i know that digital isn't HD but i was expecting no snow :P and a s-video and maybe a toslink or coax audio out maybe i was expecting too much out of their "digital" service

Sorry, but I am STILL confused by what you are saying. (& the "digital" you keep putting in quotes :confused: )

If you are getting "snow" from your non-SD digital box, it's probably because EVERY Insight tech I've ever seen hooks these things up using just the coax out (ch 3) to the TV - Of COURSE it'll look like crap! That's an easy fix - just get a set of stereo audio/video cables & connect the box from the A/V outs on the back to A/V inputs on your TV & it should improve greatly.

i would expect the same quality on the tv in the living room which is HD yeah i was surprised of what the digital box brought although i like the clock...

Sorry, but you have me totally lost now - do you mean on SD or HD channels??? :confused: :confused:

Sorry, but I am STILL confused by what you are saying. (& the "digital" you keep putting in quotes :confused: )

If you are getting "snow" from your non-SD digital box, it's probably because EVERY Insight tech I've ever seen hooks these things up using just the coax out (ch 3) to the TV - Of COURSE it'll look like crap! That's an easy fix - just get a set of stereo audio/video cables & connect the box from the A/V outs on the back to A/V inputs on your TV & it should improve greatly.



Sorry, but you have me totally lost now - do you mean on SD or HD channels??? :confused: :confused:
yes i have done that (improved VERY SLIGHTLY to none) still get snow and non-vibrant colors i will take pics tommorow before the HD receiver is installed




i am trying to compare the digital box to my atsc/qam integrated tuner tv in my room aka the "digital" (because it is crap at being digitalesque) SD vs the ATSC/QAM on my SD 27"

or am i comparing apples to oranges?

or am i comparing apples to oranges?

Yes, because putting in an SD digital box, that ONLY puts out an SD analog picture, is no comparison to using the built-in QAM tuner in the TV. The QAM TV tuner picks up the digital signals directly from the cable line, & KEEPS them digital throughout the TV display process.

But when you put that digital box in the loop, the box is taking that digital signal, tuning it in & converting it back to analog, then sends it out of the box in an analog state, (because as I keep telling you, it was NOT meant for HD sets) THEN your TV has to convert it BACK to digital & then through the internal display process in the TV.


NOW however, when they install your new HD DVR tomorrow, make SURE that they use an HDMI cable from the DVR to your TV. (I am assuming your TV has at least 1 HDMI input) This will keep your cable signal digital ALL the way from the cable line, through the HD DVR box & out to the TV all the way through the display process.

Yes, because putting in an SD digital box, that ONLY puts out an SD analog picture, is no comparison to using the built-in QAM tuner in the TV. The QAM TV tuner picks up the digital signals directly from the cable line, & KEEPS them digital throughout the TV display process.

But when you put that digital box in the loop, the box is taking that digital signal, tuning it in & converting it back to analog, then sends it out of the box in an analog state, (because as I keep telling you, it was NOT meant for HD sets) THEN your TV has to convert it BACK to digital & then through the internal display process in the TV.


NOW however, when they install your new HD DVR tomorrow, make SURE that they use an HDMI cable from the DVR to your TV. (I am assuming your TV has at least 1 HDMI input) This will keep your cable signal digital ALL the way from the cable line, through the HD DVR box & out to the TV all the way through the display process.
the current tv is only capable of 1080i and was made about 2/3 yrs ago
so no luck on the hdmi. i am guessing the box doesn't have vga? but it does have component so eh that will be fine for 1080i
oh should i buy the $1903902 6 ft hdmi cable by monster or the one at monoprice when i do get new tv :P

thanks for your help

Looks like WCIA wont be Full Power by the Super Bowl. They are blaming the weather (which is a perfectly valid reason for the tower guys not to climb....I wouldn't either).

I'm not upset they are going to miss the super bowl (I'll be watching the advertising out of Peoria instead), but at least point the blame for not having a full power OTA HD solution squarely at theirselves. It was Nexstar and WCIA who chose to start this project 2 years late....not the weathers.

http://www.sj-r.com/sections/news/stories/106818.asp

the current tv is only capable of 1080i and was made about 2/3 yrs ago

Your TV being capable of 1080i has NOTHING to do with having an HDMI cable. Either an HD set has it or NOT. It can or CAN'T do 1080i either way. (you keep mixing apples & oranges here, dude... )

but it does have component so eh that will be fine for 1080i

Yes, Insight should give you a component cable with the install - they are decent cables; actually I use the same brand for clients.

oh should i buy the $1903902 6 ft hdmi cable by monster or the one at monoprice when i do get new tv :p

NEITHER, the $11 HDMI cable that Insight sells will do just fine - DON'T waste your money on totally overpriced cables. While you should you use "good quality" cables, spending redicoulous amounts on cables isn't going to get you anything. (although others will probably argue against me... ;) )

i know dishrich i was teasing you with the last comment
i was saying component was good enough for 1080i

they came out
hooked it up to the HD component inputs
"i think your inputs are messed up"
me:"no.... you have to switch it to 480p or better"
him:"it still should be workin"
me:"no...."
but then he went into the setup and changed it to 480p and magically it worked....
hmm maybe i should be doing this ****...
then he switched it to 1080i (after i told him the tv was capable of doing it)

but how do i get into that menu he went in to it was like some button combination
could you tell me how to do that because when i hooked a toslink to it my reciever couldn't recognize the toslink was in there (yes i messed with the input mode button but would only stay at analog(not my onkyo on my profile)

dishrich are you aware of how to get into this menu and tell me how to enable the toslink out? but the transmit led is on (or laser im guessing led for short range) so i am thinking it is working but the reciever they have in there is JANK.

Your TV being capable of 1080i has NOTHING to do with having an HDMI cable. Either an HD set has it or NOT. It can or CAN'T do 1080i either way. (you keep mixing apples & oranges here, dude... )

No offense, but the tenor of your posts always come across as harsh and abrasive. Not sure if you're intending it as such...

To montypythizzle:

Your RPTV is the same era as mine, a 1080i set that predates HDMI. Your set should have a DVI input, in which case you can use a DVI->HDMI cable or dongle to connect the two.

YMMV as to whether component or DVI/HDMI gives you better picture quality on your set.


NEITHER, the $11 HDMI cable that Insight sells will do just fine - DON'T waste your money on totally overpriced cables. While you should you use "good quality" cables, spending redicoulous amounts on cables isn't going to get you anything. (although others will probably argue against me... ;) )

Actually, monoprice HDMI cables may be cheaper than buying from Insight. I have a host of monoprice HDMI, DVI, and HDMI->DVI cables, and they represent a phenomenal value for the price. Eff Monster.


About the only issue I ever run into with my older set is handshaking on digital signals. Then again, my system is somewhat convoluded. Am running a PS3, Toshiba HD-A1, and an Oppo upconverting player all via HDMI to a monoprice HDMI switcher, then HDMI->DVI to a DVDO Iscan HD+ scaler, then DVI to my HDTV. Often the input devices lose communication with the TV when switching, and I have to power off and on my TV to re-establish communication.

Been looking at the posts on this thread and need some input.
I have an HD ready TV and just purchased the Samsung H260F tuner. I only subscribe to Mediacom's basic cable to get the internet. Plugged the cable into the tuner and it locks on to a number of channels, most of which are blank and I assume scrambled.
It does give me the music channels and a couple of misc channels.
It gives me CBS (Both Champaign and Terre Haute), WILL and FOX but I am not getting WAND (NBC)
Anybody else with Mediacom using a set top QAM tuner having trouble getting WAND?

Been looking at the posts on this thread and need some input.
I have an HD ready TV and just purchased the Samsung H260F tuner. I only subscribe to Mediacom's basic cable to get the internet. Plugged the cable into the tuner and it locks on to a number of channels, most of which are blank and I assume scrambled.
It does give me the music channels and a couple of misc channels.
It gives me CBS (Both Champaign and Terre Haute), WILL and FOX but I am not getting WAND (NBC)
Anybody else with Mediacom using a set top QAM tuner having trouble getting WAND?

I am pretty sure that WAND HD and WICD HD are not available on Mediacom yet. Where are you located to be getting both Champaign and Terre Haute CBS?

I am pretty sure that WAND HD and WICD HD are not available on Mediacom yet. Where are you located to be getting both Champaign and Terre Haute CBS?

Well, since WICD-SD/analog hasn't been available on Mediacom for the past month, I HIGHLY doubt the HD signals would be, either... :D ;) (remember Sinclair's dustup with Mediacom is still going on)

Well, since WICD-SD/analog hasn't been available on Mediacom for the past month, I HIGHLY doubt the HD signals would be, either... :D ;) (remember Sinclair's dustup with Mediacom is still going on)
dish you know the how to get into the service menu on the hd dvr boxes?

to change res's

anyway found out what was wrong the receiver only accepts optical on video 2 what cheapasses

dish you know the how to get into the service menu on the hd dvr boxes?

to change res's

Sorry I didn't answer your question, but I'm not at home & can't remember which menu the res is on. (there is another "hidden" menu, but I don't think it's under there)
Try this one - hit menu twice & it will take you to a list of several submenus - it should be under one of them.

I won't be home until late tonight, but will look at it then, if you can't find it.

Sorry I didn't answer your question, but I'm not at home & can't remember which menu the res is on. (there is another "hidden" menu, but I don't think it's under there)
Try this one - hit menu twice & it will take you to a list of several submenus - it should be under one of them.

I won't be home until late tonight, but will look at it then, if you can't find it.
yeah it is under the hidden menu :P
you don't happen to know that do ya? because i seen him do it and then i asked him how he did it and he didn't quite answer... i guess it is the advanced controls

I am pretty sure that WAND HD and WICD HD are not available on Mediacom yet. Where are you located to be getting both Champaign and Terre Haute CBS?

We are in Monticello. Our Mediacom feed services areas quite a ways south and east and I'm sure some of the areas get their normal CBS from Terre Haute so we have both.

Been looking at the posts on this thread and need some input.
I have an HD ready TV and just purchased the Samsung H260F tuner. I only subscribe to Mediacom's basic cable to get the internet. Plugged the cable into the tuner and it locks on to a number of channels, most of which are blank and I assume scrambled.
It does give me the music channels and a couple of misc channels.
It gives me CBS (Both Champaign and Terre Haute), WILL and FOX but I am not getting WAND (NBC)
Anybody else with Mediacom using a set top QAM tuner having trouble getting WAND?


I have a stb here and have mediacom :( and I beleive it comes from your town, and I can only get fox and will, plus misc channels. Have to go ota to get the rest. Hope this helps.

yeah it is under the hidden menu :P
you don't happen to know that do ya? because i seen him do it and then i asked him how he did it and he didn't quite answer... i guess it is the advanced controls

Here ya go - everything you want (or DON'T want) to know about your DVR:

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR/Setup

Note I take no responsibility how well these will work with your particular setup, since I haven't had time myself to play with it on my OWN TV, which has been on less than 10 hrs since I got it in December. (it's like the plumber who doesn't have time to fix the toilet in their OWN house, you know... ;) ) To tell you the truth, I just haven't had a reason to go into this menu on other clients sets, so since I hadn't been using it (you know the rest...)

No offense, but the tenor of your posts always come across as harsh and abrasive. Not sure if you're intending it as such...

Well, not (really) intending it to be, but you seem to be the first person here to even bring this up. Maybe, just possibly, you're a little too sensitive.

But truthfully, I was having a little frustration with montypythizzle - he's wasn't really giving me (us) the info I need to properly help him. I did NOT want to either give him bad info back, or cause him to make a mess of something, but since the info is being given out in tiny bits & pieces, it makes it hard to help. (help me, help you & all that stuff... ;) ) Until the last couple posts of his, I didn't even realize we were talking about TWO separate TV's with TWO separate digital boxes, or even WHICH digital boxes we're talking about. (model#'s might have helped here, along with some puncuations...)

But, just to keep peace around here...

monty - sorry if I inadvertently offended you - really all I was trying to do was help.
I'll shut up now & let someone else take over... :o


Actually, monoprice HDMI cables may be cheaper than buying from Insight. I have a host of monoprice HDMI, DVI, and HDMI->DVI cables, and they represent a phenomenal value for the price. Eff Monster.

Well, let's compare here:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024002&p_id=2219&seq=1&format=2&style=

6' f/$18 (+ any S&H) from monoprice vs 10' f/$11, which can be picked right up from Insight's office, or when the tech brings the DVR out to the house. Mono's is gold-tipped, which IMHO doesn't really make a difference, but if a shorter "Monster" cable is a better value, then I guess I stand corrected. :o :confused:

FYI - I do NOT work for Insight, or have any friends that do - just pointing out their cables are a good deal for most people & they do NOT have to be ordered. I also order my own cables in bulk wholesale & get them less than this, but when I do client work, I have to make money, too. If a client I'm working for gets an Insight DVR, I usually just have them get the cable from Insight, since it's a better deal for my client & I don't have to keep so many in stock.

thanks dishrich you are my hero!!!
yeah you did sound a little harsh but of course my forum english sucks
and i never explain my situations in RL adequately so don't be mad ;)

but i did steal one of my toslinks and hooked it up to the receiver and sound is night and day

thanks dishrich you are my hero!!!
yeah you did sound a little harsh

No problem - it's all good. :)
The fact that someone does appreciates the help makes up for it.
Sometimes after a long, hard, day at the salt mine, I can be "harsh" just like the next guy. It's nothing personal & I'm not one to hold grudges anyway - life's too short.

I just feel bad because some of the answers (like the "hidden" menu question) I should have know, but frankly I'm sure you've noticed there is a LOT to learn about today's A/V electronics, & like I said, I just haven't had much time to play with the Insight DVR more. (hell, I'm one of the LAST people I know of to even be getting a 1st HD set :eek: )

Anyone having issues in Decatur pulling in 55 or 20 HD OTA? I have been having problems all week, I get zero signal. Up until last week it worked fine, but this week zip. I can get 12, 23, 17 (no 3 yet) OTA HD with good signal (70s+).

I'm using a root top channelmaster about 30' up with rotar and preamp setup. It has been working great for the last 1.5 years or so..

Anyone having issues in Decatur pulling in 55 or 20 HD OTA? I have been having problems all week, I get zero signal. Up until last week it worked fine, but this week zip. I can get 12, 23, 17 (no 3 yet) OTA HD with good signal (70s+).

I'm using a root top channelmaster about 30' up with rotar and preamp setup. It has been working great for the last 1.5 years or so..
do you have insight basic service?

do you have insight basic service?

I do have insight, and that works fine.

The problem is the OTA from the antenna. I can watch it fine on cable, but that doesn't help me record the HD stuffs on my HR10-250 D* DVR :)

well you should be able to get excellent reception with the basic using the QAM tuner
but as for your dish dvr i am not sure

I DID IT!!!

I've been trying to get CBS in HD for a couple weeks and finally my hard work paid off. First I bought the Samsung HD Tuner DTB-H260F and used the antenna wire from the previous antenna on my roof and got a lot of the HD channels in from just a wire, they had about 4 bars of signal. It would cut in and out periodictly. I tried the Philips Indoor UHF/VHF/FM MANT510 Antenna and tried to fix it everyway possible but it didn't work. The wire just going through my attic worked better. I finally decided to get a big bulky boom antenna Philips Outdoor HDTV Antenna MANT902W from Circuit City. I tried too hook it up in my attic first, the signal strength was a lot better than with just the wire from every channel but still no CBS. I finally decided to put it on the roof, so I did and I get full strength from the signal. I get every channel includinf CBS on my antennaweb sheet except TBN. I couldn't be more excited about it. I worked so hard and finally I can take a deep breath and finally focus on DA Super Bowl. I pointed the boom directly where the compass direction told me to. If you have any questions post a response or better yet email me. I live in South Holland and its about 21 miles away from the Hancock.

I DID IT!!!

I've been trying to get CBS in HD for a couple weeks and finally my hard work paid off. First I bought the Samsung HD Tuner DTB-H260F and used the antenna wire from the previous antenna on my roof and got a lot of the HD channels in from just a wire, they had about 4 bars of signal. It would cut in and out periodictly. I tried the Philips Indoor UHF/VHF/FM MANT510 Antenna and tried to fix it everyway possible but it didn't work. The wire just going through my attic worked better. I finally decided to get a big bulky boom antenna Philips Outdoor HDTV Antenna MANT902W from Circuit City. I tried too hook it up in my attic first, the signal strength was a lot better than with just the wire from every channel but still no CBS. I finally decided to put it on the roof, so I did and I get full strength from the signal. I get every channel includinf CBS on my antennaweb sheet except TBN. I couldn't be more excited about it. I worked so hard and finally I can take a deep breath and finally focus on DA Super Bowl. I pointed the boom directly where the compass direction told me to. If you have any questions post a response or better yet email me. I live in South Holland and its about 21 miles away from the Hancock.

I think you want this thread...http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=444398

Anyone having issues in Decatur pulling in 55 or 20 HD OTA?

20 HD is on very low power right now, so you probably are NOT going to get it over there.
Can't tell you why you're not pulling in 55 HD - works fine on my H10-250.

