WCTI and WITN will air the President Live for his speech. I don't know about the others. We will see!THAT is how it is supposed to be. Good to see!

If the other two are carrying it I can't imagine that WNCT wouldn't. Stations in all markets play follow-the-leader... it's just the nature of the business.

Enough of the President Obama hype. Don't you people get tired? How about those kids at the US Army Walter Reed Hospital with messed-up legs, arms and faces?

THAT is how it is supposed to be. Good to see!

If the other two are carrying it I can't imagine that WNCT wouldn't. Stations in all markets play follow-the-leader... it's just the nature of the business.

Don't count on it... Not everybody can afford to lose the revenue generated by local ads. Then again, maybe they will.

During the campaign Obama came to the Triad several times. If he was viewable, we had the pictures on the air of him including sometimes LONG stump speeches, all three of the news stations here. Yeah, we lost a alot of a revenue because of that, but if you want to keep the reputation of a news player, you have to bite the bullet. Just part of the job, so to speak.

Enough of the President Obama hype. Don't you people get tired? How about those kids at the US Army Walter Reed Hospital with messed-up legs, arms and faces?I don't know where you were going with that, but I myself am no Obama fan. However, it's news and it's in our area. The news stations should be covering it.

And they are. Even 8 and 14 are carrying 12's feed. Way to go! It really would have been embarassing if 5 and 11 came out of the market to cover something live that our stations wouldn't even pre-empt for.

I stopped by WITN's booth at the 94.3 TalkFest this morning and overheard them explaining the DTV converter to an older lady. The guy from the station (don't know who it was) said he or an engineer would come out to her house and help if she needed it. Have to give kudos to them on that... that's good public service.

During the campaign Obama came to the Triad several times. If he was viewable, we had the pictures on the air of him including sometimes LONG stump speeches, all three of the news stations here. Yeah, we lost a alot of a revenue because of that, but if you want to keep the reputation of a news player, you have to bite the bullet. Just part of the job, so to speak.Exactly. If only all stations would go by this rule and pre-empt for something other than weather.

During the campaign Obama came to the Triad several times. If he was viewable, we had the pictures on the air of him including sometimes LONG stump speeches, all three of the news stations here. Yeah, we lost a alot of a revenue because of that, but if you want to keep the reputation of a news player, you have to bite the bullet. Just part of the job, so to speak.

Don't get me wrong, I agree completely... There were several times though during the election that Obama, Michelle, Hillary or Bill came to the east and we covered it live online but not on-air like cti and itn which I think is a mistake. But wasn't my decision to make.

Looks like to me, that nct cut away from the speech at some point to run commercials. Couldn't tell if they were trying to bail and got lots of phone calls and decided to go back to the speech... I caught it just as Carley came back on screen and said something along the lines of we now return to the President's speech.

Weird.

I won't go into negative territory with this. I didn't vote for Obama, but I support any President even if my thinking doesn't always coincide with theirs, such as the DTV mess.

I think Foxeng said it perfectly, and all I will say is that Ken and 12 rocked today with their coverage. It was nice to see something local on the air that was LIVE for a change, besides bad news.

ABC kind of somehow interfered there briefly, but they got it worked out.

Don't count on it... Not everybody can afford to lose the revenue generated by local ads. Then again, maybe they will.

They should ask Mr. Obama to help them out.:D

I don't know where you were going with that, but I myself am no Obama fan. However, it's news and it's in our area. The news stations should be covering it.

And they are. Even 8 and 14 are carrying 12's feed. Way to go! It really would have been embarassing if 5 and 11 came out of the market to cover something live that our stations wouldn't even pre-empt for.

I stopped by WITN's booth at the 94.3 TalkFest this morning and overheard them explaining the DTV converter to an older lady. The guy from the station (don't know who it was) said he or an engineer would come out to her house and help if she needed it. Have to give kudos to them on that... that's good public service.
There is freedom of speech in this country. I served this country for over twenty years. How many years did you serve? I suggest to leave it that.
Thank you

Does anyone know of a good source for OTA supplies in eastern, NC? Shipping rates can get pretty outrageous when you start ordering online. Especially when you are trying to find a telescopic mast among other things.

When I drive down Hwy 24 across Duplin and Sampson counties, I see all these antennas at almost every house, some brand new, apparently installed to receive the Wilmington stations when they went all digital, and I wonder where they bought them myself? I've seen the new antennas direct flat panel with screen model called clearstream (had to look it up I was so curios) that has the circular elements to it, I've seen channel master 4 & 8 bays, and I've seen the Winegard 8 bays, plus some huge all band units. Some folks point theirs to Raleigh, others ENC, and some Wilmington too. I've often thought about stopping and asking where they got their antenna. I went to the Big Blue store in Clinton one time because years ago they used to stock antennas, but not anymore. I assume the one in Kinston doesn't either. Lowe's quit carrying channel master, and I believe all outdoor models as well. I have to assume people are ordering their supplies off the internet. I don't see ANY radio shack units along this route.

. I went to the Big Blue store in Clinton one time because years ago they used to stock antennas, but not anymore. I assume the one in Kinston doesn't either. Lowe's quit carrying channel master, and I believe all outdoor models as well. I have to assume people are ordering their supplies off the internet. I don't see ANY radio shack units along this route.[/QUOTE]

Yeah I checked the Kinston Big Blue a few weeks back nothing there and you can't even find guy wire at Lowes. I've have a CM4228( original one), but I want to get it higher up to about 35 or 40 ft. I can pull Wilmington good for now, but I'm wondering what will happen once the foliage returns to the trees. Raleigh is the problem, channel 50 to be exact. Everything at the Raleigh antenna farm comes in good, but it. I would love to stop in and ask that guy just outside Kenansville on 24 that has the 4228 up on the tower receives Raleigh

. I went to the Big Blue store in Clinton one time because years ago they used to stock antennas, but not anymore. I assume the one in Kinston doesn't either. Lowe's quit carrying channel master, and I believe all outdoor models as well. I have to assume people are ordering their supplies off the internet. I don't see ANY radio shack units along this route.

Yeah I checked the Kinston Big Blue a few weeks back nothing there and you can't even find guy wire at Lowes. I've have a CM4228( original one), but I want to get it higher up to about 35 or 40 ft. I can pull Wilmington good for now, but I'm wondering what will happen once the foliage returns to the trees. Raleigh is the problem, channel 50 to be exact. Everything at the Raleigh antenna farm comes in good, but it. I would love to stop in and ask that guy just outside Kenansville on 24 that has the 4228 up on the tower receives Raleigh[/QUOTE]

I think you're going to have to wait until Jun 12. You're in the backside / blindspot of their sidemounted auxilary antenna for WRAL and WRAZ .

Admittedly I don't watch 12 as much as I do 7 and 9 so that comment wasn't really directed at them. 12 obviously cares about covering news live more than the other two stations since they have a satellite truck. Whenever I watch 12 I'm very satsified by what I see... it's the most underrated newscast in the market.

Scott, all three stations have satellite trucks. From what I hear, WITN just got their main microwave receive dish fixed (it was down for several months) so you'll likely see more lives on 7 now.

E]

I think you're going to have to wait until Jun 12. You're in the backside / blindspot of their sidemounted auxilary antenna for WRAL and WRAZ .[/QUOTE]

I was aware that WRAL was using an auxiliary antenna and knew I would have to wait for the switch over to receive it again , but I didn't realize that WRAZ was affected by this also. I can get WRAZ about 60% of the time, but it is in no way a reliable single. Would be nice if some sub channel closer by would carry RTN...hint,hint

Scott, all three stations have satellite trucks. From what I hear, WITN just got their main microwave receive dish fixed (it was down for several months) so you'll likely see more lives on 7 now.I've never seen 9's and I pass by the station several times daily. Actually I don't think I've ever seen 7's either.

There is a difference between a sat truck and a microwave truck. 7 and 9 both have multiple microwave trucks, but as far as I know 12 is the only one with a true mobile satellite uplink truck.

. I went to the Big Blue store in Clinton one time because years ago they used to stock antennas, but not anymore. I assume the one in Kinston doesn't either. Lowe's quit carrying channel master, and I believe all outdoor models as well. I have to assume people are ordering their supplies off the internet. I don't see ANY radio shack units along this route.

I would love to stop in and ask that guy just outside Kenansville on 24 that has the 4228 up on the tower receives Raleigh[/QUOTE]

He's up on a hill too, plus that tower, so I bet he's getting every channel. I noticed he put the tower well away from the house. It isn't really any higher than his roof, so I don't understand the thinking there in putting up that tower, unless he had it professionally sited, and that's where the "hot spot" is. There's a house almost right next to him going down the hill that has a tower also. I understand going with a tower in a low spot, and it's right up against the house.

I happened to think last night that in Smithfield there is a channel master plant. I have no idea if you can go there to buy stuff though...

I happened to think last night that in Smithfield there is a channel master plant. I have no idea if you can go there to buy stuff though...That plant is closed now unfortunately. Can't remember exactly when it closed but it's probably been a couple of years.

There's a house almost right next to him going down the hill that has a tower also. I understand going with a tower in a low spot, and it's right up against the house.


I would love to compare the signals of both as the the one down hill is a UHF/VHF combo. While the other is a CM4228. That area by the way has been named "TORNADO ALLEY" as tornadoes seem to frequently run the same path through there. I would say that is the reason for the towers,but the 4228 is clearly an attempt to get the best signal.

.


I would love to compare the signals of both as the the one down hill is a UHF/VHF combo. While the other is a CM4228. That area by the way has been named "TORNADO ALLEY" as tornadoes seem to frequently run the same path through there. I would say that is the reason for the towers,but the 4228 is clearly an attempt to get the best signal.

I think the combo down the hill has been there for many years, so it was probably put up for channel 3, 5, and 6. I'm sure it won't work well for the UHF's but probably will work OK for 9, 11, and 12.

I remember several times seeing damage to those turkey houses around there from Tornado's.:eek: I wouldn't live in that spot without a basement!

That plant is closed now unfortunately. Can't remember exactly when it closed but it's probably been a couple of years.

I didn't realize it had closed. I thought I heard on the news about lay-offs. I must have missed the closing down story. I hope this economic problem gets worked out soon. So many people have lost so much hard earned savings.

I think the combo down the hill has been there for many years, so it was probably put up for channel 3, 5, and 6. I'm sure it won't work well for the UHF's but probably will work OK for 9, 11, and 12.

Like I said in an early post I have a CM4228, but I also have a U/V combo( not sure of model) similar to that one. Both are probably at about 20 ft elevation. They are combined into a single feed inside with a splitter. Believe it or not rather than interfere with each other they actually improve the signal when pointed in the same direction. You will see a clear increase in the meter of 4-8% on Wilmington and RDU stations . With of course the exception of WRAZ. The reason I mention this is that I also have an old CM4251 7ft Parabolic Dish. It is nothing short of amazing. I can pull most stations including WRAZ with it simply at ground level, however it interferes with any other antenna in the system and in fact they cancel each other out,so I actually lose more than I gain. Its a set up I'm still playing with though.

