According to the Chief Engineer at WAND, they are working on ways to minimize the impact of severe weather warnings on their HD broadcasts. It is my understanding that the station itself (internally) is not HD which creates the situation. Adding the equipment for HD crawls and overlays I guess is a nonstarter for the time being. I must say WAND's response was nearly immediate to my inquiry. Big props.

I too, find the weather-alert=SD bug annoying. In fact, at first I thought I was going crazy when the US Open suddenly wasn't in HD anymore. I'm fairly new to the OTA HD world and I kept thinking that I had somehow hit an incorrect button or I was on the wrong channel. :o I finally came to the conclusion that it had to be something on WAND's side and then found this thread. Glad I at least understand what was happening now. The end of the US Open was kind of disappointing after enjoying the *gorgeous* HD feed earlier in the week.

I completely understand (and appreciate!) the weather warnings, but it's ridiculous that they have to blow-out their HD feed to display it. At least we're getting away from the spring severe weather season. Hopefully they'll have the proper equipment by the time we make it to next spring.

I haven't noticed, but does WICS have this problem too? Just curious if I can expect similar problems with the Olympics & the excessive heat warnings of Illinois in August. ;)

I haven't paid attention to WICS since there isn't much I watch on it this time of year. I usually tune to WAND for severe weather since they do a better job covering where I live than any of the others.

--

There are weather alerts up for severe T-storm watches and warnings now. There likely will be during primetime tonight also as the current watch doesn't expire until 8 pm. You should be able to tell whether a station has to downrez because of weather warnings pretty readily tonight.

Hello everyone,

I'm posting on behalf of my dad, who is a new HDTV owner. I spent about 45 minutes last night getting the runaround from Mediacom customer service trying to get an answer to a couple of simple questions:

Are the network broadcast channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, etc) available in HD in the city of Watseka, IL? If so, where are they on the channel guide, and if not, why, and any estimate of when they'll show up? Mediacom's online advertising indicates that we should be getting them.

We receive beautiful 1080 pix for ESPN, TNT, History, A&E, etc., but cannot find the regular networks. My parents would like to see them, or just get an idea of when to look for them.

Any info from the group would be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much.

Joe

Your best bet would probably be to call the local Mediacom office directly. They are going to be the only ones that can really help. It may be as simple as someone somewhere forgot to flip a switch on the account.

I can tell you that just because the website says that HD Locals are available, doesn't mean they actually are. Mediacom's website clearly says that HD is available in Jacksonville. About two months ago I talked to them about switching back to cable from satellite (to get my locals in HD) and the office people told me that they are not available here and they had no idea when they ever would be. :rolleyes:

while this may be resolved next year, it may actually be worse....

once they buy the fancy new overlay machines - with all the new features - for the HD feeds, they'll more than likely cover the screen with even more crap

i saw another local NBC station that puts their anchors in a live video overlayed on the 1/3 bottom of the screen with the upcoming news headlines for the newscast, so with the locals love for and seemingly weather bug competition, one can only imagine the crap they'll thrown on when they get their new toys. gene kelly may be dancing away in the corner of the screen - wearing a yellow hat with the stations logo on it off course - all night whenver it is going to rain

I don't think they have much choice about noting the watches
and this is absolutely false. there is no FCC requirement to plaster the screen with silly graphics when it is going to rain. they only have to carry NBS alerts, when there actually is a possibility of real inclement weather and not just a sprinkle. the locals put this crap up to try and differentiate their brand, but now they all do it to remain equal. focus groups apparently love this stuff, although they don't quiz them watching real tv when it is actually annoying, they just ask a group of moms if they would like weather notifications, etc

people don't change the channel, so there is no risk doing it.
about the only thing you can do is write/call your local station and tell them you'll watch another local affiliate of the same network that doesn't do the same graffiti, or stop watching and just go to the networks homepage and watch it without the crap.


I too, find the weather-alert=SD bug annoying. In fact, at first I thought I was going crazy when the US Open suddenly wasn't in HD anymore. I'm fairly new to the OTA HD world and I kept thinking that I had somehow hit an incorrect button or I was on the wrong channel. :o I finally came to the conclusion that it had to be something on WAND's side and then found this thread. Glad I at least understand what was happening now. The end of the US Open was kind of disappointing after enjoying the *gorgeous* HD feed earlier in the week.

I completely understand (and appreciate!) the weather warnings, but it's ridiculous that they have to blow-out their HD feed to display it. At least we're getting away from the spring severe weather season. Hopefully they'll have the proper equipment by the time we make it to next spring.

I haven't noticed, but does WICS have this problem too? Just curious if I can expect similar problems with the Olympics & the excessive heat warnings of Illinois in August. ;)

So you're saying the stations do not have to note weather warnings/watches as part of their FCC licensing?

here is an animated overlay with video included; this one is not as bad as some of the bigger ones
http://www.zshare.net/download/14620873d148d461/

i can only imagine they'll do sound eventualy too ;(

I haven't paid attention to WICS since there isn't much I watch on it this time of year. I usually tune to WAND for severe weather since they do a better job covering where I live than any of the others.

Yes WICS/WICD have the same situation as WAND as far as showing the weather alerts. The only area station that shows weather alerts over the HD signal is WCIA. I was upset that they were the last station to start broadcasting in HD but am very happy they have taken care of the weather alert situation.

It doesn't matter to the local stations whether there is an FCC rule regarding weather warnings. The weather is so important to the local broadcasts that a lot of people would stop watching a station if they stopped doing the weather warnings. It is very frustrating when you have the HD equipment and can't take advantage of it just because there is a thunderstorm watch even in only one county. I have seen this on WAND.

The really frustrating thing is WAND has a whole digital channel dedicated to Weather and they still interupt the HD feed. If I care that much I just tune into the 17-2 for the updates.

17-2 is not available to analog OTA viewers. Is it available on analog cable? They have been broadcasting the same break-in programming on 17-1, 17-2, and analog 17 to cover all the bases. I really don't mind the overlays if there is severe weather. I also can't imagine the fallout to a station if it failed to provide warnings issued by the NWS and something bad occurred.

The really frustrating thing is WAND has a whole digital channel dedicated to Weather and they still interupt the HD feed. If I care that much I just tune into the 17-2 for the updates.
That's exactly what I have been thinking. Unfortuneately the 17-2 is not available to everyone right now. It is not available to people who have only the extended basic for Comcast and is not available at all tiers of Dish as well. As I said in a previous thread I just want WAND to start showing weather warnings like WCIA is now, where the graphics can be displayed right over the HD signal. It is so frustrating to see only the SD broadcast for a constant weather graphic for a thunderstorm watch for only one or two counties.

Does anybody know why WICD/WICS was broadcasting in SD last night, Saturday, July 5?

I am personally befuddled by all the hoopla and jacked up prices of DTV-centric products. For instance, I have a 20-year old Philips Magnavox MANT200 that I installed in my attic with a 20db amp (in-line, powered); I can pick up all the major networks just dandy. Even during the storm last night, the only iffy station was WILL. I compared to a $50 RadioShack antenna (which I will be returning shortly); without the in-line amp, they both performed comparably (horrible!), but with the same amp, the RadioShack antenna does a few percent better on some of the weaker channels.

Why are antennas being sold as "digital", "HDTV" or "DTV" antennas? The 30-year-old yagis out there were never labeled as such, but work just dandy. And what about those crazy CECBs? $60?? I get the overwhelming feeling that the average consumer is getting ripped off in a most flagrant way.

I want to pass along a congratulations to WAND. I just noticed yesterday, 7/12/08, that they have a weather warning/watch graphic over their HD broadcasts. Hopefully this will mean they will be showing the Olympics in HD the whole time.

More good news. The last half of the Cardinals game on channel 23 was in HD. It kind of switched in and out during the first part of the game (probably testing settings) but was in HD from the 7th inning to the Cards glorious victory in the 9th.

Hi, I just have a general question about HD in Champaign. I will be moving there in August, and have Direct TV now, but my apartment complex in far west Champaign (out by Staley) may not allow satellite. My question relates to the availability of HD tv from Comcast. I called and spoke with a Comcast rep on the phone, and she said the triple play was available, and the HD package would be $7 more. Then she paused, checked, and said "Well, since we just took over from Insight, it looks like HD is not available in Champaign yet."

I found this a little hard to believe, and checked this forum and have been reading through this thread, and it looks like HD is available through Comcast. Like I said, I just got HD a year or so ago, and have been using nothing but satellite, so I'm kind of new as to what "QAM" and "15.1" is for channels. So, if one has an HD tv, living in west Champaign, and has to use Comcast as their cable company, can they get HD programming? Did this comcast rep know what she was talking about?? Thanks in advance for any help.

Also, if HD is available through comcast, how is their picture quality compared to Direct TV?

Hi, I just have a general question about HD in Champaign. I will be moving there in August, and have Direct TV now, but my apartment complex in far west Champaign (out by Staley) may not allow satellite. My question relates to the availability of HD tv from Comcast. I called and spoke with a Comcast rep on the phone, and she said the triple play was available, and the HD package would be $7 more. Then she paused, checked, and said "Well, since we just took over from Insight, it looks like HD is not available in Champaign yet."

I found this a little hard to believe, and checked this forum and have been reading through this thread, and it looks like HD is available through Comcast. Like I said, I just got HD a year or so ago, and have been using nothing but satellite, so I'm kind of new as to what "QAM" and "15.1" is for channels. So, if one has an HD tv, living in west Champaign, and has to use Comcast as their cable company, can they get HD programming? Did this comcast rep know what she was talking about?? Thanks in advance for any help.

Also, if HD is available through comcast, how is their picture quality compared to Direct TV?

I would suggest you call the local Comcast office at 217-384-2500 to find out about your options for cable. We definitely have HD in Champaign-Urbana. You may have to check that your address out by Staley is in the Comcast service area.

If it is you will get 30 of channels in HD, including all the network channels. If you want to get HD Net and HD Net Movie channels you will have to pay an extra $7, what the rep called the HD Pak.

I can't help you with any comparisons of Comcast to Direct. I have never had Direct. Good luck.

Thanks Marty. I did call that number and spoke to a Comcast rep from the "Champaign office" (FYI- the 217 number is no longer functioning, except for a voice recording which gives the new number to call for local service 1 (888) 736-6612). She told me they do have HD service for that area, but it was still confusing and hard to understand her. So to get the HD, I would assume I just have to order the standard digital cable lineup. Do I need an HD box from them then? I don't plan on paying the $7 extra for the "HD pack", but I would guess I can get all their HD channels except for the premiums by just getting the regular cable plus an HD box?

Thanks Marty. I did call that number and spoke to a Comcast rep from the "Champaign office" (FYI- the 217 number is no longer functioning, except for a voice recording which gives the new number to call for local service 1 (888) 736-6612). So to get the HD, I would assume I just have to order the standard digital cable lineup. Do I need an HD box from them then? I don't plan on paying the $7 extra for the "HD pack", but I would guess I can get all their HD channels except for the premiums by just getting the regular cable plus an HD box?

I had no idea the old number had been disconnected. Thanks for the new number. Yes, to get more than just the local channels you will need to get a DVR box.

I live on N. Prospect. Can anyone recommend a good HD antenna? Right now I'm using the RCA ANT111. It's cheap and works fairly well, but the local WB station doesn't come in very well.

WCIA HD missing on Champaign Comcast without a box in CU? Seems like it was 90.1 or 90.2 using the QAM tuner in my TV and it is no longer there. I am guesing that the FINE people at Comcast have once again moved WCIA -HD. Unfortunately I have no idea where they moved it to! Anyone know? I would call them but that has never proved useful in the past. As bad as Insight was Comcast is worse MUCH MUCH MUCH worse! For the moment WGN HD is back and located at 21.1 QAM

Have you tried a rescan lately? CC over here moved ALL the local HD's around to totally different numbers, but they DID all show back up. If you think you're going to get this info by calling cc, dream on buddy... :eek:

Did anyone notice the poor sound quality on WAND HD this morning? While I was watching the Today Show WAND had to revert to the SD broadcast because the sound on their HD broadcast was coming out too low to be heard. Does anyone know if this was a station problem or a network problem?

On a positive note I am glad to see that WAND has finally gone to a weather graphic that appears over the HD broadcast. I am looking forward to seeing the Olympics in, hopefully, uninterrupted HD on WAND.

WCIA HD missing on Champaign Comcast without a box in CU? Seems like it was 90.1 or 90.2 using the QAM tuner in my TV and it is no longer there. I am guesing that the FINE people at Comcast have once again moved WCIA -HD. Unfortunately I have no idea where they moved it to! Anyone know? I would call them but that has never proved useful in the past. As bad as Insight was Comcast is worse MUCH MUCH MUCH worse! For the moment WGN HD is back and located at 21.1 QAM

dalevelk and others in the CU with Comcast Problems. I would like to remind you to register your complaints with the cable commission. If nobody speaks up, nothing will change. Let's ban together and get this "screw you company" out of town.

* Champaign residents can file a formal cable complaint with the City of Champaign by calling 403-8989, or by sending an e-mail to cablecomplaint@ci.champaign.il.us.
* Urbana residents can file a formal complaint with the City of Urbana by calling 384-2452 or by sending an e-mail to UPTV@city.urbana.il.us.

I sent in a complaint via email to the cable comission. I did rescan and still cannot find WCIA HD it is not at 90.4 or 90.1 or 90.2.

