twc has been a problem for me also in terms of pq of hd channels, I have had several techs out and they claim there is a leak but can't find it. Apparently, listening to talk radio they had so many people calling kctv complaining that they were going to show the gb/cleveland that they called cbs and got them to switch there feed to the den/sd eariler in the week.

Hang in there Sarang, WDAF is available here in Olathe, as I have gotten them since they raised the DT stick. When they go full power, you will have no trouble with them.

On what grounds? If you have a balcony or window that faces the right direction, they have to let you install an antenna. What you can't do is install an antenna on the roof or in any other "common area".
See http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html
I don't know about installing on exterior walls, but you can't drill through them.


unfortunatly laws such as these only afford protection from tyranical landlords for
people who can afford a laywer, such as all civil law.

This game vs. Philadelphia has been moved to a 3:15pm starting time. This is a FOX doubleheader weekend, and with an NFC at an AFC, it will be shown on FOX. For all those D* subscribers out there you shouldn't have to worry about WDAF not getting their HD up in time because even if they didn't, the game should be on D* 88. If the game were to stay at its original 12pm starting time, the Giants/Rams game would have likely been shown instead of Eagles/Chiefs. So basically looks like HD Chiefs for sure in week 4!!

Would love to come home with a 3-0 record facing the NFC champs.

O.K., Channel 4........You have 11 days and counting to power-up!

My wife's about at the end of her rope with WDAF's low power. Everytime we try to DVR a FOX show, about half of it is OK, and half is unwatchable. Last night's "House" was the last straw for her - it's back to analog on the VCR.

Brad

Hang in there Sarang, WDAF is available here in Olathe, as I have gotten them since they raised the DT stick. When they go full power, you will have no trouble with them.

I HOPE it ends up raised past the 69thou. mark I seem to see and also I'd just like to make mention as a general comment of how screwy the WB signal is, at least for me during certain times or just the power in general since after "Supernatural" it didn't have much of a problem picking up the signal.
Btw technical will KMBC be increasing the signal strength at ALL soon? It seemed like I was screwing around with my antennas in back with not much luck. I was curious to see if Oprah was being broadcast in HD.
Brad I'm almost already at the end of my rope with FOX just for missing "House" in HD yesterday is sacriledge to me. I won't be surprised if HD fans scream bloody murder at WDAF if the digital isn't running strong by the time the new season of "24" comes.
Also just as a curiousity why don't any of FOX's animated shows broadcast in HD?

I plugged in my Samsung SIR-T451 OTA HD Tuner (with QAM) into my Olathe Comcast (analog) cable and was able to get a bunch of Digital network channels, although nothing was actually in HD at the time. I also found a bunch of Video OnDemand instructional channels. Are those the same channels that they actually show the OnDemand programs if someone in my neighborhood orders them?

A letter from Frank Bowl dated today regarding availibility of the increase in signal by the Chiefs/Eagles game (9/21/05):

they tell me it will be ready...keep your fingers crossed.
frank

Is there a KSMO-DT engineer on here that can tell us when Time Warner Cable will get a feed of the WB in HD? We have patiently awaited the arrival of this last HD channel to the lineup. Since I cannot receive WB-HD OTA, I am forced to watch Smallville and Supernatural in crappy SD. Please God, somebody sign a contract already!

Since I cannot receive WB-HD OTA, I am forced to watch Smallville and Supernatural in crappy SD. Please God, somebody sign a contract already!

Life without local television broadcasters HDTV picture is very hard to handle. I feel for you Eyedox. Godspeed for KSMO WB62 HDTV to appear on the Time-Warner cable line.

Btw technical will KMBC be increasing the signal strength at ALL soon? It seemed like I was screwing around with my antennas in back with not much luck. I was curious to see if Oprah was being broadcast in HD.
QUOTE

KMBC DT 7 was at full power allowed when we went on the air April 26th, 2002.
Located at 5701 E. Topping the KMBC channel 7 Effective Radiated Power is 85,000 watts ( 85 Kw ).
This is the maximum power allowed by our FCC license. It was turned on the first time on April 26,2002 at 10:57 AM with Color Bars/ID/Tone for testing.

KMBC DT 7 was at full power allowed when we went on the air April 26th, 2002.
Located at 5701 E. Topping the KMBC channel 7 Effective Radiated Power is 85,000 watts ( 85 Kw ).
This is the maximum power allowed by our FCC license. It was turned on the first time on April 26,2002 at 10:57 AM with Color Bars/ID/Tone for testing.


One of my first post made here at AVS Forum. "KMBC DT-07 is on the air". The joys of having a signal of primetime full-power HDTV. I wish I could find that thread but I think the KMBC DT-07 thread got deleted when AVS Forum did some housecleaning. KMBC DT-07 sent out a strong message in May of 2002. Full-power and full bandwidth HDTV is here. That day and still to this day mutlicasting ugly head has stayed away from the Kansas City big networks digital broadcasting. Bold steps from gutsy management and engineers at KMBC DT-07.

BIG thanks to KMBC-DT for getting their Dolby Digital 5.1 back online so quickly!!

DogOfMadness, how is KCTV-DT coming along with bringing its 5.1 back online?

My problem child was back at work last night....Had been locked on to the 3 biggies at high power for the last few days (since about Saturday or Sunday)...all of a sudden, last night everything went haywire again....not a single thing changed.

I just don't get it.

Is there a KSMO-DT engineer on here that can tell us when Time Warner Cable will get a feed of the WB in HD? We have patiently awaited the arrival of this last HD channel to the lineup. Since I cannot receive WB-HD OTA, I am forced to watch Smallville and Supernatural in crappy SD. Please God, somebody sign a contract already!

Eyedox, as you probably know, KSMO is a Sinclair station (O&O). As far as I know, there are NO Sinclair HDTV stations currently carried by cable anywhere. Sinclair wants to charge the cable co's, and they (cable co's) don't want to pay. I'm sure it's more complicated than that, but that's it in a nutshell. Just be glad it's "only" the WB, and not one of the big four, like it is in some markets. ;)

Brad

Does anyone know what's up with WDAF showing 4:3 SD feeds in the 16:9 format? I noticed the HD bug is in it's proper location in the 16:9 lower right corner, but the video is a letter boxed 4:3.

...had to listen to the wife complain all night about her "OC" and "Reunion" not being HD. I guess I should have set the Tivo to record D*TV ch 88 instead of OTA 4.1. After it was too late, I checked the NY feed (D*TV ch 88) and they had the full 16:9 HD feed from FOX.

FWIW - locking a very strong WDAF DT signal via attic mounted Winegard SS-2000 in Olathe (66061 - College & Lone Elm). No audio or video signal reception issues at all.

J.

KMBC DT 7 was at full power allowed when we went on the air April 26th, 2002.
Located at 5701 E. Topping the KMBC channel 7 Effective Radiated Power is 85,000 watts ( 85 Kw ).
This is the maximum power allowed by our FCC license. It was turned on the first time on April 26,2002 at 10:57 AM with Color Bars/ID/Tone for testing.

What are your plans after the analog shutoff? Back to 9 for digital?
I regularly DX from KC, but since you occupy channel 7, which happens to be another Heast station in Omaha, a mere 60 miles away from me, I can never see your channel.
Yes, I'm so deprived! :D

I grew up in KC back in the 70's. (Mother Nature on 41 Treehouse lane was quite the bomb to a greade school kid, ya know).

TechItalian...

Could you please comment on whether or not KMBC is allowed to choose which game they wish to carry tomorrow in reference to the OSU/Iowa and CU/Miami games on ABC?

I noticed KMBC is slated to carry the Big 10 game, which I believe should not be the case, as we are a Big 12 Market.

It seems to me that the PQ of any sporting event shown on fox is quite inferior
to anything shown on the other networks. Does anyone else see this?

TechItalian...

Could you please comment on whether or not KMBC is allowed to choose which game they wish to carry tomorrow in reference to the OSU/Iowa and CU/Miami games on ABC?

I noticed KMBC is slated to carry the Big 10 game, which I believe should not be the case, as we are a Big 12 Market.

The OSU/Iowa game will be on our sister station, KCWE tomorrow morning as KMBC is going to carry the American Royal Parade. The CU/Miami game will be on KMBC. However, with the Hurricane coverage tomorrow, we're not sure what will happen with either game, (and that is an ABC decision).....TI :o

It seems to me that the PQ of any sporting event shown on fox is quite inferior
to anything shown on the other networks. Does anyone else see this?
I totally agree.

The OSU/Iowa game will be on our sister station, KCWE tomorrow morning as KMBC is going to carry the American Royal Parade. The CU/Miami game will be on KMBC. However, with the Hurricane coverage tomorrow, we're not sure what will happen with either game, (and that is an ABC decision).....TI :o


Just to make sure I'm understanding you correctly....The Iowa game will be on 29 (this I knew), and then the CU game will be JIP'ed after the parade on Channel 9? The CU/Miami game is at 12 ET/11 CST.

Thank you for your help.

This is welcome news as I was under the impression that CU would not be on at all.

What are your plans after the analog shutoff? Back to 9 for digital?
I regularly DX from KC, but since you occupy channel 7, which happens to be another Heast station in Omaha, a mere 60 miles away from me, I can never see your channel.
Yes, I'm so deprived! :D

I grew up in KC back in the 70's. (Mother Nature on 41 Treehouse lane was quite the bomb to a greade school kid, ya know).

We have requested to return to 9 which we see no reason why we won't get permission to do so but the power will remain the same....TI

TI - I was always curious ... why do some stations like yours only get to use 85kw and others get up to a megawatt? Does it just depend on who sleeps with who at the FCC? :) Why don't they allow all network TV stations do 1 MW?

TI - I was always curious ... why do some stations like yours only get to use 85kw and others get up to a megawatt? Does it just depend on who sleeps with who at the FCC? :) Why don't they allow all network TV stations do 1 MW?
I'll take this one. :)

VHF TV is at a MUCH lower frequency than UHF TV. Lower frequencys travel through the air much better than higher frequencys. They ARE more prone to electrical interference.

VHF 7 is at 174-180 MHz.
UHF 51 is at 692-698 MHz.

So KMBC-DT on VHF 7 at 85kw covers the same area as KPXE-DT on UHF 51 at 1000kw. During a thunderstorm (the lightning) you will have glitches with VHF 7, but probably won't have any with UHF 51.

It costs less money to run the transmitter too, right TI? :)

At long last!!! :eek: For the first time today, I have been able to add WDAF DT. I live in Raytown and it is Smokin in at 125 on my Dish 921. Before today, I could never get a lock on a signal of 70. Hope this is the long awaited upgrade and not just atmospherics. :rolleyes:

I can also now receive WDAF-DT OTA here in Greenwood, MO!! Is anyone else now able to receive the channel? Maybe they have already gone to full power!?

Wow, I just tried it and Fox is coming in at 90% in Raymore. I currently have a Samsung SIR T351 with an attic antenna. I have voice synch issues with ABC and WB when picking up HDTV. Comercials are fine as other channels. I saw a LG LS3100a on clearance the other day. This is an older model, but oppinion is needed if this is a better OTA receiver as the voice synch is real annoying. Also, it says QAM compatible? What exactly would I pick up if I hooked my Comcast cable up to it. Just the same OTA channels, except maybe not as clear?

I can also now receive WDAF-DT OTA here in Greenwood, MO!! Is anyone else now able to receive the channel? Maybe they have already gone to full power!?

They must be at full power because they're coming in at 99 out of 100 here in Topeka!!! Before they never came it at anything higher than 42/100. Very nice :D

-HiDefAutomation

Although I notice TitanTV shows HDTV shows tonight, but WDAF is coming in SD and not HDTV.

We have requested to return to 9 which we see no reason why we won't get permission to do so but the power will remain the same....TI

I can get 9 Analog on a good skip night, so there may be hope in the future!
The only other thing that gets in my way is 9 out of Sioux City. That's why they invented directional rooftop antennas and rotors though :)

I'll take this one. :)

VHF TV is at a MUCH lower frequency than UHF TV. Lower frequencys travel through the air much better than higher frequencys. They ARE more prone to electrical interference.

VHF 7 is at 174-180 MHz.
UHF 51 is at 692-698 MHz.

So KMBC-DT on VHF 7 at 85kw covers the same area as KPXE-DT on UHF 51 at 1000kw. During a thunderstorm (the lightning) you will have glitches with VHF 7, but probably won't have any with UHF 51.

It costs less money to run the transmitter too, right TI? :)

KMBC and KPXE were getting out well Wednesday evening along with KCTV.Only a small blip from KCWE and KCPT.Nothing at all from KSMO on 47,but 62 was in nicely at times.Is the KSMO DT still on an STA?

Check out the pics:

http://community-2.webtv.net/GregBarker/DXPHOTOS/

Wow- After years of waiting WDAF is now in the big league of Kansas City full-power digital television broadcasters. Thank you WDAF. This is a very good day. :)

KMBC and KPXE were getting out well Wednesday evening along with KCTV.Only a small blip from KCWE and KCPT.Nothing at all from KSMO on 47,but 62 was in nicely at times.Is the KSMO DT still on an STA?

