Can you go higher with your antenna, like 5 feet? I remember when I first started my setup in late 2004/early 2005...I went about a year with big time issues just like you described. Tried everything I could think of.

Then I went 5 feet higher, and every issue with every channel I had disappeared. If possible, its a cheap way to try and diagnose issues.

I've got an update but I'll answer your questions first:

I tried that already, extended the mount about 6 ft and moved the antenna up and it didn't make a difference. I also tried moving to the other end of the roof.

BTW, I now use an older (about 4 years) Radio Shack VHF/UHF...what I'd call a mid-level combo antenna with the Channel Master (IIRC) 7777 VHF-UHF, split 3 ways after the DC power unit - a two way splitter after the amp output - run one end to my DTV receiver, and the 2nd line is then also split into 2, one for my Pinnacle ATSC USB tuner (for Windows Media Center 2005) and one to my bedroom TV. The Pinnacle gets a little jittery now and then, but the Olevia and the DTV receiver (H20) are always rock solid.

And onto the update. I borrowed an HDHomerun from a friend at work, and wow, what a difference. I've been struggling since I moved to this house to get reliable reception with the Vbox and Avermedia tuners and nothing worked.

Plugged the HDHR in, and like flipping a switch, it now works great. Additionally I put up my probably 15 year old RS V/UHF antenna (120"). Figured I might as well get it up now before it gets cold, since the DB4 won't cut it in February when 2/7/9 go back to VHF. I think I get KGAN and KCRG better, but KWWL is worse, strength wise, but with the HDHR, they're still all perfect.

Don't know if the HDHR is just that much better, or if it's because it's not in the PC, but probably 3 years of being frustrated with unreliable reception solved in a minute with a new tuner.

Anyway, thanks for the help.

All 3 are going back to their VHF designations? I thought it was only going to be KWWL. *sigh* At least it'll be nice and cool in the attic in February for antenna assembly and installation. Glad I got the 7777 and not the UHF only model.

KGAN is staying on channel 51. KWWL-DT and KCRG-DT are returning to 7 and 9, respectively.

- Trip

Woops, I knew a couple were moving, just never payed much attention to which :o

Hopefully more bandwidth for the programming.
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/10/nbc_shutting_down_weather_plus.php

Has anyone else noticed KGAN's picture quality looking terrible? I have DirecTv so it could be something with them, but I recorded all of their Monday night comedy lineup and the faces of the people look terrible. Anyone notice anything OTA or through Mediacom?

Hopefully more bandwidth for the programming.
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/10/nbc_shutting_down_weather_plus.php

No decisions as of yet... I imagine we'll still try to do something on it though, most likely weather related. We wouldn't gain much bandwidth anyhow as I have that channel seriously squeezed (down to about 1.5 MB). I'll keep you posted!
-Jarrett

My vote would be VERY SIMPLY just a full screen weather radar.

I suppose I could handle some type of a "Sponsored by" if it was unobtrusive.....

The FCC has granted KCRG's request to go to 30.4 kW on channel 9.

- Trip

Has anyone else noticed KGAN's picture quality looking terrible? I have DirecTv so it could be something with them, but I recorded all of their Monday night comedy lineup and the faces of the people look terrible. Anyone notice anything OTA or through Mediacom?
I can't get KGAN over-the-air for comparism but I've noticed exactly what you're talking about on my Directv feed. None of the other local channels do that and Directv says it's a problem with the source signal from KGAN.

Thanks digger. My wife and I were going nuts and kept checking other channels and didn't see anything. I'm wondering if KGAN knows about it.

On February 18, 2009, will any of the local Des Moines--Cedar Rapids--Waterloo stations revert to their old channel numbers (2,5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13) to transmit their HD signals on?
And for any station that does start using its old VHF channel number for its digital signals, will a VHF-only antenna pull in those signals, assuming you have either a converter box or a new TV with a digital tuner in it?
Will the old, original coax wire work?
Will the old amplifiers be usable?

On February 18, 2009, will any of the local Des Moines--Cedar Rapids--Waterloo stations revert to their old channel numbers (2,5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13) to transmit their HD signals on?
And for any station that does start using its old VHF channel number for its digital signals, will a VHF-only antenna pull in those signals, assuming you have either a converter box or a new TV with a digital tuner in it?
Will the old, original coax wire work?
Will the old amplifiers be usable?It's been covered before, but here's a recap:

In Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City, KWWL-7 and KCRG-9 are going back to those channels. KIIN-12 in Iowa City (transmitter near West Branch) will eventually return to 12, but they have indicated in FCC documents that they may not do so immediately after midnight 2-18-09. KGAN-2 is staying on 51 and will not return to 2.

In Des Moines, WOI-5, KCCI-8, KDIN-11 and WHO-13 will all be returning to those channels, though KDIN has indicated it may not return to 11 immediately after midnight.

A VHF-only antenna should be able to pick these channels up, but you'll probably be missing KGAN (if you care) as well as all the Fox and CW stations in those markets.

I have my antenna in my attic. It normally works good, but lately on windy days I get short loses of signal. Anyone have any ideas what would cause this?

Your attic does not protect the transmission towers or the trees between.. :)

KGAN is staying on channel 51. KWWL-DT and KCRG-DT are returning to 7 and 9, respectively.

- Trip

Is this really supposed to say KWWL-HD and KCRG-HD? Will stations continue to bradcast digital channels after the switch? On another note, I can't receive KCRG-HD anymore (I live NE side of IA City). KWWL reception has been bad, but I used to get the analog station grainy (now nothing). If I remember correctly, they have a new antenna which is farther away so that probably explains that.

Is this really supposed to say KWWL-HD and KCRG-HD? Will stations continue to bradcast digital channels after the switch? On another note, I can't receive KCRG-HD anymore (I live NE side of IA City). KWWL reception has been bad, but I used to get the analog station grainy (now nothing). If I remember correctly, they have a new antenna which is farther away so that probably explains that.

Their legal call sign is KWWL-DT and KCRG-DT. All HD transmissions are digital transmissions (though not all digital transmissions are HD!). If digital went away, so would the HD.

- Trip

Has anyone else noticed a decrease in KCRG's signal? Over the past week or so I have noticed a big drop in their signal. I used to pull in about 90%, and now it's down to 50%. Nothing has changed on my end. My signal from KGAN, which I believe shares the same tower, is unchanged at about 85-90%. Anyone have any ideas as to why this is happening?

Thanks!

Has anyone else noticed a decrease in KCRG's signal?

DT? Nope, fine here, and as far as I know nothing has changed on their end. They do have issues with their analog signal though.

Yes - DT. Can't figure out what is going on. Maybe it's on my end then. Can't figure out why KGAN's signal is fine but KCRG's is not. I have my antenna mounted outside on the second floor of my house pointed in the right direction too.

