Did anyone experience massive breakups on both the NFL Wilcard Games on KCRA Saturday?

I watched both of them and it was a pain to go thru that breakup. Some sections of the games were ok while others were terrible. I watched via a 622 OTA Tuner and the strength was around 90% with drops

On contrast both games on Sunday on Fox and CBS did not have these kind of issues.

Did anyone experience massive breakups on both the NFL Wilcard Games on KCRA Saturday?

I watched both of them and it was a pain to go thru that breakup. Some sections of the games were ok while others were terrible. I watched via a 622 OTA Tuner and the strength was around 90% with drops

On contrast both games on Sunday on Fox and CBS did not have these kind of issues.

It's probably why they are down until Tuesday. I would assume there has been some type of hardware failure at the station.

It doesn't matter where I live since I can get Fresno's KSEE 24 from Fresno since I'm in between the two markets.

It doesn't matter where I live since I can get Fresno's KSEE 24 from Fresno since I'm in between the two markets.

You've no idea how happy that makes me :) . I'm even happier that "Heroes" and "Studio 60" are not on tonight.

3.1 is on the air in Martinez now and has been since the news earlier.
Lee

Regarding 3.1 - I heard "Rodeo the dog" peed on the HD Transmitter over night.
Thank you. I usually read these messages riding light rail to work. Had everyone staring at me when I burst out laughing.

Is 3.1 really on? I don't have access to the OTA signal as I live in an apartment in Roseville. On the cable equivalent there has been a message for most of the day pretty much, stating they are upgrading the HD service and SD is available on ch 3.

KCRA HD is up and running OTA with the Tonight show in HD but on comcast there is a message in 480p as indicated by rclifton. I would guess that there is no one home at Comcast at this time to put the KCRA HD signal back on.

Did anyone experience massive breakups on both the NFL Wilcard Games on KCRA Saturday?

I watched both of them and it was a pain to go thru that breakup. Some sections of the games were ok while others were terrible. I watched via a 622 OTA Tuner and the strength was around 90% with drops

On contrast both games on Sunday on Fox and CBS did not have these kind of issues.

I watched both games OTA on a 622 as well (Auburn) with 90+ signal strength and did not notice anything other than the marginal NBC HD PQ we've seen all year. I've seen some hiccups on KCRA DT in the past on the 622 but didn't notice anything of consequence during the game.

Cheers,

Doug in Auburn

I watched both games OTA on a 622 as well (Auburn) with 90+ signal strength and did not notice anything other than the marginal NBC HD PQ we've seen all year. I've seen some hiccups on KCRA DT in the past on the 622 but didn't notice anything of consequence during the game.

Cheers,

Doug in Auburn


Hmm, interesting.

I'll try realigning my antenna for KCRA reception and see if that goes away. I don't think KCRA has any more NFL games though so no testing next week since CBS and FOX have been solid. Looks like it was something in my setup.

KMAX had terrible sound tonight. It sounded like the sample rate was turned down, reminded me of what 8-bit audio used to sound like.

Hmm, interesting.

I'll try realigning my antenna for KCRA reception and see if that goes away. I don't think KCRA has any more NFL games though so no testing next week since CBS and FOX have been solid. Looks like it was something in my setup.

I saw a lot of pixelization and breakup of the image whenever the camera panned or the players moved on closeup shots during the game. I do not notice this on CBS or FOX.

I saw a lot of pixelization and breakup of the image whenever the camera panned or the players moved on closeup shots during the game. I do not notice this on CBS or FOX.

That's NBC's HD, not KCRA's transmission. There are complaints nationwide in the HD programming thread.

KMAX had terrible sound tonight. It sounded like the sample rate was turned down, reminded me of what 8-bit audio used to sound like.
Huh????

OTA????

No other reports and nothing different here.

- Bob

I wasn't watching last night, but listening to KMAX right now, it sounds fine and dandy to me ...

Does anyone (Rory?) know when/if KXTV will re-schedule the 1/10 Jeopardy?

Thanks,
Tracey

Anyone else receive a 3412 unit? Comcast swapped out our box today for one.

Anything to point out as far as changes n such? :)

Anyone else receive a 3412 unit? Comcast swapped out our box today for one.

Anything to point out as far as changes n such? :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_3412

KSPX has begun broadcasting "Qubo (http://www.qubo.com/)" 24/7 today on 29.2. However, I see the video on 29.2 freeze up every 30-40 seconds. Does anyone else see this? I do not see the freezing on 29.1.
Anyone?
_

Anyone?
_

Watched about five minutes and didn't see any freezes.

Huh????

OTA????

No other reports and nothing different here.

- Bob

Hmm, wierd... It was happening both on the OTA and MPEG4 DirecTV feed on both of my HR20-700 receivers. Probably said it all right there my HR20-700 receivers :rolleyes:

My Samsung HLR set is constantly loosing the sub channels for channel 6. I have to go to them over at 53.1 and 53.2 (I think thats the channel addresses). After a few weeks they will return back to 6.1 and 6.2 for a few weeks or months and then the disappear again. Is this my set or are all of you seeing the same behavior? This is the only station that behaves this way.

Watched about five minutes and didn't see any freezes.Thanks for checking. It turns out that the deinterlace setting I was using coupled with that particular MPEG-2 stream was causing my freezing.
_

My Samsung HLR set is constantly loosing the sub channels for channel 6. I have to go to them over at 53.1 and 53.2 (I think thats the channel addresses). After a few weeks they will return back to 6.1 and 6.2 for a few weeks or months and then the disappear again. Is this my set or are all of you seeing the same behavior? This is the only station that behaves this way.I have never seen that behavior. I think this has to do with your receiver's interpretation of KVIE's Program and System Information Protocol (PSIP) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Program_and_System_Information_Protocol) data.
_

Anyone?
_

We're not seeing any freezing of the qubo signal here in Los Angeles. I find that freezing generally occurs when my reception of the channel isn't optimal. If you think you will be viewing qubo often, you may want to reorient your antenna.

I have never seen that behavior. I think this has to do with your receiver's interpretation of KVIE's Program and System Information Protocol (PSIP) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Program_and_System_Information_Protocol) data.
_

Yes. It has been plagued with this problem since day 1. Its the only channel that it seems to have issues with so I am just going to live with it. Just thought I would see if anyone else was experiencing the same thing.

Hi, I'm looking for a local store (Sacramento area) that would carry a Channel Master 4221 or 4228 for my hdtv. The antenna will actually be mounted on my fence, not on my roof. I live in a condo and I'm not allowed to mount this on my roof. But I'm hoping the fence will do fine. Other than my building, the nearest building to my fence is about 30 yards away. with barely any trees. Do you think this will work? Also, if you think there is a better antenna for the price, please let me know. I live in the Pocket/Greenhaven (95831) area. So does anyone know of a store in the area that carries such antennas? frys.com has a Channel Master 4228 for $49.99, but the I want to be able to return it easily with no shipping in case it doesn't work out well. I would also like to know where to point this antenna because I've been reading that this is a directional antenna. The cable will only be about 15-20 feet long so I wouldn't need an amplifier, right? Thanks for all your help!

yellow - KMAX-DT 31.1 CW SACRAMENTO CA 156° 16.6 21
yellow - KCRA-DT 3.1 NBC SACRAMENTO CA 158° 17.7 35
yellow - KQCA-DT 58.1 MNT STOCKTON CA 153° 16.8 46
yellow - KVIE-DT 6.1 PBS SACRAMENTO CA 158° 16.0 53
yellow - KTXL-DT 40.1 FOX SACRAMENTO CA 158° 16.0 55
red - KOVR-DT 13.1 CBS STOCKTON CA 158° 18.2 25
blue - KXTV-DT 10.1 ABC SACRAMENTO CA 158° 18.2 61

I'm in the same zip code -- just about any antenna will work fine around here, as we are very close to the towers and there are no obstructions. Although I use a chimney mounted antenna, I have done some experiments and found I could get reliable reception with just an old pair of rabbit ears. A little touchy, but it works. So, if you were to put the 4228 on your fence, you should be OK. Certainly no amplifier is needed, and in fact that can make things worse as you can run into overload conditions.

You will want to point it due South -- all of the transmitters are located in Walnut Grove -- you have no doubt seen them when you drive South on I-5.

Let us know how it works out!

Hi, I'm looking for a local store (Sacramento area) that would carry a Channel Master 4221 or 4228 for my hdtv. The antenna will actually be mounted on my fence, not on my roof. I live in a condo and I'm not allowed to mount this on my roof. But I'm hoping the fence will do fine. Other than my building, the nearest building to my fence is about 30 yards away. with barely any trees. Do you think this will work? Also, if you think there is a better antenna for the price, please let me know. I live in the Pocket/Greenhaven (95831) area. So does anyone know of a store in the area that carries such antennas? frys.com has a Channel Master 4228 for $49.99, but the I want to be able to return it easily with no shipping in case it doesn't work out well. I would also like to know where to point this antenna because I've been reading that this is a directional antenna. The cable will only be about 15-20 feet long so I wouldn't need an amplifier, right? Thanks for all your help!

yellow - KMAX-DT 31.1 CW SACRAMENTO CA 156° 16.6 21
yellow - KCRA-DT 3.1 NBC SACRAMENTO CA 158° 17.7 35
yellow - KQCA-DT 58.1 MNT STOCKTON CA 153° 16.8 46
yellow - KVIE-DT 6.1 PBS SACRAMENTO CA 158° 16.0 53
yellow - KTXL-DT 40.1 FOX SACRAMENTO CA 158° 16.0 55
red - KOVR-DT 13.1 CBS STOCKTON CA 158° 18.2 25
blue - KXTV-DT 10.1 ABC SACRAMENTO CA 158° 18.2 61

I'm pretty sure the Fry's stores also carry them.

I'm pretty sure the Fry's stores also carry them.

Well, that's the first and only place I've been to so far and the sales person just sent me to the section with indoor antennas. But then again, sometimes they're not very helpful.

I'm in the same zip code -- just about any antenna will work fine around here, as we are very close to the towers and there are no obstructions. Although I use a chimney mounted antenna, I have done some experiments and found I could get reliable reception with just an old pair of rabbit ears. A little touchy, but it works.

I tried the indoor ones, but they just didn't work well for me. I would get 1-2 stations at a time without rotating the antenna. I'm starting to believe I live in a lead fortress.

Well, that's the first and only place I've been to so far and the sales person just sent me to the section with indoor antennas. But then again, sometimes they're not very helpful.Fry's does sell the 4228. Go to the components area (RAM, etc) and ask a salesperson to look it up.

Keep in mind though that in 2009, KVIE and KXTV will return to VHF. The 4228 is a UHF-only antenna (though it supposedly brings in high VHF channels).
_

We're not seeing any freezing of the qubo signal here in Los Angeles. I find that freezing generally occurs when my reception of the channel isn't optimal. If you think you will be viewing qubo often, you may want to reorient your antenna.No, as 29.1 was not freezing. It turns out that the deinterlace setting I was using coupled with the particular MPEG-2 stream on 29.2 was causing my freezing.
_

Well, that's the first and only place I've been to so far and the sales person just sent me to the section with indoor antennas. But then again, sometimes they're not very helpful.

