Champaign, IL - HDTV [Text View] - Page 7

snodgrass

05-06-05, 12:41 PM

I just got my HD setup going, and thought I would post the results so that those who are wiser in these matters can tell me if I'm missing anything. I am in east Urbana (just west of high cross rd.) I put the RadioShack UHF only directional in the attic (1-story) pointing west. I have it connected to the $60 Channel Master preamp from Lowes. This feeds an ATI HDTV Wonder in the HTPC which is driving a Toshiba 46H84. Right now the antenna is not aimed at all, just wedged against a rafter so that it points generally west with a slight elevation. A quick autotune gave the following:

WICD 85% 41-1
WAND 82% 18-1
WAND Weather 81% 18-2
WBUI 66% 22-1
WCCU 64% 26-1
WCIA 57% 48-1

I can't find WCFN on 48-2, any thoughts? Is there anything else I should shoot for? Right now I guess I should just leave well enough alone, but I do need to get back up there and mount the antenna permanently. For reference, the small indoor directional that came with the tuner was at 91% for WICD, 88% for WCCU, and 66% for WAND, but each of these required some pointing. Nothing else was detected with the original antenna.

chrish217

05-12-05, 02:12 AM

I live on the SW side of Spfld, have a larger(older) rooftop antenna that looks similar to a Channel Master 3016. I pick up NBC(channel 20-1), ABC(channel 17-1 and 17-2) and FOX(channel 55-1 and 55-2) just fine (60-80 range on the meter) but I cannot pick up WCFN(channel 49.1 and 49.2) at all(signal strength about 4).

I am pointed northeast and have tried everything from NNE to SSE with no luck.

Any ideas?

chrish217

05-13-05, 09:06 AM

bump

and another question:

Has anyone been having problems with NBC channel 20(WICS) since Wed night's storm?

My picture is pixelating and signal strength meter is jumping from 10 to 80!

I wonder if my antenna is damaged or are they having signal problems?

ktFOX55/27

05-13-05, 10:20 AM

I'd check your antenna chrish217, even before the storm your signal level seemed a bit low for FOX and NBC. Make sure that your check the condition of your coax cable leads from the antenna and the connections as well, just a drop of moisture inside the connector will make a great antenna perform like a bent paper clip.

jdmcdonald

05-13-05, 10:34 AM

It's now mid-May and WILL-DT is still missing. Has anybody contacted
them recently?

Doug McDonald

chrish217

05-13-05, 10:37 AM

Originally posted by ktFOX55/27
I'd check your antenna chrish217, even before the storm your signal level seemed a bit low for FOX and NBC. Make sure that your check the condition of your coax cable leads from the antenna and the connections as well, just a drop of moisture inside the connector will make a great antenna perform like a bent paper clip.

Thanks! You're probably right, I probably knocked something loose when I was trying to adjust it to get a better signal.

(And I think I might have broke it while trying to rotate it, but it seemed to work fine for a few day!)

thumperxr69

05-13-05, 10:21 PM

Chris - I am 15 miles north of springfield and I get 49-1 and 49-2 just fine. Using a CM 4221 w/ a 7777 CM preamp and since I have set up in November of last year 49-1 and 49-2 have not waivered at all. Signal strength seems to be at about 50% but really who cares as long as there are no dropouts or pixilation.

T

chrish217

05-16-05, 09:07 AM

I put up a new rooftop antenna this weekend. I found out my biggest problem is a huge evergreen in my backyard. I was able to find a spot where I can get 49-1 and 49-2. I lost 23-1 in the process, but oh well.

I may have to try a signal amp.

bdfox18doe

05-16-05, 09:27 AM

Have you tried a chainsaw?? :>)

gels

05-16-05, 12:20 PM

Too Funny Bob.

When I was thinking of putting a Toshiba 55inch in my upstairs room someone suggested a chain saw to take down the wooden open stair rail system. In the end I got a Samsung DLP - much lighter and smaller foot print:)

Love it when you guys see the funny side of things.

Cheers,

Geoffrey

bdfox18doe

05-16-05, 12:47 PM

hey, ya have to, otherwise insanity is inevitable!

chrish217

05-16-05, 01:27 PM

Originally posted by bdfox18doe
Have you tried a chainsaw?? :>)

LOL

I told the wife I have 3 choices:

1. buy a signal amp

2. move antenna to a different location

3. chainsaw!

dgreen

05-21-05, 09:32 PM

Had my first opportunity to try to catch an NBC HD program in some time this afternoon with the horse race. Not too good in here in Central IL.

WCIA, 20-1, Springfield was the only HD but it came in 30min late.

WICD, 15-1, Champaign - only SD. I noticed it went HD at 7p for the prime-time programs tonight so someone must have forgot.

WEEK, 25-1 or 25-2, Peoria - just black screen/no picture or sound. No HD or SD upconvert.

gators96

05-22-05, 02:48 AM

heavyharmonies

05-25-05, 07:53 PM

WCIA is about as useful as tits on a bull...

chrish217

05-26-05, 09:11 AM

sebenste

05-26-05, 04:47 PM

WILL-DT's encoding equipment is scheduled to arrive by June 9, according to their
website (look at the update on their DTV default page, with the engineer
interview). So I assume they'll be on shortly after that; the transmitter is
ready to go.

thumperxr69

05-26-05, 11:13 PM

I currently have insight cable and the only network I get in HD is FOX. Does anyone know if insight is trying to work out a deal to get ABC or NBC. From what I understand WCIA CBS doesnt even broadcast an HD signal. Thanks for any information.

I am not sure where you are at Gators but...try and go OTA. Don't wait for the Cable Co. I am just north of Sprigfield and have a 4 bay in my attic and I get *all* the local Digitals. (OK I even get CBS in HD through D* whooohoo)

T

gators96

05-26-05, 11:35 PM

Thumper,
I am in Champaign. The only reason I haven't tried OTA is because I already get FOX, the local CBS isn't even HD and I don't really care about PBS too much and I didn't know if I wanted to invest the money it would cost me just for ABC and NBC. My TV doesn't have an HD Tuner so I would have to buy one. Do you know of any good ones and how much they cost. I might consider giving it a try if it doesn't cost too much. The thing that sucks is CBS is really the station I want because I watch alot of their shows and they also have the NFL and SEC Football as well as the NCAA Tournament. I don't know what their problem is. I have tried to email them but I never get a response. Thanks for your help. Also, would I even be able to get a good signal from the ABC station here in Champaign. Isn't the station located in Decatur or Springfield.

Vitale'sFakeEye

05-27-05, 10:21 AM

WILL-DT

Here is an email I received from Rick Finnie, Chief engineer at WILL

The delivery date of our encoding equipment puts the sign on date in
late July to early August.

jmonsour

06-06-05, 09:47 PM

Has anyone noticed any problems with the signal for 22.2 WBUI-SD? I usually can peg it on my indoor amplified antenna from Mahomet at 80 or 90 but it hasn't been up since Saturday. I recently emailed WEIU and the engineer told me they need to build their generator house for the transmitter outside Humboldt and likely won't be on air until September or October so it would sound like WILL will win the PBS contest.

Chilli_Dog

06-06-05, 11:44 PM

No problems with WBUI here. WICS seems to be out, though. Not getting any audio or video right now (or this morning, if I remember correctly).

chrish217

06-07-05, 08:56 AM

WICS was out for me last night also.

thumperxr69

06-18-05, 02:33 AM

The listing on D* for 14-1 and 14-2 seems to be backwards. Has this been discussed here before??? If it has I don't recall. I just setup a HD-TiVo and started receiving Digital stations. Would it help to notify D*.

Thanks
T

Chilli_Dog

06-18-05, 09:13 AM

They've been backwards since day 1. I've tried calling D* about it, and that was nothing but an exercise in frustration. I think the channel listings are provided by a third party (although I don't remember their name). It would probably be best to contact them directly to get it resolved.

jmonsour

06-27-05, 08:51 AM

I saw a teaser for the morning show that the GM had an announcement for today regarding HD broadcasting. I didn't see the segment and wondered if anyone had some news on what was said?

mraub

06-27-05, 12:05 PM

Last year Nexstar (who owns WCIA) hired a consultant to plan their phase in of HD, so perhaps WCIA has learned where they are on the list. In looking at a list of cities where Nexstar owns stations, it would seem CU would be a good place to start the phase in--lots of technology savvy people and probably a greater than the national average ownership of HD capable receivers.

I'm not going to be able to see any TV today, so anyone who can have a set on, please let the list know what is going on.

MIKE

I saw a teaser for the morning show that the GM had an announcement for today regarding HD broadcasting. I didn't see the segment and wondered if anyone had some news on what was said?

jdcolombo

07-06-05, 06:11 PM

E-mail from Russ Hamilton in response to my inquiry regarding WCIA's HDTV plans (I'll give him credit for responding VERY quickly to my question):

"John I have been informed by our corporation that we will start the
build out of the tower this fall (October). I am not an engineer so I
cannot tell you how long it will take to build out the transmitter but I
can tell you it will cost upwards of $800,000."

I'm not exactly sure what Russ's response means - perhaps Doug or someone else with engineering expertise can interpret.

John C.

jdmcdonald

07-07-05, 01:11 PM

jdcolombo

07-07-05, 05:59 PM

As to WCIA: if they are talking "transmitter" and "tower" they are probably
talking about going full power, not going HDTV. The only tower issue with
HDTV is installing the microwave studio transmitter link dish.

They probably are not intending to go to HD at all.

Doug McDonald

Yeah, the answer seemed strange to me, too. But perhaps the corporate thinking is that once they go to full power in both Champaign and Springfield, they won't need to simulcast the UPN station from the Champaign transmitter and vice-versa. That would presumably give them the bandwidth to do HDTV on both the UPN and CBS end.

