My mom and I both use Wineguard Squareshooters, with excellent results....
Thank you. Do you know where I could find one relatively cheap?
The amped squareshooter is $84 and the non-amp model is $72 at solidsignal.com. These antennas are designed for UHF only, so you may not be able to pickup wmak (ch 7) and wbir (ch 10).

Squareshooter w/o amp (http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=SS-1000)

Squareshooter w/amp (http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=SS-2000)

:)

The only problem is that I am doing this for my mom-- and she really hates the way that thing looks.
I can persuade her to accept smaller ones-- such as the squareshooter, metrostar omnidirectional or the terk or even maybe the CM-4220MHD.
Does she have accessible attic space? I'm getting good signals with my attic antenna, and I never see it.

:)

The attic really isn't an option.
What do you know about the Cannel Master CM 3010 Suburban STEALTHtenna (CM3010) or the CM-4220.

The attic really isn't an option.
What do you know about the Cannel Master CM 3010 Suburban STEALTHtenna (CM3010) or the CM-4220.
The towers are about 17 miles as the crow flys. If your close to the Hospital in Oak ridge, CW 20, is on the other side of the ridge. So it will always be a problem. I got pretty strong Signals with just a old set of rabbits ears, gave them to my son, Big lots has some that work pretty good and really cheap. Going by Amazon user ratings 4 stars with 736 reviews, "Terk HDTVa Indoor Amplified High-Definition Antenna". I know nothing about this antenna other then lots of reviews.

I was hopeful that stations with coverage problems like WVLT and WPXK would have upped their power when the analog shutoff happened. They have FCC approval to got up to 870KW and 1 million watts. The digital nightmare continues. WBIR 10 is now very vulnerable to lightning which causes breakups of audio and video. Maybe a power boost is needed for them as well.

WPXK's permit was granted on May 27. Even if the company was not in bankruptcy, they would not have had time to construct a 1000 kW facility on a new tower site in only a few weeks.

Just scheduling a tower crew takes months.

- Trip

Interesting reception report from Hickory NC.
On the roof of a 100 foot building, with a Winegard 8-Bay UHF, we are able to receive WATE 6 from Knoxville. Consistently. This is after WUNL analogue signed off of UHF 26

Anyone know of an antenna supply store in the Knoxville area?

I'm prepping for some upgrades and I'd like to pick up some of what I need locally if possible.

Anyone know of an antenna supply store in the Knoxville area?

I'm prepping for some upgrades and I'd like to pick up some of what I need locally if possible.

Only one I know of is Shields Electronics on Middlebrook Pike.

From Manchester you'd come down I-75 (or 25-E/33 if you want to go therough Middlesboro) and get on I-640 West to the Western Ave. exit. Go right at the end of the exit ramp onto Western Avenue and turn left at the next light (can't remember the road's name). That road ends at Middlebrook Pike in about a mile. Turn right and Shields will be on your left in a few hundred yards.

I'm sure there are more besides the usual Lowes/Home Depot/Radioshack stores but I don't know of them.

Thanks man.

Only one I know of is Shields Electronics on Middlebrook Pike.

From Manchester you'd come down I-75 (or 25-E/33 if you want to go therough Middlesboro) and get on I-640 West to the Western Ave. exit. Go right at the end of the exit ramp onto Western Avenue and turn left at the next light (can't remember the road's name). That road ends at Middlebrook Pike in about a mile. Turn right and Shields will be on your left in a few hundred yards.

Here's Shields Electronics via Google map. (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=4722+S+Middlebrook+Pike,+Knoxville,+Knox,+Tennessee+37909&sll=37.579413,-95.712891&sspn=36.011613,79.101563&ie=UTF8&cd=2&geocode=FQ23JAId0GD--g&split=0&layer=c&cbll=35.961568,-83.989585&panoid=o_vmseQxNCFZfT5qlnyl9g&cbp=11,154.48,,0,-4.12&ll=35.976895,-83.973999&spn=0.065013,0.270195&z=12&iwloc=A)

Go right at the end of the exit ramp onto Western Avenue and turn left at the next light (can't remember the road's name). That road ends at Middlebrook Pike in about a mile. Turn right and Shields will be on your left in a few hundred yards.


That is now called Ed Shouse Drive. It used to be 44th Street.

Just a note on signal quality here in Corbin for WBIR since the switch. I've just returned from being OOT last week and unfortunately initial results aren't great. Whereas DT31 was one of my strongest and most reliable signals, DT10 is much weaker and with intermittent dropouts. I'm using a single Y10 7-13 atop my mast. I'm sure it would be more stable with the Y10 7-13 horizontal stack but I just don't want to go to that length as my installation can't really handle it on a permanent basis.

Doing some more playing around tomorrow and I'll report back.

After some fiddling and adjusting DT-10 is now much better. I ended up dropping my high bander down about 2 feet. I think I have a hot spot maybe due to roof interaction. It's stable for the most part with just infrequent very short audio drops, but not quite as stable/strong as DT31 was.

There were some chinks in WBIR's audio armor tonight. I was watching the first episode of Merlin they ran. When that witch put the king's court to sleep with her song, there was subtle, digital popping in that tune. Bandwidth limitations strike again.

I had no problems with WBIR-DT when the change was made, but now it won't come in. I'll see if my antenna has been moved.

Was WBIR required to move back to 10?

Was WBIR required to move back to 10?

I'm sure it was due to the lower power requirements (i.e. WBIR are cheapskates) but there are several stock excuses by stations moving back to VHF so I'd say it was one of those.

Some of the excuses....

"It's more cost-effective" (Lower power and saves on buying a lot of new equipment)

"VHF is better for mountainous terrain." (Actually true up to a point but if you are close to the tower you either get overloaded/multipath and the VHF is harder to pick up with an indoor antenna. If you are 30-40 miles away with an outdoor antenna some VHF stations are very strong)

"We considered going UHF but the channel we wanted was taken/not available due to interference" (Could be possible but not likely)

and my favorite......

"We've been on channel x for 50 years and people expect to find us there." (I know of one station in Tennessee east of Nashville that actually uses this as their reason. Thing is, the PSIP will say "x.1" anyway so it doesn't matter what channel you are on. So basically this a PR spin version of the "we're cheapskates" mentioned above.)

:D

Thanks for clearing that up for me. I'm picking up WBIR about the same as before.....I'm on the southside about 2 miles north of Little River, the border of Blount County, along the Alcoa Highway corridor.

If they're losing coverage by moving back, then they're fools as well as cheapskates. If they get enough complaints, maybe they'll move back to....was it 31...? Maybe that's possible?

The only channel I can't recieve is Ion, 54. My mom who lives down in the river canyon gets it but not Retro TV, 7. There's a bunch of sizable ridges jutting up 'round here. One of 'em must be purr-fectly situated to stop 54 for me? T'ain't no big thang!

TV broadcast engineers have underestimated the advantage of "low" uhf digital (14-36). DT10 will do fine but will not match the drop-free coverage of DT31.

WCYB in Bristol really flubbed switching from DT28 to DT5.

WBIR couldn't switch back now even if they wanted to, as I imagine 31 was lost to Knoxville once WDKY (Danville, Ky.) was approved for service on that channel.

CASE IN POINT.

WDKY in Danville/Lexington, KY used to broadcast on DT4 at the highest ERP allowed for low band VHF in the nation. From my location, using a 5 element cut-channel 4 antenna (7.5dbd gain) the best I could do was intermittent reception.

WDKY applied and was granted a change to DT31 at 1000KW omnidirectional from the exact same antenna height/location. Now, I have consistent, drop-free reception of WDKY.:)

WDKY in Danville/Lexington, KY used to broadcast on DT4 at the highest ERP allowed for low band VHF in the nation. From my location, using a 5 element cut-channel 4 antenna (7.5dbd gain) the best I could do was intermittent reception.

Shoulda went with the big 10 element. :D

What does WCYB-5 look like over there?

Shoulda went with the big 10 element. :D

What does WCYB-5 look like over there?

I know you're talking to cpcat but I live 2 miles SW of LMU and 5 comes in here with a pretty strong signal.... if you have a good low VHF antenna. From the LMU-DCOM parking lot I can get 11 with my radio-shack 15-2187 antenna (it looks like a dish) but it can't get enough signal on 5.

Since cpcat can get 31 so well I might have to run up to the Pinnacle or Pine Mtn. State Park with the radioshack antenna and see if I can get 31 from there.

Theoretically, WCYB and WJHL should be receivable in a large area of Clay County since Leslie County is in their service area (even if they do NO news coverage or advertising for that area.... only coverage Leslie County gets is weather info) and they are supposed to be able to be picked up there.

How Leslie County is in the Tri-Cities market and NO other adjacent counties are in the market except for Letcher County is beyond my comprehension. (Harlan County shows up on some market maps as being in the Tri-Cities market and WCYB and WJHL do weather alerts for Harlan County but the Knoxville stations claim the county as well.)

WBIR used to have repeaters up your way but I guess they are gone now. :( I remember seeing the occasional station ID and they would display them on the ID graphic.

EDIT -- Just noticed on the allotments/channel change thread that WCYB is looking to QUADRUPLE their power (from 7.1kw to 29.9 or thereabouts)!! Guess there is an upside to being on VHF-low. :)

Shoulda went with the big 10 element. :D

What does WCYB-5 look like over there?

Too big for my rig. And I suspect an additional 2.5db gain still would not have provided stable reception.

I've been playing around with 5 some with off-axis aiming via the Y10 7-13 (no luck) but haven't put up a low band antenna to really see how it is yet. 5 analog was always pretty crappy though.

Theoretically, WCYB and WJHL should be receivable in a large area of Clay County since Leslie County is in their service area (even if they do NO news coverage or advertising for that area.... only coverage Leslie County gets is weather info) and they are supposed to be able to be picked up there.

How Leslie County is in the Tri-Cities market and NO other adjacent counties are in the market except for Letcher County is beyond my comprehension. (Harlan County shows up on some market maps as being in the Tri-Cities market and WCYB and WJHL do weather alerts for Harlan County but the Knoxville stations claim the county as well.)

It's really a mess up here. I liked your idea of carving out a new DMA for EKY.

WBIR used to have repeaters up your way but I guess they are gone now. :( I remember seeing the occasional station ID and they would display them on the ID graphic.

I'm 31 years old, and in my lifetime I've seen the transition from WBIR and WATE being the "locals" for this town to what you see now with the Lexington stations trumping them on DBS and most cable systems. The old timers still say the Knoxville weather forecast is more accurate for Clay Co. than what you see from Lex.

I probably have one of the worst looks at Sharp's Ridge in the county - there's a 1,200 ft. peak right in my face and in the way. I have a much better look toward Bristol.

EDIT -- Just noticed on the allotments/channel change thread that WCYB is looking to QUADRUPLE their power (from 7.1kw to 29.9 or thereabouts)!! Guess there is an upside to being on VHF-low. :)

Awesome news. That kind of increase would take WCYB from hobbyland to legitimate service for me.

Too big for my rig. And I suspect an additional 2.5db gain still would not have provided stable reception.

I've been playing around with 5 some with off-axis aiming via the Y10 7-13 (no luck) but haven't put up a low band antenna to really see how it is yet. 5 analog was always pretty crappy though.

I just got my 10-element Channel 5 rig from Wade/Delhi. I bought it for kicks and experiments, but if they get their increase I might just be back into a stable relationship with VHF-lo.

With all the talk about WBIR I'm wondering if anyone has had any issues with WBXX moving back from 50 to 20. I could always get it but when it was on 50 I had to be almost "on" the tower with my antenna before it would come in and now it is one of my stronger stations out of Knoxville. The strongest station for me is WPXK but that is mainly because they are basically LOS from my house.

Hopefully when WVLT gets to go to the full power level they asked for (currently 398kw, going to 870kw) all the dropouts from them will be gone for me. Same goes for WTNZ, who wlll be going from 460kw to 930kw soon.

It's really a mess up here. I liked your idea of carving out a new DMA for EKY.

Would solve a lot of problems, wouldn't it. You know that the markets losing viewers would fuss about it but since they rarely advertise for those areas and don't really give them any news coverage, except for WKYT (but they use WYMT) and WSAZ (and then it's mainly Pikeville and Prestonsburg), it could easily be justified.