I don't want to contribute to the runaround, and it's been a while since I've been to Fry's, but I believe the outdoor antennas are in a different place than the indoor ones based upon the size of the boxes they come in.

I will say the 4228 has worked well for me - I've put in three of them for friends with and without preamps. Strong performers and they also do well in the high VHF band.

Good luck,

Doug

Hi, I'm looking for a local store (Sacramento area) that would carry a Channel Master 4221 or 4228 for my hdtv. The antenna will actually be mounted on my fence, not on my roof. I live in a condo and I'm not allowed to mount this on my roof.
Check out the FCC's preemption of restrictions on TV antennas and satellite dshes. If the roof of the condo is exclusive to your residence, you have the legal right to mount the antenna on the roof regardless of what the Association says.

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html

- Bob

Check out the FCC's preemption of restrictions on TV antennas and satellite dshes. If the roof of the condo is exclusive to your residence, you have the legal right to mount the antenna on the roof regardless of what the Association says.

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html

- Bob


Even with a Home Owners Association? I'll have to look into that. Thanks everyone.

Check at www.channelmaster.com & select their "find local dealer".

When I did that, Lowes was one of the places but their website says no info on antennas on the website; probably need to check at a store. There were other places but I don't remember which ones.

Regarding your mounting on the fence, read the FCC doc carefully as well as the Q&A; the ruling doesn't cover any antenna with a mast greater than 12 feet. Also the antenna cannot intrude into a common area (air rights too? shouldn't apply to mounting hardware but....).

There are limitations as to what the ruling covers & some people will falsely try to convince others that there were no limitations.

For the directional aim, just go to the nearest Walmart & get a cheap map compass from the sporting goods dept as the directions from antennaweb is based on magnetic compass readings; I got the cheapest one for $4.95 for use with my RCA indoor antenna at Target; claimed to be amplified for 45 db & has a switch for cable input, amplified, & by-pass amplifier (think it "satisfies" the blue or violet receptions).

Reception is ok but do need to adjust the direction & gain (has 2 gain knobs for vhf & uhf) a bit for a couple of places. For $27.95, I felt it was worth it for the occasional use of watching the local news/weather only times. May go to Lowes & check for an indoor channel master tho; I'm in an apt in Citrus Heights.

Careful about the channel master 4228; the spec say that the turning radius is 20 in. The FCC pre-emptive rule do not apply as the diameter is greater than 1 meter, about 39 in.

The 4221 spec says that its turning radius is only 10 in which falls under the FCC ruling.

Condos, townhouses & apartments usually have problems of non-exclusive use of the roof or even drilling holes in the exterior of the building.

Shows are back from hiatus, 24 tonight, and I'm still getting constant audio video drops only on my Dish Vip211 and only on Fox & ABC OTA. Other HD boxes in the house are fine. Anyone else in NorCal using a Vip211 for OTA seeing this?

Hammer

Shows are back from hiatus, 24 tonight, and I'm still getting constant audio video drops only on my Dish Vip211 and only on Fox & ABC OTA. Other HD boxes in the house are fine. Anyone else in NorCal using a Vip211 for OTA seeing this?

Hammer

I have a DirecTV HR20-700, and I'm also experiencing a lot of audio/video drops on 24 tonight.

Ok, good to know... bad for us, but good to know.

Not sure if it's relevant or not, but I just watched back tonight's "24" recorded OTA from KTXL-DT with an HR10-250 and there were no problems.

Shows are back from hiatus, 24 tonight, and I'm still getting constant audio video drops only on my Dish Vip211 and only on Fox & ABC OTA. Other HD boxes in the house are fine. Anyone else in NorCal using a Vip211 for OTA seeing this?

Hammer

I have not noticed it on my 622's or my 211. I did notice that during the second hour of "24" there were a couple freezes. Once at the beginning and somewhere else I can't recall. I did notice there were some slight freezes going from HD to the SD during commercial breaks.

I am seeing way more problems with KCRA3. A lot of audio/video drops. The biggest issue is with my 622s skipping 4-5 seconds during playback of paused or recorded materialfrom OTA. Doesn't happen off of the satellite feed. I sent one of my 622s back to engineering for analysis with some recordings on it and they were able to reproduce the issue.

Anyone know if Larry hangs out here like Bob and Jack?

Scott

P.S. Bob, any word on when DD5.1 will be ready on 31?

I think Fry's is trying to get out the outdoor antenna business. I scored one at half-price at their Orange Country store recently. It was their display model.

Out of curiosity, cphaatn, in which condos do you live?

I'm using a Dish 622 to get my OTA signal from a small Terk antenna. I can get 3, 10 and 13 very well with signal strength in the 90's. I have trouble with FOX HD, with signal always in 65-70 range. Since DISH doen not broadcast Fox in HD with their locals (anyone have an ETA on that), I am out of luck when I watch Fox, as I have repeated signal loss and pixelation. Any help would be much appreciated!

I'm using a Dish 622 to get my OTA signal from a small Terk antenna. I can get 3, 10 and 13 very well with signal strength in the 90's. I have trouble with FOX HD, with signal always in 65-70 range. Since DISH doen not broadcast Fox in HD with their locals (anyone have an ETA on that), I am out of luck when I watch Fox, as I have repeated signal loss and pixelation. Any help would be much appreciated!

I'm not sure where you are at. I use a Terk on one, a SS on another, and an outdoor on the third. Fox I get in the 90's on my indoors.

As for carriage on Dish, not going to happen. Tribune and E* have broken off negotiations.

S~

strange. I'm right in Downtown Sac near the zoo. thanks for the info

You may be getting interferance from the airport. My GF lives near Freeport and Fruitridge and I have trouble getting her rig to pull in a couple of the channels.

Careful about the channel master 4228; the spec say that the turning radius is 20 in. The FCC pre-emptive rule do not apply as the diameter is greater than 1 meter, about 39 in.
The diameter rule only applies to satellite dish antennas, not television antennas.

- Bob

The 1st Q&A regarding antennas:

Q: What types of antennas are covered by the rule?

A: The rule applies to the following types of antennas:

(1) A "dish" antenna that is one meter (39.37") or less in diameter (or any size dish if located in Alaska) and is designed to receive direct broadcast satellite service, including direct-to-home satellite service, or to receive or transmit fixed wireless signals via satellite.

(2) An antenna that is one meter or less in diameter or diagonal measurement and is designed to receive video programming services via broadband radio service (wireless cable) or to receive or transmit fixed wireless signals other than via satellite.

Note that item 1 is for a "dish" & item 2 is for an antenna; unless one defines item 2 differently. Could be a case for the lawyers as to what is the "diameter" referred to, physically or air space covered; & how much money one want to spend to fight either interpretation.

Like clockwork. Tonight's came with an added bonus- it was about 20 seconds long!

Hammer

Friday nights 7:45 freeze lasted a long time with no audio at all. Tonight's had the familiar buzz with jittering image. I believe in the past week there's been only one time when the freeze didn't affect the dialogue of the show being broadcast but instead killed a commercial.

BTW as a 24 junkie, watched 40 OTA and did experience one momentary breakup which appeared to be feed and not broadcast issues.
Lee

I think Fry's is trying to get out the outdoor antenna business. I scored one at half-price at their Orange Country store recently. It was their display model.

Out of curiosity, cphaatn, in which condos do you live?

Across the street from Kennedy HS in the Greenhaven area. It's called Roundtree.

Across the street from Kennedy HS in the Greenhaven area. It's called Roundtree.

I remember that place - I used to ride my bike through there. I used to live in South Lake Shores (Riverside and Havenside) back in the 80's.

My guess is an outdoor antenna hung on your fence ought to work fine, assuming it's on the right side of the building. To get a rough idea of whether your reception would be better there, you could take whatever indoor antenna you have and walk out there.

The 1st Q&A regarding antennas:

Q: What types of antennas are covered by the rule?

A: The rule applies to the following types of antennas:

(1) A "dish" antenna that is one meter (39.37") or less in diameter (or any size dish if located in Alaska) and is designed to receive direct broadcast satellite service, including direct-to-home satellite service, or to receive or transmit fixed wireless signals via satellite.

(2) An antenna that is one meter or less in diameter or diagonal measurement and is designed to receive video programming services via broadband radio service (wireless cable) or to receive or transmit fixed wireless signals other than via satellite.

Note that item 1 is for a "dish" & item 2 is for an antenna; unless one defines item 2 differently. Could be a case for the lawyers as to what is the "diameter" referred to, physically or air space covered; & how much money one want to spend to fight either interpretation.

Item 2 specifically refers to antennas for the reception of wireless cable, which are microwave receive antennas, and not OTA TV antennas.

I remember that place - I used to ride my bike through there. I used to live in South Lake Shores (Riverside and Havenside) back in the 80's.

My guess is an outdoor antenna hung on your fence ought to work fine, assuming it's on the right side of the building. To get a rough idea of whether your reception would be better there, you could take whatever indoor antenna you have and walk out there.


There's not much clearance for open space if I were to hang the antenna due south as suggested by another member on this thread, but I'll try. Hopefully I'll be able to get my antenna from Fry's tomorrow and test it out.

Was there a problem with American Idol on Tuesday night? My BeyondTV recording failed (my D* HDTiVo died, wahhh!), and it's kind of hard to diagnose from across the Pacific. From what I can tell, 40 appears to be on the air now (11:00). BeyondTV is creating a non-zero buffer file, anyhow.

thanks,
Tracey

Was there a problem with American Idol on Tuesday night?

No problems at all. I watched the whole thing. What happened to your HD TiVo? :eek:

Well, I wasn't in CA to see it, but, diagnosing over the phone, it appear the HD bit the dust (overheating). Hubby didn't have time last visit to reinstall, etc. Perhaps on a visit later in the spring.

Well, if AI/Fox was fine, I guess I have some thinking to do. The main thing I want the BeyondTV for is Jeopardy - have never ever seen those available in any other form. I guess as long as that's working, I'll be okay.

Well, I wasn't in CA to see it, but, diagnosing over the phone, it appear the HD bit the dust (overheating).

Just an FYI since you haven't been in the area, there was a recent software update (6.3b) sent to all HR10s, but many people have reported that their machines started constantly rebooting after that installed. It's possible you got hit by this. Supposedly there is a fix coming for that ...

Yeah, I saw that - but David said that when he first looked at it, it had the "over heated" screen, and then when he rebooted, it never came out of "powering up". I was the one that hacked them in the first place (not that he didn't help, but I was more interested), so he wasn't in a position to do much diagnosis. I'm sure that it can be saved, one way or another, but we won't be back home full time until Thanksgiving-ish. Who know what the state of the world will be by then? I've even been looking into Comcast *gasp*, perhaps a Series 3 (or two).

I do miss my TiVos though.....

Thanks

I did notice last night during American Idol that the video was jumpy. The audio broke up and stuttered a few times, but the video was jumpy much more frequently. Nothing too bad, just like a stutter where it misses a frame or two without going black, just stopping and then jumping ahead. Anyone else notice this? I have an old HD receiver that is normally pretty solid except for the slow channel change issue.

I didn't see anything like that ...