Like I said in an early post I have a CM4228, but I also have a U/V combo( not sure of model) similar to that one. Both are probably at about 20 ft elevation. They are combined into a single feed inside with a splitter. Believe it or not rather than interfere with each other they actually improve the signal when pointed in the same direction. You will see a clear increase in the meter of 4-8% on Wilmington and RDU stations . With of course the exception of WRAZ. The reason I mention this is that I also have an old CM4251 7ft Parabolic Dish. It is nothing short of amazing. I can pull most stations including WRAZ with it simply at ground level, however it interferes with any other antenna in the system and in fact they cancel each other out,so I actually lose more than I gain. Its a set up I'm still playing with though.


I had to look up that dish antenna. It's HUGE. My neighbors would have a fit. lol - Right now, I'm just using a Radio Shack UHF at 26ft., with channel master pre-amp and Channel master digital rotor. I can tune WRDC, WLFL, and WRAZ most nights. I have a hard time with WTVD. I found switching to twin lead cable from my antenna to pre-amp made a difference in getting the Raleigh channels, and raised Wilmington signals up about 5-10%. I can even tune WILM-HD sometimes. The twin lead I'm using is foam insulated. It's really old, but very thick. I found it at my grandparents house. It was used 25 yrs ago. I am planning to add an Antennacraft Y-5 out there as June gets closer for reception of WFXI, and better reception of WNCT.

I've never seen 9's and I pass by the station several times daily. Actually I don't think I've ever seen 7's either.

There is a difference between a sat truck and a microwave truck. 7 and 9 both have multiple microwave trucks, but as far as I know 12 is the only one with a true mobile satellite uplink truck.

9 has a dual microwave/satellite truck.

9 has a dual microwave/satellite truck.Since you work there I'll take your word for it :)
And actually, if 9 has one I'm sure 7 probably does too. They seem to be the least afraid to spend money on tools for the news product.

Speaking of, anyone know when 7 is going to break ground on the new studio in Greenville? They've been sitting on that property quite awhile now.

Since you work there I'll take your word for it :)
And actually, if 9 has one I'm sure 7 probably does too. They seem to be the least afraid to spend money on tools for the news product.

Speaking of, anyone know when 7 is going to break ground on the new studio in Greenville? They've been sitting on that property quite awhile now.

Well, not anymore... I was one of the last layoffs before the parent company of the station furloughed everyone. But yeah, they've got a dual combo truck.

Not sure if 7's is a dual or separate. Yeah, I think, in this economy, it'll be a while before 7 breaks ground. But you never know.

I'm sorry to hear that eastern. How will they keep their internet site going? It seems to me that position would be one you couldn't get along without, but the way things are right now, I guess nothing is a guarantee.

That plant is closed now unfortunately. Can't remember exactly when it closed but it's probably been a couple of years.

I thought that only part had closed. They made more than just TV antennas there and that part closed with that part of the business was sold off leaving just the TV antenna division there.

Well, not anymore... I was one of the last layoffs before the parent company of the station furloughed everyone. But yeah, they've got a dual combo truck.

WOW! Sorry to hear that. I have a friend at MG in Raleigh saying times is real tight there too and getting tighter. I think they are already looking trying to beat the "rush."

I thought that only part had closed. They made more than just TV antennas there and that part closed with that part of the business was sold off leaving just the TV antenna division there.You may be right. The property brochure shows Andrew still occupying a small part of the building and the rest being leased out. Last time I was by there I did see an Andrew sign still up out front.

http://www.quadrelle.com/admin/images/pdf_files/120Smithfield%20Business%20Park%20Brochure.pdf

Right now, I'm just using a Radio Shack UHF at 26ft., with channel master pre-amp and Channel master digital rotor. I can tune WRDC, WLFL, and WRAZ most nights. I have a hard time with WTVD. I found switching to twin lead cable from my antenna to pre-amp made a difference in getting the Raleigh channels, and raised Wilmington signals up about 5-10%.

Wow that is pretty good for being in Jacksonville. You must be on the western side close to Richlands. By the way I found the answer to my question about where to find supplies. The local trash dump.:D:D No I'm not a trash picker, but today my brother in law ran across a 30 ft telescopic mast in the scarp metal container even had a rotor on it though I haven't checked if it worked. The mast itself seems to be it good shape. I'm going to clean it and reach for the stars.

I had to look up that dish antenna. It's HUGE. My neighbors would have a fit.


And it could have been yours..LOL You probably went past it on your trips down 24 and it was just laying on the ground. I actually got it from the guy who runs Mom-n-Pops there on hwy 24. It had been laying out behind the store for about a year. Again the brother in law saw it a got it for me.

I'm sorry to hear that eastern. How will they keep their internet site going? It seems to me that position would be one you couldn't get along without, but the way things are right now, I guess nothing is a guarantee.

Thanks jsp... Everything is being centralized through Richmond. Reporters and producers are still posting stories as they always have. They just eliminated me and my pt web guy. Happened at some of the other MG stations too.

It sucks. I mean, I enjoyed the hell out of the 3 years I was there, but all good things must come to an end. And besides, everything happens for a reason.

Thanks jsp... Everything is being centralized through Richmond. Reporters and producers are still posting stories as they always have. They just eliminated me and my pt web guy. Happened at some of the other MG stations too.

It sucks. I mean, I enjoyed the hell out of the 3 years I was there, but all good things must come to an end. And besides, everything happens for a reason.

That sucks. Does WITN have a seperate web department? Maybe you could land there. I know from reading it, WCTI doesn't put much into their web. Just curoius how that works.

Wow that is pretty good for being in Jacksonville. You must be on the western side close to Richlands. By the way I found the answer to my question about where to find supplies. The local trash dump.:D:D No I'm not a trash picker, but today my brother in law ran across a 30 ft telescopic mast in the scarp metal container even had a rotor on it though I haven't checked if it worked. The mast itself seems to be it good shape. I'm going to clean it and reach for the stars.

I'm in kind of a low spot on the eastern side of Western Blvd. There is a higher spot just across from me that I wish I was on, but I still do quite well, Better than I ever thought I would. Some of my family a few counties over gave their Channel Master 4242 and telescopic mast to a guy who fixed their roof, I guess swapped for his service. He sure made out.:rolleyes: I couldn't believe they did that!!! Last time they were here I asked if they had gotten all their TV's hooked up to the antenna for DTV,and they said to cable. I don't think they are happy with it either. There decision to go to cable was based on not being able to tune a UNC-TV without a second antenna or rotating.

I can't believe someone would just throw away a good mast like that.:eek: At least you found it and saved a bunch of money.

If I only lived out with no neighbors, I would surely try that dish.

Thanks jsp... Everything is being centralized through Richmond. Reporters and producers are still posting stories as they always have. They just eliminated me and my pt web guy. Happened at some of the other MG stations too.

It sucks. I mean, I enjoyed the hell out of the 3 years I was there, but all good things must come to an end. And besides, everything happens for a reason.



You're right, but still I bet it was a lot of fun to work there. You knew the news before anyone else! I also think there is some great folks there. You can tell just watching them in action on TV.

That sucks. Does WITN have a seperate web department? Maybe you could land there. I know from reading it, WCTI doesn't put much into their web. Just curoius how that works.

Not too sure about itn... They've got a good site though. As for cti, they've been trying to keep it updated with more information since their new news director took over.

ectvwatcher,

Are you digital? Antenna, dish, directv, cable?

Speaking of TV websites, I think it would be cool if the website(s) started something like a chat room, or forum like this to see who is digital and who is still watching the analog. People could give reports of reception from their areas, and the stations would learn too just how well their signal is getting out to the masses. They did this on the Wilmington TV websites, and there really weren't all that many problems. Most people that tried indoor dipoles couldn't get the signal, and they were told what they needed to do.

What happened to WNCT? With about 15-20 mins. left the sound went dead for a few seconds followed by the Miami CSI WS/DD5.1 loss.

What happened to WNCT? With about 15-20 mins. left the sound went dead for a few seconds followed by the Miami CSI WS/DD5.1 loss.

I didn't catch that. But the sd picture on dish kept alternating between muted and vivid color through bbt and 2/12 men. It was weird. I thought maybe they were going to take closings and delays but it never happened. It was odd for sure.

ectvwatcher,

Are you digital? Antenna, dish, directv, cable?

One digital, one analog set on cable.

I didn't catch that. But the sd picture on dish kept alternating between muted and vivid color through bbt and 2/12 men. It was weird. I thought maybe they were going to take closings and delays but it never happened. It was odd for sure.

It was a disappointment last night. Only WITN kept the viewer informed. They at least ran one informative weather warning, and then ran closings all evening during programming. WCTI did do a couple of live cut-ins for the weather, but no crawls or closings.

I love the "explanations" I've heard for the unexpected snow so far!:confused::rolleyes: One station said a piece of energy broke off from the main storm system. Another said winds converged and rose into a storm. I guess that could happen.

I love the "explanations" I've heard for the unexpected snow so far!:confused::rolleyes: One station said a piece of energy broke off from the main storm system. Another said winds converged and rose into a storm. I guess that could happen.

What I was told by a friend at the NWS was the snow was a lake effects type deal off of the Kerr Reservior.

What I was told by a friend at the NWS was the snow was a lake effects type deal off of the Kerr Reservior.

That makes more sense to me. Thanks. I got .75 of an inch out of it. It was great to see Greenville naked for a change and Jacksonville with all the snow.:D

I didn't catch that. But the sd picture on dish kept alternating between muted and vivid color through bbt and 2/12 men. It was weird. I thought maybe they were going to take closings and delays but it never happened. It was odd for sure.
For what is worth I get CH. 9 from my OTA... You're correct the Miami CSI last 15-20 minutes went from HD WS DD 5.1 to SD>stinks. Does anybody care to explain? I am looking forward to watch HD WS DD 5.1 tonight: NCIS, The Mentalist and Without A Trace. Or are we going to get the same trashy BS from last night?
Thank you

I'm thinking of dropping suddenlink for Directv. Any advice/info? How is Directv doing with local HD broadcasts in particular?
Thanks,
George

I'm thinking of dropping suddenlink for Directv. Any advice/info? How is Directv doing with local HD broadcasts in particular?
Thanks,
George
IMHO if you have a friend with D* and a HDTV ask him/her for a visit. Some Radio Shack stores I believe have demo HD TV's connected to D* and they'll be glad to give you all the info you need or ask. Best Buy also has demo HD TV's connected to D*. D* is also carrying all the local channels.
Good luck!

When my wife and I moved into our new house we got DirectTV and up to that point I was always a cable person. However, you would have to pry my D* remote from my cold dead hands before I would go back to cable. There were a few little bumps in the road getting the locals in HD, but I think they have been fixed (Is Fox still jumpy?). Installation was a breeze and I've got a ton of HD channels. Now if they would only offer a HD only package, that would be the icing on the cake. I just can't make myself watch SD anymore. Even my wife loves it......that should tell you something right there.

Greg

Directv is alot better than SuddenLink.
All the channels are digital and there are alot more channels than SL.

Directv has WITN, WNCT, WCTI, and WYDO in HD.
They also have alot more HD channels than SL. To get all the HD channels in your package you pay a $9.99 HD ACCESS FEE.

For a $4.99 additional fee you can get a package called HD EXTRA.
It includes HDNET MOVIES, MGM HD, SMITHSONIAN HD, CRIME AND INVESTIGATION HD, UNIVERSAL HD AND PALLADIA HD.