I'm 31 years old, and in my lifetime I've seen the transition from WBIR and WATE being the "locals" for this town to what you see now with the Lexington stations trumping them on DBS and most cable systems. The old timers still say the Knoxville weather forecast is more accurate for Clay Co. than what you see from Lex.

I wish there was a site that had old maps of DMAs (and whatever they used before DMAs came around) so I could see if Clay, Laurel and nearby counties were in the Knoxville market at one time. I know Whitley used to be in the Knoxville DMA and the Knoxville stations still consider them to be in it but somehow they got moved to Lexington. There are people in Bell County today whose cable company follows the rules and has the local stations (i.e. Knoxville) and they gripe and fuss about how they are Kentuckians and should be getting the Lexington stations. :rolleyes: Apart from WYMT I bet those Lexington stations don't even know Bell county exists except for a major news story and the Mtn. Laurel Festival.

I probably have one of the worst looks at Sharp's Ridge in the county - there's a 1,200 ft. peak right in my face and in the way. I have a much better look toward Bristol.

Have you tried pointing the antenna in different directions? From here I get WATE, WKOP and WTNZ best by pointing the antenna WNW towards Jellico. The only stations I get strongly pointing by SSW towards Knoxville are WVLT and, oddly, WYMT.

Awesome news. That kind of increase would take WCYB from hobbyland to legitimate service for me.

It'll be interesting to see how much of an increase they can get and how far out it pushes their signal. I wish that WJHL could do the same but with WBIR being one channel down and WYMT one channel up and the slim chances of interfering with WHAS I don't see it happening.

There are people in Bell County today whose cable company follows the rules and has the local stations (i.e. Knoxville) and they gripe and fuss about how they are Kentuckians and should be getting the Lexington stations. :rolleyes: Apart from WYMT I bet those Lexington stations don't even know Bell county exists except for a major news story and the Mtn. Laurel Festival.

I can't imagine why. WYMT gives Bell Co. all the UK stuff one could want. Like you said, Lexington ignores the area unless there's something embarrassing going on, and the Knoxville stations give the area a more appropriate slant with the pro sports (Braves/Titans instead of Reds/Bengals, etc.)

Have you tried pointing the antenna in different directions? From here I get WATE, WKOP and WTNZ best by pointing the antenna WNW towards Jellico. The only stations I get strongly pointing by SSW towards Knoxville are WVLT and, oddly, WYMT.

Yes, with nary a blip. I've backed out the terrain view, and it appears the signals are obliterated long before getting in range for a possible reflection.

It'll be interesting to see how much of an increase they can get and how far out it pushes their signal. I wish that WJHL could do the same but with WBIR being one channel down and WYMT one channel up and the slim chances of interfering with WHAS I don't see it happening.

That would almost certainly put Clay County into the Channel 5 contour. Even as it stands now, TVfool shows me with at least a possibility of getting them - that's what spurred the Channel 5 rig acquisition. I'm excited to see where this goes.

I can't imagine why. WYMT gives Bell Co. all the UK stuff one could want. Like you said, Lexington ignores the area unless there's something embarrassing going on, and the Knoxville stations give the area a more appropriate slant with the pro sports (Braves/Titans instead of Reds/Bengals, etc.)

I know, but they fuss about it. There is even a rant in this week's Pineville Sun about it

That would almost certainly put Clay County into the Channel 5 contour. Even as it stands now, TVfool shows me with at least a possibility of getting them - that's what spurred the Channel 5 rig acquisition. I'm excited to see where this goes.

Looks like the southeast third of Clay County (including the entire Redbird River valley south of Big Creek) will be in the service contour if they get approved.

Current coverage map (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT1231401.html)
Predicted coverage map at 29.9kw (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DS1319027.html)

Getting back on topic it looks like the Knoxville could easily get WCYB as well. At least you'd have an option for NBC besides W(e cancelled the Heartland Series because we're cheapskates)BIR.

It'll be interesting to see how much of an increase they can get and how far out it pushes their signal. I wish that WJHL could do the same but with WBIR being one channel down and WYMT one channel up and the slim chances of interfering with WHAS I don't see it happening.

It's interesting the co-channel issues that seemed to have arisen with vhf digital. I have Louisville WHAS 11 to the northwest, Bristol WJHL 11 to the southeast. I also have Bowling Green WBKO 13 to the west, Lexington WKYT 13 to the north, and Asheville WLOS 13 to the southeast. Also, there's Knoxville WBIR 10, Nashville WSMV 10, and Cincy WCBO 10.

Before the switch, I was able to get everything just fine except for 54 and 15. I wouldn't watch those anyway. Since the switch, I can't get 10-1 or 10-2 nor can I get 20-1. I did a rescan yesterday and still can't get them.

Before the switch, I was able to get everything just fine except for 54 and 15. I wouldn't watch those anyway. Since the switch, I can't get 10-1 or 10-2 nor can I get 20-1. I did a rescan yesterday and still can't get them.

I don't know why you have disdain for 15. It has the most HD. It has Austin City Limits, Nova, Nature, American Experience. I think it's the best channel I recieve in many ways.

Where in the world is 54's tower? My mom lives down in the river's canyon and she gets it. I live on a small hill a half mile away and I can't get so much as a peep of it. That seems backward but there's some big ridges over here on the southside......but how does she get it at river level....?

Where in the world is 54's tower?

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT620403.html

- Trip

I don't know why you have disdain for 15. It has the most HD. It has Austin City Limits, Nova, Nature, American Experience. I think it's the best channel I recieve in many ways.

Where in the world is 54's tower? My mom lives down in the river's canyon and she gets it. I live on a small hill a half mile away and I can't get so much as a peep of it. That seems backward but there's some big ridges over here on the southside......but how does she get it at river level....?

Currently it's on Cross Mountain a little west of Lake City. Looks like they are moving to Sharps Ridge in the near future and going from 18kw to 1000kw at the same time.

Currently it's on Cross Mountain a little west of Lake City. Looks like they are moving to Sharps Ridge in the near future and going from 18kw to 1000kw at the same time.


Cross Mountain is a purr-dy big mountain, if the coal companies havn't taken too much off the top.... ;) There's an 1100+ foot ridge near me, my mom is just west of it, their current signal must be hitting it...?

Thanks, I looked at that star on the map and was wondering what ridge was about there... :)

I don't have anything against 15, they don't have anything I want to watch,

I noticed last night I can't get 43-1 either. I usually don't watch these, but they are a backup in case my satellite signal goes out.

Here in Farragut, I've never been able to get 20 or 54. All channels are strong with the exception of 7.1 & 48.1. They drop out during the day @ different times. Guess that's the best I'll get.

I noticed the lip sync issue is back on WBIR.

My wife was watching the Tonight Show last night, She was complaining about lipsync problem, She was wondering if I was messing with the Mythtv box again.

It was like that for a few weeks and then it was corrected. Now it has returned. I know an audio guy that works at the station. I need to call him and find out what's going on over there.

Big update by Comcast today... I counted over 20 new hd channels plus ESPNU in sd. No more anxiety about missing a UT game that could be on that channel now. That is a possibility since the SEC signed a new tv contract with ESPN. And I'm pleased to see that Nickelodeon actually has some hd programming to show. It was a waste of space when it launched and I had DirecTV. Not a knock on Direct at all though.


New:
443 Nick HD
447 Disney XD HD
449 ESPN News HD
452 Spike HD
453 Comedy Central HD
454 Fuse HD
455 WE HD
456 IFC HD
459 Lifetime HD
460 MGM HD
461 Style HD
462 G4 HD
463 TV One HD
464 Biography HD
465 Lifetime Movie Network HD
466 Planet Green HD
467 Encore HD
468 Hallmark HD
469 Fox Business HD
473 MTV HD
474 VH1 HD
475 BET HD
476 CMT HD
735 ESPNU (standard definition)


Pretty good day for me...

Can someone tell me if WMAK has dropped RTV for Daystar?

- Trip

Can someone tell me if WMAK has dropped RTV for Daystar?

- Trip

Nope.

I have a feeling they are going to keep RTN.

I can tell you that if they did the second they drop RTN my entire family will never set eyes on that station again. :)

I have that feeling too, I just heard a rumor that Daystar had found its way to WMAK and wanted it confirmed or denied. :)

- Trip

Can someone tell me if WMAK has dropped RTV for Daystar?

- Trip

The station was sold to Daystar on Monday (7/13). I hear that they will change to Daystar programming at some point.....but right now they are still airing RTN.

Big update by Comcast today... I counted over 20 new hd channels plus ESPNU in sd. No more anxiety about missing a UT game that could be on that channel now. That is a possibility since the SEC signed a new tv contract with ESPN. And I'm pleased to see that Nickelodeon actually has some hd programming to show. It was a waste of space when it launched and I had DirecTV. Not a knock on Direct at all though.


New:
443 Nick HD
447 Disney XD HD
449 ESPN News HD
452 Spike HD
453 Comedy Central HD
454 Fuse HD
455 WE HD
456 IFC HD
459 Lifetime HD
460 MGM HD
461 Style HD
462 G4 HD
463 TV One HD
464 Biography HD
465 Lifetime Movie Network HD
466 Planet Green HD
467 Encore HD
468 Hallmark HD
469 Fox Business HD
473 MTV HD
474 VH1 HD
475 BET HD
476 CMT HD
735 ESPNU (standard definition)


Pretty good day for me...

I noticed all of these new channels in the program guide today and I thought I was dreaming. I was getting ready to switch to Dish Network, but not now!

The station was sold to Daystar on Monday (7/13). I hear that they will change to Daystar programming at some point.....but right now they are still airing RTN.

All I've seen on there are infomercials.

I noticed all of these new channels in the program guide today and I thought I was dreaming. I was getting ready to switch to Dish Network, but not now!

What's the picture quality like with those channels? I would imagine they are still cramming 3 signals into one channel when the max is supposed to be 2.

Did anyone catch the HD commercial on WBIR last night? It was shown right after Nightly News and it was a local commercial. I was shocked.

What's the picture quality like with those channels? I would imagine they are still cramming 3 signals into one channel when the max is supposed to be 2.

My initial impression of the new channels is that they looked pretty good to me. I will have to spend more time watching the new channels to know for sure. 20+ HD channels added all at once is kind of overwhelming. There was almost too much to watch.

I noticed that 43.2 is now broadcasting "This" movie channel. I haven't heard of it but I'm glad it is on the air. We are still not able to pick up 20 or 54 which is really disappointing. :(

Has the Comcast Tivo DVR been rolled out in Knoxville yet? I just bought my first HD tv and have been using OTA to get some local channels. I'd like to subscribe to HD and DVR via Comcast and just want to know what I am getting.

I noticed that channel 10 started to get weak, the reception fluctuates from 20-100 - but most of the time I cant get a signal. All other locals get perfect signal. Are they changing something?

I have lots of problems with WVLT unless there is cloud cover 24 hrs a day to help the signal travel. I thought they would boost their signal after they shut off analog. They should be at the same strength as FOX 43, but they are weaker and unreliable. Earlier, WVLT seemed to have admitted an issue with their antenna, now since money is tight they say the signal coverage is good. Does anyone know if any of the local stations has gone up on power since analog ended?

I have lots of problems with WVLT unless there is cloud cover 24 hrs a day to help the signal travel. I thought they would boost their signal after they shut off analog. They should be at the same strength as FOX 43, but they are weaker and unreliable. Earlier, WVLT seemed to have admitted an issue with their antenna, now since money is tight they say the signal coverage is good. Does anyone know if any of the local stations has gone up on power since analog ended?
WVLT was granted permission to increase power by the FCC. I haven't noticed any difference yet though. They are still inconsistent here too. Doubling the power should make a slight but noticeable improvement if the signal is marginal (and assuming the reception problem is a weak signal to begin with).

I noticed that channel 10 started to get weak, the reception fluctuates from 20-100 - but most of the time I cant get a signal. All other locals get perfect signal. Are they changing something?

Today is the first day since last friday that channel 10 has appeared every time I tuned it in. I hope their problem is over, whatever it was. I lost signal on channel 7 a few times the past few days. That's never happened to me before. They've always been very reliable. Thing was, everytime that 10 was off for me, so was 7. I wondered if their outages were related somehow?

I haven't checked 10 yet. All I know is ever since the switch happened, 10 barely comes in. Now on my work PC with my TV tuner, I get 100% signal on 10.