Hmm, maybe it was my receiver going out? Maybe?

If so, maybe I can finally upgrade to a new receiver with a DVR! I know some people have been having problems with their H20's or whatever, but it would be nice to be able to record HD...

Maybe I can drop some water inside the thing? :) Just kidding!

If so, maybe I can finally upgrade to a new receiver with a DVR! I know some people have been having problems with their H20's or whatever, but it would be nice to be able to record HD...

What? No DVR? Do you also use stone tablets and chisels for writing? :D I'm just teasin' ya! I have an HR20 (in addition to the trusty HD TiVo), and I haven't had much trouble with it, though the user-interface is rather klunky if you ask me.

No stone tablets and chisels, although we just got a washing machine this past week. Before that we did everything by hand and used rocks to clean the clothes! :D

I have been waiting for more HD as well as newer and cheaper equipment. Now I just need to figure out when I need to make the jump as DirecTV is adding all those channels supposedly sometime this year.

I have been waiting for more HD as well as newer and cheaper equipment. Now I just need to figure out when I need to make the jump as DirecTV is adding all those channels supposedly sometime this year.

As you said, more HD is coming. The "newer and cheaper" equipment is already here, though some might say "newer, cheaper, and not as good!" I doubt if they have a new HD DVR on the horizon (at least probably not for a couple of years), but it's bound to get cheaper (though some people already say they've been able to get one for free). Still, even at the "full" lease price of $299, it's a heck of a lot cheaper than the $999 many (including me) paid for the HD TiVo just a couple of years ago.

I doubt if they have a new HD DVR on the horizon (at least probably not for a couple of years), but it's bound to get cheaper (though some people already say they've been able to get one for free).

I hate it how the deals that DirecTV and Dish normally offer are only good for new subscribers. What about all the people that have been with them for years, just paying the bill, not asking for anything more?

I guess this topic belongs in a new or different thread, huh?

Fry's does sell the 4228. Go to the components area (RAM, etc) and ask a salesperson to look it up.

Keep in mind though that in 2009, KVIE and KXTV will return to VHF. The 4228 is a UHF-only antenna (though it supposedly brings in high VHF channels).
_


I just bought the 4228 from Fry's and it works great. Is KVIE and KXTV moving to VHF a rumor, or have they announced it?

I just bought the 4228 from Fry's and it works great. Is KVIE and KXTV moving to VHF a rumor, or have they announced it?

Several months ago the FCC published a list of the channel assignments of all digital stations after the analog shutdown. The list for the SF-Sacramento-Montery area is on my web site at the bottom of this page: http://www.choisser.com/sfonair.html

As you'll see, KVIE will be on channel 9 and KXTV will be on 10. KSNO in Merced will be on channel 11 and you might be able to get that station, too.

Stations across the country now on the low VHF channels 2 through 6 have mostly decided to use their UHF channel for digital operation. It's been determined that electrical noise, lightning, and other interference wipes out digital signals on these channels. KVIE couldn't stay on 53 since the new TV band will end at 51, so they decided to move to channel 9. KQED in San Francisco was not able to stay on channel 9 due to interference problems. After the analog shutdown there will be very few stations on the low VHF channels. Only be one station in the entire state of California will be in that band and that will be channel 3 in Eureka.

Larry
SF

I just bought the 4228 from Fry's and it works great. Is KVIE and KXTV moving to VHF a rumor, or have they announced it?

The 4228 performs well in the high VHF band for a UHF-only antenna. If you want to see how it works in your environment, you can always hook it to the analog tuner in your TV and look at channel 10 and 13. Let us know if you do and what it looks like if you don't mind.

Cheers,

Doug

I hate it how the deals that DirecTV and Dish normally offer are only good for new subscribers. What about all the people that have been with them for years, just paying the bill, not asking for anything more?

It is kind of annoying, but there are plenty of reports from existing subscribers who somehow managed to get great deals. Seems like it's just a matter of "CSR routlette." Never works for me though -- I always end up paying full price. It's like Jerry Seinfeld once said: "I want to pay the MAXIMUM."

The 4228 performs well in the high VHF band for a UHF-only antenna. If you want to see how it works in your environment, you can always hook it to the analog tuner in your TV and look at channel 10 and 13. Let us know if you do and what it looks like if you don't mind.

Cheers,

Doug


Analog tuner? Sorry, I'm new to all of this. I have a Panasonic TH-42PX60U.

Analog tuner? Sorry, I'm new to all of this. I have a Panasonic TH-42PX60U.

Sorry - the analog tuner is also called the NTSC tuner. Your TV probably has both NTSC and ATSC (digital) tuners. Check your owner's manual to see which antenna input on the TV works with which tuner (some TVs use separate inputs for the NTSC and ATSC tuners). If you can hook your 4228 to the NTSC input and using the internal tuner tune to channel 10 or 13, you'll be able to see how well the 4228 works in the VHF high band.

If the picture is clear or fairly clear, you'll probably have no issues with digital (ATSC) signals using the 4228. If they are snowy or otherwise not really clear, there may be an issue when the time comes.

Hope that helps,

Doug

I am using the new Vista MCE (RC2). For both it and MCE 2005, the KVIE HD channel guide data is incorrect. Anybody come up with a good solution for fixing it? I submitted a request to Microsoft quite a while back and nothing changed.

Thanks,
John

I am using the new Vista MCE (RC2). For both it and MCE 2005, the KVIE HD channel guide data is incorrect. Anybody come up with a good solution for fixing it? I submitted a request to Microsoft quite a while back and nothing changed.

Thanks,
John
For the years I have been using the TV Guide channel guide, until very recently, the KIVE HD info has been MIA. Just in the last week I have been getting it for that channel. So maybe you might get there soon too?

Shows are back from hiatus, 24 tonight, and I'm still getting constant audio video drops only on my Dish Vip211 and only on Fox & ABC OTA. Other HD boxes in the house are fine. Anyone else in NorCal using a Vip211 for OTA seeing this?

Hammer

KCVU Fox 30 in Chico is having the same issues, as are several Fox stations across the country - but only with Dish VIP 211 & 622 HD receivers. It's an equipment & firmware issue at each of the stations. Here's a link to the issue being discussed up north:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9538720#post9538720

Refer to post #1096.

I hope they get this problem corrected for *both* 40 and 30!

Not having any problems with Fox on my 2-622's and 211. Watched the game and no probs. My problem is with KCRA.

S~

KCVU Fox 30 in Chico is having the same issues, as are several Fox stations across the country - but only with Dish VIP 211 & 622 HD receivers. It's an equipment & firmware issue at each of the stations. Here's a link to the issue being discussed up north:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9538720#post9538720

Refer to post #1096.

I hope they get this problem corrected for *both* 40 and 30!

From that thread:
...The signal for KCVU drops to zero for less than a second about every 10 seconds. I am also seeing pixelation of the picture...
If I monitor my signal meter, I am indeed seeing this exact behaviour on Fox40 and ABC10. The Fox football game yesterday was a total mess (pretty much unwatchable), while the CBS game was fine.

EDIT: I messed up- Yesterday, I was watching the FOX game on my FusionII pc OTA card and it was constantly breaking up. Didn't think to switch over to the 211.

Tonight FOX is actually doing great on my 211, only a few occurances of minor pixellation... Maybe something on thier end has changed, because before tonight it has been horrible.
Hammer

Guys... I'm getting a new PJ for my HT and I want to go with OTA HDTV signals. I know I'll need to buy a separate tuner and antennae. I live in Natomas. Although probably not necessary, here are the coordinate info from antennaeweb...

* yellow - uhf KCRA-DT 3.1 NBC SACRAMENTO CA 161° 27.9 35
* yellow - uhf KOVR-DT 13.1 CBS STOCKTON CA 161° 28.4 25
* yellow - uhf KSPX-DT 29.1 i SACRAMENTO CA 162° 26.5 48
* yellow - uhf KQCA-DT 58.1 MNT STOCKTON CA 158° 26.8 46
* yellow - uhf KXTV-DT 10.1 ABC SACRAMENTO CA 161° 28.4 61
* yellow - uhf KTXL-DT 40.1 FOX SACRAMENTO CA 161° 26.2 55
* yellow - uhf KVIE-DT 6.1 PBS SACRAMENTO CA 161° 26.2 53
* yellow - uhf KUVS-DT 19.1 UNI MODESTO CA 115° 57.2 18
* green - uhf KMAX-DT 31.1 CW SACRAMENTO CA 160° 26.7 21
* green - uhf KTFK-DT 64.1 SAH STOCKTON CA 186° 57.0 62
* red - vhf KNTV-DT 11.1 NBC SAN JOSE CA 201° 82.7 12
* blue - uhf KTNC-DT 42.1 AZA CONCORD CA 186° 55.9 63

I'm sure it's annoying, but these threads are so damn long... I just don't have the time to go through all of them.

So, do you recommend a certain type of antennae for those in Natomas? The house has a stucco exterior, so it the antennae will be attic mounted. The house immediatedly south of me is only single story, and I have a two story house, so the way south will be pretty much unimpeded. What about an external tuner? Any recommendations? The Samsung DTB-H260F ATSC tuner certainly looks interesting.

I've looked through many of the threads on AVS but there seems to be so much variability from place to place. I figured it best to post in this thread as it is the local one. Sorry for the noob questions. BTW, I know I could go to BB or RS but I don't trust them at all :). It's not that they are dishonest, but often times people there don't seem to know there stuff, or they are told what to sell based on margin.

So, do you recommend a certain type of antennae for those in Natomas? The house has a stucco exterior, so it the antennae will be attic mounted. The house immediatedly south of me is only single story, and I have a two story house, so the way south will be pretty much...

The DB8 antenna sold online by Solid Signal and Antennas Direct is an excellent high-gain multi-directional antenna and you'll likely get all the Sac digitals without any problem where you are. I'm further north in the valley and can actually pick up two markets (Chico and Sac) depending on conditions; as Chico reception is better here, I've mounted mine on the outside of the house, at the peak of the house but under the eave (against a gable vent), pointed north. It may still work for you inside the attic pointed south, but it will cut down a lot on signal quality:

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?main_cat=03&PROD=AD-DB8

As for tuners, I'm using my Dish HD 622 receiver's OTA input, but I do have a Digital Stream that I picked up at Circuit City last year...a very basic model but compatible with all formats, and works great for me when I need to use it. I've heard good things about Samsung as well. Have fun!

Thank you for the rec! If needed, I could mount it outside under an eave. The only problem is access... I don't have a ladder that tall. I'll probably put it in the attic and see how it works. If the signal is poor, then I'll be in the market for a ladder!

Has anybody heard of or used this (http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=SS-2000). It also looks interesting but does UHF/VHF, is amplified and can be attached to a dish.

KCRA dropped the ball for the beginning of the State of the Union. The graphic says "In HD where available", yet there is no HD. Fortunately, News10 as always looks great in HD!!!

Well considering KXTV only has limited HDTV capabilities it is coming soon that HDTV will be on KXTV but KCRA is supposed to be in HD this Feburary. Ironically KCRA's sister station KSBW in Salinas announced that it will also soon be available in HD but not until September of this year. I did get coverage via KFSN-TV and they are in HDTV. I'm pretty sure that HD News will be the next generation since it's only 2 more years before the Digital TV generation begins.

