are good. Any advice? Thanks in advance.

re: jrcorwin

I have a post on page 93 that is my current complaint with Insight, I noticed it the other day while watching Kindergarden Cop on UHD. As usual after I unplugged and replugged the unit (at least a 5 second delay between the two), the chop was gone. It's a pain though because then all the program information has to re-load and if you are recording something to the DVR you're going to lose at least part of it while the unit is off and then while the unit is waiting on loading the program information.

re: jrcorwin

I have a post on page 93 that is my current complaint with Insight, I noticed it the other day while watching Kindergarden Cop on UHD. As usual after I unplugged and replugged the unit (at least a 5 second delay between the two), the chop was gone. It's a pain though because then all the program information has to re-load and if you are recording something to the DVR you're going to lose at least part of it while the unit is off and then while the unit is waiting on loading the program information.

I likely do not watch as much Insight Digital Cable as you, but I have never had this problem with my unit. I would ask Insight if you can bring in your unit and swap it with another one. This just doesn't sound right.
Despite my recent Insightbb.com problems with Insight, I have found the local office great to work with.
Nat Hill IV

I am watching WTHI-DT in Terre Haute, which is usually in HD, but the Country Music Assn Awards are not here for some reason.

Anyway, I've noticed that when I'm watching WTHI-DT, HD or not, the picture freezes up every few minutes. The audio usually stays in tact but the video will freeze for like 10 seconds or has green pixelation on the screen for a few seconds.

Anyone know why this happens so frequently? The channel or just DTV in general?

Thanks.

I can't speak to the channel but that is not typical of HD in general. The picture with a good signal is smooth without freeze up or pixelization. I'd guess you have a marginal signal or bad multipath.

I am watching WTHI-DT in Terre Haute, which is usually in HD, but the Country Music Assn Awards are not here for some reason.

Anyway, I've noticed that when I'm watching WTHI-DT, HD or not, the picture freezes up every few minutes. The audio usually stays in tact but the video will freeze for like 10 seconds or has green pixelation on the screen for a few seconds.

Anyone know why this happens so frequently? The channel or just DTV in general?

Thanks.

As far as the awards show goes...I don't believe that was in HD. Can't really tell you for sure because I haven't been able to recieve CBS (WISH-TV 8) for a few days now! I don't know what's wrong, but oh well.

As far as the awards show goes...I don't believe that was in HD. Can't really tell you for sure because I haven't been able to recieve CBS (WISH-TV 8) for a few days now! I don't know what's wrong, but oh well.

I flipped over to it a couple of times, and it was in SD on WISH TV as well. Pretty lousy SD as well (I saw Reba on stage briefly and everything was orange -- the background, her hair, her skin...).

The new tower for WHMB will also host WDTI-DT 44, the digital version of channel 69, so the last holdout (well, not their choice) will fall, and all of the Indy-area channels (I think!) will have their digital versions up and on-the-air!

Tom Weber
Engineering
WISH / WNDY / WIIH / and more

The new tower for WHMB will also host WDTI-DT 44, the digital version of channel 69, so the last holdout (well, not their choice) will fall, and all of the Indy-area channels (I think!) will have their digital versions up and on-the-air!

Tom Weber
Engineering
WISH / WNDY / WIIH / and more

And this tightwad Bloomingtonian will enjoy cystal clear digital reception of all of the Indy stations. Life is good!
Thanks to everybody for the updates.
Nat Hill IV

Hey Hoosiers, I need help chosing an antenna. I am located on the south side of Indianapolis in Beech Grove. I live in a dowstairs apartment. I'm just getting into this OTA thing. I just bought an HDTV and I picked up a Philips multidirectional antenna. I was shocked when I saw the picture quality but I don't pick up all the stations I'd like and there are a couple that go in-and-out of reception. I've heard the Zenith Silver Sensors are good. Any advice? Thanks in advance.

Hey Dave, welcome to AVS Forum and to the world of HDTV and OTA. Sometimes reception can be a tricky issue, especially when using an indoor antenna. It usually comes down to location, location, location. Being in Beech Grove, you have most of the station towers to your north while the WTTV, WIPX and WCLJ towers are south in Trafalgar. WTTV-DT will be cranking up its power by July 1.

I'm not familiar with the Philips you own, but the Zenith Silver Sensor is a UHF only antenna. At the present time, WISH-DT 9 is the only DTV station on VHF, so the Silver Sensor doesn't always receive this station very well. In your location, I'd probably suggest one of the indoor antennas that will receive UHF and VHF stations. As it stands now, when the analog stations are turned off in February 2009, WTHR-DT 46 will switch to its analog channel (13).

If you have a large closet or storage area, I might suggest you buy a small all-channel outdoor antenna and position it there.

Steve

The new tower for WHMB will also host WDTI-DT 44, the digital version of channel 69, so the last holdout (well, not their choice) will fall, and all of the Indy-area channels (I think!) will have their digital versions up and on-the-air!

Tom Weber
Engineering
WISH / WNDY / WIIH / and more

Tom, thanks for the update on WDTI-DT. Another local TV engineer and I were just chatting about that station and wondering when it was going to hit the air.

Steve

I am watching WTHI-DT in Terre Haute, which is usually in HD, but the Country Music Assn Awards are not here for some reason.

Anyway, I've noticed that when I'm watching WTHI-DT, HD or not, the picture freezes up every few minutes. The audio usually stays in tact but the video will freeze for like 10 seconds or has green pixelation on the screen for a few seconds.

Anyone know why this happens so frequently? The channel or just DTV in general?

Thanks.

Your description sounds like the result of a weak signal or a multipath signal which is confusing the receiver. It could be that your signal level is right on the threshold of decoding, and then when the signal dips just a little, the result is the green pixelation. When DXing very weak stations, I've seen similar results, and where the audio will continue while the video is breaking up or even totally gone. This description will vary between various digital receivers.

If your receiver has a signal meter, check to see what it indicates and make sure the receiver is getting a strong enough signal and that it isn't spiking up and down, which usually indicates some nasty multipath. When watching WTHI-10 (analog), do you see any ghosting? If so, this is the first sign of mulitpath.

Steve

I am watching WTHI-DT in Terre Haute, which is usually in HD, but the Country Music Assn Awards are not here for some reason.

Anyway, I've noticed that when I'm watching WTHI-DT, HD or not, the picture freezes up every few minutes. The audio usually stays in tact but the video will freeze for like 10 seconds or has green pixelation on the screen for a few seconds.

Anyone know why this happens so frequently? The channel or just DTV in general?

Thanks.

Yeah, sounds like interference of some kind. Not sure where you are located, but I get 10-1 about 98% of the time here near the Clay/Putnam Co. line on US40. I do get occasional freeze probably from RFI - like a two-way radio being keyed for a few seconds. Strange because WTHI-DT is at 533 Mhz! ??? I do NOT get WTWO-DT and WFXW-DT at all - even with BIG OUTDOOR ANTENNA and 26 dB pre-. Indy looks real good as well!
Check your RF meter indication. Should be a clue!
Ken.

I do NOT get WTWO-DT and WFXW-DT at all - even with BIG OUTDOOR ANTENNA
Ken.

Wait a minute Ken. If you're trying to get 2 and 38, wouldn't this be like a Pepsi worker attempting to buy a Coke product? :D

Anyone have an update on WTTV4-HD?

Anyone have an update on WTTV4-HD?

Earlier in the week, Rick Poling at WTTV mentioned that the new transmitter is ready to go and that the tower crew was scheduled to arrive Wednesday (yesterday). These guys will install the new transmission line from the transmitter output to the new high-power antenna, at approx. 1000 ft. up, that will also be installed. Some modifications to the tower are also scheduled. Rick estimates it will be another 4 weeks before it hits the air, provided the weather cooperates.

Steve

Thanks Steve!

re: jrcorwin

I have a post on page 93 that is my current complaint with Insight, I noticed it the other day while watching Kindergarden Cop on UHD. As usual after I unplugged and replugged the unit (at least a 5 second delay between the two), the chop was gone. It's a pain though because then all the program information has to re-load and if you are recording something to the DVR you're going to lose at least part of it while the unit is off and then while the unit is waiting on loading the program information.

I have the same problem with Insight in Bloomington... to me it seems to be isolated to certain channels, NBC and HBO seem the worst right now, although Fox seemed worse last year. It is most noticeable in fast motion sequences. A camera panning up/down or side-to-side quickly shows the skips.

Looks to me like Insight is trying to send too much data through too small a pipe, and when every pixel needs to be redrawn the data just can't get there in time. Put a talking head on the screen where the vast majority of the picture is still and you can't see the problem.

On an unrelated note, there was one sentence in the Bloomington Herald-Times about AT&T offering IPTV. The story ran last Saturday (5/20/06) and the primary focus was AT&T reaching a union agreement. This sentence was included in the story, though:

Bloomington and Indianapolis will be the first two cities to launch Internet-protocol television - IPTV.

My google skills have failed me... anyone have any info on what will be available and when? HDTV? DVR? Local channels?

Does anyone else notice very frequent "stuttering" of the video picture on WISH DT when they are showing their news? It happens about every 10 or 15 seconds during the local news and the national news. I don't notice it on commercials, or during network HD shows, and I don't see this on any other digital channels, or on WISH's analog station.

It's easiest to see when there's smooth motion in the scene, such as a camera panning a scene. The symptom is that the video appears to get stuck for a split second and then skip a frame. Sometimes it slows down for a second or less, appearing to be in slow motion.

Just curious...

Jeff

On an unrelated note, there was one sentence in the Bloomington Herald-Times about AT&T offering IPTV. The story ran last Saturday (5/20/06) and the primary focus was AT&T reaching a union agreement. This sentence was included in the story, though:

Bloomington and Indianapolis will be the first two cities to launch Internet-protocol television - IPTV.

My google skills have failed me... anyone have any info on what will be available and when? HDTV? DVR? Local channels?

Try this link:

Project Lightspeed (http://www.sbc.com/gen/press-room?pid=5838&phase=check)

No real information on channels though.

Looks to me like Insight is trying to send too much data through too small a pipe, and when every pixel needs to be redrawn the data just can't get there in time. Put a talking head on the screen where the vast majority of the picture is still and you can't see the problem.

I simultaneously agree and disagree. I agree--the symptom on the surface certainly suggests that type of cause. I disagree in that if you, like me, can resolve such stuttering by unplugging and re-plugging the unit, then there is a disconnect between the described symptom and your suggested cause (a cause I have theorized myself).

In other words, if the problem was simply too much data in too small a pipe then nothing about unplugging and replugging the cable box itself should make any difference in the symptom--and in my particular case that does, at least temporarily, fix the symptom.

I also wonder, if that indeed is the case, where the pipe is being squeezed. Is there too much line between us and the signal source? Does it vary with aggregate digital TV use in our area, i.e. more problems in the evenings when more people turn their sets on? Or is it with the last few feet of cable before it enters our homes?

It's just strange.

I simultaneously agree and disagree. I agree--the symptom on the surface certainly suggests that type of cause. I disagree in that if you, like me, can resolve such stuttering by unplugging and re-plugging the unit, then there is a disconnect between the described symptom and your suggested cause (a cause I have theorized myself).

In other words, if the problem was simply too much data in too small a pipe then nothing about unplugging and replugging the cable box itself should make any difference in the symptom--and in my particular case that does, at least temporarily, fix the symptom.

I also wonder, if that indeed is the case, where the pipe is being squeezed. Is there too much line between us and the signal source? Does it vary with aggregate digital TV use in our area, i.e. more problems in the evenings when more people turn their sets on? Or is it with the last few feet of cable before it enters our homes?

It's just strange.

I have put off trying the unplugging/re-plugging test not wanting to wait for the guide to re-load, but I just found the stuttering on HDNET to be particularly noticeable so I tried it.

How long does unplugging fix the problem for you? I left the box unplugged for ~30 seconds and had stuttering within a minute of plugging it back in. There were no scenes in the first several seconds where I would have expected to see the stutter so I can't say that stuttering returned instantly.

Strange indeed.

Does anyone else notice very frequent "stuttering" of the video picture on WISH DT when they are showing their news? It happens about every 10 or 15 seconds during the local news and the national news. I don't notice it on commercials, or during network HD shows, and I don't see this on any other digital channels, or on WISH's analog station.

It's easiest to see when there's smooth motion in the scene, such as a camera panning a scene. The symptom is that the video appears to get stuck for a split second and then skip a frame. Sometimes it slows down for a second or less, appearing to be in slow motion.

Just curious...

Jeff

After some intense Google searching, I found a workaround for this problem. It's definitely a problem with the Motorola DCT6412 Phase III boxes (as well as a 6416 box which doesn't seem to be available around here), as many people report the exact same problem around the country, and only on certain channels (for me, it was WISH-DT and Discovery HD). As I wrote, about every ten seconds or so, the video would seem to skip a frame or two and then catch up. This was most noticeable when the camera was panning, while credits were rolling, or during other "smooth" video.

At first, you don't notice this problem. After you notice it, though, it will drive you insane.

The workaround that I found after hours of searching is to set the DCT6412 output to 480p for a few minutes, and then switch it back to 1080i. Apparently, this problem does not occur ever at 720p, from what I read.

To change to 480p, press Power to turn the box off, then press Menu. Make the change, press Menu again, and then turn the box on. This has to be done every time the box reboots (i.e. power loss, firmware update, etc.).

Jeff

Thanks for all the input Steve. The Philips antenna I bought recieves both UHF and VHF and I've been moving it all around my apartment trying to find the best spot. I found a spot where I can get most channels that I should but there is always ONE I can't get. I'll tune in 4.1 and can't get 6.1 etc.