Well, let's compare here:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024002&p_id=2219&seq=1&format=2&style=

6' f/$18 (+ any S&H) from monoprice vs 10' f/$11, which can be picked right up from Insight's office, or when the tech brings the DVR out to the house. Mono's is gold-tipped, which IMHO doesn't really make a difference, but if a shorter "Monster" cable is a better value, then I guess I stand corrected. :o :confused:



Do you think 24awg HDMI cables are necessary for a length of only 6'? I have the $7, 6' 28awg cables and they work perfectly. The 24awg is also less flexible and more difficult to work with.

Anyone having issues in Decatur pulling in 55 or 20 HD OTA? I have been having problems all week, I get zero signal. Up until last week it worked fine, but this week zip. I can get 12, 23, 17 (no 3 yet) OTA HD with good signal (70s+).

I'm NE of Decatur and about 20 miles from the 55 transmitter. My signal strength has been lower this week as well. Channel 20 is gone until they get their antenna fixed and up their power. It's been that way for a few weeks and may be that way for a few more. I'm not able to get 17 very well at all, yet 23 pegs around 90% on my meter. I guess I need to go to the roof and tune my antenna a bit.

Hi Again, I readjusted my antenna and now get FOX too.

As for Insight, I can still only get the movie channels. So now my question is, if I get the digital cable box from insight with the standard (i.e. non HD) subscription, then will I be able to get the HD signals for CBS, ABC, NBC, WILL, FOX and WB. My understanding is that their cable box only allows me to access the on demand movies, not the HD signal.

Thanks in advance for any help,
Hi,

Now I put some better cables, cable splitters and cable ends and I am getting ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and WB via my Insight basic cable service on my LG 3510 DVD/HDTV tuner. Interestingly enough I cannot get the movie stations (they now are scrambled) which I used to get, but that is ok. The signal still comes in a bit weak and depending on the time, wind direction, tidal current and phase of the moon, it may go out completely which I still deem unsatisfactory. So today I am having Insight come out to see if they can increase my signal strength, it would also hopefully help our flukey BroadBand service. If they can do this I think I will be ok, if not, then should I get some sort of cable signal amplifier? Alternatively, should I invest in a new tuner, maybe the Samsung HD Tuner DTB-H260F?

As usual any help is greatly appreciated,

Dan

Do you think 24awg HDMI cables are necessary for a length of only 6'? I have the $7, 6' 28awg cables and they work perfectly. The 24awg is also less flexible and more difficult to work with.

Well, since I have NO idea where you got yours at, I'm not sure how to respond. :confused:
No, I don't think you need the one in the link I found - I just pulled it up to answer the OP point about me suggesting Insight's cables.
I have NO idea about what mono's entire cable portfolio is (or all their prices), since I get mine wholesale anyway.

Again (I just love repeating myself... ) I was only suggesting the 10' Insight cables, because they ARE long enough for most needs & they are quick & easy to get for Insight subs to obtain for their HD boxes. Didn't mean to start another war on here...

I'm NE of Decatur and about 20 miles from the 55 transmitter. My signal strength has been lower this week as well. Channel 20 is gone until they get their antenna fixed and up their power. It's been that way for a few weeks and may be that way for a few more. I'm not able to get 17 very well at all, yet 23 pegs around 90% on my meter. I guess I need to go to the roof and tune my antenna a bit.


Thanks to all that have replied. I am not sure on 55, but interesting on the NE side you get 55 (I am on the SE end). I get 17 just fine and 23 is solid also... Guess I willl wait it out (sucks I can't tivo 24!), a good time to re-do some cabling :)

This according the WICS news tonight, as well as this article:

Mediacom Cuts Sinclair Deal

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6413225.html?display=Breaking+News

Well, since I have NO idea where you got yours at, I'm not sure how to respond. :confused:
No, I don't think you need the one in the link I found - I just pulled it up to answer the OP point about me suggesting Insight's cables.
I have NO idea about what mono's entire cable portfolio is (or all their prices), since I get mine wholesale anyway.

Again (I just love repeating myself... ) I was only suggesting the 10' Insight cables, because they ARE long enough for most needs & they are quick & easy to get for Insight subs to obtain for their HD boxes. Didn't mean to start another war on here...

I wasn't trying to start a war, I just thought there was a particular reason you were using the 24 awg cables in the comparison with the Insight cables. For such a short run, the thinner cables will be sufficient and will be less expensive. Your point about the Insight cables being a decent deal is still valid.

I wasn't trying to start a war, I just thought there was a particular reason you were using the 24 awg cables in the comparison with the Insight cables. For such a short run, the thinner cables will be sufficient and will be less expensive.

No prob, but my question - where DID you get YOUR cables from? monoprice? somewhere else? :confused:
(I'm asking in case I need another place to get some ;) )

I've looked, but can't seem to find one. Could somebody post a channel lineup for insight in champaign? I am getting all of the locals except for WCIA.

I know WCIA-HD is supposed to be on insight, but calling them is absolutely no help as they say "you don't have a DVR, so you can't get HD channels", which is demonstrably false. I have a QAM tuner builtin to my HDTV, and 90-4 comes up unavailable. Searching through all the channels that the tuner finds on its own is insane -- all the encrypted and music channels would make it a all day adventure.

Help me find the super bowl in HD!

I've looked, but can't seem to find one. Could somebody post a channel lineup for insight in champaign? I am getting all of the locals except for WCIA.

OK, on your TV, do the other local HD channels come up on the QAM list (that I assume you looked at a couple pages back here) or are they coming up "remapped" to their local OTA numbers? (eg: WAND-HD coming up as 17.1, WICS-HD coming up as 20.1, etc)
Have you had your TV do a rescan since WCIA-HD was added? I just came back from working on someone's QAM TV tonight on a straight cable feed, (a Sharp AQUOS) & their set has WCIA-HD remapped as 48.1 - maybe your set remaps it like that, too.

OK, on your TV, do the other local HD channels come up on the QAM list (that I assume you looked at a couple pages back here) or are they coming up "remapped" to their local OTA numbers? (eg: WAND-HD coming up as 17.1, WICS-HD coming up as 20.1, etc)


I get PBS-HD on 12-1, WAND-HD on 17-1, WRSP on 27-1, etc. Does this answer your question? I do get some other channels, and can elaborate if you want.

Have you had your TV do a rescan since WCIA-HD was added? I just came back from working on someone's QAM TV tonight on a straight cable feed, (a Sharp AQUOS) & their set has WCIA-HD remapped as 48.1 - maybe your set remaps it like that, too.

I have had it do a rescan, but WCIA-HD wasn't labeled (as PBS-HD and the other were), so it wasn't obvious if it had found it, or they just aren't sending program info with the signal. I did try 48-1, and there is nothing there. I only have insight basic, so a lot of analog channels are filtered (i.e. nothing above espn2 or so).

No prob, but my question - where DID you get YOUR cables from? monoprice? somewhere else? :confused:
(I'm asking in case I need another place to get some ;) )
My neighbor and I both got our HDMI cables on the web from a place called svideo dot com. Pricing similar to or maybe slightly better than monoprice. Seems to vary by the item as to what you pay. In any event svideo and monoprice both beat the crap out of those ridiculously priced monster and the blister-packed cables you find at the various brick & mortar stores.

BY THE WAY....

For those of you who think you "just gotta have" an HDMI cable, that is nonsense. The discernible difference between HDMI and Component Video cables is virtually negligible. HDMI is great because everything is all inside one small cable, but there's absolutely no reason to justify squandering a lot of money on a locally-available (but very expensive) HDMI cable when what you've already got will work just fine until the UPS driver can deliver your Monoprice or Svideo order. Having a little patience will save you $$

No prob, but my question - where DID you get YOUR cables from? monoprice? somewhere else? :confused:
(I'm asking in case I need another place to get some ;) )

Yes, I pretty much get all my cables from Monoprice. If one does not have access to wholesale channels, I would think it is about the best option for cables.

I get PBS-HD on 12-1, WAND-HD on 17-1, WRSP on 27-1, etc. Does this answer your question? I do get some other channels, and can elaborate if you want.



I have had it do a rescan, but WCIA-HD wasn't labeled (as PBS-HD and the other were), so it wasn't obvious if it had found it, or they just aren't sending program info with the signal. I did try 48-1, and there is nothing there. I only have insight basic, so a lot of analog channels are filtered (i.e. nothing above espn2 or so).

Since you are in Champaign, WCIA may come up as channel 3.1. Try that and see if you get anything.

BY THE WAY....

For those of you who think you "just gotta have" an HDMI cable, that is nonsense. The discernible difference between HDMI and Component Video cables is virtually negligible. HDMI is great because everything is all inside one small cable, but there's absolutely no reason to justify squandering a lot of money on a locally-available (but very expensive) HDMI cable when what you've already got will work just fine until the UPS driver can deliver your Monoprice or Svideo order. Having a little patience will save you $$

That's very true. Unfortunately, if someone is impatient/gulllible enough to spend over $100 on an HDMI cable, they may also be impatient/gullible enough to spend an absurd amount on a Monster component cable.

Since you are in Champaign, WCIA may come up as channel 3.1. Try that and see if you get anything.

That was the first thing I tried, and no dice.

Anyone else think that the macroblocking during the Superbowl is especially abysmal on WCIA OTA compared to other HD sports broadcasts on Fox or ESPN?

Looks really bad...

Anyone else think that the macroblocking during the Superbowl is especially abysmal on WCIA OTA compared to other HD sports broadcasts on Fox or ESPN?

Looks really bad...

Heavy, I think its 1080i and sports combined. I've noticed the macroblocking on CBS (out of New York through D*), and on WCIA (via OTA). In addition, I've noticed issues on NBC (i.e. Notre Dame football, etc) via OTA as well. ESPN (via D*) and Fox(via OTA), both 720p broadcasts, are far superior. I recently changed my D* receiver settings to output 720p only to minimize the "i" effect...

I'm in Champaign and have Insight with the ripoff HD DVR Box. The Super Bowl was fairly watchable but the picture was had a fairly frequent stutter throughout most of the game. Did anyone else have this problem? I haven't noticed it on the channel before.

I didn't notice much macroblocking over cable; when the picture wasn't stuttering it really looked great.

A couple of days ago I could tune CBS on 90.4 using my built in QAM just fine, but tonight it was audio only. What's the deal?

Also, does anyone else ever have audio/video synchronization issues on ABC or any other channels? Could any of these problems be a faulty box? Thanks!

was superbowl in 1080i or 720p?
when it was in 1080i on my tv i thought it was being upscaled because when the fast moving cbs logo came up it would like pixelate real bad and then go away once back on footage of the players playing i saw it no one else did

Heavy, I think its 1080i and sports combined. I've noticed the macroblocking on CBS (out of New York through D*), and on WCIA (via OTA). In addition, I've noticed issues on NBC (i.e. Notre Dame football, etc) via OTA as well. ESPN (via D*) and Fox(via OTA), both 720p broadcasts, are far superior. I recently changed my D* receiver settings to output 720p only to minimize the "i" effect...
The game was near flawless (OTA) here, I mean besides the rain-soaked camera lenses. The local CBS affiliate shut off all 3 chans of their multicasting and carried the game at full bandwidth 19.4 Mbps/1080i. No macroblocking, no audio issues. (Thanks KHOU.) Apparently someone in their eng dept understands that major sporting events need full bandwidth. Comparatively speaking, the MPEG4 signal from D* was pretty abysmal.

Yes, I too have things locked at 720p from all ancillary input devices except OTA. When I had my set ISF-calibrated the calibrator noticed the "i" problems and recommended it. With OTA it's not a problem. There's been considerable discussion of the merits of locking at 720p on some of the other forums. The Mitsubishi 73x/83x forum in particular had a good technical explanation of "why" a few months ago. 1080 Purists still argued of course...

As for overall HD PQ in the city, (speaking strictly in terms of OTA reception) NBC is by far the worst and Fox, CW & ESPN (via D*) are the best, CBS comes in close behind. ABC is down in the lower end of the pack, slightly better than NBC. So obviously what you experience in one locality can differ greatly in another.

I have Mediacom and I was using the built in tuner in my tv as I do not have a box through mediacom. I am able to receive WCIA out of Champaign and then also the CBS affiliate from Peoria and I chose to watch it on the Peoria channel as the picture and sound were much better. I wish that the game had been as exciting as the fact that I was able to get it in HD.

WMBD was flawless. Kind of glad WCIA wasnt full power...sounds like I got a much better picture.

No offense to any Insight installers out there, but when they came to hook up my HD set up they didn't know the difference between an HDMI cable and component. They were offering me a $11 "HDMI cable" when it was a component cable. The cheapest HDMI cables I've seen have been at TigerDirect and they weren't as cheap as $11.

I have Mediacom and I was using the built in tuner in my tv as I do not have a box through mediacom. I am able to receive WCIA out of Champaign and then also the CBS affiliate from Peoria and I chose to watch it on the Peoria channel as the picture and sound were much better. I wish that the game had been as exciting as the fact that I was able to get it in HD.
Chiefillini: What station number are you finding the CBS affiliate from Peoria? I get NBC and ABC from Peoria, but have never found CBS. Thanks.

Mel

Can anyone answer this question? I have medicaom, and a stb, samsung 451, when I hook to the cable, I get strange channels, like neighbors ordering movies, if I want to watch one it keeps changing sub, i.e. 113-1, 113-2 and so on, every so often. The nets never change, and ota is great. Just this weird stuff. Thanks, allot, have learned much from all the knowledgeable people here, just need to learn more.

You are picking up video-on-demand programs from other people. Mediacom doesn't encrypt these, so you can get them on your QAM tuner. I get the same thing, but have them hidden in my channel lineup so I don't have to deal with them.

Mel

Can anyone answer this question? I have medicaom, and a stb, samsung 451, when I hook to the cable, I get strange channels, like neighbors ordering movies, if I want to watch one it keeps changing sub, i.e. 113-1, 113-2 and so on, every so often. The nets never change, and ota is great. Just this weird stuff. Thanks, allot, have learned much from all the knowledgeable people here, just need to learn more.

The cable companies use those QAM compressed channels as data pipelines for delivering movies on demand to customers with cable boxes. Your Samsung 451 picks up those QAM channels, but doesn't have any upstream interaction such as would be used to order those movies. It just picks up the downstream data, so what you see is a movie that someone else requested to view.

The cable company has those data channels ending in a bunch of different houses, because everyone won't be using the bandwidth all at once. So the movie is probably going to a couple thousand houses, but only the cable box that requested the movie can tune into it. The cable company shifts that movie around on different sub-channels as an easy method to prevent unfair viewing. The server that is showing the movie contacts the cable box and tells the cable box that the data will be shifting channels every so often - say every 2 minutes. The cable box times this, and collects the data from different channels to present the viewer with an unbroken stream of video. Anyone using a QAM tuner built into a TV would have to change the sub-channel every time the video shifted to a different sub-channel. The hope of the cable company is that the pirate viewer who is not paying will be too annoyed to keep changing the channel to watch a free movie.

So the cable companies distribute on-demand movies like this example:

One server contains a bunch of movies stored on hard drives, and serves a block of a couple thousand cable subscribers. 10 QAM channels with 5 sub-channels each means that there can be 50 movies playing at once to the group of customers. Even in thousands of subscribers there likely isn't going to be more than 50 users requesting on-demand movies at a time, so this is enough channels to serve all those subscribers. 50 people can order 50 different movies and those movies get transmitted to a couple thousand houses, but only the cable boxes that requested the individual movies can view them. The 50 different movies are shifted around on the channels in intervals to deter pirate viewers with QAM TV tuners from watching a free show, and the cable boxes collect all the data from the different channels and display an unbroken stream of video.

That's just an example. Since there can be hundreds of QAM channels with sub-channels, you can see how one data server can provide on-demand movies to hundreds of thousands of subscribers. It may seem like a cable company provides a stream of video for your house only, but really that data goes out to thousands of homes. It's just that all the other cable boxes ignore the data that isn't directed to them, so only one viewer can watch.

Thanks to all that have replied. I am not sure on 55, but interesting on the NE side you get 55 (I am on the SE end). I get 17 just fine and 23 is solid also... Guess I willl wait it out (sucks I can't tivo 24!), a good time to re-do some cabling :)

Answering my own post :) I found the issue with my setup to be a problem with an outside splice. Looks like some moisture got in and broke the copper wire in the grounding block. I put a temp "jumper" in and all is working again. I can pull 55-1 in with over 70 signal strengh.

Chiefillini: What station number are you finding the CBS affiliate from Peoria? I get NBC and ABC from Peoria, but have never found CBS. Thanks.

Mel

I believe it is 103.2 but I am not sure. I will double check tonight and get back with you.

Melanotheron do you by chance get the CW network at all. This is the only network that I am not able to get. I do get it with my OTA antenna but cant find it when hooking the cable up.

Chiefillini: What station number are you finding the CBS affiliate from Peoria? I get NBC and ABC from Peoria, but have never found CBS. Thanks.