Monday night Prison Break & 24 broadcasts were completely glitch free. Tonight flipped over to Idol, unwatchable/constant breakups. Also checked ABC same thing. Read through this thread, I am not alone:
http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=86859

Dish Vip series boxes are having normal signal strengths in the mid 90s, drop to zero for split second causing pixellation, dropped frames, Loss of Signal OS error message.

So does Sacramento FOX & ABC use this Axcera Exciter? If so what version firmware? Are you aware that Dish is supposedly working with Axcera to update this firmware?

Hammer

Hammer, on my old equipment, I was seeing picture pauses again on American Idol. I waited until a commercial break and unplugged the box and did a reset. After re-initializing, it came back and seemed better, but certainly not glitch free. I didn't ever loose the image and the sound was always fine.

Hammer, on my old equipment, I was seeing picture pauses again on American Idol.

What is your "old equipment?" I'm kind of curious about what might be happening here, since there would definitely seem to be some kind of transmission/receiver incompatibility. There were no problems at all watching "AI" on my HD TiVo, but I know from experience that this doesn't mean much -- up until a month or so ago, it (the HD TiVo) had major problems with some OTA channels, which was finally fixed when DirecTV rolled out a patch.

My equipment is a CM 4228 antenna in the attic (never had problems with it before as I am only 40 miles from the transmitter and this thing has a 60+ mile range) hooked to a Panasonic TU-HDS20, which is 5 1/2 years old now.

I don't watch a "lot" of HD programming as this is in a dedicated theater and lots of times we just use the SD tv downstairs, but I typically will watch the AI and CSI:LV and anything else that piques my curiosity. It has never been a problem before with Superbowl and Golf and such, except for the known issues that have happenen with the signals that everyone would complain about (car running into power pole, knocking out power to transmitters, base jumper on the tower, lightning strike....).

Bob,

I noticed the freeze shifted in time. There was a major picture freeeze on Wednesday night during "CSI:NY" at about 9:25. These freezes have become huge.

Thanks,

Scott

Leave it to the Sacramento Bee to ignore mentioning the Super Duper Bowl is going to be on CBS when running an article about a poor soul who can't get D* in time for the game:

http://www.sacbee.com/103/v-print/story/114970.html

Anyone on here know Brion Maciel? :) Maybe his set is HD ready and he just needs an antenna? Maybe he just needs to go to his buddies house this year? :p

In the comments section, he logged on and stated that he had already tried an antenna without luck. I suspect he might have gotten the wrong antenna or has an impossible reception situation.

Anyone on here know Brion Maciel? :) Maybe his set is HD ready and he just needs an antenna? Maybe he just needs to go to his buddies house this year? :p

I am constantly amazed at the number of folks who somehow forgot that there is an OTA service and it has free HD. I see people staring at shows that are in SD on their sat or cable systems and when they come over to my house they cannot believe we are picking up those channels on an antenna in the attic. They also seem to think that they are not allowed to plug in a real antenna into their set or else it will implode or something :rolleyes:

Does anyone know when in February will KCRA go HD?

Huh?

KCRA has been digital broadcasting with the ability to broadcast HD since 1999.

Digital channel 35. which translates to 3.1, 3.2. 3.2 carries Weather Plus.

So they've been "HD" for about 8 years.

I assume you mean the HD newscast maddog510?

Does anyone know when in February will KCRA go HD?

I heard 5:00pm, Feb 1.

Sorry I wasn't specific. I meant the news.

Sorry I wasn't specific. I meant the news.

I would listen to spwace ...

I heard 5:00pm, Feb 1.

Would you believe Feb 2, 3...?

Bob, any update on KOVR's nightly 7:45 picture freeze. It seems to be getting longer and more severe. A number of times this week it took place during commercials. Tonight however it took out "critical" dialogue from Ghost Whisperer. Lee

Bob,

I noticed the freeze shifted in time. There was a major picture freeeze on Wednesday night during "CSI:NY" at about 9:25. These freezes have become huge.

Thanks,

Scott
This may be a microwave fade related freeze, assuming it was not something on your end. The microwave fading issue on our digital link is a significant problem for us when an inversion is building. Generally foggy days in the winter and hot, stagnant air in the summer. We are working on a fix for this problem but it won't happen overnight. Most of the fading takes place during the summer months and we hope to have the problem resolved before then.

- Bob

This may be a microwave fade related freeze, assuming it was not something on your end. The microwave fading issue on our digital link is a significant problem for us when an inversion is building. Generally foggy days in the winter and hot, stagnant air in the summer. We are working on a fix for this problem but it won't happen overnight. Most of the fading takes place during the summer months and we hope to have the problem resolved before then.

- Bob

Hey Bob,

Any more word on the DD5.1 upgrade for 31? Have a great Super Bowl.

Scott

This may be a microwave fade related freeze, assuming it was not something on your end. The microwave fading issue on our digital link is a significant problem for us when an inversion is building. Generally foggy days in the winter and hot, stagnant air in the summer...


1. It's not on his end because it happens to everyone.
2. It's not weather/atmosphere related because it happens exactly at 7:46p every night.

When it first started happening, way back when, I likened it to a bad spot in a digital tape or the need to defrag a hard drive. But I don't claim to know anything about transmition equip:)

Hammer

Bob,

I hope you have a quiet Super Bowl!

Good luck; I'm rooting for you!

1. It's not on his end because it happens to everyone.
2. It's not weather/atmosphere related because it happens exactly at 7:46p every night.

When it first started happening, way back when, I likened it to a bad spot in a digital tape or the need to defrag a hard drive. But I don't claim to know anything about transmition equip:)

Hammer

I found it weird that this freeze (significantly long) happened at 9:25 during CSI:NY rather than @ 7:46.

Scott

Should I have gotten more out of this attic setup? :confused:

RadioShack U-75 Antenna
Channel Master Amplifier (Model 3041 DSB)
Single Story, Light Concrete Tile Roof

I was unable to use this setup (virutally no signal strength) and had to resort back to my outside post mount.

Any 95678 attic antenna recommendations? :rolleyes:

I found it weird that this freeze (significantly long) happened at 9:25 during CSI:NY rather than @ 7:46.

Scott

Yes, I saw that one too. Letterman also has one. But you can set your clock to the 7:46p one.

Hammer

Yes, I saw that one too. Letterman also has one. But you can set your clock to the 7:46p one.

Hammer

Letterman is on past my bedtime :D

Scott

This may be a microwave fade related freeze, assuming it was not something on your end. The microwave fading issue on our digital link is a significant problem for us when an inversion is building. Generally foggy days in the winter and hot, stagnant air in the summer. We are working on a fix for this problem but it won't happen overnight. Most of the fading takes place during the summer months and we hope to have the problem resolved before then.

- Bob

Hi Bob,

I'm having problems on Superbowl Sunday. My signal strength is hovering around 69 to 71 on 13.1. All my other digital stations are coming in with a strength consistently over 80. Naturally I have a group of friends coming over to see the game. I live in tracy. The picture has been fine up until the previous week. Now I get the picture breaking up when the signal strength drops. I know nothing can be done on such a short notice. But it sure hurts when you are all pumped up for a big presentation and the picture doesn't come through. Based on your response in the quoted line, I may have a fog problem. I guess I just wanted to let you know how much we really need something done to have the signal do better in foggy signals, I'm guessing the problem is because of the fog. I guess I'm just a little bummed out the picture didn't come through for me and my friends today.

I'm having problems on Superbowl Sunday. My signal strength is hovering around 69 to 71 on 13.1. [...] Based on your response in the quoted line, I may have a fog problem.

I don't want to speak for Bob, but it's pretty unlikely that your problems are due to fog. The problem he referred to was when fog affects the microwave link from the station's studio to the transmitter. While that can result in picture breakup, etc., it shouldn't have any affect on your received signal strength.

That said, here in Sacramento, I am receiving a solid 95+ signal reading on RF Channel 25 (KOVR's DTV channel), and have seen no problems at all (at least during the times I have checked in). Where is your antenna located? Can it be rotated? I have seen some pretty significant signal drops if it gets pointed even slightly off from where it should be.

Hi Bob,

I'm having problems on Superbowl Sunday. My signal strength is hovering around 69 to 71 on 13.1. All my other digital stations are coming in with a strength consistently over 80. Naturally I have a group of friends coming over to see the game. I live in tracy. The picture has been fine up until the previous week. Now I get the picture breaking up when the signal strength drops. I know nothing can be done on such a short notice. But it sure hurts when you are all pumped up for a big presentation and the picture doesn't come through. Based on your response in the quoted line, I may have a fog problem. I guess I just wanted to let you know how much we really need something done to have the signal do better in foggy signals, I'm guessing the problem is because of the fog. I guess I'm just a little bummed out the picture didn't come through for me and my friends today.
Everything at KOVR is operating just fine as I write this. We have a full crew here and at our two transmitter sites. Even I am here!

- Bob

My old STB doesn't have a signal strength meter on it (that really sucks too), but I am getting a solid signal on CBS here in Manteca. I have a Channel Master 4228 in my attic (2 story house) with lightweight concrete tile roof.

Bob, Any chance you can let "HQ" know that the "glitter" on the camera lenses
(Specifically the aerial Cam) is quite annoying. Surely someone in Fla has a can of Dust-off
they can hit the lenses with. :>
Nevermind, I see it's raining there...

Nice, WTF happened to the end of Criminal Minds? Chopped by KOVR local news... Lame

Did the blonde agent get eaten by dogs in the barn? Did the geek get shot by the physco in the corn field? Sacramento will never know.
Hammer

Should be WTFO! Couldn't wait 5 mins???

Oh, a little public apology by the talking heads... Said they should have the end of Criminal Minds after the news is over...

Hammer

And they screwed that up too...

Hammer

Well, since I don't watch Criminal Minds, I could care less about what happened and I was done watching TV after how many hours worth today?

But, I have to say, thank you to Bob and his group of tech's (I assume there is a small army at least) as the signal was top notch the whole time. I only noticed one short audio drop while I was in my theater. I didn't have a single complaint about the image quality from any of the 21 people that showed up today. Bravo!

Yeah, Thanks Bob!

I lugged my 37" Visio LCD over to a friends place and the quality of the transmission made all the work worthwhile.

Been a lurker here for a long time and I have learned a lot from this forum.
I live between Grass Valley and Colfax at about 2,900 feet elevation.

I bought a CM 4228 last week at fry’s based on info I read here and I am very happy...I get all the Sacramento channels (70 miles from towers) and almost all of the San Francisco ones (100 + miles from the Sutro towers). I’m thinking the HDTV gods are being good to me, or I am just one lucky S.O.B.

BTW, VHF channels six through thirteen come in good to very good.

You are lucky you have line of sight to the towers...

Your reception may not be as good at other times in the year...

Been a lurker here for a long time and I have learned a lot from this forum.
I live between Grass Valley and Colfax at about 2,900 feet elevation.