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/30888529.html

I suspect it may be related to this, although they stated that the digital channels should not be affected.

Has anyone else noticed a decrease in KCRG's signal? Over the past week or so I have noticed a big drop in their signal. I used to pull in about 90%, and now it's down to 50%. Nothing has changed on my end. My signal from KGAN, which I believe shares the same tower, is unchanged at about 85-90%. Anyone have any ideas as to why this is happening?

Thanks!

http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/10/nbcu_offers_hd_sports_net_to_s.php

UPDATE:

Several Iowa stations have filed updated transition status forms with the FCC.

Nothing really groundbreaking as of yet, but KIIN (http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=691468) (IPTV Iowa City) now says it has an STA allowing them to delay their switch from channel 45 to channel 12 until mid-August of 2009.

Meanwhile, KCRG (http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=692935) says it's still on track to cut its analog power by mid-November so it can convert part of its analog transmitter to digital and be ready to go after February 17. This work should not affect their temporary DT on channel 52; in fact, they're promoting DT as one way for viewers affected by the analog power cut to keep watching KCRG programming.

This is all via mediacom cable. Started with the KC game on kgan at noon. Jerky, frames dropping, score bar on bottom of screen cut off. Then the colts game at 3 pm had the same problems via above kgan and whbf via mediacom cable. Colts game on whbf did not have the scorebar at bottom of screen cut off. So I'm thinking a CBS probblem.....or mediacom problem. Anybody else?

Same symptoms OTA on KGAN 2.1, so I am guessing it is a CBS issue.

also had problems with audio popping and blackouts on KGAN-HD off air and from DirecTV last Sunday. suspect CBS was having issues

Just curious what combo antenna people are putting up in the CR/Marion area, since 7 and 9 are going back to UHF un February?

I put up my (parents') old 120" RadioShack VHF/UHF monster, seems to be working pretty good.

Just curious what combo antenna people are putting up in the CR/Marion area, since 7 and 9 are going back to UHF un February?

Good question, in that VHF-high band antennas (channels 7-13) are smaller than VHF low band antennas (channels 2-6). Traditionally people bought a combo antenna that did both, or all three bands (UHF channels 14+). No need to have a big antenna anymore if you don't need VHF low band.

There are going to be a lot of disappointed people buying UHF "HDTV" antennas thinking that they are all set because they are advertised as "HDTV", only to find they will have problems getting 7 and 9 starting in February!

It looks like Channel Master is coming out with a VHF high band / UHF antenna that should be a good choice to consider.

Channel Master 2016 HDTV VHF HIGH/UHF Antenna

http://www.channelmasterintl.com/2016.html

http://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-2016-HDTV-Antenna/dp/B0018BZJNS

I live in the Vinton area. Draw a straight line from Cedar Rapids to Waterloo, and I'm pretty much smack dab in the middle. I'm able to get all the local digital channels just fine on my Zenith converter box (Yes, even channel 7, which seems to be giving other people I know endless trouble) using standard bunny ears with a $5 UHF bowtie attached. Anyone who says you absolutely need a special "super mega amplified robotic HD" antenna for digital sure doesn't know what they're talking about!

Anyway, I'm kinda late joining the posting game. As I said before, I'm currently using the Zenith converter box (The first version, without analog passthrough) on one standalone TV, but I will soon be in need of a second converter box for another TV (Recent financial trouble has forced me, reluctantly, to cancel our DirecTV service).

Sadly, the Zenith box I enjoy so much seems to have been discontinued, as I cannot find it anywhere. However, our local Radio Shack (Which is where I got my Zenith box) is now carrying converter boxes made by Winegard. I know that Winegard makes decent antennas, but has anyone here tried any of their converter boxes? The advertising material I've seen online for the Winegard boxes seem to be aiming it primarily towards use in campers and RVs, although I imagine it could be used equally as well in-home.

I haven't yet actually used one of the Winegard boxes, but I did see the demo they had in store (They have one hooked up to a TV, and it was showing channel 32.3 when I was there). It's a tiny TINY little thing! About the same size as three standard CD jewel cases stacked together. It seems to be a good box, but I hesitate to jump right in and buy one, because it's also $10 higher than the Zenith box was.

So, any thoughts, concerns, complaints or praises about the Winegard converter boxes? I look forward to other user's input about this.

In addition to getting local experiences, you may want to browse this forum for information about converter boxes. Although I don't normally plan on using it, I'm planning on picking up one or two prior to February to have on hand in case cable service fails for a backup solution (like was required for a brief time in June after the flood). Lots of good info here.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=186

I live in the Vinton area. Draw a straight line from Cedar Rapids to Waterloo, and I'm pretty much smack dab in the middle. I'm able to get all the local digital channels just fine on my Zenith converter box (Yes, even channel 7, which seems to be giving other people I know endless trouble) using standard bunny ears with a $5 UHF bowtie attached. Anyone who says you absolutely need a special "super mega amplified robotic HD" antenna for digital sure doesn't know what they're talking about!
Of course, practically living in the backyard of all the transmitters is certainly a plus! :D

Could probably get by without any antenna at your location......

Sadly, the Zenith box I enjoy so much seems to have been discontinued, as I cannot find it anywhere. However, our local Radio Shack (Which is where I got my Zenith box) is now carrying converter boxes made by Winegard. I know that Winegard makes decent antennas, but has anyone here tried any of their converter boxes? The advertising material I've seen online for the Winegard boxes seem to be aiming it primarily towards use in campers and RVs, although I imagine it could be used equally as well in-home.



If you are using the model I'm thinking of, that Zenith box is also sold as an Insignia at Best Buy. They are identical aside from the logo on the front, but I agree that they are one of the better boxes out there. They have a nice manual tuning feature that helps me talk through viewer issues so that they can get KWWL-DT.

Speaking of that... we done some initial tests on our future VHF DT channel 7 rig and it appears as though it should do pretty well, even at its initial low power. If you recall, we were initially allotted 3.2 KW for KWWL-DT on channel 7 but recently were granted a maximization for 30 KW. We already had the 3.2 KW rig in place, but it can't go higher than about 4.6 KW in its current state. We will be getting another rig, but that can't be installed until March or April due to the lack of installers available right now. Fortunately, I think that with the added height, the VHF DT will outperform the UHF DT pretty easily (provided you aren't strictly relying on one of those fancy "HDTV" antennas that is UHF only! :rolleyes:). We found on one box that the meter went from 75 to about 85... and then to about 89 when we maxed out the power from 3.2 to 4.6 KW.

Overall, I can't wait to turn off the problematic analog rig which will remain at low power (no sense dropping any money in it) and get the digital off of channel 55. Until then, I'll keep answering the daily phone calls and emails!