Also they have NASCAR HOTPASS HD, 4 driver channels that have a incar camera and network feed on the same channel. It is free!

Directv has 130 HD channels.

Directv is transitioning locals off the 2nd satellite dish to the new HD satellites. They are offering free HD recievers (non dvr) to get the local channels. Local hd channels do not require HD access fee.

is Fox not in HD tonight ?..I taped American Idol on direct tv...just taped in SD

I watched Idol live last night and it was in HD on my D* setup.

Greg

how about the first 10- 15 minutes..i have direct tv also...and the first 10- 15min were in SD

how about the first 10- 15 minutes..i have direct tv also...and the first 10- 15min were in SD


I watched on WFXI-HD OTA and was in HD and just fine, except for when a helicopter came over.:rolleyes:

I started watching right when they announced the first person to go to the next round. It was in HD the whole time.

I dispute that "NASCAR HOTPASS HD, free". I stated before CH. 399 is NOT free and it doesn't air Nascar races every Sunday unless you have a waiver which takes almost an act of congress to get. To prove those points last Sunday 399 was NOT on nor was the " HOTPASS", NOT Free anyway...

When my wife and I moved into our new house we got DirectTV and up to that point I was always a cable person. However, you would have to pry my D* remote from my cold dead hands before I would go back to cable. There were a few little bumps in the road getting the locals in HD, but I think they have been fixed (Is Fox still jumpy?). Installation was a breeze and I've got a ton of HD channels. Now if they would only offer a HD only package, that would be the icing on the cake. I just can't make myself watch SD anymore. Even my wife loves it......that should tell you something right there.

Greg

It still is for me. It seems only to be during the syndicated SD shows.

It still is for me. It seems only to be during the syndicated SD shows.

Yeah I'm in the middle of exams and havn't hit the DVR in about a week. I usually noticed it when I watched House or Fringe. I'll see what's on there tonight and see if I see anything. I watched American Idol last night and at one point thought I saw a little jumpiness, but not to the extent I've seen in on House (that being to the point of nausea).

greg

I dispute that "NASCAR HOTPASS HD, free". I stated before CH. 399 is NOT free and it doesn't air Nascar races every Sunday unless you have a waiver which takes almost an act of congress to get. To prove those points last Sunday 399 was NOT on nor was the " HOTPASS", NOT Free anyway...

No one said that channel 399 was included in Hotpass, what was said is that 399 was on free for some reason during the Daytona 500.

And last Sunday Hotpass was on, I watched it.

It is free to all Directv customers.

www.directv.com/hotpass

channels in Hotpass package
SD/HD 795 car1
SD/HD 796 car2
SD/HD 797 car3
SD/HD 798 car4

Hotpass HD will require HD access fee. But no charge for HOTPASS

OK so Fox is still jumpy as hell.....some parts of Terminator were almost unwatchable (picture wise that is).

The basketball tournament is tomorrow. Can't wait. NC State better not lose!!! :D

The basketball tournament is tomorrow. Can't wait. NC State better not lose!!! :D
I am NOT a round ball fan but the round ball bounces on tobacco road:rolleyes: Smell the reality salts UNC is the KING of the road:D September is NOT here soon enough:cool:

2 nights in a row (Tuesday and Wednesday) American Idol went in and out a few times. I actually missed Noop Dog sing on Tuesday night because of this "atmospheric interference" again...

This is SOOOO STUPID!

As embarrased as I am to say I watch American Idol, I will scream it from the highest mountain if it would help this local FOX stadium get their act together. Horrible Picture Quality, loss of signal, etc..... no fix in site?

The best part of all this is, next fall when the Cowboys are playing on the local fox station I wont be able to see them play on NFL Sunday Ticket SuperFan because of the blackout policy's now that we have HD Locals. I will be subjected to this crappy FOX station!

Also, I swear to god, if I see another commercial loop the last 2 seconds again I will FREAK OUT!

Sorry for ranting! It helps.

The best part of all this is, next fall when the Cowboys are playing on the local fox station I wont be able to see them play on NFL Sunday Ticket SuperFan because of the blackout policy's now that we have HD Locals. I will be subjected to this crappy FOX station!

Sorry for ranting! It helps.NFLST-HD did not blackout any games last year for me. I can't say you'll be blackout-free down there but there were no HD blackouts for us...

ACC Tournament on FOX in Greenville is NOT in HD as we speak. Does anyone know why? Raycom stated it was being broadcast in HD and it's nice and fuzzy SD on Directv and my OTA isn't even picking up the signal. Is this another failure on the part of WYDO/WCTI or am I missing something?

ACC Tournament on FOX in Greenville is NOT in HD as we speak. Does anyone know why? Raycom stated it was being broadcast in HD and it's nice and fuzzy SD on Directv and my OTA isn't even picking up the signal. Is this another failure on the part of WYDO/WCTI or am I missing something?

Dish Network and WXFI/WYDO OTA is in SD also.:eek:

I'm about as disgusted as many of you with FOX East Carolina. I have just about quit watching them altogether, and I am watching the Tournament in HD on WSFX 26.1

It seems that WFXI WYDO signal is cursed. Sorry for showing some frustration, but that's the way it is for the viewer. Frustrating.

Dish Network and WXFI/WYDO OTA is in SD also.:eek:In HD here in SE VA on our MNT affiliate though the DirecTV guide doesn't mention "hi-def."

2 nights in a row (Tuesday and Wednesday) American Idol went in and out a few times. I actually missed Noop Dog sing on Tuesday night because of this "atmospheric interference" again...

This is SOOOO STUPID!

As embarrased as I am to say I watch American Idol, I will scream it from the highest mountain if it would help this local FOX stadium get their act together. Horrible Picture Quality, loss of signal, etc..... no fix in site?

The best part of all this is, next fall when the Cowboys are playing on the local fox station I wont be able to see them play on NFL Sunday Ticket SuperFan because of the blackout policy's now that we have HD Locals. I will be subjected to this crappy FOX station!

Also, I swear to god, if I see another commercial loop the last 2 seconds again I will FREAK OUT!

Sorry for ranting! It helps.
Welcome to North Cacoolaki:rolleyes: Instead of your "them Cowboys" you'll be watching the NC Panthers:o>The NC Romans rule:D I had the same rant when I couldn't watch my 49ers or my USC Trojans for that matter:eek:

Yeah this sucks. Not to mention that Raycom's broadcast isn't top notch anyway. Perhaps I can hold out hope that the games tomorrow will be in HD. It's a shame that I can't watch the ACC Tournament in HD in the year 2009. Oh well.

just got a response from Don Fisher:

Mr. Harper,

Unfortunately, we are not broadcasting the day games on FOX in HD. The night games and the Saturday and Sunday games will be on WCTI and they will be in HD. I am sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you for watching!

Best,

Don"


I say WEAK!!! WEAK WEAK WEAK!! What a lousy television station. I wonder why the heck they got these games instead of WCTI. Again, crap I say.

Dear Don,

I know it's not your fault, and thank you for all the info you have provided to this board. But it is sad that in the year 2009 we are forced to watch the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in SD instead of HD. Please do everything possible to allow us the convenience of watching the games in HD next year.

Thanks.

Yeah this sucks. Not to mention that Raycom's broadcast isn't top notch anyway.

I guess I shouldn't say how good Raycom's HD looks! They have really got some good cameras down there in Atlanta. Very vivid! Folks in the Programming section were saying also how good it looks. I don't care for their announcers though... If they had someone like Vitale it would be much more entertaining.

I'm still at work but I hope I'm getting a good enough signal from WRAL to pick up the games. Does anyone know if RAL is at full power from their tower improvements yet?

I'm still at work but I hope I'm getting a good enough signal from WRAL to pick up the games. Does anyone know if RAL is at full power from their tower improvements yet?I'm pretty sure they can't go full power until WCTI shuts down analog and moves to 12. WRAL's permanent home will be 48.

God, the raycom broadcast of the acc tourney sucks tonight. THe picture keeps breaking up and the audio has been horrible all game

That's weird. I had no problem.

That's right I forgot I watched on WECT 6.1 :) Have any of you up north of me been getting this station since it changed towers? I get it at 92% here, so it should travel on up 10 more miles at least I would think.

I'm still at work but I hope I'm getting a good enough signal from WRAL to pick up the games. Does anyone know if RAL is at full power from their tower improvements yet?

WRAL can't move to channel 48 until WCTI vacates (I understand they are going to 12). Even then , initially it will only be at half power - but it will be back on the top of the tower in full omnidirectional pattern again. Within a couple months of moving to 48, they should be back at full power again, on top of the tower.

In the meantime, WRAL is on the sidemounted antenna that's at 1400 feet at full power, with a pattern that favors the north and west (towards Raleigh and Durham). If you're east of I95 - good luck receiving them. If you're southeast of the tower - you're out of luck until June 13 (I've been in email correspondence with a gentleman in Smithfield who can literally see the tower lights at night, and sees diddly squat for their digital signal right now).

Did anybody watch 9-1 from 1800-2015?

Also, I swear to god, if I see another commercial loop the last 2 seconds again I will FREAK OUT!

Sorry for ranting! It helps.

I have been complaining (and they do read these boards) about this and other problems for a significant amount of time. I swear it seems like just because they can spell engineer they think they are one over there. It is complete incompetence that they cannot identify and fix these problems given the length of time they've known about them.

Just do like i did. Get a big antenna and point it at WRAZ. They're always on, always right and never loop the end of crappily produced local spots. It's called a professional production, something the local Fox station knows nothing about.

If you're curious about what went wrong yesterday, during the ballgame, see below.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090314/ARTICLES/903142966/1005?Title=ACC-Tournament-Notebook-TV-signal-just-crapped-out-

"The technical difficulties that left Raycom’s broadcast of the game with audio and no video were experienced by everyone viewing on the regional network.

Apparently, the problem involved a “High-Definition Closed Caption Encoder,” which is basically just a computer on which someone back at the studio types in the game commentary for the hearing impaired.

“It just crapped out,” said Raycom executive producer Jimmy Rayburn.

Raycom’s video signal goes from the truck parked outside the Georgia Dome to the HD Closed Caption Encoder. From there, it goes by fibers to the satellite, where your local cable company downloads it and sends it to your homes.

When the encoder “crapped out,” it interrupted the video signal. The audio stream was unaffected, so that’s why you never lost sound.

According to Rayburn, it took 3 minutes, 17 seconds for his crew to disconnect the encoder and reroute the signal around it. “We did a good job of getting the problem fixed quickly,” Rayburn said. “We were eventually able to get a backup encoder on line and everything should be fine.”"

Any good CC encoder should have a relay bypass that kicks in when either the encoder fails or is turned off. I am surprised.

What happened to the tobacco king of the road?

Is anyone else on D* having issues with WCTI? THe picture was breaking up and freezing during the ACC tourney last week, and it's been doing it off and on since. It was pretty bad during Scrubs last night and actually froze for about 5 seconds at one point. Not sure if it's WCTI or D* that's having the problem.

Is anyone else on D* having issues with WCTI? THe picture was breaking up and freezing during the ACC tourney last week, and it's been doing it off and on since. It was pretty bad during Scrubs last night and actually froze for about 5 seconds at one point. Not sure if it's WCTI or D* that's having the problem.