I bought a CM 4228 last week at fry’s based on info I read here and I am very happy...I get all the Sacramento channels (70 miles from towers) and almost all of the San Francisco ones (100 + miles from the Sutro towers). I’m thinking the HDTV gods are being good to me, or I am just one lucky S.O.B.

BTW, VHF channels six through thirteen come in good to very good.

Back when I was younger, my grandparents lived up in Foresthill. They always, regardless of time of year, got moderate to good reception of the San Francisco stations. If you are lucky enough to live at the right elevation and face west to southwest, you should be able to get the SF analog and HD stations fairly easily up there. You make all of us valley dwellers jealous!

If you are lucky enough to live at the right elevation and face west to southwest, you should be able to get the SF analog and HD stations fairly easily up there. You make all of us valley dwellers jealous!

It's pretty easy to get the SF analog and HD stations here -- all you need is a subscription to D* and a bay area address. :D

Nice, WTF happened to the end of Criminal Minds? Chopped by KOVR local news... Lame

Did the blonde agent get eaten by dogs in the barn? Did the geek get shot by the physco in the corn field? Sacramento will never know.
Hammer
You actually saw the entire episode of Criminal Minds. At the end of the episode, we went directly to our newscast. What you missed was a screen that said "To Be Continued" followed by previews of the next show followed by closing credits. Why did it happen? We were given incorrect times for the last segment of the show by the CBS Operations center. It involved some confusion with the actual end time of the Super Bowl.

I am very sorry for the problem. We were flooded with phone calls because it appeared that we cut off the program. We did not, but we should have aired the "To Be Continued" and closing credits.

Bob Hess
Director, Broadcast Operations/Engineering
CBS13 KOVR / CW31 KMAX

Well, since I don't watch Criminal Minds, I could care less about what happened and I was done watching TV after how many hours worth today?

But, I have to say, thank you to Bob and his group of tech's (I assume there is a small army at least) as the signal was top notch the whole time. I only noticed one short audio drop while I was in my theater. I didn't have a single complaint about the image quality from any of the 21 people that showed up today. Bravo!

Well, now I'm more bummed out than i was before. Manteca is just up the road from Tracy but my friends and I fought the picture dropping out throughout the broadcast. I guess I'll have to find a tall enough ladder for me to reach my rooftop antenna. I'll play with it to see if I can pull in a stronger signal. On a more positive note, the times when the signal came in strong for a length of time, the picture quality was excellent. So, although the Superbowl was a huge let down for us, at least I know I can concentrate on my setup and not the station. Thanks for letting me know.

Been a lurker here for a long time and I have learned a lot from this forum.
I live between Grass Valley and Colfax at about 2,900 feet elevation.

I bought a CM 4228 last week at fry’s based on info I read here and I am very happy...I get all the Sacramento channels (70 miles from towers) and almost all of the San Francisco ones (100 + miles from the Sutro towers). I’m thinking the HDTV gods are being good to me, or I am just one lucky S.O.B.

BTW, VHF channels six through thirteen come in good to very good.

I am in Shingle Springs at 1200 feet and all the Sacto channels come in but there is a hill blocking the San Jose channels and I don't think I can get over the hills in Vallejo to see SF like you do at my elevation. With my antenna in the attic every once in a while I get 4.1 and 9.1. My VHF Walnut Grove channels are perfect (if you consider SD TV perfect).

...unwatchable/constant breakups. Also checked ABC same thing. Read through this thread, I am not alone:
http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=86859

Dish Vip series boxes are having normal signal strengths in the mid 90s, drop to zero for split second causing pixellation, dropped frames, Loss of Signal OS error message.

So does Sacramento FOX & ABC use this Axcera Exciter? If so what version firmware? Are you aware that Dish is supposedly working with Axcera to update this firmware?

Anyone from Sacto FOX or ABC confirm or deny -

Does Sacramento FOX & ABC use this Axcera Exciter? If so what version firmware? Are you aware that Dish is supposedly working with Axcera to update this firmware?

LOST is a total mess on my 211, severe constant breakups. VIP211 thinks the signal is dropping to zero, yet all my other OTA boxes dont.

Hammer

Anyone from Sacto FOX or ABC confirm or deny -

Does Sacramento FOX & ABC use this Axcera Exciter? If so what version firmware? Are you aware that Dish is supposedly working with Axcera to update this firmware?

LOST is a total mess on my 211, severe constant breakups. VIP211 thinks the signal is dropping to zero, yet all my other OTA boxes dont.

Hammer

Sacramento FOX affiliate does not use this exciter.

Hey all,

I'm new to the OTA forum... just hooked up my antenna to my new Sony KDS-55A2000 last night. My cheapo radio shack indoor antenna picked up all feeds in the area. antennaweb.org says I'm 35 miles from towers, and I live in Tracy. Didn't spend too much time watching since I had to go to bed, but Lost and Medium were coming in nice and clear.

Here's the antenna I bought: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103077&cp

Quick question, though. What is this 7:45 freeze you speak of? It's only on CBS? That's a bummer since Survivor premiers tonight, and I planned on watching it in HD. Can you elaborate on the freeze problem?

Thanks!

Edit: I guess Survivor's not in HD. Bummer. But, please tell me about this freeze.

Anyone from Sacto FOX or ABC confirm or deny -

Does Sacramento FOX & ABC use this Axcera Exciter? If so what version firmware? Are you aware that Dish is supposedly working with Axcera to update this firmware?

LOST is a total mess on my 211, severe constant breakups. VIP211 thinks the signal is dropping to zero, yet all my other OTA boxes dont.

Hammer


Nor does the ABC station.

Anyone from Sacto FOX or ABC confirm or deny -

Does Sacramento FOX & ABC use this Axcera Exciter? If so what version firmware? Are you aware that Dish is supposedly working with Axcera to update this firmware?

LOST is a total mess on my 211, severe constant breakups. VIP211 thinks the signal is dropping to zero, yet all my other OTA boxes dont.

Hammer

Very suspiciously similar issue with the Fox affiliate in Chico right now. Best thing to do is to call the station to report the problem, especially if you have a Dish ViP 211 or 622, as there seems to be a known issue between a certain type of "exciter" and the Dish HD receivers with Fox affiliates.

Updated information on this ever-changing topic: A reliable source tells me that this coming Monday (Feb 12) at 5pm is now the target for KCRA's HD news launch. Tune in to find out if it happens!

Hey all,


Quick question, though. What is this 7:45 freeze you speak of? It's only on CBS? That's a bummer since Survivor premiers tonight, and I planned on watching it in HD. Can you elaborate on the freeze problem?

Thanks!

Edit: I guess Survivor's not in HD. Bummer. But, please tell me about this freeze.

You can set your clocks by it. Every night at 7:45 the picture will freeze on KOVR. The audio goes to a horrible buzzing sound. Then the image will break up and appear multiple times in various parts of the screen and eventually everything returns to "normal". Similar to the image breakups and freezes when coming out of commercials on "network" shows. Not so bad when it happens during a commercial, but during NCIS or Ghost Whisperer it manages to take out "critical" dialogue. It's been happening for more than a year now. Lee

You can set your clocks by it. Every night at 7:45 the picture will freeze on KOVR. The audio goes to a horrible buzzing sound. Then the image will break up and appear multiple times in various parts of the screen and eventually everything returns to "normal". Similar to the image breakups and freezes when coming out of commercials on "network" shows. Not so bad when it happens during a commercial, but during NCIS or Ghost Whisperer it manages to take out "critical" dialogue. It's been happening for more than a year now. Lee
Thanks.

Is this OTA only or does it happen with satellite service as well?

Thanks.

Is this OTA only or does it happen with satellite service as well?


Happens on the Comcast feed too.

Troy

Thought I would chime in that there is another happy :) OTA HDTV watcher here...

I am in Orangevale, CA; the antennaweb.org website says I am 33 miles away. The antenna I am using is a Radio Shack VU-90 XR with a Tivo Series 3. The antenna is mounted over the bedroom on an old 1 ½ foot high satellite mount. Yeah its short but I am too lazy to change it out for a tall TV mast mount besides I am elevated a bit on one of the small rolling hills here in town. I am running about 75 feet of RG6 quad shielded cable to get to-and-from the antenna.

I am getting 95%-99% signal (I guess the Tivo does not go to 100% :p) on all digital 33 mile away stations. Also on a couple of 60 mile digital stations I am 85% signal.

I tried a Zenith Silver Sensor first and was getting 65%-70% signal with it but when you walked around the room the signal would not stay stable causing digital dropout.

OK, they are now promoting the 5pm newscast as being in HD, so it appears as though it is going to happen. The promo ran in the noon show ... and they just did a short story about it. It's going to happen.

What, no comments? :D KCRA HD news debuted at 5pm -- the elements looked great to me, especially the traffic segment and the helicopter shot of I-80 in Roseville. A little surprised that most of the graphics (with the exception of the bug) were not in HD -- I was under the impression they would be.

All-in-all though, a nice debut. Even had a story about HD that was *in* HD.

Sorry, news is not enough for me to fire up the projector in the dedicated theater...

Like the new HD chopper, traffic map & weather. All reporters (except Louis) look very HD friendly. Overall, very impressed on the HD effort, and I'm sure we'll see more local stories in HD.

It all looks good! Too bad Maragret Pelly is gone :( lol

I caught the 6-6:30 newscast; looked great! Though the tour of the HD set was in SD for some reason. :) The new 3d traffic maps are kinda gimmicky, but pretty cool, and I look forward to seeing daytime copter shots. It will be interesting to see how long before we have the first HD field report and if the Today show cuts are in HD.

--Andrew

Happens on the Comcast feed too.

Troy

OK, I've seen this twice now too. Friday night, OTA, on my inlaws new Sony Bravia 1080p set. REALLY BAD TIMING as that was 15 minutes into their first HDTV experience.

And I just experienced it at home via my Sony HD-300 receiver, OTA.

marabunta.

I am out of town, but thanks to this forum and videojanitor I Slingboxed my way into my HD DirecTiVo and setup a recording for the 5:00 KCRA news. Just watched the first couple of minutes and it looked good even in SD over the internet, can't wait to see it in HD when I get home tomorrow.