There were some chinks in WBIR's audio armor tonight. I was watching the first episode of Merlin they ran. When that witch put the king's court to sleep with her song, there was subtle, digital popping in that tune. Bandwidth limitations strike again.I seem to regularly have this problem. I'm a couple miles from Sharp's Ridge & utilize a Channel Master CM4220 double bow tie UHF antenna on a j-mast @ roof peak. Whenever I watch The Office & 30 Rock, there is a pretty consistent audio dropping in & out as you describe. I also see lip synch issues at times as others have noted. I assumed my problems w/ channel 10 & 7 were due to them being VHF & w/ being so dang close to the towers...

I still cannot get 10-1 or 10-2. I have talked to a couple of people with the same problem, even with a recent scan. What in the world is going on with this?

I still cannot get 10-1 or 10-2. I have talked to a couple of people with the same problem, even with a recent scan. What in the world is going on with this?

They seem to have their power level back up. I'm getting a signal in the mid 80's again. I don't think I've ever gotten 10 to register in the 90's the way the strong stations do.

They seem to have fits of very low signal from time to time. It makes you wonder if their transmitter is held together by duct tape and paperclips? :rolleyes:

I was just checking the levels of WBIR's signal and I picked up a 10.3 and 10.4 . Hmnnn.....?

Try scanning again. You'll find most stations use programs 3 and 4 or higher but the channel name comes through PSIP and should be 10-1 and 10-2 etc.

As far as signal strengths, check your antenna connections.

Speaking of which...

I checked signal strength on my Pio plasma last night & I'm getting steady 84% minimum for 6.1, 8.1 & 10.1, 43.1 & 96% for 15.1. :eek:

I run a 50 ft. RG-59 cable from outdoor antenna, thru attic & down stud wall direct to display panel.

I have experimented a lot w/ bow tie orientation since I'm so close. Used antennaweb.org & compass for degree setting.

Try scanning again. You'll find most stations use programs 3 and 4 or higher but the channel name comes through PSIP and should be 10-1 and 10-2 etc.

As far as signal strengths, check your antenna connections.

There may have been an underestimation of the power levels required to provide equivalent signal coverage for vhf hi digital.

DT10 certainly does not match what DT31 did at my location, and I'm really maxxed as far as what other options I have for optimizing antenna performance. DT31 was stable and drop free, while DT10 is not unfortunately.

Below are pics of my current antenna:
My preamp is a Sitco PA24 for uhf and CM7777 for VHF. The horizontally stacked pair of antennas on the bottom are Antennacraft Y10 7-13's.
I can also receive DT13 from Lexington, DT13 from Asheville, and DT11 from Bristol but none are drop-free. I wonder if co-channel interference is an issue. It seems to be more commonly a potential on vhf hi (Nashville DT10 as well as Cincy DT10).

Anyone in Knoxville seeing the new Three Angels signal? It's on physical 14, but could be mapping to either 14-x or 73-x.

- Trip

Anyone in Knoxville seeing the new Three Angels signal? It's on physical 14, but could be mapping to either 14-x or 73-x.

- Trip

Only thing I can pick up on 14 is a low power analog station.

Only thing I can pick up on 14 is a low power analog station.

Interesting. W14CX in Knoxville filed with the FCC last night claiming they'd flash-cut to digital already...

- Trip

Interesting. W14CX in Knoxville filed with the FCC last night claiming they'd flash-cut to digital already...

- Trip

I'm apparently out of their range anyway so that may be why I didn't get it but I don't know of another low-power 14 around here. (W14AQ never really went on the air)

I'm also getting an analog 25 that is airing ABC programming but that might be a repeater for WKPT.

I received VHF WBIR 10 today with my long range Radio Shack UHF only antenna. It is incredible that UHF WVLT cannot be received reliably on the same antenna! That shows how poor WVLT's signal coverage is currently. I notice on the WVLT website that they are saying that only people in Dandridge, Sevierville ,Jefferson City and Morristown who use rabbit ears are having problems. Obviously, the signal is not going out as well in that direction. I read on this forum in the past that WVLT had "known issues" with their antenna.

I'm picking up 14.1 & 14.3 strong. Still not picking up 54.1 or 50.1. I guess I'll never be able to get them.

That shows how poor WVLT's signal coverage is currently.
My WVLT signal was really erratic until I installed my latest attic antenna (AntennaCraft HBU22 w/Channel Master 7777 Preamp). Now I'm getting a steady 95-100% signal from about 15 miles west of the towers.

:)

I'm picking up 14.1 & 14.3 strong. Still not picking up 54.1 or 50.1. I guess I'll never be able to get them.

Didn't somebody say 54 is moving their transmitter from Cross Mountain to Sharp's Ridge.....I have a big ridge blocking me from 54. My mom lives just west of that durned big ridge and she gets 54 despite being right at river level. I think Cross Mountain is about due north, or close, for me...beyond that big ridge.

There's hope on 54.....I've never picked up 50 either, does 50 even count?;)

I'm picking up 14.1 & 14.3 strong.
I finally got channel 14 (with 4 subchannels) yesterday. The signal strength was only around 50%, so there was lots of macroblocking.

:)

I just got Comcast triple play....what channel has the Braves in HD? All I can find is 58 in SD. Thanks for any tips!

I just got Comcast triple play....

:eek:

I believe this was mentioned in the Book of Revelation as one of the signs that endtime is near...? :D

:eek:

I believe this was mentioned in the Book of Revelation as one of the signs that endtime is near...? :D

Oh, so that's why I have this deja vu feeling.....I've read that book....;)

This marriage may not last. My phone and TV were out-of-order for the first week and they're trying to double bill me for their botched installation. It takes a half hour on hold to call and complain.

You should have gone with DirecTV. Most of the Braves games are in HD on there and none of the technical nonsense from Comcast. They blow. Don't get me started on them again.

You should have gone with DirecTV. Most of the Braves games are in HD on there and none of the technical nonsense from Comcast. They blow. Don't get me started on them again.

I wanted Tivo and their $99 package made economic sense. It's been a huge hassle to get their service... :rolleyes: Don't get me started! :mad: Now that it's hooked up and I don't use their crap equipment, my Tivo is web-enabled, maybe I'll have a 2 year run with 'em....? After that, I'm sure they'll run me off with hefty price increases... This is Crumcast after all. I had Direc for 6+ years. Their PQ is some better but they treated me like sheet, so I bolted for now. I fired Direc last winter when they reduced service for my DirecTivos and they wouldn't make me the deal I wanted on the new equipment.

In 2 years when my price expires....??? U-Verse and other options might be knockin' ? FIOS possibly....? Maybe Direc again...?

In Knoxville? I'd say in 2 years the only options will still be Comcast, Direct, or Dish.

In Knoxville? I'd say in 2 years the only options will still be Comcast, Direct, or Dish.

Do you think AT&T has lost intrest in expanding U-Verse? They seemed hot to trot last year when they got the legislation they wanted.

I don't know what's going on with them. I haven't really kept up with it. I live in Powell and we have Frontier for phone service, so I don't follow anything Bell South or AT&T does. If AT&T is going to offer it in a way that doesn't involve a phoen line, then I guess I need to read up on it.

We dropped comcast about six month ago, The Bill was just getting to high, We use At&t for internet and Antenna for TV. Have not looked back. At&t internet seems to get very slow sometimes, I purchased MLB.tv and watch Hulu. I would love to get Comcast internet back, but they tie so much together. At&t is currently updating there RT "Remote Terminal" sites, "Those big brown terminal boxes you see on different street corners. Everything is fiber from the RT sites back to the main office. Once those are fully updated, they are suppose to start U-Verse. But I wondering if they are getting in late to the cable TV game, I really finding everything I want to watch on the internet.

That was me on the pricing. To get HD through Comcast, you had to pay $65+ for digital cable and another $13.95 for a DVR. I cut my bill by $20 and that's still keeping Comcast's internet.

I cut my bill by $20 and that's still keeping Comcast's internet.

Okay, I must be doing something wrong. I'm paying roughly $45 for base cable (that I don't use) and the slowest internet service of 720k or so. The internet cost several dollars more without cable service so I left it bundled.

Cool... while we are on the subject of Comcast - Rachael, you should know the answer to these questions:

-if I had my own HDTivo, is it possible to get the Comcast "Full Basic" package with the available HD channels?
-Do I need a CableCard for to access the HD channels?
-Lastly, can HBO be added to Full Basic?

The local channels are available on Comcast in clear QAM or they are supposed to be available. That's 6, 7, 8, 10, 14, 15, 20, and 43 and a few others. I have them with the basic cable package and internet. (but I also have an antenna that picks up the same channels)

I think you would need a cablecard for anything scrambled.

Cool... while we are on the subject of Comcast - Rachael, you should know the answer to these questions:

-if I had my own HDTivo, is it possible to get the Comcast "Full Basic" package with the available HD channels?
-Do I need a CableCard for to access the HD channels?
-Lastly, can HBO be added to Full Basic?

I'm not sure what full basic is. I think it's close to what I got which they termed HD Starter. I got the $99, 3-way package they've been advertising...phone, net, and HD starter with HBO. All channels above 100 require Cablecards. That's all the HBO's, HBO HD, and all the HD channels. I don't get all the HD channels. I think I get about 2/3's of them. I didn't count. I just programmed out the ones they want more money for.

Full basic might mean no digital channels? I'm not sure. I have a Dualstream Cablecard in both of my HD Tivo's. They guaranteeing my price for 2 years. You ought to consider the package I got, if they're stille offering it. With all the taxes and Cablecard rental, my monthly bill will be about $120. That's less than I used to pay for Direc and AT & T phone.

It's a pain signing up with Concast... ;)...but for what I'm getting, I'll tolerate some of their crap.... :rolleyes: They didn't show up with Cablecards at the install. My phone only called out for a week. They missed 3 appointments with me because I didn't answer the out-of-order phone. They tried to double bill me for my install. I got a $60 credit for all their botched stuff. I'm hooked up right as rain at this point.

I have one of my Tivos hooked into my network. The other is gonna be a pain but I have a plan to get a network line downstairs to it. I'd advise you to go with the cheaper HD Tivo, not the THX one. What audio on cable is THX worthy?:D....I got a 500 gig outboard hard-drive for one of my Tivos for $112. I'm gonna get one for the other as soon as it's practicable.

Good luck on whatever you decide on....:)

I got which they termed HD Starter.

Thanks Rachael! You answered all my questions, and then some. :cool:

I miss Tivo, dislike the Direct DVR, and am already paying Comcast for internet, so this is something I've been thinking about for a while.

But I dread putting up with a Comcast installation, as you and others experienced... so I'm not as motivated as I should be.

Thanks Rachael! You answered all my questions, and then some. :cool:

I miss Tivo, dislike the Direct DVR, and am already paying Comcast for internet, so this is something I've been thinking about for a while.

But I dread putting up with a Comcast installation, as you and others experienced... so I'm not as motivated as I should be.

You probably can't get the package I got because you're already a customer. I was Concast-free for about 7 years.... ;) My friend Will wanted to get what I got but he already had analog cable and net. They're only giving this special to new customers, apparently.

I was fairly happy with HD Tivo even before I got Crumcast. I made the most of OTA. I wanted I fired Direc last winter and got an HD Tivo the next day. Having the Tivo web-enabled is fun. When or if Direc gets Tivo again, I can't imagine them allowing the web features. I've had Tivo since 1998 counting the Direc years. I'll be happy for the next two years when due to a huge price increase demand, I'll likely bolt...??? If you like Tivo, you ought'a consider Comcast....Will just happened to have called me. Existing customers get offered a similar deal to me but the price is only guaranteed for 1 year. :)

Glorious day... I'm now getting ESPNU HD on channel 396 on Comcast. That almost makes up for the strange picture breakup I'm getting on Sportsouth on channel 58 that has been consistent for a week. rather than be charged $35 for a guy that will come here and tell me there is nothing he can do, I'll just wait it out. It worked for MLB Network HD's problems at my house. Plus, with 58 being an SD channel, I can just watch the analog version and not miss the Braves. But anyway, ESPNU HD should make for some great SEC sports watching this year!

Okay, I must be doing something wrong. I'm paying roughly $45 for base cable (that I don't use) and the slowest internet service of 720k or so. The internet cost several dollars more without cable service so I left it bundled.