WTTV-DT is one station I really want but have trouble receiving. When you say "will be cranking up its power" does that mean I will have a better chance of receiving it? Also, since WB and UPN are merging which channel will they broadcast on?

I'll be getting an outdoor antenna and putting it in our extra room. I saw one from Terk that looks like a square dish. Is that a good one? Or should I try one of the one's with all the beams or whatever?

Last question: Is it possible to use more than one antenna and face one north and one south to receive channels from both directions?

Thanks again. -Dave

PS: I'm trying to convince my wife that we need to move to an upstairs apartment for better reception. LOL free HDTV rocks.

Thanks for all the input Steve. The Philips antenna I bought recieves both UHF and VHF and I've been moving it all around my apartment trying to find the best spot. I found a spot where I can get most channels that I should but there is always ONE I can't get. I'll tune in 4.1 and can't get 6.1 etc.

WTTV-DT is one station I really want but have trouble receiving. When you say "will be cranking up its power" does that mean I will have a better chance of receiving it? Also, since WB and UPN are merging which channel will they broadcast on?

I'll be getting an outdoor antenna and putting it in our extra room. I saw one from Terk that looks like a square dish. Is that a good one? Or should I try one of the one's with all the beams or whatever?

Last question: Is it possible to use more than one antenna and face one north and one south to receive channels from both directions?

Thanks again. -Dave

Dave-

I spoke an engineer with WTTV-4 several weeks ago. He said something along the lines of.....the last owner/operator of the station didn't really invest in HD. So...when the new folks took over they just put something together in a hurry and it's signal is very weak. They are putting up the new equipment right now. It should be up and active with a much, much stronger signal by July 1st.

Anyone able to watch the Indy 500 in Indianapolis at 12pm? Via the internet? This blackout stinks. People that goto the Indy 500 don't even really watch the race anyway.

Anyone able to watch the Indy 500 in Indianapolis at 12pm? Via the internet? This blackout stinks. People that goto the Indy 500 don't even really watch the race anyway.
The 500 is the only reason we still have a 10 foot dish in our back yard. Caught the ABC backhaul. It's even better, because there are no commercials.

When they finally go all digital, we'll probably take out the dish :(

Ken

Not only did IMS choose not to have an HD feed for ABC to broadcast...but the SD was bad, very bad.

Indycar should be taking advantage of every opportunity to revive the sport.

Not only did IMS choose not to have an HD feed for ABC to broadcast...but the SD was bad, very bad.

Indycar should be taking advantage of every opportunity to revive the sport.

Don't get me started. Brent says that Danica has "crashed her way" into the sixth spot, then ****** Rusty Wallace says this is one of the greatest "Daytona 500s ever."
Doesn't Tony George have ANY control over these morons?
Watched the NASCAR jalopies in the evening in HiDef with 5.1 sound, and had to wonder what in the world has happened to the great Indianapolis 500.

Nat Hill IV

ps. I know, this post is off topic. I'll go sit down in the corner now.

Not only did IMS choose not to have an HD feed for ABC to broadcast...but the SD was bad, very bad.

Indycar should be taking advantage of every opportunity to revive the sport.
I could be wrong (First time for everything :rolleyes: ), but I doubt that the IMS had any choice in the matter. I would think it's a corporate decision made by the network, based on their anticipated viewer base versus the additional cost associated with the HD infrastructure required in the production facility.

With that said, I would imagine the IMS could request that it be in HD. Who knows, any of our local affiliate types have any input on this? Tom???

Ken

Don't get me started. Brent says that Danica has "crashed her way" into the sixth spot, then ****** Rusty Wallace says this is one of the greatest "Daytona 500s ever."
Doesn't Tony George have ANY control over these morons?
Watched the NASCAR jalopies in the evening in HiDef with 5.1 sound, and had to wonder what in the world has happened to the great Indianapolis 500.

Nat Hill IV

ps. I know, this post is off topic. I'll go sit down in the corner now.

Oh, there was a race yesterday? Indy or Daytona?? LOL.... When local radio stations are giving away tickets to the 500 less than a week before the race, there's a problem. This race certainly isn't what it used to be.

FWIW, during the early part of the race, while WRTV was airing an infomercial show, I did see a little of the race "live" via, I believe, KIII-3, Corpus Christi, TX. There was some fairly intense E-skip around here yesterday afternoon. No video decoded, but one of my DTV receivers was able to display the PSIP info for WTWC-DT 2, Tallahassee, FL. If anyone is interested in this kind of reception, you might check this afternoon as it is beginning to pop up again today. E-skip affects the low-VHF channels, 2-6, and then into the FM band, if it gets high enough in frequency. This is one of several reasons why most DTV stations do not want to use one of these channels.

Steve

fyi, i found out my mom in law can get the indy 500 via abc east on dish. probly should have spent memorial weekend there.

After some intense Google searching, I found a workaround for this problem. It's definitely a problem with the Motorola DCT6412 Phase III boxes (as well as a 6416 box which doesn't seem to be available around here), as many people report the exact same problem around the country, and only on certain channels (for me, it was WISH-DT and Discovery HD). As I wrote, about every ten seconds or so, the video would seem to skip a frame or two and then catch up. This was most noticeable when the camera was panning, while credits were rolling, or during other "smooth" video.

At first, you don't notice this problem. After you notice it, though, it will drive you insane.

The workaround that I found after hours of searching is to set the DCT6412 output to 480p for a few minutes, and then switch it back to 1080i. Apparently, this problem does not occur ever at 720p, from what I read.

To change to 480p, press Power to turn the box off, then press Menu. Make the change, press Menu again, and then turn the box on. This has to be done every time the box reboots (i.e. power loss, firmware update, etc.).

Jeff


Thank you, IndyJeff. Only about 15 minutes since I tried this, but so far I haven't noticed a skip. If things stay this good, I owe you a beer.

Bill

Thank you, IndyJeff. Only about 15 minutes since I tried this, but so far I haven't noticed a skip. If things stay this good, I owe you a beer.

Bill

Good deal! Heineken or or Corona is fine with me... <g>

Jeff

P.S. - Do you notice that one analog tuner is better than the other on this box? Tune to CNN on both tuners and compare the quality of the text in the crawl at the bottom of the screen. On one tuner, the text is clear, and on the other, the text is a bit blurry and distorted (though still readable).

Good deal! Heineken or or Corona is fine with me... <g>

Jeff

P.S. - Do you notice that one analog tuner is better than the other on this box? Tune to CNN on both tuners and compare the quality of the text in the crawl at the bottom of the screen. On one tuner, the text is clear, and on the other, the text is a bit blurry and distorted (though still readable).


Yes, now that you point it out one is better than the other. It was most obvious on CNN as you mention, not as easy to see on Fox News or ESPN2, the two other analogs that had crawls on the bottom.

Bill

He Save Dave,

Regarding your questions, WTTV will become the local affiliate for the new CW network. One of the companies behind CW is Tribune Broadcasting, which also owns WTTV and WXIN. It seems likely, from what I've read, that WNDY may become an affiliate with the new network that Fox is planning to start.

Dave, personally I've experimented with a lot of different antennas, but I've never tried a Terk. If you do a search, you'll find a number of threads here at AVS Forum and elsewhere about their antennas. It seems that users either really like them or they hate them. Personally, from what you've described, I'd probably check out one of the small all-channel antennas, with the regular elements, at Lowes (Channel Master), Home Depot (RCA I believe) or Radio Shack. A place to start or maybe someone else here will post another suggestion for you.

Yes, you can join two antennas using something like one of these.......
http://www.warrenelectronics.com/Antennas/joiners.htm

Hopefully by July 1, WTTV-DT 48 (4.1), will be going from 4 kW (4000 watts) to 870 kW (870,000 watts). A big increase. At that time you should have no problem getting this station at your location.

Steve

I could be wrong (First time for everything :rolleyes: ), but I doubt that the IMS had any choice in the matter. I would think it's a corporate decision made by the network, based on their anticipated viewer base versus the additional cost associated with the HD infrastructure required in the production facility.

With that said, I would imagine the IMS could request that it be in HD. Who knows, any of our local affiliate types have any input on this? Tom???

Ken


Nope, ABC uses whatever feed IMS gives them. They were only given the SD. I checked with both RTV6 and IMS. ABC and RTV6 would have carried the race in HD had the feed been made available. The 500 is an Indycar/IMS production.

In case anyone missed WTWO's answer to the Daily Show response, here it is. Warning may not be suitable for all, PG13.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DVvgzaDRpY

The title is a pun I think you are living in the past with C-band. I wouldn't go 4DTV or any other C-band technology at this point.

I would buy a small dish and look towards the future. It's all mpeg2 at half the cost and space of your c-band dish, less expensive fixes, etc. My 2 cents.

cd


I've just discovered that if I buy a Motorola 4DTV receiver or sidecar I can subscribe to the Denver 5 channels using Digicipher technology. I am grandfathered in as far as buying network programming since I did it long before there were rulings concerning local affiliates. Now to find one ASAP. There may also be C-Band wild feeds of the race, but I doubt it. Thanks for the coverage map. I'm right below the last E in Greencastle.

Well here at the store (HH Gregg south side of Indianapolis) we had DI#& Netw*&#$@ and they had 6 live in car feeds from 6 different drivers and used the Radio Race Network broadcast and that is how we watched the race.

No replay's but the shot from Marco Andretti's car the last two laps was un believeable.


Randy

Just FYI, yes we had some down time this afternoon. A squirrel gave its life to the power pole outside the building, then the generator failed - blown breaker on the radiator fan motor, coolant overtemp follwed a few minutes later.

Sigh.

Tom Weber
WISH, Indianapolis

Just FYI, yes we had some down time this afternoon. A squirrel gave its life to the power pole outside the building, then the generator failed - blown breaker on the radiator fan motor, coolant overtemp follwed a few minutes later.

Sigh.

Tom Weber
WISH, Indianapolis

<Coming up at 10 and 11, an I-Team 8 Investigation. The shocking video of <the "electrified squirrel." We'll have comment from a local PETA representative. <May not be suitable for small children.

:-)

Just saw "thetube" network on 4-2. I don't know if it's a test of this network or what, but here's a web page bragging on "thetube" network.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tube_(TV_Channel)

It's an improvement over the SD version of what's on 4-1!

Nat Hill IV

Just saw "thetube" network on 4-2. I don't know if it's a test of this network or what, but here's a web page bragging on "thetube" network.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tube_(TV_Channel)

It's an improvement over the SD version of what's on 4-1!

Nat Hill IV

Thanks for the update, Nat. I read over the weekend that sister station, WGN-DT, Chicago, had started carrying the station.

BTW, for those in the Indy/Carmel area with Bright House, have you noticed dropouts on WTTV-DT, channel 704? It must be a problem at Bright House because when I go OTA it is fine.

Steve

Steve, last night I was having problems with both 704 and 706. Many, many dropouts and stttttttttttutttttttering. This is on Bright House in Carmel. I also went off air, and it was fine.

Jim

Thanks for the feedback, Jim. I didn't watch 706 (WRTV-DT) last night, so I didn't know it was having the same problem. Man, I hate calling Bright House. Getting through their phone maze to speak to a live person is so annoying and time consuming.

Steve

Thanks for the feedback, Jim. I didn't watch 706 (WRTV-DT) last night, so I didn't know it was having the same problem. Man, I hate calling Bright House. Getting through their phone maze to speak to a live person is so annoying and time consuming.

Steve

Update: The CE at WTTV-DT is now aware of this situation. I'll try to check WRTV-DT tonight to see if I notice any dropouts there.

Thanks for the feedback, Jim. I didn't watch 706 (WRTV-DT) last night, so I didn't know it was having the same problem. Man, I hate calling Bright House. Getting through their phone maze to speak to a live person is so annoying and time consuming.

Steve

And when you do finally talk to a real person the first thing they ask, "Is you TV plugged in?" and when you finally get an appointment you must set on top of the phone for hours because if you don't get it by the 3rd ring you've done wasted an afternoon. The appointment is of course necessary because their system is perfect and you must have screwed something up.

Watching 13-1 at 10:08 PM and listening to the neatest echo chamber I've ever heard. Amazing..........

Watching 13-1 at 10:08 PM and listening to the neatest echo chamber I've ever heard. Amazing..........

I heard that too...I was trying to change the channel...it was a little freaky if you ask me...haha.

I was near 79th St. and Township Line Road this evening, so I snapped a digital picture of the new tower going up, next to the current WHMB-40 tower.

Steve

Cool thanks for sharing that pic Rich.

A little off subject, but some of you might enjoy watching this video of what can go terribly wrong during the demolition of a 1000' TV tower. See what happened to the "good" tower next to the "bad" tower, courtesy of WALB-10, Albany, GA.

http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=5006920

Steve

I just noticed that on Comcast in Muncie ESPN2HD is showing up.

I just noticed that on Comcast in Muncie ESPN2HD is showing up.

Last night, channel 203 appeared in the Indianapolis Comcast lineup. No channel name or programming was listed yet, though.

Last night, channel 203 appeared in the Indianapolis Comcast lineup. No channel name or programming was listed yet, though.

Yeah I saw that too and it came in earlier today as espn2. I wonder if anything else is coming up?

There was an article on the web somewhere recently that listed every known (non-local) HD cable/satellite channel that is broadcasting today. There still aren't that many. I guess the ones I'd like to see added would be:

- National Geographic HD
- Universal HD
- HDNet

Hey all. I'm in Vincennes and am currently hooked up with Charter cable, but am wanting to leave them because they don't offer HD. What local networks are available in HD either via OTA or Dish/DirecTV?

Sounds like channel WTHI/10 broadcasts in HD?

I don't currently have an antenna, but my parents live about 5 miles away and they have a huge outdoor antenna. They get channels 2, 7, 10, 14, 25, 38, & 44 okay, but they only have SD TVs.

