Has anyone had any luck getting a response from KSLA Channel 12 17.1 Digital??
They brag on their web page about having HD but in over a year with my HD setup I have only managed to catch about 2 hrs of programming from them. I have emailed them several times and get no response at all.
Its pitiful to have all these Football games on CBS in HD and they havent managed to get any of them on the air in over a year.

I have not had any luck either in getting a response from KSLA. I think many of the stations consider DTV as an unwanted stepchild.

On the other hand, KTBS has taken DTV and HDTV very seriously and I have gotten immediate responses from their engineering department.

I live 85 miles west, southwest of Shreveport and can receive KTBS and
KSLA about 50% of the time. I receive KTAL occasionally and KLTS, KMSS, or KSHV not at all. However, I did not design my antenna system with the idea of receiving Shreveport. This was only an unexpected bonus.

I am hoping that my DMA may someday consider putting a signal on the air worth receiving. As it stands now, KETK (22-1) has a 1kw ERP signal on the
air, 20 miles from my home, and KFXK (31-1) has some low power set up at their studios in Longview.

Kindest Regards,
Hank

Thanks for the reply and if you are able to get KSLA 50% of the time i am amazed I live in Bossier and they are NEVER on the air here. I have a Channelmaster 4248 and a Terk 55 and I can get KTBS PBS and KTAL just fine with either antenna. KTAL is not HD tho so its useless....pic quality is worse than cable. Have yet to pick up either KMSS or KSHV . I agree with you KTBS is great they always respond quickly with accurate info....KSLA is hiding something i think, I have heard rumors that some engineer spilled coffee on the transmitter or something and it went up in smoke.....I even emailed Raycom who owns KSLA and got no response from them either. In case you werent aware KTBS has picked up UPN 21 and dropped PAX so hopefully we will have UPN HD sometime soon.

[i]. In case you werent aware KTBS has picked up UPN 21 and dropped PAX so hopefully we will have UPN HD sometime soon. [/B]

In the Tyler area, we have threee full power stations run by one company.
KETK 56, KFXK 51, KCEB 54. There are also two low power stations run
by this same outfit that I can receive. They run UPN on 54, 48, and 58. I
have enough UPN for for three sets of eyes :D . What a waste of spectrum!

WB is also run by this same company but they limit that to a cable channel
only, so I watch through the snow on KSHV on the one WB show my wife
likes.

Last night, I was watching the CBS movie on KSLA-DT. However, the signal
was weaker than usual and I had to switch back to analogue to see the
end of the movie.

The antenna I am using is a Winegard HP2710P so called "Ghost Killer"
with a CM 7777 pre amp. This antenna is mounted on a 30 foot tower,
nothing spectacular.

You would probably do well with a small outdoor bowtie, such as the
Winegard 4400, aimed at the Moringsport antenna farm.

Id try anything if i thought it would help but if they are having transmitter troubles I dont want to keep wasting time on it. It would be nice if they would answer the emails one way or the other.

You may try talking to the KTBS engineer. He may know something about
the KSLA set up.

Well guess what, I fiddled with my antenna for an hr or so without any success today and after giving up i decided to run the full search on my 38F310 and for some reason after the search i am picking up KSLA-DT fine. I guess something in the tuner was blocking the new channels?? Anyway thanks for replying and I hope someone else gets some good out of this.

When I got home, I was receiving KSLA just fine and your lack of reception
was very puzzling to me. I have run into a situation with my Zenith HDV430
where the station reverted from its virtual number, 12-1, to its actual
number, 17-1. I have noticed that 3 does this occasionally. I thought it
was a problem of distance, but it may be something else. If you lose 12
again, try inserting the channel manually.

I have tried all the numbers i could think of and nothing was happening. But when i did a complete rescan of both antenna inputs KSLA popped up for some reason my tuners were ignoring 17-1 in favor of plain old 12 analog. I hope i dont have to do that everytime it hiccups tho it takes alomst 10 minutes to scan all the channels.

That is a long time! It takes my unit about 1-1/2 minutes to scan through,
but it is only looking for DTV and not analogue. I wish I could get KLTS
(PBS) but I guess they are running low power to keep costs down.

KLTS comes in good here get about 54 on signal level....channels 25-1, 25-3, and 25-5.
It does seem they are not full power tho since once in a while i do get dropouts on them. But it does look gorgeous on 25-5, 25-3 is pbs kids and 25-1 is just 24 digital but its stretched.

This morning, I could get neither 3 or 12, digital. They are severly affected
by approaching weather fronts. The analogue counterparts were ok, as
was 33 and 45, ok for the distance involved.

I would like to see the maximum ERP moved from 1 Meg to 5 Meg.

My big thing is KSLA better not screw up the SEC title game Saturday night, someone there needs to flip the switch BEFORE the game starts.
GEAUX TIGERS!!

Just as i was afraid of KSLA didnt send the HD feed out Sat night.
I wmailed them twice and got no response. They sure dont give a crap about viewers. Maybe they will figure out how to work the equipment before the Super Bowl.

Sorry for the lack of response, been in Texarkana most of last week.
There is expected a new CBS, channel 19 (18-1), to come on line in
early January. This station transmitter location will be approximately
80 miles or so from you. They are hoping to be on by the Super Bowl.

This news may not affect you much, but it will end the KSLA CBS monopoly
here in East Texas, and may make them a little more responsive.

Hey that is GREAT news I sure hope they do come on at full power. I might be able to get real HD out of that
Id spring for a CM7777 in a heartbeat if i could get a good signal from a CBS affiliate.

I checked the CBS website and they did not list the SEC title game as being simulcast in HD. Does anyone know if it was indeed in HD elsewhere?

My friend called KTBS t ask about the BCS games. They said all BCS games will be in HD!

Steve

I am not a spectator sports fan, but I will probably tune in just to admire
the quality! KTBS has done a great job with their facility and should serve
as a spur to get these other channels off their tail-sides.

Many years ago KTBS gave our local KLTV serious competition. Then, as so
many new FM stations and other wireless services came on line,
interference caused the PQ to drop. Now, KTBS is better than KLTV.

It will be interesting to see if this may encourage KLTV to get with the
programme. For now, however, I think I may invest in a higher gain
antenna, watch, and wait.

Kindest Regards
Hank

Yes Steve the SEC title game was HD everywhere but here. KSLA doesnt care to comment about their poor HD effort, so the only thing you can really do is tune in and see if they manage to find the right switch to throw for HD stuff.
KTBS is wonderful though, they always do a great job and I am anxious to see if they get UPN 21 upgraded to HD soon.

If you're positive a show should be HD, try calling the station's news hotline when the control room forgets to "flip the HD switch". Ask them to notify the MCO. That usually works here in Little Rock.

Weekend crews seem to be the worst about forgetting.

KTAL (15) is coming in this morning and KSLA (17) has a very good signal
strength today. KTBS is always good. KSLA has an annoying flashing
and the newscaster's voice is out of sync with her lips! Have any of you
Shreveport locals had problems with KSLA in this regards? Or should I
attribute it to a distance problem?

Audio sync problems would have nothing to do with distance.

Hank the few times i have had KSLA manage to show an HD program in HD they audio was always out of sync. I havent been watching it at all this weekend tho so I am not sure what is going on. They didnt show any HD this past week no primetime at all when i checked in on them.
AR I have called the newsroom before get the ok we will look into it line but never manage to get anyone that cares at KSLA.

Ken,
I don't think they will until the "powers that be" finally determine that their
revenue stream is going to depend on the quality of their delivery.

Moreover, I think KTBS is in a good position to exploit the fact they are first
up, with full power. It has changed my viewing habits somewhat and I do
not live close enough to get 100% signal reliability.

Hello all. I agree with all the comments about KTBS and KSLA. I callled and e-mailed KSLA over and over until I finally struck a nerve by telling them that they should check with KTBS to learn how to do HD. Got an ugly E-mail back. I forwarded that E-mail to RAYCOM corporate and now I at least have a contact at KSLA. He seems to be a very busy man with no knowledgeable help and seems to meen well. I am not convinced,however,that he knows what he is doing.I can tell you that HD appears to be down on the priority list at KSLA and is related to cost. Anyway, here is the contact info:JOffutt@ksla.com; Phone# 677-6744. Best time to call is arond 3-4 pm. Don't expect return e-mail from him because it probably won't happen. Right now I can get channel 12-1 all the time but it is never 1080i widescreen. Mr.Offutt told me just 12/12 that he was aware of the problem and that he had contacted CBS because it was something to do with them,not KSLA. Still no 1080i widescreen this past weekend and I E-mailed him about it.
Glad to see this thread has started! Let's work on KSLA!

Woo Hoo! Way to go. A friend from my church who works at KTBS refuses to comment on KSLA's HDTV. He just shakes his head when I ask him.

Steve

Gentlemen,

Best of luck with HDTV from KSLA. I lived in Shreveport from 2000 to 2002. I remember when KSLA told me that they would have their HDTV signal up by May of 2001!:rolleyes: Still good to see that some of the stations have made significant progress in the DTV transition.

There are a couple of ways to get the station's attention. One would be to send a traditional paper letter to the station's general manager and/or to Raycom's headquarters in Alabama. May even be worth the two bucks to send it by certified mail. They are far less likely to blow you off than if you send an email.

You could also try stopping by the studio during regular business hours. Ask to see their public inspection file. This should raise a few eyebrows, but they're legally required to let you have a look. If you mention that you're looking at license compliance with regard to the DTV transition, the chief engineer or general manager will probably come out to meet you. Couldn't hurt to stop by and let them know that people are interested in their digital signal.

Jim

P.S. Do either Time Warner Cable or Cox offer any HDTV programming in Shreveport/Bossier yet? When I moved I think Cox still didn't even offer cable modem service.:eek:

Time Warner has cable modem and HDTV. Cox - Neither, to my knowledge. (DirecTV for me.) I'm still waiting for Sony to iron out the kinks in their GWIII line and HD/D* boxes before I pull the trigger.