I really do not understand why they simply don't leave the local HD broadcast channels on a fixed set of QAM channels, other than pissing people off what can possibly be gained by moving them around?

I sent in a complaint via email to the cable comission. I did rescan and still cannot find WCIA HD it is not at 90.4 or 90.1 or 90.2.

I really do not understand why they simply don't leave the local HD broadcast channels on a fixed set of QAM channels, other than pissing people off what can possibly be gained by moving them around?

WCIA HD still shows up as 90.4 on my TV (sony xbr2) with NO cable box.

WCIA HD still shows up as 90.4 on my TV (sony xbr2) with NO cable box.


On my Toshiba 90.4 immediately switches over to 23.1 WB

dalevelk and others in the CU with Comcast Problems. I would like to remind you to register your complaints with the cable commission. If nobody speaks up, nothing will change. Let's ban together and get this "screw you company" out of town.

* Champaign residents can file a formal cable complaint with the City of Champaign by calling 403-8989, or by sending an e-mail to cablecomplaint@ci.champaign.il.us.
* Urbana residents can file a formal complaint with the City of Urbana by calling 384-2452 or by sending an e-mail to UPTV@city.urbana.il.us.
I did email a complaint to the Champaign cable Commision and within a day or so their rep emailed back that he contacted Comcast, he stated Comcast made some excuses that it was a WCIA HD problem and then said that WCIA HD would be back on 90.1 QAM later that day and that is what occurred. Let us hope that going forward Comcast will stop screwing with things and leave all the basic HD channel at their current QAM positions as there is absolutely no good reason to be moving them around.

Directv to add Champaign-Decatur-Springfield area, Peoria-Bloomington area, and Quad Cities area to HD-locals service by years end.

http://dtv.client.shareholder.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=324647

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Jul 28, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- DIRECTV, Inc., the nation's leading satellite television service provider, continues to strengthen its HD presence with the addition of 44 new HD local channel markets. By the end of 2008, DIRECTV will provide local HD broadcast channels in 121 cities, representing more than 88 percent of U.S. TV households. DIRECTV will begin the rollout of the new HD local markets in August and continue through the end of the year. The new markets include:

-- Augusta, Ga. -- Harrisonburg, Va.
-- Bangor, Maine -- La Crosse-Eau Claire, Wis.
-- Baton Rouge, La. -- Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Ark.
-- Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas -- Lincoln-Hastings, Neb.
-- Boise, Idaho -- Macon, Ga.
-- Burlington, Vt.-Plattsburgh, N.Y. -- Mobile AL-Pensacola, Fla.
-- Butte-Bozeman, Mont. -- Myrtle Beach-Florence, S.C.
-- Champaign-Springfield-Decatur, Ill. -- Norfolk-Newport News, Va.
-- Charleston, S.C. -- Palm Springs, Calif.
-- Chattanooga, Tenn. -- Peoria-Bloomington, Ill.
-- Colorado Springs-Pueblo, Colo. -- Richmond-Petersburg, Va.
-- Columbia-Jefferson City, Mo. -- Rockford, Ill.
-- Davenport, Iowa-Rock Island, Ill., -- Rochester, N.Y.
Moline, Ill.
-- Dayton, Ohio -- Savannah, Ga.
-- Des Moines-Ames, Iowa -- Sioux Falls, S.D.
-- Dothan, Ala. -- South Bend-Elkhart, Ind.
-- El Paso, Texas -- Springfield-Holyoke, Mass.
-- Evansville, Ind. -- Syracuse, N.Y.
-- Fort Smith, Ark. -- Tallahassee, Fla.
-- Fort Wayne, Ind. -- Toledo, Ohio
-- Greenville-New Bern-Washington, -- Traverse City-Cadillac,
N.C. Mich.
-- Harlingen-Brownsville, Texas -- Youngstown, Ohio

I know that Comcast does not offer as many HD channels as Direct TV, but I was wondering if there was any real difference as to HD picture quality. I have heard from some people that in the C-U area, Direct TV's HD picture quality is markedly better than Comcast's. Does anyone have any insight on this?

I know that Comcast does not offer as many HD channels as Direct TV, but I was wondering if there was any real difference as to HD picture quality. I have heard from some people that in the C-U area, Direct TV's HD picture quality is markedly better than Comcast's. Does anyone have any insight on this?

Me and my neighbor have the same type tv.
I have Directv, and he has Comcast.

Although this has been debated numerous times over an extended time...
In both our minds, Directv (especially with the new MPEG-4 channels) blows Comcast away.

He wants to change over so bad, but he doesn't have the SW view needed.

thanks rrrick8, that squares with what I'd been told by others, I never realized the difference in HD PQ was that great. Maybe I'll try and get my DirectTV moved up the apartment, I guess they have to put it in the ground since they are not allowed to mount it on the outside wall. I suppose I can look into AT&T for phone and internet.

Right now I have Comcast in Chatham, IL (right outside Springfield) and I get WGN, Comcast Sportsnet Chicago and Comcast Sportsnet Chicago PLUS (when the Cubs and White Sox are on at the same time). Do Dish and DirecTV have all three of these channels available in this area without having to get an extra Sports package? And would I be able to get the games in HD?

Thank goodness for the D11 sat. After being shot down for waivers, spending 100s on an OTA setup, and many times on the roof to try various things, I finally had enough. Ever since I moved to the Chicago DMA I've had to listen to my wife complain about not getting the Champaign locals every time a storm rolls through.

Here's my question...have they fixed the annoying 4:3 picture when an warnings are posted? Not that it's that big of an issue since some of the Chicago stations have the same problem. I guess I was just spoiled living in Florida where advisories were up almost nightly so it made sense for the stations to buy the needed equipment.

Right now I have Comcast in Chatham, IL (right outside Springfield) and I get WGN, Comcast Sportsnet Chicago and Comcast Sportsnet Chicago PLUS (when the Cubs and White Sox are on at the same time). Do Dish and DirecTV have all three of these channels available in this area without having to get an extra Sports package? And would I be able to get the games in HD?

WGN America is NOT in HD (yet) on D*, but Fox Midwest AND both CSNC's are all in HD during games. And NO, you definitely do NOT the extra sports package(s) to get them.

Thank goodness for the D11 sat. After being shot down for waivers, spending 100s on an OTA setup, and many times on the roof to try various things, I finally had enough. Ever since I moved to the Chicago DMA I've had to listen to my wife complain about not getting the Champaign locals every time a storm rolls through.

Here's my question...have they fixed the annoying 4:3 picture when an warnings are posted? Not that it's that big of an issue since some of the Chicago stations have the same problem. I guess I was just spoiled living in Florida where advisories were up almost nightly so it made sense for the stations to buy the needed equipment.

All three stations now display a full HD picture when they have the watch/warning graphic displayed.

Awesome news! Thanks :)

DirecTV announced yesterday that it will be adding HD locals in 44 new markets, beginning in mid-August. Champaign-Decatur-Springfield is one of the listed markets. No exact date given, just that the rollout will start in mid-August and continue in the fall.

John C.

EDIT OOPS - just noticed RRick beat me to the news a few posts back. Sorry for the duplicate info. I was so excited I didn't thoroughly check the past messages!

DirecTV announced yesterday that it will be adding HD locals in 44 new markets, beginning in mid-August. Champaign-Decatur-Springfield is one of the listed markets. No exact date given, just that the rollout will start in mid-August and continue in the fall.

John C.

EDIT OOPS - just noticed RRick beat me to the news a few posts back. Sorry for the duplicate info. I was so excited I didn't thoroughly check the past messages!

That's ok, John. My sources tell me September for Champaign-Decatur-Springfield,
October for the Quad Cities and November for Peoria=Bloomington.

Here's my question...have they fixed the annoying 4:3 picture when an warnings are posted? Not that it's that big of an issue since some of the Chicago stations have the same problem. I guess I was just spoiled living in Florida where advisories were up almost nightly so it made sense for the stations to buy the needed equipment.
Thankfully, the local affiliates for CBS (WCIA), ABC (WICD/WICS), and just recently NBC (WAND), have invested in equipment that will show weather alerts without going back to the 4:3 picture. The was a big pet peeve of mine, but now I am a happy camper, except there are times that WAND has interrupted their prime-time programming for over an hour when thunderstorms have passed through. This is a bit annoying, espacially since they have a separate digital sub-channel with nothing but weather.

17-2 won't be of much use to WAND as the source of weather studio broadcasts until the channel is added to all the local cable companies and LiLs for the two satellite providers. It's unlikely to be added to satellite LiLs any time soon as they are focused on providing the big 4 network's main channels for the near term. I don't know whether any of the local cable companies carry subchannels as I don't have cable.

Has anybody had problems recently tuning in the local HD channels on Comcast in Champaign-Urbana. I hadn't used my QAM tuner for awhile, so when I rescanned, it didn't find NBC, CW or FOX. WILL, WICD and WCIA were found, but not the others. Anybody have any idea what might be up?

WCIA's power may be at 1000 kw, but their antenna is at a much lower level than WICS' or WICD. In fact if you compare coverage area and population served, WCIA is considerably less than either WICS or WICD.

Check it out at www.dougquick.com

By the way the coverage area of WICD-DT is much greater than the coverage are of WICD-TV.

WAND has their heads up their ****ing asses. Period. End of discussion.

I'm watching Olympic coverage in HD OTA tonight. The picture snaps to 4:3 SD and a crawl starts across the screen. I assume it's a storm warning...

No.

It's a cute little "Digital TV Transition Update" including questions about "What kind of antenna will I need?" etc., etc.

You ****ed my picture for that ********?

Crawls should only ever be used for emergency purposes, not self-serving promotional announcements.

Egads.

You ****ed my picture for that ********?

Crawls should only ever be used for emergency purposes, not self-serving promotional announcements.

Egads.

The FCC requires stations to air those. Not WAND's fault.

- Trip

The FCC requires stations to air those. Not WAND's fault.

- Trip

Are you serious? Bleagh.

But for Pete's sake, they could run them during Law & Order reruns, not prime time Olympic coverage...

Don't some stations have crawls that don't destroy the HD though? I could have sworn I've seen crawls in HD...

Are you serious? Bleagh.

But for Pete's sake, they could run them during Law & Order reruns, not prime time Olympic coverage...

Don't some stations have crawls that don't destroy the HD though? I could have sworn I've seen crawls in HD...

Yes. Some stations have those, but not the majority. I'm told the equipment to do it is rather expensive.

- Trip

Are you serious? Bleagh.

But for Pete's sake, they could run them during Law & Order reruns, not prime time Olympic coverage...

Don't some stations have crawls that don't destroy the HD though? I could have sworn I've seen crawls in HD...
WAND has started broadcasting a weather warning "bug" in HD about a month ago. I thought they were also broadcasting the crawl in HD as well. The station is much better than it used to be. When they had no means of displaying weather bugs in HD we would see the 4:3 format until the last weather watch was cancelled. Even if the watch for only one county in the viewing area.

For those of you who are anxiously waiting for the Big Ten Network, I was able to get it on channel 66 on my TV that is not hooked up to a cable box on Comcast.

WAND has their heads up their ****ing asses. Period. End of discussion.

I'm watching Olympic coverage in HD OTA tonight. The picture snaps to 4:3 SD and a crawl starts across the screen. I assume it's a storm warning...

No.

It's a cute little "Digital TV Transition Update" including questions about "What kind of antenna will I need?" etc., etc.

You ****ed my picture for that ********?

Crawls should only ever be used for emergency purposes, not self-serving promotional announcements.

Egads.

I completely agree. When you are watching something you are interested in and they cut off the HD for that digital transition message, it drives me crazy.

Here is my question, why are they showing it on an HD channel? We already have the equipment to watch it!!! Should it not be broadcast on the analog channel instead? Good grief.....:D

Big Ten HD is on Ch. 958 tonight in Chatham, finally the Illini return to TV........

Big Ten HD is on Ch. 958 tonight in Chatham, finally the Illini return to TV........
Same in Champaign. 255 for the SD channel.

Same in Champaign. 255 for the SD channel.
The BTN is also on Channel 66 here in Champaign-Urbana. Hasn't Comcast hinted or stated that after the first year BTN will only be in the Sports Entertainment Package on the digital tier, that costs $4 a month? This is what they wanted to do with BTN in ther first place and as a compromise with the BTN they said they would keep it on the Extended Basic for the first year, only.

I wonder if anyone with Champaign-Urbana Comcast will complain about the location of the HD channel. It is right above Jenna Channel which the cable guide lists as showing Anal Crazed Milfs right now.

I wonder if anyone with Champaign-Urbana Comcast will complain about the location of the HD channel. It is right above Jenna Channel which the cable guide lists as showing Anal Crazed Milfs right now.
LOL! Not sure about your receiver, but on my Tivo I uncheck the channels I don't subscribe to so I'm not seeing that interesting named title near the Big Ten channel. :D I'm sure someone will complain though.

Nice to see them playing the OSU/ILL game from last year. :)

Friday I changed from Dish to Direct TV, in anticipation of getting local channels in HD. Around 7 last night I started looking for the Bears game. According to Directs guide it wasn't on any channel. Finaly found it on Fox 55 once it started. Direct TV is not off to a good start.:mad:

Friday I changed from Dish to Direct TV, in anticipation of getting local channels in HD. Around 7 last night I started looking for the Bears game. According to Directs guide it wasn't on any channel. Finaly found it on Fox 55 once it started. Direct TV is not off to a good start.:mad:

If it is any consolation, the game was not in HD. It was not a Fox Network feed, only a syndicated feed from Chicago. I get Fox via Comcast so I am not sure what the status of getting locals in HD via Direct is.