But as protection for the short term, I'm installing Star Choice from Canada. I had BEV, but cancelled it because I was getting the national HD feeds via DirecTV by "moving" my service address to Chicago. Now that DirecTV is going to uplink local HD via Ka band on its new sats, I'm not sure that I'll be able to continue to receive those feeds (more accurately, I'm sure that I won't be able to continue to receive the national HD feeds once D* starts uplinking the Chicago HD channels; what I'm not sure of is whether the Ka band spot beam for Chicago will reach down here to Champaign after the switchover, allowing me to get the Chicago HD channels with my Chicago service address).

All this is very depressing. My home town of Herrin, IL, which is in the Paducah TV DMA, and located in one of the poorest sections of the entire state, has all the networks in HD. Champaign IL, home of one of the premier and highest-tech Universities in the country, still can't get either PBS or CBS in HD.

Oh well. Thank God for Canada!

John C.

rrrick8

07-09-05, 12:32 PM

I was getting the national HD feeds via DirecTV by "moving" my service address to Chicago. Now that DirecTV is going to uplink local HD via Ka band on its new sats, I'm not sure that I'll be able to continue to receive those feeds.

I'm too, hoping that I don't lose my Chi-town locals here in Danville when they convert. With all the HD offerings in the Chicago market it would be sweet to still be able to get them.

heavyharmonies

07-10-05, 01:14 PM

mraub

07-11-05, 12:47 PM

I just sent this to WCIA's engineering e-mail address:

There's been some discussion on avsforum.com about WCIA's upcoming plans to modernize their transmitter facilities. What everyone is interested in is whether this upgrade will include the ability to pass along CBS' HD programming in 1080i HD.

Can you clarify this for us?

The Station Manager's e-mail address wasn't on their website, but if anyone has it they might ask this of him as well.

I'll post any response I get.

mraub

07-11-05, 03:30 PM

heavyharmonies

07-11-05, 03:52 PM

2007??

Two [CENSORED] years????

Nothing to change my mind here. WCIA sucks pachyderm genitalia.

-Dan

bdfox18doe

07-11-05, 03:59 PM

Awww, c'mon Dan..tell us how you really feel...

heavyharmonies

07-11-05, 05:21 PM

Yep, that's me... "Mr. Subtle." ;)

-Dan

jdcolombo

07-12-05, 08:45 AM

Here's the reply from WCIA:

Nexstar plans for WCIA are currently slated for '07. At that time the plans are to upgrade to full power and broadcast in HD for WCIA (specifically pass-through of CBS 1080i). As far as I know the SD feed of WCFN will continue.

Darren Martin
Chief Engineer
WCIA-TV

If Directv's spot beams from Chicago HD are receivable in Champaign, I may go with them and a Chicago area service address. I still get WCBS-DT on a waiver, but DISH's HD equipment and my primary receiver aren't getting along very well.

There's something weird about this. Russ Hamilton (the station manager) indicated in his e-mail that the tower/transmitter work was beginning in October (of this year!). The chief engineer says that WCIA isn't scheduled to go to full power until 2007. Somebody doesn't have the right info.

Also, I thought that FCC rules mandated all DTV stations in the top 100 DMA's to be at full power long before 2007. I thought that the original date was July 1, but that the FCC had given most stations a 6-month extension. If that's correct, the October timing seems right, because even if construction isn't finished by the end of the six-month extension, WCIA could claim "good faith" in meeting the full-power deadline. If they haven't even started on this project by then, it seems they would have some problems with the FCC (my understanding is that if the station doesn't meet its full power obligations, then its license reverts to a maximum power that is equal to what it currently is broadcasting; that then allows other stations to up their power to "take over" the lost service area. I can't imagine that any station would take the risk of losing a large chunk of their DMA by not even starting the full-power buildout on time).

Meanwhile, I'll keep an eye on D*. It looks like their plan to uplink local HD is going to be delayed a bit because of the delay in launching Spaceway 2. But if we could get Chicago locals down here, it would be great: they have WB in HD (WGN, which also does several Cubs and Bulls games in HD); UPN (I got hooked on Veronica Mars last season; it would be great in HD); and I suspect that the package will include Comcast SportsNet HD (more Cubs, Sox and Bulls, and probably hockey, if anyone still cares).
But no one seems to know how far the Ka spot beams will reach, so whether this will be an option remains to be seen.

Star Choice or Bell ExpressVu from Canada ARE viable options, however, if you're willing to spend the bucks on equipment and then endure another $40/mth programming fee.

John C.

thumperxr69

07-12-05, 09:52 PM

jdcolombo

07-12-05, 10:41 PM

Not trying to be an ass but was I just lucky to get a waiver through WCIA and I get CBS on D*??? Can't pretty much everyone in our DMA qualify for D* or E* if you are on Satellite???

All I can say is I feel lucky...CSI, Cold Case in HD wooohooooo

:p

T

I've heard of a few folks getting waivers from WCIA by making a personal visit to the station; my waiver request through D* was denied. But it is a good point: you may be able to get a waiver for CBS-HD from WCIA directly. Perhaps I should ask how many folks have been successful on the waiver front?

John C.

mdamberger

07-13-05, 05:25 AM

There's something weird about this. Russ Hamilton (the station manager) indicated in his e-mail that the tower/transmitter work was beginning in October (of this year!). The chief engineer says that WCIA isn't scheduled to go to full power until 2007. Somebody doesn't have the right info.

Also, I thought that FCC rules mandated all DTV stations in the top 100 DMA's to be at full power long before 2007. I thought that the original date was July 1, but that the FCC had given most stations a 6-month extension. If that's correct, the October timing seems right, because even if construction isn't finished by the end of the six-month extension.
John C.

There is a satellite provision in the rules. Since WCFN is a satellite of WCIA it can wait tell the end of the transition and do a flash cut on Dec 31st 2008 to digital transmission. It may be this date that they will wait to do HD, as their coverage should be good enough from both WCIA and WCFN to have both cover the entire DMA. Geez, if they are talking about building a new tower, they could end up building the tallest (make that two) in the area to cover the DMA with a full power DTV signal. I'm not surprised; channel 3 has too much noise for reliable reception, just turn on a microwave and watch the picture go away in digital. No more cheap power bills, and two of them too boot.

mraub

07-13-05, 11:51 AM

I've heard of a few folks getting waivers from WCIA by making a personal visit to the station; my waiver request through D* was denied. But it is a good point: you may be able to get a waiver for CBS-HD from WCIA directly. Perhaps I should ask how many folks have been successful on the waiver front?

John C.

If you just ask a satellite provider to request a waiver, it will be automatically denied. If you're nice and make a personal visit to the Station Manager (a phone call might do) I suspect you'll get that waiver, especially if you emphasize you only want it until WCIA goes HD. The NCAA basketball tourney was super in HD--until the final game, of course.

thumperxr69

07-15-05, 10:36 PM

Just an FYI but I did *not* make a personal visit to the station.

JD - How long ago did you make a request for a waiver???

T

jdcolombo

07-15-05, 11:04 PM

Just an FYI but I did *not* make a personal visit to the station.

JD - How long ago did you make a request for a waiver???

T

Well, it's been a while. How long has CBS-NY been up on D*? I asked for the waiver just before D* lit up CBS-NY. Maybe that was the problem - I asked before CBS-NY was actually up and running.

Did you get a waiver via D*? Or some other way?

John C.

dline

07-17-05, 02:05 PM

There is a satellite provision in the rules. Since WCFN is a satellite of WCIA it can wait tell the end of the transition and do a flash cut on Dec 31st 2008 to digital transmission. It may be this date that they will wait to do HD, as their coverage should be good enough from both WCIA and WCFN to have both cover the entire DMA. Geez, if they are talking about building a new tower, they could end up building the tallest (make that two) in the area to cover the DMA with a full power DTV signal. I'm not surprised; channel 3 has too much noise for reliable reception, just turn on a microwave and watch the picture go away in digital. No more cheap power bills, and two of them too boot.
Since WCFN-DT's 1.0 MW will actually be a slight reduction from its analog, that should help their power bill a little, while providing better coverage.

As for channel 3, I looked at WCIA's election form (http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1037071&Service=TV&Form_id=382&Facility_id=42124) -- it has them as electing channel 48 after the transition, while WCFN will revert to 49 and give up their out-of-core DT 53.

mraub

07-17-05, 09:00 PM

I wonder if the Terre Haute, IN CBS station (WTHI) is now at full power. Since I can get both Fox and NBC out of Springfield with no problems that might be another CBS option. WTHI's website did not answer this question--or at least I didn't find it.

AndyM77

07-17-05, 09:38 PM

mraub

07-17-05, 10:07 PM

According to the WTHI website, the signal will not be full power until July 2006.

That's still a year before WCIA. According to cbs.com, LAFAYETTE, IN WLFI-TV (18) is broadcasting in HD. The FCC website suggests they are still low power, so that probably won't work, though it might for people near Danville.

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?list=0&facid=73204

thumperxr69

07-22-05, 09:47 AM

Well, it's been a while. How long has CBS-NY been up on D*? I asked for the waiver just before D* lit up CBS-NY. Maybe that was the problem - I asked before CBS-NY was actually up and running.

Did you get a waiver via D*? Or some other way?

John C.

I switched to D* March of 04 and made the waiver request then with no problems. I made the request directly through D*.