You're right a letter would be more likely to produce a reply---might be a form letter knowing them. Tonight ,as usual, 12-1 is there but I have a little 21x14 image. Funny thing, my set top box says it's 1080i(Zenith HD-SAT520;Sony 32HS510;DVI). I don't get it. No ,Steve , people who work at other stations won't discuss KSLA's problem. I do know that the guy who was the Chief Engineer was fired at some point. Mr.Offutt is the Assistant Chief Engineer and if they have a Chief I don't know who it is.

Tonight,12/16, KSLA 12-1 was widescreen 1080i. I e-mailed Mr. Offutt and thanked him.

Steve,

How could KTBS say that the Sugar Bowl is going to be HD, when ABC has not even announced that the game will be broadcast in HD. I hope they at KTBS know something we don't! I want the Sugar Bowl in HD!

GEAUX TIGERS!
Bryan

Bryan,

They told my friend that "The BCS Games" will be in HD

Very Cool!!! Can't wait for the game!

Thanks!
Merry Christmas

Bryan

Hello all, I havent checked in this thread for a few days glad to see more people here!
I had cox before with cable modem for a year so they have made that much progress but no HD and when you ask they tell you how expensive it is, so I just said to heck with it when DSL became available to me and cancelled all of it. Got D* back up to my normal level and will not go back to COX. Shreveport has all of it HD cable VOD and a DVR sometime soon too i hear. Anyway great to get some more info on KSLA. That guy claiming its CBS problem is full of SH* everybody from the rocky mountains east is watching the east coast HD feed. If they point their dish at the right bird it should be HD, or maybe if they have anyone that can remember which switch to throw. Also great news that apparently last night they managed to broadcast HD! I will have to check it tonight and hope that someobdy there remembers when the Superbowl is and to make sure not to screw that day up! Let's keep this thread up so maybe somebody at Raycom or KSLA will see it and answer why things have been so bad on KSLA.

Hey everybody. A couple of nights this week I turned on KSLA 12-1 and there was my little 14"x21" image. Picked up the phone & called them & got 'em to put me thru to the control room. "How about flipping the HD switch?"--"HUH?"---"HD,there's no HD feed"---"Wait a minute". And WALLA---1080i widescreen! Same scenario last night.Different person in the control room(when I finally got an answer). "NO,we've been having trouble with our receiver".Anyway,she didn't seem to be very sharp or up to date but said she would check everything.Whatever was done,at 9:00 "The Handler" was 1080i widescreen.I informe Mr. Offut of the first incident and he said "Well,the signal does fluctuate" and that he has someone else coming in Christmas week to help.Also said he couldn't watch the control room people 24/7. I had to laugh.Keep the pressure on----Call 'em!

Way to go, DD. Voila!
SS

Once again,today,12/20 I had to call KSLA to get them to turn the HD feed on when the Chiefs-Vikings game started. This time the guy that answered in the newsroom said that they could not transfer calls to the control room. Anyway,I told him what I wanted and he said "They got to push a button or it might be down---I'll tell them".Sure enough in about 15 seconds there was 1080i. Am I detecting a pattern of incompetence here? Lack of supervision? Cavalier attitude?Lack of professionalism? All of the above I think!

Well I guess its good that they manage to find the switch. I cannot believe they dont even know how to use the damn equipment or what CBS is sending in HD. They need to take all that we have HD off their faq, false advertising when they dont even what is on.
Good job guys maybe between our group here we can manage to get them to push the buttons at the right time. Maybe by Superbowl Sunday someone there will remember to tell the janitor which switch to throw......LOL
Hank, any more word on that new CBS affiliate?
And is anyone able to get 33 or 45 digital??

Ken,
Except for the applications, viewable on the FCC web site, and the article in the Tyler newspaper, all of my info is third hand.

Known facts: CP for full power UHF on channel 19, analogue, 18 digital, to be built close to New Summerfield, Texas (South of Henderson). The station is licensed to Nacogdoches. Phil Hurley (former 56 manager) has moved to Tyler to manage new station.

Third hand info: Hurley has bought the Lazer Tag building on the Loop in Tyler for their new studios and they hope to be on the air by the Super Bowl, in January.

Opinion: I do not think that deadline will be made, except for a cable and DBS feed. Too much to build in such a short time and final FCC approval has not, to my knowledge, occured.

I have not been able to receive 24(25), 33(34), nor 45(44). 3(18) is solid in the evenings and overnight, 12(17) is so so, and 6(15) makes rare visits.

Thanks Hank, I will keep lookin for that to happen. 6 digital is useless terrible quality although it does come in without any glitches here I never watch it, ktal is low budget and will probably not do any real HD for who knows how long. Hoping 33 and 45 bump up the power sometime soon.
Waiting on ktbs to get upn21 digital up and going, cannot pick the analog signal up now and they arent on D* either:(.

Last night,12/21,KSLA actuslly had the HD feed on when "Cold Case" came on.Wonder of wonders!

That should be 'actually'---oops

Cool Deal DD
I was watchin ESPN HD so I didnt get a chance to check it out. Maybe tonight I will check out Raymond if its on before MNF.

Had to call 'em last night! 12/22

I figured as much, they will only throw the switch if somebody stays on them. I checked in a few times this week and it was never in HD. Stay on them DD.

Called KSLA yesterday and left voicemail for Mr.Offutt and Mr.Ed Small who ,I've found out,is the chief engineer.Told 'em I had to call 4 0ut 0f the last 5 days & that I thought it was ludicrous for the station to spend the money,for them to work hard to make it work and then ,because of a breakdown in communication/supervision,to not enable the HD feed because a button is not pushed. Last night HD was enabled.

Well I hope they did read your email, I emailed them 3 or 4 times and got one very short reply that said they were "working" on the problem. I caught the end of the Patriots Bills game today and it was in HD and looked pretty good. Maybe with the added pressure that more than 1 person is watching they will step up.

Actually,I "voicemailed" them.I'm not sure if that's what did it,but ever since all CBS HD programs have come on correctly.Keep your fingers crossed!

I was able to receive KTAL (15-1) up until last Saturday. I talked to their engineer and he actually went to the transmitter and said they are transmitting at their regular power (5k). My signal meter was showing approximately 50% (very consistently) through last Saturday, but now it shows no signal whatsoever. All other stations are showing their normal signal strengths, so I don’t think it is an atmospheric issue.
I am aware it is SD only, but it is a lot clearer than their analog transmission way out here in the country (free of electrical interference).
Is anyone else able to get it OTA today?



Thanks in advance for any feedback,



Ron

Their digital feed is down right now. I receive it as 6-1 through my antenna/set top box and at present it reads "no signal".

Thanks dufusdad,

I was hoping it was not my equipment. I'll call Ray (engineer) tomorrow and let him know it is not just me.

Ron

So what was Ray's response?

1/5/04: From this location, both 12 and 6 appear to be off.

Well last time i checked 6-1 was not broadcasting. But I did watch Indy vs Denver in HD sunday on KSLA, good picture but the audio was braking up badly, stuttering and cutting out.
I will see if i have either tonight when i get home.

dusfasdad,

I just talked to Stewart at KTAL (15-1).
They seem to have a problem with the antenna or the cable going to the antenna. He is not able to give a time frame for the repairs at this time citing normal corporate channels for approval & etc.
He did note that they receive very few calls when the digital channel goes off the air.

I have not been able to talk to anyone at KSLA yet (still off the air).

Ron

Thanks for the info, Ron.

Thanks Ron. Let us know when(and if) you get any answers from 12.

Well guys great news this morning on D* and CBS who is gonna be the guinea pig on calling for a waiver??
I bet they refuse but with the track record they have with HD we have a good case. Maybe they would just prefer the 6 or 7 of us did get a waiver and shut up about their HD troubles.:-)

Ken,please clarify. Thanks.

There was a press release today that CBS/Viacom and D* signed a deal to carry CBS HD. So maybe we could apply for a waiver from KSLA. There is a link at the top of the HD programming forum to the press release. No word on when it would go live but since they said SuperBowl in the release it ought to be pretty soon.

Too bad 12 is a Raycom station. I live in S.E.Shreveport so I probably wouldn't qualify for a waiver.Wish we could---that would put an end to all this on&off foolishness.

Yeah Raycom wont be an automatic waiver but maybe we could wrangle one anyway. Worth a shot as soon as CBS HD goes live on D* i will attempt to find out who to talk to over there. Would be great to have a known good HD feed of the SB.

Good deal Ken & THANKS.

Has anyone been able to talk to a real person at KSLA about when they might be back on the air? My voice mails have gone unanswered.

Ron

I just found this thread and it has been interesting reading. If I recall, last year's Masters golf tournament was broadcast by CBS in high definition but KSLA did not. In fact, I think it was down totally. I emailed the manager about my displeasure and he actually wrote back stating that they have had a lot of trouble with their "first generation" equipment but would work to correct the problem. I see from reading this thread nothing has changed.

I live 40 miles north of Tyler and can only pick up 3-1, on a regular basis. 6-1 is non-existent and of course KSLA is hit or miss. I have the Channel Master deep fringe with CM preamp atop a 60' tower and the Zenith 520. Of course, all this is useless right now as all I can get is Directv hd (except for the ABC digital feed out of Shreveport. I'm pretty far away but when everything is right the transmissions out of LA. are pretty good and with adequate signal strength.

Today, I emailed KSLA wondering if the hd feed would be ready for super bowl. BTW, do you know there is no way to find their email address on their website? I had to do an MSN search to find it. These people just do not want to hear from their viewers, let alone the few hd aficionados that cause them a lot of grief.

Can any one from our area here tell me what stations are coming on line in the near future? And why are the Tyler stations doing nothing? I think 56 has a baby transmitter on such low power that it can not be accessed unless you live under the tower. Channel 7, according to CEA, has been "under review" for a couple years now, missing every start-up they have posted. So what are we to expect in our area? Thanks in advance.

Well, low and behold, this fellow Offut just returned my email stating they were having trouble with the equipment again but were working on the problem - I wonder?