I believe it's an interference problem at the antenna. Lot's of atmospheric propagation last night. I was getting stations hundreds of miles away.

OK, the blue FOX logo is in the right hand corner, but the picture is in the shrunk letterbox mode. Now when there is the blue Fox logo it's HD. But I also get the white Fox logo as well. So what does that mean? HD, but not HD?

OK, the blue FOX logo is in the right hand corner, but the picture is in the shrunk letterbox mode. Now when there is the blue Fox logo it's HD. But I also get the white Fox logo as well. So what does that mean? HD, but not HD?

Not sure about the Fox logo, but Bones isn't HD ota.

This is a Fox 8/14 issue. Fox 50 out of Raleigh is currently in HD.

Not sure about the Fox logo, but Bones isn't HD ota.

This is a Fox 8/14 issue. Fox 50 out of Raleigh is currently in HD.

It's just more of that finely tuned professionalism we've come to know and expect from them. :rolleyes:

OK, the blue FOX logo is in the right hand corner, but the picture is in the shrunk letterbox mode. Now when there is the blue Fox logo it's HD. But I also get the white Fox logo as well. So what does that mean? HD, but not HD?

When you see both logo's, the network is airing HD, and sending the logo from their system. When you see both logo's, the local station has switched back to their SD feed. I saw what you were talking about when I tuned in Hells Kitchin last night. It was in 4:3 on 8.1 and in 16:9 on 26.1 - It wasn't Dishes fault.

It's just more of that finely tuned professionalism we've come to know and expect from them. :rolleyes:Norfolk's FOX had "Lie To Me" and AI in SD Wednesday... :(

When you see both logo's, the network is airing HD, and sending the logo from their system. When you see both logo's, the local station has switched back to their SD feed. I saw what you were talking about when I tuned in Hells Kitchin last night. It was in 4:3 on 8.1 and in 16:9 on 26.1 - It wasn't Dishes fault.

When network is on, the local splicer bug can not be controlled locally. It is a network thing. If during AI you see the local bug and the FOX bug, there is a problem with the splicer, network didn't ask for the local bug.

Foxeng,

We saw the white logo inside the 4:3 picture, and the huge blue FOX bug in the bottom right outside the picture in the pillar box. (Black strip) Sorry it's early. ;)

Foxeng,

We saw the white logo inside the 4:3 picture, and the huge blue FOX bug in the bottom right outside the picture in the pillar box. (Black strip) Sorry it's early. ;)

That means that the splicer was passing local upconvert and not splicing the HD network feed. On the HD feed the white FOX bug is in the 4:3 safe title area but it will fill the 16:9 screen when the splicer is splicing network.

OK, I still stand by my statement that there was something up with the splicer. I know that during AI FOX doesn't use the local bug (it is a legal thing with bootlegging) and even if the splicer isn't put on line, the local still can't put the bug up on the air during network (I know this first hand, I have personally tried), the network locks it out. If both are up during AI, something is SERIOUSLY wrong somewhere.

If both are up during AI, something is SERIOUSLY wrong somewhere.

During AI, just the white one is up. I expect someone is working to fix problems folks have been talking about on here with jittery pictures.

Anybody getting a lot of dropout from local direct tv feed..NCAA and golf have really been breaking...it's not on just one of my tv's must be feed...anyone "?

Yeah I'm getting a lot of pixelation on all the local stations. Watching the race today on Fox was almost unbearable. I thought I was going to have to get someone out to realign my dish. Kinda glad to hear I'm not the only one.

Greg

Yeah I'm getting a lot of pixelation on all the local stations. Watching the race today on Fox was almost unbearable. I thought I was going to have to get someone out to realign my dish. Kinda glad to hear I'm not the only one.

Greg

Me too. It's been going on for 2 weeks on WCTI (ACC tourney was awful, I figured it was RayCom) and this weekend on WNCT. The Duke game (10pm Sat night) was so bad I had to hook my antenna back up to be able to watch it. OTA, the game looked fine.

I looked up which transponders our locals came in on (supposedly 103(s), transponder #1) and I have 83-89 signal strength. I called D* yesterday morning and all they told me to do was to reset the receiver and check to make sure all the connections were tight. I have a tech coming this afternoon to look into the problem. I'll be sure to post what they figure out.

EDIT:

The tech has come and gone. I tried to show him the problem, but or course, it wouldn't rear it's ugly head while he was here. He said the only thing he could do was to re-adjust the dish itself and see if the problem goes away. He did his thing, and said he was able to get a slightly better signal (signal strenth went up about 2 pts), but since the problem wasn't occuring while he was here, I'm not sure if it worked or not. We'll have to see.

I was in Fayetteville over the weekend watching WRAL and I saw some pixelation a couple of times during the Duke game, but it was very minor, and only happened a two or three times. Was WNCT worse than that?

I can't imagine every antenna receiving D* at their collection point would be out of adjustment.

Yeah, it was way worse than that. Every minute or so the whole screen would pixelate real bad. The girl at D* said it sounded like macro blocking. it was bad enough i walked out in the cold to my shop to get an antenna.

yeah, it was awful saturday and sunday during the tournament. i was only watching wnct, but at times it would pixelate every 2-4 minutes. it definitely was NOT happening on the sd feed because i checked in my bedroom. i didn't see any problems at all watching chuck and 24 in hd tonight, so maybe the problem is just with channel 9??

Directv added ION WEST Ch 347

Directv added ION WEST Ch 347Wonder if they add the national ION HD???

This Saturday is the 25th anniversary of the 1984 Tornado outbreak across upstate South Carolina, and Central and Northeastern N.C. - Everything I read says that they are expecting Tornado's on Saturday around here. I hope that if the weather is that bad that there won't be any complaints if you don't get to see some HD, or some basketball, or whatever may be on at the time. One channel did a story on the town of Red Springs and showed it destroyed this morning from back then.

Everything I read says that they are expecting Tornado's on Saturday around here. I hope that if the weather is that bad that there won't be any complaints if you don't get to see some HD, or some basketball, or whatever may be on at the time. One channel did a story on the town of Red Springs and showed it destroyed this morning from back then.

I agree. There should be no complaints. Extreme weather anywhere in the local viewing area should take priority over everything else.

This Saturday is the 25th anniversary of the 1984 Tornado outbreak across upstate South Carolina, and Central and Northeastern N.C.

Check this I witness account of the Red Springs Tornado (http://community.myfox8.com/_Anniversary-1984-Tornado-Outbreak/BLOG/219861/96365.html?widgetId=157362) in that outbreak.

Check this I witness account of the Red Springs Tornado (http://community.myfox8.com/_Anniversary-1984-Tornado-Outbreak/BLOG/219861/96365.html?widgetId=157362) in that outbreak.

:eek: I'm glad I wasn't there. It's a wonder that there weren't more lost than what was reported. I sure don't want a repeat, or anything close to one! Everyone's got stories and memories of that night if they were anywhere around here that day.

having the same problems tonight like you guys were having over the weekend. pixelation on the HD locals. I called on sunday and they wanted to send a tech out, but i wanted to know if that worked for anyone else. It is ironic that it is happening again when the basketball games are on, but they were find earlier this week.

having the same problems tonight like you guys were having over the weekend. pixelation on the HD locals. I called on sunday and they wanted to send a tech out, but i wanted to know if that worked for anyone else. It is ironic that it is happening again when the basketball games are on, but they were find earlier this week.

Had the same problem, sent a tech out, still have the problem. Watched the tourney on my antenna, again.

I was going to call, but didn't fell like dealing with their stupid CSR's.

I just got off the phone with DirecTV and they were aware of the problem in this market and said they worked on it last night. We will see how it does.

Ken

I just got off the phone with DirecTV and they were aware of the problem in this market and said they worked on it last night. We will see how it does.

Ken

Good morning Ken. Thanks for the update. The problem seemed to happen at night. Weird.

I just got off the phone with DirecTV and they were aware of the problem in this market and said they worked on it last night. We will see how it does.

Ken

That's good news. Maybe it will be better tonight.

I also noticed it much worse at night. The tech came in the morning and the problem wouldn't show up, but as soon as the basketball games start, there it goes.

At 2210 a CH 9-1 weather update-NCIS interrupted. 2213 righter after the program resumed the WS>TO 4:3 AND DD 5.1 TO NAUSEATING Stereo-great channel 9, just fabulous....

At 2210 a CH 9-1 weather update-NCIS interrupted. 2213 righter after the program resumed the WS>TO 4:3 AND DD 5.1 TO NAUSEATING Stereo-great channel 9, just fabulous....

They need new equipment before they can run Tornado warnings on an HD telecast. There were two Tornado warnings last night that were more important than any dumb show. I agree their SD reception is horrible though. They didn't even bother to show a Tornado Watch most of the evening, and I never saw one on CW

I'm glad no one in "Faizon" was hit!;):rolleyes: I've heard it pronounced that way many times over the years.:D

They need new equipment before they can run Tornado warnings on an HD telecast. There were two Tornado warnings last night that were more important than any dumb show. I agree their SD reception is horrible though. They didn't even bother to show a Tornado Watch most of the evening, and I never saw one on CW

I'm glad no one in "Faizon" was hit!;):rolleyes: I've heard it pronounced that way many times over the years.:D

NCIS was a repeat, anyway (CBS Saturday=Procedural Repeats Galore), so nothing new was missed there (besides, it's on USA how many times a week?).

Along the same mention as "Faizon", talk about WRAL's Kim Deaner pronouncing Albertson as "Al-bertson" during last night's coverage (me=watched it via WRAL.com to keep family in Wayne and Lenoir Co. updated). The pronunciation is "All-bertson". When I heard her pronunciation, it made me cringe!

NCIS was a repeat, anyway (CBS Saturday=Procedural Repeats Galore), so nothing new was missed there (besides, it's on USA how many times a week?).

Along the same mention as "Faizon", talk about WRAL's Kim Deaner pronouncing Albertson as "Al-bertson" during last night's coverage (me=watched it via WRAL.com to keep family in Wayne and Lenoir Co. updated). The pronunciation is "All-bertson". When I heard her pronunciation, it made me cringe!

Al like Al Bundy?? Ha ha!!:rolleyes:


WWAY was on, WECT Not on. WCTI was on with FOX 14, WITN came in late. WNCT came on and stayed with it longer than the others did. The Tornado warning was on for Duplin a long time before 7 and 9 put up a warning. The tornado warning for Sampson county was on for a long time, and it was scary I'm sure for my family located there, especially with it being the 25th anniversary of the massive outbreak. I just found out this morning that I was in Sampson county the night of the twisters. I was only 4 yrs old. I don't remember it. The tornado went right through the woods in back of my grandmothers house.

Al like Al Bundy?? Ha ha!!:rolleyes:


WWAY was on, WECT Not on. WCTI was on with FOX 14, WITN came in late. WNCT came on and stayed with it longer than the others did. The Tornado warning was on for Duplin a long time before 7 and 9 put up a warning. The tornado warning for Sampson county was on for a long time, and it was scary I'm sure for my family located there, especially with it being the 25th anniversary of the massive outbreak. I just found out this morning that I was in Sampson county the night of the twisters. I was only 4 yrs old. I don't remember it. The tornado went right through the woods in back of my grandmothers house.

LOL...I won't bite at the "Al Bundy" comment.