Thanks.

SNIP...Sounds like channel WTHI/10 broadcasts in HD?

I don't currently have an antenna, but my parents live about 5 miles away and they have a huge outdoor antenna. They get channels 2, 7, 10, 14, 25, 38, & 44 okay, but they only have SD TVs.

Thanks.

Hey Chad, welcome to the forum. Sounds like to me, if you can get WEHT(25), and WBAK(38) OK where you are, you should be able to get WTHI-DT (24). We have recently raised our power to 188Kw ERP. That will be our full power for ch 24. When all the smoke clears and when analog goes away in a few years, we will go back to Ch.10 Digital. Good luck, Ken.

Has anyone had any experience yet with DirecTV's Mpeg4, 5lnb dish setup for the Indianapolis DMA?

I saw this press release:

Directv in INDY (http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=127160&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=862374&highlight=)

It mentions that only ABC and FOX are availiable, whats the hold up on CBS and NBC?

-Avian

Can't speak for WTHR, but we are in negotiations with DirecTV for a bunch of the Indiana LIN stations.

Tom Weber
Engineering
WISH / WNDY / WIIH etc. etc. etc.

Great to hear, CBS is the one reason I'd want to get this system hooked up! I called directv and got the new dish setup/reciever for free after some talking :)

actually they only have abc they pulled fox off the list. i will also be waiting until they add all of them because here in peru we cant get any locals in hd because comcast doesn't offer them here yet, and we live too far to receive them over the air!

Yeah, here in Bloomington only insight offers HD locals and we hate them with a passion, so we went with directv and a huuuge antenna, unfortunately the anttenna rarely works that well. It'll be nice when they get all the channels up and start adding more HD content to the lineup.

The MPEG4 availability is news to me. I already have an H20 and was just waiting for D* to contact me about the availability of the new dish. I guess they don't care whether the existing customers get upgraded (typical). They'll probably even try to charge me more on top of the $99 I already paid for the box.

This does explain the mysterious double listings of 6-1 and 59-1 on my program guide, though.

The real news will be when the MPEG4 DVR is ready. Until then I'll probably just stay with an indoor antenna for both my H20 and HR10-250. PQ over the dish can't possibly be any better than OTA anyway.

Avian, let me know how the installation goes. I'm curious to see how they'll run lines for the new dish, and whether they'll be asking to drill any new holes into my house. I've had absolutely horrible service from DirecTV techs (Bluegrass Satellite) in the past two weeks. Their "mover's connection" is a huge joke. I had an appointment on the 7th and I'm still waiting for them to finish the job, hopefully this weekend.

Does WTHI in Terre Haute broadcast DD 5.1? I'm not getting it through my HD Tivo and wanted to make sure they actually broadcast it before I start troubleshooting.

Does WTHI in Terre Haute broadcast DD 5.1? I'm not getting it through my HD Tivo and wanted to make sure they actually broadcast it before I start troubleshooting.

Within the last year, CBS has re-developed 5.1 delivery. However, we are currently not able to pass CBS 5.1 due to some equipment that is outdated. If you want to call 3 years - outdated!

Can't speak for WTHR, but we are in negotiations with DirecTV for a bunch of the Indiana LIN stations.

Tom Weber
Engineering
WISH / WNDY / WIIH etc. etc. etc.Would this include WLFI by any chance? then us Lafayette folk could have a choice other than Insight and have the advantage of local program guide info...

EDIT: I discovered that LIN owns WLFI (18) just the other day; I was kind of shocked that lin would get most (if not every) station that they own on Directv and Dish, but NOT WLFI, what is up with that?

Anyone having an issue with WRTV ota in the last two weeks? My wife says she has had several drops mid to late afternoons (6.1) here in Muncie. I asked my parents who live outside Farmland. They have seen the issue with their "new" digital tuner. When it happens, they say the analog signal is also bad.

Haven't seen anly problems on RTV. I've been watching their World Cup games and NBA games and the reception and picture have been great.

wrwine3,

I checked with an engineer at WRTV. Besides a couple of brief power outages in the early evening hours over the past two weeks, he said that both the analog and digital signals have been fine from their transmitter site. He and I suspect that more than likely your signal issues are due to some major changes in signal propagation this time of the year. At your distance from the transmitting tower, atmospheric conditions can have a major affect on the signal. Sporadic E, or E-skip, which is very common this time of year, can have a major affect on the frequencies utilized by TV channels 2-6 plus the FM frequencies, which are just above ch. 6. This event starts with the lower frequency, channel 2, and then starts climbing into higher channels as it becomes more intense (3, 4, 5, etc.). Over the past 3-4 weeks, I've seen analog TV stations from North and South Carolina, Florida, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota, and even Mexico, Cuba and Canada. A few times I've even seen WFOR-4, Miami almost take out WTTV-4. If you check out my updated DTV screen pics below, you'll see that I was recently able to receive KOTA-DT 2, Rapid City, SD and WTWC-DT 2, Tallahassee, FL (PSIP only, video didn't decode.....too much analog interference).

On the other hand, if you've also had some problems receiving WRTV-DT 25, in the UHF band, those frequencies have seen some periodic changes due to tropospheric enhancement of various types. Once again the atmosphere playing around with the radio waves, which can occasionally make reception difficult. Most DTV receivers need a clean signal to decode the digital information being fed to it. So when the local signal is mixed with other stations out of our area but on the same frequency, the receiver has a hard time decoding the information.

If your reception was fine prior to about a month ago, this is probably why it has changed lately.

Steve

Hello, all.

I'm new to this thread (and HDTV). I'm in Crawfordsville and don't have cable. The stations I receive strongest are 18-1 WLFI and 15-1 WICD. I can pick up the stronger Indy stations (6,8,13,20,59) in HD, and also (in evenings) 30, 42, & 63 from Bloomington in HD. I'm looking forward to WTTK going full strength-- I should be able to receive that pretty well.

We spend a lot of time on PBS (20), but the strength is not nearly as good as the other Indy stations, and my antenna has to be rotated slightly south from the rest to get a strength in the low 70s.

I do like the multicasting capability that PBS uses to provide 3 separate schedules of similar programming (even if only one is HD). With daylight-savings time in Indiana, I would love to see the other networks multicast the Pacific time zone schedule (or some other variation of the regular schedule) in addition to the weather.

I was hoping that WTHI wasn't yet at full power-- I had hoped to be able to receive ch. 10, since I'm from Terre Haute and like to catch up on the news. Tonight was the first time I picked up a signal strong enough to display, but I was also getting 55 from Springfield, IL; 22 from Decatur; 50 from Charleston, etc.

I'm thinking of getting a larger UHF antenna to try to improve some of the reception (since most HD is on UHF, and I have a decent VU combo for VHF). Any suggestions?

>>>>>>snip<<<<<<<
I was hoping that WTHI wasn't yet at full power-- I had hoped to be able to receive ch. 10, since I'm from Terre Haute and like to catch up on the news. Tonight was the first time I picked up a signal strong enough to display, but I was also getting 55 from Springfield, IL; 22 from Decatur; 50 from Charleston, etc.

I'm thinking of getting a larger UHF antenna to try to improve some of the reception (since most HD is on UHF, and I have a decent VU combo for VHF). Any suggestions?

Well first off, welcome to the forum. Here you will find a wealth of information. WTHI-DT has recently gone to it's full power setting for channel 24. We are at 189Kw ERP. You mentioned upgrading your UHF antenna. Please keep in mind that there are a number of stations still using VHF as well. WTHI-DT will return to channel 10 when all the smoke clears. WISH-DT is sitting at channel 9. And there are several others that reside in the high band as well. From Crawfordsville, you should have excellent results for DT. Your problem will most likely be the need to null other stations from the one you want to receive. Be sure to include a decent antenna mounted pre-amp. As long as you are not near any two-way radio or FM towers, a pre-amp is just a valuable as the antenna itself! Dont forget good feedline too! (RG-6)
Good luck with DT'ing. Please post any results if upgrade your system. We like to hear what is working!

I am having the weirdest problem. When I watch some stations the display will tell me that it's 720p and 16:9 when I know the show is SD. This doesn't let me stretch my picture correctly on my TV. Anyone know why local stations do this?

No matter what they broadcast, the station will continue to broadcast in either 720p or 1080i and just upconvert an SD show and either strech it or add side bars. You intuitively know that the show is SD, but to your TV, it is still receiving an HD signal, hence why it says 720p and you can't strech it yourself.

I am having the weirdest problem. When I watch some stations the display will tell me that it's 720p and 16:9 when I know the show is SD. This doesn't let me stretch my picture correctly on my TV. Anyone know why local stations do this?

I think the reasoning behind the local stations doing that was to wash their hands of any issues arising from burn-in due to vertical bars on 4:3 material. If a station doesn't broadcast those bars, it can't possibly be at fault when Joe Blow destroys his CRT set by playing 4:3 material on his 16:9 screen all day.

I thought almost all the stations around here had done away with stretching 4:3 material anyway.

stretch my picture correctly

That's an oxymoron, isn't it?

Here's an update from Rick Poling at WTTV................... Steve



All -

Just a note to let you know that work to increase WTTV-DT to full power is
almost done. For the next several days, excluding Sunday, WTTV-DT may be
off the air most of the working day while the tower crew is working up near
the antenna. We apologize for the inconvenience, but when the work is
completed we will bring up WTTV-DT at full power.

If you live north of Indianapolis and are having trouble receiving WTTK-DT,
we invite you to try WTTV-DT when we get up to power. Recent field strength
measurements in the Noblesville and Anderson areas indicate that the other
two stations near the WTTV-DT tower come in well in these areas. So, if you
receive either WCLJ-DT (42-1) or WIPX-DT (27-1) now, you should receive
WTTV-DT soon, also.

I'll let you know when WTTV-DT is up to full power.

Rick Poling
RF Supervisor
WTTK-TV 29
WTTK-DT 54
WTTV-TV WB 4
WTTV-DT 48
WXIN-TV FOX 59
WXIN-DT 45

I am having the weirdest problem. When I watch some stations the display will tell me that it's 720p and 16:9 when I know the show is SD. This doesn't let me stretch my picture correctly on my TV. Anyone know why local stations do this?

When you see 4:3 source material inside a 16:9 transmission, you won't be able to stretch it as you can with 4:3 source material inside a 4:3 transmission. If your TV says it's NTSC or 480i 4:3, it's stretchable. If the TV say 720p or 1080i the 4:3 image is pillerboxed inside a 16:9 frame and is not stretchable.

WHMB-DT 16 Update.....As of 8:30 p.m. this evening, the station is transmitting from the new tower around 79th and Township Line Road, and not the Noblesville tower. This might be a test, as I was just by the area and noticed the construction equipment is still attached near the top of the tower. Anyway, the station is definitely sending out a very strong signal at the moment.

Steve

WHMB-DT 16 Update.....As of 8:30 p.m. this evening, the station is transmitting from the new tower around 79th and Township Line Road, and not the Noblesville tower. This might be a test, as I was just by the area and noticed the construction equipment is still attached near the top of the tower. Anyway, the station is definitely sending out a very strong signal at the moment.

Steve

Thanks Steve. Signal is great here in Bloomington. I hope they carry a few more Indianapolis Indians games before the season is over....
Nat Hill IV

Has anyone had any experience yet with DirecTV's Mpeg4, 5lnb dish setup for the Indianapolis DMA?

I saw this press release:

Directv in INDY

It mentions that only ABC and FOX are availiable, whats the hold up on CBS and NBC?

-Avian

I got the new 5 lnb Dish and reciever installed on June 3rd. I first called and they wanted to charge me the $99 upgrade fee. I went around and around with the lady and finally she put me thru to the tier 2 customer service. And the first thing the guy says was, no problem sir you have been a loyal customer, we can waive the $99 fee.

So I got it installed and ABC(6) and FOX(59) were working at first, then I saw a week later that NBC(13) started showing up. Now FOX had pulled out. So the only ones showing up now are ABC and NBC. I called Directv last night and they told me the they were having problems with FOX and that the Indy FOX was the worst one of all the FOX stations they were having problems with. So we'll see.

So I got it installed and ABC(6) and FOX(59) were working at first, then I saw a week later that NBC(13) started showing up. Now FOX had pulled out. So the only ones showing up now are ABC and NBC. I called Directv last night and they told me the they were having problems with FOX and that the Indy FOX was the worst one of all the FOX stations they were having problems with. So we'll see.

That's pretty funny. Aren't DirecTV and FOX both owned by Dr. Evil?

Jeff

I don't know if anyone else cares about this, but I am curious...

What is the likelihood of any of the Indy locals (wrtv, wishtv, wthr, wxin) taking their nightly newscasts HD in the future? I would love to see it happen, but I doubt it will happen within the next few years.

I don't know if anyone else cares about this, but I am curious...

What is the likelihood of any of the Indy locals (wrtv, wishtv, wthr, wxin) taking their nightly newscasts HD in the future? I would love to see it happen, but I doubt it will happen within the next few years.

During a tour of WTHR in March, 2005, I asked Al Grossniklaus, Director of Engineering, a similar question.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5308733&&#post5308733

I do know that within the past couple of months a few of the engineers at WTHR along with their counterparts at sister station WBNS, Columbus, OH, were out shopping for new equipment which would allow them to receive, record and replay HD syndicated programming like Wheel Of Fortune and Jeopardy, which will be going HD this September. That's the latest I've heard on this possibility.

I haven't heard anything about the other local stations updating to HD.

Steve

Thank you. That is very interesting.

Jeff is correct that DirecTV and the Fox Network are owned by Dr. Evil (Rupert Murdoch). The local Fox station, WXIN channel 59 is owned by Tribune Broadcasting as is WTTV channel 4.