I disn't think the HD locals were to be available until sometime in September according to the D* press release.

If it is any consolation, the game was not in HD. It was not a Fox Network feed, only a syndicated feed from Chicago. I get Fox via Comcast so I am not sure what the status of getting locals in HD via Direct is.

Is that only for preseason games, or will I never see The Bears in HD?

Friday I changed from Dish to Direct TV, in anticipation of getting local channels in HD. Around 7 last night I started looking for the Bears game. According to Directs guide it wasn't on any channel. Finaly found it on Fox 55 once it started. Direct TV is not off to a good start.:mad:

Yes I read it here. No idea if Dish is ever planning HD locals, so October is better than never.:D

All the games will be in HD when the season starts. Just a matter of when Directv switches on the local HD's in September.

Anyone have suggestions for improving HD picture quality from WAND/WICD/WCCU/WILL on comcast?

I see corruption of the picture at random times and the audio stream is corrupted as well. The cable is split a few times after entering my apt, could this be the issue. Would a signal amplifier help or not. I see a great picture most of the time, but every so often there's a little bout of signal corruption. Could it just be a low signal power?

I also don't pick up WCIA at all.

I see corruption of the picture at random times and the audio stream is corrupted as well.

Here's a clip, sorry for the huge file:

http://rapidshare.com/files/139910179/10-1__WAND-DT__-_Sun_Aug_24_23-43-00_2008.mpg.html

There's no audio problems but you can see some video corruption.

Anyone have suggestions for improving HD picture quality from WAND/WICD/WCCU/WILL on comcast?

I see corruption of the picture at random times and the audio stream is corrupted as well. The cable is split a few times after entering my apt, could this be the issue. Would a signal amplifier help or not. I see a great picture most of the time, but every so often there's a little bout of signal corruption. Could it just be a low signal power?

I also don't pick up WCIA at all.

I am also seeing this with my local channels, but I have Mediacon as my cable provider. I see it with both the cable box and the Qam tuner. When it happens, I switch to OTA which seems to be fine.

jjohns63 - You said your cable is split a couple of times after entering your apt. This could possibly be an issue. You might call comcast to see if you could get a tech to come out and check the signal strength, but they might charge you for the call, though. I have Comcast HD directly through a DVR cable box and don't have any real issues with the video.

Well i've moved the connection back to where the cable splits to our modem and I still am experiencing the exact same problem. No improvement with the digital channels, though the analog channels have improved slightly.

I think I'm going to call Comcast and complain as I know other people in my building can't even tune the HD channels. I know it's unrealistic to think that they'll do anything but maybe I'll get lucky...

Does anybody know the OTA HD channels in Central IL. I just had 50 ft tower installed with a Channel Master 4228 UHF Long range antenna with amplifier and rotor. I am picking up Chicago channels (except CBS) and it's an adventure getting Ch 9 but I was able to watch a Cubs game the other day. To the south I get Champaign/Decatur 3-1 CBS, 17-1 NBC, 15-1 ABC, 27-1 FOX. Just curious, anybody from my area out there with more channels info. I'm 90 miles from Chicago and 55 miles from Champaign. I am in the Watseka IL area. I am on Dish network also I just thought it would be nice to get some free HD and also have some kind of backup when storms etc hit and Dish goes out. Any reception info would be appreciated. I noticed the NBC 17-1 feed pops in and out occasionally. I started another thread and did not notice this Champaign thread.

No exact date, but we are on their to do list for some upcoming Thursday morn in September.
http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/moreInfoText.jsp?assetId=1620002

Since you also mentioned Chicago channels...

Does anybody know the OTA HD channels in Central IL.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_stations_in_North_America_by_media_market

Click on each market to see all of them - Chicago is #3, C/D/S is #84

Since you also mentioned Chicago channels...



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_stations_in_North_America_by_media_market

Click on each market to see all of them - Chicago is #3, C/D/S is #84
Thank you for quick reply, I bookmarked it and should have info I need.

I also have the information available on my own website, if it helps you out any...

http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?mktid=3
http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?mktid=105

- Trip

I also have the information available on my own website, if it helps you out any...

http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?mktid=3
http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?mktid=105

- Trip
Rabbit
Yes, thank you I will check it out. The OTA stuff is brand new to me as the last 20 or so years starting with a big C-Dish then Direct TV/Dish Network etc we have not used an antenna. We are a good 90 miles from Chicago and last night on 9.1 watched a trouble free Cub game, with not a reception conflict at all. I had absolutely no idea. I was not going to pay Dish an added 25.00 monthly and were using my Toshiba HDTV strictly for movie viewing on HD-A35 and then PS3.
It's a good thing I was sitting when the OTA channels started popping in. The tower install was a twofold program as we are in the boonies and needed it for a better WiFi connection which was also a success. Life is good.

Yes I just bookmarked both pages, I like to have more than one iron in the fire.

Anyone have suggestions for improving HD picture quality from WAND on comcast?

I see corruption of the picture at random times and the audio stream is corrupted as well. . Could it just be a low signal power?

I have been having same problem with WAND ota, every since the olympics have started. Maybe a problem with WAND feed. They never answer their emails at WAND. Guess I will watch the NBC Bears game Sunday night in blurry SD.

Just so everyone knows, it seems Comcast did something as all my HD channels are now flawless (thank god), except I'm still not able to tune WCIA, any thoughts?

Just so everyone knows, it seems Comcast did something as all my HD channels are now flawless (thank god), except I'm still not able to tune WCIA, any thoughts?

Are you using a DVR or a built-in QAM on your tv? I'm getting WCIA fine except for the occasional audio popping but I've accepted the fact that will never go away.

For those of you who also have Comcast in Champaign-Urbana, they have four extra Big Ten Network channels for the extra games on Saturday. They are channels 692, 693, 694, and 695. Unfortuneately, they are only SD channels.

For those of you who also have Comcast in Champaign-Urbana, they have four extra Big Ten Network channels for the extra games on Saturday. They are channels 692, 693, 694, and 695. Unfortuneately, they are only SD channels.

Thanks for the heads up Marty. I didn't realize these existed.

Thanks for the heads up Marty. I didn't realize these existed.
Even though they are SD channels it might be a nice alternative to see other Big Ten teams play when the actual "Big Ten" season begins or if U of I game is a blow-out.

Today's Illini game is not on 958 but on the 692 SD alternative channel. Did they not bring HD gear or did the BTN screw up the feed to us?

Today's Illini game is not on 958 but on the 692 SD alternative channel. Did they not bring HD gear or did the BTN screw up the feed to us?

It was in HD on D*. :D

Also HD on E*.

Today's Illini game is not on 958 but on the 692 SD alternative channel. Did they not bring HD gear or did the BTN screw up the feed to us?
This was definitely a Comcast screw up!!! Comcast is who controls what channel each game is shown. BTN was broadcasting in HD, and for some reason the "suits" decided that the Northwestern game would be the featured game for our cable system. According to the map of the US for BTN, only the Chicago area was supposed to see the Northwestern-SIU game. The rest of the state was supposed to see the U of I game on the main BTN channel. What really pisses me off is that I don't think it would do any good to call and complain. I am sure the CS reps would just feign ignorance of the situation. From what I have read the Comcast CS reps wouldn't have to feign their ignorance.

This was definitely a Comcast screw up!!! Comcast is who controls what channel each game is shown. BTN was broadcasting in HD, and for some reason the "suits" decided that the Northwestern game would be the featured game for our cable system. According to the map of the US for BTN, only the Chicago area was supposed to see the Northwestern-SIU game. The rest of the state was supposed to see the U of I game on the main BTN channel. What really pisses me off is that I don't think it would do any good to call and complain. I am sure the CS reps would just feign ignorance of the situation. From what I have read the Comcast CS reps wouldn't have to feign their ignorance.

I hate to say it, but if you're a sports fan, you should have DirecTV unless it is physically impossible to get at your home. Not only are ALL the BTN games available in HD, but all the local RSN's are in HD as well, providing HD access to many out-of-market college games. And of course, there are the pro packages that give you HD access to virtually every game played.

Comcast doesn't have a clue, and doesn't much care. Why anyone would give them their money when better alternatives are available that cost no more is a mystery to me.

John C.

I hate to say it, but if you're a sports fan, you should have DirecTV unless it is physically impossible to get at your home. Not only are ALL the BTN games available in HD, but all the local RSN's are in HD as well, providing HD access to many out-of-market college games. And of course, there are the pro packages that give you HD access to virtually every game played.

Comcast doesn't have a clue, and doesn't much care. Why anyone would give them their money when better alternatives are available that cost no more is a mystery to me.

John C.

I don't hate to say it at all John. Directv is the way to go. Period.
;)

The program guide for Directv is showning local Hd channels for our market. I expect them to be turned on this Wednesday morning at 6 am.

The program guide for Directv is showning local Hd channels for our market. I expect them to be turned on this Wednesday morning at 6 am.

This is what I have been waiting for and the timing could not be better for me.

Now I just need to find out how much the switch will cost upfront and the monthly rate (and a good installer).

Later Comcast. :D :D :D

The program guide for Directv is showning local Hd channels for our market. I expect them to be turned on this Wednesday morning at 6 am.

The Champaign HD channels are indeed on, and it looks like DirecTV is carrying everything in our market, including PBS, CW, etc. Not any of the subchannels, though (e.g., 12-2, 17-2).

John C.

Thank goodness! As much as I like Chicago's newscasts (NBC 5 in particular), it will be nice to get back to full compliance once we move back into the Champaign DMA. I'm interested on how the quality of the signal is compared to the OTA we've had to endure for the past few years.

Thank goodness! As much as I like Chicago's newscasts (NBC 5 in particular), it will be nice to get back to full compliance once we move back into the Champaign DMA. I'm interested on how the quality of the signal is compared to the OTA we've had to endure for the past few years.

I know exactly what you're saying.

Since I can receive all the main players (networks) and their sub-channel thru OTA, I don't see myself moving back soon.

One item that will be missed on the Directv locals, will be the fact that they use WICS as the ABC affiliate instead of WICD. WICD is installing a complete new HD local news set and should be broadcasting that soon.

I have not heard anything about WICS doing the same.

The Champaign HD channels are indeed on, and it looks like DirecTV is carrying everything in our market, including PBS, CW, etc. Not any of the subchannels, though (e.g., 12-2, 17-2).

John C.Hmmm... I can see all the new channels. It looks like D* is only carrying HD feeds for 17, 20 and 55 though. I was expecting CBS and CW to be HD as well. That's rather disappointing...

The Directv website shows 3-17-20-and 55 to be HD but like you said only 17-20-and 55 are in HD. Maybe they are still working out the bugs.

WCIA has a video on their web site stating they will be in HD on DirecTV. Hopefully, the situation will be straightened out soon.

DirecTV had a "Don't call us, the station is working on it" banner up for WCIA for a good chunk of yesterday on both feeds; when they finally came back on, both were in SD. I'm pretty sure there was some sort of technical glitch and they're working on it.

I hope the other feeds will likewise shift to HD soon. The curious thing is that the SD pictures are coming from the digital transmission by the station in question - for example, if you tune to Channel 12, you can clearly see the WILL-DT logo (same with WCIA and WBUI). So these feeds are coming from the station's HD signal and I think that means they are being downconverted by DirecTV, not the station. I think the way that D* does its retransmission is that the station in question beams its digital broadcast signal to a satellite via an uplink dish, and this uplink is then downlinked to one of D*'s transmission facilities, converted to MPEG4, then beamed back up to D11 for distribution to D* subscribers. If that's correct, then the "SD-ing" of the digital feed must be happening at D's end, not at the station end.

All this may have something to do with retransmission agreements, but if D* is retransmitting the digital signal from the station, which it clearly is, then I don't know why we're only seeing SD, rather than HD.

On another point, the channels we ARE seeing in HD (e.g., NBC, ABC, Fox) look just as good to me on my 80" front-projection setup as the broadcast signal. I don't see any degradation of the HD picture as a result of the retransmission process.

John C.

The duplicate feeds of the other locals (PBS's & CW) are NOT, in fact, up in HD. The ONLY reason why you are seeing the duplicate feeds on HD receivers, is because D* is also going to move ALL locals off the of the 72.5 dish you currently need for SD locals in our market. They are going to start replacing ALL equipment (dishes & receivers) for even all SD subs in our market, w/MPEG4 equipment. Eventually, the SD locals on 72.5 will ALL be going away, but this does NOT mean that ALL our locals in MPEG4 will ever be HD.

In other markets that are NOT on 72.5, the ONLY locals carried on the MPEG4 birds are the ones actually up in HD. (except for Hawaii & Alaska)

WCIA 3 still isn't in HD but the new SD picture is significantly better than the older one.

The newer feeds may not be HD but it is a better picture than before, at least they are for me.

That's probably due to the fact they are on the MPEG4 birds, where they have more bandwidth, as well as the compression is more efficient with fewer artifacts. ;)

That makes sense.

Why would DirecTV have so much trouble with WCIA 3? It seems that is always the problem channel.

Why is 17 broadcast in 1080i and 20, 55 are 720 p ?

Fox and ABC produce all their network programming in 720p. The rest of the networks chose 1080i.