Good luck

T

nalesic

07-22-05, 03:37 PM

Hey guys, I've been following this thread for almost a year now, but now that I'm moving into my own house, I'd like to get the best available HD offering. I'm pretty sure that's not Insight, but is it possible to get locals (CBS,WB,UPN) that we don't have OTA in HD through any of the satellite companies? From my research, it appears the only one that might be available would be CBS through Dish, but even that may require the "move" to a chicago address. Can any satellite owners tell me what HD channels you're getting and how? (Satellite, OTA) Thanks!

mraub

07-22-05, 03:45 PM

ABC, NBC and Fox are all easily received with modest antennae. PBS and WB are susposedly working on a conversion to HD, but who knows when. No local CBS-HD until 2007. Both Dish and Directv have a CBS-HD available, but you'll need a waiver from WCIA. Most people have had to make personal contact with WCIA's station manager to get the waiver, though one person here reported getting a waiver via the satellite carriers waiver request process. I think Insight only carries Fox-HD at the present time and their receivers do not have an OTA receiver built in.

nalesic

07-22-05, 04:15 PM

mraub, thanks for the quick response. My TV has a built in OTA tuner, so I've been getting the ABC/NBC/FOX combo for a while, but I'd like to get CBS/WB at least. Also, I'd like the widest variety of HD offerings (ESPN, ESPN2, TNT-HD, etc.) possible. At this point I'm leaning towards dish network, but thought I'd get other "expert" opinions on the subject. :)

mraub

07-22-05, 04:29 PM

Dish does not have a WB-HD feed available; I don't if Directv does or not. Directv has announced plans to put all Chicago HD offerings on satellite, but I don't think they've set date for that yet. Those will be on spotbeams and no one yet knows if you could get the signal here in Champaign if you give a Chicago service address.

Teej123

07-23-05, 03:31 PM

Does anyone here know when channel 15 will become an ABC affiliate? I'm really hoping this will happen before the NFL starts because I aimed my antenna during winter, and now that the leaves are on the trees I can't pick up wand anymore.

Also, Mike were you a CS major at uiuc during 1996 and 1997? I think we used to have class together.

Jhamps10

07-24-05, 08:47 PM

It's supposed to be changed over on or around Labor Day.

But, on a side note: next year hopefully You got an antenna to get NBC, cause the big national game of the week on sunday nights, now used by ESPN is moving to NBC and Monday Night football will move to ESPN, meaning after 20+ years of doing MNF, at the end of 2005 season, I think with the super bowl on ABC there will be no NFL on ABC.

mraub

07-25-05, 01:56 PM

Also, Mike were you a CS major at uiuc during 1996 and 1997? I think we used to have class together.

I wish I were that young again; I graduated from law school 20 years before, in 1977. Computer science was IBM mainframes back then.

WICD still seems a bit sloppy in throwing the HD switch. Yesterday the tennis match was in 480i on channel 15, but was in 16:9 HD on their sister station in Springfield, channel 20. I looks like this would a function that would be relatively easy to automate. Sometimes they forget the switch for the Leno show as well.

kmil

07-27-05, 11:44 PM

What kind of antenna do you use and what kind of reception, if any, do you get here in Blm/Nml? Please email any info: kmil123@msn.com

AndyM77

07-28-05, 07:01 PM

Just got a bill for $70 for service needed when an Insight employee messed with the wiring on the outside of my house. Of course, I have no proof of this accusation, but I'm an Insight hater through and through. Has anyone else dealt with a problem of this nature? Just seeing if it is commonplace.

rrrick8

08-01-05, 08:52 AM

Article in todays (8/1) News-Gazette on WILL's 50 the anniversary. has this quote at the very end of the story...

"In addition to the 50th birthday celebration, WILL-TV has more good news to announce. Station manager Carl Cardwell says the station will finally be broadcasting its digital signal in early August. WILL-TV is the last local television station to go digital. Roadblocks have included funding and equipment problems--including repairs over the past year to the broadcast tower.
The tower is what put everything on hold, Caldwell says. But I can tell you that we will be broadcasting in digital in early August."

We'll see.

mraub

08-01-05, 12:06 PM

I hope WILL's digital signal will include PBS' HD programming in HD. If I recall correctly, WILL is going to use a VHF channel (10?) for their digital transmission, which may mean some more antenna work for me.

rrrick8

08-01-05, 12:45 PM

Actually if I recall correctly it was to be VHF 9. Some one can correct me if I'm wrong.

gels

08-01-05, 04:12 PM

Actually if I recall correctly it was to be VHF 9. Some one can correct me if I'm wrong.

============

I thought that also.

thumperxr69

08-02-05, 12:55 AM

Anybody heard anything on WB 23-1??? Or maybe I am the only with the problem of background hissing noise????

T

FeeFi

08-02-05, 07:36 AM

I had it this weekend but I thought it was just the Cardinal game transfer. Haven't checked back to see if it is still persistent .

Chilli_Dog

08-02-05, 07:41 AM

I had the hissing last night.

jdmcdonald

08-02-05, 02:19 PM

... WILL-TV has more good news to announce. Station manager Carl Cardwell says the station will finally be broadcasting its digital signal in early August. ... Caldwell says. "But I can tell you that we will be broadcasting in digital in early August."

We'll see.

Yes, "early August". On their web page about digital, the encoder is now "scheduled" in middle August. There goes "early" August.

Rmember that they were supposed to be on by May, 2003. They have had
plenty of time to order encoders! (And the state gave every station $2,500,000
for the digital conversion. They must have squandered their bit of dole.)

Doug McDonald

gators96

08-03-05, 11:29 PM

heavyharmonies

08-04-05, 09:01 AM

Thought I would post this question again. Anybody know if Insight will be getting any more of the locals in HD anytime soon. I know they can't get CBS for obvious reasons and from what I have heard, since Sinclair owns the current NBC(soon to be ABC) station, they will probably never get that one. So really I guess that just leaves the current ABC(soon to be NBC) and PBS. I know I should just go OTA but I don't really want to spend the dough for an HD reciever for just one or two stations. Guess I am screwed. Oh well. Anybody heard any info?
Thanks

I sent Insight email on this very question (as well as the possibility of them getting TNTHD and ESPN2HD) last week, and promtply received no response whatsoever.

Insight's HD offering is laughable. Even worse than D* or E* if that's possible.

Gawd, I miss Voom. Not for their home-grown movie channels, but for HBO2HD, CinemaxHD, StarzHD, EncoreHD.

*bleagh*

-Dan

gators96

08-04-05, 12:08 PM

I also always wondered why we are practically the only cable company that doesn't get INHD and INHD2. I am a big sports fan it seems these stations are really good for showing sports. Man, I would love to get ESPN 2 HD in time for football season because they are showing alot of games this year, but I don't think there is a chance in hell we will get it.

thumperxr69

08-06-05, 10:52 AM

I sent an e-mail to WBUI about 23-1 hissing sound and here is the reply back from the engineer: :)

======================================
Bob,

The problem was corrected this afternoon. Thanks for watching Central Illinois WB!!

Scott Washburn

Chief Engineer

WBUI TV-23

(217) 428-2323

(217) 428-6455 Fax
======================================

gels

08-06-05, 01:25 PM

Gawd, I miss Voom.
*bleagh*

-Dan

ME TOO. Tried drtv for awhile but went with Dish and added the 10 VOOM channels.

PS Did you get a cheque back for the money you paid for the box?
I did!!!

Cheers
Geoffrey

jmonsour

08-14-05, 10:05 PM

mraub

08-15-05, 11:47 AM

I am out in Mahomet and currently use a set top Phillips 25db amplified indoor antenna to get my HD channels, I can get fox, nbc, abc in HD, would changing to a silver sensor improve on what I pickup or would it not work since it isn't amplified? Thanks for the assistance. BTW, any word on when WILL will broadcast in HD?

Right now you get all the HD that is available, so there's probably no reason to change. If you look earlier on this thread you'll find more on the status of WILL.

jdmcdonald

08-15-05, 01:23 PM

If you look earlier on this thread you'll find more on the status of WILL.

Yes, and they say they expect their "encoders" at the middle of this month.
That's today. I wonder what they are saying today?

Doug McDonald

nalesic

08-15-05, 02:52 PM

mraub

08-15-05, 03:09 PM

Hey guys, recently moved into a new house is west Champaign (Sawgrass), and set my antenna up on the roof. Pointed S-SW, I was able to get the following:

35-3 - KSOK (NBC - St. Louis)
43-1 - ???? (FOX - St. Louis)

I just have the cheap Radioshack Yagi, but it got me thinking. With a better antenna and some sort of amplifier, might it be possible to pick up Indy or Chicago stations? Has anyone tried/succeeded in doing this? Of specific interest would be CBS-HD out of anywhere, and possibly WGN-HD out of Chicago. Thoughts?

From my ham radio days I recall that UHF signals propagate better during some times of the year than others. In terms of distance, Indy is closer that either Chicago or St. Louis, though topography and transmitter/antenna power could make that irrelevant. Also, I think the CBS station in Chicago is a VHF station, which some people have trouble getting in the far 'burbs.

I don't know that anyone here has tried to get reliable reception that far away with a good outside antenna; most people think it won't work. However, you're more than welcome to prove everyone wrong!

nalesic

08-15-05, 03:40 PM

mraub

08-15-05, 03:53 PM

You're right in that CBS in Chicago is VHF (2-13 is VHF, right?), as it is 2-1. So maybe that's out of the question. I'm just trying to figure out if I'm wasting my time trying to get these distant channels? Has anybody had any luck using amplifiers (inline or powered) to get channels they weren't able to get unamplified?

If you have the time and energy to pursue this further, I have a very high gain directional UHF antenna in my attic, which is not hooked to anything right now. I'd be willing to donate it to the local cause of trying to get CBS-HD, despite the best efforts of WCIA. If you're interested in the antenna, PM me and we'll discuss it further.

jdmcdonald

08-16-05, 10:38 AM

Now is not a good time to judge distant UHF reception here in flatland. It's the long distance
season. DTV Channel 25 in Indy is frequently receiveable here (ABC). Sometimes I get the Quad Cities, St. Louis, or Louisville. Don't hope for an HD CBS .... it's hopeless, at least until Terre Haute goes full height and power and HD. Or, of course, Hell freezes over and WCIA
goes HD.