Late word is that if a few last minute issues can be finished tomorrow (Friday), WTTV-DT 48 hopes to go full-power with 870 kW. We'll find out very shortly.

Steve

All -

At 11:47 AM this morning WTTV-DT went on the air at full power. Those of
you who have been waiting for this may now try and get us. You will either
need to do a new channel scan or, if your receiver or set allows, add
channel 48. It should show up as 4-1 and 4-2. We would welcome all
reception reports, good or bad.

We should remain on the air at full power through the weekend. There will
still be a few days in the next week or two that we may be off the air
through the middle of the day for some remaining tower work. But, by the
14th of July or so we should be done and stay on the air at full power.
Unless the transmitter doesn't cooperate, of course.

Rick Poling
RF Supervisor

WTTK-TV 29
WTTK-DT 54
WTTV WB4
WTTV-DT 48
WXIN FOX 59
WXIN-DT 45

All -

At 11:47 AM this morning WTTV-DT went on the air at full power. Those of
you who have been waiting for this may now try and get us. You will either
need to do a new channel scan or, if your receiver or set allows, add
channel 48. It should show up as 4-1 and 4-2. We would welcome all
reception reports, good or bad.

We should remain on the air at full power through the weekend. There will
still be a few days in the next week or two that we may be off the air
through the middle of the day for some remaining tower work. But, by the
14th of July or so we should be done and stay on the air at full power.
Unless the transmitter doesn't cooperate, of course.

Rick Poling
RF Supervisor

WTTK-TV 29
WTTK-DT 54
WTTV WB4
WTTV-DT 48
WXIN FOX 59
WXIN-DT 45
getting it good and clear on 4-1 noblesville area

getting it good and clear on 4-1 noblesville area

Well At 5:50 PM I can not say the same in Noblesville but it may be due to the time or my receivers.

Strange how different receivers hooked to the same outside antenna can see some channels and others can not. The DirecTV Tivo DVR HR-10-250 must have seen something since guide data (4-1 &4-2) is shown but with no signal strength shown on frequency 48. Then scanned Locals on the DISH VIP 622 HD DVR and it found them on 4-1 and 4-2 but with only mid to high 50s not enough signal to lock on and watch. Still can use 29-1 however. Since living in Noblesville since 1977 never have been able to get WTTV anyway OTA, but today some picture before lock-up is a first!

No WTTV DT here in Bedford. Barely a blip on the meter at 6:30PM.

-AKH

No WTTV DT here in Bedford. Barely a blip on the meter at 6:30PM.

-AKH

This might explain what you are seeing, or rather lack of what you are seeing. The FCC required the station to install a directional antenna, whereby the majority of the signal goes straight north, towards Indy, with much less signal radiating to the south. Roughly, it looks like the azimuth reading from the tower site to Bedford is around 200 degrees. The chart at this site, about two-thirds of the way down, gives the various field value readings (signal) in 10 degree increments, with 1.000 full signal. Sorry, but not nearly as much signal is headed your direction.

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?list=0&facid=56523

Steve

FWIW, I'm getting channel 48 at around 50-60% of full signal in the Cumberland area (indoor amplified antenna). I don't recall even getting a signal at all before.

Well At 5:50 PM I can not say the same in Noblesville but it may be due to the time or my receivers.

Strange how different receivers hooked to the same outside antenna can see some channels and others can not. The DirecTV Tivo DVR HR-10-250 must have seen something since guide data (4-1 &4-2) is shown but with no signal strength shown on frequency 48. Then scanned Locals on the DISH VIP 622 HD DVR and it found them on 4-1 and 4-2 but with only mid to high 50s not enough signal to lock on and watch. Still can use 29-1 however. Since living in Noblesville since 1977 never have been able to get WTTV anyway OTA, but today some picture before lock-up is a first!

Interesting feedback. You're able to receive the 2000 watt signal but not the 870,000 watt signal. I realize you are closer to the 29-1 tower than the 4-1 tower, as am I. Living near Carmel, 29-1 is 5.5 miles away while 4-1 is 36 miles, but I'm currently getting about the same overall signal strength.

Did you see Rick's earlier post, just above? http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7877266&&#post7877266 Are you currently receiving WCLJ-DT and WIPX-DT? If not, maybe you need to check the azimuth of your antenna and try reaiming it, almost straight south (say approx. 188 degrees). The other stations, including 29-1 at the present time, are more west-southwest of your location. Just my 2 cents.

Steve

Yesterday I sent an email to Bright House inquiring about this. Today I received their reply. Here's the key line from the response............

"At this time, we are unable to let you know when we might have ESPN2 HD available, but your request will be forwarded."

Oh, well. Watch for the flying pigs.......

Steve

Yesterday I sent an email to Bright House inquiring about this. Today I received their reply. Here's the key line from the response............

"At this time, we are unable to let you know when we might have ESPN2 HD available, but your request will be forwarded."

Oh, well. Watch for the flying pigs.......

Steve

Comcast added it awhile ago. It doesn't appear that you are missing much. Most of the time they are broadcasting SD material.

Jeff

Well At 5:50 PM I can not say the same in Noblesville but it may be due to the time or my receivers.

Strange how different receivers hooked to the same outside antenna can see some channels and others can not. The DirecTV Tivo DVR HR-10-250 must have seen something since guide data (4-1 &4-2) is shown but with no signal strength shown on frequency 48. Then scanned Locals on the DISH VIP 622 HD DVR and it found them on 4-1 and 4-2 but with only mid to high 50s not enough signal to lock on and watch. Still can use 29-1 however. Since living in Noblesville since 1977 never have been able to get WTTV anyway OTA, but today some picture before lock-up is a first!

UPDATE........

It's now after 11 PM Friday Night here and both 4-01 and 4-2 are coming in great using the DISH VIP 622 DVR with a signal strength of 66. This is the first time since I moved to Noblesville in 1977 that I could view WTTV 4, OTA!

Also it looks that some that have a HD TV with a built-in receiver has the highest signal running their antenna directly to their TV input. Since the DISH VIP 622 DVR has only one OTA input and the DirecTV HD Tivo DVR has two (split) that may cause a lower signal to that receiver.

Comcast added it awhile ago. It doesn't appear that you are missing much. Most of the time they are broadcasting SD material.

Jeff

Thanks, Jeff. With Comcast adding it, I thought BH would be adding it soon. Personally, I don't care about it now, but I would like to have it available for the upcoming college football and basketball games.

Steve

Here's an interesting reception note this morning relating to WTTV-DT. Thanks to some very strong tropospheric enhancement to the southeast, I'm able to completely null the WTTV-DT signal by positioning the antenna just right, and I'm able to view WCET-48, Cincinnati. Meanwhile, a DXing friend in Lexington, KY is currently watching WTTV-DT. :-)

This doesn't happen very often for me, but WXIX-DT 29, Newport/Cincinnati is blasting through WTTK-29.

The sometimes freaky world of TV reception.

Steve

Getting both 4-1 and 4-2 here in Franklin Township after not receiving anything prior to the upgrade.

I can get WTTV-DT when I also get WIPX-DT. This is most nights, not usually during the day. When it's in, signal strength is usually high 60's. I'm using a Radio Shack "Long-Range" UHF/VHF combo antenna, mounted in the attic, with a rotator and amplifier. For the HDTV (and FM radio and VCR connections), I've added an amplified coupler, which has helped keep signal strength high enough to avoid some of the drop-out problems I was having, since wind and airplanes seem to affect reception 45 miles from transmitters.

I have found that from here, the Indy stations are grouped so that 2 positions will cover them. WHMB-DT is coming in well, usually mid 70's, from the same position that WFYI-DT is best at (also in mid-70's). This is the same position that allows me to see WIPX, WTIU, and WTTV. WFYI has a much narrower band on the rotator, and is the hardest of the Indy full-power stations to receive. I don't know if it's their tower height or my chimney interfering.

I have also found the spot where I can receive WTHI-DT (and WEIU-DT) on occasion. Signal strength is usually in the low 60's, and only at night. Otherwise, WTHI-DT is around 57 or so and not enough to present a picture on the Toshiba. Maybe when they switch the digital signal to 10, I may be able to get them more frequently with the VHF portion of the antenna.

WICD-DT comes in nearly anywhere (high 80s, low 90s), but WCCU-DT can only be found when aimed NW (mid 60s). WBUI regularly reaks havoc with WNDY mapping. Technically, I shouldn't be able to get either one.

I've appreciated the updates on when the stations are coming on. Since WTTV-DT is still hard to receive up here, does anyone know when WTTK-DT will go full-power?

Rick Poling......DT 4-1 & 4-2 coming loud and clear in Spencer, In.

I'm about 20 miles NNE of Spencer and don't get any 4 at all. 'Course my antenna is aimed ENE. That may make a difference.

Greg

I have pretty much had it with the Silver Sensor or Terk HDTV type of OTA antenna - I have a difficult time positioning it to receive all of the available channels, as well as adequately receiving a stable VHF signal for channel 8. Can anyone recommend an OTA antenna installer in the Indianapolis ---> Lafayette area (we live in Lebanon)? I do NOT want an antenna mounted on my satellite dish! I would prefer roof-mounted to tower-mounted. Thanks in advance for any of your replies.

Mike

I have pretty much had it with the Silver Sensor or Terk HDTV type of OTA antenna - I have a difficult time positioning it to receive all of the available channels, as well as adequately receiving a stable VHF signal for channel 8. Can anyone recommend an OTA antenna installer in the Indianapolis ---> Lafayette area (we live in Lebanon)? I do NOT want an antenna mounted on my satellite dish! I would prefer roof-mounted to tower-mounted. Thanks in advance for any of your replies.

Mike

I'd recommend Attic Antenna. Before I had Comcast, I had them do an in-attic installation that got all the local Indy stations. He really knows his stuff, and he did a great job with the wiring too.

http://indianapolis.citysearch.com/profile/3967262

All -

At 11:47 AM this morning WTTV-DT went on the air at full power. Those of
you who have been waiting for this may now try and get us. You will either
need to do a new channel scan or, if your receiver or set allows, add
channel 48. It should show up as 4-1 and 4-2. We would welcome all
reception reports, good or bad.

We should remain on the air at full power through the weekend. There will
still be a few days in the next week or two that we may be off the air
through the middle of the day for some remaining tower work. But, by the
14th of July or so we should be done and stay on the air at full power.
Unless the transmitter doesn't cooperate, of course.

Rick Poling
RF Supervisor

WTTK-TV 29
WTTK-DT 54
WTTV WB4
WTTV-DT 48
WXIN FOX 59
WXIN-DT 45


Well, I wouldn't call it "Loud and Clear" here outside Lafayette (St Rd 39 & 26), but I DO get between 36 & 50 signal now on 4-1 where I had "0" before! Glad to have it at all since I don't have a rotor, and 29-1 is too far off the side to pick up consistently while pointed at Indy.

Let me second the recommendation of Attic Antenna. He is a kind of expensive but well worth the price. He installed my antenna about a year ago and I have great HD reception.

Guess I'll pipe in concerning 4-1 and the Tube 4-2. Depending on conditions we're picking up the signal 9 to 12 miles north/west of Terre Haute. Can be spotty, but I'm pretty confident with a little extra height it would lock all the time in the evenings.

I just had an attic antenna installed by attic antenna. He was exceptional. Worth the money. He spent a lot of time making sure everything was the best it could be. Very friendly and even did a great job cleaning up.

Guess I'll pipe in concerning 4-1 and the Tube 4-2. Depending on conditions we're picking up the signal 9 to 12 miles north/west of Terre Haute. Can be spotty, but I'm pretty confident with a little extra height it would lock all the time in the evenings.

Not bad considering the directional antenna and your distance from Trafalgar. More height on your antenna would most likely help in your location.

A week ago Monday, with the help of some tropospheric enhancement and their power increase, I finally received WTHI-DT 24 (84 miles). But it was a challenge due to my location which is virtually in the shadow of the WRTV-DT 25 tower. The antenna azimuth for WTHI-DT is 238 degrees, while WRTV-DT 25's is 235 degrees. At a distance of less than 5 miles, I believe the 898 kW signal from WRTV-DT overloads the receiver and splatters over into ch. 24. The only way I could finally get WTHI-DT to decode was by misaiming my antenna by approximately 40 degrees!

Steve

Since WTTV-DT is still hard to receive up here, does anyone know when WTTK-DT will go full-power?

The last I heard was that WTTK-DT 54 will not go full power (1000 kW DA @ 935 ft.) until the analogs go away (Feb. 17, 2009) and WTTK-DT then switches from ch. 54 to ch. 29.

Steve

Just thought I'd put my $.02 in on the WTTV-DT powerup. I've got an attic antenna into my HR10-250 here at 141st and Cumberland. Before last Friday, I was receiving WTTK-DT 29 at about 65-70 on the meter, with my antenna pointed due west. After Friday, the signal was knocked down to about 45-50, and 29 became unwatchable.

Today, I finally got to repoint my antenna, and, after repointing it due south, I still wasn't able to get anything discernable on WTTV-DT (about 10 on the meter, from 0), but my signal for WTTK-DT is back up to about 70, so I'm happy!

bakem

Just thought I'd put my $.02 in on the WTTV-DT powerup. I've got an attic antenna into my HR10-250 here at 141st and Cumberland. Before last Friday, I was receiving WTTK-DT 29 at about 65-70 on the meter, with my antenna pointed due west. After Friday, the signal was knocked down to about 45-50, and 29 became unwatchable.