Check out the pics:

http://community-2.webtv.net/GregBarker/DXPHOTOS/
Wow. That is amazing that you were getting KMBC-DT 7 in the green area of your signal strength bar in Indiana!! I'm assuming that since you were in the green that it was also watchable without too many breakups?

KSMO-DT 47 is still on their STA at 9kw. KCWE-DT 31 is also still on an STA. KCPT-DT is only licensed at 48kw.

Have you tried getting WDAF-DT 34, KMCI-DT 36, and KSHB-DT 42?

Although I notice TitanTV shows HDTV shows tonight, but WDAF is coming in SD and not HDTV.

I can confirm this -- the bernie mac show was shown on 4-1 in SD but when I switched over to D* 88 (New York - Fox HD) it was being shown in HDTV. Maybe someone at WDAF didn't flip the switch?

hdtimmy,

Thanks for the local info!

KMBC-7 popped in twice about 15min apart.The second time was about 15sec,which is normal for ducting reception.Funny you noticed the signal meter-I didn't.Yes,I tried all the DT's in the area.42 was not in the running as I have a 5 megawatt analog 36mi to the west.Did get signal detection on 34 and 31,but could have been locals coming in off the back from Cincy,no way to know for sure when that happens.18 and 36 had detection and locked with video eventually,but 18 was WAND-Decatur,IL and 36 was KOMU Jefferson City,Mo.

That's DX-you never know what you're going to get!

Yay! Finally I got FOX in, now for "House MD" and "24"! It's like CBS strength for me if not a little below. All I'm really missing now for a good signal is WB and KMBC. For some reason I only get a signal with 10 dB's to MAYBE 15.
How could I rig up a Radio Shack bowtie to amplify this? I was reading some article with a guy talking about how he was able to pick up more with it so I figure if I can use that to amplify I might be able to pick up both fairly strong.

Program Guide for KCTV says Florida vs. Kentucky should be in 1080i HD and KCTV has it in SD... Is the program Guide right or is KCTV not flipping the switch?

Hello,

I'm new to digital broadcasts in the KC area.

I'm getting FOX OTA as well - and a very good signal at that. However, the picture looks considerably worse than the feed I get from DirecTV. Go figure.

Mark

Wow- After years of waiting WDAF is now in the big league of Kansas City full-power digital television broadcasters. Thank you WDAF. This is a very good day. :)

Good job 'DAF!!! For the first time since moving here from St. Louis I have a solid signal (80/ 82 out of a 100 with a Dish 811) on DTV channel 34 here in Sedalia. Hope to see Fox HD for football tomorrow. Thanks for making the transition to full power DTV.

Hello,

I'm new to digital broadcasts in the KC area.

I'm getting FOX OTA as well - and a very good signal at that. However, the picture looks considerably worse than the feed I get from DirecTV. Go figure.

Mark

Probably WDAF is still working on the FOX 720p HDTV feed install. If WDAF FOX4 DT-34 (4-01) provides Kansas City with a full-bandwidth HDTV signal the picture quality will be wonderful. :)

Is the WB available in KC? I seem to be getting every station but this one.

Thanks,
Mark

Is the WB available in KC? I seem to be getting every station but this one.

Thanks,
Mark


Mark-

I can't get KSMO-DT either in Lenexa (95th & I-435) as I get a 0 out of 100 on the signal strength. I can get everything else, 4, 5, 9, 19, 29, 36, 41, 50 although 19 is pretty spotty for me.

Well it's looks like the FOX Sunday game is in 720p unless I am looking at a 16X9 480p upconvert. Anybody else with a opinion on picture quality on WDAF FOX4 DT-34 (4-01)?

Looks good here OTA in Greenwood, MO

Here is a link showing what games are in HD and SD on FOX.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=584187

Just reporting reception. Bottom line: the color coded chart in RadioShack was spot on for me, and an attic mounted antenna was almost too easy to install.

Antenna #1: I purchased the Radio Shack Accurian (16-3499) STB ($90 from a post here somewhere) last week with the Terk HDTVa Antenna (15-1872) a Silver Sensor clone. At that time on Fort Leavenworth, I was able to scan KCTV-DT (24/5-1), KMCI-DT (36/38-1), KPXE-DT (51/50-1,2,3,4). Somehow it seemed to double up on PAX and found 51-1,2,3,4 also.

#1 With Amp: On top of the bookcase, with the small amp turned on, and orienting the vane vertically, I could pick up KSHB-DT (42/41-1), and manually tuning, I had 'blips' of picture on KMBC-DT (7/9-1) and KCWE-DT (31/29-1).

Antenna #2: After finding the attic easy to access, with lots of open space, I took the Terk back to RadioShack and picked up the 80" VU-90XR (15-2152) and the Attic Mount (15-0882) (also on clearance $5). I also spent a lot of time talking when I should have just gotten the one they pointed at first. The sticker worried me a bit as it only had the first two pie charts (Yellow and Green) where www.antennaweb.org listed red for most KC stations (blue/violet for PBS/WB). We looked at the $24 UHF antenna with the red sticker, but besides missing out on ABC, it was meant to connect to a standard antenna with a specified <higher> location on the mast, I did not know if it needed the other for a back-plane or something... Then we broke out the color coded map from under the counter. I looked at my specific location and saw that it was dark green, same as the antenna, so I took the gamble.

The roof's slope and no cross-members eliminated a hanging install. Maybe that is why the mount is on clearance - 6" longer would have let me hang it. I installed the 80" antenna in the attic with two screws, drilled a couple of holes for the RG-6 cable, pointed it generally where the indoor Terk liked to be pointed and I am getting all of the digital stations with no twin instances of PAX. I could probably get better reception if I went and used the meter to aim it, but until the WB starts wonking out, I will forego pulling myself up into the attic multiple times (I do not have a step ladder).
Reception meter and Signal-to-Noise levels:
Station # Meter SNR
------- ---- ----- -------
WDAF-DT 4-1 80-85 27-29db
KCTV-DT 5-1 85-90 29-32db
KMBC-DT 9-1 90-94 30-33db
KCTV-DT 19-1 76-77 22-24db
KCWE-DT 29-1 90-94 31-33db
KMCI-DT 38-1 87-88 29-30db <--Listed as 36-1 on antennaweb.org?
KSHB-DT 41-1 87-88 29-30db
KPXE-DT 50-1 87-89 29-30db
KSMO-DT 62-1 68-69 19-20db

v/r,
C-F

Just reporting reception. Bottom line: the color coded chart in RadioShack was spot on for me, and an attic mounted antenna was almost too easy to install.

C-F

Those old-fashion VHF/UHF attic/outdoor antennas are great. :)

Wow- After years of waiting WDAF is now in the big league of Kansas City full-power digital television broadcasters. Thank you WDAF. This is a very good day. :)

Looks like I picked a heck of a week to be out of town. :rolleyes:

Oh well, at least I'll have something to look foward to when I get back.

Congratulations to WDAF on joining the rest of the KC digital TV world.

Now that WDAF-Fox finally has it's OTA signal operating at a realistic level where most of us can receive a decent signal (THANKS WDAF for FINALLY getting it done.) is KSMO - 62-1 now the most difficult OTA digitial signal to receive? Does it still have power upgrades to come?

I used to get KSMO 62-1 fine and then it just dropped off and only works intermittently now. (signal strength below 30 and no lock most of the time.) I am receiving all of the other OTA channels fine - full lock with no pixelation. KCPT seems to have issues every now and then but that could be due to work on their antenna but it is located in the same direction as the KSMO tower.

Now that WDAF-Fox finally has it's OTA signal operating at a realistic level where most of us can receive a decent signal (THANKS WDAF for FINALLY getting it done.) is KSMO - 62-1 now the most difficult OTA digitial signal to receive? Does it still have power upgrades to come?

I used to get KSMO 62-1 fine and then it just dropped off and only works intermittently now. (signal strength below 30 and no lock most of the time.) I am receiving all of the other OTA channels fine - full lock with no pixelation. KCPT seems to have issues every now and then but that could be due to work on their antenna but it is located in the same direction as the KSMO tower.

Yes it is time to start e-mailing and asking nicely why is KSMO WB62 DT-47 (62-01) the last to go full-power digital broadcasting. KSMO has everthing in place it seems to flip the switch from low power to full-power. With a nice tower, uplinks, good management and engineers, HDTV broadcasting along with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio output available why does KSMO stay low-power and lose so many viewers to other full-power digital HDTV broadcasters? Please KSMO turn up the power.

Yes it is time to start e-mailing and asking nicely why is KSMO WB62 DT-47 (62-01) the last to go full-power digital broadcasting. KSMO has everthing in place it seems to flip the switch from low power to full-power. With a nice tower, uplinks, good management and engineers, HDTV broadcasting along with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio output available why does KSMO stay low-power and lose so many viewers to other full-power digital HDTV broadcasters? Please KSMO turn up the power. They do it because the FCC is not yet requiring the smaller (non Big-4) networks to be full power until next year. Unfortunately, there are a lot of stations out there like KSMO and WDAF that only do the bare minimum to squeak by rather than embracing the new, better technology ahead of the deadlines. KSMO's parent company is also refusing to allow cable carriage of their HD signal because they want more money. Again, it's we the viewers who are left to suffer because of corporate greed.

Does anyone else have a problem receiving DD 5.1 on KCTV via TWC?
I have no problem with the other networks, but have not been receiving 5.1 on any of the primetime shows on KCTV.
I am sure KCTV was passing the 5.1 signal thru earlier this year.

Thanks for your help.
Ron in KC

I believe Dog-of-Madness from KCTV said that they were currently having problems with their Dolby encoder, and they are working feverishly to correct them.

Brad

P.S. Thank you, WDAF, for working hard to get powered-up ahead of (your) schedule!

Does anyone else have a problem receiving DD 5.1 on KCTV via TWC?

It's not available via OTA either. As previously mentioned it is having some issues with its Dolby encoder so until it is fixed you will only get Dolby Pro Logic - just like the regular MTS stereo broadcast.

A TWC Rep the other day was telling me that ESPN2-HD was already on the east coast with their cable company, and should be rolling out this fall in the midwest. Why they did not release it nationwide all at once is beyond me. He said that they are still hoping for a KSMO-DT carriage agreement by the end of this year. No word on StarzHD or MaxHD or Universal HD.

Now that WDAF-Fox finally has it's OTA signal operating at a realistic level where most of us can receive a decent signal (THANKS WDAF for FINALLY getting it done.) is KSMO - 62-1 now the most difficult OTA digitial signal to receive? Does it still have power upgrades to come?

I used to get KSMO 62-1 fine and then it just dropped off and only works intermittently now. (signal strength below 30 and no lock most of the time.) I am receiving all of the other OTA channels fine - full lock with no pixelation. KCPT seems to have issues every now and then but that could be due to work on their antenna but it is located in the same direction as the KSMO tower.

For me it seems to be both KMBC and KSMO. It's really weird too because after one of their major network shows, see 9 p.m. it picked up a signal fine. If they're screwing around they need to quit because IMO, outside of FOX and ABC for the most part, WB has the most desirable HD programming on.
Also I gotta ask but even if WDAF's 720p scaler isn't up when I was watching "The Simpsons" it looked quite good. Was it just being upscaled?

Did anyone lose KCPT tonight around 7:00PM? Everything else is coming in fine. Just want to make sure it isn't me :)

Thanks,
Mark

Lost it here too, can get 19 analog, and 19 on D*, but no DTV.

Did anyone lose KCPT tonight around 7:00PM? Everything else is coming in fine. Just want to make sure it isn't me :)

It was gone before 7. When exactly I don't know but 0 on the signal strength.

Yes it is time to start e-mailing and asking nicely why is KSMO WB62 DT-47 (62-01) the last to go full-power digital broadcasting. KSMO has everthing in place it seems to flip the switch from low power to full-power. With a nice tower, uplinks, good management and engineers, HDTV broadcasting along with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio output available why does KSMO stay low-power and lose so many viewers to other full-power digital HDTV broadcasters? Please KSMO turn up the power.

I would have to say that they're already broadcasting at full power. I pick them up at 90-92/100 in Topeka at a distance of 68mi. (Just watched Just Legal, before switching to the game, in HD with what sounds like DD2.0) In the past I haven't been able to receive any KC station that wasn't full power. I could see their signal at like 30-50 but damn sure couldn't watch them. Now that WDAF-DT is at full power I get all 9 stations. Now I'm just waiting for the next thunderstorm to see what happens to my reception. :rolleyes:

-HiDefAutomation

I found this page (http://www.wtv-zone.com/dpjohnson/kcit50/) that describes the challenges of early UHF station KCIT-50 in KC. It had a hard time getting folks to purchase an antenna to receive the "new" UHF signal in 1969 and went off the air in 1971. The UHF tuning issues for channel 50 and 41 then remind me of the issues many folks are encountering now trying to tune OTA signals, often with inadequate antennas or a poor installation.

If you live in or around Topeka here (http://www.krohe.com/top_tv_rcpt.htm) is a great article on some of the challenges you will face on tuning your OTA reception there.