Doug McDonald

nalesic

08-17-05, 12:27 PM

jstiefel

08-17-05, 07:38 PM

mraub

08-17-05, 09:54 PM

Guys, could you give me a little advice...

I just moved to Athens, IL (about 15 miles North of Springfield) and I'm looking for a HD Antenna to hit the stations in Springfield & Decatur. I have a Sony KD-34XBR960 and DishNetwork SuperDish. I would like to mount the HD antenna above the Dish on my house. I have a ranch style. This is what antennaweb gave me....

AntennaType Station Channel City Compass Miles Freq Assign
* yellow - uhf WRSP-DT 55.1 FOX SPRINGFIELD IL 131° 18.1 44
* lt green - uhf WBUI-DT 23.1 WB DECATUR IL 92° 44.4 22
* lt green - uhf WAND-DT 17.1 ABC DECATUR IL 92° 46.3 18
* violet - uhf WICS-DT 20.1 NBC SPRINGFIELD IL 132° 17.3 42

Any advice is appreciated.

If you mount the antenna outside, you shouldn't need much of an antenna. I get both WRSP and WICS in Champaign with an attic antenna. I think Radio Shack sells several antennas designed to mount on a satellite dish. You might try one of these first; save your packing materials and return if if doesn't work. A Squareshooter would surely work, but cost much more than the RS products.

If you put up a dish to get DISH's 62.5 bird and get a waiver, you could get CBS-HD from DISH. Much information earlier on this thread on the waiver process. WBUI is not yet HD, but apparently they have some general plans to upgrade, though no date has been announced.

Good Luck!

jstiefel

08-17-05, 09:57 PM

Thanks for your help and quick reponse. I think I might try one of those that mount on the Dish first to see what happens. I'm hoping this will work.

thumperxr69

08-17-05, 11:44 PM

Guys, could you give me a little advice...

I just moved to Athens, IL (about 15 miles North of Springfield) and I'm looking for a HD Antenna to hit the stations in Springfield & Decatur. I have a Sony KD-34XBR960 and DishNetwork SuperDish. I would like to mount the HD antenna above the Dish on my house. I have a ranch style. This is what antennaweb gave me....

AntennaType Station Channel City Compass Miles Freq Assign
* yellow - uhf WRSP-DT 55.1 FOX SPRINGFIELD IL 131° 18.1 44
* lt green - uhf WBUI-DT 23.1 WB DECATUR IL 92° 44.4 22
* lt green - uhf WAND-DT 17.1 ABC DECATUR IL 92° 46.3 18
* violet - uhf WICS-DT 20.1 NBC SPRINGFIELD IL 132° 17.3 42

Any advice is appreciated.

Welcome to the neighborhood :D

I have lived in Athens for 8 years. Just remember no such things as an "HD" OTA antenna. I bought a Channelmaster 4221 antenna and a Channelmaster 7777 preamp and put them in my attic. My signals are rock solid for all the above channels plus WEEK 25.1 from Peoria and WSEC . I can also get CBS at 3-1 (of course these bums are passing any HD). As Mraub says you should be able to qualify for a waiver to get CBS. I am with D* and the sh*t is hitting the fan as far as the LIL and DMAs are concerned. More details here DMA hullaballoo (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=564289) if anyone cares about D*.

You are more than welcome to PM me.....

Good luck

Bob

jdmcdonald

08-18-05, 01:58 PM

Since jd usually knows what he's talking about, I'll take his word for it. I am curious though why this is a bad time for UHF signals? I assume it's due to the warm weather, just not sure of the physics behind it.

It's not a BAD time for UHF signals, its a GOOD time, meaning they go farther
(or are stronger where they usually are weak). This means its a bad time
for judging how well an antenna setup will work most of the year.

(Of course that can be bad if you get interference from a distant station.)

It has to do with weather, humidity, and the temperature gradients in the
lowest mile of the atmosphere.

It can even go down to the FM band: I once won a free CD from a
Wisconsin FM station while listening on my car radio on the outskirts of
Tucumcari, NM!

Doug McDonald

rrrick8

08-23-05, 04:28 PM

08/23 As of 3:30 PM central time, I'm watching 12-1 HD (nature show), and different (cartoon) show on 12-2.

Hell has done froze over.

Edit- Upon further review, 12-1 is PBS-HD feed it seems, and 12-2 is WILL-TV local feed in SD. Anyway, Nice getting two channels out of them.

Edit-Pt2== Both channels went off air a little after 4 PM. They must be testing. Everything looked and sounded excellent to me here in Danville while they were on.

FeeFi

08-23-05, 05:18 PM

Well that stinks I was pumped to watch it tonght. Then you crushed me.

rrrick8

08-23-05, 05:24 PM

I hope they're just tweaking it. It was a fantastic picture with good signal strength here in Danville.

sebenste

08-23-05, 05:36 PM

I hope they're just tweaking it. It was a fantastic picture with good signal strength here in Danville.

A birdie told me they're in testing mode until just after Labor Day.
Until then, it could be on or off at any time.

jdcolombo

08-23-05, 08:00 PM

A birdie told me they're in testing mode until just after Labor Day.
Until then, it could be on or off at any time.

A birdie told me the same thing - if testing goes well, switch is thrown the week after Labor Day.

So, we have CBS, UPN and WB left still not doing HD in our market. Shame on them . . .

John C.

heavyharmonies

08-26-05, 11:50 PM

What's up with tonight's preseason NFL games on WCCU?

The Bears game was SD, and horribly poor SD at that. The Steelers-Redskins game is in "HD-Lite" -- 4:3 picture, but much better quality than the Bears game, yet still not HD quality.

People in other areas are reporting seeing the Steelers game in actual HD.

Someone forget to flip a switch?

Disappointing. :(

-Dan

gators96

08-27-05, 12:05 AM

I guess since we are not getting the Steelers game live that we don't get the HD broadcast. That is the only thing I can think of. Sucks. I also agree that the SD picture on the Bears game was crap. The SD picture on the Steelers game is much better. Does that have something to do with cameras or what? I notice this on a lot of things

jask

08-27-05, 06:08 PM

ktFOX55/27

08-27-05, 11:28 PM

People in other areas are reporting seeing the Steelers game in actual HD People in other areas didn't get back to back pre-season games either. Compromises had to be made to make this happen, hence the Steelers/Skins in SD.

The SD picture on the Steelers game is much betterThe production of the Steelers/Skins game was by FOX network and the Bears game was done by a local Chicago station. There's some pretty big differences in production and delivery systems there.

goaliebob99

08-27-05, 11:44 PM

just to clarify about the bears game, i live in kankakee and i can view both dma's. The bears games are broudcasted from NBC5 (WMAQ) we didnt even get an hd feed of the game.. as i dont think they are doing hd for preseason games. One more thing to add is that the preseason games are sponcered by comcast... and i belive they do the production on the games.. so need i say any more..

sebenste

08-28-05, 12:21 AM

Hi, newby to the forum. I had a question on the broadcasting of channels fox 27-1 and nbc 15-1. Most the time the 16:9 hd broadcasts don't fill my screen with a picture. The left and right sides have bars. Is it my tv or is it the broadcasting? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

If you are watching non-primetime programming and major sporting events
(preseason football doesn't count!), almost all of it is 4:3 with bars on either
side. Also, CBS isn't in HD in Champaign yet (and won't be for awhile), neither
is UPN or WB. Only a relative few mobile production trucks are HD now, and those
that are in HD are expensive to maintain and run.

Hang in there, though...in the next few years to come, more and more programs
will be in HD. And oh yeah, in the next two weeks, PBS HD 12.1 will be on the
air full time, and that will be ALL HD.

jask

08-28-05, 11:56 AM

hi again , thanks for the reply Gilbert. The problem I'm having is now and then when Lenno or like last night when Crossing Jordan was on the picture was cut off all the way around (bars both horizontally and vertically). But while channel surfing, when Vegas came on, I noticed it was the normal 16:9 format (filled my 16:9 tv screen totally). Anyone else noticing these problems? I have seen this happening on wccu 27-1 also. Any reply will be appreciated, thank you.

-Jeff

nalesic

08-29-05, 10:51 AM

Jeff,

NBC 15 has been notorious for not throwing the HD switch for their programming. Also, they tend to shut it down early, for example watching ER it usually gets thrown back to SD (bars on every side) with 2-5 minutes left in the program. So no, it's not just you.

jtv

08-30-05, 03:54 PM

Stopped home at lunch today. WILL-DT came through loud and clear on channel 9. It was an HDtv program on old warships in widescreen format.

Just had an old tv on, so can't comment on the picture quality, but signal strength was fine.

jtv

thumperxr69

08-31-05, 02:08 AM

Has anybody else had problems with WCIA 3-1 lately??? I get no signal.

T

ktFOX55/27

09-02-05, 06:02 PM

WCCU-DT has suffered a failure and will be off air until mid next week at a minimum. I'll post more as information becomes available.

les_S

09-05-05, 10:33 PM

Today 17-1/17-2 was running fine with NBC being broadcast. However, I couldn't get anything out of 20-1 but did see some signal on 15-1. Anyone else having a problem with ABC 20-1? It worked fine last night when it was still NBC during the Nascar race and I have never had problems before.

Chilli_Dog

09-06-05, 07:18 AM

I've seen that with 20-1 quite often. I was worried that would happen, with football season coming up. It's going to suck if we can't reliably get MNF in HD. Grrr...