- Trip

What's really funny about WCIA is that they were bragging on their 6pm news last night that they were in HD on Directv. Gotta luv em. Bet they spent hours researching that story.

Yeah even though the programming guide says HD, there never has been an HD feed from WCIA. A bunch of people probably have been fooled by that. I was at first because the new feed was so much better.

We've been having problems with our digital STL receiver at the WCFN transmitter site in Springfield. Since DirecTV built their central receive site in Springfield, and Champaign is 90 miles away, they have to use our 1.8 kW DTV signal from WCFN-DT for WCIA (SD and HD).

At this time we are troubleshooting the STL receiver and I am waiting on a loaner from Microwave Radio Corp.

DirecTV has been in contact with us regarding the lack of HD. They tell us that there is some switch or setting that they have to make in Los Angeles to enable our station to be in HD. I don't understand it, but no one from their technical department has bothered to contact me.

They told our GM that we are a "unique" situation... this from the same guys who built their receive facility 90 miles away from our analog transmitter a few years ago and couldn't understand why they couldn't receive us.

WCIAchief,

Does this have anything to do with OTA reception? I was getting no signal from my antenna this afternoon around noon and I was getting a great signal just last night.

Thanks.

An STL receiver problem for WCIA...... maybe they should try a CHI CUB one instead.:D
Sorry couldn't resist.

An STL receiver problem for WCIA...... maybe they should try a CHI CUB one instead.:D
Sorry couldn't resist.

Why? That would only complete the job once every 100 years.
:cool:

Why? That would only complete the job once every 100 years.
:cool:

In that case, it would still be up and running before channel 3 would be.

WCIAchief,

Does this have anything to do with OTA reception? I was getting no signal from my antenna this afternoon around noon and I was getting a great signal just last night.

Thanks.OTA reception in Springfield? I know that Cass cable was having trouble picking us up part of the day yesterday. Could have been a thermal inversion, though the ducting graphic (http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tr_map/archive/5eam.jpg) for yesterday didn't look too bad for the Springfield area.

We are currently building a new building out at the Mechanicsburg WCFN site to house our new channel 13 DTV. I'm hoping to be on the air by the end of the year and greatly improve our Springfield DTV coverage.

WCIA 3 still isn't in HD but the new SD picture is significantly better than the older one.I had a voicemail this morning from a tech at DirecTV. He said they found an incorrect setting in their HD encoder for our station and would correct it early this morning during their maintenance window.

What's really funny about WCIA is that they were bragging on their 6pm news last night that they were in HD on Directv. Gotta luv em. Bet they spent hours researching that story.No, we took DirecTV at their word that we would be in HD. I have no control over what another company does with our signal once it leaves my antenna.

I had a voicemail this morning from a tech at DirecTV. He said they found an incorrect setting in their HD encoder for our station and would correct it early this morning during their maintenance window.

I hope it works. Thank you for letting us know.

We've been having problems with our digital STL receiver at the WCFN transmitter site in Springfield. Since DirecTV built their central receive site in Springfield, and Champaign is 90 miles away, they have to use our 1.8 kW DTV signal from WCFN-DT for WCIA (SD and HD).



Hi WCIA Chief. I'm just curious and trying to understand this. So if I read your post directly, what DirecTV does is use an antenna to pick up your digital signal (WCIA-DT) from the WCFN transmitter in Springfield. Then they presumably uplink the received signal to their distribution center in LA, where it is converted to MPEG 4 and then re-uplinked to D11 for their subscribers. Is that correct? If so, it is different from what I thought happened - I thought stations uplinked their broadcast signal directly (e.g., that it was sent to an uplink dish straight from the studio).

This process, if I understand it correctly, explains a lot - like why they use WICS instead of WICD, etc. And I completely agree that setting up a receive/redistribution center in Springfield for this market was a nutty decision. Most of the local station transmitters are near C-U and Decatur, not Springfield. Locating a reception/uplink center in Springfield for this market is truly crazy. They should have picked Mahomet! Surely the cost of putting a center in at Mahomet would not have been any more than in Springfield . . .

John C.

Yes, we were quite surprised the morning I got a call from them and they were puzzled as to why their signal level from analog 3 was so low. When they told me their receive site was in Springfield, I was stunned.

We actually had to purchase a Sencore DTV receiver and install it for them at the Springfield receive site (in the WRSP building) so they could get WCIA. Dish Network has theirs on the Barnes bank building in Decatur, a nice centrally-located facility. In fact it's the same building where our Decatur news bureau is located.

I hope it works. Thank you for letting us know.No problem. I just got a call from DirecTV to let me know they hadn't fixed it last night, but did make the change earlier today. I verified with Good Vibes here in Champaign that we are, in fact, finally at 1080i on the DirecTV HD system.

No problem. I just got a call from DirecTV to let me know they hadn't fixed it last night, but did make the change earlier today. I verified with Good Vibes here in Champaign that we are, in fact, finally at 1080i on the DirecTV HD system.


I am getting the HD feed now for WCIA 3 and it looks great. Thanks again

If so, it is different from what I thought happened - I thought stations uplinked their broadcast signal directly (e.g., that it was sent to an uplink dish straight from the studio).

No, both DirecTV & DISH have, for each TV market (DMA) a designated "Local Receive Facility". (LRF) It is up to each individual station to get their OWN signal to this central facility. Here is a link to each one for DirecTV:

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPage.jsp?assetId=P1400108

It can vary not only from each DMA, but to each station WITHIN that same DMA how to get it there - it can be from a direct fiber feed, (usually larger stations in larger markets) direct feed from the station if the LRF is AT one of the stations, (which would obviously be the case for WRSP in our market) or it may be a OTA pickup, if the other ways are out of the question. Obviously it was in the case of DirecTV trying to get WCIA ALL the way over here in Spfld. Again, it is up to EACH station (not DirecTV) how they choose to get their signals TO the LRF.

AFTER all the locals stations are collected at each LRF, they then are all usually sent as a fiber feed out to the specific DirecTV or DISH uplink facility. (both DBS providers have several uplink facilities, due to the number of satellites &/or spot beams required for local channel services) In a few instances, they may go on C or Ku band backhauls.

If you look at some of the posts from DBS subs in some of the smaller markets, you can tell some of the stations that are being picked up OTA, as these subs constantly complain about the poor picture quality of these same stations, compared to others. (ghosts, lines & other interfearance, etc) But by the same token, as the LRF change their OTA pickups to digital feeds, obviously the quality should improve over the analog pickups.

I can sure tell that DirecTV IS picking up WILL from their analog feed over here, because it always has some sort of sparking in it - I don't know if they have switched over to the digital OTA feed recently. (I get my locals from Chicago, & I haven't seen someone else's feeds lately) I just know that WILL does look better on cable here & the OTA digital feed I get thru my ATSC tuners.

....Dish Network has theirs on the Barnes bank building in Decatur, a nice centrally-located facility. In fact it's the same building where our Decatur news bureau is located.

This is a long shot, as I suspect you wouldn't be able to say anything about it anyway...

Any chance that you're working with Dish Networking on getting WCIA/WCFN in HD?

No, both DirecTV & DISH have, for each TV market (DMA) a designated "Local Receive Facility". (LRF) It is up to each individual station to get their OWN signal to this central facility.

Ah. Thanks for the explanation. Now I get it. Of course, that still doesn't answer why DirecTV put their LRF in Springfield for a market where the main TV transmitters are all near C-U or Decatur.

On another note, the WILL feed that I saw yesterday was clearly the digital feed - it had the WILL-DT bug at the bottom right. I'm assuming that DirecTV is getting this signal OTA as well. Which raises another point: if the LRF is getting a digital signal that is in HD, why would DirecTV not be sending an HD signal to their subs? Is this a contractual issue with the local stations? This seems to be what is happening with WBUI, too.

John C.

CU has not shown up on any Dish list of planned future HD deployments. Directv's service could make things move faster. Dish has had a couple of satellite launch failures, but recently did get a new bird up, though I don't know if this will help us or not. I'd be very surprised if we got local HD from
Dish anytime this year. Fortunately, all locals are easy to get OTA in Chamapaign, so this hasn't been a real problem for me.


This is a long shot, as I suspect you wouldn't be able to say anything about it anyway...

Any chance that you're working with Dish Networking on getting WCIA/WCFN in HD?

Which raises another point: if the LRF is getting a digital signal that is in HD, why would DirecTV not be sending an HD signal to their subs?

DirecTV is not sending ANY of the locals PBS's in HD yet - they were supposed to have started doing it sometime this year after they came to an agreement with the national PBS association, but for some reason, are pi$$ing around getting it done. :mad:

Is this a contractual issue with the local stations? This seems to be what is happening with WBUI, too.

Who knows, but DirecTV IS currently sending some locals that are NOT big 4 affiliates up in HD, such as CW affiliates in Chicago & St.Louis...it just depends on the market.

CU has not shown up on any Dish list of planned future HD deployments. Directv's service could make things move faster. Dish has had a couple of satellite launch failures, but recently did get a new bird up, though I don't know if this will help us or not. I'd be very surprised if we got local HD from
Dish anytime this year. Fortunately, all locals are easy to get OTA in Chamapaign, so this hasn't been a real problem for me.

I'm not sure how much this will help figuring out E*'s HD local plans but here's some background.

Echostar 11 which launched in September iirc went to replace E8, the 110 satellite. The HD programming on 110 consists of premium channels and a handful of national HD. It is a CONUS satellite and not useful for delivering HD locals on a beam. 129 is the primary Echostar satellite for HD for Echostar's western arc, including CONUS transponders for national HD and spotbeams for HD locals. It is due to be replaced by Ceil 2, a Canadian satellite, scheduled for launch early in December this year. This 129 replacement will have lots of power and spotbeams. This will be the satellite used to supply the remaining HD locals to the western arc and markets not designated as eastern arc markets as well as the HD locals for markets like e.g., Minneapolis, Chicago, and St. Louis which are designated eastern arc DMAs but already have many exisiting subs pointed at the western arc.

The eastern arc Echostar sats are at 61.5 (direct 1:1 programming with the 129 sat for the most part) and 72.5. There will soon be another sat at 77 (actually E8 which was replaced by E11 at the 110 spot) to complete E*'s eastern arc. The eastern arc is mpeg4 only even for non-HD programming. Western arc uses mostly mpeg2 for SD programming and mpeg4 for HD programming with the exception of a few HD channels still in mpeg2 and due to be switched over to mpeg4 very shortly.

I wouldn't expect to see the C-D-S HD locals until the new 129 satelllite gets into place. It is always possible that the CDS market will end up on 61.5 as this area is certainly in eastern arc territory. If it does, the CDS locals will likely have to be on both 129 and 61.5 or otherwise E* would end up having to install a lot of wing dishes to subs currently pointed at the western arc or install new 1000.4 dishes pointed at the eastern arc. Either scenario would be expensive.

If the "second" version of each of the local channels goes away when DirecTV switches to using its new DTV access point and abandons its old analog one, there may be a problem with WILL.

WILL's HD program service is not the same as its SD service. What you currently get via the analog uplink on DirecTV is the same as the analog over-the-air WILL-TV signal. However the digital uplink is picking up (in SD) WILL-DT 12.1, which is a general national PBS feed without any of WILL's local programming.

WILL's local program service is on WILL-DT 12.2, which DirecTV is not picking up. Nor is it picking up yet another program service at WILL-DT 12.3. All three are available as separate channels on Comcast locally.

At the WILL Web site, go to tv/schedule.htm to see the differences.

The national PBS-HD feed goes away on 02/17/09. Either they'll be airing PBS-X HD (an alternate PBS schedule) or they'll begin doing what the network stations do, upconverting when HD isn't available and showing it when it is.

- Trip

Is anyone having trouble with WAND in Champaign today? I can't seem to pick up its signal even though I was picking it up great yesterday...

Any ideas why WGN is no longer on clear QAM on Comcast?

Any ideas why WGN is no longer on clear QAM on Comcast?

I just purchased two HD TV's hopeful of receiving more channels than I currently do via the QAM tuner. I've scanned and rescanned since last weekend. I have CBS, ABC and FOX in HD...and that's it. No NBC, WGN, etc.
That doesn't even count missing out on many Illini b-ball and f-ball games in the past year. As an alum, I need my Illini fix.

I'm calling Directv this afternoon or tomorrow and signing up. For me, the first 2 years on Directv will be much less than cable, and even after my initial 2 years of discounts go away, it will be cheaper than Comcast.

Well, I had NBC up until 2 days ago, now I can't find it on a scan and it won't tune manually. Yesterday I was detecting 18-1 and 18-2, but neither would tune in, previously I was getting 17-1 and 17-2 as NBC... now I don't even detect the 18-1 and 18-2...

Has anyone else noticed that the LFE (.1) Audio channel is missing from WCIA? I first noticed it on "The Unit", but i checked today too and noticed it just isnt there? Have Any Insight WCIAChief? I am on Comcast BTW.

Dr.

Well, I had NBC up until 2 days ago, now I can't find it on a scan and it won't tune manually. Yesterday I was detecting 18-1 and 18-2, but neither would tune in, previously I was getting 17-1 and 17-2 as NBC... now I don't even detect the 18-1 and 18-2...

Try 18-3. Some TVs will detect it there, assuming it's on the air, of course.

- Trip

Has anyone else noticed that the LFE (.1) Audio channel is missing from WCIA? I first noticed it on "The Unit", but i checked today too and noticed it just isnt there? Have Any Insight WCIAChief? I am on Comcast BTW.