My aunt was flipping between WRAL (Maze and Deaner), WITN (Trihy) and WNCT (Williams) to get info on Mount Olive and Suttowntown. They were thinking the same thing about the 25th Anniversary of the Tornadoes. They were affected by the Calypso/Faison/Mount Olive/Indian Springs tornado (caused a tree to fall in my grandmother's yard and had some structural damage to her house that night). I vividly remember being 5 years old with the family in a trailer (yes, I know, a magnet to be hit) watching Dynasty on Ch. 5, when it was the ABC affiliate, getting updates from DeBarbeladen and Fishel and listening to WRNS at the same time. To this day, I can't forget that fierce sky with all of the vivid lightning and high wind and the animals at the nearby farm acting very unusual earlier that afternoon (like they had a sixth sense).

Along the same mention as "Faizon", talk about WRAL's Kim Deaner pronouncing Albertson as "Al-bertson" during last night's coverage (me=watched it via WRAL.com to keep family in Wayne and Lenoir Co. updated). The pronunciation is "All-bertson". When I heard her pronunciation, it made me cringe!

I haven't heard it pronounced that way (All-), but then, out West, Albertson's (Al-) refers to a grocery store chain and not a town.

Looking at the WRAL website, she appears to be a local, so I guess an excuse like she just flew in from California won't work. ;)

http://www.wral.com/rs/bio/1023846/

The usual suspects are the usual public defenders...

I haven't heard it pronounced that way (All-), but then, out West, Albertson's (Al-) refers to a grocery store chain and not a town.

Looking at the WRAL website, she appears to be a local, so I guess an excuse like she just flew in from California won't work. ;)

http://www.wral.com/rs/bio/1023846/

Yep, I remember when she was at WNCT. The Tornado wasn't even heading toward Albertson. More toward Beautancus. I wonder if she could say that?

It's hard to believe it's been 25 years since that night. I was a senior in high school at the time and bagger at the then new Food Lion in Ayden. I had the misfortune of working that night when Ayden was hit. In fact, the tornado missed the store itself by about 100 yards. I'll never forget the sight of the steel beams of the roof shaking in the back of the store or the damage that I saw for days afterword.

I still remember watching WNCT's coverage of the aftermath.

We're getting old. I remember that night as well, I remember I went to the movies in Washington and coming home watching the tv.

Just wanted to mention that I haven't had any more problems with WNCT since Friday. Thanks again, Ken.

Here's my antenna when it was snowing recently. I am planning to add a VHF right over the rotor. I am trying to figure the best way to join the two of them... I am wondering if I can join them together with the twin-lead on the VHF antenna connection itself (in other words run the twin lead from the UHF ant. connection to the VHF connection on the VHF antenna itself) then run another piece of twin lead to the pre-amp you see on the mast. Would that cause too much interference? Another option is to go back to coax, and get a joiner with insertion loss of .05 from solidsignal. That would require baluns, and they are loss prone.

Any opinions are welcome and appreciated, as I only want to do this one time. :)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=138315&d=1238444147

Get you a VHF/UHF combiner. Not a splitter, but a combiner with a VHF port and a UHF port. Here is my antenna setup and that is what I am using. The combiner is halfway between the antennas and has equal length of coax between the two. If you look closely you can see the coax that is coming off at the right angle in the center of the mast. That is where the combiner is located. Do not use twin lead. Use coax with baluns at the antennas.

http://www.w4cl.net/fox/p2050021.jpg

Thanks.

I've got twin-lead now from antenna to pre-amp, and coax going down the green mast. The pre-amp I have there is a 300 ohm input-75 ohm output. So if I go with baluns, I'm going to need 3 of them. Is that too much loss?

Here's my antenna when it was snowing recently.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=138315&d=1238444147Damn... Is that thing sturdy??

Why do you say that? :D

I know it looks high, but it really isn't as much as you think! It was way out in the distance of my shot, but I blew up the picture with some computer magic. lol and too that mast is very thick. It's been through some hurricane force winds and is still up!

Okay, I think I know what I will do...

I think I'll get this - http://www.solidsignal.tv/prod_display.asp?PROD=CC7870

Amplify the UHF antenna and use twin lead into my pre-amp first, output that pre-amp with coax, then put the joiner (DC passive) below the rotor and pre-amp joining my VHF (un-amped) and amped UHF together. The VHF antenna will use a balun of course, and RG-6 coax to the winegard joiner, then from there into the lightning arrestor, then into the house to the power supply.

I don't see a need to amplify VHF as the signals should be plenty strong to start with. UHF doesn't hurt to amplify that like it does VHF. If you know of a better joiner than that, let me know. That one says 3.5 insertion loss.

Thanks.

I've got twin-lead now from antenna to pre-amp, and coax going down the green mast. The pre-amp I have there is a 300 ohm input-75 ohm output. So if I go with baluns, I'm going to need 3 of them. Is that too much loss?

In my opinion, the loss of signal through the baluns, is small compared to the improvement of S/N using coax, not to mention the interaction of the twin lead with the metal of the antenna and pole. I suspect the pre-amp is intended to go at the antenna terminals with a minimal amount of twin lead, not something in the 10 ft range next to metal.

Amplify the UHF antenna and use twin lead into my pre-amp first, output that pre-amp with coax, then put the joiner (DC passive) below the rotor and pre-amp joining my VHF (un-amped) and amped UHF together. The VHF antenna will use a balun of course, and RG-6 coax to the winegard joiner, then from there into the lightning arrestor, then into the house to the power supply.

If you are going to do that, I would suggest then you run separate coax lines into your house, one for VHF, one for UHF and combine them inside. This will give you the best intermod protection so your amps up on the antennas do not overload on a VHF signal or more than likely some cell tower close by. I intend to do that with my antennas this summer to put a 20db amp on the UHF and a 10 db on the VHF (I run a single 15db combined and with a spectrum analyzer I can see intermod from a cell tower down the street) and combine them indoors so neither amp will overload and cause intermod reception problems.

I can mount that amp right under the antenna and only use six or so inches of the twin lead. That twin lead I have is foam insulated, and very thick. I had to do it the way you see now in order to receive WECT DT when it was still on the short tower where WUNJ is located. I agree about the metal, and distance, but that is what worked, and I never had pixelation on that channel or any other.

I used to have coax and baluns without an amp, but some channels didn't work. I also had two antennas joined together in the beginning, pointing opposite directions and they worked perfectly, until the combo antenna elements got damaged in a storm, and I ditched it.

If you are going to do that, I would suggest then you run separate coax lines into your house, one for VHF, one for UHF and combine them inside. This will give you the best intermod protection so your amps up on the antennas do not overload on a VHF signal or more than likely some cell tower close by. I intend to do that with my antennas this summer to put a 20db amp on the UHF and a 10 db on the VHF (I run a single 15db combined and with a spectrum analyzer I can see intermod from a cell tower down the street) and combine them indoors so neither amp will overload and cause intermod reception problems.


Sorry for the delay. I just saw this post. That sounds like a plan to me. We have cell towers just down the street, and police stations/Fire stations too. I need to head back over to Lowes today and get that discounted coax I saw yesterday!:D

So what you are saying is that by running the coax (say 50ft) away from the antenna's first before combining will take some of the interference out of the signals? I can combine mine right before they go under the house...

I am a bit afraid of amping up my VHF, as the signals are already so strong that I can get good reception with a UHF antenna.

Directv subs

Full time MASN HD 640 added today for this region.

After 72 years CBS pulls the plug on Guiding Light. It will go off of CBS in Sept.
Proctor and Gamble are exploring ways to keep the show going. Out of all the 3 networks, GL is the lowest rated soap.

My heart bleeds after 72 years>>>>sure!

Women don't sit at home anymore watching soaps. I expect more of this type of programming to fail. The question is, what will they put in it's place? I think it needs to be informative. Something like "The Dr's."

I also expect some of these raunchy talk shows to fail. Like Maury. And Springers. What a waste of time.

I also expect some of these raunchy talk shows to fail. Like Maury. And Springers. What a waste of time.

I'd like to see a whole lot of shows disappear from the evening. Anything with Howie, Idol or any reality show has got to go. Oh yeah, I'd like to see some comedies that are actually funny.

DTV test at 7:30 on channel 12.

Wow, such a long stretch with no posts.

Directv is broadcasting WNCT The CW on channel 15 in 720p. This causes a line across the top of the screen. Why is Directv up converting this SD channel?

Directv is broadcasting WNCT The CW on channel 15 in 720p. This causes a line across the top of the screen. Why is Directv up converting this SD channel?Interesting too because CW does 1080i...

Directv has changed it back to 480i

I thought I'd post this link on syndicated shows, since we kind of discussed some of them a bit earlier on.

As I was thinking, both Maury and Springer have taken dips in ratings. The Dr's is doing quite well.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/196222-Syndication_Ratings_Doctors_Ahead_of_the_Pack_in_Rookie_Fiel d_During_Sweeps.php

Tried to record Harry Potter from 12.1 this evening and it was scrambled. Did anyone else experience this? Wonder if it was just New Bern or if WTVD scrambled it's signal too?

We are not doing any scrambling

Ken

Tried to record Harry Potter from 12.1 this evening and it was scrambled. Did anyone else experience this? Wonder if it was just New Bern or if WTVD scrambled it's signal too?

??? Scrambled? Like you were trying to watch a cable TV pay channel?

You probably had a boarderline signal, or interference and were seeing the results of that. Wilson is on the extreme fringe right now. On June 12, you should see significant improvements. (If congress keeps quiet) lol

Ken,
I see 14.2 is gone, any plans to bring .2 back with other programing?

It would be nice to see RTN or THIS on 12.3 or 8.2/14.2.
WRAZ has both 50.2 RTN, and 50.3 THIS

I agree with Jamie, but I don't want to lose ENC TV. I like some of the programming there, and they have good movies once in a while too. I like THIS TV. It's got good western movies, horror movies, and action flicks.

I removed 14.2 I saw no reason for it. I added the bandwidth back into 14.1 for now. There has been some talk about changes on ENC but at this point just talk. The possibility is there for an 8.2 and a 14.2

Ken

WYDO is MIA again as of 5:30 PM. This is the second time in 2 weeks it's gone down.

Ken how about a Live doppler radar with watches and warnings of bad weather turned on it until you decide on some other options?

Thoughts from others on that? It doesn't have to be a large amount of bandwidth for a static image. You could also air the NOAA weather radio station audio on it.

WYDO has not gone down.

Ken

WTVD 11 in Ral/Durham is now running 2 720p HD feeds.
ABC owned and operated stations will have a HD sub channel LIVE WELL HD Channel. Starting Monday.

WTVD 11 in Ral/Durham is now running 2 720p HD feeds.
ABC owned and operated stations will have a HD sub channel LIVE WELL HD Channel. Starting Monday.

Plus an SD sub... and it looks BAD. jmho

I cannot tune any local channels besides 8 and 12. I am getting stuff from hundreds of miles away, including WRBL and WJBF

I cannot tune any local channels besides 8 and 12. I am getting stuff from hundreds of miles away, including WRBL and WJBF

The ducting is pretty strong right now and will remain so for the next few days.

http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html#hour24

I cannot tune any local channels besides 8 and 12. I am getting stuff from hundreds of miles away, including WRBL and WJBF

i was getting crazy stuff from miles away last night too... awesome! love summer. :D

Eastern, did you notice the new crawl system on WNCT last time it rained? I was shocked that it was not in HD.
WCBD's crawl is just like the new one WNCT has, and is in HD. Maybe 9 doesn't know how to use it...