Also, whenever I checked 17-1 last night, I noticed none of the NBC HD programming was in HD (and they were still broadcasting at a resolution of 720p). Hopefully, they'll get the kinks worked out soon. I have more faith in WAND than WICS at this point.

ktFOX55/27

09-06-05, 11:12 PM

WCCU-DT update
I think I have the problem isolated and I'm hoping to have parts here on Thursday.

rrrick8

09-07-05, 09:14 AM

"Barring complications, WILL-TV will be officially signing on its digital transmitter on Monday, September 12."

"To start, we will carry two digital channels: high definition, which will be PBS HD programming 24 hours a day; and a standard-definition secondary channel, which will duplicate the programming on our analog channel."

WILL-TV (http://www.will.uiuc.edu/tv/digital/default.htm)

AndyM77

09-07-05, 07:18 PM

We hope to have HD up and running soon. This is a transitory period
wherein we must remove NBC equipment and install ABC equipment as we
make room to service it. Please bear with us on this and hopefully we
will have it up in 4-8 weeks.

Thank you,

Alaina C. Marx
Human Resources Manager/Programming Coordinator
WICS/WICD
Phone: (217)753-5620
Fax: (217)522-6720

bdfox18doe

09-07-05, 07:22 PM

That's NOT a small task...while staying on-air especially..

AndyM77

09-07-05, 07:30 PM

That's NOT a small task...while staying on-air especially..

Fair enough. But don't play it off in your promos and press releases that it's not a big deal to switch. This decision has left a lot of HD consumers out in the cold, when we were told there would be little effect.

bdfox18doe

09-07-05, 07:34 PM

In switching network affiliations, HD would be the least of my worries, as there are many more pressing items, such as the NTSC programming, and syndicated as well as news feeds. Items that actually generate a return on investment..HD viewers are still not significant, especially where nielsen is concerned. Only now are they beginning to count HD viewers in the larger markets where meters are in place. That is if you buy the $5000 encoder to watermark your feed..

Remember that marketing folks operate in their own little world, which typically has nothing to do with reality, with no input from the engineers.. :)

bdfox18doe

09-07-05, 07:39 PM

WCCU-DT update
I think I have the problem isolated and I'm hoping to have parts here on Thursday.

U DA MAN Ken!!! :)

nalesic

09-07-05, 07:40 PM

bd,

Although I understand the logistical complications that arise from such a switch, isn't this really miserable timing on the part of both stations? Viewers will now miss 4-8 weeks of MNF as well as 4-8 weeks of new episodes for pretty much every primetime show. Why couldn't this have been done during one of the "down-times" for network television?

bdfox18doe

09-07-05, 07:49 PM

Yes, but that doesn't figure in..most likely ( even tho I have market knowledeg up there I have no specific info on the switch)..it was contract or ratings related..affiliation switches can be very complex, and involve negotiations at the group ownership level that involve a"bigger" picture that may not be obvious to the local viewers.. again, especially in the urbana-champaign market, HD viewers are NOT significant..

Not that they aren't inportant, they just don't affect ratings at this point sad to say..One could argue, if you can see MNF in SD, then you haven't really missed it..

AndyM77

09-07-05, 08:52 PM

bd,

I have, obviously, very little knowledge regarding the running of a television station/affiliate. However, when the switch was announced, we e-mailed the station in question to determine if there was going to be an impact to HD programming. We were told, flat out, "No".

Regardless of our "insignificance" (as you say, sad but true), I do not think that it is good business practice (in any business model) to lie to your customer base.

AndyM77

09-07-05, 08:54 PM

Not to mention I didn't pay a good chunk of change to watch football in SD instead of HD. It's all moot anyway, once ABC loses MNF next year, I'll have no need for this worthless network and affiliate. They'll lose my viewership, although again, I'm insignificant....

Ammonium

09-07-05, 09:36 PM

"again, especially in the urbana-champaign market, HD viewers are NOT significant.."

Considering that it's primetime on a Wednesday night and there's no HD available off the air, that wouldn't be too surprising.

And was this transition between NBC and ABC something that came up last week? A promise of 4-8 weeks when dealing with HD usually means that you'll be lucky to get it in two years.

quaff2001

09-07-05, 10:51 PM

thumperxr69

09-08-05, 12:49 AM

I agree with Andy. I will not watch MNF in SD. Yeah all of the promos said this will be seamless. What a crock....This has F....ed up two primetime lineups for upwards of 2 months.

And....why in the hell was this station swap needed anyway??? To cause havoc???

T

rrrick8

09-08-05, 07:31 AM

What a crock....This has F....ed up two primetime lineups for upwards of 2 months.
And....why in the hell was this station swap needed anyway??? To cause havoc???
T

It was all engineered behind the scenes by Russ Hamilton. He wanted to bring all the others down to his level. He also is responsible for sabotaging WCCU's equipment.
Remember, ratings week starts shortly. :rolleyes:

AndyM77

09-08-05, 07:42 AM

Before the switch, WICS-DT here in springfield was NBC in HD. I was told that after the switch ch. 769 would remain WICS and we would get ABC in HD. On Monday ch. 769 was WAND(NBC) and it was no longer high definition. Does anyone know what this channel is going to be? The people at Insight have given me conflicting answers and it's very frustrating.

Are we just waiting for the transition mentioned by AndyM77 to be completed?

Good luck with Insight buddy! They're too busy unplugging people's satellite connections to worry about customer service. What am I saying, they don't have a clue what customer service even means.

heavyharmonies

09-08-05, 11:45 AM

Is it just me, or is the general competence level at ALL of the local broadcast stations (with the possible exception of WCCU) just absolutely abysmal?

WCIA will broadcast HD sometime in the year 2525.

WILL dragged their feet as long as they humanly could, and are a bunch of rude SOBs to boot.

This ABC/NBC switch fiasco makes me believe that no one at either station has a clue. Seamless, my ass. Right in time for the start of the NFL too. Nice move, f*cknuts!

And I'm sick an tired of HD viewers being referred to as some "fringe" element, like we're a cult in Waco, TX.

*thppt*

-Dan

nalesic

09-08-05, 03:19 PM

All complaining aside, WICS comes in from Springfield, so NBC is still obtainable in HD (and even preferrable to the old NBC-WICD tower location). However, is there another ABC station that can be picked up in Champaign that broadcasts in HD? The closest I could find is WHOI in Peoria, and their broadcast level seems to be pretty low.

heavyharmonies

09-08-05, 09:07 PM

Well, here we are. First NFL game of the season. Sure wish it was in HD. Bastards.

ktFOX55/27

09-08-05, 09:44 PM

WCCU-DT Update
Well, the parts arrived today. I made headway, but still don't have something that I can put on the air. Lots of good data though. I'll be making calls tomorrow to sort out what we discovered today and hopefully a solution will come of it.

Vitale'sFakeEye

09-08-05, 10:18 PM

what the hell? WICD and WAND must have idiots for engineers. I tried calling their engineers but only got voice mail because there business hours are only until 5 PM. They don't even show any HD stuff until primetime unless its the weekend. This really pisses me off to the highest degree of pissitivity. Ridiculous! I want my HD damnit!

AndyM77

09-09-05, 12:00 AM

nalesic

09-09-05, 11:55 AM

What really sucks is that apparently WICS was part of the switch too (since last night's football game was on WICS). Here I thought at least we'd have some viable NBC high-def, but apparently I was wrong.

quaff2001

09-09-05, 02:31 PM

ktFOX55/27

09-09-05, 04:43 PM

Does this have anything to do with Fox (channel 770 in springfield) not being in HD last night?
No, that is an unrelated problem that was easily fixed. It would have been taken care of before prime time last night, however the message related to the problem was left on my cell phone (no cell service at the WCCU transmitter) and I didn't get the message until I left about 9PM last night to head home.

nyelton

09-09-05, 05:56 PM

This may be a dumb question, but why is it necessary for the local affiliates to "swtich over" to the hd feed from the network when hd programming comes on? Why don't the networks just upconvert the sd content to hd at the network, and send all the programming over the hd feed, so the local stations could just broadcast the hd feed from the network at all times, whether or not the actual program is hd?

bdfox18doe

09-09-05, 06:41 PM

ONLY FOX does this "DURING ALL NETWORK TIME PERIODS!!. Should the FOX splicer be operating properly, this happens automatically ANYTIME FOX network is on-air at WRSP/WCCU (except during certain split games or tape delay programs).
While ALL the other networks should do this, operation at the network level is very complex, and involves additional network equipment and satellite transport bandwidth, which cost money. If they'd so this, you see far less instances of the HD feed being "missed" at the local level. While usually it is a local "oops", IMHO, the networks need to step up to the plate in this respect. :o

nalesic

09-09-05, 08:38 PM

bd,

I'd say it's pretty obvious at this point that FOX is the only station in the area that is doing it's best to satisfy it's HD consumers. Thanks to you and Kt for all the hard work to provide us with SOMETHING HD in our area.

heavyharmonies

09-09-05, 09:24 PM

ktFOX55/27

09-09-05, 11:02 PM

Thanks for the kind words, nalesic and heavy :)

I wish I could show my gratitude by putting WCCU-DT back on the air, but it's not quite there yet. I worked on it until 8PM tonight and have forwarded more information to the manufacturer and I hope to have word back from the factory in France on Monday morning about what may be causing the problems we are experiencing.

heavyharmonies

09-10-05, 03:41 PM

Nope, you've got until noon tomorrow. ;)

-Dan

bdfox18doe

09-10-05, 06:18 PM

keep treating us nice and we'll be as open and honest with you guys as possible!