Mel

CBS IS 103.4 NBC Peoria is 103.2. What channel is ABC Peoria?

No, I can only get CW OTA as well...ABC from Peoria is on 102.4. I tried 103.4 and, sure enough, the CBS channel was there. I already had in my shown channels, but I labeled it as PBS so I never went to it. Also, on 95.3 I get the InDemand movies that are listed as channel 104 on Mediacom's guide.
Thanks for the info.

Mel

No, I can only get CW OTA as well...ABC from Peoria is on 102.4. I tried 103.4 and, sure enough, the CBS channel was there. I already had in my shown channels, but I labeled it as PBS so I never went to it. Also, on 95.3 I get the InDemand movies that are listed as channel 104 on Mediacom's guide.
Thanks for the info.

Mel

Thanks for the help Mel. Unfortunately I dont have a box with mediacom so I cant look on the guide to see what is coming on on the ondemand channel. I have caught a couple of movies on there though. Do you have a list of channels? I have tried to work on one but without the guide it is hard to figure out what some of the channels are. Any help would be appreciated. I also noticed that 1.1 was WGN. Do you know if that is ever in HD or not?

Hi there,

I live in Bloomington and I have an indoor antenna in my attic. I get every station (12.1 25.1 31.1 and 43.1) I want except for an ABC affiliate (19.1 or 20.1). I understand they working on 20.1 (Wics Springfield), but anybody knows if there's any problem with WHOI -DT? I get the analog signal but I can'l lock the digital signal... Hope this hasn't been answered before (I couldn't find it on this thread).

Thanks!

I know what you mean sangu, I live in Normal and WICS-DT is off for now. WHOI-DT in Peoria as I understand uses a directional antenna and it is aimed North. It is very difficult to get in the twin cities. I have a roof mounted antenna, and several amps and it only comes in occasionally. 17.1 25.1 43.1 55.1 23.1 and 31.1 all come in for me at around 80%. So until 20.1 is back to full power we just have to wait.

but how do i get into that menu he went in to it was like some button combination
could you tell me how to do that because when i hooked a toslink to it my reciever couldn't recognize the toslink was in there (yes i messed with the input mode button but would only stay at analog(not my onkyo on my profile)

dishrich are you aware of how to get into this menu and tell me how to enable the toslink out? but the transmit led is on (or laser im guessing led for short range) so i am thinking it is working but the reciever they have in there is JANK.



Dont know if your question was answered. But when the tuner is off (yet still plugged in) press the Menu button. Youll then be able to adjust the output.

"As of 3PM on Friday, January 19, we changed our WCIA-DT and WCFN-DT signals to provide WCIA in HD. In addition, we provided an HD signal to Insight Communications both in Champaign and Springfield via a fiber optic link" per WCIA HD Project Update at extranet dot wcia dot com

So, in searching posts at this forum I understand when some say they can view WCIA in HD via cable subscription (Insight Comm.) I also understand that subscribers to WCFN apparently can receive WCIA on channel 48 (or 49.1?) However, I wonder if these are truly WCIA's local news, sports, etc. or simply CBS programming.

But my primary question is whether anyone is actually receiving WCIA HD transmissions OTA on channel 3-1? I get an intermittent noise sound simultaneous with on/off "searching for signal" messages when 'zeroed' onto WCIA's tower, where pitch of the 'noise' changes lower/higher depending on my tweaking of OTA antenna amplifier. On other channels having 'no' signal the "searching for signal" message stays on constantly with black screen -- so I must be receiving 'something' on 3-1, albeit extremely weakly.

I live in 'rural' Tuscola (no cable) about 25 miles south of WCIA tower and have a large VHF-UHF-audio directional roof antenna with rotor (on 12' tower above 2-level home) connected to a Samsung SIR-TS360 HDTV Receiver/Tuner (1080i, DVI-HDMI interface) and 51" widescreen Hitachi HDTV (projection style.) We've really enjoyed this system trouble-free since Aug. 2004 and have received all of the other 'local' digital-HD channels (as -1, -2 and -3 for ch12) for channels 12, 15, 17, 20, 23, 51 and 55, plus DTV's HD package and many other HD programs from DTV -- they are great !!

In my olden days, WCIA had the strongest VHF signal in Central Illinois, where clear viewing (as defined for those times) was obtainable via coat-hangar or a wad of aluminum foil on rabbit ears. Now, their analog signal has been the absolute worst in this entire area for it seems like several years. until they added filters, increased power, or did something sometime within the past ten days or so -- the Superbowl viewing was at least tolerable via analog signal. WCIA's Engineering Mgr did not return my two phone calls in recent months (re: poor analog signal) but one of their Eng. Tech's. told me awhile back that the reason for poor analog reception has been due to a high degree of interferences at the lower end of their bandwidth -- (?)

Can anyone tell me more as to whether others are indeed receiving WCIA's channel 3-1 HD transmission OTA (and, if so, any suggestions for amplifier or other means to help more viewers receive it?) Also, whether Insight Comm and WCFN subscribers are indeed receiving the local news, sports and special programming of WCIA, i.e. the same as what I view on channel 3 analog?

Thanks for any input,
Mac

Mac,

I am in NW Champaign, and receiving WCIA HD via OTA. It is WCIA tried and true, however, if you look through this thread a little, you'll find plenty of discussion as to why you cannot receive in "rural" Tuscola. They have not yet been able to get their high power antenna installed on their tower. As to the why, and discussion of the commitment of WCIA to HD, I again defer to this thread, there are plenty of good facts and opinions on these subjects....

I noticed that the WCIA HD update page is no longer on their web site. The last update I saw was the one saying that they wouldn't have the high-power antenna up in time for the SuperBowl because of the weather. I hope this is not a bad omen, and that the tower crew won't be back until Spring.

I noticed that the WCIA HD update page is no longer on their web site.

WCIA-HD Update link: http://extranet.wcia.com/wcfn/news/HiDef.htm

I hope someone can explain this to me or help me discover what the problem is. I receive 23 at around 90%. On the best day WAND-DT (17) comes in 55%. Last night the signal fluctuated between no signal and 40% so it was unwatchable. Since the towers are so close together, why can I receive one without any problems and not the other? Is the 23 signal so strong it's overwhelming the 17 signal?

In an earlier post I mistyped and indicated I was NE of Decatur. I'm actually NW of Decatur and nearly directly east of both 23 and 17's towers by 20 miles or so. I have a Radio Shack U75 antenna pointed in their direction according to antennaweb.

I usually get 55 at the 90% level, but last night reception was iffy during primetime and the signal varied from no signal to 40%. Again there is a directional UHF antenna pointed at the 55 tower, also around 20 miles away.

I live in the country and there are no obstructions to block any signals.

BBill, I don't see HD Project Update linked from WCIA's primary web site anymore either but it's still at:
http://extranet.wcia.com/wcfn/news/HiDef.htm
The last entry was 1/31/07 where I notice Mediacom also has it (HD.) I have always been impressed by highrise iron workers, especially on cold and windy days (early in my career they enjoyed taking me up in the crane-basket to see if I'd show a twitch) -- and my same great respect for those working on the new WCIA tower/antenna. There's simply gotta be a limit for the safety of those guys. So I can readily wait till Spring if WCIA indeed has no means to increase their power now, and if amplification or other hi-tech means is too much of a stretch. However, I wonder how/why WCIA is so far behind all of their Central Illinois competitors when they used to be 'the' leader by far.

WCIA's 'new' owners (year 2000) may give thought, Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc, found at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nexstar_Broadcasting_Group
that replaced prior local ownership:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WCIA_(TV) .
This link also has a briefing about HD problems and some very interesting external links including some tech-stuff and WCIA history and pic's of the good 'ol days (lots of memories.)

Other pertinent info/news:
Nexstar makes 'large' financial distributions to ' its ' direct parent company, Nexstar Finance Holdings, L.L.C., so yeau, these owners are big and driven by bucks -- the viewers in Central Illinois are miniscule to them. Some insight into Nexstar, scroll down for some interesting info (to me anyway):
http://sec.edgar-online.com/2003/03/28/0000950130-03-002616/Section8.asp

Regards,
Mac

Thanks Laddy and Mac for the new link. I don't have any problem with the tower crew waiting for safer conditions. I know I wouldn't want to be up there under any conditions. My question was whether the crew would be available to finish the job as soon as there was a break in the weather (maybe next week), or if they had moved on to some other jobs for the season.

I'm guessing the weather is hampering WICS's efforts to fix their HD antenna as well.

Also, whether Insight Comm and WCFN subscribers are indeed receiving the local news, sports and special programming of WCIA, i.e. the same as what I view on channel 3 analog?

EVERYONE (both cable & WCFN-DT OTA viewers) get WCIA-DT just like YOU would.

All Insight cable subs (whether Springfield, Decatur or Champaign) get it directly from WCIA studios via fiber, so it doesn't even go through the OTA tower to get to us. We also get the analog signal (on cable ch 3) via the same direct fiber feed.

I believe Mediacom subs get both via a direct feed as well, but I'm not 100% sure on that one.

And yes, us WCFN-DT viewers get EXACTLY the same WCIA-DT signal, on WCFN-DT 53.2. However, WCFN-DT is ALSO on low-power, just as WCIA-DT is. It is strong enough for the most part to get in Springfield, but you pretty much need an outside antenna for reliable reception. (which I have, of course :) ) Once you get outside of Springfield, it's pretty iffy - I have a client in Girard, with a large Winegard antenna w/pre-amp, & he has never been able to get WCFN-DT to lock in consistantly.
My understanding is that WCFN-DT will NOT go high-powered until at least they finish with WCIA-DT. I don't think WCFN-DT is scheduled to start until much later this year. :(

I live in Normal and WICS-DT is off for now.

Only for you, actually... :D
WICS-DT is very much on, but just on low-power - Insight cable subs get it fine, since it's direct fed to Insight. In Springfield, you can still get it, but you pretty much need an outside antenna to get it reliably. (I have one & have no problems with WICS-DT now)
They are having transmission line problems & will not be able to fix it, until tower crews can get up the tower, which they can't obviously, due to the weather conditions...

Ok, thanks much, Dishrich, for taking time to respond. That brings us up to speed now on the cable and WCFN status.

Recent wintry weather has delayed a tower crew's installation of the antennas, wiring and reinforcements needed for a full-strength high-def signal.
from 2/1/07 Sj-r.com news.

With the new antenna(s) needed at top of the tower (800' elevation I believe), it seems there must be a substantial amount of structural reinforcement work left on the tower itself (above the guy wire connections at 500'), which means the remaining work on the 300' section is at the highest level where wind gusts are obviously worst. Then the very heavy cables must be pulled up there carefully and mounted into place (that sounds daunting in itself), and ditto for antenna equipment, plus final tensioning of guy wires and startup tests -- a challenging amount of work it seems to me.

On the good news side: The transmitter has been operating into our station dummy load at full power and is ready to light up the antenna as soon as it's ready -- I will post more pictures once the tower crew begins stacking our line, was posted at the HD Project Update web site on 1/22/07.

But, since no further progress has been reported at this update site, it seems likely there has been none. While today's (2/8) weather seems rather nice (I was just out in the timber with my dog for an hour) that's on the ground. While wind may be negligible down here, who knows what it's like 800' higher -- and +16F is not exactly a heat wave, where heavy clothes, headger and gloves are really cumbersome for performing manual work (kinda like an astronaut), and in a rather challenging environment where gravity is #1 enemy whether from taking the wrong step or grasp or losing connection of a heavy cable pull.

Bottom line: I suspect it may be March or even later before final high-power startup. Winds out here on the prairie in late winter and spring can be horrendous as many of us know. My best to the workers, be safe, that's most important. You have no mandate to make up time hurriedly, that management has neglected for 3 years or more.

Regards,
Mac

Only for you, actually... :D
WICS-DT is very much on, but just on low-power - Insight cable subs get it fine, since it's direct fed to Insight. In Springfield, you can still get it, but you pretty much need an outside antenna to get it reliably. (I have one & have no problems with WICS-DT now)
They are having transmission line problems & will not be able to fix it, until tower crews can get up the tower, which they can't obviously, due to the weather conditions...

Yeah, I know they are on very low power now. Before the ice storm it always came in at around 80-90%. Very reliable. WHOI-DT is poor because they have thier antenna aimed North and I am to the East. I was really hoping it would be fixed before Lost came back on but this weather is lousy. Man I hate analog.....:(

WHOI-DT is poor because they have thier antenna aimed North and I am to the East.

Well you can join the club, because I have a client in Lincoln w/OTA & an HR20. He cannot get either WHOI OR WICS DT OTA. Obviously WICS will be a problem for him, too, but he can't get WHOI, either. But, since I've learned here about how their antenna is aimed North, that explains that.
But, the good news is, (what little it is) at least he CAN get WICS-DT on cable (has basic cable w/modem) but ONLY on his Sony QAM TV - he can't DVR ABC-HD OTA because of all this. :(

Awwh, c'mon Dishrich and all of your generation, is there really 'that' much difference between analog and digital or HD? Yeah, there is to many (and, yeau, this includes me.) But thinking back after glancing through the following web site, I really wonder about the importance......

http://www.dougquick.com/wciachampaign2.html
Check out the history of WCIA and other local channels if you care.

I remember them all, we didn't even have TV till I was a Junior in High School in the 50's. People would spend their free time discussing what they had watched the prior night, of the 3 channels available + Channel 12 PBS if you could get it OTA, ditto for Channel 20 in Springfield. Reception was virtually non-existent on some nights either due to weather or transmission difficulties.

The best (only) fast food was Steak 'n Shake and it's still the greatest in my book. I recall McDonald's opening at 5-Points in Urbana with 15 cent hamburgers about the size of a silver dollar with all kinds of condiments piled on top inside a miniature bun to hide the (lack of) meat flavor.

We also had a military draft and I served during early Vietnam after college. A very few didn't like it but tolerated without objecting, while most were very willing to serve. How could you object to serving your country for only two years of what seemed would be an everlasting life, while protecting your loved ones and the greatly valued freedom of your countrymen.

Maybe having young people serve in some respect for two years today would be a good idea, for them as well as our country....so they could watch TV in the Orderly Room and compare notes with others around the country, the TV is probably Hi-Def now (to bring this within restricitions of our forum.)

Aw, that's enuff from an old phart.

Regards,
Mac

Please pardon me, Dishrich, my last post should have been addressed to JFKLS1 who was hating analog. Please accept my apologies. I noticed immediately after hitting the Send button.

Sorry, again
Mac

Please pardon me, Dishrich, my last post should have been addressed to JFKLS1 who was hating analog. Please accept my apologies. I noticed immediately after hitting the Send button.

Sorry, again
Mac

Sorry dish, I don't mean to hate, just once you are used to the HD, it is very hard to revert back. Especially with no widescreen. :D

JFKLS1,

To hopefully stop this nonsense, I just picked up on your hating analog reception, knowing you really weren't 'hating' anything, but simply meaning you much preferred digital or Hi-Def over analog. I guess I then carried this too far -- but I didn't mean any harm by my comments either, I'm just an old phart rambling on......

Hope y'all understand,
Mac

What the.......? We just flipped to WCIA and have HD on ch 3-1 OTA, with WCFN on ch 3-2. Wonders never cease as the saying goes.

Mac

What the.......? We just flipped to WCIA and have HD on ch 3-1 OTA, with WCFN on ch 3-2. Wonders never cease as the saying goes.


On a nice cool night like we're having with the weather, atmospheric conditions are ideal for TV distance reception. You didn't get a solid lock on WCIA HD before because their current transmission power is still less than 2kw.

Once WCIA gets their new transmitter installed, they'll be at 1,000kw of radiated power. With that signal strength, you'll have no problem locking 3.1 and 3.2 in all but the worst weather conditions.

Yeau, you're correct mrm. I noticed the 'picture' on both digital channels did not have the usual 'crispness' last night, apparently due to their low powered transmission. And I'm back to receiving quick on/off "searching for signal" messages this morning. But the DTV guide now at least has them listed: 3-1 = WCIADT and 3-2 = WCFN-DT. Their analog signal is also now ultra-clear, almost as good as the digital receptions last night.

Well, I'm a patient guy, they'll get the work done soon enough. We haven't watched much WCIA for a long time anyway due to ultra-poor quality of their analog signal.

Switching subjects, has anyone heard any word about WICS projections for completing repairs to their tower/antenna? We get analog/digital ABC on Champaign's WICD ch15 and 15-1 plus -2 (TUBE...sarcastic Wow!) so having WICS is not so important to us -- getting Champaign local news via WICD suits our Tuscola-Arthur locale better.

Mac

Has anyone noticed the WCIA feed on Directv. I first noticed it Sunday when several of the supers were cut off at the ends. Are they sending a different signal to Directv? One that's made for 16x9? The feed has definitely improved in quality from what it used to be.

Hello, I live in Clinton and subscribe to mediacom. Currently I have the Mediacom box with HD DVR. I also have a coax connected to my sony hdtv through the quam tuner. With this connection I am able to pull in ABC, CBS, NBC HD from Peoria and ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS HD from springfield/champaign/decatur. Very happy about this. However, I was wondering if I cancel my subscription to cable and just go down to the Basic cable package, will I still be able to pull in those channels through my Quam tuner?