Dish users,
Anyone spoken with KSMO lately about not decoding their signal with the 811? For those of you like me who need to watch something in HD there, I have found a fix. I can tune to 62.01 and disconnect/reconnect my antenna in the back of the 811 quickly, then the channel comes in. If you change channels, however, the channel will go back to black screen no audio. Hope the info works for you all, and maybe this info will help troubleshoot the issue.

Thanks for the work around. It really works! Now those of us who watch programming on the WB can get it in Hi-Def. I DID call Dish Network after I was sure the antenna disconnect/reconnect worked. I talked with a rep and she was very surprised to hear my story. I explained that it seems every 811 owner in Kansas City has this problem with KSMO. She took information about my system, and we'll see if it leads to anything.......

I'm also very happy that WDAF FINALLY got their HD act together. Like many of you, I am a big football fan and the games in Hi-Def are simply outstanding!!

I receive every KC Hi-Def channel (except for KCPT and KSMO) in the 90-94% range.

I plugged in my Samsung SIR-T451 OTA HD Tuner (with QAM) into my Olathe Comcast (analog) cable and was able to get a bunch of Digital network channels, although nothing was actually in HD at the time. I also found a bunch of Video OnDemand instructional channels. Are those the same channels that they actually show the OnDemand programs if someone in my neighborhood orders them?

Am I really the only one on Comcast that has tried this with their HD tuner?

Just wondering if I'm the only one who feels like the KMBC audio level is low? I'm receiving all the stations OTA with my A/V receiver set at the same level. When I switch between stations KMBC's audio level seems to be lower than everyone else. It seems to be a bit louder when on HD sources but when upconverted SD its way low. (Not the SD network stuff, only the local SD material. I can tell when they switch not only because of the content but the audio changes from DD5.1 to Pro Logic)

They also seem to have a lip sync issue tonight on Lost 7pm-8pm.

One Tree Hill on KSMO-DT doesn't have any audio at all. It only appears to be on the network HD source. When they switch to local commerical it's all good.

-HiDefAutomation

Anyone getting KCPT yet or hear if they are having a problem?

Thanks,
Mark

The ABC HD network audio level is low. KMBC is trying to match the audio level with their locally inserted ads as best as they can. They even purchased some equipment to do this.

Before KMBC had this equipment, KMBC's local ads used to blow all of us off of our couches beause they were so much louder than ABC HD.

I'm not sure why ABC HD's audio is so low, but it has been this way since day one.

I'm not sure why ABC HD's audio is so low, but it has been this way since day one.

Because I travel for a living to many TV stations around the country I've had the opportunity to view all the networks HD material both straight off the bird and after ATSC transmission. From my past experiences of other ABC stations (O&Os) KMBC's audio is the exception, not the rule for ABC. I can't say this with 100% assurance but I don't think MNF is as low.

To me it's not a good philosophy to nullify the problem by placing audio limiters inline on your SD feed to your HD transmissions instead of correcting the problem. Doing that you end up with an overall lower audio level on your HD tranmission and the range isn't as dynamic on the upconverted SD material.

I'll check and report back next month as I'll be headed to the ABC network origination point.

-HiDefAutomation

Am I really the only one on Comcast that has tried this with their HD tuner?

One of my colleague got a HDTV with built-in tuner (including QAM) and when he connected his TV to his analog cable, he was able to get the local digital stations including Discovery HD. He is with Time Warner.

Thanks for that info, HiDefAutomation.

I haven't been able to receive WDAF-DT very long, so I'm not sure how long this has been an issue, but their local sound is much lower in volume than the network sound. In a way, it's kind of nice because the commercials aren't so loud!

Brad

I think I may have told someone incorrect info. Are any of the OTA stations broadcasting in 1080i yet? When you look at what's on at titantv, click on an HD show some say broadcast in 1080i and some 720p. But someone told me that none of KC's stations are broadcasting @ 1080i. And the first post here indicates that no stations are at 1080i. Just curious so I don't relay wrong info to friends.

Thanks,

bryan

I think I may have told someone incorrect info. Are any of the OTA stations broadcasting in 1080i yet? When you look at what's on at titantv, click on an HD show some say broadcast in 1080i and some 720p. But someone told me that none of KC's stations are broadcasting @ 1080i. And the first post here indicates that no stations are at 1080i. Just curious so I don't relay wrong info to friends.Except for PAX, ALL of the local KC stations are broadcasting at least some of their programs in 720p or 1080i HD depending on the station.

I know that KCTV (CBS) and KSHB (NBC) are at 1080i.

I'm pretty sure that KCWE (UPN) and KSMO (WB) are 1080i (including a lot of upconverts).

I think that KMCI (IND) is upconverted 1080i, but I'm not sure.

WDAF (FOX), KMBC (ABC), and KCPT (PBS) are 720p.

KPXE (PAX) is 480i, multicast times 4, I believe.

If anybody knows better, please chime in.

Brad

That's what I thought at least about CBS & NBC @1080i.

Thanks for the info.

WOOHOO! I'm receiving WDAF-DT now.

This is the current layout to the best of my knowledge.


Display Station Broadcast Broadcast Network Network
Channel ID Format Channel Format

4.1 WDAF-DT 720P 34 FOX-HD 720P
5.1 KCTV-DT 1080I 24 CBS-HD 1080I
9.1 KMBC-DT 720P 7 ABC-HD 720P
19.1 KCPT-DT 720P 18 PBS-HD 1080I
19.2 KCPT-DT 480 18 PBS 480I
29.1 KCWE-DT 1080I 31 UPN-HD 1080I
38.1 KMCI-DT 1080I 36 INDEPENDENT
41.1 KSHB-DT 1080I 42 NBC-HD 1080I
50.1-4 KPXE-DT 480 51 "I" 480I
62.1 KSMO-DT 1080I 47 WB-HD 1080I


19.1 is the only channel that is not carrying it's network in the network's native format. They are converting the 1080I PBS-HD feed to 720P for broadcast.

19.2 and 50.1-4 are broadcast in 480, but I'm not sure if it's 480P or 480I.

KPXE is now an "I" network affiliate, formerly "PAX".

I believe that all the stations broadcasting in 720P or 1080I up-convert all 480 programming to their broadcast format rather than attempting to change their broadcast format to 480.

Sorry, I'm not sure how to make the columns line up correctly.

WDAF was available the other night in Lincoln, Nebraska around 6am. It actually came in better than KCTV which is usually my DX beacon that direction.
Impressive.
Cant' get 9, as it's channel 7 nor 41 as it's on 42, which are both frequencies being used by analog up the road in Omaha.

I just had Antenna Masters install my HDTV antenna. He insured that everything was working to my satisfaction. He did a fantastic job and now I receive all the digital stations perfectly. I highly recommend him. I live in Independence near Chrisman High School.

I have had lip synch issues with KMBC off and on for a long time. I guess I thought it was my SAMSUNG SIR 350 to blame

Just wondering if I'm the only one who feels like the KMBC audio level is low? I'm receiving all the stations OTA with my A/V receiver set at the same level. When I switch between stations KMBC's audio level seems to be lower than everyone else. It seems to be a bit louder when on HD sources but when upconverted SD its way low. (Not the SD network stuff, only the local SD material. I can tell when they switch not only because of the content but the audio changes from DD5.1 to Pro Logic)

They also seem to have a lip sync issue tonight on Lost 7pm-8pm.

One Tree Hill on KSMO-DT doesn't have any audio at all. It only appears to be on the network HD source. When they switch to local commerical it's all good.

-HiDefAutomation

Looks like KSHB is having problems with their HD feed. Leno started off in HD and then they were switching back to SD 4:3. They finally ended the show in SD 4:3. Now it looks like Conan is in SD widescreen. I wonder if this is a local issue or a national issue?

Anybody having problems pulling in WDAF lately? I haven't been able to get it OTA the last few days in Olathe.

Problem solved. Just re-positioned the antenna slightly.

I apologize, but where is the updated general broadcasting info for Kansas City?

It appears post #1 of the thread wasn't edited in a while (?)

I apologize, but where is the updated general broadcasting info for Kansas City?

It appears post #1 of the thread wasn't edited in a while (?)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From a few days ago..........hope this helps


Display Station Broadcast Broadcast Network Network
Channel ID Format Channel Format

4.1 WDAF-DT 720P 34 FOX-HD 720P
5.1 KCTV-DT 1080I 24 CBS-HD 1080I
9.1 KMBC-DT 720P 7 ABC-HD 720P
19.1 KCPT-DT 720P 18 PBS-HD 1080I
19.2 KCPT-DT 480 18 PBS 480I
29.1 KCWE-DT 1080I 31 UPN-HD 1080I
38.1 KMCI-DT 1080I 36 INDEPENDENT
41.1 KSHB-DT 1080I 42 NBC-HD 1080I
50.1-4 KPXE-DT 480 51 "I" 480I
62.1 KSMO-DT 1080I 47 WB-HD 1080I


19.1 is the only channel that is not carrying it's network in the network's native format. They are converting the 1080I PBS-HD feed to 720P for broadcast.

19.2 and 50.1-4 are broadcast in 480, but I'm not sure if it's 480P or 480I.

KPXE is now an "I" network affiliate, formerly "PAX".

I believe that all the stations broadcasting in 720P or 1080I up-convert all 480 programming to their broadcast format rather than attempting to change their broadcast format to 480.

Sorry, I'm not sure how to make the columns line up correctly. KC-Technerd

Thank you. Where did you get this info?

Is there a FAQ for pros/cons of Time Warner Kansas City Cable vs. Satellite? (Or can anyone participating in this thread for years post if this was discussed in the thread with updated info :))


Does anyone else think it's wrong to have post #1 of the KC thread not updated in more than two and a half years?

I must chuckle a little when I read some of the posts here about reception problems of individuals that are within just a few miles of stations in KC.

I live 75 miles due East of KC, day or night I can pick up every single digital station KC offers. 4,5,9,19,29,41,50(Oh boy!) and 62. These stations never drop below 70% strength wise. I am using a Channel Master 3018 antenna with a Channel Master rotor, Winegard 8275 pre-amp and RG-6 coax.

My point is not to brag. My point simply is...if you want to pick up all stations most of the time without problems developing out of nowhere every few days you have to follow simple rules, no exceptions.

1. Buy a quality antenna from a quality manufacturer that is correct for your needs...do a little research now to save time and money later. Cheap antennas get you what you pay for.

2. Use RG-6 coax with no splices and good quality connectors no matter how far the installation run is...it has the least signal loss and is the best...enough said.

3. If your stations are in different directions or you are constantly having to "re-adjust" your antenna...get a rotor...life is to short for "re-adjustments daily". There is nothing better than being able to hit a button from your chair to make small adjustments or move the antenna anytime you feel the need.

4. The higher the antenna the better.

5. If you are going to try and pick up stations consistently with an antenna in the attic or inside the home realize that you are going to need a very strong signal from the stations to overcome loss from the antenna being inside a structure.

6. If you want to draw in distant stations you will need a pre-amp. Once again a good quality one that is correct for your needs. Do the research and save yourself time and money.

c627627

That info was all from my own observations and research. Most of the networks have some limited info on High Definition on their websites including what format they use. Most of the locals have some info on their websites too.

I managed to get my antenna re-aimed today. I didn't really gain too much.

I'm located in the southern part of Liberty, MO.

I'm using a Sony ANJ-AA1 Antenna. This antenna shares a single RG-6 cable with the satellite and uses the DC voltage present on the line from the satellite receiver to power an internal pre-amp. I know this cable sharing system may be causing some anomalies, and is probably not an optimal setup. Channel 19's analog transmitter somehow affects or masks my reception of KCTV-5's digital signal (channel 24), but only on one receiver. Channel 24 is my weakest reception anyway, and it is the closest digital station to channel 19, other than KCPT's own channel 18.

Receiver #1 is a Sony SAT-HD300 DirecTV receiver. The signal strength is indicated by a number on a scale from 0-99.

Receiver #2 is the built-in receiver on a Sony KDF-70XBR950. It only has a graphical scale that appears to have 28 segments. So the number indicated is out of 28 max.

So the format is (Station number)--------(Rec #1 reading)-------(Rec #2 reading)

(When 19 analog is being broadcast)
4-------59-------26
5-------20-------19
9-------98-------27
19-----71-------20
29-----90-------25
38-----51-------25
41-----90-------25
50-----92-------25
62-----68-------24

(when analog 19 is off the air)
4-------57-------27
5-------71-------19
9-------95-------27
19-----71-------20
29-----90-------25
38-----52-------25
41-----89-------25
50-----92-------25
62-----67-------23


I found it interesting to note that a 90 degree change in the aim of the antenna, (from directly towards the KC downtown area which would seem to be correct for all stations, to 90 degrees away from that had very little effect on signal strength on any station, even on KMBC-DT 9 (channel 7). Considering that my antenna has a dipole VHF section, I would think there'd be more change, but channel 7 remains near peak at 96-98 out of 99.