Here are a few screen captures from the first show: (note: these images are hosted on ImageShack -- clicking the thumbnails will take you to their site, and may subject you to pop-up ads, etc.):

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/4332/kcrahd1mm6.th.jpg (http://img216.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kcrahd1mm6.jpg) http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/6515/kcrahd2jp4.th.jpg (http://img293.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kcrahd2jp4.jpg) http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/4549/kcrahd3ft4.th.jpg (http://img228.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kcrahd3ft4.jpg) http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/9489/kcrahd4ix8.th.jpg (http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kcrahd4ix8.jpg) http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/3913/kcrahd5lf0.th.jpg (http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kcrahd5lf0.jpg)

I just thought I'd say hello since I'm new to DTV and AVS Forum. This thread looks like a good place to hang out. To introduce myself, I'm an old hand at long distance TV reception having watched Sacramento VHF back in the late 70's from Sunnyvale. Now I'm in the middle of Calaveras County at 2500' but I do not have a clear shot to Walnut Grove at 55 miles away. I just recently purchased a Sony SXRD and decided to give OTA a try from here. I've been satellite only. I knew this would be difficult because I have a 0.2 degree horizon to Walnut Grove even from 50' on my ham radio tower. To make a long story short I ended up with a pair of 91XGs at 54' spaced 44" apart (multipath is a MAJOR problem), an HDP-269 preamp (soon to be replaced with a Tinlee preamp to improve the system noise figure), and 525' of Trilogy 1/2" air dielectric hardline to run down the hill to my house with a couple of 10' pieces of RG-6 on each end. All Sacramento DTV stations are receiveable here nearly 100% of the time. I expect some dropouts during periods of strong inversions. I also receive more than 50% of the time KFTY (digital 54), KGO (digital 24) and KION (digital 32). I believe that after the transition there will be many more stations receiveable here, especially on VHF. My next project is a VHF antenna. On the 91XGs, KSBW (analog 8) is completely clean but 10 and 13 are multipath diasters. :-)

After all this I do have a question. I noticed on the FCC database that the KCRA digital antennna is about 450' lower than their analog antenna. Is there any word on when they're going to raise that antenna up to full height? KCRA is the most most problematic DTV station here (multipath I believe) and I'm hoping that raising the antenna will improve them here.

Well, besides the tour of the new Hi-Def set done in Lo-Def and the traffic map looking like it was designed by the same people who created the Sims it looked pretty good...kudos to KCRA for making the move.

This is a great start for KCRA but they have a long way to go. Like others pointed out, only the studio and the copter are HD feeds, while all the field cams and footage are still SD. Even most of the on-screen graphics are still upscaled SD. Kinda strange. But I guess they are taking it a step at a time.

Have any local HD newscasts in the country gone farther than this? Is anyone else using HD field cams and so forth? Just wondering how far off this sort of thing is.

Have any local HD newscasts in the country gone farther than this? Is anyone else using HD field cams and so forth?

Short answer is yes, though from what I've read, HD field acquisition is still pretty rare. Some stations, like KTVU, decided to go with 16:9 SD field stuff, which doesn't look great, but it's better than 4:3 pillarboxed. HD graphics are pretty much the norm though, so I'm surprised KCRA didn't take that step -- that goes a LONG way towards giving the show some "sparkle." As it sits now, the SD graphics really stand out like a sore thumb. I'm sure they're aware of this though, and more than likely that will be the next thing to be upgraded.

Bob,

Is there an end in sight for these freezes we are experiencing. They are no longer isolated to 7:46. On Friday during the beginning of Numbers (about 5-6 minutes in), there was an extremly long freeze and then the picture went to 4:3 for a few seconds before returning to 16:9.

Thanks,

Scott

P.S. Any news as to when 31 will transition to DD5.1? I really want Supernatural in 5.1.

Looks like KVIE is down...

...and they're back up now....

KVIE's PSIP generator isn't working again. Look for them at 53.1.
Lee

Does anyone else notice the white line across the top of all Network HD feeds from KCRA. When they go to the HD news there is no issues (Except for SD still has close captioning info across the top).

I have called the station 3-4 times and they don't call back, answer their phones or I guess care since it still is happening. It is bright white and very noticeable during all of the prim time broadcast.

I have check OTA and Comcast feeds they both have the issue.

It started when they fixed the yellow line running along the LH side. As soon as that went away the White line across the top appeared.

KVIE's PSIP generator isn't working again. Look for them at 53.1.
Lee
I can't get KVIE HD (6.1) on 53.1 either. It's been a couple of days now.

I get the video from Kvie but not the audio, anyone else having this problem?

I get the video from Kvie but not the audio, anyone else having this problem?
Nope! No audio and no video. BUT the signal strength shows at HIGH on my samsung STB.

Same here...no video or audio but the signal meter shows a strong signal, haven’t checked it yet today tho.

I did a recheck with my Directv TV HR10-250 when I lost KVIE. I found it again at 53.3. No program information on the guide but the old 6.1 guide still has that data.

I still get video at 53.3 and 53.4 but no audio.

I'm having no problems with 6.1, 6.2 (or 6 analog).

I did a recheck with my Directv TV HR10-250 when I lost KVIE. I found it again at 53.3. No program information on the guide but the old 6.1 guide still has that data.

I too found the stations on 53.3 & 53.4 on my HR10-250, but not on my H10, so it is a mapping issue.

Over the weekend, I stopped getting KSPX-DT reliably. I wanted to check out their new "ION Life" multicast channel (29.3). I assume this is due to my roof-top antenna being subjected to high wind gusts. Can anyone confirm that KSPX's digital signal is okay?
_
UPDATE: I went up and tweaked my antenna...that resolved the problem.

I too found the stations on 53.3 & 53.4 on my HR10-250, but not on my H10, so it is a mapping issue.

This happens to me every few months, only with KVIE. I routinely have to get the HD channel at 53.3,4. After a few days or a week, it drifts back to 6.1. It may be my TV set but in general rather than this specific instance for you all.

6-1 just showed up on my s3. I was disappointed when it wasn't there because Astound doesn't carry PBS-HD, and all the other Sac stations came in fine.

Are any HR10-250 users with the new software (6.3c) experiencing severe pixelation with 6-1 and 6-2? I've got two HD D*Tivos. One with the older software (3.5.1f), which has no problems with KVIE HD and the digital SD signal and the other with 6.3c. The pixelation on the latter Tivo is practically a frozen screen.

I noticed at tivocommunity some users were experiencing "stutter" problems on a Michigan PBS HD station. I have more than a "stutter" but I'm wondering if there is an issue with PBS and the new software for D* HD Tivos.

I called KVIE the other day, and they acknowledged they were having a problem with their PSIP box. I, too, have the pixelation problem on 6-1, with my HR10-250, but if I manually tune to 53-3, it comes in just fine. This was last night. I have not checked today. Will probably need to do a re-scan after they fix their box.

Why don't I get regular KVIE programing ota?

My child likes to watch sesame street. And I don't get it on the UHF broadcast. I get 6.1 and 6.2 but they have different programming. If I switch over to the vhf I get sesame street and a whole set of diffrent shows? Am I missing a KVIE subchannel?

Why don't I get regular KVIE programing ota?

My child likes to watch sesame street. And I don't get it on the UHF broadcast. I get 6.1 and 6.2 but they have different programming. If I switch over to the vhf I get sesame street and a whole set of diffrent shows? Am I missing a KVIE subchannel?

You need an analog receiver (NSTC). You should have one on your TV, VCR, or even STB. Currently their main digital channel (ASTC) is not the same as the analog

Why don't I get regular KVIE programing ota?

My child likes to watch sesame street. And I don't get it on the UHF broadcast. I get 6.1 and 6.2 but they have different programming. If I switch over to the vhf I get sesame street and a whole set of diffrent shows? Am I missing a KVIE subchannel?This is one of my pet peeves. KVIE doesn't simulcast its analog broadcast on its digital transmission. Take a look here:

http://www.kvie.org/schedule/schedule-new.htm

"CHANNEL 6" is analog. "[D] CHANNEL 6.1" and "[D] CHANNEL 6.2" are digital.

I bought an analog tuner for the sole purpose of getting KVIE analog. I asked them when they will have their analog-only programming on digital broadcast and the response was "February 2009".
_

This is one of my pet peeves. KVIE doesn't simulcast its analog broadcast on its digital transmission. Take a look here:

"CHANNEL 6" is analog. "[D] CHANNEL 6.1" and "[D] CHANNEL 6.2" are digital.

I bought an analog tuner for the sole purpose of getting KVIE analog. I asked them when they will have their analog-only programming on digital broadcast and the response was "February 2009".
_


Hi Rackerby,

I am wandering if you are still getting OTA signal from SF. I am also in 95616 area, and like to install a outdoor antenna. How tall is yours? and are you still using Channel Master 8 bays antenna?

Thanks,

kevin

I am wandering if you are still getting OTA signal from SF. I am also in 95616 area, and like to install a outdoor antenna. How tall is yours? and are you still using Channel Master 8 bays antenna?
I hit a period of poor atmospheric conditions (which reduced Bay Area signal propagation) and decided to take down my Channel Master 8 bay (which was not mounted very high at all). The only real benefit for me was bringing in KQED. Most of the other Bay Area stations duplicate programming found on Sac stations. I decided to augment KVIE's digital offerings with an analog tuner so I could bring in their analog signal as well. If you want to give it a try, start monitoring William Hepburn's Tropospheric Ducting Forecasts (http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html).

I hit a period of poor atmospheric conditions (which reduced Bay Area signal propagation) and decided to take down my Channel Master 8 bay (which was not mounted very high at all). The only real benefit for me was bringing in KQED. Most of the other Bay Area stations duplicate programming found on Sac stations. I decided to augment KVIE's digital offerings with an analog tuner so I could bring in their analog signal as well. If you want to give it a try, start monitoring .


thanks for your suggestion. I got a powerful 91XG uni-directional UHF antenna a year ago. But I never had a chance to put it on. KQED is the main channel I'd like to watch from SF, too. Now I got some free time and want to give it a try if it is possible form to get SF signals from Davis.

I will post here if I do get OK signal.

Thanks,

kevin

KCRA is all breakups tonight for Las Vegas. Usually get a few an hour, but tonight getting pixellation at least every 60 seconds. Seems to hit in double-shots. Pixellates, clears for a second, then pixellates again...

Hammer

KCRA is all breakups tonight for Las Vegas. Usually get a few an hour, but tonight getting pixellation at least every 60 seconds. Seems to hit in double-shots. Pixellates, clears for a second, then pixellates again...

Hammer


They've been having lots of audio problems most of the day as well.

Has anyone with Dish Network ViP 622 receivers noticed lip sync issues with Sac locals, especially KCRA (both their HD news broadcast and the NBC feed)? I've tried rebooting my receiver but that doesn't seem to correct the problem. Other HD channels on the same receiver don't have this issue...just the locals via satellite.

KVIE is now broadcasting a test pattern on 53.5

Looks like it might be a spanish language station. Now I suspect 53.3 will really suffer more than it does today.

KVIE is now broadcasting a test pattern on 53.5

Looks like it might be a spanish language station. Now I suspect 53.3 will really suffer more than it does today.
"V-me (which means “see me” in Spanish) is a ground breaking broadcasting venture that will present the world’s highest quality programs to Spanish-speaking viewers in the U.S. Programming will include arts and culture, science and nature, public affairs, history and biography, kids, lifestyle, cinema and sports, and will include a mix of programming from abroad as well as Spanish-language versions of PBS programs. Launch is planned for 2007."

Interestingly, I get it on 53.3 rather than 53.5.

I'm seeing it on 6-03, also. Looks like a March 5th launch.

S~

Oscars look really good on 10-1 tonight! Wife's watching on our new Mits HD1000U fp.

Regards,
Ricky

I discovered a new digital station on the air, KBSV 23 the Assyrian TV station in Ceres is now on 15.1. Of course I don't speak Assyrian so I won't be watching it but it's amazing what a big signal it has considering it is 51 miles from here and the FCC info says it is running just 7.7KW! And I'm in one of its antenna nulls. It's analog station on 23 is a complete mess here as it and KMUV on Fremont Peak are almost exactly the same signal strength and the same heading. My Sony is giving me an SNR of 22 or 23 consistently.