Has anyone noticed the WCIA feed on Directv. I first noticed it Sunday when several of the supers were cut off at the ends. Are they sending a different signal to Directv? One that's made for 16x9? The feed has definitely improved in quality from what it used to be.

Yep, I already asked about this, since this affects ALL D* subs watching WCIA-SD thru the dish: (I asked back on page 96 - go back to see how I asked two questions regarding this ;) )

Due to the way we get our signal to DirecTV, namely WCFN-DT, we are stuck with forcing their Sencore IRD-3381 (actually OUR Sencore IRD-3381- but that's another story!) into full-screen, cropping to avoid letterboxing. This works well when the source programming is 4:3, but anything widescreen suffers. Insight is a different matter. Insight's fiber optic unit we use to get our signal from the studio in Champaign to their Champaign headend can only handle 19.4 MB IF the analog video/audio input is also in use. Insight plans to stop using the analog inputs and switch to the ASI (digital) stream for Champaign, that will allow us up to 75 MB bandwidth. When that happens, we will give them WCIA-HD at 15 MB and WCIA-SD at 8MB and have no aspect ratio conversion to deal with. Anyone else who picks us up from WCFN-DT will be stuck with downconverting and fixing the aspect ratio for SD systems.


Not sure that CBS would be upset about the logo getting cut off, but even if they do, there's nothing we can do about it other than force cable companies and DirecTV to revert to letterboxing. Joe Sixpack would probably be more upset with a miniature picture than losing the CBS logo.

(I did the bolding, since this is really what the issue is w/D*'s feed)

...Switching subjects, has anyone heard any word about WICS projections for completing repairs to their tower/antenna? ...

Mac


The New Antenna is coming in early next week, So maybe by the end of next week. Depends alot on the weather.

Dr.

Wow, new antenna. I thought they were just fixing a bay in the old one.

I have been watching CBS network programming in HD all week, and I watched the Superbowl on WCFN in Springfield on 49.2 in HD, but WCFN is not broadcasting the ProBowl in HD. What's up with that?

I have been watching CBS network programming in HD all week, and I watched the Superbowl on WCFN in Springfield on 49.2 in HD, but WCFN is not broadcasting the ProBowl in HD. What's up with that?

CBS probably didn't have the HD capable equipment on hand for that game.

CBS NFL broadcasts have been hit and miss - only 3 games each week were broadcast in HD. CBS says this is because they purchased early HD equipment when they started broadcasting HD in 1998, and essentially CBS is at capacity of HD broadcasts until they buy new equipment. This upgrade might take a while because HD equipment is expensive. I don't know how mobile their HD equipment is, but I assume it is on trucks to transport to different stadiums during the NFL season. Likely it's all in the continental 48 states because there are no NFL teams in Alaska or Hawaii.

Given that the Pro Bowl is a pretty soft post-championship NFL game with comparatively low numbers of viewers, there is no real reason to ship a truck full of HD equipment to Hawaii for this game.

Keep in mind that the HD transition will go on for a long time. Programs will still be done with analog equipment, and unconverted to digital for national broadcast. Daytime talk shows will probably be the last adopters of HD cameras and other equipment, because Oprah, Maury Povich, Jerry Springer, and Dr. Phil don't have much content to gain by going to HD. No network is going to upgrade to HD equipment in Aloha Stadium if only one Pro game will be filmed there each year - and it's a really soft pro game that doesn't count for anything. As soon as all analog broadcast equipment starts to be retired from network usage to the point where CBS can buy cheap new or used HD equipment for all their secondary programming, that's when the Pro Bowl will get HD broadcast capacity.

Daytime talk shows will probably be the last adopters of HD cameras and other equipment, because Oprah, Maury Povich, Jerry Springer, and Dr. Phil don't have much content to gain by going to HD. No network is going to upgrade to HD equipment in Aloha Stadium if only one Pro game will be filmed there each year - and it's a really soft pro game that doesn't count for anything. As soon as all analog broadcast equipment starts to be retired from network usage to the point where CBS can buy cheap new or used HD equipment for all their secondary programming, that's when the Pro Bowl will get HD broadcast capacity.

You were spot on until here. "The View" is already in HD, and Oprah is going HD later this year. Females have become attracted to HD as well! No comment on the program contents of the above programs, though. :D

CBS probably didn't have the HD capable equipment on hand for that game.

CBS NFL broadcasts have been hit and miss - only 3 games each week were broadcast in HD. CBS says this is because they purchased early HD equipment when they .

Thanks, you are exactly correct. I just assumed it would be in HD, and thought it was someone asleep at the switch at WCFN. :p

I watched some coverage of the ProBowl on the NFL network and saw that it wasn't HD, but 480i.

I guess nothing in Hawaii wil be broadcast in HD, due to the costs as you mentioned. I just recently got my locals in HD, I am spoiled now in wanting more. :p

Anybody having problems getting 43.1 (Fox) OTA today? I haven't been able to get any signal since yesterday...

Hello, I live in Clinton and subscribe to mediacom. Currently I have the Mediacom box with HD DVR. I also have a coax connected to my sony hdtv through the quam tuner. With this connection I am able to pull in ABC, CBS, NBC HD from Peoria and ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS HD from springfield/champaign/decatur. Very happy about this. However, I was wondering if I cancel my subscription to cable and just go down to the Basic cable package, will I still be able to pull in those channels through my Quam tuner?

All I have is the basic mediacom package, 2-12, and I am able to get the same channels you are getting by running the coax directly to the tv. The only problem you would then encounter is that you would no longer have a dvr unless you purchase one or sign up with a sat company. Hope this answers your question.

Is WCIA off the air? I just went to watch part 2 of last week's CSI:Miami episode and am getting no signal at all.

F*ck.

Can somebody answer this question for me: if I have a filter on my cable that allows only 2->23 and 69+, does that mean I can't get WCIA-HD (which I have been told is on 48.1, but doesn't come in for me)? If this is the case, is there any amount of complaining to insight that would get them to change this? My subscription is supposed to include all the locals, although I'm not sure if that extends into the digital realm as well.

"All I have is the basic mediacom package, 2-12, and I am able to get the same channels you are getting by running the coax directly to the tv. The only problem you would then encounter is that you would no longer have a dvr unless you purchase one or sign up with a sat company. Hope this answers your question. "

Thanks Chief, the other day I cancelled my mediacom subscription and decided to just go over the air. Wanted to Save some money. Since they have a Seven day wait period for disconnection I just hooked up the Coax to the TV, ran a scan and was suprised with all the HD locals I was getting. I ran a scan a couple months ago and I only got NBC. Now I get everything. Trying to decide if its worth $20 a month to keep basic cable for all those HD channels.

"All I have is the basic mediacom package, 2-12, and I am able to get the same channels you are getting by running the coax directly to the tv. The only problem you would then encounter is that you would no longer have a dvr unless you purchase one or sign up with a sat company. Hope this answers your question. "

Thanks Chief, the other day I cancelled my mediacom subscription and decided to just go over the air. Wanted to Save some money. Since they have a Seven day wait period for disconnection I just hooked up the Coax to the TV, ran a scan and was suprised with all the HD locals I was getting. I ran a scan a couple months ago and I only got NBC. Now I get everything. Trying to decide if its worth $20 a month to keep basic cable for all those HD channels.

I think the package I have is $12 per month and all it includes is 2-12. You might want to check into that.

I think the package I have is $12 per month and all it includes is 2-12. You might want to check into that.


Apparently here in Clinton they want $20 a month. Yeah, I hate not having the DVR, maybe by next year the TIVO HD DVR will come down in price.

Apparently here in Clinton they want $20 a month. Yeah, I hate not having the DVR, maybe by next year the TIVO HD DVR will come down in price.
$12 and $20 a month respectively is prehistoric pricing compared to here. The most bare-bones, basic cable here (2~79) is right at $40/mo. Add addt'l STBs or any premiums and the digital tier and you're at $88/mo in a heartbeat. Full-blown with all the premiums (but without any PPV or VOD) and you're at $125/mo. Sat is no cheaper tho once you turn all the extras.

AT&T is plowing the easements now with fiber, promising FIOS by mid-summer. Some areas in town are already on but I don't know anyone who has it yet.

Les_S one of your old nicknames wouldn't be "Lester the Tester" would it?

WCIA OTA Quality

In the last week or so my WCIA 3-1 picture has shown extreme pixillation along with audio dropouts. My signal strength is strong (92% - 94%) with two different tuners and antennas. Is anyone else experiencing this? Does the Insight signal have the same problem?

Chris

WCIA OTA Quality

In the last week or so my WCIA 3-1 picture has shown extreme pixillation along with audio dropouts. My signal strength is strong (92% - 94%) with two different tuners and antennas. Is anyone else experiencing this? Does the Insight signal have the same problem?

Chris
I have noticed the same thing with my Mediacom feed. It's doing it on both the cable box and the QAM feeds. I heard that WCIA lost their power during the blizzard, so maybe it's related to that somehow.

Mel

$12 and $20 a month respectively is prehistoric pricing compared to here. The most bare-bones, basic cable here (2~79) is right at $40/mo. Add addt'l STBs or any premiums and the digital tier and you're at $88/mo in a heartbeat. Full-blown with all the premiums (but without any PPV or VOD) and you're at $125/mo. Sat is no cheaper tho once you turn all the extras.

AT&T is plowing the easements now with fiber, promising FIOS by mid-summer. Some areas in town are already on but I don't know anyone who has it yet.

Les_S one of your old nicknames wouldn't be "Lester the Tester" would it?

Sorry, no "Lester the Tester" here. Thankfully my full name isn't Lester. However, with a name like Les, everyone assumes it is.

I have noticed the same thing with my Mediacom feed. It's doing it on both the cable box and the QAM feeds. I heard that WCIA lost their power during the blizzard, so maybe it's related to that somehow.

Mel

Got a friend just northwest of Champaign using a ChannelMaster 4228 with a CM 7777 preamp having 85% signal and same thing you are seeing/hearing.

Once AT&T gets regulatory approval I wonder how long it will take them to start rolling out FIOS in C-U. I know some carrier (maybe Macleod, who's largely out of business now) ran fiber down Windsor Road a few years ago. I'm only about 3 blocks south of Windsor and would hope to be of the first to be offered this service. I think AT&T has figured out how to get HD through their modified FIOS system, though that may be a work still in progress. I recall C-U was one of the cities AT&T listed for early deployment of this system.

WCIA OTA Quality

In the last week or so my WCIA 3-1 picture has shown extreme pixillation along with audio dropouts. My signal strength is strong (92% - 94%) with two different tuners and antennas. Is anyone else experiencing this? Does the Insight signal have the same problem?

Chris

Haven't checked WCIA since Wednesday, but I was having the same problems: strong signal strength, terrible picture/sound. I have to assume it's some problem in the digital transmitter/encoder.

I always figured it would take WCIA some time to sort stuff out after they went on the air; let's hope that they get it working by March Madness (though whether the Illini are part of that looks very iffy right now).

John C.

Sorry, no "Lester the Tester" here. Thankfully my full name isn't Lester. However, with a name like Les, everyone assumes it is.
It's possible "Lester the Tester" may not have known his nickname. The fellow I was thinking of was Leslie Simpson & at the time the nickname was coined he was part owner of an RCC in Danville.

Once AT&T gets regulatory approval I wonder how long it will take them to start rolling out FIOS in C-U.
Why would AT&T need regulatory approval? The only facet of their business that's regulated is phone service and its many convoluted tariffs.

Chiefillini99- Has Mediacon changed all of your QAM channels, lately? I can't get NBC (Peoria), WCIA changed and I am now getting Fox from Normal (CH 43, maybe?). Just wondering if it changed for you, too.

Mel

Why would AT&T need regulatory approval? The only facet of their business that's regulated is phone service and its many convoluted tariffs.

AT&T would need approval to offer TV via their fiber optic cables because they would be a subscription TV provider in competition with regular cable TV outlets.

States in the USA typically have at least some regulations that prohibit multiple cable TV companies selling in the same area. The idea is that governments (on the city level) don't want tons of cable strung from poles all over town, so they contract with a single cable TV franchise to be the cable TV company in the whole town. The single cable TV franchise has a monopoly (which is bad for customers) but in exchange for lack of competition the city gets the promise of having fewer cables strung everywhere and they also have some minimal controls over the cable TV franchise. If there are ever any major problems, the local government can always end the franchise and go with another provider in the future when contracts come up for renewal.

When multiple TV sources are available to consumers, the free market does it's work. Competition is good for the customer. The fiber optic cables that Verizon and AT&T are laying will bring good things. With this manner of data transmission, AT&T and Verizon will have the bandwidth to transmit phone service, internet data service, and TV video all over the same data line. Since the line is already there for phone and internet data, there won't be a proliferation of cables all over town. That is the main holdup for multiple cable TV franchises being licensed in local government.

Now that AT&T and Verizon have the bandwidth over their already existing cables, it's a simple change in cable TV franchising laws to allow Verizon and AT&T to sell cable TV service. So once customers have two or more choices for their cable TV, there will at least be some minimal competition to keep rates low. A lot of people keep their local cable TV because it's the only option, even if the rates are a little high. Once there is one more option to people, they can choose by price or best service.

You can see how regular cable TV companies don't really want Verizon or AT&T to get into the cable TV business.

Chiefillini99- Has Mediacon changed all of your QAM channels, lately? I can't get NBC (Peoria), WCIA changed and I am now getting Fox from Normal (CH 43, maybe?). Just wondering if it changed for you, too.

Mel

Mel I will try and check this weekend and see if it has changed. I have to go outside and disconnect the cable from my antenna and hook the cable back up. I am currently sharing one coax in with both feeds so I have to manually go out and swith it around.

Thanks, Chief. Don't bother, if it's a lot of trouble. I just did a channel rescan and I've lost NBC (Peoria) and ABC (Peoria) but I found CBS...I also have about 4 Fox signals, so I am up to my ears in FOX. Maybe the weather has affected the NBC and ABC feeds, so I will keep checking.

Mel

AT&T would need approval to offer TV via their fiber optic cables because they would be a subscription TV provider in competition with regular cable TV outlets.


Are you sure about this? I didn't think "cable TV" was a "utility" and certainly not a "regulated" one. It's more about acquiring easements and right-of-way, and negotiating for pole attachments and getting a franchise agreement with the local municipality (which are also now being challenged in some areas).

Check the language in your property deed in regard to "utility" easements then check to find out if cable TV is considered a "utility". In many jurisdictions it's not. You may be assuming facts not in evidence. I don't know how Illinois treats this but I do know that in Iowa and Texas CATV is not considered a utility. As far as I know in those states CATV is only regulated by the FCC and only then in regard to egress radiation (signal leakage) and certain transmission standards.

When we lived in Kansas City (KS) we had two competing CATV services actually sharing the same poles and you could subscribe to either or even both.

When we lived in Iowa the CATV "company" was partly owned by the same outfit that owned the electric company, yet they had to renegotiate the easements to put the catv system into the ground.

Obviously each state is different, but we can no longer assume that just because the name on the truck is AT&T or "Lum 'n Abner's Phone Company" that there's necessarily any legislative stigma attached. All that went out the window with "Divestuture" and hizhonor judge Harold H. Green's breakup of the telephone monopoly back in the early 1980s.

The City of Champaign has an ordinance regulating cable TV franchises. At a recent meeting with AT&T officials the city council expressed an intent to treat AT&T FIOS like a cable TV franchise. AT&T has already sued a couple of cities that have taken that position. There may well be changes to either state of federal law (or both) that will take city ordinances out of the picture and spur consumer beneficial competition, something the cable TV franchises dread.

Is anybody else having problems with ESPNHD and ESPN2HD from Mediacon (Mahomet)? My signal is tiling real bad and am getting only half a picture. I called them and they said they sent a signal to my cable box, but it didn't help.

Mel

The City of Champaign has an ordinance regulating cable TV franchises. At a recent meeting with AT&T officials the city council expressed an intent to treat AT&T FIOS like a cable TV franchise.
I'm sure they would like to. Franchise fees are a fat cash cow for the city.

AT&T has already sued a couple of cities that have taken that position. There may well be changes to either state of federal law (or both) that will take city ordinances out of the picture and spur consumer beneficial competition, something the cable TV franchises dread.
Several of the larger CATV companies in major cities, where the "franchise fee" is substantial, are bringing legal action to terminate those arrangements. The franchise fee is tantamount to taxation without representation and something the city does nothing to earn. Inarguably the residents don't want to lose their catv service so in a couple localities the matter has been put to the voters to end the franchise fee. The catv company, in promoting this proposition, promised the voters they would freeze their rates for 2 years (except for new or additional channels).

My problems turned out to be on my end. They have been fixed. I am now much happier.