All digital stations are receivable at all times, with the exception of KCTV-DT 5.1 (Channel 24). I cannot receive it on receiver #1 when KCPT channel 19 (Analog) is broadcasting. Reception of KCTV-5 is good at all times on receiver #2.

I'd certainly be interested in seeing other's reception info, especially if they're using the same receivers I am, and if they're near Liberty. I'm wondering if anyone else with an SAT-HD300 is having any problems receiving 5.1 (channel 34) on it.

Technerd,

I am near Liberty, on the KC side right off 291. I don't have the exact numbers, however I am getting at least 80% signal strength on all stations. Most are in the 90's. I am using a Winegard bidirectional antenna provided by Directv. My reciever is a HD directivo also from Directv.

Does anyone else think it's wrong to have post #1 of the KC thread not updated in more than two and a half years?

Yes the first post is out of date. The person who started the thread is gone so we are unable so far to change the information. Anybody have any ideas to upgrade page #1?

I think the AVS gurus who run/moderate this mammoth puppy can pretty much do whatever they want. I would ask them about it. :)

Woo Hoo.. WDAF in Raytown, looks good on my 2 plasmas and hdtv projector 80 inch screen downstairs... BRing on the Chiefs

Is wdafdt having issues today. i watched it last night in hd format but it is not on today. I hate watching the game in sd when it is available in hd. What gives channel 4?

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. may sell off its television stations located outside the top 25 U.S. markets, news reports said last week.

Such a sale would reduce the number of company owned-and-operated stations to 27 from 35. Stations that could be sold include those serving Kansas City, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City, Memphis, Austin, and Birmingham, AL.

I don't know if their DT feeds are already on the cable systems there. If they are hopefully the carry agreements currently in place are strong enough to not affect their availability. Some broadcast groups out there are strongly opposed to allowing the cable companys to carry their DT feeds for free.

I can't blame them though as some cable companys charge for these HD locals. Why should the cable companies be allowed to make money off the TV stations product when the FCC doesn't require it.

-HiDefAutomation

Is wdafdt having issues today. i watched it last night in hd format but it is not on today. I hate watching the game in sd when it is available in hd. What gives channel 4?

Not sure what happened in KC, but as much as we'd like all games to be HD, that is not possible due to the limited number of HD production trucks available. If the game aired in SD, then that is the cause, since the feed is pre-encoded at the network (either SD or HD) and WDAF has no way to change the network resolution, either inadvertently or intentionally.

If, on the other hand, the transmitter was off-the-air so you couldn't receive anything, I'd like to know about it.

dtv4u

Is wdafdt having issues today. i watched it last night in hd format but it is not on today. I hate watching the game in sd when it is available in hd. What gives channel 4?

Ummm... I was watching WDAF-HD (4.1) OTA and saw the chiefs in HD this afternoon... is this what you were/are talking about?

Ladies and Gents,

I'm not sure what your experiences have been with communications with WDAF concerning their DTV broadcasts. With dtv4u's appearance in the thread I can tell you that you now have someone affiliated with News Corp., the owner of WDAF, reading your posts and interested in your valid concerns. (Kind of like big brother looking in, just doing so from like 47th St. & 6th Ave. NYC)

I applaud these actions and wish it was more common of all station groups to monitor a resource such as this to know how their stations efforts, or lack there of, are seen by the communities they serve. It doesn’t hurt to have big brother watching over things from time to time.

So don’t hesitate to post your VALID concerns. (i.e. transmitter off the air, SD when it should be HD, lip sync issues, freezing, popping, etc.) I say VALID concerns because you not being able to receive their signal doesn't necessarily equate to their issue. Please verify it is a real problem. It would be a shame to start suffering from the boy who cried wolf syndrome now that we have and audience.

-HiDefAutomation

on saturday i was getting a weak wdaf signal that would freeze at times. this is after getting a 95%-100% signal for the prior week. i did not check the station at all sunday as i was at the chiefs game. we are in the parkville area.

Good signal in Shawnee on WDAF-DT for the game. Bad game.

Brad

KCWE is now at 1-Megawatt-full power as authorized by the FCC. Many thanks to our transmitter engineers who made this happen....TI

KCWE is now at 1-Megawatt-full power as authorized by the FCC. Many thanks to our transmitter engineers who made this happen....TI

Thanks, TI, that's great news!

Brad

I know it has been mention on this thread before but I just wanted to say how great it is that technicalitalian takes time to post on this thread. If only we could get a tech at all the affiliates to post on here. I commend technicalitalian and KCWE for keeping up with the HD world. :)

Bryan

Read the article on this link. CBS is starting a second digital video stream for next year.....

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001261209

Over here in Manhattan, I was picking up some stations from KC Sunday night. You guys sure are lucky to have the stations you do. I can normally pickup CBS and PBS in HD. That is it. I can also get ABC but it's SD.

I used to live in Manhattan. I sympathise with you :o

mark

DT4u

Apparently there was an issue with signal... It came back on Tuesday. I also had trouble with Ch. 5. It went out Monday but was back on Tuesday.

Not sure what the problem is. I have a winegard in the attic, but it is too large to be pointed toward downtown.. My lv guy is supposed to be geting in a new bar style 50 mile antenna. When its in I will post the changes I get.

Read the article on this link. CBS is starting a second digital video stream for next year.....

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001261209

Multicasting is the horrible monster that eats bandwidth and destroys full-bandwidth HDTV picture quality. I just do not understand why broadcasters have a powerful new weapon called full-bandwidth razor sharp 16X9 HDTV to lure viewers away from the endless maze of cable/satellite channels. Only to now chop up that quality picture and return to the days of low quality 4X3 fuzzy pictures.

Multicasting degrades picture quality. Full-bandwidth and full-power HDTV broadcasting is bringing back viewers to broadcast television. Next year HD-DVD players hit the market with 1080p picture quality. Low-bandwidth HDTV broadcasting will look bad aganist these new HD-DVD players picture quality. Viewers will notice and complain. :(

I just got a lcd 26 inch tv and I have a sa3250 (using twc) with a dvi output and it seems that the picture is off to the right and high. There is no way to adjust the picture with the tv when it is on the dvi imput. Does anyone have any help for me? I have a RCA 26 inch lcd if that helps.

Good News ... talked with KSMO/KCTV engineering today. Merideth Corp has completed the full acquisition of KSMO (transmitter and everything) per the FCC's blessing. The V.P. is currently working hard to get a retrans agreement hammered out with Time Warner Cable to allow WB in HD on TWC soon. On another note, the engineer said that they WILL meet the July 1, 2006 deadline for full power on their KSMO-DT transmitter, if not before.

I live in Olathe and have a SIR-T151 receiver. Sometime in the past few months, I have lost reception of 9 and 29. I check in the signal strength and I have a strong signal from both channels, but the TV only shows "Digital Sound" on the screen when I switch to the channel and then I get nothing.

I receive all of the other local HD channels: 4, 5, 19, 38, 41, 50 and 62. 62 has the weakness signal, yet I still receive clear picture and sound from it. I just installed a larger antenna thinking that I may have a signal problem ,but that did not address the issue. I did get a stronger signal with the new antenna, VU90-XR, but still no picture or sound from 9 or 29. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Dwight

I live in Olathe and have a SIR-T151 receiver. Sometime in the past few months, I have lost reception of 9 and 29. I check in the signal strength and I have a strong signal from both channels, but the TV only shows "Digital Sound" on the screen when I switch to the channel and then I get nothing.

I receive all of the other local HD channels: 4, 5, 19, 38, 41, 50 and 62. 62 has the weakness signal, yet I still receive clear picture and sound from it. I just installed a larger antenna thinking that I may have a signal problem ,but that did not address the issue. I did get a stronger signal with the new antenna, VU90-XR, but still no picture or sound from 9 or 29. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Dwight

Welcome Dwight. Have you removed the channels 9 (DT-07) and 29 (DT-31) from your guide and then rescan to add these channels back into the guide? Sometimes the PSIP information changes so a rescan may help.

Anyone else notice the promos on WDAF yesterday? They were bragging about having the "most powerful HD signal in Kansas City." Well, yeah, I guess so, but they failed to mention that it was also the LAST to come on-line ---- by a long shot ---- and that there are others equally strong!

Oh, well, I guess their MARKETING department is on the ball, at least!

Brad

I also saw those WDAF HD Ready promo's. It made me laugh, but I guess now they can finally say, "Hey we have HD now!" I wonder if they truly do have the most powerful signal?

At 1000kW ERP, they tie for most "powerful" with KCWE (UPN) and KCTV (CBS). Of those three, WDAF's antenna is the lowest, and it's digital channel (34) is the highest (higher frequencies take more power, as a rule), so you could easily argue that they have the third longest theoretical "reach" of the three. It's all in the semantics!

Brad

At 1000kW ERP, they tie for most "powerful" with KCWE (UPN) and KCTV (CBS). Of those three, WDAF's antenna is the lowest, and it's digital channel (34) is the highest (higher frequencies take more power, as a rule), so you could easily argue that they have the third longest theoretical "reach" of the three. It's all in the semantics!

Brad
Most likely it is because they are the only digital station KC with either a circular or elliptical polarized antenna. That means the are radiating a vertical, as well as horizontal polarized signal, thus could be called more powerful. Like we used to do with FM-100KW horz and 100 KW vert ERP=more powerful than another 100 KW that was horizontal only.

I hadn't even thought to delete and rescan. It worked like a champ, 9 and 29 came back.

Thanks jeffdbs,
Dwight

Anybody else experiencing audio popping & dropout on KCWE-DT tonight? I am receiving it OTA and having that problem. I did however notice that the problem doesn't seem to occur on local material only on sutff coming form the network IRD.

Just thought I would post it here in case anyone else can confirm this and in hopes the people at KCWE are watching and can do something about it.

-HiDefAutomation

Based on some reading I've done here, it would seem that I should be able to get FOX in Lawrence now. Can anyone confirm that?

If my antenna is receiving 5, 9, and 19, and should I also get 4? Or would I need to point the antenna a completely different direction?

Based on some reading I've done here, it would seem that I should be able to get FOX in Lawrence now. Can anyone confirm that?

If my antenna is receiving 5, 9, and 19, and should I also get 4? Or would I need to point the antenna a completely different direction?

go to www.antennaweb.org and you can find out. Since all of the antenna's are in the kc metro area, I would think that you would be able to get 4 without changing the direction you are pointing.

I'm still looking for an answer on if FOX is being received by anyone in Lawrence. I haven't found Antennaweb to be completely accurate with regards to what I receive. It does NOT show FOX as a station I should be able to receive.

Reading in this thread, it appears FOX has increased their power, and in another thread, someone referenced receiving it in Topeka. So, I assume I should get it in Lawrence, but I was not successful last night.

I'm still looking for an answer on if FOX is being received by anyone in Lawrence. I haven't found Antennaweb to be completely accurate with regards to what I receive. It does NOT show FOX as a station I should be able to receive.

Reading in this thread, it appears FOX has increased their power, and in another thread, someone referenced receiving it in Topeka. So, I assume I should get it in Lawrence, but I was not successful last night.


There is a guy on the WEST side of Topeka that is getting Fox 4 out of KC. He says he is pretty high up, using a CM 4228 and pre-amp. He has posted in this thread.

I'm still looking for an answer on if FOX is being received by anyone in Lawrence. I haven't found Antennaweb to be completely accurate with regards to what I receive. It does NOT show FOX as a station I should be able to receive.

Reading in this thread, it appears FOX has increased their power, and in another thread, someone referenced receiving it in Topeka. So, I assume I should get it in Lawrence, but I was not successful last night.

I have received FOX 4 (34) in Meriden, KS a couple times since the power-up. I can't say whether I was getting it last night since I've had to alter my setup due to water in our basement, but when I did get it I was using amplified rabbit ears and a DirecTV HR10-250. You should be able to get it if you can get 5.1, as they are on nearly the same sight line from Lawrence.

Sounds like I should get it.

I am using a Dish 942 receiver. My antenna is a 4228 Channelmaster, and has a preamp on it. I get 5.1 very well.

I'll have to figure out what's up with my receiver, as I did a scan last night and did not get it.

I'm still looking for an answer on if FOX is being received by anyone in Lawrence. I haven't found Antennaweb to be completely accurate with regards to what I receive. It does NOT show FOX as a station I should be able to receive.

Reading in this thread, it appears FOX has increased their power, and in another thread, someone referenced receiving it in Topeka. So, I assume I should get it in Lawrence, but I was not successful last night.

If you are pointed at 5, 9, and 19, you are pointed directly at 4. Have you tried to manually add channel 34 digital? Here (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT401543.html) is a link to their service contour map for your reference.

Brad

Have you tried to manually add channel 34 digital?

I tried to manually add, but I did so in error, as I tried to add 4 (brain farts...I should have known better). Your suggestion may be very helpful. I'll try to add 34.

My SCAN with the 942 did not find it. I don't know why. I have a post asking about that over at DBSTalk.com.

The verification that I should be able to get it was my first start. Thanks for the info everyone.

I am picking them all up here in St. Joe..and Antennaweb says I shouldn't get any of them...I'm about 53 miles from the towers, more or less...