Dr.

I get it ok via OTA and it runs through my DIRECTV HD DVR to my receiver.

Has anyone else noticed that the LFE (.1) Audio channel is missing from WCIA? I first noticed it on "The Unit", but i checked today too and noticed it just isnt there? Have Any Insight WCIAChief? I am on Comcast BTW.

Dr.I checked our Dolby encoder, and sure enough the metadata parameter for LFE was not enabled, so I corrected it. I've found this unit "forgets" its settings once in a while... let me know if you're still having trouble with it.

Thanks for the quick fix. My Sub will be much happier.

Dr.

I live in SW Champaign (between I-57 and Staley, north of Kirby) and have Dish Network. I am sick of not having my local channels in HD, so I'm planning to switch to OTA. I want to make the installation as easy as possible, but I haven't found an internal antenna that will pick up Fox. That is how I ended up finding this thread. This thread is a great resource and I think you all as I have learned much while digging through past posts. Now, I need your advice.

I want to keep Dish for all the rest of my programming, but want to add the main broadcast networks via OTA. Some decent internal antennas picked up CBS, ABC, and NBC, but not FOX. So, I guess I'm going to have to go to an external antenna. I don't really care if I get FOX from Champaign or Springfield, but I do want to get it.

My house is two-story, but the Dish satellite receiver is mounted on the portion that is a one-story level on the back of the house (northwest corner), about 12 feet up. The coax from the dish connects to the house coax wiring outside and eventually to the HD receiver (AT&T/Dish Network Homezone). The receiver includes a coax connection for OTA signals.

I've searched the thread to learn more and try to find a simple solution others have used, but instead I discovered all the problems we face in this area with multi-directional needs. Great information, but no obvious solution. So, I'm hoping to tap your collective experiences and expertise to figure out what to do.

What antenna would you guys recommend I purchase an install?

My wish list has the following preferences:

keep the installation simple
install the antenna in close proximity to the satellite dish (one-story level, back of house on northwest corner of roof, about 12 feet high)
avoid running an extra wire all the way (by tying it into the satellite wire or at the point where the satellite feed connects to the house wire outside), if possible (how do I do that?)
place it once and be done, if possible (getting all 4 networks and avoiding a rotor -- my wife needs to be able to use this, after all ;))
keep the antenna reasonably small and aesthetically pleasing
ideally, I'm targeting spending about $50 but would like to keep it under $80 if possible
I am only concerned with getting the digital and/or HD signals (esp. since that is all there will be in a few months)


Thanks in advance for your help!

S*

Go to antennaweb.org and enter your address. It'll tell you the type of antenna you'll need. All the locals are on UHF with the exception of WILL 12 PBS on digital channel 9. I'm 45 miles from the WILL transmitter and get good reception with a high gain UHF antenna most of the time even though it's a VHF channel. You'll be pretty close to the transmitter so you shouldn't have much of a problem. The networks you might have some problems with are the CW 23 WBUI and NBC 17 WAND located just NE of Decatur. You may need a decent antenna at a decent height to be able to get a strong signal.

You can use two diplexers to combine your satellite and OTA signals. Use one outside to combine the signals on a coax cable and then another diplexer to split the two signals again at the receiver/TV. Diplexers can be purchased at electronic departments. Menards and Walmart used to carry them. Whether they still do, I don't know. They are relatively inexpensive at DishStore.com.

I use the high gain U-75 UHF antenna from Radio Shack. It cost around $25 I think. It should work OK as long as you can get it up high enough to catch the signals from WBUI and WAND. It should allow you to orient your antenna toward the Decatur stations and still catch enough of the Fox and ABC signals from behind and the sides. If it doesn't work, RS will take it back. You may have to go up 30 feet or higher to grab the Decatur station signals without relying on multipath bounces.

Hopefully someone who lives in the C-U area can help a bit more. I'm located between Decatur and Lincoln. You could also call a retailer like good vibes or another TV service provider and see what they would charge for installing an OTA antenna. I'm sure it would be $250 or so. A 40-foot telescoping pole is pretty expensive by itself.

D* does have the local HD stations. E* likely won't for some time to come (maybe next year sometime but don't bet on it) although you could "move" to Chicago and get their HD locals from E*. The Chicago spotbeam covers C-U.

Please Fox 55/27, not another Sunday without HD. Please let me clarify, Fox 55 through DirecTV is not showing programming in HD. I can pick up the HD on 27.1 with my antenna.

Please Fox 55/27, not another Sunday without HD. Please let me clarify, Fox 55 through DirecTV is not showing programming in HD. I can pick up the HD on 27.1 with my antenna.

I just called DirecTV for the 3rd TIME!!!! They say that it's on WRSP FOX 55's end!

This is unreal! Why the heck are all the other competing networks in full 16x9 HD and us DirecTV customers are stuck with PILLAR BOX format for this channel ALL THE TIME???

Please, please, please, please, please, please try to get it together OVER THERE! Or at least respond to e-mails and make a statement as to what the heck is going on!

Go to the link below, use the Contact Us tab to email engineering, and ask them what's up.

http://www.myfoxspringfield.com/myfox/

I just called DirecTV for the 3rd TIME!!!! They say that it's on WRSP FOX 55's end!

This is unreal! Why the heck are all the other competing networks in full 16x9 HD and us DirecTV customers are stuck with PILLAR BOX format for this channel ALL THE TIME???

Please, please, please, please, please, please try to get it together OVER THERE! Or at least respond to e-mails and make a statement as to what the heck is going on!

Last Sunday and this Sunday, they had sun outages (you get these twice a year, once in the spring and another in October). Network told them (and all the others) to stay in SD through at least 2 PM. We got the same thing up here in Chi-town and Rockford.

[QUOTE=Laddy;14857504]Go to the link below, use the Contact Us tab to email engineering, and ask them what's up.

Ya...I have sent them 3 e-mails the past week and still NO response...

Not only is it annoying that FOX is SD, but it's also really annoying that you can't get in touch with anyone there and they won't respond back!

I think it's very odd that via the OTA it's being projected in 16x9 format for some programming, but for D*'s feed it not HD and is in Pillar-Box format 24/7 now...

I am not sure who is responsible for this problem (either D* or WRSP FOX 55), but either way...they both need to find out why this occurring and get back the inquiring consumers in a professional manner...not responding to e-mails or playing the blame game is NOT professional for big companies like D* and FOX!

I think it's very odd that via the OTA it's being projected in 16x9 format for some programming, but for D*'s feed it not HD and is in Pillar-Box format 24/7 now...

I am not sure who is responsible for this problem (either D* or WRSP FOX 55), but either way...they both need to find out why this occurring and get back the inquiring consumers in a professional manner...not responding to e-mails or playing the blame game is NOT professional for big companies like D* and FOX!

What I suspect the reason is that as you read, since WRSP IS the location where ALL locals are picked up for D* to uplink, WRSP likely sends D* a DIRECT internal studio feed out to D*, while all the others are picked up OTA. WRSP probably has something set wrong on that direct feed, while the OTA feed looks like it should. I'd also think that since WRSP is uplink point, they'd have a D* receiver to monitor their own signal, at a minimum.

I'd start calling the station directly - I already had a client complaining about this yesterday & told him to do the same... ;)

I live in SW Champaign (between I-57 and Staley, north of Kirby) and have Dish Network. I am sick of not having my local channels in HD, so I'm planning to switch to OTA....

I picked an address that's nearby where you live and ran it through TVFool.com. I picked 3999 Englewood Dr, just for a ballpark idea.

Most of your networks (except the nearest ABC) are west/southwest from you, and they're all at distances that I wouldn't think are a problem.

WCIA (CBS) = 7.4 miles, almost due west
WICD (ABC) = 22.1 miles, almost due east.
WAND (NBC) & WBUI (CW)= 29 miles, slighty southwest.
WICS (ABC) = 64 miles, almost due west.
WRSP (FOX)= 63 miles, slightly southwest.

I'd think you should be able to get all of those with a reasonably good antenna. Especially if you point it S/SW and ignore WICD. I'm in Jacksonville. WAND is 76 miles east of here. I get them at 75%-95% (day-night) signal strength on my Dish 722 receiver with an 2nd story attic-window mounted AntennasDirect DB4 + ChannelMaster 777 preamp. WRSP and WICS are about 30 miles to the east, and their signal is usually pegged at near 100%. As you probably know, anything above about 60% on a Dish receiver is perfect HD signal. The DB4 was about $50 from Amazon (cheap & good return policy), the 777 (from ChannelMaster directly) was about $60. I've found that the 777 boosts the signal levels by about 10%. If you haven't tried a DB4, I'd recommend it as it's really worked for me. It's a lot better than any of the WalMart/BestBuy antennas that I tried. Cheaper than many of them too.

These channels are all now currently UHF, but I'm pretty sure that I've read that WCIA will be going to a (high) VHF channel post Feb '09. The DBx models are not designed for UHF, but apparently can pick up highband VHF. I don't know for sure though. But you're so close to WCIA, you might be able to pick them up without any antenna at all ;).

Good luck!

These channels are all now currently UHF, but I'm pretty sure that I've read that WCIA will be going to a (high) VHF channel post Feb '09.

No, it's WCFN-DT over here that's moving from 53 to 13 - WCIA-DT stays on 48.

No, it's WCFN-DT over here that's moving from 53 to 13 - WCIA-DT stays on 48.

Ah ha. Yes. I was confusing the WCIA main channel from Champaign vs the WCFN/WCIA subchannel out of Springfield. For some reason I thought they were both changing. My mistake.

That WCIA subchannel is the one that I can almost pick up in Jacksonville now. I'm hopeful that when it moves to VHF, I'll be able to reliably get it over here.

An update on the WRSP-HD on D* problem - I talked to the client tonight & he says he FINALLY got to talk to someone at WRSP & they acknowledge the problem IS on their end & hope to have it fixed by sometime tomorrow...

An update on the WRSP-HD on D* problem - I talked to the client tonight & he says he FINALLY got to talk to someone at WRSP & they acknowledge the problem IS on their end & hope to have it fixed by sometime tomorrow...

Thank you for the update...ya...I called yesterday again and the whatever guy answered the phone was real snappy in his response to me...he sounded like an intern or a college kid.

He said, "No, No, No, we are broadcasting in full HD...I have cable at home FOX 55 is in full HD for certain programming...you tell DirecTV that the problem is on their end."

I was like, "No...DirecTV has repeatedly told me to contact your station in regards to the problem and that your station is NOT projecting the correct format for the channel on DirecTV."

He told me I was not right on the issue and then I asked if I could be transferred to the Engineering Dpt. I got another freaking voicemail system in engineering!

This is getting ridiculous...

I'm considering getting rid of my cable subscription as I only really watch channels I could get OTA anyway, but I'm not sure what I'll be able to receive. I'm in an apartment building in the 400 block of e green st in Champaign so a rooftop antenna is not an option. I'm not opposed to putting an antenna like the DB2 in the apartment.

The DB2 lists its range as 30 miles. WAND's transmitter is approx 33 miles away. I assume that the DB2's range is under optimal conditions, which an apartment building most certainly is not. Any suggestions? Would a secondary amplifier help? Maybe a different antenna that's about the same size/price?

WILL (12) on DirecTV has been broadcast in the wrong format lately as well. It's very S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-D. Oftentimes, the bug is almost completely off the screen. I e-mailed them and received a quick reply from their engineering department. They said they were aware of the problem and had contacted DirecTV a few times to correct it, but their fix never "sticks". He wasn't very optimistic that it would be permanently fixed until the contracts are signed for PBS to be broadcast in HD later this year.

Anybody having trouble with the new WICS-HD (20) channel on DirecTV? I can tune all the other DirecTV HD locals on my HR20s, but I often get a gray screen on Channel 20 (on all DVRs). If I do a reset, I can get it for a while, and then it cuts out to a gray screen again. Since it's affecting all my DVRs, I'm guessing 1) it's a DirecTV issue or 2) my SWM setup is acting up.

I didn't start having problems until this morning. The resets fixed it this morning, but the problem came back tonight. Anyone else experiencing this?

Update: Seems like things have stabilized now. Not sure what was going on.

The DirecTV HD problem with FOX 55 WRSP HAS BEEN RESOLVED! No more Pillar-Box!

Thank you very much for taking care of this WRSP...it was just a wrong connection somewhere.

Thank you! Back to FULL 16x9 HD picture again!

I'm considering getting rid of my cable subscription as I only really watch channels I could get OTA anyway, but I'm not sure what I'll be able to receive. I'm in an apartment building in the 400 block of e green st in Champaign so a rooftop antenna is not an option. I'm not opposed to putting an antenna like the DB2 in the apartment.

The DB2 lists its range as 30 miles. WAND's transmitter is approx 33 miles away. I assume that the DB2's range is under optimal conditions, which an apartment building most certainly is not. Any suggestions? Would a secondary amplifier help? Maybe a different antenna that's about the same size/price?

The only way to know is to try, as they say. I've never had any luck with indoor antennas myself. You really have to rely on fortuitous signal bounces sometimes. WAND and WBUI are on somewhat higher ground just NE of Decatur. If you're not on the first floor of your building and have a SW exposure, you may have a shot.

The DirecTV HD problem with FOX 55 WRSP HAS BEEN RESOLVED! No more Pillar-Box!

Thank you very much for taking care of this WRSP...it was just a wrong connection somewhere.