I'm sure they would like to. Franchise fees are a fat cash cow for the city.
The cities love their franchise fees, and free city and education channels that they want from the cable companies to give to them. It used to be the cable companies had to provide that themselves and also program those PEG (Public, Education, Government) Most cable Co’s finally got of that business about 10 years ago, and gave the programming and equipment responsibilities over to the cities. No more staff and equipment to deal with, cable companies loved that idea. But usually in exchange, the cities got a few extra channels to program how they felt. Some opted to split up the channels into public access only or government and maybe an additional few channel's for the schools. Placing the burden on the cites to produce the funds directly, or just keep the franchise fees and spend them in another place. The cities don't want to lose their leverage, by having a federal law take away what power they had over the local cable monopoly.



Several of the larger CATV companies in major cities, where the "franchise fee" is substantial, are bringing legal action to terminate those arrangements. The franchise fee is tantamount to taxation without representation and something the city does nothing to earn. Inarguably the residents don't want to lose their catv service so in a couple localities the matter has been put to the voters to end the franchise fee. The catv company, in promoting this proposition, promised the voters they would freeze their rates for 2 years (except for new or additional channels).

The cable companies look at it this way, if FiOS can come into a community and not have to deal with local franchising authority of the city and do it via some federal law. Then the cable companies want to have the same opportunity to work the franchise through a universal federal law instead of having to deal with each municipality, like Time Warner or Comcast do now. However, if FiOS is allowed in and they are not regulated under the same franchising system that cable companies have to deal with currently, you will see a lot of lawsuits. They don't want FiOS to have an unfair advantage over them. If the current idea goes forward, with FiOS just making state to state franchise agreements using the new federal law. Then you could see FiOS just building out to the more affluent neighborhoods, and completely bypassing the less prosperous ones, and never having the obligation of serving those communities. An advantage to FiOS. Why go into a neighborhood that won't be able to afford your triple, or maybe quad play (as of yet unknown killer FiOS app) package offerings. Not enough return on investment fast enough, for such a wide pipe line of data. Meanwhile, cable under its current franchise is mandated to serve all communities within the city it has an agreement with.

So there are quite a few issues that need to be worked out between FiOS and cable. Who wins is hard to say. But my bet is on a federal franchise law, with each cable or FiOS operator negotiating on a per state basis. Cutting the cites out of the loop, and giving them less then they've had in the past, and the state getting a cut of the franchise fees before passing the rest to the city.

Recently I switched from Directv to Insight. I was a D* HD subscriber for over 5 years. I have an RCA F-38310 w/built in d* HD tuner. (One of the best HD pictures I have ever seen) I called D* to see if they would make me a deal on an HD-DVR, because my built in tuner will soon be obsolete, and they told me I had to pay full price $299. I said "cable will give me one" so the CR replied with "would you like me to cancel your subscription right now". So needless to say I am now with Insight.

My impressions with Insight: I now subscribe to internet, phone and tv with insight. Just the phone will save me ~$30, I like that. Plus they knocked $10 from my internet bill, cool. The tv is still costly but not more then D*. Insights people are very nice and seem to really want to help.

Every thing is working as it should. I get the channels I want and I can record anything I want. But the HD picture is poor. My DVD player has a better picture. What ever, I had a feeling this would be a problem. But one other thing that is really bugging is the overscan. I only notice it with HD content and it drives me crazy! It is overscaning about an inch on my 38" screen. I called insight and they didn't understand my problem. They thought I had some zoom thing set. They sent out a tech but I was not home. My wife tried to explain it to him but it was over his head.

Does anybody know if the overscan on the Motorola DCT6416 can be reduced? I will keep trying to call insight but I thought someone here might be able to help too. Thanks.

Sorry for the long post

StevenI have insight and what you describe is not my expierence at all, My HDTV looks Jusr as good over cable as it does over the air, The picture is razor sharp, and there is no noticable overscan. I would check and see what kind of connection to the box you are using. Make sure you have it hooked up Via Component cables, or HDMI They may not have hooked it up correctly. MY box is a Moto 6412III and I am very happy (aside from the occasional glitches) double check your connections, make sure it is all on the right sources, and using the correct cables for HD.

Dr.

Thanks Dr.

I have done a lot of digging and I think it may be my TV. After hearing your positive account of your cable picture I will attempt to adjust my TV. Those service adjustments are intimidating, don't want to mess anything up.

WCIAChief,

Any news about WCIA going to 1 million watts? Should be mild this week!

Is anyone receiving WCIA OTA? I'm getting absolutely no signal at all in east Urbana...

WCIA Signal

Yes, I'm receiving WCIA OTA. I live in far west Champaign and can see the tower from my house. My signal is 94% (same as it was before HD). As I reported last week, I still have some picture problems that appear as if my signal is weak. These problems are intermittent and it is watchable. The problems do not seem related to whether the broadcast is in HD or SD.

Thanks Dr.I have done a lot of digging and I think it may be my TV. After hearing your positive account of your cable picture I will attempt to adjust my TV. Those service adjustments are intimidating, don't want to mess anything up.


According to the manual, you must also "manually" set the resolution of the HD output method you are using on the cable box in the setup menu.
Is it possible you have it set to 480i, instead of 720p/1080i?

According to the manual, you must also "manually" set the resolution of the HD output method you are using on the cable box in the setup menu.
Is it possible you have it set to 480i, instead of 720p/1080i?

Thanks, got it set at 1080i. I was able to get in to the service mode, of my TV, and adjust the overscan. It is A LOT better. Still need to do some more tweaking though.

Anyone heard any more about when WICS will get their digital OTA antenna remounted and back to full power?

WICS-DT OTA is back. Yea!

WICS-DT OTA is back. Yea!

They must have a power boost too. I'm getting a solid lock in Bloomington using my cheap indoor rabbit ears.

I don't think things are 100% right with WICS yet. I'm watching Lost, and not getting a 5.1 surround sound feed. Isn't that a show that has a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack?

They must have a power boost too. I'm getting a solid lock in Bloomington using my cheap indoor rabbit ears.

I don't think things are 100% right with WICS yet. I'm watching Lost, and not getting a 5.1 surround sound feed. Isn't that a show that has a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack?

I was just getting WICS OTA in spfld in low 70's. Coming in now high 90's, they must have fixed their tower.

I get WCIA OTA via WCFN rebroadcast. 5.1 audio out of sync with CSI NY last night.. hope it was the network feed to blame.

Had to call Dish and order the C-U locals temporarily in order to get CBS, since WCIA has no effing signal. Expensive, since I'm doing it only for 1 channel and I'll have to pay a $5 "service fee" to remove it.

WCIA, get your sh*t together! :mad:

WICS-DT OTA is back. Yea!

Correct, WICS DT is back to full power. The weather finally allowed the job to be completed.

Dr.

I live in south-east Urbana an my reception of WCIA is poor.

Most of the time is unwatchable.

Reception < 60 %

Only when is > 65% (very few nights) the screen is stable.

I'm hoping to get some antenna recommendations. I'm currently using a Fusion 5 express card in a PC sending signal dvi to hdmi to a hd plasma. The Fusion card is an LG 5th gen ATSC/NTSC card. At the moment, it's connected to a Terk HDTVa amplified indoor antenna. I pull WILL very strong at any orientation, WICD/WAND strong depending on orientation, WCCU poorly (50-65%) at hard to find positions, and WCIA won't pull. I can pull WILL/WICD/WAND all very strong (90-100%) and WCIA/WCCU better (65-75%) if I place the Terk out on my deck at about 8-9ft elevation).

The fusion card seems to need 70% or better to be stable. I'm hoping to setup an external antenna that would pull all of the above stations at that level or higher reliably. I do have a DishNetwork side mount dish on the house that will be coming down. If I can re-use that mount/location and coax into house it would be ideal. I prefer to stay on house and as small/decent looking as possible due to street view and neighbor's view towards location

House address is essentially Vine St and Windsor in Urbana (about a block from the park).

Antenna web says use medium directional and gives the following:
3.1 WCIA 278deg 13.1mi
27.1 WCCU 46deg 21.7mi
17.1 WAND 257deg 34.6mi
15.1 WICD 96deg 15.3mi
12.1 WILL 265deg 25.5mi

Thanks for any advice offered.

Correct, WICS DT is back to full power. The weather finally allowed the job to be completed.

Dr.


How was WICS able to do it? WCIA has been trying for years and can't get it done. I hope ABC has the Super Bowl next year. We will still be waiting for WCIA.

How was WICS able to do it? WCIA has been trying for years and can't get it done. I hope ABC has the Super Bowl next year. We will still be waiting for WCIA.

One does have to wonder how the WICS's tower crew was able to install an antenna while WCIA's couldn't. It's my understanding that WCIS installed a complete antenna and not just a bay. Does anyone know if that's correct?

How was WICS able to do it? WCIA has been trying for years and can't get it done. I hope ABC has the Super Bowl next year. We will still be waiting for WCIA.

WICS installed a new antenna. WCIA is installing a new antenna, reinforcing the tower, new transmission line, new transmitter, new electrical system at the utility pole and in the transmitter house, new cooling system, and they have to hook up and tune up all of it. One slight problem and they could blow a million dollars in a fraction of a second.

And some people are crazier than others climbing the towers. :D

WICS installed a new antenna. WCIA is installing a new antenna, reinforcing the tower, new transmission line, new transmitter, new electrical system at the utility pole and in the transmitter house, new cooling system, and they have to hook up and tune up all of it. One slight problem and they could blow a million dollars in a fraction of a second.

And some people are crazier than others climbing the towers. :D

Now everything is clear!! Except the signal that is. The signal that was suppose to be up June of last year, or was that July? Or August, oh no, surely in time for the Super Bowl of 2010 (maybe). The next thing you know they will be broadcasting in color and stereo. LOL. You have to love it.

Now everything is clear!! Except the signal that is. The signal that was suppose to be up June of last year, or was that July? Or August, oh no, surely in time for the Super Bowl of 2010 (maybe). The next thing you know they will be broadcasting in color and stereo. LOL. You have to love it.

But as I stated ad nauseum before, WCIA didn't have a choice. This was dictated from their parent company's headquarters. WCIA wanted to be high power and HD a long time ago. They had very little if any say at the station level.

I know...I have a station up here that is also at low power and owned by the same company (a FOX affiliate). Actually, in our case, everything is ready to go...but because they had to side-mount the antenna, they had to file a new application. When the FCC approves, we go to full power.

I do have sympathy for WCIA and my FOX affiliate up here. The parent company, on the other hand...

But as I stated ad naseum before, WCIA didn't have a choice. This was dictated from their parent company's headquarters. WCIA wanted to be high power and HD a long time ago. They had very little if any say at the station level.

I know...I have a station up here that is also at low power and owned by the same company (a FOX affiliate). Actually, in our case, everything is ready to go...but because they had to side-mount the antenna, they had to file a new application. When the FCC approves, we go to full power.

I do have sympathy for WCIA and my FOX affiliate up here. The parent company, on the other hand...

They had a choice. Not to sell out to Nexstar.

Perhaps the tower crew left and went to do another job. I can't believe the crew would just hang around and do nothing. Maybe they're getting paid to just hang around. A couple weeks before the Superbowl WCIA still thought they might be online. They were stacking transmission line at that time as I understood it. I think they were done with re-enforcing and the power was in place at that time was it not since they had hooked up a generator for the transition. I thought all that remained was antenna installation. They haven't updated their web site so I don't think anyone knows what's going on. I just wish I could pull in Peoria reliably and I'd be done with them. We all understand it's not the folks at WCIA but the ownership. It still doesn't explain how the WCIS crew was able to install a new antenna while it appears WCIA's made little progress.

They had a choice. Not to sell out to Nexstar.

I can't blame the prior owners for taking the money and running - particularly given the far different market dynamics for media outlets today.

The real problem is that TV stations are local monopolies. Suppose that the FCC had a policy that permitted local cable systems or satellite systems to provide an out-of-market HD signal to anyone in a market where the local station did not provide HD. Don't you think NextStar would have "found" the money to convert its stations a LOT sooner if they knew they were losing eyeballs as a result?? It's a lot easier to drag your feet when your customers have no choice but to buy their product from you.

John C.

They had a choice. Not to sell out to Nexstar.

That's right, Jerry. How's Marta by the way? :)

The super bowl here was great ota, wcia ota is fine, some dropouts from time to time, but I dont spend my day watching tv. When I do its great, last night for instance, no probs,or drop outs, and great hd! Live in Fisher, and have a winegard square shooter maybe 10' high and a samsung 451. Glad I didnt spend thousnads on system, sounds like that may not be the best.

But as I stated ad naseum before, WCIA didn't have a choice. This was dictated from their parent company's headquarters. WCIA wanted to be high power and HD a long time ago. They had very little if any say at the station level.

I know...I have a station up here that is also at low power and owned by the same company (a FOX affiliate). Actually, in our case, everything is ready to go...but because they had to side-mount the antenna, they had to file a new application. When the FCC approves, we go to full power.

I do have sympathy for WCIA and my FOX affiliate up here. The parent company, on the other hand...


Gilbert --- If you gonna use dem big woords u needs to makes sures u nos how to spells em. It's "ad nauseam"!! LOL

Gilbert --- If you gonna use dem big woords u needs to makes sures u nos how to spells em. It's "ad nauseam"!! LOL

D'oh! (That's prety eazy two spel. :D ). I guess I'm just feeling nauseous for you guys not being able to get WCIA. :) I hope it powers up soon! WCIAChief, wherefore art thou? Any news?

It's been a month since they said they wouldn't be up and ready for the Superbowl after being optimistic they might be just the week or so before. There's not been an update on the progress since. I don't think this bodes well at all. Now that we're in between ratings periods I guess it really doesn't matter much anymore. It's just a really lousy operation overall. My big fear is that they'll overpower 17 and 23. I already have a major problem with 23 crowding out 17 where I live.

It's been a month since they said they wouldn't be up and ready for the Superbowl after being optimistic they might be just the week or so before. There's not been an update on the progress since. I don't think this bodes well at all. Now that we're in between ratings periods I guess it really doesn't matter much anymore. It's just a really lousy operation overall. My big fear is that they'll overpower 17 and 23. I already have a major problem with 23 crowding out 17 where I live.

WAND and WBUI (17 and 23) broadcast pretty far apart in the frequency spectrum. WAND is on 17-A and 18-D, with WBUI on 23-A and 22-D. With the digital channels, there is a large enough gap between 18 and 22 to the point where the interference you claim can't be from crowding between adjacent channels. If you're having problems receiving WAND-DT channel 18, that's no fault of WBUI.

Even further, WCIA will be on channel 48 for digital transmissions. That is nowhere near channels 18 and 22.

I'm not surprised to hear that WCIA doesn't have the big stick fired up yet. Starting the week before the Super Bowl, all we have had since is one major snow, one minor snow, ice, high winds, and a tornado watch today. I wouldn't go up on the roof of my house, nevermind 2,000 feet. It would be nice though to have it by the NCAA tournament, but with March being typically windy, I'm not counting on it.

I'm not surprised to hear that WCIA doesn't have the big stick fired up yet. Starting the week before the Super Bowl, all we have had since is one major snow, one minor snow, ice, high winds, and a tornado watch today. I wouldn't go up on the roof of my house, nevermind 2,000 feet. It would be nice though to have it by the NCAA tournament, but with March being typically windy, I'm not counting on it.


Watching radar...tornadic cell heading straight for tower. How much you wanna bet...... :eek:

WAND and WBUI (17 and 23) broadcast pretty far apart in the frequency spectrum. WAND is on 17-A and 18-D, with WBUI on 23-A and 22-D. With the digital channels, there is a large enough gap between 18 and 22 to the point where the interference you claim can't be from crowding between adjacent channels. If you're having problems receiving WAND-DT channel 18, that's no fault of WBUI.

Even further, WCIA will be on channel 48 for digital transmissions. That is nowhere near channels 18 and 22.


If I use an outside antenna, I get 23 at 90-98%% and no 17 digital signal at all, except a rare spike. If I reposition the antenna to the NE, away from a direct 23/17 signal (I'm directly east of both transmitters), I can pick up 23 and get some 17 spikes. I've tried 2 different types of UHF antennas (one higher gain, one lower gain) and have two digital tuners. I get the digitals from 12, 23, 55, and 20 all at very strong levels. It's just 17's signal that I cannot receive from an outside antenna. Right now I'm using an indoor antenna and getting all 5 channels, although 17's is still the weakest by far (50%) and the signal strengths are lower than those provided by the outside antenna.

If I use an outside antenna, I get 23 at 90-98%% and no 17 digital signal at all, except a rare spike. If I reposition the antenna to the NE, away from a direct 23/17 signal (I'm directly east of both transmitters), I can pick up 23 and get some 17 spikes. I've tried 2 different types of UHF antennas (one higher gain, one lower gain) and have two digital tuners. I get the digitals from 12, 23, 55, and 20 all at very strong levels. It's just 17's signal that I cannot receive from an outside antenna. Right now I'm using an indoor antenna and getting all 5 channels, although 17's is still the weakest by far (50%) and the signal strengths are lower than those provided by the outside antenna.

Where do you live?