Today, I finally got to repoint my antenna, and, after repointing it due south, I still wasn't able to get anything discernable on WTTV-DT (about 10 on the meter, from 0), but my signal for WTTK-DT is back up to about 70, so I'm happy!

bakem

It has a lot to do with your receiver since I also can't receive them (4-01 & 4-02) on my HR10-250 but do get guide data. On my DISH VIP 622 HD DVR they come in around 66 on the meter and look great. Lots of discussion that the OTA turners (2) on the HR10 are not that great, with the newer (1) OTA turner from DISH being much better. I now find that 29-1 & 29-2 do not come in all the time on my 622, and I'm just north of 196th here in Noblesville. I'm just like you, as long as I can receive WTTV programing in HD from either one of the two location I'm happy. Big improvement for most, however.

Thanks to sebenste in the Chicago market, he came across an interesting letter that was written by Nexstar and addressed to the FCC. Interesting reading for those in the Terre Haute area.

http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=415274

Has anyone experienced any difficulty in receiving OTA channels the last two days?

Hoping the weather has something to do with it, otherwise somehow my pre-amp must have blew. :(

Has anyone experienced any difficulty in receiving OTA channels the last two days?

Hoping the weather has something to do with it, otherwise somehow my pre-amp must have blew. :(

Could have lost that pre-amp when those storms rolled thru earlier in the week. We lost a couple of phone lines and associated equipment at one of our radio station sites. I have not had any DTV problems at my QTH.

Does brighthouse cable in indianapolis offer a hd dvr? Secondly, if i were to buy the highly recommended 37" westinghouse 37w3, will my existing scientific atlanta 8300 dvr work as a capable hd tuner (1080p)?

I'm on Bright House near Carmel and I have the SA 8300HD DVR. It works very well with my 60" Sony SXRD (1080p).

Steve

Well glad to report it wasn't my pre-amp that blew. Since I live out in the woods it appears just plain ole mother nature is intruding on my sight lines. Still wonder if some of this is still heat (weather) related. Indy stations are coming in once again, but now having problems with WICD out of Illinois.

On a side note, WICD 15 Champaign, Illinois is also carrying the Tube on their sub-channel.

I HATE MURPHY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that I have calmed down it's just amazing how you can be having a good day, but then Murphy's Law says it going to change.

Went to a yard sale yesterday and a lady was selling dvds for $3 bucks each and tv box sets for $5. I was able to pickup Lost Season 1, CSI Miami 1, Sleepway camp for 15 bucks and in perfect condition.

Go home and plan on checking them out after a late dinner.

BOOM, a thunderstorm pops out of nowhere and my son yells from down stairs "Dad, I just saw a arc come from your HD box." Of course the power is off by this time and there is no way to check for damage. This STB is hooked up to the 65' Mits and of course I'm thinking uh oh.

When this happened the wife and I were upstairs watching the everyday tv and I could smell burnt wire shortly there after. Not coming from down stairs or this tv, rather from out bed room. Go in the bedroom, open the amoire, yep even without the power being on I know this one is toast.

To make a long story short, the power went off around 8pm, came back on 2am. Started checking things because I couldn't sleep and found. My son's 30 inch widescreen Toshiba (he personally bought himself from working summer jobs) would not power up. Our (wife/I) bedroom tv was fried just as I suspected (a smaller 20in' Toshiba with built in DVD player).
My Panasonic dvd recorder would not power up, the STB would, but obviously my pre-amp for my antenna hadn't fried before but has now.

Whoopie, $1,500 in damage with a $500 deductable.

>(zap2it.com)--FOX rode to a Tuesday ratings victory on the back of "House," while ABC's >new show "The One" wasn't, scoring only meager ratings for its premiere.

IMHO, thanks to Fox and WXIN-DT for presenting something I cared to watch, AND in HD, on network television. Some of the other networks barely presented anything in HD, if at all.

Also, as a general comment, it's interesting to see more and more HD commercials on network TV. It reminds me of the mid 60's when more and more programming went from black & white to color.

Steve

RWB,

Wow, sometimes Mother Nature can be very destructive. It sounds as though the lightning strike really zapped your place. I don't know if it would have helped that much in your case, but I'm using a UPS system for my HD monitor which is also supposed to help ground and interrupt lightning strikes. Hopefully I'll never have to really know if it works.......

Good luck in getting your items repaired and/or replaced.

Steve

RWB,

Wow, sometimes Mother Nature can be very destructive. It sounds as though the lightning strike really zapped your place. I don't know if it would have helped that much in your case, but I'm using a UPS system for my HD monitor which is also supposed to help ground and interrupt lightning strikes. Hopefully I'll never have to really know if it works.......

Good luck in getting your items repaired and/or replaced.

Steve

I got clobbered by lightning last spring, and I'd have to say that surge protectors are a complete waste of money on anything but a very mild surge.
Stereos, televisions and radios all were ruined. All were on surge protectors which claimed to be working perfectly before and after the strike.
Too many joules!
Nat Hill IV

Just a little update......

In a much better mood today. Of course I got curious and pulled the back off the Panny recorder and, how about that they do still use fuses in equipment. Stopped by an eletronics store, a purchase of fuses ($10 bucks) and we're back in business.

Son's tv was still under warranty and I'm so happy for him (and me because I would have had it repaired no matter what :D ) so that problem is solved.

The bedroom tv, eh, though I don't like to just blow money was just a $300 dollar investment. The wife is now considering moving the everyday tv into the bedroom, which means we might just have to be looking at a new plasma. ;)

I've given up on replacing the Winegard SS. I have been impressed on what it can pickup, but this will make the 2nd one that went bad in bad weather (and yes they both have been grounded). Guess it's back to the Zenith SS for awhile. Think eventually I'll go with the Channel Master next time as it seems many here are happy.

...........On a final note, once again the tropo must have really been good last night. Using just the cheap Zenith Silver Sensor on the everyday/soon to be bedroom tv I was picking up PBS out of Muncie. As a reminder I live just north of Terre Haute and around 6 miles east from the Illinois border. I know Steve (aka Goldrich) had to be loving it.

Just a little update......

In a much better mood today. Of course I got curious and pulled the back off the Panny recorder and, how about that they do still use fuses in equipment. Stopped by an eletronics store, a purchase of fuses ($10 bucks) and we're back in business..................................................

...........On a final note, once again the tropo must have really been good last night. Using just the cheap Zenith Silver Sensor on the everyday/soon to be bedroom tv I was picking up PBS out of Muncie. As a reminder I live just north of Terre Haute and around 6 miles east from the Illinois border. I know Steve (aka Goldrich) had to be loving it.


I'm glad to hear that your problems from the lightning are not quite as bad as you had originally thought. That's good news!

Yes, there was some tropo activity last evening. For me, most of the activity was from the north and northeast, out around 200-230 miles, and from areas like Grand Rapids, Detroit and Toledo. Most of it was weak analog, but I did snag a new DTV log with WZPX-DT 44, Battle Creek, MI @ 197 miles. Also, off and on, I saw WXMI-DT 19 (Fox), Grand Rapids, a sister station to WXIN/WTTV/WTTK (Tribune).

BTW, this morning I noticed that WNDY's weather bug in the upper left corner read "MyNDY." It looks like the station is beginning to promote the upcoming MyNetwork TV (Fox). http://users4.ev1.net/~chipk/CW.html

http://www.wndy.com/dsp_story.cfm?storyid=49530

Steve

I HATE MURPHY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that I have calmed down it's just amazing how you can be having a good day, but then Murphy's Law says it going to change.

Went to a yard sale yesterday and a lady was selling dvds for $3 bucks each and tv box sets for $5. I was able to pickup Lost Season 1, CSI Miami 1, Sleepway camp for 15 bucks and in perfect condition.

Go home and plan on checking them out after a late dinner.

BOOM, a thunderstorm pops out of nowhere and my son yells from down stairs "Dad, I just saw a arc come from your HD box." Of course the power is off by this time and there is no way to check for damage. This STB is hooked up to the 65' Mits and of course I'm thinking uh oh.

When this happened the wife and I were upstairs watching the everyday tv and I could smell burnt wire shortly there after. Not coming from down stairs or this tv, rather from out bed room. Go in the bedroom, open the amoire, yep even without the power being on I know this one is toast.

To make a long story short, the power went off around 8pm, came back on 2am. Started checking things because I couldn't sleep and found. My son's 30 inch widescreen Toshiba (he personally bought himself from working summer jobs) would not power up. Our (wife/I) bedroom tv was fried just as I suspected (a smaller 20in' Toshiba with built in DVD player).
My Panasonic dvd recorder would not power up, the STB would, but obviously my pre-amp for my antenna hadn't fried before but has now.

Whoopie, $1,500 in damage with a $500 deductable.


Dear RWB

Does your power company offer any type of "whole house" surge protector? I have PSI now Duke Energy and they do. I have had their unit installed behind their electrical meter on two houses. They charged me about $200 and for an additional $1.99 per month coverage that involves telephone or other sources not their cable.

I had a hit in the back yard that zapped the modems in the house and did not involve their meter and yes I did receive payment your repairs. May want to check yours out and see if they offer any coverage.

I replaced the equipment and repairs myself and did finally receive a check for $180. Better than paying that $500 deductable from your Insurance Company.

The main benefit I see is when you get that on/off power surge I have not had any electrical equipment go down. I have several of those small plug-in surge protectors, battery back-up UPS and even surge protectors on all phone lines and don't know if they are of any use. But a real "whole house" unit does seem to and again I did receive a $180 check for my claim.

Good Luck in the future.

Dear RWB

Does your power company offer any type of "whole house" surge protector? I have PSI now Duke Energy and they do. I have had their unit installed behind their electrical meter on two houses. They charged me about $200 and for an additional $1.99 per month coverage that involves telephone or other sources not their cable.

I had a hit in the back yard that zapped the modems in the house and did not involve their meter and yes I did receive payment your repairs. May want to check yours out and see if they offer any coverage.

I replaced the equipment and repairs myself and did finally receive a check for $180. Better than paying that $500 deductable from your Insurance Company.

The main benefit I see is when you get that on/off power surge I have not had any electrical equipment go down. I have several of those small plug-in surge protectors, battery back-up UPS and even surge protectors on all phone lines and don't know if they are of any use. But a real "whole house" unit does seem to and again I did receive a $180 check for my claim.

Good Luck in the future.

I am not an electrical engineer, but what I saw inside the "whole house" unit doesn't look to me as if it can absort very much energy. I was at home when Cinergy installed my unit.
I guess the insurance might be a decent investment, but I'm just a natural skeptic when it comes to any device that claims to protect against a lightening strike.

Dear RWB

Does your power company offer any type of "whole house" surge protector? I have PSI now Duke Energy and they do. I have had their unit installed behind their electrical meter on two houses. They charged me about $200 and for an additional $1.99 per month coverage that involves telephone or other sources not their cable.

Good Luck in the future.

Thanks for the tip. Never have felt confident about surge protectors and this incident proves that point for sure.

This did open my eyes about getting serious in protecting my equipment. I was lucky it didn't fry the good stuff. What's been interesting in this is my cable went totally out and they are having problems getting a quality signal back. Murphy once again, I'm the only one in the area.

Seems my house just had a big ole bulls eye on it. I might not be aware of all the damage for some time as I continue to find things that are now defective. What's strange is some things got damaged while others attached to the same plug did not?

Added to the list..........Dell computer will no longer turn on, however the LCD monitor plugged in to the same surge protector :rolleyes: is fine.

The speaker, in the hands free speaker phone will not disconnect. Constant dial tone. Yet 4 other corded phones in the house are fine.

After some testing I found one of the cable tv's cables, no longer works (cable has gone bad). Yet this is the cable that was hooked up to the Mits tv in the theater room and the Mits came through with flying colors. Yet this is also the room where my boy saw the arc from the HD Box (which is fine) but toasted the Winegard square shooter (mounted on my deck) and the Panny recorder (connected via component to the Mits) blew a fuse.

Now our son's bedroom is above our bedroom and both had the damaged televisions. So I suspect maybe our outlets maybe on the same circuit. However the computer as noted is on the other side of the house and is definitely not on the same.

So in conclussion I'm begining to wonder if not only did we get an electrical surge in the receptacles (which is funny because no breakers tripped), but also a surge through the telephone lines, and maybe the cable tv line? I do know in the future if there is any sign of a storm, I will take a few more precautions. First step (if I keep cable) will be to change the cable connectors to slide/push on adapters for easy removal from the tvs.

Is anyone else having problems receiving Channel 8's digital signal over the past 2 weeks? I have 2 DishNetwork HD receivers and suddenly both receivers can't get a signal above 60 from channel 8. I live in Shelbyville and the other stations, ie channel 13 gets a 95-100 signal and so does channel 6. Is it my antenna or are both my receivers going bad?

Thanks for the tip. Never have felt confident about surge protectors and this incident proves that point for sure.

This did open my eyes about getting serious in protecting my equipment. I was lucky it didn't fry the good stuff. What's been interesting in this is my cable went totally out and they are having problems getting a quality signal back. Murphy once again, I'm the only one in the area.

Seems my house just had a big ole bulls eye on it. I might not be aware of all the damage for some time as I continue to find things that are now defective. What's strange is some things got damaged while others attached to the same plug did not?

Added to the list..........Dell computer will no longer turn on, however the LCD monitor plugged in to the same surge protector :rolleyes: is fine.

The speaker, in the hands free speaker phone will not disconnect. Constant dial tone. Yet 4 other corded phones in the house are fine.

After some testing I found one of the cable tv's cables, no longer works (cable has gone bad). Yet this is the cable that was hooked up to the Mits tv in the theater room and the Mits came through with flying colors. Yet this is also the room where my boy saw the arc from the HD Box (which is fine) but toasted the Winegard square shooter (mounted on my deck) and the Panny recorder (connected via component to the Mits) blew a fuse.