Thank you! Back to FULL 16x9 HD picture again!

How about getting 5.1? I have Comcast, and i havent been getting 5.1 audio on FOX since at least January. I have heard that there has been some equipment problem, but 10 months? Ive called them numerous times and have received no response. Its not Comcast either, as i have a friend who has Mediacom, and they dont have 5.1 for FOX (WCCU) either.

I'm considering getting rid of my cable subscription as I only really watch channels I could get OTA anyway, but I'm not sure what I'll be able to receive. I'm in an apartment building in the 400 block of e green st in Champaign so a rooftop antenna is not an option. I'm not opposed to putting an antenna like the DB2 in the apartment.


FWIW, I use a bowtie/grill antenna that I bought at radio shack (it looks almost identical to the DB2 antenna you refer to) along with rabbit ears for VHF, and I can get all of the stations found on http://antennaweb.org under the "yellow" antenna list. I am now in a house in SW champaign, but used to live on the second floor of a brick apt in central champaign. At the apartment, I could also get in FOX, but I guess the signal is too weak for first floor reception at the house. I don't use an amplifier.

I'd say it is worth a shot...

Alright cool, I'll give it a try sometime. Hopefully I'll get something.

How about getting 5.1? I have Comcast, and i havent been getting 5.1 audio on FOX since at least January. I have heard that there has been some equipment problem, but 10 months? Ive called them numerous times and have received no response. Its not Comcast either, as i have a friend who has Mediacom, and they dont have 5.1 for FOX (WCCU) either.

So, are people getting true 5.1 OTA for WCCU?

Anybody having trouble with the new WICS-HD (20) channel on DirecTV? I can tune all the other DirecTV HD locals on my HR20s, but I often get a gray screen on Channel 20 (on all DVRs). If I do a reset, I can get it for a while, and then it cuts out to a gray screen again. Since it's affecting all my DVRs, I'm guessing 1) it's a DirecTV issue or 2) my SWM setup is acting up.

I didn't start having problems until this morning. The resets fixed it this morning, but the problem came back tonight. Anyone else experiencing this?

Update: Seems like things have stabilized now. Not sure what was going on.

I currently have the same gray screen problem with WICS-HD on my HR20-100. This is the only local channel which has a problem.

Update: A restart of the HR20-100 resolved this problem.

I currently have the same gray screen problem with WICS-HD on my HR20-100. This is the only local channel which has a problem.

Update: A restart of the HR20-100 resolved this problem.Interesting... I had it happen on all 3 HR20s for one day. After that, one HR20 repeatedly had a problem. The other two were fine. The problem DVR finally degraded into never being able to tune WICS-HD, even after a reboot. I also started having trouble with the Sunday Ticket channels. They would tune in, but would break up often. (Signal levels were fine, though.)

I called DirecTV, and after some troubleshooting they sent me a refurbished HR21. It's been flawless since I installed it. No other problems with WICS-HD since then, either.

The only unique thing about the HR20 that went bad was that I was diplexing an antenna signal to that one. I know that's not officially supported, but it worked for months without any issues. When WICS-HD started acting up, I removed the diplexing altogether and ran a pure satellite signal to the DVR. However, this did not resolve the problem. I don't know if one had anything to do with the other. Just wanted to point out the uniqueness of the setup.

What's the deal with Channel NBC's lack of HD signal tonight for the election coverage? I noticed it has been an SD signal since the 5:30 national news. I am fairly sure it is a local issue, only.

Is Champaign out of luck for getting this Saturday's Illinois / Western Michigan game on TV? It says it's on ESPN+ but Champaign doesn't have one of those anymore.

http://www.espnplus.com/pdfs/MACFB110808.pdf

Am I stuck watching it on espn360.com? Odd that Peoria/Bloomington can get it yet the hometown of the Illini can't get it.

Is Champaign out of luck for getting this Saturday's Illinois / Western Michigan game on TV? It says it's on ESPN+ but Champaign doesn't have one of those anymore.

http://www.espnplus.com/pdfs/MACFB110808.pdf

Am I stuck watching it on espn360.com? Odd that Peoria/Bloomington can get it yet the hometown of the Illini can't get it.
There was an article about this in the News-Gazette a few days ago. WCIA looked into carrying the game, but WCIA station manager said it was going to cost too much money to carry. So, yes Champaign-Urbana viewers will be out of luck this Saturday.

Thanks for the info Marty. I found the link on their website:

http://www.illinihq.com/news/football/2008/11/03/tv_options_still_limited

Odd that Peoria/Bloomington can get it yet the hometown of the Illini can't get it.

Yes, they are not even offering it out of St.Louis, either, which covers a lot of the IL side of their viewing area.
This is yet another example of why it's SO nice to have "moved" DBS service to Chicago - you don't have to always be going through missing shows that OUR locals don't seem to want to carry, for such (silly) reasons such as this... :rolleyes:

Yes, they are not even offering it out of St.Louis, either, which covers a lot of the IL side of their viewing area.
This is yet another example of why it's SO nice to have "moved" DBS service to Chicago - you don't have to always be going through missing shows that OUR locals don't seem to want to carry, for such (silly) reasons such as this... :rolleyes:

You are exactly right. Central Illinois locals via ota integrated into the "extra" Chicago locals via satellite = lot more options.

:cool:

You are exactly right. Central Illinois locals via ota integrated into the "extra" Chicago locals via satellite = lot more options.

:cool:

Must have been reading my mind; have HR20's w/antenna - wouldn't go w/out it... :)

Thanks for the info Marty. I found the link on their website:

http://www.illinihq.com/news/football/2008/11
/03/tv_options_still_limited
Thanks for the link. It's interesting how WCIA was moaning about not being able to show U of I games after the Big Ten Network took over. Then when they get a chance to broadcast a U of I football game they say it is too expensive, even though WCIA is the "wealthiest" of the local channels.

You are exactly right. Central Illinois locals via ota integrated into the "extra" Chicago locals via satellite = lot more options.

:cool:

How do you manage to get the Chicago locals? A Chicago mailing address that someone allows you to use??

How do you manage to get the Chicago locals? A Chicago mailing address that someone allows you to use??

You actually need a Chicago PHYSICAL address (a Chicago PO Box will NOT work) on your D* account for the service address, while you keep the billing address on the account where you live now. (ie: get your bills at now) The service address is what governs which locals, as well as which RSN's, you will receive on your account. (it also governs potential blackouts on things like ESPN, etc) But the Chicago TV markets covers a large area up north - it can be out somewhere in the suburbs, which are also part of it.

What's the deal with Channel NBC's lack of HD signal tonight for the election coverage? I noticed it has been an SD signal since the 5:30 national news. I am fairly sure it is a local issue, only.

I assumed it was because they were showing local election returns in a graphics overlay that they couldn't produce in HD. It seems like I remember WAND having the capability (finally) to do a crawl in HD, but I guess the graphics they were using Tuesday were too sophisticated for their HD equipment.

Wouldn't it be nice if not actively degrading network programming was considered to be a minimum baseline level of performance for a network affiliate? First, do no harm.

Odd that Peoria/Bloomington can get it yet the hometown of the Illini can't get it.

Not to mention that Las Vegas and Philadelphia also managed to carry the broadcast.

How do you manage to get the Chicago locals? A Chicago mailing address that someone allows you to use??

You actually need a Chicago PHYSICAL address (a Chicago PO Box will NOT work) on your D* account for the service address, while you keep the billing address on the account where you live now. (ie: get your bills at now) The service address is what governs which locals, as well as which RSN's, you will receive on your account. (it also governs potential blackouts on things like ESPN, etc) But the Chicago TV markets covers a large area up north - it can be out somewhere in the suburbs, which are also part of it.

You also need to know how to install and maintain your system yourself (or know someone who can).

You also need to know how to install and maintain your system yourself (or know someone who can).

Not necessarily - if you are a new sub, you have it installed, THEN change the physical addy AFTER the fact. (which then changes your locals) If you need service work done, you change it back BEFORE you have them come out. I've know a few people do it like this, because they switched their addy back to get upgrades, then after having to suffer with our (lousy) locals, (even in HD!) they decided they wanted their Chicago (or St.Louis) locals BACK.

Not the best way to do it, but it's doable; as long as you are NOT constantly changing your addy - but I would agree, it's better if you self-service your own system... ;) ;)

Not necessarily - if you are a new sub, you have it installed, THEN change the physical addy AFTER the fact. (which then changes your locals) If you need service work done, you change it back BEFORE you have them come out. I've know a few people do it like this, because they switched their addy back to get upgrades, then after having to suffer with our (lousy) locals, (even in HD!) they decided they wanted their Chicago (or St.Louis) locals BACK.

Not the best way to do it, but it's doable; as long as you are NOT constantly changing your addy - but I would agree, it's better if you self-service your own system... ;) ;)

Yeah, I guess you could do it that way. I've been a DIRECTV junkie since it's conception in '94, (remember Pegasus and USSB?) and so far, knock on wood, a DIRECTV representative/contractor has never stepped foot on my property.

Anyone having the same problems with Comcast HD that I am having right now? There are at least five channels that do not have an HD signal, but can be accessed through their SD channel - local channels WCIA & WBUI, and cable channels ESPN, ESPN2, and TNT. I wanted to ask here before I wasted my time calling a Comcast customer service rep.

This must be why my Tivo didn't record the WCIA news or NCIS tonight. The OTA signal from WCIA seems fine. ARGH!!! Fox is working ok though, so must just be those certain channels you mentioned.

Thanks for the confirmation on the problem. It looks like I will be calling Comcast tomorrow to see if I can get a semi-competent person to give me some answers. I also discovered that Channel 945, the MTD HD channel is also a problem.

This must be why my Tivo didn't record the WCIA news or NCIS tonight. The OTA signal from WCIA seems fine. ARGH!!! Fox is working ok though, so must just be those certain channels you mentioned.

Fox is not working ok. Yeah, there might be an HD picture, but there is no 5.1 audio.

Fox is not working ok. Yeah, there might be an HD picture, but there is no 5.1 audio.
This has been an ongoing problem with the local Fox channel for some months now. The missing HD channels finally came back last night in time to watch David Letterman.

Is anyone having trouble with OTA WRSP-55? I'm getting no signal on my Dish ViP 622 box for it, but I'm getting normal singals for all my other OTA channels. I did a soft reset on the box, but nothing changed - still no signal on 55-01.

This has been an ongoing problem with the local Fox channel for some months now. The missing HD channels finally came back last night in time to watch David Letterman.

Yes, and its quite frustrating whenever i change to FOX and have to increase the volume by a lot. Apparently they are awaiting new equipment since January. Whats worse, all correspondence to them that ive sent have received no replies.

Yes, and its quite frustrating whenever i change to FOX and have to increase the volume by a lot. Apparently they are awaiting new equipment since January. Whats worse, all correspondence to them that ive sent have received no replies.

Has anybody called them to get an update on the low volume and lack of 5.1 sound lately? I might give them a call and see what's up with the low volume which is my biggest gripe and then call WAND (nbc) to see if they will get rid of the extra logo they seem they need to have running in the lower right corner, which I'm surprised the plasma TV owners are not upset about.

You'd be better off calling WRSP directly, as they do NOT seem to read their e-mail.
(How DO you think the incorrect HD feed to DirecTV got fixed last month... ;) ;) )

Is WRSP down still?

I bought a new Plasma on Wednesday and I can tune in all the locals OTA except them.
Just want to make sure it's not a problem on my end.

I e-mailed WRSP's General Manager instead of Engineering and got a reply.

He said they are still having trouble with their digital signal and the engineers are working on it. They hope to have it fixed by tonight.

Has anybody called them to get an update on the low volume and lack of 5.1 sound lately? I might give them a call and see what's up with the low volume which is my biggest gripe and then call WAND (nbc) to see if they will get rid of the extra logo they seem they need to have running in the lower right corner, which I'm surprised the plasma TV owners are not upset about.

I've emailed and called WCCU many times with no reply. they havent had 5.1 since they split the WCCU and WRSP signals or something back in January. And of course they offer no explanation. very frustrating.

They have been out for a couple of days now, good thing I have DirecTV local.
I would be upset if Bears game was not on...;)

They have been out for a couple of days now, good thing I have DirecTV local.
I would be upset if Bears game was not on...;)

yeah....no 55-1 WRSP OTA.....:mad:

Question for you D* customers. How does your HD locals show up??? What channels #s??? High numbers???

T

yeah....no 55-1 WRSP OTA.....:mad:

Question for you D* customers. How does your HD locals show up??? What channels #s??? High numbers???

T

From the DIRECTV website...

Available Channels
Network-Affiliate -Local Channel # -HD Channel
CBS WCIA 3 - 3
PBS WILL 12
PBS WSEC 14
NBC WAND 17 - 17
ABC WICS 20 - 20
CW WBUI 23
MNT WCFN 49
PBS WEIU 51
FOX WRSP 55 - 55
TFT TFT 431

----------------------------------------------
http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/packProg/localChannelsFragment.jsp?_requestid=1454128

They have been out for a couple of days now, good thing I have DirecTV local.
I would be upset if Bears game was not on...;)

With 55 out, I watched CBS...Glad I missed the Bears game...ouch.

Did anyone get any info from WRSP as to when they'd have their OTA signal back up? It's still not up as of 10:00 AM Monday morning...