BTW, I'm going to make a few posts so the forum will allow me to place links in my posts. I want to post a few images of my antennas and a panoramic view from the antenna tower showing which the direction of the various transmitter sites.

I replaced my Winegard HDP-269 preamp with a Tin Lee MA-25U-77A. I don't know how many people have actually heard of Tin Lee. They're a Canadian company who manufactures all sorts of CATV and MATV components. They're more expensive than the consumer grade companies like Winegard and Channel Master but they have better quality stuff and a much wider selection. They're a small company and you can actually talk to an engineer and get exactly what you need for your situation. Do a Google search and you'll find them.

Standard disclaimer: I have no stake, financial or otherwise in Tin Lee.

With the HDP-269 I had a system noise of about 11 dB on channel 60 because of low gain and I wanted to improve that. My first Winegard preamp (the high gain AP-4800) was completely overloaded here by channel 19 so I had to try something else.

The Tin Lee was UHF only and spec'd at 25 dB gain. I measured it here and found it had 25.7 dB at channel 20 and 27.3 dB at channel 60. Noise figure is spec'd at 2.2. I can't measure NF here. I found I had a small amount of desense from ch 19 so I added in the Tin Lee ch 19 notch filter and that eliminated the desense. Calculated system noise figure with this preamp was about 3.5 dB.

The overall results were disappointing. There was a small improvement overall with a little more on the higher channels than on the lower channels. I was expecting more since 6 or 7 dB improvement in overall noise figure should make a big difference with digital.

What went wrong? Speculation time. There is something I forgot about. The Earth radiates noise on all frequencies. I don't think many people know about this. I have a lot of exerpience with low earth orbit weather satellite reception using a 4' dish and a 0.5 dB preamp on 1.7GHz that tracks the satellites across the sky. When the dish is pointed at the horizon the noise is around 10 dB higher than it is when the dish is 20 degrees up. No Earth noise reaches the antenna at 20 degrees elevation.

With no man made noise on UHF TV I'm sure my system is limited by Earth noise. I'm using a pair of 91XG's which are pretty high gain. Decreasing my system noise figure fom 11 to 3.5 dB only got me a couple of useable dB. My conclusion is that there is no point in buying one of these expensive very low noise 0.5 dB UHF preamps when a 3 dB will do just as well. The most important thing is to have enough gain to overcome your cable loss + TV tuner noise figure. If you still can't receive what you want to receive then you need a higher gain antenna, as impractical as that may be. :)

Will not be in HD due to a server issue. Shark OK.

- Bob

Will not be in HD due to a server issue. Shark OK.

- Bob

Thanks Bob,

I was wondering what was going on last night. About 31, Any word on the DD5.1 transition? Smallville and Supernatural in DD5.1 would be sweet.

Scott

Thanks Bob,

I was wondering what was going on last night. About 31, Any word on the DD5.1 transition? Smallville and Supernatural in DD5.1 would be sweet.

Scott
Scott,

Nothing to report on CW 5.1. If we do it at all this year, it will be 4th quarter.

- Bob

I have had an ongoing problem with FOX & ABC since day one of getting my Vip211, involving frequent pixellation with signal meter dropping to zero then right back to 90%.

This past weekend something happened because now FOX, ABC, & PBS are completely unwatchable on my Vip211. All I get now is a constant error message saying "Signal Lost", with occasional blips of audio/video. My two other HD receivers fed off the same antenna are not having problems and get steady 90% signal. And another local person is having the EXACT same problem with his Vip211 see http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=90918

I am begging these three Sacramento stations to do something, anything. Something as simple as rebooting your psip equip could solve this.

I have all but given up on the OTA tuner in my 211. In fact I just snagged a Samsung D* box off ebay that I will have to use for OTA until this 211 problem gets fixed.

Hammer

I have had an ongoing problem with FOX & ABC since day one of getting my Vip211, involving frequent pixellation with signal meter dropping to zero then right back to 90%.

This past weekend something happened because now FOX, ABC, & PBS are completely unwatchable on my Vip211. All I get now is a constant error message saying "Signal Lost", with occasional blips of audio/video. My two other HD receivers fed off the same antenna are not having problems and get steady 90% signal. And another local person is having the EXACT same problem with his Vip211 see http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=90918

I am begging these three Sacramento stations to do something, anything. Something as simple as rebooting your psip equip could solve this.

I have all but given up on the OTA tuner in my 211. In fact I just snagged a Samsung D* box off ebay that I will have to use for OTA until this 211 problem gets fixed.

Hammer

Have you contacted Dish network customer service to ask them why their receiver doesn't work with 720p?

Have you contacted Dish network customer service to ask them why their receiver doesn't work with 720p?

I don't know if this matters, but I get the same bad behaviour if I tune to each of the station's respective secondary/subchannels which aren't 720p.

Hammer

Hammer,

See if Dish will swap out your receiver. I haven't had any problems with my 622's or my 211. Maybe you have a bad tuner.

S~

Hammer,

See if Dish will swap out your receiver. I haven't had any problems with my 622's or my 211. Maybe you have a bad tuner.

S~


It's not just me. Read the thread over at Sat Guys (started by someone else). More than coincidence that two people had the exact same problem starting the exact same time on the exact same channels. Maybe, you can check what software your 211 has. Our problem seemed to start right after we got the new software L345.

Hammer

It's not just me. Read the thread over at Sat Guys (started by someone else). More than coincidence that two people had the exact same problem starting the exact same time on the exact same channels. Maybe, you can check what software your 211 has. Our problem seemed to start right after we got the new software L345.

Hammer

I have 3.45. I've had more problems with low levels from KMAX 85 with outdoor and 72 with indoor. 6, 10, and 40 are right around 98.

S~

It's not just me. Read the thread over at Sat Guys (started by someone else). More than coincidence that two people had the exact same problem starting the exact same time on the exact same channels. Maybe, you can check what software your 211 has. Our problem seemed to start right after we got the new software L345.

Hammer

You still have not answered the question, have you contacted Dish? If I started having problems right after a software upgrade, I would contact the supplier of the software first.

Hammer,

You have had a lot of problems with 10 and 40 even prior to the current software version. Call tech support, have it swapped out, and ask that it be sent to engineering for analysis. I'm working with them now on a 622 issue with KCRA.

S~

I'm working with them now on a 622 issue with KCRA.

Is there any update in sight for those issues? I'd really rather use the OTA tuner than the dish tuner for my OTA programming. I tested with Studio 60 a couple weeks ago, and the glitches are definitely still there.

Is there any update in sight for those issues? I'd really rather use the OTA tuner than the dish tuner for my OTA programming. I tested with Studio 60 a couple weeks ago, and the glitches are definitely still there.

I'm supposed to talk to them early next week. I'll probably give them a call on Monday or Tuesday. If I find anything out I'll post it here and in the SG thread regarding this issue.

Scott

I think I've made enough posts so that the forum will allow me to include links now.

91XGs on 50' Tower

http://images.aa6g.org/antennas.jpg (235KB)


Antenna Close-up

http://images.aa6g.org/antennas_closeup.jpg (180KB)


Panorama taken from tower with TV station locations labeled

http://images.aa6g.org/tv_directions.jpg (425KB)


Summary of stations received here

http://images.aa6g.org/dtv_summary.xls

Chuck
Mountain Ranch

You still have not answered the question, have you contacted Dish? If I started having problems right after a software upgrade, I would contact the supplier of the software first.

I will be calling Dish on Monday, and now all the signs are pointing toward it being thier problem. Sent an email yesterday to all three of these stations and so far got a very quick response from ABC-10's president and general manager:

"You are right. Dish is having serious problems with the 720 hd signal. They are aware of it and are working on it. I have been in contact with them and will engage it at higher level to expidite the proccess."

And it seems to only affect people that are 20mi or farther from the towers. That's all I can think of.

Hammer

Can someone in or around Stockton tell me if KDTS analog 52 is actually on the air?

I'm doing a little research into why I'm having such a hard time receiving KICU digital 52 and KTEH digital 50 while KSTS digital 49 and KDTV digital 51 are 100% receiveable here. All four stations transmit from practically the same location, about the same tower height and power, yet KICU and KTEH are rarely receivieable here. I'm pretty sure KTEH 50.1 is getting it from KFTY 50 but I'm not so sure about KICU 52. I've never seen KDTS but it could be that KICU 52 is stronger than it is but not strong enough to completely overcome it so I end up with neither.

Thanks - Chuck

I will be calling Dish on Monday, and now all the signs are pointing toward it being thier problem. Hammer

Hammer,

Let me know how it goes. I might be able to help you out. I have some contacts in engineering. You can PM me.

Scott

Hammer,

I was getting channel 40 ok this evening at about 5 pm, now it is gone again. 6 and 10 are still down. 3 blips a bit about every 1-2 minutes. I am probably going to get on the horn with Dish tech support.

I was getting channel 40 ok this evening at about 5 pm, now it is gone again. 6 and 10 are still down. 3 blips a bit about every 1-2 minutes.

Welcome to the dark side (avs) :cool:

Ya, it is so weird how it can be fine for a few hours then just go to ****. Like right now this very minute, I'm getting 6, 10, & 40 all fine at over 95%. Not a single drop out. So if I call dish right now I'd have nothing to tell them.

Hammer

So long KVIE2.

"Notice on KVIE2 Channel Availability

Beginning March 5, 2007, KVIE2 will not be available on our OTA (over the air) digital channel 6.2 or on Charter digital cable 286.

KVIE2 programming is still available on Comcast cable 7, digital cable 190, and SureWest cable 7.

We plan to resume our delivery of KVIE2 on the affected channels after we raise the funds necessary to purchase additional equipment, which is expected to happen by September 2007."


http://kvie.org/kvie2/

Over-the-air television viewers get screwed again by KVIE. Since there is very little programming variety on 6.1 (it's just the PBS HD loop) and my family are not Spanish speakers, it means we are left with KVIE's analog broadcast.

Trying to watch HEROS tonight on KCRA is like pulling teeth. Constant breakups pixellation. 100% signal strength btw

Hammer

Trying to watch HEROS tonight on KCRA is like pulling teeth. Constant breakups pixellation. 100% signal strength btwLooked okay to me. There was one segment (about 10 seconds total) with breakup. Noticeable, but short in duration.
_

Looked okay to me. There was one segment (about 10 seconds total) with breakup. Noticeable, but short in duration.
_

Same with me in Folsom. Looked fine except for one short breakup.

Trying to watch HEROS tonight on KCRA is like pulling teeth. Constant breakups pixellation. 100% signal strength btw

Hammer

I finally was able to catch the video dropout on KCRA live last night on my 622. The signal strength was at 98-100, the video and audio dropped out, and the sig strength was still 98+. There's not even a drop in the signal, just a video dropout. That would seem to tell me specifically that the 622's OTA tuner does't like something with the KCRA-DT signal.

Hammer and Pinchhitter,

I talked to my contact in engineering today. He is aware of the situation. They are in the process of evaluating some software which they hope addresses the issue. It is Number 1 on their hitlist for the 211.