Now our son's bedroom is above our bedroom and both had the damaged televisions. So I suspect maybe our outlets maybe on the same circuit. However the computer as noted is on the other side of the house and is definitely not on the same.

So in conclussion I'm begining to wonder if not only did we get an electrical surge in the receptacles (which is funny because no breakers tripped), but also a surge through the telephone lines, and maybe the cable tv line? I do know in the future if there is any sign of a storm, I will take a few more precautions. First step (if I keep cable) will be to change the cable connectors to slide/push on adapters for easy removal from the tvs.

I have had lighting hits on two houses and never have had a breaker trip. It is my understanding that they only trip if too much juice is required, not too much going in! Could be just an issue with your Power Company and I am sure they would tell you and all others that were affected! Right? There is no system in your house to stop even 150 volts, so lighting may not always be the issue.On one house I used 130 volt light bulbs since we were alway getting spikes. Anyway this whole house behind the meter unit does seem to take care of that. It also has red LED lights to show that it is functional, and I feel is somewhat a deterrent to someone that might want to break-in. You can see ours from the street and not many houses have this device. I also have an on-line security system, too and they will call you if you have an A/C failure. First time I received one of those calls I didn't know what it was. Wife was home and had foot surgery and was afraid she might have fallen (and couldn't get up). She didn't answer the wireless home phones since they do not work with no power (keep a regular corded phone around to solve this) or cell phone she left in the car, so I called the Police to check on her. She had just gone to bed when power went off! Not something most guys would have done.

I'm about to take the plunge in replacing the Winegard Square Shooter. I've read how the CM4228 is the ultimate in deep fringe reception from different sites, but now I would like the opinion of my Hoosier friends on what their experience has been with this antenna. Does it indeed live up to expectations or not bad with alot of hype?

I got clobbered by lightning last spring, and I'd have to say that surge protectors are a complete waste of money on anything but a very mild surge.
Stereos, televisions and radios all were ruined. All were on surge protectors which claimed to be working perfectly before and after the strike.
Too many joules!
Nat Hill IV

RWB,

Sorry to hear about your troubles.

Read the fine print, as they say: NO surge suppressor found in any store, despite having lightning logos on them or whatever, claims to protect against a direct hit by lightning. If you see arcing from anything to anywhere when a strike hits, you've taken a direct hit. Still, there are MANY surges that a good suppressor WILL take down so that your equipment won't get fried. My neighbors have all had stuff get fried while mine has been humming along. Low end cases that still fry equipment should be handled by a decent surge suppressor.

Here's what I do: I have my TV, microwave, garage door opener on surge suppressors. But, I unplug the microwave and TV/VCR/etc during bad storms.
Here's a question: does turning them OFF (and thereby cutting power to the stuff they're plugged into) accomplish the same thing as unplugging it from the wall? I don't think so, but it would make life a tad bit easier if that were the case. I strongly suspect not.

Anyway, as to the 4228 question...I am 60 miles west of Chicago, and using my 4228, I can lock Indy stations on occasion with tropo going on. It is a very directional antenna, however...so if your towers are in significantly different directions, you may have problems unless you put it on a rotor.

RWB,
Anyway, as to the 4228 question...I am 60 miles west of Chicago, and using my 4228, I can lock Indy stations on occasion with tropo going on. It is a very directional antenna, however...so if your towers are in significantly different directions, you may have problems unless you put it on a rotor.

Are you using a pre-amp at all?

I'm hoping the 4228 with the pre-amp will get me WB4 as a constant. With the Winegard WTIU out of Bloomington at about 68 miles was never a problem 24/7. Right before the nasty storm hit I was picking up WB4 every evening so I'm feeling pretty confident if the 4228 is all it's stacked up to me I should be in the money.

The wife is ready to give up cable and go strictly with OTA as long as we can pickup the PAcer games this fall/winter from WB4.

Sounds crazy doesn't it to limit our options? We've got over 1, 200 dvds easily and this just may force us to be smart and start watching them. :D

Are you using a pre-amp at all?

I'm hoping the 4228 with the pre-amp will get me WB4 as a constant. With the Winegard WTIU out of Bloomington at about 68 miles was never a problem 24/7. Right before the nasty storm hit I was picking up WB4 every evening so I'm feeling pretty confident if the 4228 is all it's stacked up to me I should be in the money. :D

I know a TV DXer in Lexington, KY who uses the 4228 with a lot of success. I think it should work quite well in your area, especially since you don't have any nearby TV towers. As sebenste mentioned, it is fairly directional so you most likely will need a rotor so you can take advantage of other area stations.

What's the terrain and elevation (ASL) like at your house? I noticed that Clinton (in the Wabash River valley) sits at just 498 ft. ASL. I'm hoping that at 6-8 miles outside Clinton, where you are, the elevation is somewhat higher. The elevation in Trafalgar, where the WTTV-DT tower is located, is close to 830 ft. ASL. It looks like Clinton is approximately 70 miles (as the crow flies) from Trafalgar. How high will you be able to mount the 4228? On a mast or do you have a TV tower?

At that distance, I would say that a preamp could be very beneficial.

Steve

RWB,


I'm using the 4248 "Yagi" and considering up grading to the 4228. I feel I am doing well in Spencer getting what I do. That should be a good investment for you and I.

Randy

What's the terrain and elevation (ASL) like at your house? I noticed that Clinton (in the Wabash River valley) sits at just 498 ft. ASL. I'm hoping that at 6-8 miles outside Clinton, where you are, the elevation is somewhat higher. The elevation in Trafalgar, where the WTTV-DT tower is located, is close to 830 ft. ASL. It looks like Clinton is approximately 70 miles (as the crow flies) from Trafalgar. How high will you be able to mount the 4228? On a mast or do you have a TV tower?

At that distance, I would say that a preamp could be very beneficial.

Steve


Steve,

Lucky for me I do live half way up a steep incline/hill. When I did live in Clinton (most assuredly a valley) WTHI was the only option. Of course back then, over three years ago, options were slim anyway.

Unfortunately I do live in the woods and while most people may have to deal with a problem tree, you can mutiply that by 10 where I live. I have been fortunate in the respect many trees were cleared from near my back deck area which is raised about 12ft from the ground. The Winegard SS has a nice mounting bracket you can attach to the deck. I attached the antenna to a 6ft PVC pole (worked quite well) and the pole was inserted into the bracket. So you're looking at a height of 18 ft from the ground. The problem with this is the deck is on the west side of the house. I'm able to get a little distance away from the house to rotate the antenna east, but not toward the Indy towers.

I believe the 4228 is my best option and I should be ordering it within a few days if not sooner. I'll keep everyone posted if I see a dramatic change because at first I'll use the same backet I did before. After that I will explore other options like mounting it somewhere else and may finally look at a tower.

The look of the Winegard covered the WTF since it was in plain view on the deck. I'm pretty sure the 4228 isn't a thing of beauty, so I don't think she will tolerate this location for long.

RWB,


I'm using the 4248 "Yagi" and considering up grading to the 4228. I feel I am doing well in Spencer getting what I do. That should be a good investment for you and I.

Randy

Thanks for the tip Slam.

RWB,

At 70+ miles from the WTTV tower, you're going to need all the signal you can capture. With your deck on the west side of the house, try to get the antenna high enough so that it clears the roofline for a clear view to the east towards the TV tower.

FWIW, among the antennas tested at this site ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/comparing.html the net gain with the CM 4228 at channel 48 was among the highest.

Steve

FWIW, among the antennas tested at this site ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/comparing.html the net gain with the CM 4228 at channel 48 was among the highest.

Steve

That's good to know, the 4228 is on it's way. Hopefully I'll be posting some positive results in about three days.

Hey guys, I came home from DC, and my dad just got the new 5LNB dish and H20 from Directv... I didn't see CBS 8 and Fox 59 on the HD list. Any word on when he can look for them?

Anyway, as to the 4228 question...I am 60 miles west of Chicago, and using my 4228, I can lock Indy stations on occasion with tropo going on. It is a very directional antenna, however...so if your towers are in significantly different directions, you may have problems unless you put it on a rotor.

You're not kidding about directional.

So far mixed results, but I'm still testing. I put the 4228 up temporarily yesterday around 4pm. I got the biggest signal strength on the STB meter ever for the locals. And WB4 was right there, but still wouldn't lock on. :(

Increased the antenna height another 8ft and the signal got worse. Sometimes you have to come to the realization there is only so much you can do. I'm just too far away from the towers to ever have the signal consistent. As noted I live in the woods surrounded by trees, cutting down the forrest isn't going to happen.

As sebenste suggests, a rotor has too be in my future. The Winegard SS blows the CM away in getting mutiple channels to lock on without turning the antenna. Also it appears the Winegard may have had the benefit of picking up channels off reflections (namely trees where I live).

Definitely a catch22 right now with being both excited and disappointed with my purchase. Who knows, after the trees lose there leaves I might be thrilled with my reception.

Too bad there isn't a bang your head against the wall smilie. :D

RWB,

Are you using a preamp with the 4228? At that distance you'll need every dB of signal you can catch and preserve. If you were getting some signal from WTTV-DT last night, I'd say that's good. Reception conditions were very poor around the area yesterday.

Yes, sometimes height does NOT improve signal strength, but USUALLY it does. Obviously the sweet spot for DT 48 was not at the higher position. Portable antennas like the SS allows you to move it in any direction, allowing you to locate the sweet spot. I've got one of those and in experimenting with it sometimes the best reception spot is with it sitting on the floor.

Steve

Steve,

I have the 4228 hooked up to the CM7775 pre-amp. Next step is to switch out boxes. I've been using an old 151 Samsung and will switch it out with a newer LG I have. Kind of put this off since the LG has been hooked up HDMI to the upstairs television. While the Sammy has been hooked up the older Mits that will only accept component.

The Winegard SS I'm referring to is actually the amplified Square Shooter. Sorry I know the SS came be confusing. Still funny though that the cheapest antenna I have in the Zenith Silver Sensor sometimes does the best. But here again as you pointed out, being able to move that little guy around is really convenient. Also the antenna can be pointed east without going through the entire house.

Not to knock the Samsung 151, but I used to have one and at least for me, it was one of the poorer DTV receivers at decoding a weak signal. A few years ago, several of my DXing buddies and I tested and compared around 10 different STBs, side by side, and it was the worst one of the group at decoding a weak signal. Shortly after that, I sold it and purchased a better STB. Hopefully the LG will do a better job.

Steve

We have had our 46" Samsung DLP tv for two weeks now. With football season fast aproaching,I want to make sure I have my HD for the local stations. I am near Camby,and would like to know what type of set up works best for this area? I have Direct Tv,and they dont offer local channels in HD as of right now,so I must go for the antenna route. Any help is appreciatted. Thanks.

Hi everyone,
I'm brand new to this forum and I'm brand new to the world of HDTV. I live in Indianapolis in the Linwood area, a few miles east of downtown. My husband and I just recently purchased an HD TV, and we are getting good reception on it using a Terk TV5 antenna poisitioned next to a window in the NW corner of our home. I have a few questions. Please forgive me if these questions are very basic - I've browsed and search this site and the web in general, but it's going to be easier to just ask the 'gurus' than to try to dig out the answers. Here goes:
1) Will a better antenna get me more HD channels? I've checked the antenna web site, and I'm getting all of the local HD channels but one - TBN. It's frequency is the only one that is higher than 50. Will a better antenna get me this channel? And others from outside the state?
2) Although our reception is pretty good, every now and then we get glitches in the HD reception. Is this due to quality of our antenna or is this just part of HD reception over the air?
3) MY MAIN QUESTION: Can I use 1 antenna and split the signal between 2 or 3 tvs in my home - 1 is HD, the others are not? If this is possible, which antenna would you suggest. (I'm quite ticked off wtih the cable company - long story - so I just want to do antenna for everything.)
NOTE: I would prefer to use an indoor antenna, but if an outdoor antenna is required to get what I want, I'm willing to consider it.

THX TO EVERYONE IN ADVANCE FOR CONSIDERING MY QUESTIONS. I look forward to any and all suggestions.

I split my antenna feed 4 ways: one to the FM input of my receiver, one to HD, one to a VCR, and one to a DVD recorder. The FM and HD don't seem to suffer. Picture quality from the VCR and DVD recorder is less than perfect though that may have to do with the quality of their tuners. You may have better results since you are much closer to the signal sources than I am.

Greg way out past the airport

Hi everyone,
I'm brand new to this forum and I'm brand new to the world of HDTV. I live in Indianapolis in the Linwood area, a few miles east of downtown. My husband and I just recently purchased an HD TV, and we are getting good reception on it using a Terk TV5 antenna poisitioned next to a window in the NW corner of our home. I have a few questions. Please forgive me if these questions are very basic - I've browsed and search this site and the web in general, but it's going to be easier to just ask the 'gurus' than to try to dig out the answers. Here goes:
1) I've checked the antenna web site, and I'm getting all of the local HD channels but one - TBN. It's frequency is the only one that is higher than 50. Will a better antenna get me this channel? And others from outside the state?
2) Although our reception is pretty good, every now and then we get glitches in the HD reception. Is this due to quality of our antenna or is this just part of HD reception over the air?
3) MY MAIN QUESTION: Can I use 1 antenna and split the signal between 2 or 3 tvs in my home - 1 is HD, the others are not? If this is possible, which antenna would you suggest. (I'm quite ticked off wtih the cable company - long story - so I just want to do antenna for everything.)
NOTE: I would prefer to use an indoor antenna, but if an outdoor antenna is required to get what I want, I'm willing to consider it.

THX TO EVERYONE IN ADVANCE FOR CONSIDERING MY QUESTIONS. I look forward to any and all suggestions.