I was also figuring in a second HD DVR and having the sports package. By the time you all of that in, it's roughly a $20 difference.

I've had Crumcast now for a little over a month. How come Fox's sports channel, 401, frequently has the schedule listed wrong? Sometimes it says it's off the air but something is on it. Repeatedly, it's said the Braves were playing on it but usually they're not and it's some other game. Today, the listings said it was gonna be the Braves and Cardinals but they showed the Devil Rays and Red Sox.... :rolleyes: I finally found the Braves on 19 in SD.

Good question. That channel aggravated me to no end. It was mostly dead air except for the Braves' games. They'd show some of the Fox Sports Net football games on there, but not all of them. Two years ago, they'd alternate from week to week between a FSN game and a Big 10 Network game. It was confusing and annoying. Glad I don't have that problem now.

If anyone ever wanted to know how bad WVLT can get with marcoblocking and poor PQ, all one had to do with catch the free preview of the NFL Sunday Ticket on DirecTV yesterday. The CBS games not show here were amazingly clear and looked great. I hope WVLT will get its act together someday.

Hey, anybody that uses Commiecast's box, I use HD Tivo, does channel 401 have proper listings on their guide? Today, 401's listings for me just say "sign off" for every hour of the day.... :rolleyes: I suppose I'll call up Concast and ask them.....can anybody shed light here?

Hey, anybody that uses Commiecast's box, I use HD Tivo, does channel 401 have proper listings on their guide? Today, 401's listings for me just say "sign off" for every hour of the day.... :rolleyes: I suppose I'll call up Concast and ask them.....can anybody shed light here?

There is no explanation. The best I can figure is it is a garbage offloading channel which happens to carry most of the Fox Sports Tennessee programming, i.e., the Predators. That is in theory. Half of the time you are just as likely to get a Minnesota Wild game. This Comcast office has no idea what they are doing with that channel. I have called them and heard excuses ranging from "the Braves decided to black out the game in our area," when the game was on 19 in SD, to Fox decided to not to show "that game here," in reference to a Vols basketball game on channel 19 once again in SD.

They are not willing to admit they have the wrong channel. I wish enough people would complain so that they have no choice but to fix it. I am tired of their lies about this one. Also, a lot of the time the Braves games listed for that channel are aired on Sportsouth, which we aren't even supposed to have in HD, and shockingly, we don't! Their listings are wrong and the channel is not what it says it is 99% of the time. A few weeks ago it was the FS Arizona broadcast of the Diamondbacks and Braves. Something has to be done about that garbage.

Thanks for the explanation CarrdasianVol! :) I am going to call them. How 'bout the rest of ya'all out there? Let's all call them this week.

Thanks for the explanation CarrdasianVol! :) I am going to call them. How 'bout the rest of ya'all out there? Let's all call them this week.

That's another reason I dumped Comcast. I don't have to fool with it any more.

It's official: WVLT stinks with their HD PQ.

I have often commented how crappy their PQ can look to my wife. She's always said it was in my head. While watching the UT-Florida game, she was asking if the PQ was bad or just her. I told her it was bad and that's what I've been complaining about for years. As a comparison, CBS College Network replayed the game last night and I briefly turned it there to show here what the PQ of the game should have looked like. She commented how better it looked there versus Saturday's on WVLT. So if my wife can notice it, then it's bad.

It's official: WVLT stinks with their HD PQ.

So if my wife can notice it, then it's bad.

:):D
Mine would just rather watch the SD networks 'cause it's easier (rather than switch to the "higher" channels for the HD version).

In any case, we've finally got HD locals on D* here so it's no longer much of an issue.

Here we go again. Looks like WATE is back to their old tricks from a few years ago. They are switching to SD in the middle of a program just to show us the temperature for about 7 seconds. It is so freaking annoying. If they continue to do this, I will be sending a complaint their way.

Here we go again. Looks like WATE is back to their old tricks from a few years ago. They are switching to SD in the middle of a program just to show us the temperature for about 7 seconds. It is so freaking annoying. If they continue to do this, I will be sending a complaint their way.

I noticed this too! I thought with the digital changeover we were over the SD/HD switching??? :confused:

Here we go again. Looks like WATE is back to their old tricks from a few years ago. They are switching to SD in the middle of a program just to show us the temperature for about 7 seconds. It is so freaking annoying. If they continue to do this, I will be sending a complaint their way.

The on-screen temperature is a paid advertisement, just the same as a regular 30 second ad. (albeit a lot cheaper) You can complain but until they can insert the graphic over the HD feed then there is nothing they can/will do about it.

The on-screen temperature is a paid advertisement, just the same as a regular 30 second ad. (albeit a lot cheaper) You can complain but until they can insert the graphic over the HD feed then there is nothing they can/will do about it.

WVLT can overlay the weather in HD ... it shocked me that they beat everyone else to that.

WBIR can overlay weather and the crawl at the bottom of the screen for breaking news and amber alerts. WATE needs to learn to do this too.

Since it looks like Comcast has the Knoxville region, I'll post this here.

Cable subscribers in Greeneville have been forutunate to get HD channels on standard cable for several months. Running a channel scan will find bunches of HD channels such as all of the locals, plus what seems to be all of the non-premium channels in HD(ESPN, TNT, HGTV, etc.)

During the past few days, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and TBS HS are all gone. Any ideas if this is permanent? Are customers that are paying for the HD package missing these channels as well?

The HD package is terribly overpriced, and may be time to call DirecTV.

The only HD channels available in clear QAM in Knoxville are the local stations and a few shopping channels.

I suspect Comcast Greenville was testing and later turned on encryption. Otherwise, why pay for the HD tier?

The only HD channels available in clear QAM in Knoxville are the local stations and a few shopping channels.

I suspect Comcast Greenville was testing and later turned on encryption. Otherwise, why pay for the HD tier?


Your point is exactly the question several of us here have asked for months. For well over a year, they have fed thru bunches of HD channels. As I mentioned, ESPN & ESPN2, TNT & TBS, Universal HD......etc.

Maybe this only works if you have a tv with an HD tuner, and you try to scan it. Perhaps this is why they want all of their customers to get the cable company box?

Maybe this only works if you have a tv with an HD tuner, and you try to scan it. Perhaps this is why they want all of their customers to get the cable company box?

Most HD tuners will do ATSC for over-the-air and QAM for cable but none will tune in encrypted channels. For that you need a cable box or a cablecard if your set will accept one.

Be glad you got to sample cable HD for a while free.

FWIW, I'm reasonably happy with Turbo HD and an outside antenna.

Once Comcast knows people can see something for free, they will block it.

Daystar has had control of WMAK for a couple of months and they are still running RTV on two channels. I thought they would be adding Daystar to one of the multicast channels. Does anyone know if this is going to change?

Daystar runs RTV with no Daystar subchannel on WPXS in St. Louis, so it doesn't come as a huge surprise to me that they're in no hurry to change things...

- Trip

Daystar's WDTT 24 has been off the air for some time and they purchased Knoxville rights for DTV Ch. 16, then they buy WMAK. Are they still going to start up on ch.16?

Daystar runs RTV with no Daystar subchannel on WPXS in St. Louis, so it doesn't come as a huge surprise to me that they're in no hurry to change things...

- Trip

True but WMAK had just been added to the Directv lineup about 3 months before the sale and now that Daystar owns them D* first put up a message saying "Tune to channel 316 (or whatever Daystar is on D*) and have since removed WMAK entirely. If they are going to keep RTV I wish that someone would tell D* so they can put the channel back up (and maybe add 43.2 This TV as well).

What happened to 14.1? It's been off the air now for a couple of weeks.

TBN has a translator for Morristown, W61DG that was given a construction permit for digital TV on Ch 40 on 10/23/2006. Three years have gone by and this permit has apparently expired. Does anyone know if TBN intends to install any DTV translators?

No. The translator network is up for sale. Only the full-powered stations like WELF in the Chattanooga area will be retained by TBN.

- Trip

WDTT Ch 24 (analog) (Daystar) has been off the air for months. Can they stay off that long with getting remain silent authority from the FCC? They has a construction permit for DTV on Ch 16. They own WMAK, but do not air Daystar on that channel.

It's official: WVLT stinks with their HD PQ.

I have often commented how crappy their PQ can look to my wife. She's always said it was in my head. While watching the UT-Florida game, she was asking if the PQ was bad or just her. I told her it was bad and that's what I've been complaining about for years. As a comparison, CBS College Network replayed the game last night and I briefly turned it there to show here what the PQ of the game should have looked like. She commented how better it looked there versus Saturday's on WVLT. So if my wife can notice it, then it's bad.

Agreed. I don't get it either. I hate watching football on CBS...it just always looks so bad. I wonder if it may just be CBS period? Watching football in the Nashville area over comcast CBS also seems to have the worst PQ.

I was visiting Dallas a few years ago and my brother's reception of CBS HD football, OTA blew away WVLT. All that frequent blocking was gonesville. WVLT has engineering problems that they're too cheap to bother correcting.

Agreed. I don't get it either. I hate watching football on CBS...it just always looks so bad. I wonder if it may just be CBS period? Watching football in the Nashville area over comcast CBS also seems to have the worst PQ.

WVLT is just horrible. Either they give too much bitrate to the MyVLT channel, they have a really crappy encoder or they just don't care. Probably a bit of all three things. I hope that WTVF looks ok this weekend since I'll be in that area. I've heard they now have two subchannels leeching bits from the HD channel though, so I'm not expecting much. The Atlanta CBS station, WGCL, looks outstanding when I get a chance to watch it.

Believe it or not, it can get even worse. WKYT CBS in Lexington downconverts everything to 720p.

It's not CBS. CBS continues to be excellent for football just like they've always been. NBC has caught up though which is a good thing.

Yeah, watch the replays of the CBS games on the CBS College Network. You will see what the PQ is supposed to look like as opposed to the poor PQ on WVLT.

Believe it or not, it can get even worse. WKYT CBS in Lexington downconverts everything to 720p.

It's not CBS. CBS continues to be excellent for football just like they've always been. NBC has caught up though which is a good thing.

CBS football looks great. I wish they would mandate some kind of acceptable picture quality standard for their affiliates. WTVF is now as bad as I feared. It was as bad as WVLT, maybe even worse at times, when watching the UT vs. Ole Miss game. As if that game needed to get any uglier... I am disappointed in them. I used to love WTVF when I was in the Nashville area. More channels at the expense of quality is not the way to go. Think of my eyes! lol. Anyway, I guess WVLT really isn't as bad as it can get. I just wish someone in Knoxville would do an HD newscast.

CBS football looks great. I wish they would mandate some kind of acceptable picture quality standard for their affiliates. WTVF is now as bad as I feared. It was as bad as WVLT, maybe even worse at times, when watching the UT vs. Ole Miss game. As if that game needed to get any uglier... I am disappointed in them. I used to love WTVF when I was in the Nashville area. More channels at the expense of quality is not the way to go. Think of my eyes! lol. Anyway, I guess WVLT really isn't as bad as it can get. I just wish someone in Knoxville would do an HD newscast.

Or be able to show syndicated shows like Jeopardy! or Wheel of Fortune in HD. I know WBIR can show HD programming because they did it with the Heartland Series but I guess they can't record programs sent to them.

Heck, even the Tri-Cities can see Jeopardy in HD.....

Or be able to show syndicated shows like Jeopardy! or Wheel of Fortune in HD. I know WBIR can show HD programming because they did it with the Heartland Series but I guess they can't record programs sent to them.

Heck, even the Tri-Cities can see Jeopardy in HD.....

No, WBIR does not have the capability to record HD programming for broadcast. I doubt they'll be getting it anytime soon.

No, WBIR does not have the capability to record HD programming for broadcast. I doubt they'll be getting it anytime soon.

I could loan or lease them an HD Tivo.... ;)

I usually watch OTA but my recorders are on Comcast. I only have basic but the local DTV's are included. Wed night I went to cable and 6.1, 8.1,8.2,10.1,10.2,43.1,43.2 were missing. I was only receiving 112.1,112.2,112.3 &112.4. I decided to rescan and all the missing station came back. I had to perform a rescan on all my DTV's. This tells me that Comcast is playing musical chairs with the channels again.

Why does Comcast continue to move the digital stations around?