Yes,it's a small victory that Offutt answered at all.You know ,a lot of these stations always poor mouthing by saying how expensive HD gear is and also saying that the HD capability does not generate one red cent for the station.These things may or may not be true.I am one that does believe,however,that when the government issues a mandate to any entity that they should help with some sort of sudsidy.As far as I know this is not the case with HD.

htrn:try calling Offutt b'twn 4:00-5:00 pm.That's your best chance. 677-6744

Originally posted by milacqua
Can any one from our area here tell me what stations are coming on line in the near future? And why are the Tyler stations doing nothing? I think 56 has a baby transmitter on such low power that it can not be accessed unless you live under the tower. Channel 7, according to CEA, has been "under review" for a couple years now, missing every start-up they have posted. So what are we to expect in our area?

Marty,

I live on the east side of Tyler and have about the same reception as do
you.

Here is what I know of the Tyler stations, please understand that some
of this is second-hand information:

KLTV 7 has a construction permit for channel 38, but they want to move to
channel 10. I suspect this move would help them cut costs by combining
their analogue and DTV signal on the same antenna. Their move to channel
10 has been stalled by an LP 10 operating in Longview. I am told that just
as soon as the FCC gives them clearance, they plan to fire up on channel
10 at full power.

KETK 56 has a flea-power set up at their transmitter site at Mt. Selman. I
have seen it and it consists of a 400 watt transmitter into a VERY SMALL
omidirectional antenna mounted on the south face of the tower. This
allows them to cover their city of license, Jacksonville, but not much else.
I do not expect them to do much before the FCC FORCES them to make
another move! Their analogue PQ is bad too, in my opinion, in that it is too
dark.

KFXK 51 has a small set up at their studio which MAY cover the city of Longview. KCEB 54 is interested in 38 for their DTV channel. Since 51, 54, and the two low powers 48 and 58 are run by the same crowd that runs 56, I don't expect to see much movement in that direction until they are forced.

KLSB 19 is currently on the air in Lufkin. It is a small NBC outlet that you will not be able to see where you are, I can't either. This station has recently sold and the FCC approved the transfer on 15 December. This station is going to become our new CBS. The transmitter site is moving to Ponta, Texas, which is just to the south of New Summerfield. Once there, they will cover Tyler, Nacogdoches, Lufkin, and possibly the Longview areas. Their DTV channel is 18. It will be interesting to see if they go ahead and go full-power DTV. Look for them to arrive in the spring or early summer of this year.

Hank

Thanks Hank, that is great information!

I do know someone who works at KSLA so I MAY have a slight inside advantage in the waivers, but I have not asked them, and do not really know if they can help or not, but I will try. This person isnt in management or the technical side of it so its a shot in the dark. I had that same trouble also with getting an email address off their page, amazing how they bury it. Anyway if I do get a yes no or a what is a waiver response I will let you know. Till then lets all hope that channel 18 goes full power before the SB and we can all pick it up!

Thanks Ken. I actually talked to Mr.Small(chief engineer)at 12 this A.M. Couldn't believe it when he answered.I must have called him 75 times and always got audix. Anyway,he said that it should be back up today Also said they were going to install a tube somethin or other so they would have more power and then when part went down they would not be completely off the air.

I keep seeing Mr. Small's name come up. Could be Ted Small, who was
once Director of Engineering at KFXK, Longview?

Could be ,I guess.He said he came from South Carolina in reference to problems at a station there.What do you know about him?

I guess Small was wrong about being back up yesterday. Or maybe it was me.What he actually said was "They're bringing it back up now--" which could mean "they're working on it". Also,I e-mailed Offutt hinting around about a waiver & he replied "No way,it's against the law."

Well, I can finally see 12, Sunday morning, 11 January. At 4:30 am it seems to be as strong as 3, but early mornings can be deceptive.

Dufusdad,
I did some temporary work for Ted Small several years ago while he was Director of Engineering at KFXK, Longview. My impression of him was highly favourable but this may not be the same person.

Hank

They did something right finally. From the little I saw the game last night was pretty darn good - picture wise too! Lets just hope for no glitches during SB. I think it is important that we all continue to contact these people when this stuff happens. Otherwise, they will think no one is watching and won't do a thing about it until their hand is forced.

10-4 that

Well I saw the game yesterday on KSLA had a lot of small breakups here, probably due to their lower than max power output. Game today is the same picture breakups and audio stuttering and out of sync. I found an email link to apply for a waiver on the ksla web site, i sent an email off.
I won't hold my breath but it is worth a shot, I cannot invite people over to watch the superbowl with no idea whether or not they will even be broadcasting that day. I hope that tube or whatever they were talking about fixes the situation, but I have to wonder why they have so many problems with their setup and KTBS doesn't have any. They are broadcasting on 3 subchannels at KTBS and the HD feed always looks good and no problems at all. Someone at ksla needs to figure it out quick.

All I've ever been told about that is "They(3) use a different company." This by Offutt. I thought the game today was pretty good quality.And I think it's encouraging that they worked on Saturday to get the HD feed up.Fingers crossed,

Well, 12 fizzles out again! They started strong yesterday morning, but they still had the problem of flickering and lip sync. Finally, the picture completely broke up during one of Ed Bradley's editorials. Signal strength was still strong, however. I switched to analogue in order not to miss Mr. Bradley telling all about how 12 was first in every improvement, including HDTV. I look forward to seeing their commemorative programme, tonight at 7pm. I will watch on analogue 12, however, since their DTV signal has not the strength or the quality to remain watchable here.

Meanwhile, I fully enjoyed the skating shows aired on 3, this past weekend. They were not in HD, but even at 480p, the quality here is far better than our analogue ABC affiliate, KLTV.

Too bad 6 is off the air! Has anyone heard whether there is hope that they will return soon? Has anyone heard about the others; 24, 33, and 45? Any hope for more than flea power?

Kindest Regards

Yeah the history show should be fairly interesting...gonna tivo it.
Nothing out of 6 here at all, and nothing from 33, or 45. I am getting all PBS digital fine though even 25-5 was up and in HD yesterday when i checked. I put my Terk 55 back up on my mast under my channelmaster just to be able to get upn 21 analog, sure can't wait till ktbs gets UPN up and running digital, gonna be nice to have a 2nd local station with a GOOD HD feed.

Well,here we go again ----12 is down & no one answers the phone.

Here's what I've learned. Don't even bother going to 12-1 until there is something really, really, really important coming up (Masters Golf Tournament, Super Bowl, etc.). Then, about a week before the event bombard the hell out of them with emails, phone calls, letters, whatever. If the event is not significant, the effort to get these people going is not worth it.

Well I watched the history of KSLA show, it was interesting. Kind of funny how they tout that they were the first in everything up to and including HD and if you clicked over to 12-1.........NOTHING....just a black screen and no signal. I have serious doubts they will rectify the situation for the SuperBowl and even if they are on the air who knows what kind of quailty it will be....SAD.

I was unable to see but half of their history telecast. The effects of weather on distant signals has its explanation somewhere in Murphey's Law!

I talked to Offutt today. He said they have two separate parts shipments comming in this week.One shipment comming all the way from France from a company they ,evidently, are contracturally obligated to.The company relocated to France after the fact. Also he said that when they get the tube apparatus I refered to in an earlier post,that it would double their power.Talked like it would be this spring.Said that they have had an extraordinary run of bad luck but think they can see light at the end of the tunnel.Says he has another employee on board which helps and promises they are doing everything to rectify situation. If true,hopefully,our little group had something to do with it. IF----

Well I hope they used Express overnight shipping, seems very silly to wait this long for necessary parts. Maybe they will manage to get them installed and running BEFORE the superbowl.

Here is a link to the latest news about CBS coming to Tyler:


http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10810323&BRD=1994&PAG=461&dept_id=226369&rfi=6

1:00 p.m. 1/17 and 12-1 is back up.

Well I am watching the Colts Pats game and so far picture is great and no problems other than a slight lip sync problem, by far the best KSLA HD I have seen. Good job KSLA. If they can manage to be this consistent all we need is KMSS and KSHV to turn up the power and we will have a good selection of OTA HD.

Anyone else having audio problems on KSLA HD tonight?

Saw it briefly Tuesday morning. I notice an irritating flashing in the picture.
Audio sync ok.

The picture looked fine to me Monday pm but the audio was "pulsating" or "choppy". I e mailed Offutt about it.

I noticed the irritating flashing also.
The audio sync seemed close enough, but it sounded as if it had slight skips. I did not notice it on any other station.

Thanks dufusdad,

It looks like we were posting at almost the exact same time.

Yeah. I hope the flashing you were seeing is not an indication of things to come.Historically it preceeded failure.

I checked in Monday night and it was in HD looked good. but we weren't paying close attention to the audio. And yes I hyave seen that TERRILBE flashing many times it seems to happen when they are showing SD material all the time. I still havent heard anything back on my waiver request but I am hopeful.

Well, dufusdad, your prior post about the flashing being an indication of things to come seems to have been dead on.

Yep. I wish they would hire a consultant and get the thing fixed once and for all.Obviously,hope it's fixed before the Super Bowl. You know,on second thought,I wonder if they're just shutting it down to cut the electric bill. Naaah,they wouldn't do that,would they??

You're right dufusdad. I'm sure they could have had this thing fixed to be a dependable server if they only had the resolve to do so. That it is available only now and then tells me it is all a money issue. Only when something important comes on (like the State of the Union) do they "start" it up. Last year they had problems and the Masters Golf Tournament was not shown but usually they turn on the switch for games like playoffs and, hopefully, Super Bowl. I can only conclude they are trying to save money but not fooling with hd until absolutely necessary. However, I am afraid to have a Super Bowl party because I can't depend on them. Too bad. I see from another earlier post that Tyler will now be home to a new CBS channel. I hope it is sooner than later.

Poor KSLA-DT, off the air again! First on the air, first in colour, first in HD,
now gone the way of channel 6. Too bad they are not locally owned, perhaps corporate officialdom would take greater interest in providing the
engineering department with better quality equipment.

Compaints and comments about KSLA can be sent to info@raycommedia. I not going to say they will answer but I know that one I sent got back to Offutt because he mentioned it. Maybe we ought to try to get the management changed.

That's "complaints".Maybe one day i'll learn to spell check!

Everything seems to be alright with 12-1.They had their contractors here last week.Keep your fingers crossed for the Super Bowl.