Ken sure does put in the hours to keep the stations on-air..if you guys only knew!
:)

nalesic

09-11-05, 09:59 AM

Ken sure does put in the hours to keep the stations on-air..if you guys only knew!
:)

If only other stations had people that worked as hard. ;)

AndyM77

09-11-05, 11:28 AM

As disappointed as I am to have no HD NFL this first week, hats off to the guys at Fox for keeping us up-to-date of the issues. Good customer service is invaluable, and the postings on this site have helped achieve this customer service level. You go above and beyond the other affiliates in our area, you know my feelings about the NBC and ABC switch, and the WCIA thing is a complete joke. Looking forward to Fox HD next week.

Thanks again,

Andy

rrrick8

09-12-05, 10:36 AM

Anyone receiving WILL-TV yet? Today is the day it is suppose to start. As of 9:30 AM I'm not receiving it yet.

Edit--- As of 9:55, I am now receiving signal. Hopefully all the testing is done and it will remain on.

nalesic

09-12-05, 11:06 AM

mraub

09-12-05, 12:33 PM

I tried to add channel 9 as a new digital channel on a DISH 921 and the signal strength meter didn't budge from zero. I'm close enough to the tower that I should get some signal, even if I don't have enough to lock (no VHF antenna yet).

Anyone receiving WILL-TV yet? Today is the day it is suppose to start. As of 9:30 AM I'm not receiving it yet.

Edit--- As of 9:55, I am now receiving signal. Hopefully all the testing is done and it will remain on.

rrrick8

09-12-05, 02:05 PM

mraub, I had to re-scan my D** receiver to get it in. I started at around 7 this morning and re-scanned every 15 minutes. It finally showed up at 9:55.

The signal strength has remained constant and excellent here in Danville.

AndyM77

09-12-05, 07:46 PM

Andy,

Don't know if it's possible at your location, but I picked up 55-1 FOX out of Springfield for the games this weekend. If you can, point your antenna southwest, it comes through pretty strong (at least for me, but I live in far west champaign). 55-1 was in HD for the football games this weekend.

nalesic,

Thanks for the thought. Unfortunately, I'm using an indoor antenna for my reception, and while it works perfectly for C-U reception, it's pretty poor after that...

Chilli_Dog

09-12-05, 10:06 PM

Getting WILL loud and clear in Sherman with a UHF antenna in my attic (ChannelMaster 4228). 1080i and DD 5.1. I'm pleasantly surprised (and very happy since I can only get PBS out of Jacksonville about 50% of the time).

I hope reception is this good all the time. :cool:

jmonsour

09-12-05, 10:52 PM

WILL comes in clear as can be with my indoor antenna however I could not get 55.1 to lock for the football games on Sunday, it will work fine after the sun goes down. Hopefully its fixed for 27 next week. BTW, WAND DT is full HD tonight for the NBC primetime shows, can't say the same for WICS/WICD and MNF.

heavyharmonies

09-12-05, 11:06 PM

WILL-DT coming in loud and clear. In fact, it's the strongest of all the signals I receive (92% compared to 86% for ABC and 60s and 70s for everything else).

I'm a little pissed that doing the scan to find WILL (for some reason I could not simply "Add" the channel; could be a bug with the Dish 811) deleted WCCU from my channel list. Must be because WCCU-DT is off the air...

-Dan

mraub

09-12-05, 11:41 PM

My DISH 921 let me add channel 9 tonight. Very strong signal with only UHF antennas. It remapped correctly to 12-1 and 12-2. Superb picture. They sure took their time, but they got it right.

nalesic

09-13-05, 11:37 AM

heavy, I was able to add channel 09 on my Dish 811 receiver at about 10:45pm last night, and got a nice, strong signal.

T-Stone

09-13-05, 02:17 PM

Live in Gifford, have no problem receiving WICD and WAND in DT. Can't seem to get WILL at this time, are they still on?? (1:10 PM, 9-13-05) I have an amplified Recton TV3000 in the attic, and it works great for all the other stations. WAND's tower would be much farther away, than WILL's in Monticello, but is WILL at full power?

kvandivo

09-13-05, 03:55 PM

I live in Champaign proper (just south of Hessel park) and I've got a HD tuner that should be delivered later this week or next. So, I'm going to be needing an antenna that will pick up the appropriate channels. So, a couple of questions...

Any local installers that are cheap and reliable?

Any reason to even go with an installer? What's a good antenna choice for being right in champaign? I'm handy enough with this stuff and wouldn't hesitate to do it myself if I could find out what actually works around here and a few other minor details..

I've done the antennaweb.org thing, and it is telling me that I need to have large directionals with pre-amps pointed in 3 different directions. I find that hard to believe, so I thought I would get some actual user experiences for this.

Thanks! I'm looking forward to joining the HD revolution (even though it appears to be more of a slow moving geriatric war reenactment than a shock-and-awe type revolution)

Kirby

nalesic

09-13-05, 04:07 PM

kvandivo,

I use this antenna (http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F003%5F001%5F002%5F000&product%5Fid=15%2D2160) on the roof of my two story home in West Champaign (Sawgrass), and pointed Southwest, I can get:

3-1 CBS
12-1, 12-2 PBS
17-1 NBC
20-1 ABC (Out of Springfield)
23-1 WB
49-1 UPN
55-1 FOX (Out of Springfield)

Our NBC, ABC, and FOX were in HD until ABC and NBC switched (15,20<->17), although reports have WAND (now NBC) as broadcasting in HD again. There is no CBS you can pick up in HD OTA, nor a WB or UPN. So I just leave my antenna SW since I get all the digital channels at a very high signal strength. Also, I don't use a pre-amp of any kind, simply run the antenna into my Dish 811 HD box.

thumperxr69

09-13-05, 08:51 PM

Well Chili_Dog I am in Athens which is near you and Funny With a Samsung OTA STB and a LG 4200A I was unable to it at all *until* I got a HR10-250 HD-TiVo box which has been great. I have gotten an awesome signal on WSEC 14-1, 14-2 all summer. (even if the D* guide is messed up).

I cannot tune WILL at all. :confused:

T

Chilli_Dog

09-13-05, 09:09 PM

Tonight I had a few very minor breakups on WILL, but nothing too serious. Overall, signal reception was still pretty consistent. It would probably be rock solid if I moved the antenna out of the attic, but I haven't had the motivation to do that yet. Maybe when it cools down a bit...

sebenste

09-14-05, 02:50 PM

WEIU-TV has put in a request to shut off their analog signal and go
digital-only. See this:

http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=337849

rrrick8

09-14-05, 09:27 PM

For the first time ever, tonight (9/14) my Directv receiver is channeling UPN 49-1 to 3-2. It doesn't even show up on my guide at 49-1 anymore.

mraub

09-14-05, 10:28 PM

If I recall correctly, WCIA planned to increase their digital transmitter to full power this fall (though no HD until 2007), so this may have something to do with that process. UPN actually comes out as a digital subchannel of WCIA, but they usually encode that signal to remap to 49-1. If the new remapping causes problems for you, an e-mail to the station engineer might get it fixed.

For the first time ever, tonight (9/14) my Directv receiver is channeling UPN 49-1 to 3-2. It doesn't even show up on my guide at 49-1 anymore.

rrrick8

09-15-05, 12:37 AM

No. No problem with it. Just wish Directv's on line guide would have it's program schedule. 49-1 and WCCU 27-1 &2 have never showned their line-up in my program schedule. Which sucks. (Do you hear me Ken & Bob?). :mad:

ktFOX55/27

09-15-05, 12:22 PM

WCCU-DT update
I'm still working on the problem with the manufacturer and we're doing everything we can to get back on the air. People in 6 states and 2 countries are working on this and it's receiving the highest level of attention. Unfortunately we don't have an ETA at this time for getting back on the air.

ktFOX55/27

09-15-05, 12:24 PM

WCCU 27-1 &2 have never showned their line-up in my program schedule. Which sucks. (Do you hear me Ken & Bob?)I'll bug DirecTV again to fix this problem.

rrrick8

09-15-05, 01:07 PM

I'll bug DirecTV again to fix this problem.

Thanks. It would be nice to have available.

Vitale'sFakeEye

09-15-05, 02:23 PM

gels

09-15-05, 02:55 PM

WILL Transmitter Location

5 miles West of Monticello Illinois and one mile North of Interstate 72 or 40 degrees 02 min 18 sec North Latitude and 88 degrees 40 min 10 sec West Longitude. Total tower and antenna height 1047 feet. Antenna is an RCA TW18A12-P. Class A coverage 43 mile radius from transmitter. Class B coverage 61 mile radius from transmitter.

cheers
Geoffrey

T-Stone

09-15-05, 03:50 PM

I knew WILL tower was near Monticello. I'm out here in Gifford, is this why I'm receiving zip for a signal. I have no problem receiving WAND, which is somewhat farther away. Any help is appreciated.

goldrich

09-15-05, 04:20 PM

I am having a problem getting 12-1 in Champaign (Westlake subdivision). Where is the WILL tower located. I am using Zenith's silver sensor antenna and can pick up everything else but the new digital WILL. perplexing.

The Zenith Silver Sensor is a great indoor antenna for UHF channels, but it is not designed for VHF channels like WILL-DT's channel 9. Indy has a DTV station on channel 9, WISH-DT, and others here have posted the same comment. Unless you are fairly close to the tower and receive a very strong signal, you may need to get an antenna that is designed to receive VHF channels.