Seems like Comcast would inform the customer that he would need to rescan in order to find the new channel locations. They have our email addresses. How many calls to a CSR was needed for assistance? This failure to inform just raises Comcast (our) operating overhead. Moves like this could be part of the basis for yearly rate increases.

The sign is flashing that “Comcast can not run their business in an efficient manner.”

No, WBIR does not have the capability to record HD programming for broadcast. I doubt they'll be getting it anytime soon.

Apparently not if they have to cancel The Heartland Series for monetary reasons. Of course they could drop the Live at 5 at 4 at who cares and save more money than Heartland cost but that's why the CEO's get the big bucks.... (and also give themselves the big bonuses....) :rolleyes:

But I bet the minute that WATE or WVLT starts showing news or syndicated programming in HD WBIR will be doing it the next day. Cant let the other guys have something that might affect their #1 market status.

....But I bet the minute that WATE or WVLT starts showing news or syndicated programming in HD WBIR will be doing it the next day. Cant let the other guys have something that might affect their #1 market status.

When channel 7 came along doing local HD, I thought that the majors would be ashamed that anybody was out gunnin' 'em, but no! It might take an F.C.C. order to get these channels to get current? :rolleyes:

When channel 7 came along doing local HD, I thought that the majors would be ashamed that anybody was out gunnin' 'em, but no! It might take an F.C.C. order to get these channels to get current? :rolleyes:

The FCC only mandates that the locals broadcast in digital. Whether or not they broadcast in HD is a station by station choice. That choice is fuled by major expenses in converting to a full HD local production facility. WMAK-7 was built from the ground up as a digital facility.

The FCC only mandates that the locals broadcast in digital. Whether or not they broadcast in HD is a station by station choice. That choice is fuled by major expenses in converting to a full HD local production facility. WMAK-7 was built from the ground up as a digital facility.

These poor affiliates only had a decade of lead time to get ready. No wonder it's been so hard for them to broadcast a decent looking signal.... ;):rolleyes:

I really don't care if these local do full HD anytime soon. I do wish they'd go to the 16 x 9 aspect ratio though. I'm tired of the back and forth.

I really don't care if these local do full HD anytime soon. I do wish they'd go to the 16 x 9 aspect ratio though. I'm tired of the back and forth.

We will all be seeing lots of 4x3 programming for years to come. There simply is a huge inventory of 4x3 programs and a limited supply of 16x9 programs. Unless you want to see stretched images.

We will all be seeing lots of 4x3 programming for years to come. There simply is a huge inventory of 4x3 programs and a limited supply of 16x9 programs. Unless you want to see stretched images.

They could start doing the news and ads in 16 x 9 and actually showing their syndicated shows that are wide in 16 x 9. Who care if the Beverly Hillbillies stays narrow, cool, I hope it does! We have lame affiliates here in Knoxvegas!

We have lame affiliates here in Knoxvegas!

No more so than any other city out of the top 20 markets. I see both good and bad when visting Knoxville and viewing the various stations. They have all progressed well from the likes of my days at WTVK-26 and WATE-6. But Rachael, it takes a ton of cash to do what you want these stations to do. Many stations are struggling to keep the employess paid on a weekly basis. Several stations have even folded. And with the economy stuttering, ad revenues at the lowest levels in years, car dealers going out of business, and even the Bankruptcy lawers declaring bankruptcy, your level of perfection will have to wait for a better financial climate. It will happen.

No more so than any other city out of the top 20 markets. I see both good and bad when visting Knoxville and viewing the various stations. They have all progressed well from the likes of my days at WTVK-26 and WATE-6. But Rachael, it takes a ton of cash to do what you want these stations to do. Many stations are struggling to keep the employess paid on a weekly basis. Several stations have even folded. And with the economy stuttering, ad revenues at the lowest levels in years, car dealers going out of business, and even the Bankruptcy lawers declaring bankruptcy, your level of perfection will have to wait for a better financial climate. It will happen.

Would be so very hard to just do the news in 480i, 16 x 9?

I don't have much sympathy for the TV stations as they had way over a decade to prepare for the switch.

I believe they'd still have to buy new cameras.

I believe they'd still have to buy new cameras.

Along with a ton of equipment that goes between the cameras and the transmitter. Perhaps a $1,000,000.00 worth of stuff.

WATE-6's owner was teetering on the brink of not making payroll to their long time employees in the very recent past, as an example of the uncertain climate within the broadcasting industry.

A decade ago, the transition to High Definition digital was a different scenerio than what actually occurred. Few, back then, were thinking of having to add two or three digital sub-channels, and all the required related equipment.

WBIR has been having a tough time was well with their money situation.

I live about 40-50 miles outside of Knoxville (LaFollette to be exact) and I recently upgraded to HD but guess what Dish Network doesn't offer local channels in HD for my specific location. So my question to all of you is that should I get an antenna to see if I can pick these channels up in HD or not?

I know I'll need a VHF/UHF antenna and probably an outdoor one for my range but with the complaints I've heard here about limited HD and screen size is it worth my time?

Basically all I really care about getting in HD is sports and a few shows.



So in summary is getting an antenna worth my time for where I live and would the setup I said be about right?

I live about 40-50 miles outside of Knoxville (LaFollette to be exact) and....So in summary is getting an antenna worth my time for where I live and would the setup I said be about right?

If you live on a really low spot with big ridges around you, your odds are greatly reduced. If you live up on a hill, don't even blink, go for it. You'll get some other responses from folks near you, probably, that are more meaningful than my opine.

If you live on a really low spot with big ridges around you, your odds are greatly reduced. If you live up on a hill, don't even blink, go for it. You'll get some other responses from folks near you, probably, that are more meaningful than my opine.

Well maybe finally I did get some luck because my house is actually on top of a hill. I mean obviously there are mountains surrounding us since we are on the Plateau but my house is at an elevated position quite a bit higher than the actual town of LaFollette and the mountains are quite a distance a way so that may help quite a bit as well.

Sounds like its definitely worth a shot?

Any idea of what kind of setup to run?


Also I think I should mention that sadly my QAM tuner picked up no HD channels over cable but I did get about 5 or 6 channels we never got before. :D

Yes, if you have a clear look to the south it would be well worth a try.

On another note, I've had to change my vhf-hi capabilities and no longer am viewing WBIR.:( The vhf-hi stack is just not sustainable with my current installation over time. Even with the stack, WBIR was never really drop-free for me from here. I do continue to view WATE, WVLT, WTNZ, and occasionally WKOP according to weather conditions.

My request would be that WBIR consider going back to UHF and preferrably low UHF. On 31, they were my strongest and most consistent signal.

Any idea of what kind of setup to run?




An Antennasdirect XG91 and an Antennacraft Y10 7-13 with a CM7777 preamp should do it. If you are up on a hill with a clear view to the south you may not need much more height over that of roof-top.

Yes, if you have a clear look to the south it would be well worth a try.

On another note, I've had to change my vhf-hi capabilities and no longer am viewing WBIR.:( The vhf-hi stack is just not sustainable with my current installation over time. Even with the stack, WBIR was never really drop-free for me from here. I do continue to view WATE, WVLT, WTNZ, and occasionally WKOP according to weather conditions.

My request would be that WBIR consider going back to UHF and preferrably low UHF. On 31, they were my strongest and most consistent signal.

Well what worries me is that Dish Network refuses to give me local HD channels due to an obstruction which I can only figure are trees in the distance (I am guessing to the south)...however DirecTV has already confirmed that I can get local HD channels with them (apparently the south isn't too terribly blocked).

The thing is I live on a hill in a pretty open area, the trees that are blocking the Dish Network signal are at least a football field away and even then it doesn't seem like it would be a problem.

So I'm guessing those trees wouldn't hurt me too bad?

Cpcat thanks for the antenna suggestions...you know any good place to buy them. I've been looking at Amazon as of now.

I'm not sure exactly what it is you are saying. Direct TV has offered HD locals to the Knoville area for some time now. Your ability to receive these will only depend on a clear LOS to the satellite. We are talking about HD LIL (local into local) here. This doesn't require an antenna at all. I'm not sure about Dish.

If you are planning to go with a Sat service anyway, you might just set that all up first and go from there.

I'm not sure exactly what it is you are saying. Direct TV has offered HD locals to the Knoville area for some time now. Your ability to receive these will only depend on a clear LOS to the satellite. We are talking about HD LIL (local into local) here. This doesn't require an antenna at all. I'm not sure about Dish.

If you are planning to go with a Sat service anyway, you might just set that all up first and go from there.

Well my situation is this:

I have Dish Network and just upgraded to HD service. However when the guy came out to install the HD he could not get the local channels to come in in HD. He said they needed an extra satellite and every time he tried to set them up the channels would not read. So I contacted Dish Network and they said it had to do with being in the 61.5 orbital and the guy couldn't get a clear signal. To make sure it wasn't just the installer they are sending out a field supervisor this week to see what the deal is. Now what I also did was contact DirecTV because I know people who get local channels in HD with their service and they literally live in the woods surrounded by trees. DirecTV then tells me that for my address they could get me my local channels in HD. In the end I could switch to DirecTV but believe it or not their HD lineup overall is not as good as Dish Network so I figure I'll go the antennae route to get my locals in HD and keep Dish Network.

What I can't really figure out is why Dish Network says I am blocked by trees. I literally sit on a hill above most tree lines and the closest trees to me are in the southern sky but at least a football field away so I don't see how they can be an obstruction...it isn't like they are right beside my house.

Trust me I know I can get easy HD local channels via a satellite but you see my situation. I'm also looking for a fairly cheap antennae if that is possible...all I really want to pick up are ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX in HD.

Did this make my situation more clear?

Yes, I see now. As you describe it, it sounds simply like the initial guy hasn't aimed the dish properly yet. If I were you I wouldn't accept the installation until you have your locals in HD. Don't let them make some lame excuse and leave you without them. And if Dish can't do it ultimately, I'd make them let you out of your contract and switch to D*.

You always have the option of adding OTA later if you want.

You do have an MPEG4 receiver right? With either service, this is required for HD locals.

Yes, I see now. As you describe it, it sounds simply like the initial guy hasn't aimed the dish properly yet. If I were you I wouldn't accept the installation until you have your locals in HD. Don't let them make some lame excuse and leave you without them. And if Dish can't do it ultimately, I'd make them let you out of your contract and switch to D*.

You always have the option of adding OTA later if you want.

You do have an MPEG4 receiver right? With either service, this is required for HD locals.

Yes I have MPEG4 receivers and am receiving all other Dish Network HD service.

Also as far as switching to DirecTV I really don't want to because Dish Network offers more HD channels that I watch. Its really a tossup of whether I want locals in HD on DirecTV or about 10 extra HD channels I want on Dish Network. To me I would just rather keep Dish Network and go the antenna route because at least that way I get all the channels I want (whereas there is no way I can get Comedy Central HD for example on DirecTV).

I may just keep on Dish's case about this and see if the field supervisor they are sending out this week says the installer was wrong. That may very well be the case because the installer really didn't want to install the extra dish to get local HD channels in the first place. I figured because he just didn't want to but it may have been because he didn't know how to do it.

Yes I have MPEG4 receivers and am receiving all other Dish Network HD service.

Also as far as switching to DirecTV I really don't want to because Dish Network offers more HD channels that I watch. Its really a tossup of whether I want locals in HD on DirecTV or about 10 extra HD channels I want on Dish Network. To me I would just rather keep Dish Network and go the antenna route because at least that way I get all the channels I want (whereas there is no way I can get Comedy Central HD for example on DirecTV).

I may just keep on Dish's case about this and see if the field supervisor they are sending out this week says the installer was wrong. That may very well be the case because the installer really didn't want to install the extra dish to get local HD channels in the first place. I figured because he just didn't want to but it may have been because he didn't know how to do it.

Why can't you get Comedy Central HD on D*, I get it on channel 249.

Why can't you get Comedy Central HD on D*, I get it on channel 249.

Hum well I checked the DirecTV website for their HD lineup and compared it to Dish Network. These were both for the second best packages available.


It's weird that DirecTV doesn't list it on their official site but I found it other places and indeed on channel 249. Still from looking it looks like Dish Network still has a slight lead in overall channels with DirecTV to soon raise the bar. Overall because they are so close I'd rather stay with Dish Network and save the hassle.