Has anyone else noticed short audio pops while watching channel 2.1 OTA lately? It doesn't happen constantly, but probably once every 5-10 minutes. It basically sounds like a short burst of white noise -- it's quite loud.

My signal seems fine when this happens and I don't have this problem on any of the other local OTA channels or through any of my other A/V equipment.

Has anyone else noticed short audio pops while watching channel 2.1 OTA lately? It doesn't happen constantly, but probably once every 5-10 minutes. It basically sounds like a short burst of white noise -- it's quite loud.

My signal seems fine when this happens and I don't have this problem on any of the other local OTA channels or through any of my other A/V equipment.

Yes, it's very noticeable and is present on the Directv feed as well so it has to be originating at the station. I've switched to the non- Hi-Def signal and it's not presnt there.

Yep...I noticed it last night. Mine is OTA.

Has anyone else noticed short audio pops while watching channel 2.1 OTA lately? It doesn't happen constantly, but probably once every 5-10 minutes. It basically sounds like a short burst of white noise -- it's quite loud. It's also on mediacom in Iowa City, but I didn't notice it the other night watching a couple of HD recordings on WHBF-HD, which is also on the Iowa City mediacom cable. Therefore, it must be a kgan problem.

Has anyone else noticed short audio pops while watching channel 2.1 OTA lately? It doesn't happen constantly, but probably once every 5-10 minutes. It basically sounds like a short burst of white noise -- it's quite loud.

My signal seems fine when this happens and I don't have this problem on any of the other local OTA channels or through any of my other A/V equipment.

Yes the audio popping is very annoying. The sound level drops for 10-30 seconds after the pop too. I hope they get this fixed soon as it's hard to even watch anymore.

Watching Sunday 10/26 look at the KGAN problem and look at the "correct" WHBF. Both are via Mediacom in Iowa City, via a Motorola 64** series DVR box, and both are "live", and not recorded. KGAN's entire picture is about an 1.5" to low on this 61" HDTV.

P1010785 is KGAN
P1010784 is WHBF

Start times create dilemma for networks

KCRG-TV9 will air the Iowa game this week on its analog and regular digital channel. It will air the Iowa State game on digital channel 9.2, a first for the station.

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081027/SPORTS/710279926/1008/sports

KFXA/$inclair must be looking for someone to keep their webpage/homepage up to date, since it's 21 days out of date.

I put up my (parents') old 120" RadioShack VHF/UHF monster, seems to be working pretty good.

Going to drop back in for a bit of a status report, hopefully it will help others.

Here's the recent history:
Put up the V/UHF antenna and things improved slighly on some stations, worsened on others.
Borrowed a (rev1) HDHomerun, worked noticeably better.
Bought my own (rev2) HDHomerun, things were much better, however still had a glitch every now and then.
Broke down and finally got a CM7777, I just got done installing it and what a difference.

So, where am I now:
Every channel has 100% signal strength (or near it), 100% symbol quality, and signal quality around or above 90% for every channel but KWKB (yup, even KIIN 180 degrees from my antenna's azimuth).

So, feel free, you told me so, I resisted, but you were right. An amp was at least part of the solution. I don't know if my old tuners would work now, maybe I'll hook them up again just for kicks, but it looks like all is finally good in ATSC land for me... Finally.

Still kills me that my friend, several blocks SE of me and lower, has no trouble with a silver sensor, while I needed a 120" monster antenna and 26dB amp. Oh well, off to watch some (hopefully issue-free) TV, thanks for the help, and for putting up with me :)

OKay - What channels can one get in Clear Qam in Waterloo? My in-laws live here and just got a clearQAM capable LCD TV but the only channels it is picking up are the local cable access Digital Channels. I live in Des Moines where we can get all of the locals via ClearQAM so I am not sure if it is the locals here are encrypted or if its due to poor signal strength at the in-laws. I tried looking thru all these pages but 75 pages worth of posts means I could be looking all night. Help!!!!

Not in Waterloo, but I believe they have Mediacom & Cedar Falls Utilities, which both have locals in the clear IIUC.....

Locals are in the clear in Waterloo with Mediacom. Mediacom is even advertising that you can get locals without a STB.

Did I see where people have been successfull getting the distanct ABC HD in our market?

If so, how do I do this?

Locals are in the clear in Waterloo with Mediacom. Mediacom is even advertising that you can get locals without a STB.


Thanks guys! After I read the posts here, I went down into their basement to go searching and I found the culprit: A cheap Radio Shack amplifier. I swapped around their splitters and put that TV before the amplifier and was able to get the locals in Clear QAM. I think I know what I am getting them for Xmas this year!

Why isn't the Houston/Vikes game in HD on KGAN?:mad: There schedule shows it as HD.

does anyone know when KCRG will allow Direct TV to broadcast in HD.. reception sucks bad .. thanks

Did I see where people have been successfull getting the distanct ABC HD in our market?

If so, how do I do this?Doubtful in most of the market. Earlier in the thread, some folks in Dubuque claimed to have waivers but there are legitimate terrain issues there, especially below the bluffs.

Even there, though, I really doubt they're supposed to be importing anything into a market with local-into-local.

KGAN finally flipped to HD at halftime.

Why isn't the Houston/Vikes game in HD on KGAN?:mad: There schedule shows it as HD.
Same reason as last Tue.....when kgan/$inclair was 2-3 min late flipping the HD switch at the start of NCIS.

Friggin morons! 90+ minutes into the game before they flipped the switch. When I called all I could get was the news room. Guy had no clue who to contact.

You would think Sinclair was running this station out of someones garage or basement.

does anyone know when KCRG will allow Direct TV to broadcast in HD.. reception sucks bad .. thanks

People need to start emailing KCRG and complaining that they haven't settled with Directv on HD service.
john.phelan@kcrg.com

People need to start emailing KCRG and complaining that they haven't settled with Directv on HD service.
john.phelan@kcrg.com

Better yet, how about contacting DirecTV to find out what the problem is. Everytime I contact DirecTV they come back with the lame excuse that they don't have enough Satellite capacity to carry all of the stations here.

I am getting sick of the emails and phone messages left by DirecTV stating that they carry my local stations in HD and to be sure that I have the correct equipment to receive them. Well I do have the correct equipment and THEY don't carry all of my local stations in HD.

Maybe if more people contacted DirecTV they would get off their lazy rear ends and do something about it.

Better yet, how about contacting DirecTV to find out what the problem is. Everytime I contact DirecTV they come back with the lame excuse that they don't have enough Satellite capacity to carry all of the stations here.