Finally got it to work on the roof mount...and I'm happy thus far...

Now, it will probably go out once something comes on that I actually want to watch! :)

I have received FOX 4 (34) in Meriden, KS a couple times since the power-up. I can't say whether I was getting it last night since I've had to alter my setup due to water in our basement, but when I did get it I was using amplified rabbit ears and a DirecTV HR10-250. You should be able to get it if you can get 5.1, as they are on nearly the same sight line from Lawrence.

I live in northern Lee's Summit and I can get Fox great with just a $7 walmart indoor antenna in the basement!! I use a Hughes HIRD-E86 box for the ATSC tuner. I get all the other channels too but need to adjust the antenna a little bit. I haven't gotten around to installing the outdoor antenna.

I'm still looking for an answer on if FOX is being received by anyone in Lawrence. I haven't found Antennaweb to be completely accurate with regards to what I receive. It does NOT show FOX as a station I should be able to receive.

Reading in this thread, it appears FOX has increased their power, and in another thread, someone referenced receiving it in Topeka. So, I assume I should get it in Lawrence, but I was not successful last night.

Hey there,
I live in southwest lawrence and with the power boost, can no get fox at about 90% with an attic mounted antenna in a single story house. BTW, I also get every other digital KC signal as well. I use an amplifier since I'm diplexed and split to my DISH 811. KSMO is touchy but about primetime their signal starts creeping up to a level without dropouts. Hope that helps
Scott

I was picking up Fox on 34.1(remapped to 4.1) the other night here in Nebraska again. It's kickin out some wattage for sure.

I live in southwest lawrence and with the power boost, can no get fox at about 90% with an attic mounted

I took your NO to mean now, rather than not. :)

Thanks. I'm sure I should be able to get it.

I didn't get to try to add it last night, as I got home late, and somethign was recording. I can't add while it's recording. So, hopefully, I'll get it going tonight.

Thanks everyone for the replies.

Why Does the KMBC College Football Coverage look HORRIBLE!!!! I mean I was watchign the game earlier and the score at the top of the screen looks incredibly blurry. Is it the network feed or Channel 9's equipment? I was watching the KU/OU game on TBS and they showed highlights of an ABC college football game, and the scoreboard at the top looked clear. Kind of made me wonder.

Why Does the KMBC College Football Coverage look HORRIBLE!!!! I mean I was watchign the game earlier and the score at the top of the screen looks incredibly blurry. Is it the network feed or Channel 9's equipment? I was watching the KU/OU game on TBS and they showed highlights of an ABC college football game, and the scoreboard at the top looked clear. Kind of made me wonder.

I have noticed that the games on ABC look worse than the feed coming in off of analog OTA.

Is there something wrong with FOXHD and their Dolby Digital? It seems that i am not getting the DD signal, my front L&R speakers go to sleep when watching FOX, but KCTV sounds great. I am getting my signal from Everest, is it a Everest problem or have others noticed this?

I have noticed that the games on ABC look worse than the feed coming in off of analog OTA.

I second that, but second that for the Topeka ABC. The football games look better on analog. On the digital channel, it's better than watching through Directv because of compression, but the analog beats all three.

Dog of Madness,

You might want to let management know that the people in this area that can receive both KCTV and WIBW are watching WIBW because they are passing DD 5.1 and KCTV is not.

I have asked quite a few friends, coworkers, etc. and every one that can receive WIBW (myself included) is watching them instead of KCTV.

But I would love to switch back to KCTV. Hopefully this will happen soon??

Hello,

I realize that this thread is mainly for HD reception in KC but I thought my post fits here since I need to talk to some KC area residents. I am relocating from Michigan to Lenexa, KS and need some suggestions as to what cable/satellite service I should go with. I have Comcast right now and (as I recently discovered) unless I move to Olathe I will most likely have to opt for Time Warner. However, before I settle for cable I have two important considerations: getting most if not all Detroit Red Wing games (UofM & MSU games would be great too)....having the Detroit Fox Sports Net would be very nice instead of a center ice package, and two, having a decent selection of HD channels. So as I see it, my choices in lenexa are either Time Warner, DishNetwork, or DirectTV? Is this correct? Any help is much appreciated. Thanks!

Hello,

I realize that this thread is mainly for HD reception in KC but I thought my post fits here since I need to talk to some KC area residents. I am relocating from Michigan to Lenexa, KS and need some suggestions as to what cable/satellite service I should go with. I have Comcast right now and (as I recently discovered) unless I move to Olathe I will most likely have to opt for Time Warner. However, before I settle for cable I have two important considerations: getting most if not all Detroit Red Wing games (UofM & MSU games would be great too)....having the Detroit Fox Sports Net would be very nice instead of a center ice package, and two, having a decent selection of HD channels. So as I see it, my choices in lenexa are either Time Warner, DishNetwork, or DirectTV? Is this correct? Any help is much appreciated. Thanks!

You can also go with Everest for cable, I have them and am very happy. If you go with a Dish setup, just get your locals OTA they are great here. I used to get all OTA with just a set-top antenna from RadioShack, switched to Everest about 2 months ago, for package pricing and a HDDVR that had no upfront cost.

Hello,

I realize that this thread is mainly for HD reception in KC but I thought my post fits here since I need to talk to some KC area residents. I am relocating from Michigan to Lenexa, KS and need some suggestions as to what cable/satellite service I should go with. I have Comcast right now and (as I recently discovered) unless I move to Olathe I will most likely have to opt for Time Warner. However, before I settle for cable I have two important considerations: getting most if not all Detroit Red Wing games (UofM & MSU games would be great too)....having the Detroit Fox Sports Net would be very nice instead of a center ice package, and two, having a decent selection of HD channels. So as I see it, my choices in lenexa are either Time Warner, DishNetwork, or DirectTV? Is this correct? Any help is much appreciated. Thanks!

Time Warner is very good, especially in areas where they have Everest (a local cable/Internet/phone company that competes with the old regulated cablecos) as competition, where their prices are much more competitive. However, as part of a long, complicated story, Comcast will be taking over all the TWC territory in the KC area within 12-18 months, if you're a big fan of theirs. TWC seems to have slightly better HD offerings than Comcast (no HDNet) at this time. Everest is a good provider, but only available in limited areas. You can research the differences between the cable companies at http://www.twckc.com and http://www.everestkc.com. Time Warner won't quote their prices on the 'net because they differ between territories where Everest is available, and where it isn't.

As for the Red Wings and college hockey, you're kinda out of luck. Your best bet there would be DirecTV, since you can get all the RSN's from it. Maybe Dish, too, but I haven't investigated that. Some college hockey is on CSTV and FSN from time to time, but I mostly only watch the NHL...

The RSN we get here is Fox Sports Midwest, which carries Blues games. So you'd only get the Red Wings when they're on a national network (OLN, HDNet, NBC), or playing the Blues on FSN Midwest. Even with D*, they blackout all the pro sports leagues, so to watch the Wings regularly, you have to get NHL Center Ice, regardless of who your carrier is. As a subscriber, it's the best $129 I spend every year.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your move to Greater Kansas City - it's a real nice area!!

Thanks guys. I wasn't aware of Everest out there. I just looked online for what type of price I was looking at for direct tv and they want $499 for the HD DVR! That's crazy. Time Warner/Everest, here I come.

So, what kind of feed quality should I expect from NHL center ice through the cable services as compared to your local RSN channel (Fox Midwest)? Of equal or greater quality, I'm hoping. Will Direct Tv or Dish provide a better feed? Thanks again and I'm very much looking forward to moving out there!

Multicasting is the horrible monster that eats bandwidth and destroys full-bandwidth HDTV picture quality. I just do not understand why broadcasters have a powerful new weapon called full-bandwidth razor sharp 16X9 HDTV to lure viewers away from the endless maze of cable/satellite channels. Only to now chop up that quality picture and return to the days of low quality 4X3 fuzzy pictures.

Multicasting degrades picture quality. Full-bandwidth and full-power HDTV broadcasting is bringing back viewers to broadcast television. Next year HD-DVD players hit the market with 1080p picture quality. Low-bandwidth HDTV broadcasting will look bad aganist these new HD-DVD players picture quality. Viewers will notice and complain. :(


I know I am a little late on this, Jeff, but the reason that CBS wants to do this is purely business driven. Sure, HD may attract more viewers, but in markets with the most revenue, the playing field is level. There is plenty of HD out there for consumers to watch. So, they can still do HD, albeit not full bandwidth, and most people won't notice the signal degradation. At the same time, they have added, in all actuality, a second network for them. That means twice as many ads, hence twice as much ad revenue. I don't like it either, but money is the factor.

Thanks guys. I wasn't aware of Everest out there. I just looked online for what type of price I was looking at for direct tv and they want $499 for the HD DVR! That's crazy. Time Warner/Everest, here I come.

So, what kind of feed quality should I expect from NHL center ice through the cable services as compared to your local RSN channel (Fox Midwest)? Of equal or greater quality, I'm hoping. Will Direct Tv or Dish provide a better feed? Thanks again and I'm very much looking forward to moving out there!

Forgot to mention that Everest offers ESPN2HD, while TWC/Comcast do not yet, if that matters to you. But not InHD/InHD2...

For Center Ice, they just rebroadcast one of the RSN or national (TSN or SportsNet in Canada) feeds, so it's exactly the same thing you'd see on your RSN if you were in that market. NHLCI PQ is average, at least through TWC. It's digital, so slightly better than the RSN, which is still analog, but it's also noticably compressed. I've gotten so spoiled by hockey in HD that it's a little disappointing to see it on Center Ice, but it's fine - hasn't stopped me from watching up to 6 hours of NHL in a night! :p TWC also has InHD/InHD2, which carry the OLN HD games, which I think is about half that schedule. And HDNet games twice a week.

Don't know if D* or E* will provide better PQ - probably not much. If it's a crappy feed from the RSN it originates from, it'll be crappy, whoever passes it on. I find that arena lighting and camera placement and operation are far more important to PQ than the carrier.

Dish Network dropped OLN today because OLN wanted to increase the rates Dish Network was paying per subscriber an exceptional amount... check out dbstalk.com for more.

DogofMadness...........anychance tomorrow Chiefs game (friday night) will be in HDTV from CBS Sports?

DogofMadness...........anychance tomorrow Chiefs game (friday night) will be in HDTV from CBS Sports?


Wondering the same thing....

DogofMadness...........anychance tomorrow Chiefs game (friday night) will be in HDTV from CBS Sports?

It was never scheduled to be in HD, and it won't be tonight, despite the change in schedule.

http://www.hdsportsguide.com/nfl.php

I wish to thank Channel 5 for a lot of great help. (LOL very loudly) I tried to contact the engineering department on Thursday about their HD OTA signal. I left a message on the voicemail, but had no response. The problem I am having is with their signal loss. It will be running in the upper 30's to mid 40's. Then it will drop into the low 20's to 10. I was watching the Alabama-Tennessee game on HD and it dropped. It has not come up. I called KCTV-5 and there is no one there to answer a phone. I tried several numbers on the website but it went to voice mail or just kept ringing.

The only channel I cannot get is 62 with my setup, but 5 is very bad at dropping. Channel-4 was the bad boy for not getting a signal out, but now they are in the 70's. (I live in west Olathe. ) Channel 5 is now becoming the bad boy. I assume since they bought KSMO out, they will speed up the process of getting the HD signal up to full power.

At least I can watch the world series in HD now.

hawktigr- What type of antenna setup is at your location? I believe KCTV5 DT-24 (5-01) is fullpower now.

Jeffdbs

I have a winegard gs2200 set up in the attic. I don't know for sure if they are.. they are the lowest powered signal I get except 62.

Jeffdbs

I have a winegard gs2200 set up in the attic. I don't know for sure if they are.. they are the lowest powered signal I get except 62.

I may be wrong on this one for a solution-have you tried an old fashion VHF/UHF attic/outdoor television antenna with no amplifier?

Now that 4 is strong the only channel I cant get is 62. let me rephrase it registers 76% on my Dish 811 but never a picture. Is there any word on when they will start any programing on that channel.

Now that 4 is strong the only channel I cant get is 62. let me rephrase it registers 76% on my Dish 811 but never a picture. Is there any word on when they will start any programing on that channel.
Taking that at face value, KSMO-DT 62-1 is coming in with picture and sound at 68-69% with a 19-20db S/N ratio on a Radio Shack Accurian STB and 80" VU-90XR (15-2152) antenna mounted in my attic. The Accurian does not recognize the guide information for this channel and the PBS multicasts, but it does recognize the station ID in the [P????] stream.

Post #4047 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6249161&&#post6249161) has more information on my reception, if you would like.

v/r,
C-F

Jeffdbs

The previous antenna was a winegard aerial. It was in the attic with the same wiring. It was rated for 60 miles. The antenna was not satisfactory since I was not able to rotate it to the right direction due to its size and a house with trusses instead of stick-built attic. The lv guy brought the winegard in to get the right angle on it. I have ran it with and without a booster, and I was not able to receive any signals w/o the booster. Homeowners assoc. will not allow outside aerials (and the wife won't either).