I keep having problems with audio sync on KSLA. Anyone else still having this problem?

htrn, I usually see the audio sync problems on ksla as well, although i have not watched it much since the Pats/Indy game. It was almost right during the game just off a half a second or so. Anyone watch Armeggeddon last night on KTBS HD......it was very nice.....kinda makes u laugh at CBS since they showed Deep Impact Sunday night and it was not in HD.

Well KSLA had some audio sync issues on the SB but it seems to be right now. And overall the game looks pretty good. Thanks KSLA for getting things working right.

Well, I took a chance on KSLA and invited some folks over. Except for the audio sync problem Ken noted they did a very good job of it. I hated to see some shots in SD but that is the fault of CBS. Other than that, a very good show.

I read on another forum that someone from E. Texas subscribed to Dallas local channels through D* and was able to get the feed through channel 81. How can someone in E. Texas subscribe to "local" channels 100 miles away?

milacqua, they call D* and tell them they "moved" their service address not their billing address.....and the new zip code gives them access to the other feeds. I think the spot for Dallas locals is large enough that someone as far away as Longview should be able to get them if you tried. And that would enable you to get the CBS HD feed from D* as well, since Dallas CBS is an O&O station. Its tempting to do but who knows if they ever start checking or you order some new equipment what might happen.

Guys:

I've just accepted a job offer that will have me working in the Bossier City/Shreveport area. Do the local cable companies in the area support HD?
If so what kind of programming do they offer? Any chance of a firewire-equipped DVR anytime soon?

Thanks!

Hey!

Time Warner in Shreveport has a couple of the networks (abc and cbs) in HD along with some other offerings. Not too sure about Bossier. Not sure about the Firewire DVR either.

Sorry, not much help I guess! I'm sure the other guys will reply soon with all the info you need!

Good Luck with the new job and the move!

Bryan

Thanks Bryan! :)

Welcome to the nieghborhood, there is no HD in Bossier and when I ask Cox they just whine about how expensive it is. Get an antenna and D* or E* whichever you prefer and move to Bossier, better schools better police....yada yada yada.....
Ken

Well they managed to keep it running for 3 weeks this time, and now gone again....unless its something on this end. Anyone else got any info on their situation??? Also i looked up KMSS and KSHV at the fcc pages and both have a Special Temp lic for the digital channels and both are transmittinig 1Kw soo unless you live next door to them forget about receiving those channels.

Yes,12-1 is down again.Don't know what's up.So tired of fooling with them I haven't mustered the energy to call or e-mail them. I really thought they had finally solved their problem permanently. If anyone else gets answers,please let us know.

Blew up another input cavity. Specialist is on his way. New cavity should be here today I think, not completely sure as another engineer is handling it. Got this from Offutt at KSLA.





Josh Offutt

Asst. Chief Engineer

KSLA-TV-DT

1812 Fairfield Ave.

Shreveport, LA 71101

318-222-1212 (main)

318-677-6744 (direct)

If, after reviewing this message, you have reason to believe the information transmitted was done so in error or you are not the person or entity to which it was originally addressed -- please be advised that this message may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you have received this in error or if you have been improperly copied, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.


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

From: DufusDad1@aol.com [mailto:DufusDad1@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2004 7:55 PM
To: Offutt, Josh
Subject: ????????



It was nice while it lasted! What happened?? Thanks.

Well KSLA got the HD picture back but the audio was WAY out of sync again. Something must be out of whack between the studio and the tower, there is no way they are watching it in the studio with the audio this far off and not noticing it. My guess is they see it in the studio direct feed and its fine but nobody sees whats being broadcast. Any thoughts guys??

KMSS and KSHV are owned by the same people that own KFXK, Longview, and KETK, Jacksonville. I was told by the manager at KETK, Mr. John Gaston, that they plan to advance only as the FCC requires.

Don't expect much movement by that company!

I saw a banner ad on KMSS last week about a transfer in ownership. I was hoping the new people would be serious about HD but maybe its just not to be.

Anyone have any ideas about KSLA? HD is gone again.....this is ridiculous. Their job is to broadcast.....if they got faulty equipment from a supplier then the supplier is at fault for the first troubles but continuing to flounder around with substandard equipment is not good business.

It's bye-bye KSLA, just as soon as KYTX (former KLSB) opens their doors in July, on DT channel 18.

Has anyone goosed channel 6 lately? I would watch them over my local KETK if they would only raise enough power to get out of the noise! KETK will not go beyond 400 watts TPO, until the FCC forces them.

Well Ken, I've just taken the attitude that I'll wait for an event before I even bother turning to their station. You know like a playoff game, major golf tournament or something like that. Except for last year's Masters, which they blew big time, they seem to rise to the top when something important comes up. At least that was the case with the Super Bowl. I think it must be pressure from CBS that causes them to give it an extra effort. But if they are not pressured to produce for the big event, they will do nothing. Bad equipment, poorly trained personnel and no commitment to quality or viewers will do you in every time.

I sent in my 3rd request for a waiver 2 weeks ago, not a peep out of them. They are avoiding answering questions about it. Guess I will have to try an end run on them.

Got turned down for CBS about a month ago. Has anyone requested a waiver for NBC?

I got DirecTV to apply for my waiver to NBC bacuse I can't get a decent signal. Maybe it's a Barksdale thing, but I can hardly get more than snowy images. LSS - they granted me the waiver, but I dumped the network NBC (NY/LA) when locals became available over the dish. Guess what? Channel 6 still sucks over the dish. What a bunch of losers.
Steve

Might be dumb questions but when you got the NBC national feed were the HD programs in HD? Also,what was the charge? Thanks!

Hey guys, I was fiddling around last night and turned the antenna towards shreveport and picked up ktbs, which i never thought possible since it is 80 miles away. I was surprised that it had 3 stations in one a cable news, a weather map, and the abc programming. I live closed to monroe so i only receive the local cbs here.

Hello dsims,

Welcome to the group. I am 85 miles in the other direction from S/port.
Can get 3(28), 12(17), and on rare occasions 6(15).

Yes welcome dsims
ktbs 3 has their act together and almost without fail they get the HD shows in HD on time. I think they are broadcasting close to or at full power. When 12 works and thats RARE you might get it as well. KTAL is digital only no HD and looks and sounds slightly better in the last month or so than it did when they first turned the transmitter on, but do not look for HD out of them any time soon, they operate as cheaply as possible. Although at least they are using some power at their transmitter not like kshv and kmss which are broadcasting at full snail power, so you cannot get them unless you are actually at the station.

Once again the suckers at KSLA blew it! For the second year in a row I sat down ready to watch one of the great Masters tournaments in recent memory and, you guessed it, no KSLA!! I am so P**d at them now I'm afraid of what I might say in an email so I better wait until tomorrow. After they pulled this same stunt at last year's Masters (when I had a HD party going) I wrote the station manager to complain and even got a response back. Basically, they said they would try to resolve their problems. A year later and there has been no improvement. I thought, as I posted a while back, that they would rise to the occasion with the big event like they did with Super Bowl. Even yesterday's third round was broadcast. So where was today's round?! The hell with them!!

I think that most of these station decision makers look on DTV as an unwanted stepchild. They will do the absolute minimum to get by. On the
other hand 3, which I understand is locally owned, has taken this transition seriously. It seems that those who do not are "corporate" stations, a part of someone else's food chain. Large broadcasting chains, in radio, put heavy pressure on market managers to kept engineering budgets low. I suspect the same attitude dominates the TV industry, as well.

Too bad 12 went away again! It was hard watching the Sunday Night movie through static!

I take it that 12-1 did come on at night then? Static or no at least they were up and running. Anyway I sent a nasty email to Offutt, the station engineer or assistant engineer, whatever he is, and gave him hell. I probably won't get a response to this one but I sure would like to contact the owners. I think you are right that KSLA is part of corporate structure with related tv entities. Raycom or something like that comes to mind. If you or anyone else ever comes up with a link or email addy to the "main office" I liked to know what it is.

No, 12-1 was not up. I watched analogue 12, 12-0 the designation is .

bthurber@raycommedia.com

I enjoyed watching Saturday's masters rounds in HDTV on KSLA. I was saddened and surprised to hear that they blew it on Sunday. I'm glad I didn't risk the nuclear holocaust that would have occurred if I had run over to Wright's Sound Gallery and bought HDTV over my wife's objections. Then, at home with the empty wallet and no HDTV, she would have never let me hear the end of it.

Wright's and Circuit City and Best Buy need to team up and put maximum pressure on local broadcasters. To paraphrase "Field of Dreams," If you show it, they will buy!

Steve

KSLA seems to be hopeless, they do not answer emails most of the time, and when they do offer an explanation its some lame crap about faulty equipment. How long does a business put up with faulty equipment before trashing it and buying new or suing the jerks that sold it to them?? KTBS got into HD a little later then KSLA but they do it right, KSLA is just dragging their feet. I wish CBS would step in and tell them to get it together or else risk losing network progamming, but Raycom could care less I emailed them last year and got no response from them either.

I took the addy Dufusdad provided and also wrote Raycom. I emailed KSLA a week ago about the Master's fiasco but got no reply - does not surprise me. Nor will it surprise me if Raycom remains silent. Basically, I told them a bunch of viewers are upset at the lack of comittment to HD by both KSLA and Raycom. I sited the Masters, both this year and last year, as an example. I also told them these individuals (we here at AVS) would launch a campaign to bring this matter to the attention of viewers in LA/TX. I suggested they revamp the engineering staff and bring in folks who understand and care about the future of tv broadcasting. And that Raycom needs to show them that the "front office" is serious about this technology. I'm sure I wasted my breath but we need to do something!

Had to call the station last night for the umpteenth time to get them to flip the switch/press the button to enable HD wide screen.This after half the program had been enabled.Seems they go to sleep during commercials.Sent them and Raycom an e-mail.Of course,no reply.

Had to call again last night during "Cold Case".It just beats all!!!

I noticed the same thing - they had the digital feed in but were not presenting it in HD - I just switched stations. They just don't get it do they, or maybe they just don't care. And, as expected, no word back from either Offutt's shop or Raycom regarding my email about the Masters blackout.