With your outdoor antenna, you might have a problem with ground reflections if 17 is a direct view to to the antenna.

Check this diagram out:
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/GroundReflectAve.jpg

As you can see, there can be alternating layers where the signal is strong and weak. Thus, raising or lowering the antenna even by as little as a few feet can vastly change the signal reception.

This, and more information for siting an antenna is available at http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/siting.html

Where do you live?

With your outdoor antenna, you might have a problem with ground reflections if 17 is a direct view to the antenna.

Thanks for the info, mrmopar5287. I'm in a rural area, 17 miles east of WBUI's and 19 miles east of WAND's transmitters. I've tried all different heights from 15 - 30 feet with no success with respect to WAND 17. I used to have a few problems with 23 and no problems with 17. Starting this past Fall the opposite has been the case.

Thanks for the info, mrmopar5287. I'm in a rural area, 17 miles east of WBUI's and 19 miles east of WAND's transmitters. I've tried all different heights from 15 - 30 feet with no success with respect to WAND 17. I used to have a few problems with 23 and no problems with 17. Starting this past Fall the opposite has been the case.


Laddy - You should contact the folks at WCIA. They will have you up and running in no time!!!

I'm not surprised to hear that WCIA doesn't have the big stick fired up yet. Starting the week before the Super Bowl, all we have had since is one major snow, one minor snow, ice, high winds, and a tornado watch today. I wouldn't go up on the roof of my house, nevermind 2,000 feet. It would be nice though to have it by the NCAA tournament, but with March being typically windy, I'm not counting on it.


WOW!!!!! 2000 FEET!!!. Who needs power? WCIA now has the tallest tower in the world!!!! Gosh, we can charge admission!! No need to go all the way to Canada to see the previous tallest tower in the world (Canadian National (CN) Tower, Toronto 1815 feet). I had no idea. I'm on my way to Seymour now, I'll post when I get back and tell you all about it.

WOW!!!!! 2000 FEET!!!. Who needs power? WCIA now has the tallest tower in the world!!!! Gosh, we can charge admission!! No need to go all the way to Canada to see the previous tallest tower in the world (Canadian National (CN) Tower, Toronto 1815 feet). I had no idea. I'm on my way to Seymour now, I'll post when I get back and tell you all about it.

Nah, KVLY-TV in Fargo, ND has the tallest structure in the world. 2,063 feet, so that's quite a bit above the CN Tower.

I only wish WCIA had a 2,000 foot tower. That kind of height, coupled with 1,000 kW ERP, and you'd probably get solid reception of WCIA as far as Chicago.

WOW!!!!! 2000 FEET!!!. Who needs power? WCIA now has the tallest tower in the world!!!! Gosh, we can charge admission!! No need to go all the way to Canada to see the previous tallest tower in the world (Canadian National (CN) Tower, Toronto 1815 feet). I had no idea. I'm on my way to Seymour now, I'll post when I get back and tell you all about it.


I just returned from Seymour. Now I know why WCIA has no signal. Somebody stole over half their tower!!! There only appears to be about 900 feet left!!! I'm not sure how long it's been gone but this would explain the whole situation. If I find the guys that took it there's going to be big trouble.

I just returned from Seymour. Now I know why WCIA has no signal. Somebody stole over half their tower!!! There only appears to be about 900 feet left!!! I'm not sure how long it's been gone but this would explain the whole situation. If I find the guys that took it there's going to be big trouble.


I'll post when I get back from Fargo.

WCIA DT was in 480i on my insight feed tonight, anyone else notice this problem, it was HD OTA.

Also, does anyone else ever have audio/video synchronization issues on ABC or any other channels? Could any of these problems be a faulty box? Thanks!

I have this issue too. On many of the HD channels the audio lags behind the video. Anyone else? Any way to fix this? Gladiator was on last night (don't remember the channel. TNT?) and the audio lag was __horrible__. :mad:

Thanks,
Nate

I have this issue too. On many of the HD channels the audio lags behind the video. Anyone else? Any way to fix this? Gladiator was on last night (don't remember the channel. TNT?) and the audio lag was __horrible__. :mad:

Thanks,
Nate

Many home theater receivers have a built in adjustable time delay function to compensate for this lack of synchronization. Some of the HD broadcasters do a better job than others of synchronizing the video with the sound. That is the only way that I know of to correct the problem.

Many home theater receivers have a built in adjustable time delay function to compensate for this lack of synchronization. Some of the HD broadcasters do a better job than others of synchronizing the video with the sound. That is the only way that I know of to correct the problem.

Yes, I've tried that. The problem is that I can delay the audio, but not the video (I think. I have a Denon 1707 that switches all AV in my system). The audio is already behind, so I need to delay the video.

Anyone else see this on insight? Perhaps it's just my system....
Nate

On WCIA's new website...

More Delays
Reported by: Darren Martin
02/26/2007 09:46am
The tower crew was pulled off of our job a few weeks ago to assist a station in Florida who lost their tower. In the interim, we've had several winter storms which would have precluded any work here, but we're hopeful that the crew can return this week and resume stacking our transmission line.

The transmitter installer and I were able to complete the inside work necessary to connect our output RF switch to the line going outside to the tower, so we are only waiting on the tower work to be completed. I'll provide more updates once the crew gets back into full swing and I have something to report.

Fecking wonderful. Another year of Big 10 and NCAA tournaments in SD. Thanks for nothing, WCIA.

*spit*

You can't get their current signal in Urbana? I can usually get a decent analog signal in my office in Urbana with rabbit ears on a cheap 15 year old tube TV. Good Vibes ought to be able to fix you up with an exterior antenna for $150 or so.

You can't get their current signal in Urbana? I can usually get a decent analog signal in my office in Urbana with rabbit ears on a cheap 15 year old tube TV. Good Vibes ought to be able to fix you up with an exterior antenna for $150 or so.

I used to be able to get WCIA's HD signal on 3.1, albeit low signal (60-70), but that stopped about 3 weeks ago and ever since I do not get any signal at all at that frequency.

I've rescanned and even tried putting in the channel manually, but no dice.

I have an external roof aerial with rotor, so I usually can fine-tune things pretty well, but with WCIA it's bupkis.

Is anyone in far east Urbana (like out by Route 130) picking up WCIA HD?

That is strange. My 3-1 signal level at my house in SW Champaign hasn't dropped in level over the last couple weeks. Any chance of weather damage to your antenna or feed line? I'd guess any damage would affect other channels as well, but you never know with RF signals. Have you called the station engineer to see if he can offer any suggestions.

I live near Windsor and First. The WCIA DT signal has indeed dropped recently, as seen on my spectrum analyzer, perhaps 3 to 5 dB. I don't know why. However, where I live it is still rock solid with any of my indoor antennas pointing west, even a single bowtie. I have never
ever had the slightest difficulty with WCIA DT.

Doug McDonald

I just returned from Seymour. Now I know why WCIA has no signal. Somebody stole over half their tower!!! There only appears to be about 900 feet left!!! I'm not sure how long it's been gone but this would explain the whole situation. If I find the guys that took it there's going to be big trouble.
Don't be too hard on 'em. We have several 2,000-footers here with land flat as a freakin' pancake and 3 (at last count) full power (1-megawatt) stations and several lower powered ones. Yet in the final analysis 45~50 miles is still about the best any of us city-dwellers can do without an outdoor antenna. However, add a 90-ft tower, 4-stack array (160 elements) and 3/4" heliax and you can pull in the megawatt Houston stations from just South of Dallas. It's a two way street. The station can put the signal on the air but sometimes you've got to go the extra mile to drag it in. You think UHF signal propagation is bad right now, just wait until the leaves get on the trees.

I

Is anyone in far east Urbana (like out by Route 130) picking up WCIA HD?

Nope, just off Main Street near where it dumps back onto Rt 150, and have never been able to get WCIA-DT. Get 27 at 98+%, 15 at 85% and 17 at 90+%, but no 3.

Don't be too hard on 'em. We have several 2,000-footers here with land flat as a freakin' pancake and 3 (at last count) full power (1-megawatt) stations and several lower powered ones. Yet in the final analysis 45~50 miles is still about the best any of us city-dwellers can do without an outdoor antenna. However, add a 90-ft tower, 4-stack array (160 elements) and 3/4" heliax and you can pull in the megawatt Houston stations from just South of Dallas. It's a two way street. The station can put the signal on the air but sometimes you've got to go the extra mile to drag it in. You think UHF signal propagation is bad right now, just wait until the leaves get on the trees.

Preshoot,

60 miles west of Chicago, I lose about 10%-15% of signal when the leaves come out. Then, when it is humid out in the summer, I lose another 25%-50%. Your observations are spot on!

One thing I have learned is that you always need to go 2 sizes larger on an antenna than you think you need. What antenna do you have? For Champaign, I'd go with a ChannelMaster 4221 or 4228 with a rotor. A friend of mine up near Dewey pegs the signal meter with WILL-DT rf channel 9, and he gets all of the Springfield stations sans WCFN. And he gets WCIA at 85% on his 5th-gen Dish Network receiver. Never a problem with any station including WCIA (I can't remember if he lost WICS when their antenna needed to be replaced and they were at low power).

Nothing we can say here will change WCIA, so the best we can do is get the signal as is. But you won't need a 90' tall, 160 element monster in the air to get it either.

If, if, however, you wish to tell them what you really think...

http://www.illinoishomepage.net/phpBB2/index.php

Post on their over-the-air HD forum board.

Nope, just off Main Street near where it dumps back onto Rt 150, and have never been able to get WCIA-DT. Get 27 at 98+%, 15 at 85% and 17 at 90+%, but no 3.

Looks like you're within 2 blocks of where I live (High Court, just off Brady Lane). Your signal strengths above pretty much match mine.

I guess we just need to wait until WCIA goes full power in 2009...

I live near Windsor and First. The WCIA DT signal has indeed dropped recently, as seen on my spectrum analyzer, perhaps 3 to 5 dB. I don't know why. However, where I live it is still rock solid with any of my indoor antennas pointing west, even a single bowtie. I have never
ever had the slightest difficulty with WCIA DT.

Doug McDonald

After a few days with signal strengths in the 80's on my H20 DirecTV receiver, last night I couldn't get WCIA at all. So something has to be up with their signal. Admittedly, though, many of us do not have optimum receiving situations - my antenna is in my attic, not outside, which has to attenuate the signal reception signficantly. If I put up a big corner Yagi pointed west on top of my two-story roof, I'd probably get WCIA without problem from northern Savoy.

John C.

You can't get their current signal in Urbana? I can usually get a decent analog signal in my office in Urbana with rabbit ears on a cheap 15 year old tube TV. Good Vibes ought to be able to fix you up with an exterior antenna for $150 or so.

Those are two separate signals. The analog signal that you get on your rabbit ears is blasting at full power, probably several hundred thousand watts.

The digital signal is at the FCC minimum of 1,800 watts, until they get their new 1,000,000 watt antenna online. So there can be plenty of problems picking up an 1,800 watt signal, especially at any medium or long distances. Unless you are very close or have an unobstructed path to the current transmitter, there will be headaches until the big one goes online.

I guess we just need to wait until WCIA goes full power in 2009...

LOL, now I have to clean my monitor.

Since WCIA is not full power and likely won't be for another several months (if they're lucky), have they missed their FCC deadline and now subject to losing their high power license (or whatever it's called) should another station choose to up their power?

Since WCIA is not full power and likely won't be for another several months (if they're lucky), have they missed their FCC deadline and now subject to losing their high power license (or whatever it's called) should another station choose to up their power?

They probably will not loose their high power license. The FCC takes intent into consideration when deciding things like that. If WCIA were at this junction and had done nothing whatsoever to advance their HDTV plans, then the FCC might consider letting another station go to higher power. But WCIA has obviously put money and time into strengthening their tower with a plan to go high power. Weather has not cooperated, so the FCC understands that a bit.

They probably will not loose their high power license. The FCC takes intent into consideration when deciding things like that. If WCIA were at this junction and had done nothing whatsoever to advance their HDTV plans, then the FCC might consider letting another station go to higher power. But WCIA has obviously put money and time into strengthening their tower with a plan to go high power. Weather has not cooperated, so the FCC understands that a bit.


WCIA's problems obviously go way beyond the weather. This has been going on for years. I must say, Mr Mopar, that I admire your tolerance with this situation. Being a Chrysler owner (and actually admitting it!!LOL) I'm sure you've learned how to be tolerant of sub-standard performance and quality.

Preshoot,

60 miles west of Chicago, I lose about 10%-15% of signal when the leaves come out. Then, when it is humid out in the summer, I lose another 25%-50%. Your observations are spot on!

One thing I have learned is that you always need to go 2 sizes larger on an antenna than you think you need. What antenna do you have? For Champaign, I'd go with a ChannelMaster 4221 or 4228 with a rotor. A friend of mine up near Dewey pegs the signal meter with WILL-DT rf channel 9, and he gets all of the Springfield stations sans WCFN. And he gets WCIA at 85% on his 5th-gen Dish Network receiver. Never a problem with any station including WCIA (I can't remember if he lost WICS when their antenna needed to be replaced and they were at low power).
I too have noticed that antennaweb.org is a little Scotch on their antenna recommendations. Here in the city (I'm approx 15 miles from the antenna farm) you can dangle a paper clip from the antenna input port of your receiver & literally saturate the front-end with 6 networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW and PBS) all in stunning HD and rock-solid. However, a mere 10 miles more distant and the wet noodle trick doesn't work.

Indoor antenna proponents in town and even in the northern 'burbs all seem pretty unanimous in singing the accolades of the Silver Sensor, but beyond 40 miles or so they start hanging them out of an upstairs window or mounting a 4228 in the attic. Rotor? What's that? >smile< We're fortunate that virtually all the transmitter sites are nestled together on the South side of town.

Still and all, even a blue bazillion watts and a 2000-ft tower doesn't exempt the viewer from having to put forth some reasonable amount of effort on his part to receive it. The further away you are, the greater that effort will need to be.

I climbed to the top of my 50-year old tower yesterday PM and installed the RadioShack U75 antenna I had and pointed it toward Peoria. Lo and behold I now have CBS-HD from 31 at good signal strength. I can only receive 25 and 47 during the day for whatever reason and even then at pretty low strengths. No 19 to be found anywhere. The bonus is that I'm also getting 17, 20, 23, and 55 at good strengths with the antenna pointed toward Peoria, as well as Bloomington which I never bothered with since I had 55 available. This is the same antenna when pointed toward the 17/23 towers, gets me 23 but no 17. Go figure. Unless my current situation is all due to atmospherics, I'm now a happy camper. WCIA can go tower itself for all I care.

Does anyone know where I can find the digital footprints for all the stations in the area?

Does anyone know where I can find the digital footprints for all the stations in the area?


Here's the stations within a 75 mile radius of Champaign.

TV Query (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?state=&call=&arn=&city=&chan=&cha2=69&serv=&type=0&facid=&list=2&dist=75&dlat2=40&mlat2=6&slat2=59&dlon2=88&mlon2=14&slon2=35&size=9)

Thanks, rrick8.

I think I know what has happened to WCIA.

They have metamorphosed into 48-1 and 48-2. They got lost a couple of days ago
and reappeared when I rescanned. This is the Accurian receiver.

Note, however, that this happened after my previous post on them, reporting
a small power drop. At that time I still got them on 3-1 and 3-2.

Last night the signal level of WICS and WRSP was the SAME AS WCIA at
6:30 pm and had dropped by 20 dB ( a factor of 100 in power) by 9 pm!
At that point WRSP was still just fine, but of course WICS was thoroughly
blanketed out by WICD. I've seen faster and more severe drops, but this
was a biggie one.

Doug McDonald

I think I know what has happened to WCIA.

They have metamorphosed into 48-1 and 48-2. They got lost a couple of days ago
and reappeared when I rescanned. This is the Accurian receiver.

Just tried a rescan (Dish 211) and no hint of a signal at either 003 or 048. I think I'm just plain hosed until they go full power. That still doesn't explain why I was able to watch the 003.01 HD channel for several weeks and now I don't even detect a signal at all...

I'm still putting money on 2009 for resolution of all of this.

Here's the stations within a 75 mile radius of Champaign.

TV Query (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?state=&call=&arn=&city=&chan=&cha2=69&serv=&type=0&facid=&list=2&dist=75&dlat2=40&mlat2=6&slat2=59&dlon2=88&mlon2=14&slon2=35&size=9)

Hmmm . . . results say 75 KM, not miles. That would be about 45 miles.

John C.

I think I know what has happened to WCIA.

They have metamorphosed into 48-1 and 48-2. They got lost a couple of days ago
and reappeared when I rescanned. This is the Accurian receiver.

Note, however, that this happened after my previous post on them, reporting
a small power drop. At that time I still got them on 3-1 and 3-2.

Last night the signal level of WICS and WRSP was the SAME AS WCIA at
6:30 pm and had dropped by 20 dB ( a factor of 100 in power) by 9 pm!
At that point WRSP was still just fine, but of course WICS was thoroughly
blanketed out by WICD. I've seen faster and more severe drops, but this
was a biggie one.