Channel 5 was coming in with a 38 signal strength this morning. It faded out about 3. So I am watching the Fox HD game.

Thanks

hawktigr,

WDAF 4-1 and KCTV 5-1 are both broadcasting at 1000kW ERP now, from about the same height, and at about the same direction from you. Unless you have some very weird multipath stuff going on, I can't understand why you would get one and not the other.

Qinstaller,

KSMO 62-1 reception on the 811 is a known problem, apparently with the PSIP stream not being recognized, for some reason, by the receiver. You need to keep bugging DISH about this. In the meantime, someone here mentioned that you can get KSMO on an emergency basis by tuning to 62-1, then unplugging and replugging the antenna conection on the back of the 811. Sounds strange, but supposedly it works.

Brad

I continue to be baffled by my antenna issues....

I have moved it to the roof, and everything will work flawlessly for a while, then all of a sudden....GONE..

I'm starting to wonder if it's a problem with my Samsung TS-360 Reciever...It's ridiculous.

I was even getting KCPT 19-1 and 19-2 strong for a while, but then I will just randomly lose 41, or 5, or 4's digital signal...

It's unbelievably frustrating and I have no idea what more I can do to fix it.

I continue to be baffled by my antenna issues....

I have moved it to the roof, and everything will work flawlessly for a while, then all of a sudden....GONE..

I'm starting to wonder if it's a problem with my Samsung TS-360 Reciever...It's ridiculous.

I was even getting KCPT 19-1 and 19-2 strong for a while, but then I will just randomly lose 41, or 5, or 4's digital signal...

It's unbelievably frustrating and I have no idea what more I can do to fix it.

Unless the house is moving around- first thing I would try is a different receiver just to rule out the receiver.

The only definite change outside that seems to affect it is cloudy vs. non-cloudy weather, and maybe wind, but wind doesn't even seem to be the problem.

Thanks for the tip Bradtothebone worked like a charm. will be calling Dish tomorow to complain.

Does anyone have problems with 9-1 OTA from 1-3pm with the picture breaking up and pixcelation (sp?)

The picture is fine during all the other times -- my fiancee showed me that it breaks up pretty much every day during her soap operas.

Anyone else have this problem?

Thanks for the tip Bradtothebone worked like a charm. will be calling Dish tomorow to complain.

Glad it worked for you. When you call DISH, be sure you go through the menus to the "high definition technical support" area, because the regular CSR's won't have a clue.

Brad

I'm sure many of you have seen the press release that ABC's Good Morning America will be broadcast in HD beginning next Thursday, 11/3. ABC will not be providing a Central Time Zone feed of this show so KMBC will be unable to pass this along to you. ABC has told us that an HD feed should be available to the CTZ in the Spring of '06. Sorry.....TI

Does anyone have problems with 9-1 OTA from 1-3pm with the picture breaking up and pixcelation (sp?)

The picture is fine during all the other times -- my fiancee showed me that it breaks up pretty much every day during her soap operas.

Anyone else have this problem?


If it happens the same time every day, I'd look for something in your home or very near it that turns on and interferes with the signal. I had a situation which caused interference to KMBC-DT every evening but not during the day. I finaly narrowed it down to an electric blanket's power supply that malfunctioned releasing a bunch of spurious radiaton accross the band. And of course it only did this in the evening when I switched it on....TI

TI, could something like this be causing my problems? Like the Heater/AC kicking on?

Ok, now I'm hearing that NBC in NY has been having trouble getting their feed OUT, but this wouldn't explain me getting pixelation on Ch.'s 4 and 9 and totally losing 38, 41, and 62 I don't think.

Is it possible to "combine" signals? Like if I were to put up another UHF antenna or something, can I combine the two into one line and run it to my receiver and try that?

Is it possible to "combine" signals? Like if I were to put up another UHF antenna or something, can I combine the two into one line and run it to my receiver and try that?

I haven't read the whole thread on this, so with that caveat, I'd say yes. I am running two different antennas down one line to my set.

As well there are components you can buy so that you an run, for example, both Sat and Ateanna across the same cable, but split them apart at the the other end. I don't remember what the components are called though. I suspect you an ask at your electronics store for more specifics.

The sat and antenna ones are called diplexors, and they do combine a satellite signal and an antenna signal. Those will not work with antenna's combining, because they (antennas and satellite) are in different frequency ranges.

There are combiners for antenna though.

Is it possible to "combine" signals? Like if I were to put up another UHF antenna or something, can I combine the two into one line and run it to my receiver and try that?

You can, but you have to make sure it is done correctly, otherwise the signal can be 180 degrees out of phase and essentially cancel each other out. You may be able to just guess and move it around till it looks good, or you could use some sophisticated equipment to fine tune them to be in-sync.

Has anyone else noticed that the Fox network sound feed is good, but that when WDAF switches to local commercials or programs that the sound level is way low?
I have Comcast cable and am using the digital audio feed.
Not a real pressing problem since watching the series with good sound is more important than watching local commercials.

I would go a step further and say that the Network sound level is low, also. If you compare it to ABC, it's lower, and both are lower than CBS or NBC. I would assume that this can be compensated for at the local affiliate, but I defer to Dog-of-Madness or Technicalitalian (or maybe someone from FOX4, perchance) for a real answer. They somehow get the audio on the analog channels to match pretty closely.

Brad

I would argue that KMBC is the lowest of the locals, at least on Time Warner. I think I heard technicalitalian say KMBC is using a device to lower the volume so it isn't so loud. I think they should get rid of the device all together.

I concur Bongo.

If they were to remove the "device," local commercials/programming would be A LOT louder than the network.

So, you would have a situation where you're watching LOST in DD 5.1 and you have it cranked up because ABC's DD 5.1 reference level is low. Then a KMBC local commercial comes on and you are blown off your couch it is so loud.

We had this problem before KMBC installed the "device". I for one, do not want to revert back to this whatsoever.

I have recently been to Baltimore and Duluth, MN and these two cities are also having the same problem with ABC's HD audio. It's not KMBC.

ABC needs to RAISE the volume on the network ... KMBC is doing the right thing by lowering their local audio to match better because of the above mentioned reasoning. If anything, ABC needs to match the other networks better. My Onkyo equip shows CBS at +4 dB reference compared to baseline and ABC at -7 dB reference on TWC. That's a big difference.

I see something very similar to that on my Denon, Eyedox. I think it shows up as "Offset dB" on my receiver.

Hello all. I am in need of alittle help. FWIW I live in Northwest Olathe. I installed my Radio Shack VU-120XR antenna in my attc this evening around 6pm. I have Dish Network and ran the coax to my 811 HD receiver. I ran the add local digital channels process via my HD box and was able to pick up pretty much everything but KSMO-DT 62.1. WDAF Fox 4 was my strongest at 90-91%. However I lost ONLY Fox altogether around 7:30pm. I didnt move or change any settings or move the antenna in any way. I am talking a total loss of signal from WDAF-DT 4.1..............like I said the signal was coming it great at 90-91% and now it is at 00.00. I have once again tried to add local digital channels and it didnt do any good. Please help a newbie out. Thank you.

Maybe try powering off your digital/HD box, including unplugging it from the outlet for a minute or two, then plugging it back in and adding all the channels once again.

Other than that, i'm not sure -- I can still pick up 4.1 Fox OTA out here in Greenwood.

I was having trouble with picking up fox ota last night too. I think it might have been thieir trasmitter that was at fault. The full power transmitter has not been operational for very long, and there might still be bugs in it. Anyone else here trying to watch Fox on Friday night?

Well I tried a few things like turning my reciever on/off and disconnecting my antenna feed etc etc. I did not try unplugging my reciever. I was never able to pick WDAF's HD signal back up on Friday night. I did however get it on Saturday when I tried it with all the settings the same and the signal strenght was back at the 90-92% range. I assume that they had transmit issues like bmattis thought. Thanks for your help.

I sent an email to antennaweb.org a few days ago letting them know WDAF-DT is high power and should be listed under Kansas City area when users search for DT stations. I checked this morning, and it is available!! Great job antennaweb for the prompt resolution.

I noticed the problem with Fox 4 DT on Friday....and was having the same problem this morning.

I am currently using an indoor antenna to get most of the TV stations in Kansas City. I live in Northern Lee's Summit east of Lee's Summit road and south of US-40 and west of I-470. I have a Winegard Sensar III antenna that I have not yet installed because I don't have a tall ladder. Since I am getting the stations already with indoor antenna (I have to fiddle with it though), do I have to install my antenna as high as possible of my two story house or can I use a 8 foot step ladder and just put it on the correct side of the house that faces the stations.

I want to get this done before it gets too cold. Also, the Winegard Sensar III I have has a pre-amp in it and I can provide power to it using the satellite output of my Hughes DirecTV receiver (I have both a diplexer and combiner that work).

Also, I want to emphasize that I only care about the digital stations.


Please advise.

bommai,

I wish I had an easy answer to your question, but there really isn't one. You MAY get acceptable reception with the antenna 8 feet up, but you may not. Probably the best is to get the antenna where it has a completely unobstructed line of sight to the transmitters. Even then, digital reception can be hampered by multi-path signals.

I have two different digital receivers, and I get somewhat different results with the two of them. I'm using a Sony antenna for OTA reception that shares the RG-6 cable with the satellite receiver, and uses the satellite receiver as a power source for the antenna pre-amp, as it sounds like your Winegard does.

One of my receivers will not receive KCTV-DT 5.1 when analog 19 is broadcasting. When 19 is off the air, KCTV-DT comes in fine. The other receiver is unaffected by this anomaly. Different receivers, particularly ones of different generations, react differently. So I would think it would be nearly impossible to predict exactly what your results would be by placing the antenna in either location.

You may just need to experiment.

I am currently using an indoor antenna to get most of the TV stations in Kansas City. I live in Northern Lee's Summit east of Lee's Summit road and south of US-40 and west of I-470. I have a Winegard Sensar III antenna that I have not yet installed because I don't have a tall ladder. Since I am getting the stations already with indoor antenna (I have to fiddle with it though), do I have to install my antenna as high as possible of my two story house or can I use a 8 foot step ladder and just put it on the correct side of the house that faces the stations.

I want to get this done before it gets too cold. Also, the Winegard Sensar III I have has a pre-amp in it and I can provide power to it using the satellite output of my Hughes DirecTV receiver (I have both a diplexer and combiner that work).

Also, I want to emphasize that I only care about the digital stations.


Please advise.


Depending on where you live in Lee's Summit, you'll probably do just fine in the attic. Since you live in Lee's Summit, (approximately 15 miles from the towers) and the Sensar has a built in amplifier, you might want to have at least a 10-20 db in-line attenuator handy to drop the sig stregnth. Unless you plan on feeding 4-5 separate devices you run the risk of overloading your receiver which may give you a false negative reception reading.......TI

PS: Winegard does make a Sensar w/o a built in amp....

I noticed on my SA 8300HD DVR that the season-long recordings I had set up for a specific time were fubar'd because of Daylight Savings time (I'm a TWC sub). I had to delete the recording and set it up again. Don't know if this affects other carriers or not, but I just wanted to give a heads-up. This didn't affect any recordings that were for "whatever time the program is shown"; only for "record this program at 1:00 on Sundays". I'd hate anyone to miss recordings as a result...

I put an amplifier to my antenna this weekend...and it completely fubar'ed my reception...thought it would make things work better considering I'm over 50 miles out, but it ruined every channel.

WILDCAT NATION

Is your ampifier on the antenna end of the line, or on the receiver (TV) end?

My understanding is that real reason to use an amplifier is to overcome signal losses and noise introduced in the cable from the antenna to the receiver. The best place to use the amplifier is right at the antenna. That way, exactly what the antenna receives is amplified (before any noise or signal loss is introduced by the cable). Of course if the antenna is receiving a bad signal, then you are amplifying a bad signal.

If you install the amplifier right at the receiver, all you are doing is amplifying all the noise that was introduced in the line. So the idea is to amplify the signal before the noise and distortion is introduced. The best amplifier is to have the station crank up it's power. :)

I actually put it in at the spot where I enter the house, but might see about putting it right at the antenna before I return it...

I noticed on my SA 8300HD DVR that the season-long recordings I had set up for a specific time were fubar'd because of Daylight Savings time (I'm a TWC sub). I had to delete the recording and set it up again. Don't know if this affects other carriers or not, but I just wanted to give a heads-up. This didn't affect any recordings that were for "whatever time the program is shown"; only for "record this program at 1:00 on Sundays". I'd hate anyone to miss recordings as a result...

too late.... all my recording were pushed back an hour... weird. I am with Everest. The wife is not happy about missing Greys Anatomy.

I've had the occasional problem with Fox 4 dropping out ocasionally for the last week. I've only noticed it during the day before last night.

Any idea when KCTV-DT will have 5.1 DTS audio available? I knew they were having some issues there but I really want to hear some football in 5.1 as well as some of the primetime shows!