I sent another e-mail to KSLA,Raycom & CBS. You guessed it----no reply.Don't guess I need a reply but I do like for them to know that someone is aware of their incompetence.I tell 'em that someone needs to be fired. Wonder if they even read our e-mails anymore????

I am new to HD and have been able to pick up KTBS (great) 3 channels, KSLA (lip synch issue), KMSS-DT 34-1 no hd though, PBS 25.1-3 (awesome), and KSHV 44-1 (same as KMSS). Has anybody picked up KTAL, I live in South Bossier and can't pick it up. I ask this because the olympics are coming up. Also does KMSS and KSHV plan on passing thru the hd feed from FOX and the WB signal.

Hello burgranger, I also live in S. Bossier and I have picked up KTAL DT but its a terrible sd picture and mono audio...talked to the engineer there and he said no HD unless they are forced. We all know there is no way anyone will force them to do HD so we can forget about HD from them. I am shocked you have ever been able to pickup KSHV or KMSS they are both using temporary transmitters with less than 1000w, I have never seen any hint of a signal from either station. Has anyone called KMSS and asked about if they will turn up the power now that football has started? I tried a cpl times and got a busy signal.

KSLA seems to be doing good now.Problem with KTBS audio but never the picture----they want it perfect. KSHV---their digital 45-1 looks no different ,to me,than the analog 45.KMSS---I live in S.E S'port. and can't get their 33-1.It's low power.They are nice and the general manager and the engineer said to try redirecting my antenna toward Mansfield & Jewella.I can't do that.It'd mess up my other channels.They indicated that they are planning to increase power(no time frame) but HD is way down the road.It' s a money issue as always. Now,KTAL----they have had 6-1 up for short periods but mostly down.It is a slight improvement over analog.As for HD,as Ken984 said,not 'til they are forced.

Dufusdad, good to hear from you, yeah i cannot kill 12 and 3 in order to try and get kmss either, did you happen to ask them for a waiver so you could get FoxHD off of D*???
I have tried to call them a few times and always get a busy signal.

Hey Ken. I didn't ask them.Call and ask for Mr.Cummings. He's the general Mgr. and nice.I left a message and he called me back.I'm going to see about getting a waiver from KTAL.

Good luck with KTAL the guy i talked to there said that there were NO more waivers at all. Legally he would have to supply one if someones signal on the analog was below grade B, anyway if you manage to get one let me know what the persons name is so i can ask to talk to them :-)

Anyone else noticed problems with the 5.1 sound from KTBS? Monday Night Football is supposed to be 5.1 but I get nothing but center and front.Called but got no answer.????????????

Waivers.
I've had a waiver for NBC for years (friend at station). It's always been good for E/W Coast feeds which always beat KTAL. Unfortunately could not get Olympic feeds. With HD package at DTV, I was able to get BravoHD when they came on line in time for US Open Tennis in HD. Great, but, some sound synch problems.

Now NBC E/W HD feeds are available and they are great. Shame NBC doesn't have NFL anymore.

About the waivers, I just reread the sections of the Federal law covering the issue.
It states that you must send the waiver request through DTV who forwards to local affiliate. They have 30 days to respond or DTV can sell you the channels. If they refuse, you have the right to request a signal test at your home. Both DTV and local have 30 days to set it up or you get the DTV feeds. When the signal test is done, if you have enough signal, you don't get DTV feeds and DTV pays the cost of the test. If you do not have enough signal, you get the DTV feeds and the Local pays the cost of the test.

Even with the forest of trees that both of my antennae have to peek through (come on, Winter), I get KTBS and KSLA pretty solidly, so I won't try for a waiver. But, I think I will try to get one for Fox.

Besides passing on the details of forcing the waiver issue and letting you know how good the NBC national HD feeds are, many of you should also try bombarding KSLA, KTAL, KMSS, KTBS (if needed) for waivers.

I'm thinking of sending a copy of my waiver request through DTV to the individual stations, indicating that should they turn me down, I will request a signal test that they may well have to pay for. Maybe if a bunch of us did it in short order and flooded them with these requests, they will realize that this will cost them $$$.

This is all they seem to care about, so hit 'em where it hurts.

I think they've been hiding about the public's ignorance of the requirements of the law re signal testing and a firm time table to get this done. If they realize that the jig is up and that this will get out to the HD public in the area and will cost them $$$ and customers, they'll upgrade their equipment or be more generous with the waiver requests.

Now that I know that KMSS is marginally broadcasting a signal (even if it is ED), I will make a request to DTV this week to get the process started. We all know how poor the KMSS signal is over cable and even DTV because of KMSS's bad equipment.

What do ya'll think.

I wouldn't request a waiver from KTBS, they are always running HD with good quality and answer questions in a nice manner. I had no problem with the sound, heard the crowd from the surrounds just fine.
KTAL ought to grant all of us a waiver for the HD feeds since they have no intention of even keeping their poor excuse of a digital transmitter working properly until they are forced to. I would love to know who you know at KTAL that got you that waiver:-).....NBC would be nice in HD they have a lot of shows the wife likes. I have 2 antennas one i tried to point at KMSS but it is a cheap Terk 55 it does pull in Pax ok. I hope Dish is successful in getting the distant digital net bill passed then we could just call all the lagging stations and say hey put up or shut up.

After my post last night, I spent about 2 hours reading through all the rules and regulations concerning the waivers and the "B" contour that initially determines eligibility for "Distant Networks" (DN's).

My previous post was spot on on the rules. You must request thru DTV, they forward to local, local has 30 days to respond, if no response, you get DN, if rejection, you can request a signal test, which must be done in 30 days. Either local or DTV pays for test depending upon who wins.

It's interesting concerning the methodology of the field test. BOY!, those FCC guys go through some serious technical wrangling to come up with the test with Dish and DTV and their associations lobbying for anything that tightens the contour and NAB and Networks doing just the opposite.

All of the information you need to do the calculations is on the web; you just need to find it and figure out how to do the math. I'm working on it now.

According to what I've found, once they get the request waiver, the local is supposed to do a calculation for your home that takes into account all of the factors required by law. This calculation takes into account your particular terrain and interference features of your neighborhood. From one broadcasting technical site they recommended that all locals pay for the software to do the calculations.

I doubt that some of ours, like KMSS and KTAL would bother. They'll just base the rejection letter on the published "B" contour. I'm curious what they will do when a field test is required. Maybe just punt and grant the waiver.

The field tester must be one agreed to by DTV and local or it goes to an FCC approved list. Unfortunately, the qualifications of any tester can be suspect, just like installers.

To put a fine point on this:
1. They must do a field test if you request it.
2. They can require that you turn your antenna to the best location possible for that station. You can say that it should be where your antenna is pointed to get the most stations.
3. They can scour the neighboorhood to find one hole where the signal is good; they must do in on your property. I'm guessing that if the tester can find an acceptable signal on your property, you lose, but at least you would know where the best signal can be found.
4. The S/N levels for UHF channels like KMSS are required to be higher than VHF channels because of the weakness of the UHF band, so that bodes well for Fox waivers.
5. They can require you to have a giant tower or antenna, just a decent one. The standard requires that the test be done at 6 meters for a single story home and 9 meters for a two story.
6. Of course, your antenna must be in good condition and properly wired and not weakened by splitters to other TV's.

So, I'm going to do a little antenna pointing this weekend (after the LSU game) and see if I can get any KMSS signal.

Good viewing.

Hello,
Anyone know why KTBS isnt broadcasting "Lost" in HD? It's suppose to be and folks in the forum are talking about it being in HD

Well i am not sure about having a test done i dont think ktal woould like that one bit, but it might be worth a try since their signal is substandard across the board, dropouts and snowy picture. They are trying to service too big an area going for Texarkana and Shreveport.
As for Lost i watched the premier and it wasnt hd either so i didnt bother last night, but if its supposed to be in HD email the station and let them know they are very good about replying and will fix things quickly if they know about it.
Somebody there might not know to flip the switch for it.
Ken

Today I tried 34-1 (KMSS) and the receiver (dish 811) changed channels to 2-01 and showed a chicago and green bay game from a couple of weeks ago. The channel name said PROG. I guess KMSS is testing. By the way the picture was fantastic and was in DD 5.1. The funny thing is that durung the commercial i could hear the annoucers talking to the producers.

Burgranger, where at in BC and what kind of antenna do youhave?
I am in S Bossier, and I have a channelmaster 4228 but i cant get a peep out of 34-1.

I live behind curtis elementary and use a cheapo radio shack powered indoor antenna that I have sitting on my back porch. I am too lazy to put in a decent antenna, I have nothing but hayfields all the way to the river so there is no interference, the only channel I have problems with is KTAL. I only pulled that station in once, for about three days, during the olympics. There was no hd just standard digital picture.

Well i live south of you and really nothing between me and the river either, i can get ktal digital when its up but its useless, looks like they convert their bad analog signal to digital after they get it with an antenna....useless. I will have to play with my antenna and see if i can get kmss to come in then, its about 25 ft off the ground and should be able to pull in a signal....maybe i ought to try a preamp.

'nother subject-----I talked with the engineer at KTAL.He said no waivers but the good news(his words) is that they will be running 1,000,000 watts in July '05.
Also,is anyone having trouble with KTBS's 5.1 sound????

The only problem I have with KTBS is during MNF the volume on DD5.1 is real low and I have to turn the volume up to hear it. Then when they cut to a local commercial, the audio would switch to 2 channel and was so loud, I thought it was going to blow out my eardrums.

Yes, that's the way mine is plus I get nothing from my rear speakers.

Yah i have the same volume level problem with them as well...not sure about the rears though never reallylistened clsoely for them, have to turn it WAY up to get much i am sure.
hmmm 1,000,000 in July 05 huh?? will it be HD or that crappy "digital" they are putting out once a month now? I hope HD but i wouldnt hold my breath.

You're right----digital,no HD 'til they are forced.
I was on the horn with the engineer at KTBS last night at 7:00 when their HD programming started.I think while we talked he fixed the low volume problem and also the problem with local commercials blaring out.Also did some troubleshooting on the 5.1 issue and now all audio should be alright. Very nice and concerned. Refreshing!