Scott

Nightowl,

I talked to my contact in engineering today. They are STILL evaluating the 622's I sent them. That's all I know for now. Are you still experiencing 3-5 second skipping on recorded material on KCRA? I know someone over at SG is reporting the problem also.

Scott

Are you guys having these problems with OTA when using the Dish receivers as a tuner? Just curious as I may be moving to Dish HD soon. What's wrong with using their locals feed?

Right now, I'm viewing OTA using my Sony SXRD's tuner, and I have not experienced any huge drops in picture, just a few glitches in Las Vegas the other night.

Hammer and Pinchhitter,

I talked to my contact in engineering today. He is aware of the situation. They are in the process of evaluating some software which they hope addresses the issue. It is Number 1 on their hitlist for the 211.

Scott

Thank freakin' god. But I don't have much faith in Dish, tonight I'm hooking up an alternate OTA tuner got off eBay for $75. I may now have 4 HD tuners in the house.

Hammer

I may now have 4 HD tuners in the house.Hammer

SOunds like my house ;)

I'll keep you posted if I hear anything more.

Scott

Bob,
What did you folks do to eliminate the 7:45 (7:46) glitch? Haven't seen it in the past few days... Hooray!
Lee

I finally was able to catch the video dropout on KCRA live last night on my 622. The signal strength was at 98-100, the video and audio dropped out, and the sig strength was still 98+. There's not even a drop in the signal, just a video dropout. That would seem to tell me specifically that the 622's OTA tuner does't like something with the KCRA-DT signal.

I was on the Sat feed too, so it most likely was something in the feed rather than the receiver.

S~

Bob,
What did you folks do to eliminate the 7:45 (7:46) glitch? Haven't seen it in the past few days... Hooray!
Lee
It has been more than a few days. I was wondering when someone would notice. Software glitch that the server manufacturer is currently working on. From our point of view, it is not fixed. From your point of view it is fixed because we are airing everything off of the backup server.

- Bob

It has been more than a few days. I was wondering when someone would notice. Software glitch that the server manufacturer is currently working on. From our point of view, it is not fixed. From your point of view it is fixed because we are airing everything off of the backup server.

- Bob

That's good new Bob. I have a question about audio on KOVR. It seems like the level is hot. I get distortion when there is sound effects. On my receiver I turn it down about 10 db to reach the same level as other stions/channels with 5.1. I've also heard crackling the past few days on 31.1. I don't hear it on any other channel.

Thanks for all you do for us.

Scott

Ugh ...called Dish and about the OTA tuner in my 211. No solution there. Still cannot get 6,10,40 to work right. Tried my internal TV tuner and no problem there.

That's good new Bob. I have a question about audio on KOVR. It seems like the level is hot. I get distortion when there is sound effects. On my receiver I turn it down about 10 db to reach the same level as other stions/channels with 5.1. I've also heard crackling the past few days on 31.1. I don't hear it on any other channel.

Thanks for all you do for us.

Scott
We will look into it.

We will look into it.

Hi Bob,

The crackling passed. It must have been a 2 day thing. The audio level seems to be during the Primetime lineup.

Scott

Hi Bob,

The crackling passed. It must have been a 2 day thing. The audio level seems to be during the Primetime lineup.

Scott
Haven't done a thing!

- Bob

The first 6 minutes of Ghost Whisperer will be upconverted tonight (Friday). The rest of prime time is OK.

- Bob

I am not receiving KOVR 13.1.

Confirmed OTA KOVR = 100% signal but not mapping channel & no audio video on my Vip211- rescanned and lost psip info. Samsung still getting audio video...

Wait..

Hammer

Nothing here either on my HD TiVo or HR20 DVR -- however it is there using the ATSC tuner in the TV.

I tried to re-scan and manually insert channel 25. No channel found.

I am getting nothing from KOVR-DT OTA here but it is fine on Comcast.

It appears that I've lost all my digital channels except 3.1. I don't remember the last time that occurred.

It appears that I've lost all my digital channels except 3.1. I don't remember the last time that occurred.

I am still getting all OTA digital channels except KOVR.

KOVR back on this morning.
Hammer

KOVR back on this morning.
Hammer

Came back last night. It was there on the Sat locals. Must have been a mapping issue. Haven't seen this one in a while.

S~

Dish agreed to send me a new VIP 211 since I could not get the loss of channels 6, 10 and 40 resolved. They admitted that there have been some issues with software and OTA but it resulted in blocky picture not total loss of channels like me. Nevertheless they are sending a replacement 211 this coming week.

Hopefully the new 211 will fix the issue.

Dish agreed to send me a new VIP 211 since I could not get the loss of channels 6, 10 and 40 resolved. They admitted that there have been some issues with software and OTA but it resulted in blocky picture not total loss of channels like me. Nevertheless they are sending a replacement 211 this coming week.

Hopefully the new 211 will fix the issue.

Hope it works out.

S~

Anyone else having troubles with PBS Digital tonight? I can't get it OTA or through my E* VIP622.

I am not getting KVIE-DT OTA at this time.

All my OTA channels are back except 6.1.

Yep, 6.1 still out this morning.

Hi Bob,

There was a glitch at 8:45 last night. Must have got the daylight Savings time message. What happened was: the screen went black for a few seconds, then pielated, and then everything was fine.

Scott

Yep, 6.1 still out this morning.Looks okay to me.
_

Looks okay to me.
_

Nope. Must not be mapping down correctly again.

S~

Issue with 6.1 resolved, for now.

Bob Hess;

Are we going to be able to see the Indiana-Gonzaga Game on thursday in full?

Thanks, David

Go Hoosiers!

Bob Hess;

Are we going to be able to see the Indiana-Gonzaga Game on thursday in full?

Thanks, David

Go Hoosiers!
Thursday 3/15/07



Tip-Off
9:40a *Louisville vs Stanford (HD Upconverted)

11:40a Washington State vs Oral Roberts


4:25p UCLA vs Weber State

6:45p Indiana vs Gonzaga

Hi Bob,

There was a glitch at 8:45 last night. Must have got the daylight Savings time message. What happened was: the screen went black for a few seconds, then pielated, and then everything was fine.

Scott
Yep. Aware of it. Thanks. We got the software update to fix this problem today.

- Bob

I want to solicit opinions from all you smart guys (even from the not-so-smart guys) out there.
I'm looking for a recommendation for an attic antenna.

Here's my situation. I'm out in Rocklin (45 miles from the towers) on a bluff that faces roughly south. Right now I'm using three silver sensor antennas, each hooked up to a different TV. The one in the upstairs study, attached to an EyeTv 500, gets a great signal, with a signal strength of around 95% and a quality reading of 100% using the meter in the EyeTV 500.

The one attached to my home theater system downstairs is on top of the entertainment center and has to look through either the neighbor's patio cover or some plants, or something, but using an LG3410a it gets most of the stations just fine but sometimes struggles with 6.1 and one other station; but most of the time it works just fine. Sometimes it works best when not pointing directly at the towers.

The other antenna is in the loft upstairs and connected to a tv with a built-in ATSC tuner and gets a good enough signal for the TV to never have a problem. The TV is a Visio and I don't think it has any means to measure the signal.

I'm in the process of getting the house wired up for both networking and TV. My question to you all is: given that I get adequate to great service using my three indoor antennae, depending on where they are located, what antenna would you recommend for the attic (pretty clear shot to the towers) assuming that the signal will be split three or four times? The roof is good quality asphalt shingle and there is chicken wire in the walls. The longest coax wire shouldn't be longer than 30 feet.

Thanks in advance.

Wilson

I have my Channel Master 4228 in my attic with concrete tile roof and get all the stations. I will get my new DirecTV HD box on Wednesday so I can tell you signal strength after that as the current box doesn't tell me.

Well speaking for the not-so-smart, let me chime in...I also have a 4228 and I couldn’t be happier with it's performance.

Yep. Aware of it. Thanks. We got the software update to fix this problem today.

- Bob

That's great news. I hope it works. There was a very minor glitch/freeze last night at 8:45. Lasted maybe a second.

S~

I want to solicit opinions from all you smart guys (even from the not-so-smart guys) out there.
I'm looking for a recommendation for an attic antenna.

Here's my situation. I'm out in Rocklin (45 miles from the towers) on a bluff that faces roughly south. Right now I'm using three silver sensor antennas, each hooked up to a different TV. The one in the upstairs study, attached to an EyeTv 500, gets a great signal, with a signal strength of around 95% and a quality reading of 100% using the meter in the EyeTV 500.

The one attached to my home theater system downstairs is on top of the entertainment center and has to look through either the neighbor's patio cover or some plants, or something, but using an LG3410a it gets most of the stations just fine but sometimes struggles with 6.1 and one other station; but most of the time it works just fine. Sometimes it works best when not pointing directly at the towers.

The other antenna is in the loft upstairs and connected to a tv with a built-in ATSC tuner and gets a good enough signal for the TV to never have a problem. The TV is a Visio and I don't think it has any means to measure the signal.

I'm in the process of getting the house wired up for both networking and TV. My question to you all is: given that I get adequate to great service using my three indoor antennae, depending on where they are located, what antenna would you recommend for the attic (pretty clear shot to the towers) assuming that the signal will be split three or four times? The roof is good quality asphalt shingle and there is chicken wire in the walls. The longest coax wire shouldn't be longer than 30 feet.

Thanks in advance.

Wilson

In your situation I'd consider adding a distribution amplifier to the antenna that's already providing a solid signal. A four output amplifier with low noise figure (3 - 4 dB) and maybe about 8 dB of gain connected at the antenna should provide a signal just about the same as you're getting with one antenna/TV now.

If you'd like to get a little fancier and you have three of these antennas now, it's pretty easy to phase two of them as shown here:

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

Use a 3 dB splitter as a combiner, and space the antennas about 30" to 40" apart. Make sure the two antenna to combiner coax lengths are very close to the same length.

Chuck

I have talked to lots and lots of viewers over the years in both the Sacramento area and Boston. The Channel Master 3021 (4-Bay) or the 4228 (8-Bay) bowtie is the antenna that works. Every time I have recommended one of these antennas, the viewer has called me back telling me it works. At our studio building in Boston, we could not even see our own station with various big-bucks cut-to-channel antennas. The multipath from the downtown buildings was horrible. Finally tried a 4228 and that did the trick.

- Bob

Well speaking for the not-so-smart, let me chime in...I also have a 4228 and I couldn’t be happier with it's performance.

Can I assume, since you're way up the hill, that yours is outdoors?

I installed a Channelmaster 4228 in my Dad's attic, which is in Fullerton in a difficult area because of the rolling hills and tall houses. That was 6 weeks ago and I'm still patting myself on the back for bringing his reception to not-quite-adequate (at least for my 83-year old parents to work with) to kaboom! strong.

In my place in Rocklin the whole house fan and a new larger furnace took up a lot of my extra room, so I was hoping to get by with something smaller. Do you guys think a 4 bay would do the trick without amplification? I'm not amplifier-phobic, it's just that I'm down to one free outlet in the attic and don't feel like cutting into the romex that is strung up there.

Thanks for all the input so far from everyone. I've found it very helpful hearing about everyone's experiences and obtaining the data points.