Also as an update to my local HD situation I have annoyed Dish Network to get them to send someone else out for a second opinon. I was told I needed a clear view of the eastern sky to get local HD channels and just so happens the east side of my house has no buildings beside it and the nearest trees are quite a bit off (and all but about two are lower than my house level). From looking at my setup this may have been an installer issue but I'll know more before Thursday. Hopefully I won't have to worry about an antenna but if so I've found a couple I'm looking at.

I just think we should all put up antennas and grab what's free. Having the locals gives one a different perspective when negotiating with pay providers. Besides, someday we all may need to have National Fire Your TV Provider Day to fight rate increases....;).....could happen, it could...?

DirecTV will be adding more HD channels in a few months.

Has anyone noticed any recent lip sync issues on WTNZ? I noticed it a few nights ago and it's still doing it. I don't know if it's the station, my TV, or my service.

Hard to believe that Dish has more HD channels than DirecTV. I will admit I have been with DirecTV for some time and love it though, although if UVerse comes to my area I will seriously consider it. I hear that Fios is da bomb!
Has anybody tried or heard anything about UVerse?

Is Channel 8 close to doing local 16 x 9? Last night their local news at 11 p.m. had blue & black sidebars. I think it's always been plain black before. They must be testing somethin' new....

Is Channel 8 close to doing local 16 x 9? Last night their local news at 11 p.m. had blue & black sidebars. I think it's always been plain black before. They must be testing somethin' new....

What! No orange sidebars?

What! No orange sidebars?

I think they're saving that for 8.2 ..... ;)

Part of friday night's news had the blue & black sidebars again. The weather segment went back to plain black. After the weather the blue & black came back again.

I have Dish Hd and love it, but I do need a external antenna to receive the local channels in HD. I was receiving 6.1, 7.1, 8.1, 10.1, 43.1 but now all I get is 10.1, tried moving antenna and nothing any suggestions?

Dish network HD receivers such as the 612, 622, 722 etc. can receive local HD stations in two ways.

You can pay about $5 per month to have the signal sent through the satellite along with your other satellite programing.

Or, you can install an antenna, preferably an outside antenna, and connect it to the receiver. Then you can watch (and record) local stations without the monthly fee. FYI, if you don't subscribe to the locals through the dish you don't get the program guide which means that all the locals must be manually entered for timed recording.

If you are still paying for the locals to be sent to you through the Dish service and all of the stations are not present, be sure to check the program guide. The local stations might not be present in the particular guide you have selected and so don't show up. Try the "all sub" guide to test this. The guides can be edited to suit your preferences only showing the stations really want to see.

If you are OTA only for the local channels (as I am), you may need to go into the menu and have the receiver scan for channels. Be prepared to fumble around with this for a while because it is not user friendly. The guide settings also apply to OTA channels discovered by scanning.

Another possible solution is for you to get Dish Network to change your service address if you are getting a view of the 129 satellite. I gave them an address in the Tri-Cities market in an online support chat and I get their channels in HD and the Knoxville locals OTA. It is the best of both worlds to me. Just tell them to leave your billing address alone if you do this. You could also possibly switch to Atlanta if you don't care about the Nashville Predators or Memphis Grizzlies or a future Fox Sports Tennessee full time channel addition. And be careful. It isn't expressly against the terms, but it is a murky area if you don't actually receive service at that address.

Edit: Of course, you are not guaranteed to be in the spotbeams for those markets. Atlanta might be a long shot from north of Knoxville, but Tri-Cities would likely be a go.

Does anyone know if Communicomm (Tazwell, Harrogate,TN) broadcasts the local stations in HD with their basic cable package (i.e what you could get if you had an antenna)? I had basic cable at another house that could receive HD channels around 104.1ish.

Edit: More specifically, do they broadcast local stations in unencrypted QAM? I'd like to try and watch the game in HD tomorrow if I can

Is Channel 8 close to doing local 16 x 9? Last night their local news at 11 p.m. had blue & black sidebars. I think it's always been plain black before. They must be testing somethin' new....

I haven't seen that, I rarely watch their news. I might have to check that out. I know WBIR has been showing some HD local commercials.

I haven't seen that, I rarely watch their news. I might have to check that out. I know WBIR has been showing some HD local commercials.

It was on their sports news last night when I peeked over there. I'll watch for HD commercials on 10. I watch 10 & 8 the most. I'd say both of these thangs are good omens.

Does anyone know if Communicomm (Tazwell, Harrogate,TN) broadcasts the local stations in HD with their basic cable package (i.e what you could get if you had an antenna)? I had basic cable at another house that could receive HD channels around 104.1ish.

Edit: More specifically, do they broadcast local stations in unencrypted QAM? I'd like to try and watch the game in HD tomorrow if I can

Sorry I'm late, but they carry ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and PBS unencrypted. The PBS shows up as 15.1, 15.2, etc. (which is correct) but the rest are all weird numbers.... half of them are in the 800s and the rest are 850s. They also unencrypt the digital music channels.

Comcast just added three new channels!

384 HSN HD
385 Hallmark HD
399 MSNBC HD.

Anyone with DirecTV DVR with an antenna hooked up? I'm having problems with channel 10 WBIR.

It works fine from the sat (typing in "10"), all other locals are strong via ANT, and I get 10.1 fine on a different TV (non-DirecTV box) via antenna. But for some reason the DirecTV DVR doesn't see "10.1" via ANT.

I wonder if WBIR changed something in their local signal and DirecTV hasn't updated the new address in our market? :confused:

I don't know about the ATSC tuner that Direct may have but the tuner that comes in the Dish Network box is finicky. I had to use a 6db pad to get stable reception (on several channels). In other words, it does not handle strong signals well.

I'd first try a channel rescan. There is no change in 10's OTA signal.

I'd first try a channel rescan. There is no change in 10's OTA signal.

Thanks for the reply Patrick. I reset the DirecTV DVR box and now it doesn't see anything for WBIR via ANT at all, yet strong signals (almost 100%) for all the other locals, including channel 20.

I'm in Fountain City and can see Sharp's Ridge clearly out the window. Another TV in the house gets a super-strong 10.1 signal via ANT. So it has something to do with DirecTV, but I can't figure out what.

It's not a big deal because I can record channel 10 from the sat, but I like having the locals via ANT as backup for the possible stormy days or Direct outtage.

Since you are very close to the transmitters, you may want to try an attenuator. It does two things. It reduces the signal at the tuner so it does not overload as easily and it tends to flatten the RF response of the antenna.

Does Direct TV allow you to scan for new channels?

Does Direct TV allow you to scan for new channels?

No, at least I don't think so. During the local ANT setup it asks for your zip code and I think downloads the info from the sat.

So could it be that even though they send WBIR through channel 10, they don't have the location info for 10.1 and 10.2 on DirecTV's end? They did until a weeks ago. :confused:

I looked up the manual for a Direct model HR10-250. Of course that may not be your model. They have a set-up page for OTA using an outside antenna that includes scanning for local channels.

Worth a look?

Anyone with DirecTV DVR with an antenna hooked up? I'm having problems with channel 10 WBIR.


I have one. WBIR on 10.1 hasn't picked up well for me in some time. If I connect the antenna directly to the TV, it picks up better with fewer drops. Must be a tuner and/or receiver issue.

I looked up the manual for a Direct model HR10-250. Of course that may not be your model. They have a set-up page for OTA using an outside antenna that includes scanning for local channels.

Worth a look?

Mine is a HR22-100 with the extra ANT USB add-on. I'll see if I can find a way to scan for channels, but like everything else on this model it's not really apparent from the menu. :rolleyes:

Mine is a HR22-100 with the extra ANT USB add-on. I'll see if I can find a way to scan for channels, but like everything else on this model it's not really apparent from the menu. :rolleyes:

It's kinda like the sat companies don't really want the OTA to work well ;). In my case, it reduces the sat bill about $5 per month. I'm about 5 or 6 miles from the stations with a small yagi style outside antenna that covers channels 7 through UHF. I hit a 4 way splitter and still need a 6db pad to get the signals stable. All but ch8 and ch20 are at or near 100% (whatever that means) with the pads in place.

Mine is a HR22-100 with the extra ANT USB add-on. I'll see if I can find a way to scan for channels, but like everything else on this model it's not really apparent from the menu. :rolleyes:
I've had no problems with channel 10.1 on my HR20 DVR's. Does 10.1 or 10.2 show up on your signal meter? The meter is under menu option:

System Setup -> Sat & Ant -> Antenna Setup -> Edit Off-Air Channels -> Signal Strength

Also make sure channel 10 is not excluded on the Edit Off-Air channels setup list.

:)

Does anyone know if Charter's basic cable service allows receiving of the major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, etc) in HD using just a QAM tuner?

Resurrected from the great beyond, but has anyone been able to successfully tune these stations using a PC tuner? My TV get's them fine, but my hauppauge card can't seem to find them.

My Vista box media PC gets it's channel mapping information as a download from Microsoft. At the time the stations were changing channel assignments last June, there was a time when the RF signal didn't correctly map to the actual station. The other thing I've noticed is that my card is not as good a tuner as my set top boxes. I have trouble with channel 20 (for instance) that is distant to me. If you can find a way, you may want to just manually assign RF channels to stations but MS did not make this easy. It required edited some config files etc.

I pre-ordered the new Tivo Premiere, so it looks like I might be moving back to Comcast (from DirecTV) after... wow, a long time. 10+ years I think.

I'm going to get my locals from ANT, but I'm curious about Comcast and cablecard - it looks like all the HD channels are in the #400 range, correct? Will I need to get a cablecard to access these channels, or only if I want a premium channel like HBO?

Mainly I want Comedy Central and SyFy in HD, and I'm wondering how much that is going to cost above basic cable.

.....Mainly I want Comedy Central and SyFy in HD, and I'm wondering how much that is going to cost above basic cable.

People are paying all sorts of prices. I got one of those 3-way specials that was $99. The TV section of the bill says $33 + the $5 Sports Package I added. You should shop their specials. Mine was called Digital Starter and includes the two channels you mentioned. I use an HD Tivo and Cable Cards. One of my mom's friends told me she paid $62 a month for analog cable. People's prices are all over the place.

....yeah, you need the Cable Cards or it's just 100 and below that reaches your Tivo.

I haven't seen that, I rarely watch their news. I might have to check that out. I know WBIR has been showing some HD local commercials.

The shaded, blue sidebars have vanished. It seems as if they tested them and then put them back on the shelf to wait for.....???

I've started watching 10 more but have yet to notice an HD commercial that seemed local....then again, I tend to be fast-forwarding through commercials with my Tivo.

WBIR has been showing two local commercials in HD at the end of NBC Nightly News. Too bad they're too broke to buy equipment that would record and playback HD syndicated content like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.

****************************************************

For those that have complained (myself included) about WVLT's macroblocking, here is what I have discovered.

When I had my first HDTV, it was a CRT 1080i set. I saw little of it on that set. When that TV went out and had to buy a new set, we got a LCD 720p set. Macroblocking was bad. We bought a 42" 1080p plasma a couple of months ago and the macroblocking is barely noticeable. It seems it is worse on LCD sets, especially the older models. I haven't seen anything on a newer LCD, especially one that's 120hZ to see if they are better. Anyway, I thought I'd throw that out there.

Makes sense MR4. I have a 720p DLP television and WVLT has always looked really bad. To a lesser extent which as gotten better over time, so has WBIR.

WBIR has been showing two local commercials in HD at the end of NBC Nightly News. Too bad they're too broke to buy equipment that would record and playback HD syndicated content like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.

****************************************************

For those that have complained (myself included) about WVLT's macroblocking, here is what I have discovered.

When I had my first HDTV, it was a CRT 1080i set. I saw little of it on that set. When that TV went out and had to buy a new set, we got a LCD 720p set. Macroblocking was bad. We bought a 42" 1080p plasma a couple of months ago and the macroblocking is barely noticeable. It seems it is worse on LCD sets, especially the older models. I haven't seen anything on a newer LCD, especially one that's 120hZ to see if they are better. Anyway, I thought I'd throw that out there.

I readily see 8's blocking on: 58" CRT, 34" CRT, and a 32" LCD

I readily see 8's blocking on: 58" CRT, 34" CRT, and a 32" LCD

I see it on a 40" LCD, 32" LCD, my computer's 19" LCD and a 27" standard definition CRT. 8 is terrible.