Thats great news Dufusdad
KTBS has been great everytime i have had to contact them, actually get replies from Charles Hadlock in email when i had a programming question.
I didnt watch last night though, probably be Monday before i turn it back on.

Well KSLA strikes again, no audio on the HD feed. Emailed the engineer and called twice, no help at all . I would give almost anything for a waiver, although for football they are useless.

turned on kmss this morning and it showed hd and dd 5.1 channel 33-01

Here is what they showed during the break, see pictures below. Also a picture of the weather chick from fox nfl sunday.

Sorry something between the digital camera me and the forum did not agree on posting the second picture. Watched Arrested Development last night looked really good. Also watched the last part of the Vikings-Packers game (also looked great). I could tell when the engineer would switch to the digital feed of the simpsons, the show was not in hd or widescreen but the picture cleaned up a ton. I could tell when the local commercials would come on the picture was bad and at the first part of the show after the break the picture would look bad, but after a few seconds something would switch and turn to the pretty digital picture.

Hey Burgranger.Glad you're here. I live in Sport. just south of LSUS and I can't get KMSS 33-1.What area do you live in and what general direction is your antenna pointed in? Also,had to watch the entire Saints game without HD because of KSLA weekend crew. I know the game was in HD and I called KSLA 3 times to get them to "flip the switch".First woman switched me to control room---no answer.Called back and she said"there must not be anyone back there but if I see them I'll tell them".Nothing.Called back later and a different woman said she had no idea what I was talking about when I asked if they could enable the HD but that she would walk back there and ask "them".Nothing. I let it go until "Cold Case" came on later and called them about 15 minutes in.Got a fella I had talked to before and he said he'd check----walla! HD. And I don't even watch "Cold Case". Just want them to get right! Weekend bunch is pathetic! Today I e-mailed Ed Bradley and the engineering dept. just so they'll know not that it will make a difference.

I live in south bossier directly behind curtis elementary. I had an old radio shack antenna that would pull most channels at around 60-65% signal strength. I bought a silver sensor and it picked up the signal by about 10-15% on average. The antenna is sitting on the back porch on a table I have back there. With my radio shack el cheapo i could pick up everything but 15.01 ktal. Now i get about a 40% signal strength sometimes. I have never seen a full 10 min of programming from them. I was just surprised that I picked up hd on kmss yesterday. kshv is about the same as kmss most of the time but the other night during jack and bobby the picture was hd but the heads of the characters were at the feet and the feet were at the head. Hard to explain. I wonder if they were testing something. my luck when I get home kmss will have reverted back to crappy sd.

Need to correct my post about the Saints game and KSLA. Turns out the game was not offered in HD.I thought Directv Sunday Ticket had it listed as an HD game although we couldn't get it from them because the "local affilliate"(KSLA) was carrying it.It was a mistake.Guess I was wrong.I e-mailed an apology to KSLA.Don't know exactly how I made this mistake .I'll be more careful.What I posted about "Cold Case" was factual
'nother subject:Now I can't even get 33-1 to show up! Used to at least show a blank screen with "No Signal". Now it's a blank screen with"Channel Not Available"??????? I see the WB has their "digital" channel up. 45-1. It may be digital but it's sure not HD.I don't know what they are doing to the picture but,to me,it's unwatchable.

Hi, guys. I'm still waiting to pull the trigger on HDTV in S-B. Do you think the Masters will be in HD this year??? Any other major tournaments in HD? Have any Fox games been shown here in HD?

Of course, I have NO HOPE for NBC in this market. It's a dismal thing.

Help me be positive about HD. I live in north Bossier (GAP). Any chance of picking up KMSS HD?

Steve

Hi Steve, I do not know about the masters im not a big golf watcher, but if it is in HD KSLA has been doing an ok job with HD lately. So you will get it, the basic rule is KTBS does HD perfect 99% of the time and is very responsive, KSLA is more about 75% and not very responsive KTAL is hopeless unless somebody new buys them KMSS is trying but i cannot pick them up at my house and i am very close to the person that posted the screen shot of the hd feed from them. KTBS now owns KPXJ 21 which is UPN and if they follow thru like the did at 3 they should have a good digital signal once they get their new tower up, the only problem with that is that the tower is in Minden...all the other towers are North of Shreveport. Yes that saints game was not in HD but the week before or after i dont remember which they had Dallas on in HD but no audio, 3 phone calls and an email and no go for the whole game, i did get a response from the engineer on Monday but that didnt help on Sunday, and the week after that there was an HD game on but they showed it in SD i checked D* several times and it was an HD game...got to stay on top of them since there are so few of us with HD if we dont b*tch about it when they screw up they think nobody is watching. Silver sensor, where did you get one locally i would like to try it, i have a HUGE channelmaster 4228 and have never picked up KMSS digital at all...sorry this is so long...
Ken

On my end the thing about KMSS is that 33-1 is not even in the line up anymore. I've got the Channel Master rooftop the D* installer put up there and it always has worked fine for all except KMSS.I've got a Silver Sensor also.Guess I need to hook it up and try it.Got it at Best Buy before I got D*.You can get it at several places online---little cheaper.Think I'll call KMSS and see what's going on. 45-1 is supposedly HD now but,as I stated earlier,it's unwatchable to me.What about you guys????

Well - I pulled the trigger on a Sony Grand Wega 42" with built-in tuner. I just plugged it up to my cables and - boom - HDTV! D* will be sending someone Monday to install a HD D* box ($232 for me.)

One prob : Tried to hook up Cyberhome (cheapie) progressive scan DVD. Screen would slow horizontal scroll. Nothing worked to fix it. Any suggestions?

Edit: Found the answer on Cyberhome's FAQ.

Great TV

Tonight 3.1 developed first an audio echo, then I could hear voices in the background. Does this happen often?

Has never happened to me.Steve,any sign of KMSS Fox???

No sign of 33.1, which is where I would look for it. I also tried auto-add digital channels, no luck.

Skins game would have been beautiful in HDTV. Too bad they used SD.

Was anyone able to get KMSS digital yesterday during football?? I wasn't able to get anything and i am wondering if they will manage to get things goin before the playoffs and the super bowl.

I talked to the engineers at KMSS today and they told me that they are transmitting.Advised me to point my antenna toward I-20 and Jewella.Still low power obviously.

Well I have 2 outdoor antennas, a nice channelmaster pointed toward the hills North of town where all the antennas SHOULD be broadcasting digital from and a cheapo terk 55 pointed more or less in the direction of the kmss studio...nothing on either one for KMSS, i could reaim the channelmaster i guess and it would still pick up 3 pretty well....but i would probably lose 12. Thats not much of a solution...guess i need a rotor.

Has anyone applied for a HD waiver from KMSS? I had D* send one in on my behalf today. I guess it's wishful thinking on my part, but it would be wonderful to settle the Super Bowl issue one way or another.

Any luck talking to KMSS?

I have and was denied. I couldnt believe it. I receive absolutely NO signal form their towers and they deny me a waiver

I havent tried, i got shot down by KSLA though. I would try it if it meant anything for football but it will not help with sports in general the deals with the league supercede anything that D* or E* can do, even with a waiver games would still be blacked out locally if they are available ota. So we need KMSS to get a real tower up and powered fully for the SuperBowl, they have STA to broadcast with 500 or maybe 1000 watts from a short tower on top of their facility now and that is what they are doing. KSHV is doing the same thing.

At least I can get KSHV 45-1.Don't know exactly where their facility is.No way can I get KMSS 33-1.Not with rooftop channel master or silver sensor.It's funny because Burgranger lives farther away from them than me.Line of sight issue I guess.

The only thing I have been picking up lately from KMSS is in the top left hand corner of the screen it says FOX DIGITAL in white . It does trigger my pioneer receiver to switch to dd 5.1 but no sound. In the last few nights i am only picking up 45.1 at about 40% no picture or sound. I may need to pick my silver sensor off the ground, it may have been blown off the table, with all the wind we have been having lately. The funny thing when i was switch to program info on 45.1 it gives me kmss program listings. Like I said before it pays not to have back door neighbors, no trees, no houses to get in the way of High Definition television. Was anybody able to speak with the engineer at kmss. I left a voice mail but got no answer. I told him i appreciate him putting the football game in HD the other weekend. I was not able to look to see if they were broadcasting it last weekend. I was in Houston to see the Texans-Titans game. Btw the best picture quality I have ever seen.;) Live beats hd any day of the week.

I talked to the engineers at KMSS today and they told me that they are transmitting.Advised me to point my antenna toward I-20 and Jewella.Still low power obviously.

Does anyone know if you can receive OTA HD up in Texarkana? I'm weighing my options as I'm getting ready to purchase a Samsung DLP monitor. From reading this thread, it doesn't even look like the locals can get it right within 15 miles of their broadcast locations....which makes me think that I'm doomed being 70 miles out.

Anyone have any experience, tips, advice, anything?

Thanks,
unconfirmed

Unconfirmed, i would think you could get ktbs 3.1 with a good outdoor antenna without much trouble, ksla i wouldn't be so sure of, ktal nope....if you do get it it looks worse than the analog and is not HD anyway, kmss and kshv i would say no way at this time. best thing is get it all set up and make sure you have a grace period to take it back if it will not work for you.

Ken984,
Thanks. I wasn't even sure if it was technically possible to receive the signal from this far away.

It would be awfully nice if they would put up a second set of antenna arrays up here....but I don't think that's very likely.

On a related note, are any of the locals available in HD over the cable systems down there in S-BC?

Thanks for the help...

Cheers,
unconfirmed....

I believe KTBS HD is on Sport cable but Bossier has no HD, and COX does nothing but whine about how much it costs to do HD. I live in Bossier so maybe someone that lives in sport can give you a definite answer.

Guys:

I talked to the engineer at KMSS on Thursday. He advised me on several issues.

1. No chance of a waiver. He said he couldn't even get one. :-(

2. No chance of being at full power for the Super Bowl. (New transmitter has not even been ordered yet) and he has no idea when they will go full power.

