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.”