I am getting sick of the emails and phone messages left by DirecTV stating that they carry my local stations in HD and to be sure that I have the correct equipment to receive them. Well I do have the correct equipment and THEY don't carry all of my local stations in HD.

Maybe if more people contacted DirecTV they would get off their lazy rear ends and do something about it.

Sat capacity is not the problem. They're still adding more markets every week.
The problem is that KCRG is asking more than Directv is willing to pay. KCRG has a crappy attituide toward Directv because they lost out the bid to become the local receive facility for this market. KGAN is the local receive facility .

The Directv CSR's have a standard answer they give when asked about why certain local channels aren't on. In this case, their explaination doesn't fit.

I've had a couple conversations with John Phelan, the KCRG General Manager, and he's confirmed to me that Directv won't pay what KCRG wants.

The Directv CSR's have a standard answer they give when asked about why certain local channels aren't on. In this case, their explaination doesn't fit.

I've had a couple conversations with John Phelan, the KCRG General Manager, and he's confirmed to me that Directv won't pay what KCRG wants.

Right. CSR's have no idea what the real reason is.

I have also been in contact with John and it's definitely about compensation. We swapped several emails back and forth. In the end he said they have an 11/10 conference call with Directv. I guess we wait and see where it goes.

Latest comments from KCRG this morning

We have not granted retransmission consent to DirecTV because we have not been able to reach an acceptable compensation amount. Furthermore, DirecTV does not have the satellite capacity to add additional local HD signals at this time. When they increase their capacity we will try to reach an agreement. I would also remind you that you can receive our HD programming for free over the air with an antenna. Many viewers can receive the signal with a simple set of indoor rabbit ears. Please let us know if you have any further questions or need assistance with over the air reception.



Regards,

John Phelan

Vice President & General Manager

KCRG

Sat capacity is not the problem. They're still adding more markets every week.
The problem is that KCRG is asking more than Directv is willing to pay. KCRG has a crappy attituide toward Directv because they lost out the bid to become the local receive facility for this market. KGAN is the local receive facility .

The Directv CSR's have a standard answer they give when asked about why certain local channels aren't on. In this case, their explaination doesn't fit.

I've had a couple conversations with John Phelan, the KCRG General Manager, and he's confirmed to me that Directv won't pay what KCRG wants.

If you look back a few pages, it was stated that John Phelan is asking for the same amount that DirecTV is paying the other local stations and DirecTV won't pay it. Seems to me it is DirecTV with the crappy attitude.

Why should KGAN which nobody watches be worth more then KCRG. Maybe because KGAN is owned by Sinclair and DirecTV is more interested in working deals with groups of stations then a single small market station? Same thing with KWWL, they are also owned by an owner with a large group of stations.

I have had DirecTV since shortly after they were available, but sometimes I wonder why I stay with them.

I don't buy that capacity is a issue. They turned on our market with plans to turn all of the nets on. Why didn't KCRG go live when the rest of them did if they truely want the same compensation as the others?

Edit: There also is an expense to setting up OTA. There's nothing free about it. If you want the ability to record to DVR you have to add an AM-21 with Directv as well as buy an antenna.

Edit: There also is an expense to setting up OTA. There's nothing free about it. If you want the ability to record to DVR you have to add an AM-21 with Directv as well as buy an antenna.
There's an expense to setting up anything, but I've been getting DT OTA since 2004 and have yet to receive a monthly bill from KCRG, KGAN or KWWL.

KCRG is probably asking more from Direct because KCRG failed to properly notify Mediacom when their retrans agreement was due to expire last year. Mediacom went to court and objected to the method KCRG used to notify Mediacom B4 the end of their last retrans agreement with Mediacom....and the court sided with Mediacom....which met that the old agreement rolled over at the same low rate for another 6 years. KCRG was probably upset, since $inclair/KGAN heldup/robbed Mediacom a year ago in their retrans fight. So with KCRG strapped with the old Mediacom retrans agreement for 6 years at the old low cost rate, KCRG is probably wanting more money from Direct to makeup for some of their loss.
ADDED: http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071101/BUSINESS/711010030/1004

ADDED: The judgement is on page #19
http://www.iand.uscourts.gov/e-web/decisions.nsf/0/597F395D4D9E3CF9862573A3007213FB/$File/LRR-07-CV-124,+Cedar+Rapids+Television+Co.+dba+KCRG-TV9+v.+MCC+Iowa+LLC+&+MCC+Illinois+LLC,+Bench+Trial+-+declaratory+judgme.pdf

For the foregoing reasons, it is hereby ORDERED:
(1) The court GRANTS DECLARATORY JUDGMENT in favor of
MEDIACOM on KCRG’s Complaint (docket no. 2);
(2) KCRG failed to give adequate notice of termination pursuant to paragraph
5 of the Agreement, therefore the Agreement automatically renews and is
effective through December 31, 2013;
(3) The Clerk of Court is directed to ENTER JUDGMENT in favor of
Mediacom; and
(4) KCRG is directed to bear Mediacom’s costs.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
DATED this 30th day of November, 2007.

Both KCRG and DirecTv are companies out to make the most money and best deal for themselves. That leaves the customer the one to suffer. Last I checked they hadn't even been in contact with each other so they must not be very close to a deal.

I don't buy that capacity is a issue. They turned on our market with plans to turn all of the nets on. Why didn't KCRG go live when the rest of them did if they truely want the same compensation as the others?

Edit: There also is an expense to setting up OTA. There's nothing free about it. If you want the ability to record to DVR you have to add an AM-21 with Directv as well as buy an antenna.

The line about capacity is complete BS from KCRG. As I said earlier Directv has been adding more local markets almost weekly over the past couple of months. The Quad Cities market got ALL their stations (6 of them) in HD just last month. Des Moines gets theirs this month. KCRG is blowing smoke about the capacity issue or very uninformed.

Edit: There also is an expense to setting up OTA. There's nothing free about it. If you want the ability to record to DVR you have to add an AM-21 with Directv as well as buy an antenna.

It really depends on which receiver you have. True if you have the HR21.

It really depends on which receiver you have. True if you have the HR21.

Or the HR22, which I have and the soon to be released HR23.

Kudos to KCRG for now having an HD graphics crawler to show local election results and keep ABC in HD at the same time. Maybe they've had this for a while, but it's the first time I've noticed it and it looks good. KWWL has had this capability for some time. KGAN hasn't even been providing local results on neither their SD or HD channels.

Now that I think of it, wasn't it DirecTV which had that "bounty payment" arrangement with Sinclair during its own retrans impasse with Mediacom? Remember the $100 rebate checks Sinclair and D* offered to folks who dumped Mediacom and signed satellite contracts instead -- all so they could keep their CBS and Hawkeye men's basketball games (which, oddly enough, the BTN would seize from KGAN in a matter of months)?