3. He thinks the new target date for FCC mandatory digital switchover has moved to 2009. (!)

4. I need to buy a Channel Master quad bow-tie UHF antenna and point it at the area of the fairgrounds. He thinks I should be able to get their signal from Greenacres Place (north Bossier.)

I think downtown may be in the line of sight from G A P to Jewella and Greenwood RD. But it is worth a try, good luck! If it warms up today some I may try to re-aim my Channelmaster and see what i can do with KMSS if i could get 3 12 and 33 i would be very happy.

Wonder why they're not showing the NFL game this afternoon in HD on KSLA? It says HDTV by Sony, where available...

They did a great job yesterday with the college games.

I mapped it out, Ken, and downtown *is* in the line of sight between me and KMSS.

I just ordered the antenna and will try it. Will report back in a few days.

Good luck with the Antenna Steve, I still have not tried to re-aim mine, just too lazy i guess.
KSLA is very bad about not switching into HD on the weekends, emails and calls to the station do no good either, i am not sure if they have an engineer on duty or not.

DONT FEEL BAD IF YOU CAN'T PICK UP THE KMSS SIGNAL, THEY USUALLY SCREW IT UP AND SHOW THE SD SIGNAL ANYWAY. LIKE YESTERDAY THE PROGRAMMING OTA LOOKED WORSE THAN THE COMPRESSED FEED FROM DISH NETWORK. CHANNEL 248 (LA CHANNEL FOX11). THEY WILL HAVE IT RIGHT FOR ABOUT A DAY AND HALF AND THEN IT WILL SWITCH TO A BLANK SCREEN, THEN SWITCH TO A STRETCHED SD SIGNAL. CHANNEL 45 DOES THE SAME THING (AS FAR AS STRETCHING). WHEN THEY HAVE THE THING RIGHT I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY WON'T JUST LEAVE IT ALONE. OH WELL WHAT ELSE DO I HAVE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT, IF THIS IT, THEN EVERYTHING MUST BE GOING OKAY WITH MY LIFE. THANKS FOR LETTING ME VENT

Neither one of them actually has much HD content.FOX has football and WB has a sprinkling of night time soaps.The WB stretched picture is unwatchable.

LOL Burgranger, I am with you there, if this is all we have to complain about then things are not that bad:-)
Still would be nice to get everything in HD that is SUPPOSED to be in HD. I think the problem with the pictures is that so little is in real HD they arent sure when to flip the switch.

My goal: buying the antenna, talking to the engineer, crawling around in my attic, buying a compass, drawing lines on maps...it's all so I MIGHT be able to get the Super Bowl in HD. Surely they'll try to get that right. I'll practice on Sundays, hoping for the best in the coming weeks.

KTAL and Cableone, the only cable company up here in T-Town, appear to be in a pissing contest over usage fees. They are now running an ad on Channel 6 saying they are taking KTAL off of Cableone's network on Jan. 1, 2005. There is actually an article on www.newschannel6.tv recommending that people switch to Dish...which I found amusing. Of course, cableone is pointing the finger back at channel 6, insinuating that they are being gouged. The KTAL quality over cable stinks, even on a good day, but not even having that is going to really make my blood boil.

At least those of you down in SPort and BC have the option of trying to get a HD signal over the air. I'm SOL up here.... :mad:

Don't feel bad we are sol down here. Have only seen maybe 10 min of programming in 6 months (even that looked bad). On dish I have the west coast feed of NBC, It is not hd but it looks that way compared to ktal's satellite feed.

Unconfirmed don't sweat KTAL the picture is BAD no matter how or where you get it and the digital signal, when its working is probably worse than the analog picture for quality, and only sound from the left front speaker the last time i managed to pull it in. We are always going to be wanting as fas as NBC in this market. The old owners didnt do much with the brand and the new ones seem content to do the same. With "Must See TV" for all these years you would think they would have the advertising muscle to make $$ but it seems they just let things slide. They will work it out, KTAL needs the viewers and the cable company needs the network....It will probably be like Dish vs CBS a day or 2 and they will get an agreement.

Regarding my antenna and KMSS: I installed it this afternoon, pointed it with a toy compass and - voila! - I got a picture. My signal stength was 70% initially. Then I raised it 3 feet and it improved to 80%. (My other channels: 3.x , 12.1 and 24.x all come in around 90%.)

((edit)) My antenna wire is running through an amplifier - thought I should clarify that...

Now...will they broadcast in HDTV this weekend????? ....Super Bowl weekend?????

(C'mon, FOX!)

wow Steve thats awesome, I finally went out and adjusted mine and nada....not even a hint of a signal from kmss. i keep looking around during the game but so far nothing at all.

Hey D* is showing the Cowboys vs Saints in HD on Sunday Ticket...no blackout!!
who needs an antenna:-)

Update: KMSS Fox 33.1 was showing High def for part of the afternoon. The Fox Pregame show was HD, as was the first game they showed (The Carolina game - no commercials - beautiful picture.) My friend said that, after I left to shoot some family pics for a friend, Fox switched over to the Dallas - Saints game - in HD for a while, then they went SD for the rest of the early game and part of the late game. After I got home, they switched the Packers - Lions to HDTV. Once again, beautiful picture, solid signal.

Thanks, KMSS engineer for the antenna tip!

Ken,

I had to go back into my rcvr and tell it to do a new digital channel scan. I could not just key in 33.1 and have it show up. Then I could go into the digital signal meter and optimize the strength.

Good luck.

Now...to figure out how to live with 2 antennae and switch them without climbing the attic stairs each time!

I watched the Dallas game first half on kmss sd...off of D*, then at halftime i was surfing and saw the halftime show was on D* and they left it up for the 2nd half of the game. Bad game anyway, but HD did look good. I didnt try a new scan for kmss but i will do that tonight. My tv has 2 antenna inputs so i can switch from one to the other with the remote. Congrats on getting it all working.

Originally posted by ken984
Unconfirmed don't sweat KTAL the picture is BAD no matter how or where you get it and the digital signal, when its working is probably worse than the analog picture for quality, and only sound from the left front speaker the last time i managed to pull it in. We are always going to be wanting as fas as NBC in this market. The old owners didnt do much with the brand and the new ones seem content to do the same. With "Must See TV" for all these years you would think they would have the advertising muscle to make $$ but it seems they just let things slide. They will work it out, KTAL needs the viewers and the cable company needs the network....It will probably be like Dish vs CBS a day or 2 and they will get an agreement. I'm not so sure. I've emailed both of the head honchos at the local level and both seem very resolute in the correctness of their respective positions. I'm resolute in my assertion that I'm going to be the one to get screwed over on the deal, no matter who wins. :)

The one bright point of this little fiasco is that I have learned that Cableone may be very close to offering 3 & 12 in high-def over the cable system.

Also, according to Scott Thomas, the head guy at KTAL:
We are in the planning stages currently to build out for HDTV in 2005, as mandated by the FCC. Can't give you a date. But sometime in 2005. This will cost KTAL in the neighborhood of $2.5 Million Dollars. Which
is another reason why we need you to support our cause.

I must say, he responded to my inquiry in a very professional and prompt manner. I guess he liked my email b/c it was polite. According to him, "Most of the email I get is hateful." It's not very specific info , but at least it's something.

Cheers,
unconfirmed

Well Unconfirmed that is a nice email frm ktal, and I HOPE its accurate because another member here talked to someone there and he said we will not do HD unless we are FORCED. And we al know the law specifies digital and not HD:(.
But things can and do change and I would take back all my snotty comments about ktal if they did do this and did go HD. The guy did tell the other poster that they would be at 1,000,000 watts next summer sometime. Just have to hope NBC puts pressure on them to step up and go full HD. If they did it would be the first time ever that ktal had a good picture. We need to save our pennies and sent them to KMSS quick...gotta get that tower built before Feb 2. LOL

Ken,

My buddy and I have talked to KMSS and they will NOT be full power by Feb 2. We bought ChannelMaster 4-bay bowtie antennas and are able to get a signal. Football in High Definition! The chief engineer gave my friend his home number to call if the HDTV "Switch" does not get thrown on Sundays so he can call the weekend crew and chew some butt. I cannot say enough kind things about the chief engineer at KMSS. He has been very helpful to me and my friend. (My friend is going to get a larger 8-bay bowtie antenna because he has fluctuating signal strength with the 4-bay.

At least KTAL is kind enough to approve waivers so we can get NBC HD via D*.

A few more things...even if we got a waiver for Fox on D*, there is not, to my knowledge, a high definition feed on D* for Fox...only the standard definition channel in the higher numbers. For CBS, NBC and ABC, the HD versions are in the lower numbers, below 100.

ALso, regarding NBC HD...only a couple of prime time shows and Leno are in HD. They seem to have even fewer HD shows than Fox!

Also...I routed my antenna wire down to the receiver, *not* through the amplifier, and my signal strength is still 80%. I bought an A/B antenna switch at Radio Shack and wired it into the equipment cabinet.

I'm ready for some football!

Well... glad I read this thred, so I won't be dissappointed after my antenna goes up tommorrow.

is this number to KMSS something you can share in the event an HD event is not being transmitted in HD?

Sorry. The number resides with my friend. I don't even want to know it. I don't want to abuse the trust of the chief engineer after he was so forthcoming and helpful.

my apologies... I just now read it was his home number :-)... I thought it was for someone AT WORK at KMSS during an HD event...

I've stumbled across some really awesome web resources for HD. Believe it or not, I found them through KSLA's web site!

They are:

http://www.checkhd.com/

-- and --

http://www.titantv.com

Both sites can be customized to your location, channel lists, etc. and will tell you what HD shows are available at any time of day. I have CheckHD email me a list of High definition shows coming on each day and Titan TV shows me 3 hour blocks at a time.

I realize I can get this information using my channel guide on D*, but this lets me check for HD wherever I (and my computer) might be.

The guys at Fox aand KSLA managed to find the High definition switches yesterday. (It took the guys at Fox a few minutes to get it together...)

How did you manage a waiver for HD through KTAL? The guy i talked to said no way no waivers period. I may have to try one of those bowtie antenna's i have a 4228 its a long range directional, may not be the right antenna for this situation. Where did you get it from?