8 has only gotten worse over the years. I've been getting it OTA since '03.

It's a shame we have no local developments to buzz about on this thread! The scene is so stagnated....

Knoxville Bozo retires

Long time Los Angeles weatherman Johnny Mountain recently announced his second retirement, this time from KCBS where he had worked for about 5 yerars. He had earlier retired from KABC. Perhaps there are some of you on this forum who remember Johnny from his days at WTVK-26 Knoxville where he was Bozo the Clown in the early 1970's. After that show ended, Johnny teamed with Vaughn Newbauer and aired a weekday morning talk show on WTVK titled the Good Morning Show. It was my pleasure to serve on this show as both audio engineer and later as video director. When WTVK commenced evening newscasts in the mid 1970's, Johnny was their logical choice for a comedic weatherman. That's a role he continued for many more years in Knoxville, Chicago (WLS), and Los Angeles (KABC and KCBS).

The name seems familiar but I can't put a face with them.

There's probably not many that remember WTVK or analog television on channel 26. Or turret tuners with UHF strips. On our B/W Admiral, channel 26 came in where the channel 7 strip had been replaced.

I remember it. We always had a hard time getting that station to come in. I think they were NBC at the time before switching to CBS when WBIR wanted to be a NBC station. If I'm not mistaken, WATE was NBC and switched with WTVK when they were ABC.

WTSK, WTVK, WKXT, WVLT

Operating on UHF since their October 18, 1953 sign-on, using at first the call letters of WTSK-26 and network affiliation with both CBS and DuMont, the station was at a reception disadvantage when compared to WATE and WBIR, both operating on VHF frequencies. To further limit their reception capabilities, WTSK operated at a mere 21.9kw. Most people did not have the converter box needed to tune a UHF station. This was years before sets were required to have both a VHF and UHF tuner built-in.

July 28, 1954 WTSK, owned by TV Service of Knoxville, was sold to South Central Communications for $300,000 and assumption of liabilities not to exceed $216,000. With a new owner, the call letters were changed to WTVK.

In the 1960's the facility was rebuilt to include color studio equipment, a more powerful transmitter, and a taller tower.

In the 1970's, WTVK-26 was the ABC affiliate for the Knoxville market. It was operating from the tallest tower, for much of that decade, from their stick on the east end of Sharp's Ridge. WTVK, my employer back then, had a 5000kw signal (that's the maximum). We received numerous letters from people indicating reception problems. Many of these could be explained by the letter writer having a VHF only antenna in use.

WATE-6 erected a taller tower in the mid 70's surpassing the height of the WTVK-26 and WBIR-10 towers. WBIR moved their tower site to the east edge of the Knoxvile area, but later brought it back to Sharp's Ridge.

South Central Communications, the owner of WTVK, applied to the FCC for a short-spaced allocation to operated on VHF channel 8. This would take a special rule making procedure because channel 8 was already in use in the Nashville and Atlanta markets, normally to close to Knoxville for a channel 8 station on Sharp's Ridge. The application simmered for years, until finally authorized for WTVK to move from channel 26 to channel 8, which took place in the late 1980's. Along with the change of frequency, WTVK requested a new call sign, WKXT-8. Some years later the WVLT-8 calls were authorized for use.

WTVK to move from channel 26 to channel 8, which took place in the early 1980's.

It was 1988. ;)

But great summary of the station's history!

I was sittin' here watching the Braves in inglourious SD on Crumcast's 58 and the announcers mentioned HD, Knoxville, and Comcast channel 124. Does anybody get the Braves in HD on that channel yet? ....I got channel not available when I tried it on my Cablecard equipped Tivo.

I was sittin' here watching the Braves in inglourious SD on Crumcast's 58 and the announcers mentioned HD, Knoxville, and Comcast channel 124. Does anybody get the Braves in HD on that channel yet? ....I got channel not available when I tried it on my Cablecard equipped Tivo.

Bump.....anybody?

I've been Comcast-free for almost 2 years for that very reason.

I've been Comcast-free for almost 2 years for that very reason.

When my two years of $99 a month for the Triple Play package is up, I'm quite certain I'll be Crumcast-free again... ;) I'd really like to watch the Braves' epic losing streak in HD... ;)

We dropped comcast almost a year ago. Wife a big Cubs fan. So we purchased MLB.tv. We can watch any ballgame live except for Brave and Reds. they are blacked out because knoxville considered their market. Watching the Live feed of Cubs and Milwaukee, the other day. You can select which stream you want to watch. Home or Away. Home Feed was "CUBs" Comcast Sport in Standard Def. Switch to Milwaukee feed, it was in Hi Def. So we watch the away teams feed. this is in Chicago. Cannot believe they would even think about broadcasting in Standard Def.

They don't. All CSN games are in HD. MLB.TV probably wasn't picking up the HD feed.

Bump.....anybody?

Nope. I was at a Nashville Predators playoff game a couple of weeks ago and that was the channel they just added SportSouth to in the Nashville market. Previously, they didn't have the channel at all. It would be very nice to get it in HD through Comcast because I have abandoned my Dish Network experiment due to awful picture quality on the sports channels, the fact that the HD regional sports channels are part time channels that Dish can turn on and off at a whim (sometimes before the game is over...) and I just grew to not like it. The Braves look much better on CSS HD and FS South HD on Comcast than Dish by far. I only had the Peachtree games in HD on Dish because I had "moved" my service address to Atlanta.

SportSouth HD is the only missing piece of the puzzle. The Predators looking like a blurry blocky mess on Dish sealed it for me though. Too bad I have to sit through the poor quality of WVLT to watch the Titans in the Fall. Comcast may not be known for superb quality, but they are better than Dish and don't recompress quite a few channels which makes those channels look excellent. It was like a haze was lifted especially since I got a larger 1080p tv and Dish resizes all 1920x1080 channels to 1440x1080 as a rule. DirecTV is not an option because I have had bad experiences with them when I cancelled their service a couple of years ago and they hit my bank account for near $500 claiming I never returned receivers when I never even had the chance to because the charge was initiated one day after they supposedly sent the recovery box. Needless to say, I wouldn't mind if space trash destroyed their entire fleet of satellites. I think I'll stick with cable.

Auh...thanks CardassianVol, the announcer must of meant Nashville but he said Knoxville. This damn state is just full of 'Villes... ;) Anybody could make that mistake...

Cool! WATE is now showing Oprah in HD!

In the past week, WATE has quit dropping down to SD for their weather scrolls. They're making progress.

Cool! WATE is now showing Oprah in HD!

Interesting. I saw Ellen was being shown in HD. Isn't that technically a NBC show?

We dropped comcast almost a year ago. Wife a big Cubs fan. So we purchased MLB.tv. We can watch any ballgame live except for Brave and Reds. they are blacked out because knoxville considered their market. Watching the Live feed of Cubs and Milwaukee, the other day. You can select which stream you want to watch. Home or Away. Home Feed was "CUBs" Comcast Sport in Standard Def. Switch to Milwaukee feed, it was in Hi Def. So we watch the away teams feed. this is in Chicago. Cannot believe they would even think about broadcasting in Standard Def.

Later this month, DirecTV is adding WGN HD. Cubs' fans should be thrilled.

If you're a sports fan, the best way to go is DirecTV. I grew tired of not having certain things with Comcast or getting something one time and not getting it the next with that channel 401 or whichever one it was. I know before I switched, there'd be a Big 10 Network game on that channel one week and a FSN Big 12 game the next week. There was no rhyme or reason to it. Now, I get both and then some without adding any kind of extra packages.

Did anyone else have an audio problem with WVLT last night during the first 15 minutes of CSI? We had no sound at all. We recorded it on the DVR, so I couldn't switch to OTA to see if it was a station or DVR issue.

Did anyone else have an audio problem with WVLT last night during the first 15 minutes of CSI? We had no sound at all. We recorded it on the DVR, so I couldn't switch to OTA to see if it was a station or DVR issue.

I get them over the air. They had problems with glitching all afternoon yesterday. At one point they went blank for some period. I watched news on another channel and gave up on them for the day.

WVLT has been very weak for the past two weeks. I think they share a tower with WKOP which is doing well. I seems a waste of time to contact them since they alway just blame the viewer and say move your antenna. It can't be the viewers fault when WVLT and WKOP are on the same tower at the same height. WKOP is operating at lower power as well.

WVLT has been very weak for the past two weeks. I think they share a tower with WKOP which is doing well. I seems a waste of time to contact them since they alway just blame the viewer and say move your antenna. It can't be the viewers fault when WVLT and WKOP are on the same tower at the same height. WKOP is operating at lower power as well.

Thanks for posting this, I've noticed it also.

I installed a TiVo Premiere, so I thought the problem might be the tuner in the TiVo -- but that wouldn't explain why I get upper 90s on stations other than channel 8.

Later this month, DirecTV is adding WGN HD. Cubs' fans should be thrilled.

If you're a sports fan, the best way to go is DirecTV. I grew tired of not having certain things with Comcast or getting something one time and not getting it the next with that channel 401 or whichever one it was. I know before I switched, there'd be a Big 10 Network game on that channel one week and a FSN Big 12 game the next week. There was no rhyme or reason to it. Now, I get both and then some without adding any kind of extra packages.

The channel was 401 that you are referencing, and it used to be awful and pointless, but now it has become FS Tennessee full time and generally shows what it is supposed to. It does have an incorrect listing when the Grizzlies and Hawks play quite a few times though. The Hawks will come on instead, even though the Grizzlies will be listed for that time slot. Too bad SportSouth isn't on Comcast in HD.

Despite my previous posting about the evils of DirecTV's billing deparment, my Comcast has become unreliable and I have missed a few important calls and had a few messed up recordings. I have now gone the AT&T way with DirecTV included. This was unlikely, but Comcast has been unresponsive about fixing my problem and even missed an appointment. They seem more concerned with the new building down the street. So, as of tomorrow morning, DirecTV has suckered me back with two HD DVRs and multiroom viewing to share the recordings between DVR boxes. I guess I'll call off the space trash and fleet destroying. I feel dirty. lol.

I have heard they are adding ESPNU HD, Travel HD, MSNBC HD, WGN America HD and Hallmark Movie Channel HD tomorrow too. If so, I'll be delighted to not lose ESPNU and Travel in HD. The addition of SportSouth HD won't hurt either. ;)


Now, WVLT needs to fix their freaking channel. I am about tired of it looking perfect one minute and then spazzing and turning into a blur party that makes me want to rub my eyes and then macroblocking everywhere. Then it will return to normal. Why? Can't you people fix this? I have lived in Knoxville since 2006 and I have seen no channel that looks as bad as WVLT when things go wrong. I will assume that they are ignoring this issue like they are ignoring their poor signal quality by pushing it off on the viewers and the station engineers are busy drinking sodas and browsing the web. If they are not ignoring it then why is it the same problem after four years, WVLT? It is also nice that you can scroll information in HD.... until it causes the blurring/macroblocking problem I talked about before.

Oh, and props to WATE for the new weather scrolling and getting Oprah in HD, even though I don't watch it. I really appreciate the weather scroll...

I have noticed a few more HD commercials on WBIR. I know some of these are from the parent company, some are not. Maybe corporate will spend some money and update the studio and maybe some news in HD. Hey, I can dream.

Seeing more HD commercials on WBIR last night during their 6:00 news.

Seeing more HD commercials on WBIR last night during their 6:00 news.

I can't wait to see HD commercials for Maggie Valley, Tennessee Bridal Fair, Expressway Furniture, East Tennessee Ford, Brown Squirrel................Cas Walker.

And now it's official.... EVERY market around Knoxville has at least one HD newscast. WCYB in Bristol started theirs yesterday.

Terrible picture quality on WVLT tonight. I was watching CSI and the PQ did not look as good as it should and has.

And now it's official.... EVERY market around Knoxville has at least one HD newscast. WCYB in Bristol started theirs yesterday.

This market is pathetic. I wonder what their excuse is now? Certainly Knoxville stations can generate more money than the Tri Cities. Cheap. Apathetic. Satisfied. The end.

In other news, WVLT should be pulled off the air until they can get a decent encoder. I'm not sure if this is a DirecTV issue or not, but when they show CBS network programming it looks like I turned the brightness all the way up on the tv. Their local programming and other shows look normal.