I guess the shoe's on the other foot this time, and that's unfortunate for us. But sometimes, the saying "what goes around, comes around" comes true. :(

The line about capacity is complete BS from KCRG. As I said earlier Directv has been adding more local markets almost weekly over the past couple of months. The Quad Cities market got ALL their stations (6 of them) in HD just last month. Des Moines gets theirs this month. KCRG is blowing smoke about the capacity issue or very uninformed.

No the line about capacity is complete BS from DirecTV. Email them, that is the reply you will get from DirecTV every time. I've done it several times since July and it is the same answer EVERY time.

Des Moines was to get theirs at least 2 years ago, so it's about time. How many of the Quad Cities stations are owned by a group owner? Same thing with Des Moines, how many are owned by owners that have more then one station to negotiate with? DirecTV would rather make agreements with group owners and have some of the stations available in many markets then negotiate with management of one station in a somewhat small TV market.

I do not know why the local channels think they should be paid by cable and dish companies. They have more viewers if their station is carried by satellite or cable.

Jarret (4lids) - got a question...and if anyone else has noticed, feel free to chime in.

watching election results last nite, noticed horrible overscan on NBC-HD feed. was wondering if it was KWWL, CFU, or NBC...

no - doubt if it was me, since it was on both Sony HDCRT and Vizio lcd panel. I know - crt has had overscan issues before, but not so much side to side that the results by state were flat cut off; and while Vizio isn't a Pioneer Kuro, haven't noticed that much (if any) overscan with it before...

so - just wondering.

thanks

Jarret (4lids) - got a question...and if anyone else has noticed, feel free to chime in.

watching election results last nite, noticed horrible overscan on NBC-HD feed. was wondering if it was KWWL, CFU, or NBC...
thanks

We noticed that too at the studio with one of our consumer HDTV sets (and insignia). Everything else in house was good, but it appeared as though that monitor was overscanned. I know in the CRT world, we had big concerns over safe title area... and it appears as though some HD models may have similar issues. We'll keep an eye on it.

Bigger news though... Our KWWL-DT signal on channel 55 went down this morning most likely due to an IOT (power amplifier tube) failure. All symptoms point to that, and unfortunately, we have no spares anywhere in our group, and the only ones we could finally track down were new units from Thomson itself which run about $40000... just for the tube! With about 100 days to the cutover, we are debating how to handle this.

There will be a conference call tomorrow to explore our options. It is possible that we will consider a flash-cut to digital (7 analog to 7 digital) much earlier than originally planned. I will keep you posted on the status of KWWL-DT, but for now, the only way to see our digital channels is via Mediacom and CFU, both of which are fed via fiber from our Waterloo studios.
-Jarrett

Thought share my latest project. Made two of these and works WITHOUT
amplification.

The longest element PAIR is for Ch 7 and is 32" Ch 9 is 30". (tip to tip)
UHF is a log periodic design.

All parts at local True Value Hardware but aluminum is not cheap.

First one I made had problems with local 96 FM so filtered out with a trap.
Picks up NW locations extremely well, does pick up Iowa City two stations
but average, hope to design a second one for 12 PBS and 20.
(PBS 12 will convert in Summer 09.)

Put cost near $80 at local hardware store.

The overall antenna size is well under the 1 meter limit for restrictive housing codes.

Ouch! but thanks for heads up (as always.) I'm on cfu - so not a dealbreaker, but had been watching OTA on a couple of my sets - just for simplicity. Plus - need to find some of the other HD channels and subs. CFU may have them, but if so, not sure where they are. ;)

Just let us know what you're doing, after they tell you, so we have a clue.

thanks, Jarrett

KGAN seems to be having problems "flipping the switch" for HD programming again or keeping their equipment working. My wife has been flipping out because one of her soaps sometimes starts out SD,switches to HD and then at some point will switch to color bars with an audio tone. It takes as long as five minutes for them to catch it sometimes.

This happens less often with prime time programming but happens there too. Wish they would wake up and figure it out.

I'm not a TV station operator or technician, so forgive any ignorance on my part.

But, regarding the "forgetting to flip the HD switch" issue...isn't there a way to have it automatically switch modes depending on what type of video feed is being received? For example, if the equipment detects an incoming HD feed, it'll automatically switch to transmit in HD. Likewise with SD.

The way it seems to operate now, this switch is entirely manual and relies on a person to physically adjust the video mode on transmit. In my opinion, such manual operation should be limited to emergency/contingency and troubleshooting purposes only. By automating this process, it would (hopefully) help avoid these "forgot to flip the switch" problems.

Sorry if I stepped out of line. Just asking a question and expressing an opinion. I'll be quiet now.

Bigger news though... Our KWWL-DT signal on channel 55 went down this morning most likely due to an IOT (power amplifier tube) failure. All symptoms point to that, and unfortunately, we have no spares anywhere in our group, and the only ones we could finally track down were new units from Thomson itself which run about $40000... just for the tube! With about 100 days to the cutover, we are debating how to handle this.

There will be a conference call tomorrow to explore our options. It is possible that we will consider a flash-cut to digital (7 analog to 7 digital) much earlier than originally planned. I will keep you posted on the status of KWWL-DT, but for now, the only way to see our digital channels is via Mediacom and CFU, both of which are fed via fiber from our Waterloo studios.
-Jarrett

I just noticed that I wasn't receiving KWWL-DT and was wondering if it was something at my end. Thanks for posting. I'm pretty much digital OTA only--and the season premeir of Law & Order is tonight!

(I vote for the flash-cut.)

Thanks for the update Jarret! Hope you come up with a quick solution tomorrow. Being a Directv customer I lost both my KWWL options.

Of course all of us HD geeks in here vote for cutting over now.:D

Good luck!

Bigger news though... Our KWWL-DT signal on channel 55 went down this morning most likely due to an IOT (power amplifier tube) failure. All symptoms point to that, and unfortunately, we have no spares anywhere in our group

Does Freeland have rebuilds? Checked with any of the consulting engineers out there for a used/spare tube? Are you sure it's the tube? IOT rigs can be a bear sometimes.

I wondered why I couldn't watch Emergency! this afternoon.

(I vote for the flash-cut.)

I also vote for the flash-cut. Although, in my case, its just because I'd really like to know before Feb (when its nice and cold) if my UHF antenna is going to be 'good enough' to pull in 7 off VHF after the switch. Thankfully, E* is still using the analog KWWL feed so I can at least watch that, but missing the Office in HD tonight is going to be a real bummer :)

Best of luck and hope you get things back running good!

Anyone finding black screen with interrupted audio tone on these
two PBS channels?

Anyone know that these are?


EDIT this is believed to be datacast for PBS.