Steve

HDnoob55

09-15-05, 05:32 PM

This may have already been answered. If so, I apologize. Why is WCIA waiting until 2007 to have HD? Doesn't make sense to me. Also, anyone know what the status is on Insight getting more HD channels? The lady at the front desk told me that WICD and WAND should be added at the end of this year or the early part of next. What about WB, PBS, and all the other cable HD channels (TNTHD, ESPN2HD)? Thank you.

gators96

09-15-05, 06:11 PM

HDnoob,
I have been asking the same thing about Insight for awhile. I hope the info you got is correct because I would love to have WICD and WAND in the near future. I would be surprised if we got WICD because they are a Sinclair owned station. I have debated buying an HD reciever to recieve an OTA signal but I just can't justify spending around 200 bucks just to get 2 stations. So I am going to try and wait and hope that something happens soon. As far as ESPN 2 or TNT, I won't hold my breath on those either. I would really like to get INHD and INHD 2. They show alot of baseball, basketball and this year hockey. Insight is one of the only cable companies that doesn't get those two channels.

ktFOX55/27

09-16-05, 07:22 PM

WCCU-DT Update

It's on the air!
Enjoy !

bdfox18doe

09-16-05, 07:27 PM

Ken..

U-da-Man! Corn-gratulations!!!

bdfox18doe

09-16-05, 07:40 PM

(Do you hear me Ken & Bob?). :mad:\

I hear ya rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrick8....

I was told, that they do this to reduce the overhead of the data payload..
if duhwrecked tv doesn't carry the station, they don't send the epg for it..

actually, you should blame the receiver mfg, who was too lazy or cheap to make the unit read OTA psip.....interesting that the 1997 vintage rca dtc-100 could do this, but current recievers can't... Iwas told by one mfg that the directv liscensing contract requires they use the APG that directv provides and not the OTA psip..

:mad:

AndyM77

09-17-05, 09:22 AM

WCCU-DT Update

It's on the air!
Enjoy !

Ken,

Thanks for your hard work. I'm noticing that I'm having much more trouble picking up 27.1 since it is back up. This station used to come in non-stop, but it has been very choppy this morning. Is there anything different that would affect an indoor antenna in West Champaign?

Thanks again.

rrrick8

09-17-05, 09:50 AM

\
I was told, that they do this to reduce the overhead of the data payload..
if duhwrecked tv doesn't carry the station, they don't send the epg for it..

If that's the case why do/did I receive the program guide for WICD (Even before the switch)? WICS is the NBC affiliate for Directv for this area. Is/was there a difference between the WICS/WICD relationship than there is for the WRSP/WCCU relationship?

Not trying to ruffle your feathers, just trying to understand why.

I'm waiting for the D** switch-over to MEG-4 then I plan on getting a HD-DVR. It would be nice to be able to record from your strong signal I get here in Danville, than D** watered down signal.

bdfox18doe

09-17-05, 10:46 AM

just trying to understand why.

Good question..Not sure why that is myself..

Vitale'sFakeEye

09-17-05, 11:23 AM

AndyM77

09-17-05, 01:08 PM

bdfox18doe,

I used to get your signal loud and clear on my silver sensor antenna but now WCCU-DT doesn't come in worth a crap. I can not get my samsung 360 to even recognize the signal. What's up? I live in West Champaign in the Westlake subdivision.

Vitale,

This echo's my post to Ken earlier today. I live in the Parkland Ridge subdivision, and I'm struggling to receive 27.1 with my Terk HDTVi.

rrrick8

09-17-05, 01:14 PM

I'm having no problem receiving WCCU here in Danville.

ktFOX55/27

09-17-05, 02:06 PM

Anyone else with reception issues? I'd appreciate any and all reception reports I can get on WCCU-DT. Please include your location, antenna type, where it's mounted and your receiver. If you can give a street intersection for locations that would be great, I'm not very familiar with the C/U subdivisions. Thanks in advance.

Andy and Vitale, have you tried repointing your antenna? Rescanning your receiver?

bdfox18doe

09-17-05, 03:39 PM

KEn, PM me IP for Amber-2 , I'll see If I can see her from home..Pearl and Amber-1 are fine...

Vitale'sFakeEye

09-18-05, 08:56 AM

ktfox55/27,
I have moved my antenna to several locations and rescanned each time with no luck. Saturday night I actually was able to pickup 43-1 with my silver sensor but now I can not get a signal from any fox station. I know you guys are working hard but this blows. Location of subdivision is at the intersection of Duncan and Clayton Avenues.

jmonsour

09-18-05, 11:36 AM

I am on the far west side of Mahomet and have had a signal in the 70's for Fox 27 since you brought it back on the air. I am using a Phillips indoor with 25db of amplification. Looking forward to football in HD, just wish it wasn't the Bears!

heavyharmonies

09-18-05, 11:41 AM

edited: Never mind. I had to do a complete rescan in order to refind WCCU. Doing a manual add of digital channels on the 811 does not work. WCCU is coming in fine now.

This Dish 811 is annoying though. Doing a scan will drop channels out of the guide that it doesn't find on THAT pass. So since CBS and FOX are at different antenna positions, if I scan at the WCIA compass direction, I lose WCCU. If I scan at the WCCU position, I lose WCIA.

[CENSORED] annoying!
-Dan

Vitale'sFakeEye

09-18-05, 02:38 PM

I don't know if it is a coincidence or not but I did a rescan earlier this morning and could not get WCCU DT, but before the Bears game I did another rescan and this time 27-1 came in loud and clear. I don't know what somebody did but whatever it was thank you. Bears in HD is GREAT!
Thanks again

rrrick8

09-18-05, 08:15 PM

HDnoob55

09-18-05, 11:20 PM

so does anyone know why the delay with WCIA and any status on Insight increasing their HD?

AndyM77

09-19-05, 06:57 PM

From WICD:

Please stand by as the HD issue is about to be resolved. Please check the HD channel tonight as it might actually be up and running by that time, but at this time I will not be able to guarantee it.

jstiefel

09-19-05, 08:24 PM

I'm glad WAND & WICS made the switch and it went so smoothly...jackasses.

Stevenage

09-19-05, 08:56 PM

I'm glad WAND & WICS made the switch and it went so smoothly...jackasses.

Too funny! I am so mad! The new season has started and no HD. I don't think they care.

What is the frequency for wicd 15.1? I am planning on repointing my antenna. I can't quite pull in ABC from Peoria.

jstiefel

09-19-05, 10:43 PM

& I'm going to try and point it to Peoria to see what I pick up.

19.1 is ABC out of Peoria.

bdfox18doe

09-20-05, 08:20 AM

I'm glad WAND & WICS made the switch and it went so smoothly...jackasses.

Comments like that from "newbies" or anyone else for that manner, will almost
guarantee that tv stations ignore your comments and complaints. It's a good way
to alienate yourself with us. ;)

There is far more involved in an affilation switch that you are uaware of. Such comments make you look like a moron...and leads people to click the "ignore posts" feature here so they no longer see your posts...(hint here).. :)

If not getting HD affects you that much, perhaps you should seek professional help, or try better living through modern chemicals.. :D

jdmcdonald

09-20-05, 11:16 AM

WILL-DT appeared on the air while I was on vacation. Sunday all was
well but last night it had terrible pixelization. Channel 12 analog was clear and impulse-noise free. Nothing I did made any difference. My box had a power
level of 57 (100 is no power and 50 is as high as it gets) and a S/N ratio of
25 dB (which is the max) so perhaps it is their STL. Comments?

Doug McDonald

quaff2001

09-20-05, 02:20 PM

Can someone explain to me why the HD feed on NBC last night was so bad? I recorded Surface and Las Vegas last night (I've got Insight and I know they suck). Surface was in HD for about a minute and then never went back. Las Vegas was in HD but the sound was all messed up. It was like I wasn't getting any center channel voices only the background music. Is this all related to the big switch? If so, any idea how long these problems might last? I'll start recording shows on the SD channel if it will be awhile.

I must say that I really enjoy watching Fox in HD. I rarely ever have problems and the picture is fantastic. I really appreciate the hard work you folks do to provide such a great service.

VideoTech

09-20-05, 05:39 PM

jdmcdonald ...

Was it on 12-1 or 12-2.
And did it clear after that program or did it continue on other programs.

Thanks

jdmcdonald

09-21-05, 12:35 PM

jdmcdonald ...

Was it on 12-1 or 12-2.
And did it clear after that program or did it continue on other programs.

Thanks

It was identical on both subchannels, and did not change at program breaks.
Last night all was well again.

Doug

jtv

09-22-05, 01:47 PM

Anyone know when titantv might be expected to start showing the correct HDTV listings for WILL-HD 12.1? At this point, they just mimic the 12.2 SD listings.

Of course one can get the correct info from www.will.uiuc.edu but it's certainly more convenient to have all channel listings in one location.

jtv

ktFOX55/27

09-22-05, 11:51 PM

We're having air conditioning problems at the WCCU transmitter site and it's running over 100 degrees inside the building so I have taken WCCU-DT off air for the overnight hours to keep the heat load down inside the building.

**Update**
WCCU-DT back on air Friday at 10:30am

heavyharmonies

09-26-05, 09:02 PM

Monday Night Football on WAND... err WCIA is in HD. Horrible lipsync issues, but in HD...

Stevenage

09-26-05, 09:21 PM

Monday Night Football on WAND... err WCIA is in HD. Horrible lipsync issues, but in HD...

Your lucky! SD on wics, so lame!

jstiefel

09-26-05, 09:24 PM

after getting this email today...

Alaina Marx <amarx@wics.sbgnet.com>

HD is currently up and running.

Alaina C. Marx
Human Resources Manager/Programming Coordinator
WICS/WICD
Phone: (217)753-5620
Fax: (217)522-6720

mraub

09-26-05, 09:25 PM

Actually WICD. WCIA and HD may never appear in the same sentence. My DVR of Desparate Housewives last night was not HD; they must have got it working today.