I can't wait to see HD commercials for Maggie Valley, Tennessee Bridal Fair, Expressway Furniture, East Tennessee Ford, Brown Squirrel................Cas Walker.

I can't wait to see one of these cheap assed stations join this decade and go HD. Even Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune in HD would be nice, WBIR. We are behind every adjacent market and most of those are smaller.

OTA, channel 8 has had lots of problems lately. They've even been off-the-air a few times in recent days.

What's really pathetic for our market was the dismantling of indie channel 7. When they hit the market with HD, outclassing the majors, I thought thought that the majors would be ashamed to have them showing 'em up. I thought they'd snap into action....damn, was I wrong. I presume that Retro TV sold off all their HD equipment when they bought 'em....?

WATE's parent company, Young Broadcasting, is only limping along. It's not a sure thing they will even survive the bankruptcy proceedings. WATE-6 will probably be sold off to another company, but even that is not a sure thing.

In other news, WVLT should be pulled off the air until they can get a decent encoder. I'm not sure if this is a DirecTV issue or not, but when they show CBS network programming it looks like I turned the brightness all the way up on the tv. Their local programming and other shows look normal.

I noticed the higher brightness of WVLT as well.

Sadly, our Knoxville stations are owned by companies that are really struggling. I don't know if any of these same companies also own the stations in Chattanooga and Tri-Cities. If they do, shame on them for not giving Knoxville HD first regarding news and syndicated programming.

WVLT will never be able to offer mobile DTV like some stations are planning on with their current flawed antenna. Their broadcast power is 4 times of WKOP and they are on the same tower. Everyone seems to get WKOP stronger whether they are in Knoxville or in outlying counties. Some days WVLT is not even strong enough to watch.

WVLT will never be able to offer mobile DTV like some stations are planning on with their current flawed antenna. Their broadcast power is 4 times of WKOP and they are on the same tower. Everyone seems to get WKOP stronger whether they are in Knoxville or in outlying counties. Some days WVLT is not even strong enough to watch.

I get them both at 100%. The power number can be misleading because of the frequencies the channels use. But I wouldn't suggest WVLT do anything that takes more bandwidth from the main CBS channel. It is obvious that their encoder can't handle it or they have monkeys operating it. The brightness issue ruined CBS for me until I decided to just tell DirecTV that I live in the Atlanta market last week.The signal strength is virtually the same on DirecTV for Atlanta or Knoxville channels here in South Knoxville. I am now using OTA for the Knoxville channels and the difference on CBS programming is stunning. Get your act together WVLT!

Channel 6 seems weaker than 8 to me. When it storms 6 starts having glitches for me....I must be 6-8 miles southwest of Sharps Ridge, along Alcoa Highway, about 2-3 miles from the Blount County border. Channel 8 may have an excremental, block-y look but it comes in reliably. 10 also tends to weather storms well also. PBS also seems to be on the good side for me. The others I don't watch enough to have strong opinions one way or the other. I know 43 is more reliable than they used to be but I only watch Saturday Baseball on it, other than rare occasions.

How far away does 8 have a "watchable" signal? My brother has the same exact TV as me in Dallas. I saw CBS Football down there. Channel 8 is, indeed, lame beyond reason....on the PQ... :rolleyes:

Wow, I noticed WBIR showed Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy in HD last night. I don't know if they now have the capability to record and replay HD content or if Wheel and Jeopardy are piped down at a standard time and WBIR finally got a clue to show it in HD.

Wow, I noticed WBIR showed Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy in HD last night. I don't know if they now have the capability to record and replay HD content or if Wheel and Jeopardy are piped down at a standard time and WBIR finally got a clue to show it in HD.

My money is on the sizeable money it took for the very capable people at WBIR-10 to purchase and install all the necessary back-end equipment to record the syndie shows like Jeopardy and Wheel when they com down from the sats, then play them back at the appropriate local broadcast time.

Have you hugged a TV engineer today.

Way to go WBIR! It is nice to have something positive to talk about.

Must have been a test or WBIR figured HD was costing them more to send out the extra signal (a joke, but I wouldn't put anything past WBIR's owners) because Wheel of Fortune tonight is NOT HD. :D

Must have been a test or WBIR figured HD was costing them more to send out the extra signal (a joke, but I wouldn't put anything past WBIR's owners) because Wheel of Fortune tonight is NOT HD. :D

I haven't been able to catch any of it at the end of last week. It could be they got in on this:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=18960132#post18960132

Saw that Wheel and Jeopardy were shown in HD last night.

My money is on the sizeable money it took for the very capable people at WBIR-10 to purchase and install all the necessary back-end equipment to record the syndie shows like Jeopardy and Wheel when they com down from the sats, then play them back at the appropriate local broadcast time.

Have you hugged a TV engineer today.

I would say that is the case since they are also shooting and showing local ad spots in HD, which I haven't seen any of the other locals doing yet.

Would have been nice if the election night crawls had been in HD like the weather updates are. Having the primetime shows only in SD was no bueno.

....no bueno.

I think you really meant....malo maximoso... ;) Channel 7 used to do local HD shows and ads before it was gutted and turned into "Wewun TB".

I think you really meant....malo maximoso... ;) Channel 7 used to do local HD shows and ads before it was gutted and turned into "Wewun TB".

Fair point, but since Comcast never offered it in HD, WMAK pretty much didn't exist for most of us. Too much trouble to switch off the cable and onto antenna, if you had one at all.

That's what sunk them, in my opinion. It took Comcast forever to pick them up at all, and the only advantage they had was the HD, which we never got.

Most of WBIR's ad spots in HD were not shot by them. The spots for them were shot by them. Not sure who shot the CPS ads.

Most of WBIR's ad spots in HD were not shot by them. The spots for them were shot by them. Not sure who shot the CPS ads.

Is Lavidge still a local producer of TV spots for Knoxville?

Fair point, but since Comcast never offered it in HD, WMAK pretty much didn't exist for most of us. Too much trouble to switch off the cable and onto antenna, if you had one at all.

That's what sunk them, in my opinion. It took Comcast forever to pick them up at all, and the only advantage they had was the HD, which we never got.

The story of those days of channel 7 is ripped right out of the script of Weird Al's movie U.H.F. At least one of the network channels worked furiously behind the scenes to keep channel 7 off cable and satelite.

In 7's heyday I had a DirecTivo that integrated my antenna and sat' service. The most impressive thing that 7 did was do high school Football in HD. It was single camera without replays but if you had a DVR you could make your own replays. It looked better than the sheety looking SD college football that was all over cable at the time.

Well, well...I saw a HD commercial on WATE over the weekend during their local news.

I'm sitting here and watching some of the Cowboys-Texans game on WVLT and I must say this is one of the worst HD pictures I have seen. Pixelization is worse than normal, contrast seems out of wack, and that's effected the colors. Is there any way for them to fix this or get somebody over there to fix this? Otherwise, it will be a long football season on WVLT.

We are all quick to complain when a station broadcast a program with a bad visual image. We are also quick to jump to conclusions that the image problem is at the local station. Take it from a guy who has worked in master control of two of Knoxville's major stations that the problems are often received by the local station. I had a red phone that was a hot line to AT&T to report network reception problems. I'm sure that current master control employees have a similar procedure to report network glitches to the network providers.

I think in WVLT's case, it seems to be their problem. Their subchannel looks ever worse. I attempted to watch the replay of the UT-UT Martin game and had to quit watching it because the PQ was so poor that it was starting to give me a headache. If it's CBS' problem with poor quality, then CBS has a big problem. But I have not seen as many complaints from other cities and their CBS station.

I have a perfect example of difference in PQ from WVLT. DirecTV had a free preview of their NFL Sunday Ticket package yesterday. I was watching a little bit of their Red Zone channel and they switched over to the Raiders-Titans game. The PQ was great, crystal clear. I quickly switched to WVLT to compare the found the PQ to be awful. Lots of macroblocking, colors were dull, the picture was not very clear.

PQ on Sunday Ticket is always excellent and often better than OTA viewing of the same broadcast in my experience. For the price you pay, it should be.:)

That's not to argue that WVLT doesn't have issues, but that comparison of many OTA broadcasts to Sunday Ticket's PQ would favor ST.

My brother, who lives in Dallas, and I have have the same TV set, Pioneer 630 RP. I've seen CBS college football, OTA, in Dallas and it looked spectacular compared to here.

Speaking of channel 8, I'm having no problem receiving their grubby signal lately. However, my mom who lives rather low near river level, has had a weak signal for channel 8 since last thursday. The picture breaks up and comes and goes for her. Anybody else having such a problem just lately?

Speaking of channel 8, I'm having no problem receiving their grubby signal lately. However, my mom who lives rather low near river level, has had a weak signal for channel 8 since last thursday. The picture breaks up and comes and goes for her. Anybody else having such a problem just lately?

Not weak signal, but I noticed a substandard pic on Sunday night's Big Brother via Comcast. It was almost like the framerate was stuttering, and had occasional macro-blocking on scene changes.

I was thinking (but hoping it wasn't) the TiVo, but haven't seen the problem since. Though I haven't watched channel 8 since, either....

My mom watches 8 via antenna and so do I for that matter. I'm getting it about as well as usual what few times I've watched it lately. I'll be tuning in the football game on 8 this coming weekend. She may have to come over if 8 doesn't improve. Her reception loses about half of a program as of late, since last thursday she says. My house is about 50 feet higher than her's. My grubby reception is about the same as usual as far as I can tell. I watched 8's 11 o'clock news last sunday night. I had no drop-outs. Given her sheety reception lately, their signal strength must be down...?

PQ on Sunday Ticket is always excellent and often better than OTA viewing of the same broadcast in my experience. For the price you pay, it should be.:)

That's not to argue that WVLT doesn't have issues, but that comparison of many OTA broadcasts to Sunday Ticket's PQ would favor ST.

I understand ST is going to be better. But compare WVLT to WBIR (both 1080i) and there is no comparison. There is no reason for WVLT to have that poor of a HD picture.

Rabbit Ears TSReader data from Aug 2009 indicates that WVLT allocated 13.8Mbps for the HD channel while WBIR allocated 11.85Mbps variable to theirs. Allocation of bits does not suggest the higer number will always produce the best quality picture. Perhaps someone in the Knoxville area can send Trip at Rabbit Ears fresh TSReader data for those and all other area stations.

WVLT? Seriously? As of today, my DirecTV receiver, which receives WVLT OTA from my antenna outside, is showing that I am receiving a 720p channel and switching my resolution to 720p. WBIR is fine and 1080i. I have the receiver set to display the native resolution of the channels it receives and every other channel triggers the correct resolution just fine. I am left with the suspicion that WVLT has lowered its resolution to 720p like the CBS affiliate in Lexngton, KY. Are they trying to compete for worst CBS affiliate in the country or what? The pixellation issues still haven't been fixed. They appear as more of an encoder glitch that I can't quite figure out the trigger for than as a pure lack of bitrate. Maybe it is a DirecTV receiver problem causing the resoution change, but it doesn't appear that way...

This has been an issue from day 1 when VLT showed their first HD show. I assume none of the management have a tv larger than 19 inches. Macro blocking out the wazoo...

i have been complaining about this for 5+ years...no luck.

This has been an issue from day 1 when VLT showed their first HD show. I assume none of the management have a tv larger than 19 inches. Macro blocking out the wazoo...

i have been complaining about this for 5+ years...no luck.

Yes, but the 720p reading is quite new...

WVLT? Seriously? As of today, my DirecTV receiver, which receives WVLT OTA from my antenna outside, is showing that I am receiving a 720p channel and switching my resolution to 720p. WBIR is fine and 1080i. I have the receiver set to display the native resolution of the channels it receives and every other channel triggers the correct resolution just fine. I am left with the suspicion that WVLT has lowered its resolution to 720p like the CBS affiliate in Lexngton, KY. Are they trying to compete for worst CBS affiliate in the country or what? The pixellation issues still haven't been fixed. They appear as more of an encoder glitch that I can't quite figure out the trigger for than as a pure lack of bitrate. Maybe it is a DirecTV receiver problem causing the resoution change, but it doesn't appear that way...

I was wondering about that and was going to switch my receiver to see what the native resolution was showing. After reading your post, I think I will set mine up that way tonight to see what mine shows.