Doug McDonald
Only a couple things could account for that large of a signal drop, either
A very significant cut in transmitter power, or
An antenna change, or
Antenna or transmission line damage (water in the line)
20db certainly is a huge change. How are you measuring this, with a calibrated RF field strength meter or the signal strength display on your STB? If the latter then your observation would have to be somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Since they've already stated that they're running at sharply reduced power, it's a remote possibility that some nut case has decided to sight-in his deer rifle. The world has no shortage of idiots.

Hmmm . . . results say 75 KM, not miles. That would be about 45 miles.

John C.


True. My goof. Didn't even pay attention to the range setting when I entered it.

Is WCIA flaky for anyone else during the OSU vs. Wisc game? It's cutting out every few seconds. Signal is higher than normal when it's there. I wonder if the tower crew is working on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Anyway the KS-Tex game is more competitive.

The good news is that the tower crew is back in town and working on the WCIA tower.

Hopefully something by the NCAA tourney or at least the later rounds.

Quote:


Only a couple things could account for that large of a signal drop, either

* A very significant cut in transmitter power, or
* An antenna change, or
* Antenna or transmission line damage (water in the line)

20db certainly is a huge change. How are you measuring this, with a calibrated RF field strength meter or the signal strength display on your STB


End quote

It was measured on a Tektronix spectrum analyzer, level checked against the
built in calibrator.

However, the reasons you gave are not the reason for the drop. They would be
the usual suspects if I were close to the transmitters, but are not the reason here
in Champaign. The stations are about 69 miles away from me. The reason is simply differences in the efficiency of wave propagation. Early in the evening there was a density gradient in the air that bent the signal downward, raising its level here well beyond the horizon. Later in the evening that gradient disappeared, which is normal, and
then reversed, which is unusual indeed but not unprecedented. What was unprecedented was the dramatic speed the drop happened.


Doug McDonald

Good news.... ( I hope it last)


I am getting WCIA in the lower 90.

Before it was always in the lower 60.

WCIA-DT is now operating on the new DTV transmitter. We will be operating at 50% power until the end of the week while the tower crew finishes up a few remaining items to be reinforced. Once they've removed their rigging we'll push it up to 100%. As it is now, we're transmitting 500kW ERP.

WCIA-DT is now operating on the new DTV transmitter. We will be operating at 50% power until the end of the week while the tower crew finishes up a few remaining items to be reinforced. Once they've removed their rigging we'll push it up to 100%. As it is now, we're transmitting 500kW ERP.


http://files.photojerk.com/Jerker/devil_hell_frozen_lg.gif

http://files.photojerk.com/Jerker/devil_hell_frozen_lg.gif

ROTFL!

The Illini play in the NCAA on Friday. All the NCAA games are being televised this year in HDTV. So . . . good work, WCIA, to get it done before Friday.


John C.

I'm 38 miles slightly south of west from the transmitter. I'm getting a 33 dB signal based on my Dvico HD USB2 tuner. I should note my antenna is 90 degrees perpendicular to 3's tower as it's pointing at Peoria. After risking my life climbing my 50-year old tower Thurs/Fri to be able to see CBS HD from Peoria for the NCAA, I'm not really impressed. ;) Congrats to the rest of you who now have the CBS OTA.

Quote:

It was measured on a Tektronix spectrum analyzer, level checked against the
built in calibrator.
Cool. I've used an IFR 7500 in similar apps tho never really gave much thought to checking levels against the internal calibrator. At the time we weren't much interested in levels anyway.

However, the reasons you gave are not the reason for the drop. They would be the usual suspects if I were close to the transmitters, but are not the reason here in Champaign. The stations are about 69 miles away from me. The reason is simply differences in the efficiency of wave propagation. Early in the evening there was a density gradient in the air that bent the signal downward, raising its level here well beyond the horizon. Later in the evening that gradient disappeared, which is normal, and then reversed, which is unusual indeed but not unprecedented. What was unprecedented was the dramatic speed the drop happened.

Doug McDonald

I've not done a lot of UHF propagation work, esp. not in the last 20 years, but what you describe sounds like ducting or a temperature inversion.

Curious, at 69 miles distant what are you using (antenna-wise)?

WCIA-DT is now operating on the new DTV transmitter. We will be operating at 50% power until the end of the week while the tower crew finishes up a few remaining items to be reinforced. Once they've removed their rigging we'll push it up to 100%. As it is now, we're transmitting 500kW ERP.
Well that should certainly warm the bearings in the old watt-hour meter ;)

Congrats!

I've been lurking around a while and learning quite a bit from you guys about all the HD tips and tricks (thank you), but I'm a bit stumped on this:

I noticed today (and saw the WCIA engineers post) that WCIA had greatly increased power. Despite the high signal level readings I am getting (I am tuning with a Dish Net Vip622) the actual picture is distorted and cuts out like it did when I was getting low signal readings previously. Could this be a case of "multi-path"? I've tried turning my antenna various directions and still get pretty high signal strength in most of them, but it doesn't help the distort/drop problem with the actual picture--but the signal meter still reads strong.

I'm in central Champaign (off Church about halfway between Prospect and Mattis) and I've got an indoor Terk HDTV Pro. I pull every other station in with relatively no difficulty.

Any insight on this would be great. Thanks.

I've been lurking around a while and learning quite a bit from you guys about all the HD tips and tricks (thank you), but I'm a bit stumped on this:

I noticed today (and saw the WCIA engineers post) that WCIA had greatly increased power. Despite the high signal level readings I am getting (I am tuning with a Dish Net Vip622) the actual picture is distorted and cuts out like it did when I was getting low signal readings previously. Could this be a case of "multi-path"? I've tried turning my antenna various directions and still get pretty high signal strength in most of them, but it doesn't help the distort/drop problem with the actual picture--but the signal meter still reads strong.

I'm in central Champaign (off Church about halfway between Prospect and Mattis) and I've got an indoor Terk HDTV Pro. I pull every other station in with relatively no difficulty.

Any insight on this would be great. Thanks.

I didn't notice such a problem with WCIA yesterday, though I have in the past. Here's one thought: is the Terk antenna amplified (e.g., do you plug it in?). If it is, it is possible that the WCIA signal is overloading its amp. Though it sounds strange, you might try a simple set of rabbit ears and see if you get the same thing.

You can also try to re-scan the station in your tuner; sometimes that solves odd problems. You also might wait to see if others post and have this problem; if they do, then it's probably some issue with the station, not your receiving equipment.

John C.

I've not done a lot of UHF propagation work, esp. not in the last 20 years, but what you describe sounds like ducting or a temperature inversion.

Curious, at 69 miles distant what are you using (antenna-wise)?


It's not ducting, just the temperature gradients.

I use a 16 element home-made Yagi, tuned for channel 44, but these things
are about 7 channels wide, so it gets 42 well also. Note that unless there
is extra strong tropo bending I don't actually receive 42 (WICS) even thought it
is the same strength as the reliable 44 (WRSP), because the lower frequencies
of 42 get covered up by the only 30-dB down side lobes of 41. I do have
a GaAsFet preamp with a noise figure of 0.6 dB. And with the new million watt WCIA, its good to have the huge GaAsFet overload ceiling.

I should add that this antenna is 25 feet off the ground and indoors, looking through a large (large enough) window. It is not completely clear why
WRSP is so reliably received here in Champaign, though the Longley-Rice
model correctly predicts its strength. There's some low land west of us,
but nothing like a Grand Canyon.

Doug McDonald

A question for WCIA Chiff and any other with a suggestion:

I just find out that while one of my receivers (Dish 211) gets WCIA at over 90%, the other (Dish 811) is unable to lock the signal.

Both receivers are plug to the same dish and exterior antenna.

Thanks in advance.

A question for WCIA Chiff and and any other with a suggestion:

I just find out that while one of my receivers (Dish 211) gets WCIA at over 90%, the other (Dish 811) is unable to lock the signal.

Both receivers are plug to the same dish and exterior antenna.

Thanks in advance.
Do you got comparable signal levels between the two receivers for other DTV stations? Is it only WCIA that your 811 can't lock to?

In reviewing the previous few posts, it looks like I'm not the only one having problems with WCIA at their new power level. I checked again this morning, and their signal is still not stable, though a bit more so than during yesterday's B10 championship game. I get frequent pixelization and sound distortion. About once a minute the Dish 622 loses lock entirely for a few seconds. The signal level on the 622 is about 95, high, but WAND is higher with no problems.

Since I sometimes see the signal drop into the 60's before I lose lock, I'm kind of suspecting a multipath problem. Good Vibes installed my antenna and unless this is a problem that WCIA can fix (which I doubt), I think I'll have Good Vibes see if they can readjust the antenna to minimize the multipath.

Do you got comparable signal levels between the two receivers for other DTV stations? Is it only WCIA that your 811 can't lock to?


Yes, WCIA "was" the only station not locking in one of my receivers.

After a while trying, it finally lock at 82-83%. The other receiver is at 88-90%.

When you change channel, it takes a while before locking, but it is doing it after all.

WCIA Chief,

Just for range I have outdoor antenna in Sullivan and I am able to receive you as of noon today. I will have signal strengths for you tomorrow.

Yah Hoo! I'm easily amused....and getting a 60-70 reading on my Directv meter here in Decatur. And that's with a powered indoor terk antenna, and WCIA at 50%!!!!!!!

I too am having periodic pixelation and loss of signal in Northern Decatur. Signal strength on my 942 is between 68 and 74. I even went up on the roof today and tried to readjust my antenna in hopes of getting more signal strength to no avail. Hope you get the signal up to 100% by the end of the week WCIAchief. Picture looks great though!!!

I too am having periodic pixelation and loss of signal in Northern Decatur. Signal strength on my 942 is between 68 and 74. I even went up on the roof today and tried to readjust my antenna in hopes of getting more signal strength to no avail. Hope you get the signal up to 100% by the end of the week WCIAchief. Picture looks great though!!!
The difference between 500 KW erp and 1000 KW erp (1 MW) is only 3 db. If you're not getting the signal now or it's marginal, a 3 db increase in not likely to make a world of difference. Raising your antenna height another 10 ft might have more impact on this. A high gain, more directive antenna, i.e., a yagi + corner reflector might also help.

Glad to hear you're up and running the big stick, my hdtv will be here Friday!

All bars on samsung 451 for wcia with wingard square shoooter 10' since sunday. Great!!!!!!!!!!

Here in Bloomington, WICS-DT blinked out right before LOST came on the air. Did this happen to anyone closer to Springfield? Did the digital antenna crap out again?


edit: I spoke too soon, the signal is back now.

Same thing here with WICS tonight before lost. Did a scan during a commercial but couldn't get it back. Then, after the show was over I scanned again and it came back on. At seperate periods tonight I completely lost WMBD, WICS and then WEEK. They all eventually came back.

Hello all,
I was just reading a post on the Illinoishomepage.net Forums (HDTV) & there is a Poll: Anyone else experiencing this signal overload?

I sure hope they don't plan on leaving the power at half because it is "overloading" dish HD turners.. I'm only getting about 45-50% signal on my PHILIPS HDTV. I'm currently using a TERK TV38 antenna on a 20' tower & plan to add an additional 12' section this spring. If they go full power (SOON I HOPE!) they will be the first station that will top the meter out on my set.. 40% RED 40% YELLOW 20% GREEN. I get no stations unless they are at least 20+% into the yellow. On a good day I can get a sliver of green on 12.1-WILL, but, all of the other locals are only getting around 55-60% signal strength total. Is channel 3s signal strength that much stronger than the rest, or, are the other stations still running at half power.. if so, WHY? I'm currently getting as strong (or stronger) signal from CH3 at half power than the rest of the locals if they are, in fact, at full power!?

I'm willing to bet there are a few out there waiting for CH3 to melt our antennas & towers! lol
Later, Phil B.

Hello all,
I was just reading a post on the Illinoishomepage.net Forums (HDTV) & there is a Poll: Anyone else experiencing this signal overload?

I sure hope they don't plan on leaving the power at half because it is "overloading" dish HD turners.. I'm only getting about 45-50% signal on my PHILIPS HDTV. I'm currently using a TERK TV38 antenna on a 20' tower & plan to add an additional 12' section this spring. If they go full power (SOON I HOPE!) they will be the first station that will top the meter out on my set.. 40% RED 40% YELLOW 20% GREEN. I get no stations unless they are at least 20+% into the yellow. On a good day I can get a sliver of green on 12.1-WILL, but, all of the other locals are only getting around 55-60% signal strength total. Is channel 3s signal strength that much stronger than the rest, or, are the other stations still running at half power.. if so, WHY? I'm currently getting as strong (or stronger) signal from CH3 at half power than the rest of the locals if they are, in fact, at full power!?

I'm willing to bet there are a few out there waiting for CH3 to melt our antennas & towers! lol
Later, Phil B.

Signal overload is easily cured with an attenuator; Radio Shack sells them, I think.

If you go back a page and click on the FCC TV Query link provided by RRick to stations in the C-U geographic area, you'll get a chart that shows all the station licenses and their authorized power levels. Look at the licenses for the -DT stations (these are the digital broadcast signals in our area) and you will see that WCIA's authorized 1000 kw is far higher than virtually everyone else - for example, WILL-DT is licensed at 30KW; WAND-DT at 350 kw, etc. Only WICD-DT at 950kw comes close to WCIA. So even at half-power WCIA's signal is still stronger than most of the rest of the DT signals in our area. The half-power signal pegs the meter on my DirecTV receivers; when they go to full power, I might have to ditch the signal amp on my antenna that I've used since the beginning of the digital era (I think it was WAND that went on the air first ?).

John C.

will an attenuator hurt my signals from other stations. I am closest to chanel 17, but for some reason, its my toughest chanel to pull in.

Same thing here with WICS tonight before lost. Did a scan during a commercial but couldn't get it back. Then, after the show was over I scanned again and it came back on. At seperate periods tonight I completely lost WMBD, WICS and then WEEK. They all eventually came back.

Yes indeed, I was watching my recording of In case of emergency and half way through it completely quit. Wics did not come back on until about half way through Lost. The same thing happened with Crossing Jordan too on Wand. I only got about 3\4 of that show. It was at the same time too. Frustrating to say the least. :confused:

will an attenuator hurt my signals from other stations. I am closest to chanel 17, but for some reason, its my toughest chanel to pull in.

Yes, a general-purpose attenuator will affect other channels. You can order filters over the Internet that are tuned to a specific frequency, however. They are often used when combining two or more antennas pointing at different stations to keep the signals from each antenna from interfering with each other - in effect, these are notch filters that attenuate a specific frequency, so you'd want one that is tuned to UHF channel 48, which is WCIA's digital broadcast channel. Doug McDonald - can you help us out here??

John C.

As of 7a.m. this morning, I had no digital signal from WCIA....wonder if this is a sign that they are getting ready to fire on all cylinders? Hope that baby is smokin by the time the Illini play at 6.

Had a fine signal strength from WCIA last night for the NCAA games... of course it was heavily compressed and full of motion artifacts, but I'm guessing that's the network feed and not WCIA's problem.

As I mentioned in my post on illininoishomepage.net (WCIA's web site), WCIA's signal has been TOO Strong in the past week or so. They are overloading the tuner on my Dish Vip622 dvr. Signal strength of about 92. Causes Dish to block out every 10 seconds or so. I used to get their low power signal at about 65, and it worked fine. What's interesting is the the same indoor antenna (a cheap RCA HDTV one - same deal with philips silver sensor), feeds both the dish receiver and the built-in tuner of my Mitsubishi LCD HDTV. The Mitsu works just fine! It doesn't flake out at all. If I completely detune the antenna by pointing it in complete wrong direction, and adjust the fine tuning knob to lower the signal, it works almost fine (flakes out once every 5 minutes then). If I completely remove the indoor antenna, leaving just an rg6 cable, this also makes the Dish receiver work (but none of the other channels work except WICD, which is super strong).

I've had Dish folks out to look at it. They had no idea what to do. Basically, said it's not the box since the other locals work fine and the other dish channels work fine. I've also called techs at WCIA, and they were very interested in the symptoms. Maybe they'll fix it. They seem to be off the air this morning, as someone else mentioned. However, I can pick their digital signal off of my analog insight cable at 90-4. That works fine also today. A few days ago, it was also pixelating badly.

what gives with the local fox...last nights news at nine was nothing but a flashing logo over black!!! last saturday, i dvr'd an hour of 'cheaters' audio and frozen video! it's as if someone was asleep!
probably they were...off duty, no one in the control room. some posted of problems with hd from the ABC and NBC around christmas, thinking the engineers were asleep. probably so, because they were off duty...no one in the local control room. the abc was controlled from springfield, and the nbc was ran from indy. more than likely the respective CE's had to talk a news producer through the HD process. a glaring example of no one at the wheel occurred several weeks ago, when there was an ice storm warning issued saturday am. WCIA has it up, there is always someone on duty there. The ABC and the NBC went for hours with no ice storm warning up...no one home.