Any idea when KCTV-DT will have 5.1 DTS audio available? I knew they were having some issues there but I really want to hear some football in 5.1 as well as some of the primetime shows!
Have you tried getting WIBW out of Topeka? They are TV-13 and DT-44. They are broadcasting in DD 5.1. I am watching WIBW instead of KCTV until they can get their act together. :rolleyes:

I actually put it in at the spot where I enter the house, but might see about putting it right at the antenna before I return it...

Wildcat, are you using a regular distribution amplifier or a preamplifier? Most low-cost distribution amplifiers have a pretty high noise level, and are useless as digital signal amplifiers. You need a good, VHF/UHF preamp such as a Channel Master 7777 or something like that. One good source is warrenelectronics.com, but you may be able to find one locally.

Preamps install right on the antenna connections (the 7777 can be configured for separate or combined UHF and VHF). They come with a power inserter that installs at some convenient point in the line. If you install it downstream of a splitter, you have to make sure that at least one leg of the splitter has "DC Pass" capability.

My appologies if you already knew all of this. GO CATS in Ames!

Brad

Have you tried getting WIBW out of Topeka? They are TV-13 and DT-44. They are broadcasting in DD 5.1. I am watching WIBW instead of KCTV until they can get their act together. :rolleyes:

Timmy, is WIBW at full power now? I've never been able to get them before. I understand that KSNT (NBC) is now powered-up (FWIW).

Brad

Wildcat, are you using a regular distribution amplifier or a preamplifier? Most low-cost distribution amplifiers have a pretty high noise level, and are useless as digital signal amplifiers. You need a good, VHF/UHF preamp such as a Channel Master 7777 or something like that. One good source is warrenelectronics.com, but you may be able to find one locally.

Preamps install right on the antenna connections (the 7777 can be configured for separate or combined UHF and VHF). They come with a power inserter that installs at some convenient point in the line. If you install it downstream of a splitter, you have to make sure that at least one leg of the splitter has "DC Pass" capability.

My appologies if you already knew all of this. GO CATS in Ames!

Brad


This is what I bought...

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103094&cp=&pg=2&kw=signal+amplifier&parentPage=search

Last night, I was getting all the KC Digital channels just fine, except for 38 and 62.

41 is also a trouble maker.

Thought about just going with a ChannelMaster 4228 UHF only and seeing what happens...

Thought about just going with a ChannelMaster 4228 UHF only and seeing what happens...

I haven't read your whole thread, but thought I'd chime in just to say, I am using a 4228 Channel Master, and I am using a Channel Master 7777(I think...the one that is both UHF and VHF...could be 7775), and I get both UHF and VHF channels. I am in West Lawrence. (My original Channel Master amp was teh UHF only model, and I switched to the UHF/VHF so that I could get the one VHF digital station from K.C.)

I also have a 4228 pointed toward Topeka. (that is, 2 antennas in my attic).

I get 4,5,9,11,13, 19, 27, 38, 42, 50, 62 digital stations.

A Channel Master 4228 is how I am getting WIBW from Olathe. I am also using a 7777 amp.

Bradtothebone, I think they are still at 100kw.

It also depends on what HD tuner/dvr you have. My new Sony OTA HD-DVR receives WIBW just fine. My older LG OTA HD-DVR cannot tune it in at all.

This is what I bought...

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103094&cp=&pg=2&kw=signal+amplifier&parentPage=search

Last night, I was getting all the KC Digital channels just fine, except for 38 and 62.

41 is also a trouble maker.

Thought about just going with a ChannelMaster 4228 UHF only and seeing what happens...

The description sounds like a preamp, even though they don't call it that. Be sure that your FM trap is "OUT," and mount the "outdoor amp" as close to the antenna as you can. What is probably happening is that channel 2 is overloading the amp, and you might have to attenuate that somehow. Using the 4228 would minimize the channel 2 signal, and I'd sure try that first.

Brad

Hi, I live in Olathe and according to antennaweb the furthest digital station is 22.8 miles away. Would an indoor hdtv antenna be an option? Any suggestions? I am in the 151st ST. area between Mur-Len and Blackbob if that helps any. TIA for any info!

You might want to try a Silver Sensor to start....


As for my situation...I'm really wondering if a lot of my problems have been caused by the Samsung 360 HD Tuner I'm using (DirecTv)...the signal meter is so erratic, it's not even funny.

I finally straightened out my issues with the local channel signals. My installer made a major misteak!!!! The idiot pointed the antenna to teh southeast. Since I am in Olathe, that is 90 degrees to the direction I need. That gave my winegard 2200 an effective antenna width of 2 inches.

I was tired of dropping signals so I went into the attic and discovered this. It was also attached to a post with 2 screws and not set up to adjust the angle. After pointing it in the right direction, my signal strengths went from the low 30's to the upper 70's on all channels except 19 (its at 50) and 62. I am still unable to decode 62.

I have not had a dropped signal since I changed the direction.

Anyone else notice that KCPT was having problems tonight. I assume they were having problems since Comcast indicated they were out of service.

Yes. KCPT's digital broadcast was off the air.

On a side note, I've been hoping that KCPT would stop the SD broadcast on 19.2 when 19.1 is broadcasting the same program. I've heard that FCC regulations require a station to include the same material broadcast on the analog broadcast on the digital broadcast. Hence the reason for 19.2. Is there any reason to digitally broadcast both SD and HD when both are carrying the same program? Dedicating the entire channel bandwidth to the HDTV program would improve picture quality. Of course the SD version of the program would still be available on analog 19 in these cases.

I'm hoping that KCPT will also return to 1080i broadcasting at some point, which is the native format for PBS-HD. I was told some time ago that KCPT was expecting return to 1080i broadcasting when they obtain a newer multiplexer.

Good, it wasn't on my end....

For once! :)

I just spoke with someone at KCPT, and they confirmed that they are doing maintenance and expect to be back on HD within 18 hours. :(

Ok I searched a little on the Silver Sensor, it seems to be uhf only. Is there quality indoor antenna that would do both uhf and vhf? Thanks for helping!


You might want to try a Silver Sensor to start......


Hi, I live in Olathe and according to antennaweb the furthest digital station is 22.8 miles away. Would an indoor hdtv antenna be an option? Any suggestions? I am in the 151st ST. area between Mur-Len and Blackbob if that helps any. TIA for any info!

zirjacks

I have a winegard gs-2200 in the attic. Once i got the thing pointed in the right direction (see the above post) it worked great. I get great signal strength on all channels. By the way, I live in west olathe near the lake. It does vhf and uhf (since I get ch9, it would solve your problem).

I know all about WIBW-DT and from my apartment at 95th & I-435 in Lenexa I can get the analog (pretty fuzzy) but I can't lock onto the digital. I have an old Voom box and it will only work if you get an 80% signal lock and I can't get it that high.

My home receiver can attempt to reconstruct the 5.1 image using software but it never works quite right. I do love it when it shows "DTS ES" on the screen though when I'm watching WDAF or ABC.

My home receiver can attempt to reconstruct the 5.1 image using software but it never works quite right. I do love it when it shows "DTS ES" on the screen though when I'm watching WDAF or ABC. I wasn't aware that the ATSC standard could pass DTS 5.1 audio ... I was under the impression that it was Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 only. Is your receiver just upconverting DD, or can DTS now be passed OTA?

What Brand/Model Receiver do you have?

I ask because the bandwidth requirements for DTS are why digital broadcasters and even channels like HBO and Showtime only use Dolby Digital for surround sound delivery. I have seen the occasional movie on HBO in DD 6.1 (With the rear center channel) but that's the highest level possible from a broadcast of any kind... that i know of.

I just put up a new little outdoor UHF antenna (radio shack u-75R) so I can get all the HD OTA channels. Did anyone else notice that the ABC channel 9 (in HD) audio was out of sync last night during "pirates of the caribean"?

or does my new HD OTA reciever suck.

Well when I watch some programs on FOX 4 & KMBC my Onkyo home theatre reciever will go "DTS ES" on the display. I have a Voom 550 ATSC reciever and use the Optical audio connections to the AV receiver. When I watch anything on my cable box it will show a "NEO: Cinema" or PLX mode which usually means the source is being sent in Dolby 2.0 and my receiver is upconverting to 5.1.

oh ok... gotcha... Neo:6 is DTS's variation of simulated surround sound from a stereo source just like Dolby's Pro Logic and Pro Logic II. It's kinda weird that the receiver lights up the DTS-ES logo... most receivers that i've seen will just show the DTS and say 'NEO' on the display if it's in that mode.

I just put up a new little outdoor UHF antenna (radio shack u-75R) so I can get all the HD OTA channels. Did anyone else notice that the ABC channel 9 (in HD) audio was out of sync last night during "pirates of the caribean"?

or does my new HD OTA reciever suck.
I'm from St Louis and have an integrated lcd tv to handle OTA broadcasts. I've been trying to get to the bottom of the problem with lip sync on ABC HD broadcasts. EVERY taped broadcast in HD including the 'Pirates' movie has had lip sync problems; it's so severe that they are unwatchable. Only Monday Night Football which is live has it not occurred. No one seems to be able to explain this. KDNL 30 in St Louis, the ABC affiliate suggests it's the TV tuner, but can't explain why MNF would be okay. If you get a chance to watch the MNF broadcast, I'd been interested in hearing your analysis. Also, do you have problems with any of the other HD programs offered by ABC???

I'm from St Louis and have an integrated lcd tv to handle OTA broadcasts. I've been trying to get to the bottom of the problem with lip sync on ABC HD broadcasts. EVERY taped broadcast in HD including the 'Pirates' movie has had lip sync problems; it's so severe that they are unwatchable. Only Monday Night Football which is live has it not occurred. No one seems to be able to explain this. KDNL 30 in St Louis, the ABC affiliate suggests it's the TV tuner, but can't explain why MNF would be okay. If you get a chance to watch the MNF broadcast, I'd been interested in hearing your analysis. Also, do you have problems with any of the other HD programs offered by ABC???

I have a Samsung receiver, just in case that is relevant. I only had it hooked up that one night that pirates was on, because I still need to permanently install my outdoor antenna. So I haven't watched any other nights yet. I did notice that ABC was the only channel that had the lip sync issues, but I haven't witnessed it on any other shows. All the other channels audio were fine besides ABC. I will try to check out MNF tonight.

Some time ago, I read a very interesting article about lip-sync issues in digital TV. It was fairly long, but the gist of it was that most lip-sync problems on non-live programming are the result of issues at the network affiliate. Most of these have to do with proper insertion of "time stamps" in the bitstream, and I think that there are four different kinds of these time stamps, if I remember correctly. The article also said that the network, which uses 45Mbps (and thus less compression) has a much easier time of keeping sync than the affiliate, which uses 19Mbps or less for its HD stream. Apparently some first-generation STB's had issues with ignoring time stamps, also. I'm not sure which ones, specifically.

Brad

oh ok... gotcha... Neo:6 is DTS's variation of simulated surround sound from a stereo source just like Dolby's Pro Logic and Pro Logic II. It's kinda weird that the receiver lights up the DTS-ES logo... most receivers that i've seen will just show the DTS and say 'NEO' on the display if it's in that mode.

Let me put on the AVS Dunce Cap....

My reciever says DTS EX not ES when I was watching Monday Night Football tonight on KMBC-DT. :confused:

...eh... tomāto, tomăto... :)

Some time ago, I read a very interesting article about lip-sync issues in digital TV. It was fairly long, but the gist of it was that most lip-sync problems on non-live programming are the result of issues at the network affiliate. Most of these have to do with proper insertion of "time stamps" in the bitstream, and I think that there are four different kinds of these time stamps, if I remember correctly. The article also said that the network, which uses 45Mbps (and thus less compression) has a much easier time of keeping sync than the affiliate, which uses 19Mbps or less for its HD stream. Apparently some first-generation STB's had issues with ignoring time stamps, also. I'm not sure which ones, specifically.

Brad
Thanks for the info; I'm going to email your comment to the STL network engineer at KDNL-30 who tells me that it's a problem with my HDTV's tuner. In fairness to the local affiliate, I also contacted Samsung which has had a known problem with their DLP TVs and sound sync, but nothing regarding the LCD TVs has ever been mentioned. BTW, last night's MNF was fine as usual--sound completely in sync though I suspect the 5.1 stuff was a bit off, seems to fade in & out. If you ever find a link to that article, please let us know.

MNF was fine for me as well last night.

No Lip Sync problems detected here.
Over the Air using Samsung SIR-T151 using analog stereo outputs.

11-07-2005 MNF - Flawless audio and video
11-08-2005 End of 'Commander & Chief' and beginning of 'Boston Legal'
Flawless audio and video - I just can't stand these two shows.
I'm tired of politics and the subject matter of 'Boston Legal' is insulting.
One client tonight had a romantic encounter with a cow.

Sorry about the rant...

The only time I had Lip Sync problems was when some of the digital stations 1st went on the air. As the engineers worked with their equipment or software, those problems went away.

While I'm here... Thank you WDAF for your HD broadcasts of the Baseball Playoffs and World Series.

I noticed on Saturday on KCPT-HD (via Comcast) while i was watching the Prairie Home Companion, the audio seemed to be in sync about 25% of the time. It was usually off enough to be obnoxious.