Anyone finding black screen with interrupted audio tone on these
two PBS channels?

Just check and only seeing stream on 35.1 - 35.3 here. Don't know what your tuner thinks it sees, but it should remap any 35.x streams to 32.x

The line about capacity is complete BS from KCRG. As I said earlier Directv has been adding more local markets almost weekly over the past couple of months. The Quad Cities market got ALL their stations (6 of them) in HD just last month. Des Moines gets theirs this month. KCRG is blowing smoke about the capacity issue or very uninformed.

Just to back up my previous statement about the capacity line from KCRG being BS......The following markets received HD locals today from Directv:

Boise, ID
Fort Smith, AR
Macon, GA
Sioux Falls, SD
Traverse City, MI
Harlingen-Brownsville, TX


Des Moines will light up sometime in the next two weeks barring any last minute technical problems.

Just to back up my previous statement about the capacity line from KCRG being BS......The following markets received HD locals today from Directv:

Boise, ID
Fort Smith, AR
Macon, GA
Sioux Falls, SD
Traverse City, MI
Harlingen-Brownsville, TX


Des Moines will light up sometime in the next two weeks barring any last minute technical problems.

And you know that these are on the same spot beams how?? I do agree though, I believe that it's not a DirecTV issue, it's a KCRG issue, but I don't have any knowledge to back that up, just a hunch.

Below is the reply sent to my by DirecTV the last time I asked about KCRG, which shows the BS about capacity issues originated from DirecTV. Ya think KCRG might be passing on the same information/excuse given to them by DirecTV? It's more then likely the multibillion dollar corporation, DirecTV trying to put the squeeze on the small local station in Iowa.

Subject
---------------------------------------------------------------
Re: Cedar Rapids, Iowa local HD channels [Reference #: 080708-002200]


Discussion Thread
---------------------------------------------------------------
Response (Kristoffer F. - 100113733) - 09/15/2008 07:29 PM
Dear Mr. Lehner,

Thanks for writing us back. I understand that ABC HD is important to you. We can't currently offer all of your local channels in HD because our satellite capacity doesn't allow us to do that yet.

We're continuing to expand our HD capacity and hope to offer more HD channels in your area in the near future. However, we cannot comment on channels, national or local, that are in negotiations.

We're happy to have you as a loyal DIRECTV customer and we look forward to providing you service for years to come.

Sincerely,

Kristoffer F.
Employee ID # 100113733
DIRECTV Customer Service

I just noticed that I wasn't receiving KWWL-DT and was wondering if it was something at my end. Thanks for posting. I'm pretty much digital OTA only--and the season premeir of Law & Order is tonight!

(I vote for the flash-cut.)

Same here. I was ready to reboot my DVR last night, but figured I'd wait and check in here this morning. Glad I did. Hope it's back quick. I've already missed Knight Rider..:(

Just to back up my previous statement about the capacity line from KCRG being BS......The following markets received HD locals today from Directv:

Boise, ID
Fort Smith, AR
Macon, GA
Sioux Falls, SD
Traverse City, MI
Harlingen-Brownsville, TX


Des Moines will light up sometime in the next two weeks barring any last minute technical problems.

Yep and LaCrosse market goes live in two weeks..:D

Below is the reply sent to my by DirecTV the last time I asked about KCRG, which shows the BS about capacity issues originated from DirecTV. Ya think KCRG might be passing on the same information/excuse given to them by DirecTV? It's more then likely the multibillion dollar corporation, DirecTV trying to put the squeeze on the small local station in Iowa.

Subject
---------------------------------------------------------------
Re: Cedar Rapids, Iowa local HD channels [Reference #: 080708-002200]


Discussion Thread
---------------------------------------------------------------
Response (Kristoffer F. - 100113733) - 09/15/2008 07:29 PM
Dear Mr. Lehner,

Thanks for writing us back. I understand that ABC HD is important to you. We can't currently offer all of your local channels in HD because our satellite capacity doesn't allow us to do that yet.

We're continuing to expand our HD capacity and hope to offer more HD channels in your area in the near future. However, we cannot comment on channels, national or local, that are in negotiations.

We're happy to have you as a loyal DIRECTV customer and we look forward to providing you service for years to come.

Sincerely,

Kristoffer F.
Employee ID # 100113733
DIRECTV Customer Service

Sounds like a canned response to me. Why would they add 3 of the big 4 and quit there blaming capacity, but yet continue to add other markets in the area? Doesn't make sense. I also blame KCRG.

Interesting article providing perspective on retansmission consent negotiations in general (cable/satellite).


http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2008/11/04/daily.9/

Why shouldn't local stations get paid for the retransmission of their signals. After all the majority of viewing is still of national Network programming and local information from local affiliates...

my 2 cents.

Interesting article providing perspective on retansmission consent negotiations in general (cable/satellite).


http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2008/11/04/daily.9/

Why shouldn't local stations get paid for the retransmission of their signals. After all the majority of viewing is still of national Network programming and local information from local affiliates...

my 2 cents.

I don't think anybody is arguing that they shouldn't get paid, but when you want top dollar above what everyone else is getting, then you're giving the appearance of being greedy. I don't know for a fact this is the case with KCRG, but given the circumstances it appears to be so.

I don't think anybody is arguing that they shouldn't get paid, but when you want top dollar above what everyone else is getting, then you're giving the appearance of being greedy. I don't know for a fact this is the case with KCRG, but given the circumstances it appears to be so.

As I said earlier, there is a post with John Phelan stating that KCRG is asking for the "same compensation as the other stations, nothing more and nothing less". It is post #2197 and I have copied it below.
To me it still seems that DirecTV doesn't care about the single small market station, which KCRG is. They are much more concerned with making deals with group station owners, which would include KWWL, KGAN and KFXA, all owned by large group owners.
Maybe if a few more people started contacting DirecTV about this something would be done about it. From my observation, DirecTV is the greedy stubborn party in this. They have 3 locals up in HD so they can say they carry this market and I am sure not having one station up is not hurting them at all. Post #2197 quote follows......................


Well, I sent an email to KCRG's general manager. Here's his reply:

No progress to report on. Frankly, the ball is in their court. What we have asked them for is the same financial consideration that they are giving to many other broadcasters, no more no less. KCRG will not accept anything less.


I would encourage you to contact someone at DirecTV and ask them why they don’t carry our signal and I would love to know what their response is.



Please let me know if you have any other questions.



Regards,

John Phelan

As I said earlier, there is a post with John Phelan stating that KCRG is asking for the "same compensation as the other stations, nothing more and nothing less". It is post #2197 and I have copied it below.
To me it still seems that DirecTV doesn't care about the single small market station, which KCRG is. They are much more concerned with making deals with group station owners, which would include KWWL, KGAN and KFXA, all owned by large group owners.
Maybe if a few more people started contacting DirecTV about this something would be done about it. From my observation, DirecTV is the greedy stubborn party in this. They have 3 locals up in HD so they can say they carry this market and I am sure not having one station up is not hurting them at all. Post #2197 quote follows......................