1) I would think you should be able to get TBN (with its four channels!) with a decent outdoor antenna. Understand that several of the towers in the Indianapolis market are actually located in Trafalgar, which is South and just a little East of you. I'm not an expert, but I don't think you'll get many more digital stations than what you are getting now with the exception of TBN (at least not on a regular basis).
2) Glitches shouldn't happen very often. I would guess an outdoor antenna, even it's not a real expensive model, should put a stop to that.
3) You should be able to easily drive all of your televisions and vcrs if you have a good outdoor antenna (and especially if you have a good low-noise pre-amp hooked up to it).
It may just be my nature, but a good outdoor antenna seems like the way to go. The bad news is that you will very likely need a rotor to swing South to the Trafalgar stations. When you get an outdoor antenna set up like you want you're good to go.
OTA digital is really neat. It is at least as good as cable HDTV, and most agree it looks better than satellite HDTV. You get subchannels on almost all of the OTA digital channels. I'm sure you've already noticed the improvement in picture and sound quality when compared to its analog equivalent.
Nat Hill IV
Good luck!

Greg and Nat, thanks a million for your replies. I'll look into getting an outdoor antenna. And yes, I'm VERY pleased with the audio/visual quality of OTA HD. And it's FREE to boot!

We have had our 46" Samsung DLP tv for two weeks now. With football season fast aproaching,I want to make sure I have my HD for the local stations. I am near Camby,and would like to know what type of set up works best for this area? I have Direct Tv,and they dont offer local channels in HD as of right now,so I must go for the antenna route. Any help is appreciatted. Thanks.

I'm sorry you didn't get a reply from viewers in your area. I know in the past we've had some posts from your area. You might do a search of this thread.

It looks like you are less than 20 miles from the Indy antenna farm at about 20 degrees while the Trafalgar towers are also less than 20 miles at around 150 degrees. An antenna like the CM 4221 MIGHT allow you to position it between these azimuth readings so you could receive stations from both locations without using a rotor. However, that is debateable. The real sticky station with that antenna at your distance might be WISH-DT 9 (8.1, 8.2, 8.3) since it is currently the only DTV station on VHF.

I just ran across this link which will take you to some interesting test results and comments relating to some possible antennas for your location.
http://hdtv.forsandiego.com/messages/4364/3476.html?1126051755

Steve

If you're thinking about using a preamp or distribution amp in the Indy metro/suburban area, the Winegard HDP-269 preamp might be the one to use, especially within 20-25 miles of the towers. I haven't tried it, yet, but I'm thinking about it. Has anyone in this area used it? Here's a great review posted a few months ago by an AVS Forum member.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7591470&&#post7591470

Steve

If you're thinking about using a preamp or distribution amp in the Indy metro/suburban area, the Winegard HDP-269 preamp might be the one to use, especially within 20-25 miles of the towers. I haven't tried it, yet, but I'm thinking about it. Has anyone in this area used it? Here's a great review posted a few months ago by an AVS Forum member.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7591470&&#post7591470

Steve

Hey Steve;
I'm a Winegard fan, and a low amplification low noise amp would seem to me to be perfect for digital signals, especially close to the towers.
I have had a lot more trouble with too much signal and resultant noise than I have with too low a signal.
Nat

Slight update on the 4228. WOW!!!!!!!!!! If you're on the fringe the 4228 with pre-amp is the only way to go.

For those closer to their towers, then I still whole heartedly could recommend the Winegard amplified Square Shooter. Looks good and does a good job.

Slight update on the 4228. WOW!!!!!!!!!! If you're on the fringe the 4228 with pre-amp is the only way to go.

So, inquiring minds want to know.......Are you now receiving WTTV-DT? I take it you are from your comment. We've had some interesting tropo conditions around the past several days with stations from MO, IL, KY, MI and OH in the area.

Steve

Is anyone else disappointed with the quality of WTHR's HD signal on DirecTV? I just had the 5LNB dish and new HD receiver installed on 8/3/06, and I can see a lot of noise in all the programming. So far I've tried Leno, the BY 400, and the NFL preseason game. I haven't had any trouble with WRTV HD.

Also, I too am interested in knowing when WXIN and WISH HD will be available on DirecTV.

Somebody please help!

So, inquiring minds want to know.......Are you now receiving WTTV-DT? I take it you are from your comment. We've had some interesting tropo conditions around the past several days with stations from MO, IL, KY, MI and OH in the area.

Steve

Yeah Steve, WB4 is coming in great. On the good tropo days I get the same signal strength as the Terre Haute locals. On the few and far between bad days I may get a bad signal between 10a and 4p, but after that it locks in fine even with the old timer Sammy box. Should put me right in the driver's seat for my main intention of grabbing Pacer games this year.

On a side note......Since the storm hit I did get a new plasma with the Wife on board about it. When all was said and done there was too little damage to make an insurance claim and it still worked out great. :D
Back to the original thought......With the plasma I'm just using the Zenith Silver Sensor for my HD. There is no rhyme or reason (besides tropo conditions) for this thing to selectively pickup what it does. When the conditions are good it will pickup everything Indy. At other times it seems for some reason channel 13 is the easiest with 59's DT station a close second. In all these years 13 (wait, I've never picked up WISH) has never been this easy. Previously WRTV or one of the Bloomington religious stations always came in first. Did someone have a major power increase of late besides WB4?

On a side note........I have really enjoyed the Tube. Let's my kids see what MTV had started out as.

RWB,

Glad to hear you are able to receive WTTV-DT at 70+ miles. I emailed Rick Poling at WTTV/WXIN to let him know about your success.

The only other local DTV with a recent power increase, that I'm aware of, was WHMB-DT 16 (40.1 & 40.2), just ahead of WTTV-DT. WHMB-DT moved from its old 500 ft. tower in Noblesville with 18 kW to a new 1000 ft. tower at the Indy antenna farm with a little over 160 kW.

Steve

BTW, the Colts/Rams preseason game tonight @ 8 on Fox and WXIN-DT 45 (59.1) is scheduled to be in HD!!

Steve

Is anyone else disappointed with the quality of WTHR's HD signal on DirecTV? I just had the 5LNB dish and new HD receiver installed on 8/3/06, and I can see a lot of noise in all the programming. So far I've tried Leno, the BY 400, and the NFL preseason game. I haven't had any trouble with WRTV HD.

Also, I too am interested in knowing when WXIN and WISH HD will be available on DirecTV.

Somebody please help!

I still get WTHR OTA, but don't judge the PQ by that awful Sunday Night Football broadcast. It was bad OTA, and I'm sure it wasn't WTHR's fault. It's still preseaon for the production crew as well, and they've got some work to do before September 7th.

I haven't heard anything on when the other two channels will be added, but hopefully it'll be within the next couple of months (the timeframe for the new HD DVR's launch).

Anyone know if WTHR is planning on showing Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy in HD this year? Do they even have the equipment to do so? The new season is supposed to start September 11, and apparently 40-some stations have committed to carrying the HD versions already (all info from the HD Programming board).

I'm not a fan of either show, but I'd definitely watch if they were in HD.

AlanSaysYo,

Maybe someone has a more recent update on this subject. I haven't heard anything new since my post on June 29..............................................

I do know that within the past couple of months a few of the engineers at WTHR along with their counterparts at sister station WBNS, Columbus, OH, were out shopping for new equipment which would allow them to receive, record and replay HD syndicated programming like Wheel Of Fortune and Jeopardy, which will be going HD this September.

Steve

Heh, I realized after I posted that I had asked the same question before. I didn't know it had only been two months since then ;)

Has anyone else lost WTTV-DT using OTA. I have not been picking it up yesterday or today. Just wondered if something had happened.

Has anyone else lost WTTV-DT using OTA. I have not been picking it up yesterday or today. Just wondered if something had happened.

Plenty of signal from WTTV-DT tonight just south of Carmel (36 miles from tower), even with the CM 4221 aimed toward South Bend. You might try rebooting your receiver by unplugging it, and then reentering the channel number or performing a new channel scan.

Steve

Has anyone else lost WTTV-DT using OTA. I have not been picking it up yesterday or today. Just wondered if something had happened.

The WTTV-DT signal seems just fine here in Bloomington. I would say that Steve has given you great advice.
Nat Hill IV

Thanks for the advice. I am using a DirecTV HR10-250 as my receiver and this happened once before and just as magically as it disappeared, it reappeared. I will try to add the channel and see what happens.

Hey everyone. Due to a new job, it looks like I might be moving to the Lafayette/West Lafayette area. I currently live in South Carolina and am happily set up (in regards to TV at least) with Dish HD, and getting my locals in HD OTA. I have a pretty small and relatively cheap (~$50) Terk antenna in the attic (don't know the exact model offhand), but it currently is good enough to pick up these HD locals which are broadcasting from about 50 miles away from where I live.

So I guess I'm wondering what my options are once I move to Lafayette? Due to a recent upgrade to their HD DVR, I'm pretty much committed to Dish for awhile now, so there's little to no chance of switching to a different provider. In looking at Dish's website, it appears that Indy locals are not available period, SD or HD (assuming their site is accurate), which I thought was kind of odd since Lafayette is only about an hour away. Anyone know from experience how easy it is pick up the OTA HD channels from Indy for that distance?

Thanks in advance for any help/comments/suggestions.

I receive my programming via Comcast on the west side of Marion County (Indy). I noticed last night on the Sunday night game that the picture quality was not quite what I have come to expect with regards to HD. The "sharpness" just wasn't there. The only exception to this was after a CG of a player's stats, or whatever was on the screen, as the transition back to the live shot occured, for that split second that the live shot was full screen before the switcher had completed the transition, the PQ was great. Then, as soon as the transition was completed, back to the "dulls". Might have been a switcher problem in the truck, but it was kind of annoying.

Ken

How much of a problem are these asinine weather sub-channels in Indianapolis? I don't have a comparison...I don't know how much better it could be if they were turned off.

I receive my programming via Comcast on the west side of Marion County (Indy). I noticed last night on the Sunday night game that the picture quality was not quite what I have come to expect with regards to HD. The "sharpness" just wasn't there. The only exception to this was after a CG of a player's stats, or whatever was on the screen, as the transition back to the live shot occured, for that split second that the live shot was full screen before the switcher had completed the transition, the PQ was great. Then, as soon as the transition was completed, back to the "dulls". Might have been a switcher problem in the truck, but it was kind of annoying.

Ken


Ken look in the HDTV Programming forum and you will find an entire thread on this topic. It appears to have been a problem in most of the country.

How much of a problem are these asinine weather sub-channels in Indianapolis? I don't have a comparison...I don't know how much better it could be if they were turned off.

Not much of a problem on WISH at all... I think their engineer once posted here that the weather and radar channels were taking up less than 2 Mbps combined. Their HD channel looks fantastic.

I get the feeling it's a bit more of a problem over on WRTV. I have no numbers to back that up, but I do notice spots here and there where shaded/solid color areas become pixellated. That may also be from the lower resolution at 720p, though. And it's hard to tell how much the subchannel affects WTHR since NBC HD in general seems to suffer from those problems no matter which local affiliate it comes from.

Overall, though, I'd say OTA in Indy looks pretty darn good, especially considering the awful stories I've read about other markets where affiliates are running at 12-13 Mbps. :eek:

Thanks for the advice. I am using a DirecTV HR10-250 as my receiver and this happened once before and just as magically as it disappeared, it reappeared. I will try to add the channel and see what happens.

Check your signal meter and make sure the signal isn't jumping up and down wildly. I had that problem with my old unit and it ended up having a bad internal switch. Once I got my replacement unit, I was able to receive every channel consistently. If it's still under warranty, definitely keep an eye on it. Those boxes are pretty temperamental to begin with.

Anyone know from experience how easy it is pick up the OTA HD channels from Indy for that distance?

Hi. Sorry, no personal experience in Lafayette because I'm in Indy, but here are the coverage maps for the 4 main Indy network stations, which appear to look pretty good for you (WISH=CBS; WRTV=ABC; WTHR=NBC; WXIN=Fox). Also, Lafayette has its own CBS affiliate, WLFI, a sister station to Indy's WISH. Plus, WICD, Champaign, IL (ABC), appears to have a good signal into the Lafayette area. All of these stations pass along HD broadcasts from the networks.

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT579793.html
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT401224.html
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT988068.html
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT691765.html
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT988218.html
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT1031586.html

The Indy stations could be a little tricky with an indoor antenna, but it's worth a try. Lafayette's elevation tends to be lower than surrounding areas due to the Wabash River valley.

Welcome to Indiana and good luck with your HD setup.

Steve

Indianapolis is the largest state capitol in the country...and we have no local HD newscasts. Cities such as Seattle and Louisville have 3 or 4 local affliates broadcasting in HD. I heard from WRTV that we can expect 16x9 content by the end of year. I have no idea what that really means...HD, 16x9 SD, SD stretch...who knows. The truth of the matter is that I asked the very same question of each local affliate this time next year I would likely get the same answer...we have shopped around for equipment.

No sound from the rears on MNF via ESPNHD...but that a topic for another thread....

Hey everyone. Due to a new job, it looks like I might be moving to the Lafayette/West Lafayette area. I currently live in South Carolina and am happily set up (in regards to TV at least) with Dish HD, and getting my locals in HD OTA. I have a pretty small and relatively cheap (~$50) Terk antenna in the attic (don't know the exact model offhand), but it currently is good enough to pick up these HD locals which are broadcasting from about 50 miles away from where I live.

So I guess I'm wondering what my options are once I move to Lafayette? Due to a recent upgrade to their HD DVR, I'm pretty much committed to Dish for awhile now, so there's little to no chance of switching to a different provider. In looking at Dish's website, it appears that Indy locals are not available period, SD or HD (assuming their site is accurate), which I thought was kind of odd since Lafayette is only about an hour away. Anyone know from experience how easy it is pick up the OTA HD channels from Indy for that distance?