Ken,

I'm not able to get KTAL at all, except over the satellite. They granted my waiver a couple of years ago (D*applied for it for me.) I applied for the waiver for general poor reception. The High definition channel was just a bonus!

The antenna came from Solid Signal.com. (It's a ChannelMaster 4 bay bow tie.) Note: It's UHF only. That means it won't bring in any regular channels, like 3, 6 and 12. HD is all UHF, though, so it's good for those. Also note that, from Bossier City, KMSS is south west and all the other antennas are north west. That's why I now have 2 antennas in my attic.

By the way, the Dallas game *was* in HD, but the Fox weekend crew didn't make the switch - ever! My friend called the engineer's house repeatedly without success.

We called KMSS today and were told that he is on vacation (out of town.) That explains why we couldn't reach him.

I now have the direct number to Master Control so I can call them when they miss the boat.

I was hoping somebody local would have the antenna, but i knew that was a longshot. KMSS is Northwest of me I am in South Bossier, but no matter where i point my antenna i get 0 from KMSS digital. I thought about trying a preamp or an amp but i hate having to order it off the net and then find out its not what i need.

Channels 88 & 89 on D* = FOXHD...

now here's hoping for a waiver from keithville...

I wish the new law was written more clearly, it says if you sub to analog locals you are eligible for dintant digitals off of sat, until the digital locals are up on the sat, but in another section it says it might be 3 years before they make a rule about digitals. So its very unconfusing.....in 3 years we will not need distant digitals....we need them NOW. Then these broadcasters would probably get a little faster about putting up a proper tower and powering it correctly.

Antenna info for KMSS:

I thought I would pass along the link for the antenna which allowed me to receive KMSS for those of you who want to grab one for Super Bowl Sunday.

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?CAT=&PROD=ANC3021

The engineer told me to aim it toward KMSS studios at Jewella and Greenwood (near Independence Stadium.)

One word to the wise: Solid Signal requires an adult over 21 to be home when UPS delivers the antenna. I had one heck of a time getting the antenna because we kept missing each other. Perhaps call them and ask them to delete that requirement before shipping.

Good luck and happy HD to all.

Thanks Steve, I ordered one. I hope it does better than my other 2 at getting KMSS. Very good price on it, i paid twice that for the one i have now.

Now if we could get them to pay attention in the control room and pass along the hd signal when coming back from commercial. It is like they go out for a smoke break and forget that they are supposed to flip a switch. About half the time on the prime time line up i see two FOX logos, one small grey one and one big blue one. Only notice that when they screw up and send over the stretched sd version. For example the end of House last night. KMSS is the only one that has that problem. (it seems)

Well the only way they will get better is if we call them everytime they forget. KTBS was a little lax with that at first but always got it going pretty quickly after a call. KMSS seems to be very responsive so maybe they will do the same. When i get my new antenna hopefully i will be able to pick it up and then more of us can call them...need all the voices we can get so they realize HD is gonna be a big deal.

I TRIED TO CALL THIS WEEKEND DURING THE MINN-GREEN BAY GAME AND I GOT SWITCHED FROM KMSS TO KSHV BACK TO KMSS AND SO ON. COULD NEVER TALK TO A REAL PERSON. WAS FUNNY THOUGH THAT I LET THE PHONE RING TO DIFFERENT OFFICES AND AFTER ABOUT 10 MIN I GOT FED UP AND HUNG UP. THE SIGNAL SWITCHED TO HD AND STAYED THERE THE REST OF THE BALLGAME. DOES ANYBODY HAVE THE DIRECT NUMBER TO THE CONTROL ROOM. I WOULD THINK THAT WOULD BE PUBLISHED.
SORRY ALL CAPS BUT JUST NOW REALIZED THAT IT WAS IN CAPS. SHOULDN'T BE USING MY WORK COMPUTER.

You need to go ahead and order the Channel Master 4228. It is basically two of the 4221's put together. I had the 4221 and then got the 4228. I was able to get a stronger signal and even some stations I could not get before. I lived in S-port for 23 years and it is good to see them finally advancing some.

Good luck with KMSS!!!!!



Originally posted by Steve_Smith
Antenna info for KMSS:

I thought I would pass along the link for the antenna which allowed me to receive KMSS for those of you who want to grab one for Super Bowl Sunday.

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?CAT=&PROD=ANC3021

The engineer told me to aim it toward KMSS studios at Jewella and Greenwood (near Independence Stadium.)

One word to the wise: Solid Signal requires an adult over 21 to be home when UPS delivers the antenna. I had one heck of a time getting the antenna because we kept missing each other. Perhaps call them and ask them to delete that requirement before shipping.

Good luck and happy HD to all.

Burg,

I have the number for the control room. I'm not sure I want to post it globally, but I will email it to you.

Just by way of an update,

Cableone came through on their promise to have HD for two of the three local channels in Texarkana by the end of the year. KTBS and KSLA are now in the HD package from Cableone in Texarkana. Also, they added PBS HD as well. :D These channels went online sometime while I was out of town for Christmas.

I still wish they would finish up their little chest thumping battle with KTAL so I don't miss my NBC shows...but so far, they've gotten big points from me for this Christmas present.

Hope all of you have a happy and safe New Year.

Cheers,
unconfirmed

I second that----Happy and safe New Year to all!

Well I got my new 4 bay bowtie and still nothing from KMSS, that makes 3 different antennas without any luck...guess i will not watch the superbowl due to the horrible analog pic quality. Oh well, come on D* and put up all those satellites so we can get HD networks!

Hey if anyone else is watching ktal Digital 6.1 is up, for the FSU WV game, and the pic quality is not too bad...audio is still only fromt he left front channel...and its not HD but it is without a doubt the best nbc picture i have ever seen. Good work KTAL! Now get the audio fixed please!

Ken,

Bummer, for sure. Did you do a digital channel re-scan? You can't just key-in 33.1 and expect it to pick up. You have to screw in the bowtie, aim the bow tie elements at KMSS (not the metal screen) and tell your tuner to scan for digital channels.

Good luck.

Steve

(I guess that's how you found 6.1 ... duh.)

Yeah i put it up Friday and turned it everyway but loose and nothing from KMSS at all, but my other stations including ktal started coming better, i decided to leave the bowtie pointed towards the North so i could get ktal digital and i left my long range channelmaster pointed toward kmss just in case...did 3 channel scans with no luck, guess my next move is a preamp-or an amp or both....i think the stadium might be directly in my line of sight to their temp tower:(. How bout it kmss any chance of a waiver? LOL.

Steve what tuner are you using, maybe its the dtc100 that is not pulling in enough signal, i have thought about a new D* hd receiver anyway....but i hate to buy one now since things are gonna change in the next year or so anyway.

I have the new RCA box - one generation newer than the Samsung. It does have a really great tuner. However, I'm also able to tune 33.1 using the built-in digital tuner in the sony gwIV. Go figure. Maybe I'm just in a good place in Greenacres place, signal-wise.

Ok, just wondering I need to try some newer stuff at my house...guess i'll have to try out those return policies.;-)
I would like to have the RCA but I havent seen one locally, where did you get yours?

DirecTV installed it for me - for the low, low price of 349 minus the first payment. (Something like 230.00)

I have never really gotten a deal from them yet, i've been a cutomer since 95 though so when i do ask for something i hope they come thru.

Ken,

DirecTV Customer Retention @ 800-600-8977

Call them and ask them if they will help you with a receiver. Of course, I had not yet signed up for the HD channels, so they took that opportunity to offer me a receiver, install and 3 months free HD.

Give them a try.

Channel 12.1 is down tonight. It figures...the first time I was going to watch NCIS.

Yeah i was messing with my antenna last night and couldnt pull them in , thought great now i have lost CBS trying to get fox...:-)
I might try to call them and see what they will do....im already in a yr commitment and have hd and all....maybe they will help me a bit.

Well I got a new HD receiver from D* for 199 with 3 months free HD. Not bad since I was already under a year commitment. Hope its not a Samsung but they couldn't guarantee what brand. Just hope it gets better off air reception than this integrated dtc100.

Way to go, Ken! Maybe you'll get the new RCA! It depends on what the individual installer has on his truck. My guy was a rookie but he had the new box. He said the other installers had been trying to get him to part with it. He totally messed up my rca plugs but he did leave the good RCA.

Good luck. Report back.

PS. I faxed KSLA and asked Engineering to please try to get HD working by the weekend playoff games. (I emailed them too. They would not answer their phones.)

Ken and friends,

I emailed KSLA about their digital signal being down. Ted Small emailed me back that the signal is NOT down.

His reply:

There is not a problem with the digital signal. I would like to make
you aware of a pending issue that all stations in our market are dealing
with and that is the issue of PSIP. What that means is a programming
guide. During the next three weeks we will be testing a guide service
that will provide up to date programming information that was prior to
this time just the same thing. What this will require of you as a DTV
viewer is to rescan your channels occasionally, at least during the next
month if you find that you cannot find us. Your tuner is like a
computer and if it has old steering data then it might appear that we
are not there.

Thanks,

Ted Small
Director of Engineering & Operations
KSLA-TV-DT
318-222-1212


Update: I re-scanned all over the place, with 2 different antennas. NO KSLA-DT.

I left a voice mail for Ted Small. Fingers Crossed...

Yeah i tried 2 rescans also on both tuners on 2 different antennas, no KSLA...as a matter of fact when i manually entered 12-1 it locked up my tv and it shut off. So there was something bad going on with their signal, maybe they were working on it....but during prime time?? Not a good idea...experiment during the day when the soaps and oprah are on not during prime time. I will have my new box Saturday if my wife doesn't kill me for getting it...:-)

I have an 811 and I pull ksla in on 17-01. 82% signal.
I am still trying to get ktal to pull in.

Burg

Check your IM

I just re-set, rescanned, re-booted, etc. and found KSLA on 17.3 using my Sony digital tuner. I called KSLA and got them to leave a message for Ted. Geez! What a disaster.

I can't get it on my DirecTV box (RCA DTC210) but I can on the Sony GW IV.