Well, I sent an email to KCRG's general manager. Here's his reply:

No progress to report on. Frankly, the ball is in their court. What we have asked them for is the same financial consideration that they are giving to many other broadcasters, no more no less. KCRG will not accept anything less.


I would encourage you to contact someone at DirecTV and ask them why they don’t carry our signal and I would love to know what their response is.



Please let me know if you have any other questions.



Regards,

John Phelan

Interesting. I'm glad I don't have a dog in this fight as I have the ABC DNS right now, but I'm switching locals as soon as the LaCrosse DMA goes live in a couple weeks.

I don't think anybody is arguing that they shouldn't get paid, but when you want top dollar above what everyone else is getting, then you're giving the appearance of being greedy. I don't know for a fact this is the case with KCRG, but given the circumstances it appears to be so.

Appearences can be deceiving... Many of the conclusions that being made here are based on very little fact and more on assumption. It's an assumption that they are "being greedy". Only those directly involved in the negotiations (both sides) know for sure what the true picture is...

I'm not a TV station operator or technician, so forgive any ignorance on my part.

But, regarding the "forgetting to flip the HD switch" issue...isn't there a way to have it automatically switch modes depending on what type of video feed is being received? For example, if the equipment detects an incoming HD feed, it'll automatically switch to transmit in HD. Likewise with SD.

The way it seems to operate now, this switch is entirely manual and relies on a person to physically adjust the video mode on transmit. In my opinion, such manual operation should be limited to emergency/contingency and troubleshooting purposes only. By automating this process, it would (hopefully) help avoid these "forgot to flip the switch" problems.

Sorry if I stepped out of line. Just asking a question and expressing an opinion. I'll be quiet now.Nah, you're not out of line.

For a lot of stations the digital came in before they were ready to fully upgrade their master control areas to take full advantage of it. Yet they still wanted to offer HD, because that's what gets folks so excited about this newfangled DT thing. So HD became sort of an "add-on" for them for the time being, and "the switch" enables them to offer a full schedule on their DTs, with HD when available, until they can do a full upgrade which will allow them to do everything they could possibly want to do with DT.

It could theoretically be automated, but that's not without potential issues, either.

No flash cut! I made my case, but there are just big concerns over how many are still not ready for the conversion. Also, being that we are in a ratings period, we felt that it would be too risky, so we have ordered a tube (one of a couple that Thomson had left... no rebuilds out there) and we have a service tech coming out tonight so that we can install it and help me get this rig back on the air.

He should be getting into Waterloo any time now... so we should get a start within a couple hours. Hopefully, things will go smoothly and we will be back on the air sometime durig primetime programming tonight. I'll let you know if anything changes!
-Jarrett

No flash cut! I made my case, but there are just big concerns over how many are still not ready for the conversion. Also, being that we are in a ratings period, we felt that it would be too risky, so we have ordered a tube (one of a couple that Thomson had left... no rebuilds out there) and we have a service tech coming out tonight so that we can install it and help me get this rig back on the air.

He should be getting into Waterloo any time now... so we should get a start within a couple hours. Hopefully, things will go smoothly and we will be back on the air sometime durig primetime programming tonight. I'll let you know if anything changes!
-Jarrett

Good to hear Jarrett...Thanks for the update..

we have ordered a tube (one of a couple that Thomson had left... no rebuilds out there) and we have a service tech coming out tonight so that we can install it and help me get this rig back on the air.

Great news! It's been a long while since I've seen that rig, so I don't recall if that's a plug-in tube or the built-up style, but I'm guessing the latter. The plug in style aren't too bad to change, I'd say a couple guys can do the physical change in a couple hours and another hour or two for tuning. But it seems they like to run in black heat for a few hours before seeing beam voltage applied to them.

As I said earlier, there is a post with John Phelan stating that KCRG is asking for the "same compensation as the other stations, nothing more and nothing less". It is post #2197 and I have copied it below.
To me it still seems that DirecTV doesn't care about the single small market station, which KCRG is. They are much more concerned with making deals with group station owners, which would include KWWL, KGAN and KFXA, all owned by large group owners.
Maybe if a few more people started contacting DirecTV about this something would be done about it. From my observation, DirecTV is the greedy stubborn party in this. They have 3 locals up in HD so they can say they carry this market and I am sure not having one station up is not hurting them at all. Post #2197 quote follows......................


Well, I sent an email to KCRG's general manager. Here's his reply:

No progress to report on. Frankly, the ball is in their court. What we have asked them for is the same financial consideration that they are giving to many other broadcasters, no more no less. KCRG will not accept anything less.


I would encourage you to contact someone at DirecTV and ask them why they don’t carry our signal and I would love to know what their response is.



Please let me know if you have any other questions.



Regards,

John Phelan

The key here is "many other broadcasters." he doesn't say where they are, how big their market is, etc. I just get tired of both sides finger-pointing and we're the ones that get screwed. I wonder what my neighbors would think of a 100 foot tall TV tower? That's what it will take for me to pull in KCRG.

:)KWWL-DT returned to service at about 8PM tonight. Things went smoothly... other than the fact that half of the test gear somehow got rerouted to Cedar Rapids by FedEx. It delayed us a bit to run down there to get the item we needed, but things went well after that. We'll keep an eye on things these first few days, but so far so good! Sorry it took us a couple days to get it sorted out. We'll be in much better shape by mid next year with a pair of transmitters (one small that will go on the air initially and one that will be for our full maximized power). Enjoy!

I was happy to see KWWL-DT back on the air yesterday.

November 12, 2008 11:49 AM
Dish to Sell Converter Box With DVR Functions

By Danny King

Dish Network next week will start selling what it says is the first digital-to-analog converter box that includes digital video recorder functions, as it tries to retain customers in advance of the U.S. switchover to all-digital broadcasting in February.

The No. 2 U.S. satellite television service, behind DirecTV, will let subscribers start preordering the set-top box Nov. 19, with sales expected to start in mid-December, Dish said in a statement Tuesday.

The DTVPal DVR, which will be able to record either 150 hours of standard-definition programming or 30 hours of HD, will cost $249, including a $50 rebate from Dish.

The set-top box is part of an effort by Dish to stem customer defection to cable companies or telecommunications services. Earlier this week, the company said its third-quarter earnings fell 54% as it lost customers for the second straight quarter, despite spending more to keep them.

Am I crazy or did KWWL digital go down about 7:30pm tonight?