Thanks in advance for any help/comments/suggestions.

The maps Steve gave you show that you are about in the same shape in Lafayette that I am here in Bloomington when it comes to digital signals from Indy.
I doubt very much if a "Terk in the attic" will do the job for you. I need a good Winegard antenna mounted outdoors. But with that antenna, I almost never get a dropout or problem from the Indy stations. A severe thunderstorm will cause blocking on channel 8's digital channel 9, but the UHF channels almost always are 100%.
Good luck, and go Boilers!

Has anyone else lost WTTV-DT using OTA. I have not been picking it up yesterday or today. Just wondered if something had happened.

I'm a few more miles out than most so you have to take it with a grain of salt, but yes I experienced the same difficulty. Finally locked on late in the evening around 8pm.

Indianapolis is the largest state capitol in the country...and we have no local HD newscasts. Cities such as Seattle and Louisville have 3 or 4 local affliates broadcasting in HD. ........................................
No sound from the rears on MNF via ESPNHD...but that a topic for another thread....

KOMO, Seattle, claims to be the first station in the world to broadcast local news in HD (1999) http://komotv.com/news/nindexaction.asp?ID=169 Is there another local HD broadcast station in Seattle? I sure wasn't aware of one.

If Louisville has a station with its local news in HD, that's really "news" to me. When tropo conditions are up, I frequently peruse the Louisville stations and what's on the air. I sure haven't heard a word about any locally originated HD broadcasts from WAVE, WHAS, WLKY or WDRB.

I'm not sure that ESPN-HD has switched over to DD5.1. It didn't have DD5.1 last season. Maybe by the time the regular season starts?

Steve

KOMO, Seattle, claims to be the first station in the world to broadcast local news in HD (1999) http://komotv.com/news/nindexaction.asp?ID=169 Is there another local HD broadcast station in Seattle? I sure wasn't aware of one.

If Louisville has a station with its local news in HD, that's really "news" to me. When tropo conditions are up, I frequently peruse the Louisville stations and what's on the air. I sure haven't heard a word about any locally originated HD broadcasts from WAVE, WHAS, WLKY or WDRB.

Steve
I must have been half asleep when I posted about Seattle and Louisville...but here is the most complete list I have found...

Local stations with HD news studios:
WRAL Raleigh, NC (VIPIR HD weather radar)
KING Seattle, WA
KOMO Seattle, WA
WJW Cleveland, OH
WUSA Washington DC
KUSA Denver, CO
WXIA Atlanta, GA
KARE Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
KABC Los Angeles, CA
WKYC Cleveland, OH
WPVI Philadelphia, PA
WFTV Orlando, FL

Local stations with HD helicopters:
KUSA Denver, CO
KABC Los Angeles, CA
WRAL Raleigh, NC
WABC New York, NY
WNYW New York, NY
KGO San Francisco, CA
WLS-TV Chicago, IL

I'm not sure that ESPN-HD has switched over to DD5.1. It didn't have DD5.1 last season. Maybe by the time the regular season starts?

The game started in DD5.1 and then dropped off later in the game...never to return.

I must have been half asleep when I posted about Seattle and Louisville...but here is the most complete list I have found...I live in DC now (working for the gov't), and although WUSA gets BIG props for having the local news in HD, it's not entirely in HD. Basically, only the in studio shots are in HD. Most of it is just regular definition with a nice 16X9 border, because the news clips and live shots outside the studio (even the "from the newsroom" segments) are not in HD. Sports clips are all SD, even if the game was on in HD.

So it's basically just the anchors you see in HD.

Also, the "stay tuned for the news at 11, right after CSI: Miami" shots are in SD.

(working for the gov't)
Me too...

>Kokomo - A wayward squirrel invaded a Kokomo power substation and left more than 5,000 customers without electricity................................

Tom Weber at WISH, WNDY, WIIH, etc., I thought of you and the incident at the WISH studios a few months ago while reading the above story. Squirrels need to stay away from power lines and transformers. Ouch!

Tom, from what I've read lately, programming for the new My Network TV will be in 720p HD. If this is the case, will you have to change WNDY-DT from 1080i to 720p? Thanks.

Steve

Is anyone else experiencing constant drop outs and picture breaking up on FOX 59? For the last two weeks this has been a constant problem. My signal strength has been bouncing from the mid 60's to zero. I live in New Castle and in the past FOX's signal strength has been alot higher. I did recently switch from DISH's 921 to the 622. I have tried deleting it and re-adding it, with no improvement!
I am wondering if the 622's OTA digital receiver is more sensitive than the 921's, and I am getting interference from WXIX 45 from Dayton,Oh. from the back side of my antenna.
Or has the skip been really bad for the last two weeks?

Duane

Is anyone else experiencing constant drop outs and picture breaking up on FOX 59? For the last two weeks this has been a constant problem. My signal strength has been bouncing from the mid 60's to zero. I live in New Castle and in the past FOX's signal strength has been alot higher. I did recently switch from DISH's 921 to the 622. I have tried deleting it and re-adding it, with no improvement!
I am wondering if the 622's OTA digital receiver is more sensitive than the 921's, and I am getting interference from WXIX 45 from Dayton,Oh. from the back side of my antenna.
Or has the skip been really bad for the last two weeks?

Duane

Skip must be bad, although I haven't really watched that much 59 lately. I had problems with 59 this morning, and some of the FM radio stations I receive that usually come in quite clearly were terrible at about the same time.

Nat

Is anyone else experiencing constant drop outs and picture breaking up on FOX 59? For the last two weeks this has been a constant problem. My signal strength has been bouncing from the mid 60's to zero. I live in New Castle and in the past FOX's signal strength has been alot higher. I did recently switch from DISH's 921 to the 622. I have tried deleting it and re-adding it, with no improvement!
I am wondering if the 622's OTA digital receiver is more sensitive than the 921's, and I am getting interference from WXIX 45 from Dayton,Oh. from the back side of my antenna.
Or has the skip been really bad for the last two weeks?

Duane

After looking at the coverage map for WRGT-45, Dayton, I'd speculate that it is interferring with the WXIN-DT 45 signal. http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=TV92182.html Factor in tropospheric enhancement lately, especially this time of year, and it could cause some problems. You didn't mention what type of antenna you are using, but with your location almost half way between Indy and Dayton, you'll probably need a very directional antenna to keep WRGT-45 from entering the back of it. I'm 100 miles from the Dayton towers, and I've been seeing the Dayton signals rather often lately, although I don't see much from there tonight.

An analog signal mixing with a DTV signal can make it difficult for the DTV receiver to properly decode the digital signal. Maybe the new receiver is more sensitive to this. My 2 cents.

Steve

and getting my locals in HD OTA. I have a pretty small and relatively cheap (~$50) Terk antenna in the attic (don't know the exact model offhand), but it currently is good enough to pick up these HD locals which are broadcasting from about 50 miles away from where I live.

So I guess I'm wondering what my options are once I move to Lafayette?

Anyone know from experience how easy it is pick up the OTA HD channels from Indy for that distance?



Welcome to Indiana. I am in Crawfordsville (about 25 miles south) and have an Archer (Radio Shack) VU-90ish antenna in the attic. I usually get the following HD (or digital) stations at the following strengths:

Lafayette: WLFI 18 (CBS) 93
Champaign, IL: WICD 15 (ABC) 88
Indianapolis: WRTV 6 (ABC) 80, WISH 8 (CBS) 85, WTHR 13 (NBC) 81, WFYI 20.1, 20.2, 20.3 (PBS) 73, WHMB 40 (Ind) 76, WXIN 59 (Fox) 74, WNDY 23 (UPN) 72
Bloomington: WTTV 4 (WB) 65, WTIU 30 (PBS) 69, WIPX 63 (PAX) 60s
Terre Haute: WTHI 10 (CBS) 62

In this area, make sure you have an amplifier and a rotator-- I have one setting for 4, 6, 20, 30, 40 and 63; and another for 8, 13, 23, and 59. 4, 30, and 63 only come in the evenings and mornings.

15 and 18 come in at over 80 at almost any setting, and I have to point due south for 10, and sometimes it doesn't come in at all.

We seem to be very subject to weather disturbances, and the signal strengths can vary widely in a short period.

I hope this helps.

Anyone know from experience how easy it is pick up the OTA HD channels from Indy for that distance?

Thanks in advance for any help/comments/suggestions.[/QUOTE]


Hi Jake!

I am in Rossville (about 15 miles due East of Lafayette), and I agree that anything in the attic may not do much for you. I have a sizable Winegard antenna with pre-amp on a 36' tower and I do pretty well with the Indy stations, but I have the added thrill of being about 3 air miles from the WLFI tower so I have had to trap out their HD and analog frequencies to get ANYTHING from Indy. I am getting ready to move the aforementioned traps from the basement to up on the tower between the antenna and pre-amp which according to the engineers at Winegard, should help considerably in freeing up the swamping of the pre-amp I am getting now, and hopefully allowing me better signal strength on WTTV-HD, WTTK-HD and WNDY-HD. I struggle to keep good signal from all 3 of those, but run typical 88% on all others from Indy.

Good luck!

Keith

Just saw this on HD BEAT and since this Forum is about IN thought I would pass it on. Don't know if this is old news and since I am in Noblesville doesn't involve my OTA but may be of interest to others (if not already covered) Enjoy!


WEVV 44 out of Evansville, IN now broadcasting in high-def
Posted Aug 16th 2006 11:12AM by Matt Burns
Filed under: Broadcast TV, Cable TV, Digital TV, Programming, CBS

It's nice to see more and more stations finally throwing the switch on high definition. WEVV-CBS 44 out of Evansville, Indiana is now transmitting their brand-spanking new high-def signal on 44.1. Their sister station WTSN, soon to be a MyNetwork TV affiliate, is occupying the 44.2 spot. There isn't any news for cable users though, but hopefully it will pop on the electronic programming guide sometime soon. Keep in mind that to receive these over-the-air signals, a person needs to have an ATSC tuner integrated into their TV or a set-top box with it. Many new non-HD TVs even have these TVs and chances are that if you purchased a 27-inch or large TV within the last few months, your TV has everything it needs to use an antenna to pull in these new signals.

Congrats Evansville on your newest high-def station!

Does anyone know if there is any progress with Terre Haute getting more HD locals?

Does anyone know if there is any progress with Terre Haute getting more HD locals?

Yes Fred, it's called getting a larger antenna. :p

No my friend, it seems unless you search out on your own we in the valley are doomed for a while.

Thanks for the responses. Sounds like I might need to get a bigger antenna. I'm sure they vary a little, but physically how big are these suckers (for instance, like the Winegard that you mentioned, Keith)? I guess what I really want to know is how much of an eyesore are they? And what's the ballpark costs for one of those? I've never had any experience with them at all.

Also, anyone know if it's true that Dish does not offer any locals (even SD) through them if you're in the Lafayette area? Like I mentioned in my previous post, this is what their website suggested ... but I find this kinda hard to believe, because I just read somewhere that Dish is now covering 96% of American households in regards to their SD locals (and 47% of households with HD locals). And I don't think that Lafayette is *THAT* remote from civilization.

This afternoon I received the official word that starting in September, WTHR-DT will be airing Jeopardy and Wheel Of Fortune in HD. The station is currently working out the final details to make this work.

Steve

This afternoon I received the official word that starting in September, WTHR-DT will be airing Jeopardy and Wheel Of Fortune in HD. The station is currently working out the final details to make this work.

Steve

Awesome... syndicated HD makes me excited. This opens the door for even more daytime TV to go HD in the future.

I may add a season pass to my Tivo for HD Jeopardy.

Thanks for the responses. Sounds like I might need to get a bigger antenna. I'm sure they vary a little, but physically how big are these suckers (for instance, like the Winegard that you mentioned, Keith)? I guess what I really want to know is how much of an eyesore are they? And what's the ballpark costs for one of those? I've never had any experience with them at all.

Also, anyone know if it's true that Dish does not offer any locals (even SD) through them if you're in the Lafayette area? Like I mentioned in my previous post, this is what their website suggested ... but I find this kinda hard to believe, because I just read somewhere that Dish is now covering 96% of American households in regards to their SD locals (and 47% of households with HD locals). And I don't think that Lafayette is *THAT* remote from civilization.



I have an HD7084 that is about 10' long and 10' wide at the widest point. You can get them at Lafayette Electronic Supply for $150-$200 if you can install it yourself, or email me and I can hook you up with some local guys that do good work.

On the topic of DishNetwork, I used to get locals from them until I got my HD set and reworked my OTA system. But I am in Clinton County and that may be the difference. Good Luck!!!

Keith

We just don't know yet what we're going to do definitively about MyNetwork. The fly in the ointment is the local newcast. At some point we'll have HD local newscast capability. I'm 99.44% certain that will be in 1080i, because of WISH/CBS. It's not really do-able to switch all of the studio and field gear from one HD type to the other (720p to 1080i) between newscasts (10 PM to 11 PM).

Thus, I suspect we'll be cross-converting the MyNetwork signal. However, that may not be true the first year (or two?) while we get HD newscast production up and running.

See, nothing is as simple as you like it to be...sigh.

Regards,
Tom Weber
Engineering
WISH / WNDY / WIIH / LWS / etc. etc. etc.

My RCA ATSC11 STB will not decode WXIN-DT via OTA tonight. All of my other digital receivers are decoding it just fine. I contacted a friend in Greensburg and his ATSC11 will not decode WXIN-DT either. Looks like there might have been a software update at the station and a few brands/models of receivers are not liking it. Anyone else having a decoding problem with WXIN-DT tonight? Thanks.

Steve