When I was searching these threads and deciding whether or not I should jump to HDTV via TWC or D*, I promised myself that I'd provide feedback to the forum on my decision and results...

Background info: I already had a HD compatable Projector, but I had been holding off on HD because the price had been fairly high, and it didn't seem until recently that much programming was available. Now that there is more becoming available all the time (seems like most Prime Time shows are HD), the time was right. Also, I've been a D* customer for almost 10 years and been very happy - so I guess I have a bit of customer loyalty going on. Finally, having a Tivo or PVR was essential (wife says, "no recorder, no HD!").

After finally weighing all the options, I decided to stay with D* and add a HDTivo receiver (I now have 2 D*Tivo's and 1 D* HDTivo). Total monthly charge is ~ $80/month (total choice plus, HBO, local SD channels), and I was able to sweet talk D* into a sub $200 charge to bring out and install the HDTivo and new dish. For me this was the best deal (especially considering how happy I've been with D* and DTivo).

[There's a side story about me dealing with TWC customer service... which involved being on hold for way way too long... and inconsistant answers... mostly deleted because it just turned into a rant - ok I guess it still is, but it's much shorter now]

Of course, the one problem I was concerned about was the OTA reception of the local HD channels. Being in the Parkville area, I was slightly concerned that I might be a bit too far to get the HD signals cleanly. My location for the receiver is in an AV closet on the first floor, which also added to my concern. I'm happy to say that for me this has been a complete non-issue. I did purchase a Terk TV5 indoor antenna based upon a friend's recommendation, and from the first moment the HDTivo was installed it was able to pull in pretty much all of the local HD channels. The one issue I find is that I can get all of the channels cleanly with the antenna turned to a certain position except for channel 62 - which only comes in cleanly in another position that drops the signal for 9 and 19. Since I never watch 62 anyway, and I do watch 9 and 19, I keep it in the first position and I'm happy.


As far as the satellite HD channels, of course those always come in very well. The amazing part of the HDTivo box (at least for me) is how well it blends the OTA and satellite channels. Except for the channel markings, you'd never know which was which! I have to say that I love watching the HBO series in HD (especially Rome), and I can't wait for Deadwood to start back up!

Oh yeah, and I agree with LiveLite - thanks to WDAF for the Baseball Playoffs and World Series in HD! Hopefully the all of the remaining Chiefs games will be in HD as well.

Last evening our Dolby encoder died and along with it our audio. Sorry for the inconvenience. We'll have one sent out from Cali today...TI

Last evening our Dolby encoder died and along with it our audio. Sorry for the inconvenience. We'll have one sent out from Cali today...TI TI - I have two tin cups and a string that you can borrow for a week if you need it. ;)

technicalitalian,

I don't know if you already fixed the Dobly Encoder tonight or what, but I watched from 8-9 and both HD shows sounded great in DD 5.1. I also noticed that I didn't have to crank up my receiver to hear it like I used to. If you didn't replace the encoder, then leave it alone, because it sounds perfect.

TI - I have two tin cups and a string that you can borrow for a week if you need it. ;)


Thanks, but to do 5.1 we'll need 5 cups and a tub.......TI

Just got off the phone with the general station manager of KCTV/KSMO. He said they have the technology in place to send the WB-HD to Time Warner Cable. They are just working on finalizing the details ("$") of the retrans agreement and they hope to have that worked out within the next couple of weeks.

Technicalitalian,
Will the regular Sunday night lineup (being displaced by the Chiefs' game) be moved to KCWE from both the analog AND digital KMBC's, or just the analog? And if you are moving KMBC DT programming over there, will the shows be in HD? Inquiring minds want to know!

Brad

The New SA Explorer 8300HD "Multi-Room" is a high-definition two-tuner DVR, Multi-Room™ server and cable box in one. Check it out ... I wonder if Time Warner Cable here in KC will be supporting this box soon or not.

http://www.scientificatlanta.com/consumers_new/CableBoxes/8300HDMR.htm

I read several months ago that some Time Warner customers in Minneapolis were testing those Multi-room boxes. I really do hope that TWC KC starts stocking them.

Technicalitalian,
Will the regular Sunday night lineup (being displaced by the Chiefs' game) be moved to KCWE from both the analog AND digital KMBC's, or just the analog? And if you are moving KMBC DT programming over there, will the shows be in HD? Inquiring minds want to know!

Brad

I would also, since I am flying on Sunday.

I did notice that the TWCKC cable guide had the programs listed under the HD channel also, but it could just be a SD signal I guess.

v/r,
C-F

Technicalitalian,
Will the regular Sunday night lineup (being displaced by the Chiefs' game) be moved to KCWE from both the analog AND digital KMBC's, or just the analog? And if you are moving KMBC DT programming over there, will the shows be in HD? Inquiring minds want to know!

Brad


Dear Technicalitalian my wife also wants to know about "Desperate Housewifes" and "Grey's Anatomy" in HD also on UPN29 DT-31 Over the Air this Sunday night. Thanks

I watched CSI last night (Saturday) on KCTV at 10:35 PM and the audio was in Dolby Digital 5.1 but the picture was in SD. Is this because KCTV does not have the capability to do HD without a live network feed? I love the show in HD.

I have been watching HDTV in my basement using a simple indoor antenna for months. Most channels come great with me just having to adjust the antenna (it is a non-powered VHF/UHF rabbit ear).

I got an outdoor Winegard Sensar antenna with a 3-foot mast. This is an amplified antenna that can take power from the satellite receiver. I bought a winegard signal combiner that lets DC pass through to both antenna and dish. On the dish side it allows 13-18 V and on the antenna side it allows 12V. I have one cable coming in. Inside the house I have a Hughes DirecTV HD receiver HIRD-E86. I have this receiver configured to accept both satellite and off-air through the sat-in input. I can do that using the menus. I get most of the channels, but not an improvement over the indoor. In fact, WB refuses to come with the outdoor.

I have aimed the antenna approximately in the direction suggested by antenna web. I have put it high enough in my two story house in Lee's Summit. The stations according to antenna web are around 12 miles away. I am puzzled since I thought with the outdoor antenna, i will get a stable signal!!

I also tried removing the DC power for the antenna by removing the connection to sat-in and instead spilting the signal into sat and ant indoors and hooking the ant output to the ant-in in the receiver. I got no signal this time. I think the antenna's amplifier attenuates the signal a lot if the amp is not powered.

Any ideas.

For those of us that don't subscribe to a cable settop box or satellite set-top box, there are not too many DVRs out there that can do HD. Other than the PC based solutions, there are very few that I have found. A coupld of months ago, my brother in California bought the Sony DVR DHG-HDD250 (250GB model). I was sitting on the fence about this product since it is quite expensive ($799 retail). However, I was pleasantly surprised to find it in Best Buy in Independence (Noland Rd and Route 40) for $499 and also they are running same-as cash financing until Jan 2008.

I picked one up. Hopefully it works out otherwise I will return it within 30 days.
You can get more specs about this product from Sony's site.

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start?ProductSKU=DHGHDD250&Dept=tvvideo&CategoryName=tvhav_HDDVRs

The top features that made this attractive are as follows:
1) No monthly fee
2) Downloads guide data through the antenna or cable itself for upto 7 days.
3) HD recording
4) You can watch a recorded show while a new recording is taking place
5) cable card slot (although I don't have cable).
6) HDMI and Component out.
7) ATCS and NTCS tuner included. 8VSB and QAM tuners are included.
8) You can have both cable and over the air hooked up and it will consolidate the guide into one guide.

Cons that I have heard
1) Software bugs. I heard a bug in the TV-Guide downloaded caused some boxes to go nuts.
2) User interface issues
3) Should have used an internet connection for guide download instead of over the air.



I will post a more comprehensive review of it after I use it for a couple of days.

Sounds like a nice unit, but it doesn't look like it's compatable with my Sony SAT-HD300 satellite receiver.

I am an OTA only househould. I have the Sony HD-DVR, an older LG HD-DVR, and a Mits D-VHS deck (hooked up to the LG with FireWire).

I love them all. I have never missed a recording and they haven't locked up on me yet.

If you have OTA only, I highly recommend the Sony HD-DVR.

Hi, I live in Olathe and according to antennaweb the furthest digital station is 22.8 miles away. Would an indoor hdtv antenna be an option? Any suggestions? I am in the 151st ST. area between Mur-Len and Blackbob if that helps any. TIA for any info!
A little update on my search for an indoor antenna. Tried the Philips Mant510 from Wal Mart, worked great for all channels except 9.1 and 62.1. Returned the Philips and picked up the RCA ANT706 also from Wal Mart and so far everything is coming in excellent. This thing is huge though, and cost twice as much as the Philips but for Lost and MNF in HD its worth it. :)
As for placement it is just laying on the fireplace mantel. Will try to get some pics up sometime. Oh and I have this antenna hooked up to a 42" Sony A10.
Thanks for all the info in this thread!

Did anyone else notice Vegas last night was very jumpy in the beginning?

First, let me apologize for the abrupt off-topic post here.

I'm an ISF calibrator who comes to KC a several times a year. I don't normally post here, but on my upcoming trip next week I've just gotten a cancellation from one of my customers due to a family issue. As a result of this, I have an appointment slot open for either Monday or Tuesday (Dec 5 or 6), if anyone is interested in having their HDTV display calibrated.

Because of the cancellation and short notice, there would be no travel fee and a nominal break against my price list rates.

I'm normally based in St. Louis and am a regular contributor in the St. Louis OTA discussion here at AVS. So, you can check me out over there, including a couple of recent reviews of my work from AVS participants:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6410710&&#post6410710

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6412257&&#post6412257

I appreciate that this is probably a long shot, but if anyone is interested, you can contact me at the phone numbers or eMail address below before the end of the weekend.

to short a notice for me. but I have been looking for sombody to calibrate my Toshiba 51H84 I will be sure to log your # and give you a call after the 1st of the year. man I wish I knew you were around 6 months ago when I was searching my local phone book for a calibrator. never found anybody that sounded like they knew what they were doing.

Q,

I'll also keep you in mind when I'm getting ready to organize my next trip to KC, probably in late January or February.

to short a notice for me. but I have been looking for sombody to calibrate my Toshiba 51H84 I will be sure to log your # and give you a call after the 1st of the year. man I wish I knew you were around 6 months ago when I was searching my local phone book for a calibrator. never found anybody that sounded like they knew what they were doing.

If any of you can get Doug out to calibrate your display, do it. He's top notch.

Mark

New map of Kansas City local HDTV broadcasting- http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/programming/broadcast-market.php?dma_name=Kansas+City

New map of Kansas City local HDTV broadcasting- http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/programming/broadcast-market.php?dma_name=Kansas+City

This is a pretty good tool. Too bad there are mistakes on it:

1. No WDAF
2. KSHB's power is wrong (should be 450, not 3450 kW)

Brad

A few things.

1) The Hopkins/Taylor fight this weekend is on PPV in HD. I found out after the fight was over last time (tuned in during post-fight interviews), but I think the last Tyson fight on PPV in HD ended up being free to TWC subs. Probably a technical glitch, but I'll take it. I haven't checked any HD-PPV fights since then. But I'll be looking out for it in advance this weekend. I believe it was on channel 399, but I'm not 100% on this one. If you're a boxing fan, it's certainly worth checking out.
2) Does anyone know when the whole Comcast takeover of TWC in the KC area is supposed to happen? I'm nervous about what this will mean to us, given that they just announced rate hikes, and that Comcast still doesn't carry HDNet, etc. If they raise my rates by 1 cent, or take away any channels, I'm going to Everest.

This is a pretty good tool. Too bad there are mistakes on it:

1. No WDAF
2. KSHB's power is wrong (should be 450, not 3450 kW)

Brad


Is KCPT really only 48 kW? I used to get KCPT really well, but don't anymore. I thought that it might be coincident with FOX coming online.

Ron

A few things.

1) The Hopkins/Taylor fight this weekend is on PPV in HD. I found out after the fight was over last time (tuned in during post-fight interviews), but I think the last Tyson fight on PPV in HD ended up being free to TWC subs. Probably a technical glitch, but I'll take it. I haven't checked any HD-PPV fights since then. But I'll be looking out for it in advance this weekend. I believe it was on channel 399, but I'm not 100% on this one. If you're a boxing fan, it's certainly worth checking out.
2) Does anyone know when the whole Comcast takeover of TWC in the KC area is supposed to happen? I'm nervous about what this will mean to us, given that they just announced rate hikes, and that Comcast still doesn't carry HDNet, etc. If they raise my rates by 1 cent, or take away any channels, I'm going to Everest.

I'm really happy with Everest. I just got their HD DVR box and they included the local HDTV stations along with TNT for free. I think for $7.95 they add the rest of the HDTV programming (ESPN-HD, ESPN2-HD ect. ect.) and they have the fight in HD on PPV as well. Their internet service is faster than TWC in that TWC caps upload speeds at 34 Kpbs and my Everest upload speed is running about 2 MB/Sec. My download speed is rated 5 MB/Sec but running about 8 MB/Sec.

Is there a reason why Army/Navy is not in HD?