WBTW still doesn't have HD crawls that I have seen either. This morning they had one going about fires in Horry county SC.

Eastern, did you notice the new crawl system on WNCT last time it rained? I was shocked that it was not in HD.
WCBD's crawl is just like the new one WNCT has, and is in HD. Maybe 9 doesn't know how to use it...

WBTW still doesn't have HD crawls that I have seen either. This morning they had one going about fires in Horry county SC.

I did see NCT's new crawl system the other week on 9.1. Never saw it run on 9.2 though. Probably not that someone doesn't know how to use it. More likely that all components aren't installed in master control for it yet. Most folks don't realize that it's not just one piece of equipment, but a whole series of mechanics in the chain before that can happen. Piece by piece. They'll get there. :)

Just now getting around to responding to Eastern's comment on crawls. This market is far behind surrounding areas in that regard. All Raleigh and Wilmington channels now have the stuff to keep the picture in HD while watches and warnings are being dished out. WNCN is the only one doing a radar in the corner though. I guess the others are thinking viewers can tune to their weather channels, since they all have one. I hope if weather moves in today like it appears on the SPC site, that WNCT will have figured out how to make the HD magic happen.

On the CW, since it is a sub-channel, I don't think there is a requirement by the FCC to carry hazardous situation messages. I may be mistaken though, but I believe I read that somewhere... I do believe that it is a good idea to do so though.

______________________

CW HD? I hope that WNCT is not going to do two HD channels with channel 10. The two HD's on WTVD look terrible. I was remembering that WNCT said on their news that this fall we would get the CW in HD.

_______________________

On another topic, did anyone catch the Extreme makeover last night on ABC from Jamesville? A friend/neighbor of mine just down the road was one of the cannon helpers.

I asked Mike Riddle at WITN about 2 HD channels, he said there are not any plans for them to have 2 HD channels, they said there is not any content and also the cost for the new equipment is about $150K.

What Ive seen of WTVD HD1 and WTVD HD2 is not bad. 11.2 PQ is a little worse than 11.1 but still good.

So jamie are you saying you think it would be ok if WNCT did two HD channels? Personally I don't like it myself. I know the station might want it though... I am concerned about pic quality being ruined on a 1080 station even more than the 720. I had three ABC's to compare the other day, and WTVD looked like it was much softer to me than the other two. Sporting events IMO would suffer too much. Golf, March madness, and Football are all concerns. Fast moving scenes would probably look awful.

yeah... as good as 2 hds in one stream sounds in theory, the execution isn't that great. from what i can tell, cti looks much better than tvd now. having sad that, i think tvd may have followed the lead of wabc in nyc and added more bits back to 11.1... eyewitness news now on 11.3 looks like it barely has any bits going to it now. in nyc, they apparently dropped 7.3 down to 1mb to give the bits back to 7.1 for better quality.

i just moved here in gville to a new place and can no longer get anything ota reliably except for witn. to get anything else, i have to have the antenna on two small boxes in the corner of my new dining room. sucks, but i finally abandoned ota for cable today. :(

I have not looked at WTVD long enough to really notice. If the softness you are talking about is like what WYDO looked like over the last few months before they removed 14.2 then you are right, keep it at 1 HD.



I wish WCTI or WYDO/WFXI would bring RTN or THIS to a sub channel.

i just moved here in gville to a new place and can no longer get anything ota reliably except for witn. to get anything else, i have to have the antenna on two small boxes in the corner of my new dining room. sucks, but i finally abandoned ota for cable today.

Eastern, that must really suck. I know I'd be hurting if I had to go back to cable! EEeeK!

Warner cable only passes the in market channels, and does not pass MyNetwork 35 in digital.



I wish WCTI or WYDO/WFXI would bring RTN or THIS to a sub channel.

I agree, it would be a nice edition to the area. I watched Amityville 3-D Saturday night on THIS. :D

I always watch those movies when they come on. I have an aunt that lives right down the street from that house.

I wish WCTI or WYDO/WFXI would bring RTN or THIS to a sub channel.

Too bad you're not about 25 or 30 miles to the west. WRAZ has them both on 50-2 and 50-3. I spend a good amount of time watching WRAZ's assortment of channels.

I have not looked at WTVD long enough to really notice. If the softness you are talking about is like what WYDO looked like over the last few months before they removed 14.2 then you are right, keep it at 1 HD.



I wish WCTI or WYDO/WFXI would bring RTN or THIS to a sub channel.

Although I have removed 14.2 I have not given any of the bandwidth back to 14.1 yet so there should be no change in picture quality. On my TV at home I get WFXI from cable and WYDO from sat I feel sat has a little better quality. I did add a 3 second delay to WYDO last week that will help minimize the repeat of the last few seconds of comercials. So far it seems to be working. This is not a perfect way to fix this problem but the only option available to me at this time.

Ken

Although I have removed 14.2 I have not given any of the bandwidth back to 14.1 yet so there should be no change in picture quality.

Not only that, the Fox splicer doesn't generally allow a degradation of picture quality, right? So it shouldn't matter whether there's a subchannel there or not on most Fox affiliates.

Ah, the human mind and its deceptions. :D

- Trip

Not only that, the Fox splicer doesn't generally allow a degradation of picture quality, right? So it shouldn't matter whether there's a subchannel there or not on most Fox affiliates.

Ah, the human mind and its deceptions. :D

- Trip

:p You beat me to that!

To me, when they are both airing ABC programming, WCTI looks better than WTVD. WCTI looked better even before WTVD came out with that HD subchannel. Now there's an even bigger difference between the the two stations .

Did anyone realize on Monday night watching 24 that WYDO had the WCTI Stormtracker scrolling across the bottom of the screen? Is WYDO really that low-rent that they have to outsource their weather coverage now? I've never watched their 10pm news, but I wonder if they have WCTI on that too. They should be ashamed to provide such a low-quality product on a regular basis.

I agree. A couple minutes in and i knew it was time to torrent jack bauer this week.

Later.

Did anyone realize on Monday night watching 24 that WYDO had the WCTI Stormtracker scrolling across the bottom of the screen? Is WYDO really that low-rent that they have to outsource their weather coverage now? I've never watched their 10pm news, but I wonder if they have WCTI on that too. They should be ashamed to provide such a low-quality product on a regular basis.


WCTI owns FOX WYDO. They use the same weather ticker for both channels plus FOX 8 and ENCTV to build-up the stations... Nothing wrong with that. Until FOX updates it's splicer hardware, and WCTI invests in some new switches, they will have to remain SD while the ticker is on. FCC rules.

WSFX was in SD also last night with the flag in the corner.

It will be sometime in 2010 before the splicer will have EAS graphic capabilities.

Over two hours of weather. Skip needs a raise! Outstanding work keeping us informed. I hope you all get through it. No tornado here, but it was close.

Jeeze. It keeps getting worse... :(

I have to admit that all of the local Greenville stations are doing a much, much better job of covering nasty weather. Kudos to all.

I think "Live Doppler" is about tired out. It has all these crazy boxes all over it that won't get out of the way.

RMartin, Yes, I agree. Now the Wilmington area stations suck and ours rock.

Jeeze. It keeps getting worse... :(

You got that right... Another night of crappy SD on all the channels - and that's if we ever get network programming. *boo* :mad: Damn, i miss the rdu channels. Thank God for itn's 24/7 Weather channel... at least we get NBC programming tonight. Never thought I'd say that.

I didn't think we suffered that much of a loss of HD personally. It could have been an all night event and not just 10 minutes of prime time.

HBO and Cinemax are available this weekend on Directv. Just an FYI if you didn't know it.

torrent:
rapid stream...
Did I miss anything?

WCTI owns FOX WYDO. They use the same weather ticker for both channels plus FOX 8 and ENCTV to build-up the stations... Nothing wrong with that. Until FOX updates it's splicer hardware, and WCTI invests in some new switches, they will have to remain SD while the ticker is on. FCC rules.

WSFX was in SD also last night with the flag in the corner.

That makes sense. Thanks for explaining! :)

On to antennas.

I have been doing extensive research being that we will have both UHF and VHF channels to deal with in just about a month now. If you are like me, antennas can be very confusing, especially when looking at all the different information on them out there. I found a page that I thought would be a good idea to share. If you are thinking about going with the new 4228 bow tie, I would stay away from it, especially being what is shown on the link I am going to post. If you can modify it, like the guy who experimented on it did, it appears to be the highest gain antenna ever. I don't know that I would take a chance on buying something that is not right to start with though...

I am trying to pick something that will look as good as possible, and make it as less complicated for me at the same time. I see information is still being gathered, so I may just wait well after June 12 to make a purchase.

That antennacraft HBU 44 looks about as good as anything at this point to me.

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/TemporaryPage.html

I watched CW news at 10 last night and was shocked to hear Phillip Williams be leaving WNCT. Quite a blow to viewers in the area when bad storms come in.

Skip is the only one left I will watch now in this market.

Wow, that is a shocker. Where's he going?

I usually watch Marvin these days if I'm not watching Greg Fishel.

anybody heard if suddenlink will be adding any new HD's anytime soon, i noticed at my freinds house is Holly Springs that Time Warner had added a few new ones there and usually suddenlink will follow soon after with the same channels

Wow, that is a shocker. Where's he going?


I have no idea. I didn't watch 9 news at 6, 11 or the end of CW because of the final of DWTS.:rolleyes:

I think he's got a few days left if I understood right.

I don't know what is going on around there, but the Jacksonville reporter seems to be off the list on the website too.

American Idol ending Tonight I'm not crazy about either candidate, but if I had to choose one, it would be Kris.

Here is an update on our digital transition plans

WCTI at 12:05 pm on June 12th I will turn off 12 analog
At 1pm on June 12th I will turn off 48 digital and turn on 12 digital
You will need to rescan at this time

WFXI At 1159pm on June 12th I will turn off 8 analog and 24 digital
I should be back up with 8 digital within 10 mins
You will need to rescan

WYDO at 11:59 pm on June 12th I will turn off 14 analog
21 digital will remain on and no changes will be made at this time
WYDO will move to Trenton and 47 in late July or early August
I will post more when I know exact dates


Ken

I'm looking forward to getting WYDO here in Wilson. Right now all I get is a snowy analog 14 and no digital at all on 21. WCTI on 48 is very stable here and I'm hoping 47 will reach out as well as 48 does now.

I'm looking forward to getting WYDO here in Wilson. Right now all I get is a snowy analog 14 and no digital at all on 21. WCTI on 48 is very stable here and I'm hoping 47 will reach out as well as 48 does now.

WYDO should be stronger than WCTI digital on 48. I will be putting out more power and have a better anntena than I am using on 48.

Ken

Ken, thanks for the update. will WFXI start out at 40 kW or will it be lower power? I at times have a hard time with the UHF signal, and am hopeful that with the VHF it will be better. I figure that the side mount and being lower on the tower might be the reason too.