20 years ago, WCIA was probably the "wealthy" station in central Illinois. No more. Want proof, invistigate why it took so long for WCIA to go digital, and even longer to full power. It's owner, NEXTAR, is billions(no exageration) in the hole. Just watch their local news. They're still using analog video tape, straight editing, while the Sinclair station in town is all digital(no tape glitches and smooth editing between scenes-done digitally, not just cut-cut). WCIA is just scraping by locally, just like the other TV stations. The difference is that the WICD ownership is actually making money overall-read about them.

Did anyone get any info from WRSP as to when they'd have their OTA signal back up? It's still not up as of 10:00 AM Monday morning...

I just called and they said that they have been having trouble and that they hope to have it back up in a couple of days.

Want proof, invistigate why it took so long for WCIA to go digital, and even longer to full power.

Us folks over here on the Springpatch side of their viewing area STILL DON'T have a full-power digital signal for their analog version. (WCFN-DT, which is the ONLY way most OTA folks in the Springfield area can pull in CBS-HD) It barely covers Springfield proper, & THAT'S only if you are using some sort of outside antenna in most cases. It's also my understanding that when it moves to it's final digital channel (DT-13) on 2/17, it will NOT be full-power, either... :rolleyes: :(

Peoria-Bloomington HD Locals went live this morning on DIRECTV.

Agreed. The lack of CBS-HD OTA coverage in west-central Illinois is a problem.

However, while the post 2/17 WCFN signal out of Springfield will still be underpowered, it will a VHF signal that should have more effective range than the current UHF signal. Reception in Springfield and surrounding areas should hopefully improve.

Us folks over here on the Springpatch side of their viewing area STILL DON'T have a full-power digital signal for their analog version. (WCFN-DT, which is the ONLY way most OTA folks in the Springfield area can pull in CBS-HD) It barely covers Springfield proper, & THAT'S only if you are using some sort of outside antenna in most cases. It's also my understanding that when it moves to it's final digital channel (DT-13) on 2/17, it will NOT be full-power, either... :rolleyes: :(

I just called and they said that they have been having trouble and that they hope to have it back up in a couple of days.

Three days later, and it's STILL not working. :mad: C'mon WRSP! Fix it!!!!

I really hope they have this figured out by Sunday - I want my Fox NFL game in HD!!

Three days later, and it's STILL not working. :mad: C'mon WRSP! Fix it!!!!

I really hope they have this figured out by Sunday - I want my Fox NFL game in HD!!

Forget Sunday - just imagine if this keeps happening to them AFTER 2/17 & you don't even have ANALOG FOX... :p :rolleyes:

Forget Sunday - just imagine if this keeps happening to them AFTER 2/17 & you don't even have ANALOG FOX... :p :rolleyes:

Uh no, not really. :rolleyes:

I have Dish Network, but I rely on the OTA-HD broadcasts for my HD locals since Dish doesn't carry them for central Illinois. I still have WRSP-SD via the Dish, but it just looks like crap compared to HD. Especially for football, which is all I really care about on Fox.

Of course, the solution is to dump Dish Network for DirecTV, since D* has HD locals here now. I will be doing the day after my contract expires with E* if they still don't have locals in HD here in central Illinois.

Uh no, not really. :rolleyes:
I still have WRSP-SD via the Dish, but it just looks like crap compared to HD.

Uh YEA, really.... :rolleyes:

After 2/17, where do you think DISH is going to be pulling the OTA signal for WRSP from? If WRSP-DT dies, WRSP-SD on DISH WILL be going down for you, since they still will be pulling it OTA from WRSP-DT & downconverting it, just like most of the other stations here.

Now OTOH for DirecTV, it's a different story - their POP for our locals IS located at WRSP studios, so hence the reason why it's still up in HD on DirecTV; the OTA signal is not an issue. BUT, for the rest of the locals here, if say, WICS-DT's OTA goes down, it will ALSO go down on BOTH DBS providers.

Uh YEA, really.... :rolleyes:

After 2/17, where do you think DISH is going to be pulling the OTA signal for WRSP from? If WRSP-DT dies, WRSP-SD on DISH WILL be going down for you, since they still will be pulling it OTA from WRSP-DT & downconverting it, just like most of the other stations here.


I thought that these uplinks were 100% digital now and have been for months? http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-network-forum/136902-dish-converting-digital-locals-feeds.html

Though I see you've commented there as well. Interesting points.

But really, this has nothing to do with D* or E*. Yes, I understand what you're saying about how D* vs E* grabs & uplinks the signal. And yes, all sorts of things could happen in the future. But this is WRSP's problem. Bully for you if you don't need to rely on that OTA signal for your WRSP-HD viewing. But I do, and I'm sure I'm not the only one in the area that's ticked off that their OTA HD signal has been down for over a week now.

I thought that these uplinks were 100% digital now and have been for months?

Well eventually they ALL will be; I'm don't remember the time frame for DISH to get our DMA up on the digital feeds - but obviously, it'll sure have to be BEFORE 2/17... ;)

But this is WRSP's problem.

Where did I say it was NOT their problem - of COURSE it's WRSP's problem... :confused:

Bully for you if you don't need to rely on that OTA signal for your WRSP-HD viewing. But I do, and I'm sure I'm not the only one in the area that's ticked off that their OTA HD (digital) signal has been down for over a week now.

Actually, I DO rely on them for WRSP-HD, since I do NOT get it via the dish - but I do have my FOX-HD backup from Chicago. :D ;) And trust me - I HAVE heard about this, particularly last month when their HD feed to DirecTV was NOT in HD! (as if I had direct control of it... :rolleyes: )

Look dude, chill out & don't shoot the messenger - ALL I was saying (& in essence, totally AGREEING with you) is that WRSP-DT needs to get it's $hit together & get it's HD signal back on the air. Obviously they are having problems with the DT transmitter, since this is NOT the first time this has happened & if these problems KEEP happening AFTER 2/17, then it WILL start affecting ALL viewers - DBS, Cable & OTA - SD & HD!

And, it IS only TV... :p

I believe we've just had a bit of a failure of communication here. I apologize if I came of sounding like I was pissed at you, dishrich. I'm certainly not. Just another case of mistaken 'tone' in posts here, I think.

I've often thought of 'moving' to Chicago myself. Cool to hear that you took the plunge and did it. :cool: I'd much prefer to get HD locals out of Chicago and quit having to deal with our podunk station/DMA setup that we have around here.

Indeed, it is only TV. :)

I believe we've just had a bit of a failure of communication here. I apologize if I came of sounding like I was pissed at you, dishrich. I'm certainly not. Just another case of mistaken 'tone' in posts here, I think.

No prob, I've been known every now & then to get "passionate" over something like this... :cool:

I've often thought of 'moving' to Chicago myself. Cool to hear that you took the plunge and did it. :cool: I'd much prefer to get HD locals out of Chicago and quit having to deal with our podunk station/DMA setup that we have around here.

Indeed, I've had them like this since 2004 - I can't even begin to imagine having to settle ONLY for our "real" locals. Not to mention, you get 3 PBS's & 2 local independents & you get lots of prog not even available in our DMA. And with having also having all our locals via an antenna & the OTA tuners in my HR20's, I'm actually NOT missing a thing. ;)

The bad part is, it WILL spoil you - I had a couple clients recently who had D* upgrade them to HD, so they could get it all FREE. Bad part is, they obviously had to "move" back to Springfield - after having our locals back (even in HD) after only a couple days, they both really miss the Chicago locals & are thinking of moving back.

All it takes is a 5-minute phone call & they can be yours as well... ;) ;)

WRSP 55 signal is back up finally

WRSP 55 signal is back up finally

Indeed it is. :)

If there's someone at WRSP who is reading this forum and was responsible for fixing this - thank you!!!

I just got my D* locals enabled. CBS, NBC all seem to be passing HD except the 2 PBS channels. ( I know when my antenna/preamp setup was working that I had no problems with an HD from PBS). Anyone know status on this???

Thanks

Because D* has NOT enabled most, if any, of the local PBS's in HD, including ALL of ours; you'll have to get them from OTA if you want them now... (nor is the CW (23) in HD, either)

It's been rumored for quite awhile that the PBS-HD's will be added in December.

We'll see.

Hi everyone, I'm a new voice in town, I live in Danville. I was hoping to go completely OTA and my one must have is WILL digital. I installed an Antennas Direct Clearstream 4 and the only thing I get is a very dim analog signal. Oh well, I'll just have to keep putting up with Comcast.

Hi everyone, I'm a new voice in town, I live in Danville. I was hoping to go completely OTA and my one must have is WILL digital. I installed an Antennas Direct Clearstream 4 and the only thing I get is a very dim analog signal. Oh well, I'll just have to keep putting up with Comcast.

I live in Danville and pick up WILL with no problem.
You need a large antenna set up high.

Mine is a RS VR-210 mounted on a pole 15' above my house.

It's possible, you just need to determine how bad you want it.

I just got my D* locals enabled. CBS, NBC all seem to be passing HD except the 2 PBS channels. ( I know when my antenna/preamp setup was working that I had no problems with an HD from PBS). Anyone know status on this???

Thanks

Because D* has NOT enabled most, if any, of the local PBS's in HD, including ALL of ours; you'll have to get them from OTA if you want them now... (nor is the CW (23) in HD, either)

It's been rumored for quite awhile that the PBS-HD's will be added in December.

We'll see.

As I stated earlier, there were quite a few PBS-HD channels added to DIRECTV locals this week, including WTTW Chicago.
Hopefully more to follow.

As I stated earlier, there were quite a few PBS-HD channels added to DIRECTV locals this week, including WTTW Chicago.
Hopefully more to follow.

But as of today, NONE of the 3 in the C/D/S DMA still have been added in HD.
For myself, yes I am glad WTTW is FINALLY up in HD (sure took long enough!!!) & since I get WILL & WSEC in HD OTA, I'm all set. (PBS-HD wise anyway...)

But as of today, NONE of the 3 in the C/D/S DMA still have been added in HD.
For myself, yes I am glad WTTW is FINALLY up in HD (sure took long enough!!!) & since I get WILL & WSEC in HD OTA, I'm all set. (PBS-HD wise anyway...)

Thus the "Hopefully, more to follow."

;)

Hi I live in urbana and I just bought an indoor antenna today, a bad one at that. I'm able to get cbs, abc, and fox in hd. I tried forever but failed to get nbc and wb. On my last attempt, I somehow picked up 3 PBS stations, 12.1, 12.2, and 12.3. 2 of them are in HD and the last is digital but the quality is very close to HD.

Hi everyone, I'm a new voice in town, I live in Danville. I was hoping to go completely OTA and my one must have is WILL digital. I installed an Antennas Direct Clearstream 4 and the only thing I get is a very dim analog signal. Oh well, I'll just have to keep putting up with Comcast.

Hi I live in urbana and I just bought an indoor antenna today, a bad one at that. I'm able to get cbs, abc, and fox in hd. I tried forever but failed to get nbc and wb. On my last attempt, I somehow picked up 3 PBS stations, 12.1, 12.2, and 12.3. 2 of them are in HD and the last is digital but the quality is very close to HD.

Are you sure 2 of them were in HD? 12.1 is the National PBS HD channel and is the only one of the three broadcasting HD to the best of my knowledge.

In fact, from the WILL-TV website...
What is multicasting?
In addition to transmitting in HDTV, WILL can transmit additional channels of standard definition television (SDTV) programming simultaneously. This is called multicasting. WILL’s digital service includes two standard definition channels and one HDTV channel.

What does WILL-DT broadcast?

* WILL HD 12.1: High-definition PBS programming 24 hours a day -- Nature, Antiques Roadshow, Great Performances, NOVA and more. WILL-DT schedule.
* WILL 12.2: The outstanding programming you’ve enjoyed for decades. A standard definition channel duplicating WILL’s analog programming.
* WILL Create/World: Create airs from 6 am to 6 pm and offers cooking, arts and crafts, gardening, home improvement and travel programs. World airs from 6 pm to 6 am, and features PBS documentary, public affairs and news programs.

I thought 2 were hd and one sd, but I lost pretty much all my channels today.

It looks like Fox 55 is off the air again.

Does anyone know what has happened to WAND's HD broadcasts. For the last two days they have only been broadcasting in SD. It was very irritating to have to watch my favorite Thursday night shows in SD.

WAND seems to have fixed their HD feed. I noticed that during 30 Rock, about halfway through I saw a brief flip of HD immediately after a commercial break then it went back to SD with no sound. Weird...

Strangely, their analog channel is messed up for me on Comcast now. Though this might be a problem with my capture card, not the channel itself.

WAND seems to have fixed their HD feed. I noticed that during 30 Rock, about halfway through I saw a brief flip of HD immediately after a commercial break then it went back to SD with no sound. Weird...
I had DVR'ed 30 Rock and noticed that about the broadcast as well. I finally just deleted the show. Did the sound ever return for the show?

Does anyone know what has happened to WAND's HD broadcasts. For the last two days they have only been broadcasting in SD. It was very irritating to have to watch my favorite Thursday night shows in SD.

I just sat down to watch the Thursday lineup and Earl was in HD for 5 minutes and they did not turn it back on until after ER was over. I have seen other complaints about them and they do not respond to e-mails. Maybe calling would help but after the fact it really doesn't matter. It is fairly annoying.....:(

Has anyone noticed that WAND's weather channel 17.2 has been off the air for the past few days? Of course we used to call it the doppler channel here at home, that is until they started cramming crap other than the doppler in there, to the point we only see 16 minutes of doppler an hour now.