Monday Night Football on WAND... err WCIA is in HD. Horrible lipsync issues, but in HD...

mraub

09-26-05, 09:25 PM

heavyharmonies

09-26-05, 10:05 PM

Doh! My bad. Subconscious wishful thinking on my part... :(

T-Stone

09-26-05, 11:04 PM

Live in Gifford, I know their tower is near Monticello. Maybe CU is blocking out signal, I can't get anything in DT. Have Recton 3000 in attic, and have no problem receiving all the other channels, including WAND, much farther away. Any help appreciated. Have rescanned several times, to no avail. I understand 12 is really on channel 9, or something like that. Anything I need to do differently

Thanks in advance,

jstiefel

09-27-05, 10:29 AM

Just received another email to follow up the first one I recieved....

I apologize. I misunderstood my engineers. They have only had it up long enough to do some testing but they are still working on it. We ask for you patience in this time of transition while we get all the necessary equipment and technology in place

Thank you.

thumperxr69

09-28-05, 01:14 AM

Guys are we sure the MNF game was in HD last night??? Did they switch it later??? When I flipped it over about 8:15 it was in SD and I refused to watch it. UT and LSU sure looked good on ESPN2. :D

T

goldrich

09-28-05, 08:08 AM

Guys are we sure the MNF game was in HD last night??? Did they switch it later??? When I flipped it over about 8:15 it was in SD and I refused to watch it. UT and LSU sure looked good on ESPN2. :D

T

Yesterday a viewer north of Terre Haute posted this at the Indy site........

"Sorry, once again an update for the Terre Haute/Clinton area folks concerning 15.1 the ABC station out of Champaign, Illinois.

Yes, Monday night football was indeed shown in HD last night by WICD. I believe as long as you are using an outside antenna people in the area you should have very little trouble in getting this channel."

nalesic

09-28-05, 10:32 AM

I can confirm that MOST of the game was in HD. There was a least one commercial break where they came back and it was in SD, but after the next commercial break it went back to HD. Keep in mind that only WICD, and not WICS, was HD. Also, as someone mentioned, the audio sync was terrible. But hey, it's football, so the audio sync doesn't need to be good.

mraub

09-28-05, 11:31 AM

I didn't check last night, but wonder if WICD is doing ABC's network offerings in HD. Desparate Housewives, which I DVR'd last Sunday night was SD.

krush02

09-28-05, 11:46 AM

Commander in Chief and Boston Legal were in HD last night, at least for the few minutes I was watching. Hoping it works for Lost tonight...

thumperxr69

09-28-05, 10:36 PM

Sorry guys...I misunderstood. I thought the conversation was about WICS.....which is still in SD.... :mad:

T

Vitale'sFakeEye

09-29-05, 10:23 AM

Did anyone else notice that the sound and video did not sync watching LOST on WICD-DT. I don't know if it happens to one viewer it happens to all viewers. If it helps I am using a samsung 360 for the ota receiver.

HDnoob55

09-29-05, 02:33 PM

Anyone have good information as to when Insight will be getting the HD from WAND and WICD? The lady from insight told me a vague answer. Does anybody here have some inside knowledge of the "war" between the stations and Insight? Plus, does anyone know why WCIA is taking forever to switch to HD? What are their reasons? It just doesn't make sense.

nalesic

09-29-05, 02:42 PM

HD, first off, don't expect anything quick with Insight. Nothing with them ever is. As far as CBS, it's a (I believe) Sinclair-owned station, and basically, they don't want to convert until they have to because they believe the cost isn't worth the return. Hopefully CBS out of Terre Haute will go to full power soon so we can get that.

Chilli_Dog

09-29-05, 06:39 PM

Actually, WCIA (CBS) is a Nexstar station. Nonetheless, they don't seem to be in any hurry to upgrade to HD.

nalesic

09-29-05, 08:36 PM

Ack, knew I'd pick the wrong owner. Anyway, moral of the story is the same. Thanks for correcting Chili.

T-Stone

09-29-05, 08:36 PM

The station engineer replied to my e-mail that basically, they are presently only testing at about 10% power, and don't expect to be fully operational and at full power until the end of 2006, or spring of 2007.

rrrick8

09-29-05, 09:40 PM

T-Stone

09-30-05, 10:35 AM

rrick8,
I was referring to WCIA. He replied to an e-mail I sent the station about 3 weeks ago. He said it was doubtful anyone much out of the city limits would get much of a signal.

I was going to paste his reply, but have already delited his reply.

Terry

HDnoob55

09-30-05, 11:17 AM

I appreciate the response to my question. If anyone hears anything from the good people at Insight regarding HD additions, please post. Thank you!

mraub

09-30-05, 12:06 PM

Does this mean WCIA is testing a HD signal or just their new digital transmitter? Their digital signal is usually almost off the scale at my house, so even a low power signal ought to be enough for my location.

rrick8,
I was referring to WCIA. He replied to an e-mail I sent the station about 3 weeks ago. He said it was doubtful anyone much out of the city limits would get much of a signal.

I was going to paste his reply, but have already delited his reply.

Terry

rrrick8

09-30-05, 09:53 PM

Has WCIA reduced their signal strength this week?

I used to be able to pick them up almost all the time. But this week I changed D** receivers (got a HD DVR :p ) and I can't pick them up at all. Very low on my signal meter >20-25. I can receive other stations ok. Actually I'm receiving the far off stations WAND & WBUI better than ever with this new receiver.

Just puzzled about not getting WCIA anymore.

nalesic

10-01-05, 12:05 PM

I'm currently getting WCIA at 84-85 on my Dish Network receiver.

Chilli_Dog

10-03-05, 08:53 PM

Looks like WICS has switched resolutions from 1080i to 720p. Could it be that Monday Night Football will finally be in HD? Keeping fingers crossed... :cool:

jstiefel

10-03-05, 09:30 PM

No such luck.

Chilli_Dog

10-03-05, 09:55 PM

Yea, they flipped to HD for about 2 minutes -- just long enough to see that the audio sync was way off... :(

Oh well, at least they're getting closer. That's encouraging.

nalesic

10-04-05, 11:15 AM

It would be more encouraging if after two weeks WICD's audio sync was fixed. Unfortunately, last night it was still off, although not as badly as the week before, which was WAY off.

jdmcdonald

10-04-05, 12:20 PM

I watched the Grand Canyon piece last night on WILL-DT. The audio-video
sync was way way off. Is this the same for everybody?

Doug McDonald

bdfox18doe

10-04-05, 12:30 PM

Lip Sync can be a royal pain to adjust correctly..especially if proper engineering practices for digital audio aren't followed, or you're like me and can't tell which direction the lip sync is off..

thumperxr69

10-04-05, 09:13 PM

Has anybody else had problems with WCIA 3-1 lately??? I get no signal.

T

Yes I asked this back a little more than a month ago... I was getting WCIA 3 fine a few months ago but definitely something has happened.

I believe nalesic is getting the WCIA OTA from Champaign and the one that rrick8 is asking about is out of Springfield??? This has always been a little screwy to me. If I am wrong please someone correct me. :rolleyes:

T

rrrick8

10-07-05, 09:24 AM

Yes I asked this back a little more than a month ago... I was getting WCIA 3 fine a few months ago but definitely something has happened.

I believe nalesic is getting the WCIA OTA from Champaign and the one that rrick8 is asking about is out of Springfield??? This has always been a little screwy to me. If I am wrong please someone correct me. :rolleyes:

T

I'm in Danville. I receive their signal from their main tower near Monticello.

It is still coming in much weaker than it did a few weeks ago. Barely enough to get an usuable signal in the evening hours. Not enough during daylight hours.

I don't know if this is a problem with my new D** DVR Receiver or has something to do with the timing of WILL going on-line. Both occured at approximately the same time. However, all my other channels are coming in great, if not better than before.

:confused:

jdmcdonald

10-07-05, 10:45 AM

WCIA (CBS and UPN) is not near Monticello, it is closer to Champaign; actually
right on the Champaign-Piatt county border, 11 miles west of downtown Champaign.

It is at very low power (a Nexstar station). Getting it in Danville is a bonus,
they don't intend to serve anyone east of Champaign (without the hyphenated
Urbana!) If they ever go full power, it will be a very large signal.

In Danville, can you get the Lafayette CBS station? Or Terre Haute?

Doug McDonald

jmonsour

10-07-05, 12:26 PM

I'm 7 miles away from the tower in Mahomet and can't get the WCIA DT signal to come in on my television with an amplified indoor antenna, I get WILL and all the other channels fine but WCIA is persona non-grata on my TV.

gels

10-07-05, 01:40 PM

In Danville, can you get the Lafayette CBS station? Or Terre Haute?

When I lived in Danville I was able to get Lafayette with no problem:)

geoffrey

rrrick8

10-08-05, 09:46 AM

It is at very low power (a Nexstar station). Getting it in Danville is a bonus,
they don't intend to serve anyone east of Champaign (without the hyphenated
Urbana!) If they ever go full power, it will be a very large signal.

In Danville, can you get the Lafayette CBS station? Or Terre Haute?

Doug McDonald

I knew it was somewhere in the general area. My point was that I was not using the Springfield tower as someone had thought.

Anyway, I used to get a decent WCIA signal consistantly prior to my changing D** receivers. I changed receivers about the same time that WILL-DT went live. This is when I started not being able to get WCIA. There must be something in the tuner of the old D** receiver's tuner that enhanced the signal or something. Everything else is the same. No changes to the Antenna set-up. What strange is that the signals that were harder to get for me (WBUI and WAND) now come in much better. Only WCIA has decreased. My new D** receiver is a HD DVR so I'm not going to change it back.

Yes, I could turn my antenna and get Lafayette, (I can even get the Indy channels most nights) but with my antenna pointed at the right spot I could receive all the OTA broadcasts available. I can get CBS HD programing from another source so I only need WCIA to get the "local" stuff like news and Illini games and such.