Also my phone started ringing like crazy last night because apparently the broadcast channels were off on cable for an hour or so and friends with that service wanted to know if I could get American Idol! Duh! That's why I have an antenna. :)

Awful suspicious to me that it would go out just before that show came on. I bet it was sabotage.

Ken, will you guys be doing any tests before the switch like WNCT will be today? And if you are will, the digital signal (during the test) be as strong as it will be after the switch? I'm trying to get an idea if I will be able to pick up WYDO and WCTI after the switch. Right now I am just out of range. Can pick up analog 14 occasionally but it's snowy, and analog 12 is just a little better. No digital WYDO or WCTI, currently.

Great sites to visit for post transition signal strengths at your home are www.tvfool.com (which allows you to put in your address and antenna height). Then you can share your data with Ken and all of us by copying the link it tells you to for sharing with others, and pasting it here. Also www.antennapoint.com is helpful.

Here is my TVFOOL link to post transition with my antenna height of 26ft (you must click the dot for post transition)

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d61b473cc8c928b

Ken, will you guys be doing any tests before the switch like WNCT will be today? And if you are will, the digital signal (during the test) be as strong as it will be after the switch? I'm trying to get an idea if I will be able to pick up WYDO and WCTI after the switch. Right now I am just out of range. Can pick up analog 14 occasionally but it's snowy, and analog 12 is just a little better. No digital WYDO or WCTI, currently.

The only testing I can do for 12 digital is in the middle of the night did one Tuesday night from 2 to 3am as for WYDO I'm sure I will do some testing for WYDO but that will not happen till late July. we are all doing soft tests today all that is is putting a different signal on the analog.

Ken

Been playing around with my antenna and scanning again. I am picking up KYW DT out of Philadelphia.:eek:

Great sites to visit for post transition signal strengths at your home are www.tvfool.com (which allows you to put in your address and antenna height). Then you can share your data with Ken and all of us by copying the link it tells you to for sharing with others, and pasting it here. Also www.antennapoint.com is helpful.

Here is my TVFOOL link to post transition with my antenna height of 26ft (you must click the dot for post transition)

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d61b473cc8c928b

Here goes, but I don't know what the hell I'm looking at. :confused:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d61b4f31025ae4f

Someone posted some FCC PDF's earlier in this thread showing the coverage changes associated with the switch. According to those, I'll be in good shape. I'm just impatient and want to know "right now" if I'll get the channels.

The only testing I can do for 12 digital is in the middle of the night did one Tuesday night from 2 to 3am as for WYDO I'm sure I will do some testing for WYDO but that will not happen till late July. we are all doing soft tests today all that is is putting a different signal on the analog.

Ken
Thanks for the info, Ken

You've got your antenna at 6 ft. Is that the right height? If you could get it to 15 ft that would be a lot better for you I believe.

The longer the line in the bullseye, the stronger the channel.

http://www.tvfool.com/modeling/tmp/61b4/f31/025ae4f/Radar-Digital2.png

Yeah, that's about right. I don't have a good way to mount anything higher at the rental house I'm in now. Now that my wife found a job, hopefully I can get out of here soon and get at little closer to civilization.

Here's the PDF's I was talking about: http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/markets/maps_report1/Greenville-New_Bern-Washington_NC.pdf

anybody heard if suddenlink will be adding any new HD's anytime soon, i noticed at my freinds house is Holly Springs that Time Warner had added a few new ones there and usually suddenlink will follow soon after with the same channels

We plan to launch USA and TLC HD channels in Greenville by May 31 – with more HD channels to be added by or before September.

It still amazes me that Washington got HD channels before Greenville. Washington got USA HD, SCI FI HD, BRAVO HD, CNBC HD, TLC HD, ANIMAL PLANET HD a long time ago.

But still not enough HD, I have Directv and Directv has over 130 HD Channels.

Suddenlink should change over the analog cable to digital, have 100% digital.
The belhaven, Pinetown area is serviced by Tri County, it just changed over to all digital cable.

It still amazes me that Washington got HD channels before Greenville. Washington got USA HD, SCI FI HD, BRAVO HD, CNBC HD, TLC HD, ANIMAL PLANET HD a long time ago.

But still not enough HD, I have Directv and Directv has over 130 HD Channels.



Consider ... http://suddenlinkfyi.com/topics/hdtv/.

I've been trying hard to put together who that new voice guy is that introduces Newschannel 12 now, but it hasn't hit me yet. I know that voice sounds familiar... like I've either seen or heard the person before on TV. Anybody?

I kind of miss the deep voiced guy. Been so used to it for many, many years.

Could Phillip Williams be moving to a new channel?

I got this from someone at WNCT.

"Phillip and WNCT have indeed parted ways, but i'm not able to say much on the matter (I hope you understand). I can tell you that it is Phillips plan to stay local. Phillip was a wonderful colleague and is still a good friend.
.............. If you feel strongly about the situation, feel free to voice your opion about Phillip and the rest of the weather team, or the future of the weather team at Newsdesk@wnct.com
I know all the comments are read and considered( its not just a cliche:) viewers do have a voice.

No matter the reason Phillip left, (does no good to speculate) I hope he makes a return to television somewhere in Raleigh, Wilmington, or our market. I think any television station around here would be completely stupid not to have him join them. He is one of the pioneers in weather around these parts, and knows what to say and how to explain it all in a manner that makes sense to the viewer. I know I have gained a lot of knowledge from watching Phillip and Skip, Greg, George that was on 6, and some that have passed on too. When it comes to hurricanes and storms, I'm very interested in knowing what is going on.

So now WECT and WNCT do not have a chief meterologist... Both exited, and said they would stay local. Wonder if more will? Hard times are affecting many things. :(

Phillip brought alot to WNCTs newscast. It was fun to watch his farewell video and to see how young he was when he first started. Lets hope that WCTI or WITN pick him up.

Theres been quiet a few leaving WNCT over the last few months. Must be some issues with that company.

WNCT appears to only have two meteorologists now. Must be hard for them. I don't see how they can get by with that, especially when the other channels have four. I have for the most part sworn off 9, except just to see what is going on. I've even been watching WITN, which I have NEVER done as a rule on a daily basis. So WITN you now have a new regular viewer at 6P. Soon as I save some money, I think I am going to get a Winegard HD 8800 and see if I can get WRAL again like I used to be able to get analog 5 when they go on 48.

WNCT appears to only have two meteorologists now. Must be hard for them. I don't see how they can get by with that, especially when the other channels have four. I have for the most part sworn off 9, except just to see what is going on. I've even been watching WITN, which I have NEVER done as a rule on a daily basis. So WITN you now have a new regular viewer at 6P. Soon as I save some money, I think I am going to get a Winegard HD 8800 and see if I can get WRAL again like I used to be able to get analog 5 when they go on 48.

WRAL's coverage should duplicate what they had before going to the auxilary antenna after 1 PM on Jun 12. Sometime in the next 30 days, they will be boosting the power back to that same level.

The end result should be that if you got channel 5 before, or 53 before the sidemount antenna, then you should get 48 just as well. If you can see Fox 50 on digital 49, you're good.

I'm sorry too about Phillip leaving WNCT. I feel with all the departures that the quality of the newscast suffers. Our weather in eastern NC is quite volatile and you really need to have a meteorologist with experience in our area. I've switched to WCTI for my news and weather. They've made some major improvements to their newscast and I think Skip is tops in weather. I like seeing Annette there and their morning show with Kara is great too. :)

You can probably blame MG corporate for most of this. Last I saw 7 and 9 were battling for the #1 spot. I can't imagine local revenue is off so badly that they need to lay off this many people, especially when 7 and 12 keep adding new ones.

I guess corporate needs to keep the ship afloat any way possible. IMO changes this drastic are going to come back to bite them though.

I saw some of WCTI at noon while having lunch. Looks like they changed the background of their set?

I agree about MG corporate. They are screwing up their once powerful station.

I am seeing WCTI moving up and taking the lead around here, or at least battling neck and neck with 7.

Scooper, I am in a bunch of trees and a low spot comparatively with my surroundings, but I am certainly going to try for WRAL. If I get a high gain antenna, I may be in luck according to TVFOOL. Last night I had all Raleigh channels at 90+% except for WRAL. Daytime I get 0-15% lol I figure a RS UHF 75R has 9dbs of gain, and a Winegard has 13-14db and that could make the difference.

WITN will be broadcasting the Children's Miracle Network telethon INSTEAD of Game 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Does anyone know if there is an alternate channel on DIRECTV to view the games???

WITN put game 5 on the 24/7 weather channel last year when this happened, but they have no plans for doing this again. Plus, the 24/7 weather channel is only available for Digital cable subscribers, and those who still have the DIRECTV local HD channel antenna setup.

I found some information here. http://www.witn.com/blogs/justaskmike/41968947.html WITN weather channel is available with an antenna connected to your TV. It is available in Jacksonville via QAM and should be in most cable areas I would think.

I will be watching WECT HD.

Scooper, I am in a bunch of trees and a low spot comparatively with my surroundings, but I am certainly going to try for WRAL. If I get a high gain antenna, I may be in luck according to TVFOOL. Last night I had all Raleigh channels at 90+% except for WRAL. Daytime I get 0-15% lol I figure a RS UHF 75R has 9dbs of gain, and a Winegard has 13-14db and that could make the difference.

If you saw the pattern for WRAL's sidemount antenna , you would not be surprised that you can't see them right now. I know of one individual who can see the tower lights at night and he can't see them either (he lives just southeast of that tower). Like I said - if you can see Fox 50 digitally (on channel 49), you should be able to after 1 PM on June 12.

Obviously, the people at WITN are the most heartless people on earth. They have decided to air a program that raises money to help sick kids INSTEAD of airing two hockey games for the enjoyment of the 25 hockey fans in the viewing area. Stupid decision WITN, stupid decision.

It reminds me of the Mad Dog Sports show where a guy is giving them down the road and says, "No one in America cares about hockey. It is one step above soccer!" :D :D

Reminds me of an old saying, "You can satisfy some of the people some of the time, but you can never satisfy all of the people ALL of the time"! :D

Just like last night when I wanted a radar to see where the storms were, I couldn't get one thanks to news re-runs. Even 12 has done away with their little map. I was pizzed I had to get out of that chair, and turn on the computer (what would we do without them) to see if there was a storm close by, or if I would be able to take a walk around the neighborhood, or if I needed to water my tomato plants, which I might add are HUGE!!! :)

Obviously, the people at WITN are the most heartless people on earth. They have decided to air a program that raises money to help sick kids INSTEAD of airing two hockey games for the enjoyment of the 25 hockey fans in the viewing area. Stupid decision WITN, stupid decision.

WITN's web site says they are carrying game two Sunday night as scheduled. It also says NBC would not let them air the game on 7.2 as they did last year. Maybe if there were 26 hockey fans in Eastern North Carolina the network suits might have changed their minds!

I wanted to watch mainly to see those penguins get whipped, which they did. I am a hockey fan, didn't used to be, but it has grown on me. I pull for the hurricanes.

Fair weather fans, Hurricane season(!)=irony...

Here is where I stand right now. If you are looking to get an antenna for the transition, if you can hold on until I run some tests on my 8800 you might save some money. I may not be able to get it up in time before the big day.