No WRSP here in Springfield all day.

Indeed, 55.1 has been off the air for a couple of days now.....

For all of you Comcast customers I noticed that they have added Fox News, FX, and Speed to our HD lineup. This was an unannounced pleasant surprise.

I haven't seen ota fox 55.1 for several days now anyone know whats going on? the analog station is still up so im guess there transmitter or something is down or broke?

I just sent an e-mail to WRSP's engineers to see if they can enlighten us as to what's going on. Though I am in WCCU's Grade 1 contours, I've never been able to lock on their signal from west Champaign.


I haven't seen ota fox 55.1 for several days now anyone know whats going on? the analog station is still up so im guess there transmitter or something is down or broke?

For all of you Comcast customers I noticed that they have added Fox News, FX, and Speed to our HD lineup. This was an unannounced pleasant surprise.
Which package do you have to sign up for to get those? I noticed they're on my channel list but no signal comes through. I also do not get a signal on the MLB Network on 516 that was added today.

I just sent an e-mail to WRSP's engineers to see if they can enlighten us as to what's going on. Though I am in WCCU's Grade 1 contours, I've never been able to lock on their signal from west Champaign.

looking forward to what they have to say hopefully the channel will be back up,

i also read awhile back there is supposed to be a new subchannel on wrsp or wbui called (retro television network) RTN after the shut off date, is that still planned? Im not sure if they decided what station gets it but if wbui gets it hopefully they replace the sd channel bc no reason to have 23.1 and 23.2 broadcast the same exact thing unless they showing a 4:3 program in a 16:9 channel then its useful for hdtv's if u want to stretch the pic full screen but looks awful stretched anyway so i hope they nuke the sd channel, Currently on my sdtv i only watch 23.1 erase 23.2 bc i like watching letterboxed programs so its in the normal ratio not cut off and when its 4:3 content on the channel i zoom, Even on my hdtv that i had before i took it back i would just watch it pillerboxed on the 16:9 station if they was showing a 4:3 program,

*edit* 55.1 is back again finally lol

WCIA HD OTA fall off the air or reduce power? I cannot pick up a signal above about 65 at any compass heading...

Has anyone with comcast in the CU been dealing with WAND tiling all weekend? I pulling it at 17.1 on my QAM.


heavyharmonies: I am getting WCIA on comcast at 90.4. It was coming in at 3.1 but that quit working a couple days ago.

Has anyone with comcast in the CU been dealing with WAND tiling all weekend? I pulling it at 17.1 on my QAM.

I didn't notice that, but I DID notice their weather subchannel (17.2) gone yesterday, but the main channel's still there. (did this at my house & at someone's with a CEB)

Has anyone with comcast in the CU been dealing with WAND tiling all weekend? I pulling it at 17.1 on my QAM.


heavyharmonies: I am getting WCIA on comcast at 90.4. It was coming in at 3.1 but that quit working a couple days ago.

It's got to be WAND's digital signal. Not only is it pixelating on my 17.1 ota, but also on the signal they provide to Directv, which is also pixelating. None of the other locals were doing this. They must be still working out the bugs on the upgrade they did a few weeks back.

I am glad to see I am not the only one to be having probs with
wand 17.1 OTA recently. I have not had any reception probs with them for quite a long time now and attributed the signal loss to the ice and bad weather. I still receive them, but not problem free as I have until the last 2 days or so. Luckily, the shows are all reruns for the next few weeks so maybe by the time they come back the problem will be resolved.....:)

I have comcast digital direct into the QAM equipped TV with no cable box hooked up I was getting WCIA HD previously on 90.1 or 90.2 then it moved to 3.1 and now it is gone. Tried a rescan with no luck. Had the Comcast brain trust moved this once again or is there some other problem?

I have comcast digital direct into the QAM equipped TV with no cable box hooked up I was getting WCIA HD previously on 90.1 or 90.2 then it moved to 3.1 and now it is gone. Tried a rescan with no luck. Had the Comcast brain trust moved this once again or is there some other problem?

I've experienced the same things dalevelk. I think it's Comcast screwing with us. Would be nice if they would finalize the lineup so I don't have to do channel scans all the time. Currently, as in the past as well, I get WCIA at 90.4. Like you said, I was getting it at 3.1 which is much more convenient since it fits in with the rest of the channels. Maybe they are prepping for a February switch?? Guess we'll have to wait and see...

HI
i live in south west champaign and have had a digital tv with 1080p for over a year now
while i get everything in digital (wcia, will (all 3 channels), wicd, wand, and wbui)i have never been able to get wccu in digital, and even the analog signal is bad for me
any sugestions on how to fix this

thanks

HI
i live in south west champaign and have had a digital tv with 1080p for over a year now
while i get everything in digital (wcia, will (all 3 channels), wicd, wand, and wbui)i have never been able to get wccu in digital, and even the analog signal is bad for me
any sugestions on how to fix this

thanks

It would be helpful if people knew what type of antenna you're using and how high the antenna is above the ground. Is it in the attic or outside? Also are you using a rotor to move the antenna or is it in a fixed position/location?

Hi all. I've got a digital tuner with QAM hooked up to comcast basic cable and I'm getting a bunch of digital channels. Is there a guide somewhere for all these channels?

Sorry if this is a FAQ, but I'm having no luck with google and the lineups I find at comcast sites don't bear any resemblance to what I'm seeing (E.g. they show NBA TV as 514 when I'm seeing it at 78-4).

Thanks in advance.

Von

It would be helpful if people knew what type of antenna you're using and how high the antenna is above the ground. Is it in the attic or outside? Also are you using a rotor to move the antenna or is it in a fixed position/location?
sorry
my antenna is a Philips mant 310 and is situated inside my house about 7 feet off the ground
also my tv is a Sony KDS-60A2020

thanks

HI
i live in south west champaign and have had a digital tv with 1080p for over a year now
while i get everything in digital (wcia, will (all 3 channels), wicd, wand, and wbui)i have never been able to get wccu in digital, and even the analog signal is bad for me
any sugestions on how to fix this

thanks

Just as a data point, I'm also in SW Champaign and have never seen a digital signal from WCCU either with my attic antenna. With some work adjusting the antenna I have been able to pull in WSRP at times.

Von

sorry
my antenna is a Philips mant 310 and is situated inside my house about 7 feet off the ground
also my tv is a Sony KDS-60A2020

thanks

I would think the problem is that your antenna needs to be higher up with more gain. There may be too many obstacles in height between you and the WCCU transmitter to the NE. WCIA and WILL are on your side of town and nearby. WAND and WBUI are on the highest ground outside by several miles from Decatur on your side as well with no really large obstructions. That small indoor antenna also doesn't have much gain. Indoor antenna like yours rely on signal bounce which is always a dicey proposition. You may need an outside antenna at a decent height with higher gain to capture the WCCU signal.

sorry
my antenna is a Philips mant 310 and is situated inside my house about 7 feet off the ground
also my tv is a Sony KDS-60A2020


I'm also in SW Champaign, and WCCU was very flaky with my antenna on the first floor. Most of the time it would just be noise.

When I moved it to the attic we were able to position it with some trial and error to get all of the channels including WCCU. I have something like a DB2 (http://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-DB2-Directional-Antenna/dp/B000EHUE7I) along with a pair of rabbit ears, and on most days all of the channels are chop-free. It is pointed roughly west-southwest.

Does anyone have any problems with Fox 55 or ABC 20 OTA recently? I never have problems receiving either of them unless the stations themselves are having problems but tonight they are both under 20% strength on my beloved TIVO. All the rest are at 85% or higher WCIA, WAND, WYZZ, WBIU, WMBD, and PBS are all good. Does anyone know why they are fine 95% of the time, even in foul weather, and once in a while certain ones just won't come in. Maybe solar activity? Any info will be much appreciated.:)

Hi all. I've got a digital tuner with QAM hooked up to comcast basic cable and I'm getting a bunch of digital channels. Is there a guide somewhere for all these channels?


I mapped out what I see, here it is in case it helps anyone else:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfs6d74_113cq3fgvgw

I've emailed and called WCCU many times with no reply. they havent had 5.1 since they split the WCCU and WRSP signals or something back in January. And of course they offer no explanation. very frustrating.

Just curious if anyone has heard of an update regarding the low volume issue on WCCU/Fox 55? I found the post from 18 Jan 08 from a "Gocom" engineer about 5.1 audio on the HD feed, but I could not find any updates about the volume level issue.

It's really annoying, so much so it makes watching Fox nearly pointless around the CU area.

Thx.

Can anyone share successful setups in Champaign that are receiving 55-1?

I have a DishNetwork PVR and I can't get guide data for 27-1 because you only get guide data for OTA channels that they carry the analog station for, and since they only carry 55, no data shows up for 27 :| I live in South-Southwest Champaign near the Champaign country club. I have a Radio Shack VU-90XR about 20 feet off of the ground on a roofline, plugged directly into my receiver. I have tried different antenna orientations, but when I have it adjusted to the point that I can get marginal reception for 55-1, then I seem to get multi-path issues with 17-1.

Any advice would be appreciated... Thanks.

Hi, I've been enjoying the information in this thread and you seem like very knowledgeable people. I haven't had a TV since I moved out of my parents' house as a teen. That was a long time ago (not going to say how long...heh). I just got a TV and plan to get an antenna. I don't know much about this kind of thing, save what I read while lurking this thread for a while. I know that:

*I live on a second-story loft in downtown Champaign
*Being on the second floor is good, being by a bunch of taller buildings is bad
*A small antenna that fits in my small apartment is all I can use, nothing rooftop
*This probably means I am getting a multidirectional antenna (right?)
*Multidirectional, small antennae pick up yellow-coded stations from AntennaWeb
*This means I'll only get three stations

Is it likely I will get more than three stations with the junky antenna I will be able to afford? I am capable of welding, wiring, assembling breadboards and other such nonsense; are there any DIY methods that could help this situation?

Thanks ^_^ And I'm sorry if this has already been answered; berate/ignore me as desired.

Hi, I've been enjoying the information in this thread and you seem like very knowledgeable people. I haven't had a TV since I moved out of my parents' house as a teen. That was a long time ago (not going to say how long...heh). I just got a TV and plan to get an antenna. I don't know much about this kind of thing, save what I read while lurking this thread for a while. I know that:

*I live on a second-story loft in downtown Champaign
*Being on the second floor is good, being by a bunch of taller buildings is bad
*A small antenna that fits in my small apartment is all I can use, nothing rooftop
*This probably means I am getting a multidirectional antenna (right?)
*Multidirectional, small antennae pick up yellow-coded stations from AntennaWeb
*This means I'll only get three stations

Is it likely I will get more than three stations with the junky antenna I will be able to afford? I am capable of welding, wiring, assembling breadboards and other such nonsense; are there any DIY methods that could help this situation?

Thanks ^_^ And I'm sorry if this has already been answered; berate/ignore me as desired.

You might want to check out tvfool.com, where you can plug in your exact address and it will tell you the direction the various channels are coming from. You can get a better idea for whether or not there's any buildings in between you and the transmitters your interested in. One of the problems in Champaign is that most of the stations come from the west, but FOX and ABC come from the east. I used to live in an apartment at 5th and university, and I was in the west side of the building. I couldn't get WCCU (FOX) from anywhere in that apartment, but I was able to pick up the FOX affiliate from Bloomington with a DB4 antenna on my balcony. Of course your success will depend on the quality of the tuner, as well--some do a better job of picking up weaker stations than others.

I am reposting to this thread so I can continue to track it. For some reason I couldn't log in under my old user name, so I created a new one. But now have to start back as a New Member.

Has anyone heard any rumors or know any details when AT&T is expected to roll out U-Verse in the CU?

I read in the News-Gazette several months ago that AT&T was starting to install the neighborhood boxes in Champaign. Last fall there were a couple of AT&T trucks in my neighborhood putting in some kind of big box. I took a look at it but there were no markings on it to say what it was. However, with the current economic meltdown, I don't know if any big corporation has a lot of cash to invest in capital improvements.

I guess many of the early bugs have been worked out of U-Verse, but I wish AT&T would just abandon the concept a send fiber directly to homes. If they'd just lay it on the ground for me, I'd be willing to rent a trencher and bury it for them. Verizon is big into direct fiber in a lot of markets, but I don't think they're doing anything in CU.


Has anyone heard any rumors or know any details when AT&T is expected to roll out U-Verse in the CU?

Question for those that may know. Currently we live in SW Urbana (near Florida and Vine) in a neighborhood with a lot of tall trees. Our DirecTV box can pick up 3, 15, and sometimes 17 but our newer HDTV can get in just about everything with the same Radio Shack antenna (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103087) on the roof with a 10ft mast. I also have an indoor antenna for the TV tuner on my laptop which picks up 3 and 15 well but nothing yes with any reliability.

We are moving to St. Joe...over by the new elementary/middle school. What kind of change should I see in reception? I believe the FOX transmitter will be closer. Should I be able to get away with pointing the antenna WSW and still be able to pick everything up? There is what looks like a pretty fair size clearing for the signal between trees that would block the signal from straight South and WNW (although this clearing also contains a power pole/transformer.) The street is on the north side of the street and there is one tree to the ENE side.

Also...if I had all the necessary components, does anyone know what Good Vibes charges to put up an antenna? I was considering hiring them to run speaker wire through our basement walls for the home theater and if I can kill two birds with one stone....