I have considered the various RF filter/traps. The cheap consumer ones are made by, I think, Windgard and are called (I'm sure) Jointennas. They are hard to find these daya but a very few online sites do seem to still offer them.

However, I've never actually tried one. This is because the UHF ones are so wide band (several channels wide) that they are not really likely to be panaceas for me.

Blonder-Tongue and other companies sell single-channel wide filters and traps that
would work but they are very very high end products for high end cable headend
installations and are very pricey.

I actually have three antennas simply connected together after preamps, with Monster Cable "splitters". This works most of the time for all stations except WICD and WCCU.
For those I sometimes have to go to my east0-pointing antenna alone.

For people living in Champaign-Urbana, overload should not really be a problem unless you have a really poor receiver or preamp. There are lots of poor preamps out there. The cheap inline ones from Radio Shack are very bad. I'm not suffering any problems from WCIA's half million watts despite having a 16 element antenna pointing at Springfield and a 16 dB gain GaAsFET preamp.

Doug McDonald

Just got my new Panansonic 42 Plasma today, in time for tonight's game! Hooked it up and bingo, get a bunch of local HD off air channels.
for single strength I get:
3.1 & 3.2 88%
12.1, .2, .3 98%
15.1 97%
17.1, .2 97%
23.1, .2 88%
27.1, .2 26%
51.1 74%

I have a philips vhf/uhf 51 element antenna in my attic pointed northwest, no amplifer. Pretty sure I don't need one at this point! Very happy with my sigs so far. 27 is low, but the picture looked ok. I am 6 miles south east of Philo.

Well, after enjoying 85+ signal strength from WCIA, the signal just plain disappeared entirely about 4 minutes ago... less than 2 hours until Illinois plays. :(

I did notice that when I was receiving it this afternoon it was bouncing all over the darned place.... consistently 97+ for a while, then it would oscillate between 74 and 95 for a while, and then back to 97+

Me thinketh there thtill be bugth in the thythtem...

Well, after enjoying 85+ signal strength from WCIA, the signal just plain disappeared entirely about 4 minutes ago... less than 2 hours until Illinois plays. :(

Still got nothing here in Bloomington. I hope going off the air means they are a short while away from 1MW ERP.

Well, after enjoying 85+ signal strength from WCIA, the signal just plain disappeared entirely about 4 minutes ago... less than 2 hours until Illinois plays. :(




The WCIA signal has been gone for me the last 60 minutes +/-.

Is this a real problem ? is this related to weather? can this be solved before the game?


I am located at Urbana (south-east)

Thanks

[QUOTE=heavyharmonies]Well, after enjoying 85+ signal strength from WCIA, the signal just plain disappeared entirely about 4 minutes ago... less than 2 hours until Illinois plays. :(

QUOTE]

Mines only at 32% down from 90+ :(

Gosh!! What a shock. WCIA fails again and again and again. So much for the Illini game. So much for the NCAA. WCIA is Central Illinois' broadcasting joke.

WCIA has apparently cut their power back. Earlier in the week i had a good signal just south of Taylorville, nowI have none. I get WILL with a 80 to 90 % signal.

WCIA's power on my spectrum analyzer is exactly what is was before they went to
high power.

Just before the flubbing Illini game.

Doug McDonand

Chiefillini99- Has Mediacon changed all of your QAM channels, lately? I can't get NBC (Peoria), WCIA changed and I am now getting Fox from Normal (CH 43, maybe?). Just wondering if it changed for you, too.

Mel

Mel, I am back up and running here. It has been a long month and a half since you asked me about this. I have not had a lot of time to check but I did just notice that I am not getting Peoria CBS on 103.4 and I am getting WCIA on 47.2 which was PBS. Let me know what you have found out since we last talked.

i sure hope the fox news at 9 is more than a flashing logo over black...i guess i could watch the analog version with all the buzzing...

WCIA's power on my spectrum analyzer is exactly what is was before they went to
high power.

Just before the flubbing Illini game.

Doug McDonand

KaaaBoooom. The replacement transmitter should be here in July 09. Until then we will just have to get a bigger antenna (or do without). What a joke.

Probably a good thing I didn't cancel my locals from Dish... I had no confidence in WCIA, and rightfully so. Nice strong signal yesterday and today, and now KERBLOOEY!

Ugh.

Probably a good thing I didn't cancel my locals from Dish... I had no confidence in WCIA, and rightfully so. Nice strong signal yesterday and today, and now KERBLOOEY!

Ugh.


Heavy, Are the locals in HD on Dish?

Heavy, Are the locals in HD on Dish?

Unfortunately no. Just a stopgap so I can at least watch the game... :(

Unfortunately no. Just a stopgap so I can at least watch the game... :(

Thanks Heavy, this situation has gone beyond the point of being ridicules. I wonder at what point CBS will get fed up with their act.

Don't know what to say about those with reception problems, but on the East side of Bloomington, I continue to receive WCIA OTA.

I posted in the programming section, but want to repeat... I am thankful to WCIA as over the last two days of NCAA bball, I have had all HD games. Especially given all the comments from around the country of stations having many SD games. And I was preparing for the worst during the UofI and SIU games (that we would be on the constant SD feed from CBS NY), but it was HD all the way. Not sure what happened in the background, but I'm glad it worked the way it did. Thanks.

you will see that WCIA's authorized 1000 kw is far higher than virtually everyone else - for example, WILL-DT is licensed at 30KW; WAND-DT at 350 kw, etc. Only WICD-DT at 950kw comes close to WCIA. So even at half-power WCIA's signal is still stronger than most of the rest of the DT signals in our area. The half-power signal pegs the meter on my DirecTV receivers; when they go to full power, I might have to ditch the signal amp on my antenna that I've used since the beginning of the digital era (I think it was WAND that went on the air first ?).

John C.
1000kW may be the highest power in the area, but power is not always the best. I would rather have 2000ft at 350kW. Height will get you much further. So you really need to look at two numbers to get an idea of coverage.

WICD's 950kW should get further out then WCIA's 1000kW. WICD 15 is over 420ft higher up then WCIA's dtv antenna. There may be some differences in ground elevation, particularly between the transmitter sites. But in Illinois, this is not too great.

WILL's 30kW may seem significantly less power then any of the other stations, but they operate on channel 9 dtv. (and are 100ft higher then WCIA) Giving them much further reach for the same amount of power, verses being on a UHF channel. By getting channel 9 DT for WILL-TV they also get a great savings in power bills. Along with being able to go to a solid state transmitter. (are they? Maybe only 3kW need on ground)

If I were operating WICD 15, I might consider going back to ch.15 DTV. Enabling them to go back to their top mounted antenna, another 70ft higher. But more importantly a better antenna pattern without blockage from the tower. Including lower power bills, and better propagation on a lower UHF channel. However, they did have to spend a significant amount on the antenna and transmitter, maybe even transmission line. That alone may not benefit or save that much over the lifetime of the install cost unfortunately.

Another thing to consider regarding WCIA is that they did have to do reinforcement of their tower. Mostly because the tower was designed for a VHF antenna originally, while 15, 17, 20 etc, all were UHF stations to begin with. Thus their towers were designed with significantly stronger tower members and standards of the time. If I remember correctly, old channel 14 out of Jacksonville had a 14 ton antenna, while most UHF stations have about a 7 ton antenna at the top. Huge at the time, and even huge today.

I think your right that, pre-amps may not be necessary when all the stations are at full power. You may have more problems with one if the signals are so strong, the amp will overload, and you will get non-linear distortions that the DTV tuner can't correct for.

Fortunately I also receive 31-DT OTA so I'm not affected by the outage. I figured something would go wrong. The others had shakeout periods as well.

this from Illinoishomepage message board admin:

"Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 10:48 am Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FYI WCIA throttled back the HD signal to make sure the game was received without problems by as many homes as possible. The tower folks are working hard to work out the bugs. This signal, in the end, should be the best in the area! "

I did receive it at 31%, but if I didn't because they cut it back I would be mad. OF course, If I didn't get it because it was too strong, I'd be looking for an answer.

They must have really backed it down. I'm 38 miles away and there is no signal tickling my antenna.

news channel at nine was actually viewable, just a bit of lip synk problem, and perhaps a tweek on the proc amp to tweek the levels would help. i'll set up to dvr cheaters tonite! i sure wouldn't want to pay for any commercials that didn't air last saturday, though! let's hope that bad weather doesn't happen when no one's minding the store!

oh, i did catch the good parts of a couple of games on ch 90.4 of insight. cable is well worth the expense, because there is no way i would erect a lightning rod by my house. besides lightning, there are issue of liability if the wind were to push it into the neighbor's property. i did try an old set of rabbet ears, but only got a few if i placed the aluminum foil correctly!

I chimed in at WCIA and I'll do it here for the sake of whoever might see it.

I live in central Urbana and had nothing til last weekend. I now have nothing again.
I hope no one considers permanently throttling back.

Mike

...snip. there is no way i would erect a lightning rod by my house. besides lightning, there are issue of liability if the wind were to push it into the neighbor's property.
Move down here to Houston and I'll show you how to survive storms. It's not what you put up that matters so much as it is how you secure it.

Note that in my Avatar, small tho it is, everything you see there is anchored to the chimney and drilled into the brick, not into the mortar joints. But tack it to the facia board or screw it down to your OSB roof decking (as D* installers like to do) and for sure you'll be on a scavenger hunt several streets over when the storm lifts. Everything is also grounded with #6 copper THHN, running down to an 8' copper ground rod.

this from Illinoishomepage message board admin:

"Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 10:48 am Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FYI WCIA throttled back the HD signal to make sure the game was received without problems by as many homes as possible. The tower folks are working hard to work out the bugs. This signal, in the end, should be the best in the area! "


Jal, I was about to yell at you for making this up...I couldn't believe someone at WCIA would say this, until I went to the site myself and saw it. For those of you who think I am a WCIA apologist for all the positive posts I have made over the last 6 months about them, stand back.

First, the second sentence contradicts the first. It is obvious that they went to low power because their primary transmitter had a problem. OK, that is expected. My FOX station up in Rockford finally went to full power...and two days later, their tranny went down for a day with problems. They think they have them ironed out, and are back at full power. Let me say this: I have NEVER seen a DTV station that didn't go full power, without significant glitches, including those in my market on Sears Tower. One station in particular had a short in their transmission line. Smoke, nasty smells...bad. They were at lower power for a month! That's the worst I have seen, but thankfully, even at lower power, I could still get them most of the time.

I have little doubg that WCIA had a function with their transmitter plant which knocked their main one offline; they went to their 1.8 kw backup. It really stinks that it happened hours before game time; the wildly varying signal levels early on in the day indicated something was wrong, and then engineer likely pulled the plug. I cannot blame WCIA at all for this. It's really, really bad timing, and no doubt, WCIA's chief engineer is probably wondering why he even got up Friday morning. He probably knew pretty quickly it was going to be a bad day.

So, let me address two issues here. These are my opinions only, based on the statement by the WCIA web admin and reception quality seen by everyone.

1. WCIA lost their main transmitter, by confession of their second statement.
"The tower folks are working hard to work out the bugs". That means they admit to having problems. OK, fine, life stinks sometimes. But to say that they intentionally lowered power to make the signal receivable is bunk. The answer lies at the customer end, not WCIA's end, if you have an overloading problem.
Taking the blame for something you didn't cause and misleading everyone about it only makes people mad at you even more.

2. This is the problem when you live in a three-city market spaced 70 miles apart. Transmitters in every direction, different heights and power levels, different broadcast bands (VHF and UHF), makes receiving all stations reliably rather difficult. Sticking a Radio Shack VU-120 or even a ChannelMaster 4228 8-bay UHF antenna on the roof or on a 30' tower is NOT how to handle reception in this market. in Champaign Decatur and Springfield, you need a rotor (yes, you need a rotor...yes, you need a rotor...yes, you need a rotor...), you need an antenna that handles the distant stations well, and then get this...you need to spend $$$ to get a notch filter for channel 48. A buddy of mine just went and got one here, since he is severely overloading:

http://www.microwavefilter.com/tunabletraps.htm

5891 series at the very bottom is what you need; tell them you need channel
48 filtered. That knocks the signal down 20-30 dB. 7 miles from the tranny, a 28
dB filter works well.

If there are cheaper filters you know of, then kindly post it here. I know, sadly, the Radio Shack ones have been discontinued.

And yes, I know it's $60 for the filter. Then, on top of all of that, if you have a 4th generation tuner, the multipath (on analog, you see this as "ghosting") might be bad even with a highly directional antenna in Champaign. Then you need to decide if you need to go to a 5th generation tuner, which can handle it.

If you read all of this and threw up your hands and said "this isn't worth it!", thank you for being honest. I am a DTV over-the-air geek and I could do all the above easily. But as I said, it's not easy to get all of the stations in this market.
I did in install last year just northwest of Champaign with a friend of mine and I warned him he needed that trap when WCIA went full power; I don't think he thought that was really going to be the case. He gets everything now except WCIA, which overloads (well, when they went to 500 kw, anyway). Once he gets that filter on (yep, he bought it), he'll get everything again (he gets everything but WCFN, but can occasionally get that as well). Periodically, he also gets the stations from Columbia, MO, since they are in line down the interstate.

All this to say: WCIA, tell us you had problems. I understand. Some may not, but that doesn't excuse you from being blunt straight with us. I know how that goes; it really stinks that it happened now, it's not your fault, these things happen, but please be straight with us. Second, if this sounds like too much work for all of you on here to fix the overload problems, I say go get Insight's most basic package, whatever it is, to get the HD channels. You know they have fiber to it, and it will be solid. Do, however, keep the antenna as a backup and keep it plugged into your HDTV. You never know, and you'll be as ready as you can be for problems.

OK, yell, scream bloody murder, I'm ready... :)

I agree.....

All this to say: WCIA, tell us you had problems. I understand. Some may not, but that doesn't excuse you from being blunt straight with us. I know how that goes; it really stinks that it happened now, it's not your fault, these things happen, but please be straight with us. [/COLOR]

It makes me think that the "web admin" was probably not the chief engineer of the station, and/or didn't really understand what happened.



Second, if this sounds like too much work for all of you on here to fix the overload problems, I say go get Insight's most basic package, whatever it is, to get the HD channels. You know they have fiber to it, and it will be solid. Do, however, keep the antenna as a backup and keep it plugged into your HDTV. You never know, and you'll be as ready as you can be for problems.

I'll get the filter if i need it, add a second antenna if needed for 27, but currently don't think I will. I don't have the Insight option in the country. I've had HDTV for a day now and already love it. I'm just glad I can still get WCIA at reduced power with my attic antenna. Definitely made that afternoon crawling around in there worth it!

Just another instance in a long line of WCIA playing "yankee my wankee"... I don't see how anyone can believe a single effing word they spout anymore. It's abundantly clear that they think the consumer will swallow any random bullsh*t excuse they serve.

Why not just admit "we went high power too soon; we weren't ready for it." Sure there would be griping, but the only thing worse than a f*ck-up is trying to cover up a f*ck-up.

Hey WCIA, here's a few new slogans for your marketing team:

"WCIA - bringing our cluelessness into your homes 1 watt at a time."

"WCIA - sure we're years behind schedule, but at least we're getting it right... or not."

"WCIA - at least we don't drown kittens."

I agree.....

It makes me think that the "web admin" was probably not the chief engineer of the station, and/or didn't really understand what happened.

That's what I think as well. In a effort to spin this more nicely, he wound up making an unfortunate situation considerably worse than it should have been.
I more than defend the WCIA chief engineer on this one; and WCIA (and nearly every other DTV station) can't afford a high-power backup right now. And I also more than bet WCIA-DT had a glitch that will get fixed, which tripped the signal offline. No exploding transmitters that will take until 2009 to fix. Probably will get fixed when a part comes in or something gets tweaked...and my guess is a week or less.


I'll get the filter if i need it, add a second antenna if needed for 27, but currently don't think I will. I don't have the Insight option in the country. I've had HDTV for a day now and already love it. I'm just glad I can still get WCIA at reduced power with my attic antenna. Definitely made that afternoon crawling around in there worth it!

Good deal. It's ultimately up to each of you how to handle this, but let's face it: very, very, very soon, WCIA will be at 1 million watts, and many of you will have both overloading AND multipath problems, the latter you already have with WCIA analog. Plan now for it, my guess is you have a week or less. Heck, it could even be tomorrow or Monday.

And lest you think that you were alone, anyone that could pick up Peoria's CBS got a rude surprise: they forgot to hit the HD switch all through March Madness so far. And last weekend in Chi-town, FOX had a switcher failure and they had to show the NASCAR race (and all their Sunday programming) in upconverted SD.
It wasn't pretty. So if stuff like this happens in market #3, it will happen to you in much smaller markets.

One of my colleagues at work, an avid DTV over-the-air geek, essentially said..."is HD ready for primetime? I wonder sometimes." This from a guy who gets Chicago, Rockford, and Madison, WI. HD over-the-air is still very much cutting edge, expensive, and stations get no money for it...until now, and as part of a package!

Ah, well. Sorry to see the Illini get beat right away. :(