I was hoping to get the 8800 up before the 12th, but it is taking longer to get here than I figured... I may get it by Thursday. If it comes Wednesday, I will be a lot happier, as I will have time to make some tests with it. Going by HDtv primer, the feed system is poor. Also going by that site, the back reflectors do need a continuous screen to be any use on VHF. So, if I push back the feed system toward the rear, away from the bowties (like the guy did with the new channel master) and make the rear reflectors touch each other, I should get a much more powerful antenna. I have some screen I can use to to that. The author thought that with the new CM design, having just horizontal elements in the rear would make it better on VHF than the old model, so this 8800 doesn't have a vertical screen, and should be really good if you make the circuit complete I would assume.

I will test all these things before I permanently install it. Test as it is made, and then by my modifications. If they work, I will put it up modified. And I will have saved at least $30 and have the most powerful antenna out there! I have a VHF on 10 now, and will have VHF on 12 and 8

WYDO analog went down on Sunday at 11:15am We had a major failure of the final tube and the tube cavity. It does not look like we will be able to get it back up. We hope to have WYDO moved to Trenton in early August my deadline with the FCC is August 18th but the move should be completed before then.

Ken

jspenc -Let us know what you find. My granddad still watches 3 fuzzy channels (at least for 4 more days). He is in the market for a new antenna and would really like to pull in Raleigh channels. You'll have to give us a list of your mods.

Ken I noticed 14 was out and figured something serious happened. I tried to watch the news on there last night. Also my neighbor tells me some members of her church who live out of town watch 14 on an outdoor antenna and were concerned about losing it since they couldn't get the digital version. I told her to relay to them that 14 would be moving to the tower 12 is on in a month or so. I think FOX will be a confusing time for people until you get it up in Trenton. Most people don't know that around here you can watch FOX out of Wilmington.

ncgbrownjspenc -Let us know what you find. My granddad still watches 3 fuzzy channels (at least for 4 more days). He is in the market for a new antenna and would really like to pull in Raleigh channels. You'll have to give us a list of your mods.

I'll report back after all testing and experimenting. I hope to get it done this week. Planning on using some zip ties to hold the screen on, and to hold the feed system toward the rear of the antenna. This antenna is cheaper than any other, is lighter, and has the highest gain on channels 14-35 on the market. I don't pretend to be an expert on all this, just using all the data and information I collected while doing research on what would be the best set-up to go with in the long run, and the least complex as far as wires and amps go. These antennas are mathematical devices, and math was a weak subject for me. lol

With the Big Switch this Friday will the cable companies be standing by at their head-ends as well? I know that WITN and others are staying put, but WCTI is moving its digital back to 12. That will force the cable companies to make a switch too. Just curious how that might work.

I have talked to most cable and sat providers about our timelines for Friday and they are ready to make the switch. I will be available to assist if necessary

Ken

Ken should people with tuners in their TV hooked directly to the cable TV line (no HD or digital box) do a rescan for WFXI and WCTI also? I know someone hooked up like this.

Also don't forget that WUNM the PBS located on TV 12's tower will change frequency also back to 19.

My HD-8800 will be here tomorrow according to the shipper, so it should be up so I can watch the switching.

No with cable going straight to the tv you should not have to do anything.

Ken

Hi just curious if all the local news/broadcasts will be in native HD after Friday also? It hasn't been clear even with all the announcements.

Hi just curious if all the local news/broadcasts will be in native HD after Friday also? It hasn't been clear even with all the announcements.

You're lucky that half of them are on the air. Native, locally produced HDTV. Hah! It's a pretty big investment and none of the locals are willing to pony up the money.

Hi just curious if all the local news/broadcasts will be in native HD after Friday also? It hasn't been clear even with all the announcements.

One word. No.;) I doubt we see HD news until 2011

I was watching NCIS(2009) and the beloved CH 9-1 ruined my evening with their Flood garbage warning-lost 5.1 and WS:
viva CH 9-1, whoopee...

ROFL

WITN is running Flash FLood Warning during the commercials of the hockey game. The audio is absolute GARBage. Up and down to the point one minute it is blasting, and the next you can't hear it.

WCTI doesn't care if we drown or not I guess... No warnings all evening.

Can't see WNCT. I am on temporarary antenna until the new one goes in.

2050-Congratulations CH 9-1 back to NORMAL-5.1 and WS. My ex-wife used to say miracles never cease...

Winegard HD 8800 antenna installation was a success. I made all the modifications I mentioned above. Tested the antenna at 5 ft off the ground for 9.1 without the reflector screen continuous, and then put some mesh screen about three inches across all over the gap between the two back reflectors so they would be continuous. Signal went from 40 to 60%. So I permanently mounted my screen making sure everything touched and used plastic ties to do it. Also carefully bent the main feed lines toward the back getting it away from the bow ties. Tied it back halfway between the bowties and the reflector. Also separated the feed lines that joined the bowties themselves so they were not too close. Put it up and went inside and could not believe how strong WFXI and WNCT were. WFXI coming in at 85% where it was 30. WNCT coming in at 95% WSFX channel 30 is now 90% where it was at best 75%. Checked out the analogs, and 7-9 are clearer than they EVER were with my VU-90XR Channel 25 is almost perfect and channel 38 is crystal clear. Channel 17 from Raleigh is only at half power, yet it is almost perfectly clear. Digitals from Raleigh are at 30-40%! This antenna is a keeper.

Getting WCBD with it now (Channel 50) at 50%. So mine is NOT a dog over channel 40.

Winegard HD 8800 antenna installation was a success. I made all the modifications I mentioned above. Tested the antenna at 5 ft off the ground for 9.1 without the reflector screen continuous, and then put some mesh screen about three inches across all over the gap between the two back reflectors so they would be continuous. Signal went from 40 to 60%. So I permanently mounted my screen making sure everything touched and used plastic ties to do it. Also carefully bent the main feed lines toward the back getting it away from the bow ties. Tied it back halfway between the bowties and the reflector. Also separated the feed lines that joined the bowties themselves so they were not too close. Put it up and went inside and could not believe how strong WFXI and WNCT were. WFXI coming in at 85% where it was 30. WNCT coming in at 95% WSFX channel 30 is now 90% where it was at best 75%. Checked out the analogs, and 7-9 are clearer than they EVER were with my VU-90XR Channel 25 is almost perfect and channel 38 is crystal clear. Channel 17 from Raleigh is only at half power, yet it is almost perfectly clear. Digitals from Raleigh are at 30-40%! This antenna is a keeper.

:D Glad you like it.

- Trip

This thread is too long to read. At any rate, I have had a digital tuner for many years, but I took it down and got Directv. I took my tuner down because I only used rabbit ears and could get 7 and 9 only intermittently, and 12 never. I think the reason is that the stations were broadcasting both an analog and digital signal and only broadcast the digital signal at 1/2 power. My question is, with the shutdown of the analog signal, can one get channels 7, 9 and 12 with rabbit ears from New Bern? Thanks.

Yea man. Couldn't be more pleased. Thanks for helping me pick a winner. :)

This thread is too long to read. At any rate, I have had a digital tuner for many years, but I took it down and got Directv. I took my tuner down because I only used rabbit ears and could get 7 and 9 only intermittently, and 12 never. I think the reason is that the stations were broadcasting both an analog and digital signal and only broadcast the digital signal at 1/2 power. My question is, with the shutdown of the analog signal, can one get channels 7, 9 and 12 with rabbit ears from New Bern? Thanks.

Rabbit ears for channel 12 for sure, channel 9 maybe, channel 7 no. Channels 8, 9 and 12 will be VHF, (Rabbit ear channels) while, channel 7 is UHF and needs either bow ties, or a yagi style to receive. Metal siding, metal roofs, brick, and heavy insulation will not allow you to receive a digital signal inside a one story home. Get in the attic with your antenna, or on the outside, even if it's only 10 ft in the air.

jspENC:
Do you mind posting your new antenna pictures?
Thnx

jspENC:
Do you mind posting your new antenna pictures?
Thnx

Sure. Link to gallery... Large views. http://img189.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=8800ant003.jpg

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/5263/8800ant001.jpg

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/4482/8800ant003.th.jpg
WCBD last nightchannel 50 received with 8800
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/6383/8800ant004.th.jpg

WITN to offer NightLight service.

WITN has been asked by the FCC to offer this service for 2 weeks. It will be a infomercial in english and spanish that tells about the digital transition.

WITN will also broadcast emergency info if needed as well.

WITN says it will shut off analog service at 12:30pm.

I have an AM21 OTA tuner connected to my Directv receiver. I know a few other people in here may have this setup. I have been unable to get a couple of channels including WEPX. I've been told that the AM21 does not scan for frequencies - it only checks its database for channels you should receive for your zip code. Right now I'm using 27834 (greenville) for primary and 27601 (raleigh) for secondary - I live north of greenville.

My question(s): Is this the best zip codes to use or should I maybe use a wilson zip code - somewhere in between?

Doesn't Directv have to update the database today in order to scan the changing frequencies?

Guess I'll be rescanning tonight.

Thanks for the info.

I have an AM21 OTA tuner connected to my Directv receiver. I know a few other people in here may have this setup. I have been unable to get a couple of channels including WEPX. I've been told that the AM21 does not scan for frequencies - it only checks its database for channels you should receive for your zip code. Right now I'm using 27834 (greenville) for primary and 27601 (raleigh) for secondary - I live north of greenville.

Doesn't Directv have to update the database today in order to scan the changing frequencies?

Guess I'll be rescanning tonight.

Thanks for the info.Yep right. A station here in Hampton Roads switched frequencies on 4/30. I haven't been able to watch them since...

According to D*, they are to update the RF channel data starting at 9am local time. As of 9:23, the Greensboro market hasn't been update yet.

According to D*, they are to update the RF channel data starting at 9am local time. As of 9:23, the Greensboro market hasn't been update yet.Looks like they went thru SE VA. I can no longer get our ABC affiliate thru my DirecTV box. They aren't switching OTA back to their old frequency until midnight...

Looks like they went thru SE VA. I can no longer get our ABC affiliate thru my DirecTV box. They aren't switching OTA back to their old frequency until midnight...

Know the feeling. We won't switch until 11pm tonight.

Good luck Ken and WCTI! Just a couple hours to go.

WFXI will change at midnight.

Not sure when WUNM will change. They are changing antenna pattern as well. Did they have to hang a new antenna?

Know the feeling. We won't switch until 11pm tonight.CBS and CW are the only two nets doing regular analog programming in our market out of the major 7 (including NBC, ABC, FOX, PBS, MNT)...

I use a NC zipcode for my secondary market via DirecTV to get WUND/2. They have added WEPX-DT as an OTA option for me. From Virginia Beach, I generally can not receive any of those stations...

Is WYDO going to move today?

Is WYDO going to move today?

No.

- Trip

12 analog is gone. Now just waiting for the adjustments to be complete. Then I can push .12 on my Digital stream and see the new signal so I can re-scan my Samsung. Most probably should do the re-scan instead of direct entry.

Analog 35 and 38 are off the air forever.

I've got my box sitting on 12 right now waiting for the signal. :D

WCTI shut down analog around 12:10 and WITN shut down at 12:30.
WEPX also shut down around noon as well.
WNCT will shut down at 6:30p and Fox will shut down at midnight tonight.

RDU stations shut down after noon as well.