I was watching, signal went out right before kath and kim and is still at 0 on both digital stations (7.1 and 7.2). My friend across town reports analog 7 to work fine on his TV.

I usually get 90+ signal here in Iowa City, so I doubt the weather is what's cutting the signal down. besides Im getting CBS, ABC and FOX fine and they're all out of the same area.

Looks like no office & 30 rock in HD again this week :(

Similar to the Sinclair and MediaCom debate, one important item is omitted each time. If it was purely an issue of two private companies attempting to have an negotiate, that is one thing. But this is a rigged game.

Since it is the "People's Air Waves," Sinclair/DirectTV was not able to negotiate with other companies with the same product. If it was an open market then MediaCom would have been able to negotiate with the local CBS affiliate in the Quad Cities to place it in the Cedar Rapids market. (like they did to place it in the Iowa City market)

But because of FCC regulations, since there was already a CBS affiliate located in Cedar Rapids, MediaCom was forced to negotiate with them (Sinclair/KGAN, KCRG) exclusively. By allowing an open negotiation with more than one affiliate, this could have allowed a more egalitarian bargaining opportunity for both sides and not hostage crisis.

So when the government is involved it is never as simple as a dispute between private companies. And do not get me wrong, I think the cable companies are greedy bastards too.

Am I crazy or did KWWL digital go down about 7:30pm tonight?

I was watching, signal went out right before kath and kim and is still at 0 on both digital stations (7.1 and 7.2). My friend across town reports analog 7 to work fine on his TV.

I usually get 90+ signal here in Iowa City, so I doubt the weather is what's cutting the signal down. besides Im getting CBS, ABC and FOX fine and they're all out of the same area.

Looks like no office & 30 rock in HD again this week :(

I was watching OTA 7.1 during that time frame and past and had no problem . I think I lost signal for a second sometime around that time, but watched Kath &Kim and started the Office before I went to work......remember seeing in in full HDTV.............

OTA from just South of Anamosa

1st time poster....

Since it is the "People's Air Waves," Sinclair/DirectTV was not able to negotiate with other companies with the same product. If it was an open market then MediaCom would have been able to negotiate with the local CBS affiliate in the Quad Cities to place it in the Cedar Rapids market. (like they did to place it in the Iowa City market)
The only reason Mediacom was able to do that with CBS in Iowa City during their Sinclair fight is because WHBF (CBS 4 the Quad Cities) was on an FCC list as being "significantly viewed" in Johnson County. The list dates back to the 1970s, to an era of more over-the-air viewing, and it probably reflects the fact that channel 2 is not easy to get OTA in the Iowa City area. So a lot of folks in the area tried for channel 4 out of Rock Island instead.

Times have changed, though, and just this year Sinclair successfully petitioned the FCC to take WHBF off the list for Johnson County, so that escape route is no longer available to cable or sat services who can't cut a deal with KGAN.

Oddly enough, even though WHBF and KWQC (NBC) were on the list for Johnson County, WQAD (ABC) was not.

Being lower on the dial, 4 and 6 had larger coverage areas, and their towers were a bit closer to Iowa City. Also, there was a translator for WOC/KWQC on channel 79, and one for WMT/KGAN on channel 74. Both were shut down in the 80's. KGAN also had translators in Decorah (ch. 12) and Washington (ch. 13). The Washington one is still on the books, but I don't know it is still in operation.

KGAN also had translators in Decorah (ch. 12) and Washington (ch. 13). The Washington one is still on the books, but I don't know it is still in operation.They still ID K13MN Washington occasionally, and some of their PSAs note that analog-only TVs will still work with K13MN since translators and LPTV stations are not under the 2-17-09 deadline. I'd have to think it's still up and running.

I've been looking through alot of these pages here and didn't really see anything. Is there a schedule to when Dish will offer CR HD locals? I'm dieing for football in HD.

thanks for any info!

I've been looking through alot of these pages here and didn't really see anything. Is there a schedule to when Dish will offer CR HD locals? I'm dieing for football in HD.

thanks for any info!

Nothing by Dish has been said about CR HD locals. My guess would be not until spring at the earliest. They have a new sat(Ciel 2) going up in December if it stays on schedule. It has spot beams for locals.

Edit: Ciel 2 is replacing the current 129 sat.

Im on the NE side and i have a db2 antenna in the attic. I can get 2 and 7 perfect but 9 is crappy. I see they are in the same direction from me on antennaweb.org. Any tips? I have moved the antenna alot and sometimes 9.1 is great for maybe 20 mins then i lose it completely for a hour.

Hi fireburster,

DB2 is a UHF only and you may need a VHF for CH9 in Feb 09 and CH12 later in summer
for PBS out of Iowa City. Are you saying analog 2,7 and 9 clear?
Can you see WMT FM antenna from your house and do you use
an amplifier? If so, could try an FM trap on input to your amplifier.

i get all the digital channels right now i mean. 2.1, 7.1,2,3 9.1,2 12.1, 20.1 32., 48., no 28.1, 2 though.

I get most of them clear other then 9.1 has been dropping in and out.

Hey Jarret. Getting your 15 minutes of fame??

Nice to see ya come out from behind the seens!

Watched my Tue night NCIS & W/O a Trace tonight (DVR via Mediacom).
First 5 min of NCIS in SD, kgan asleep at the switch. :(
W/O a Trace had 2 or 3 periods lasting 5 min with no sound. :(
Were there any OTA problems?

Watched OTA with np problems.

Hey Jarret. Getting your 15 minutes of fame??

Nice to see ya come out from behind the seens!

You saw him too? I was about to give everyone a heads up - stay alert during the DTV turnover segments on KWWL, and you can see 4lids in the flesh.

real curious tho - Chris Carter makes less sense than ever during his explanations..."We're going to turn off analog broadcast at noon, and if you see this screen, you're not digital ready." Sounds like a good trick - I can see the screen saying I can't receive digital, when they turn off analog, on my analog set. If they can do that, I don't need a convertor box.

I assume that for today's test, that KWWL simply replaced the video on the analog (channel 7) with the graphic, and used the studio shots on the digital (channel 55). As far as I could see, they did not actually transmit digital on channel 7 or shut off the analog transmission for that matter.

In this, I was a bit disappointed, as reception on channel 55 is extremely spotty at best for me, and I was hoping to prove that digital on channel 7 would work for me.

My TV has both analog and digital tuners, so I typically watch the analog feed for now, but was hoping to test out to see if a new antenna was in order.

Dang - and here I thought I had proof that I didn't need a convertor box....since I could see something on my analog tv, therefore it'll work for digital transmission.

after all, CC told us that they turned of analog. and we all know he wouldn't lie.

I assume that for today's test, that KWWL simply replaced the video on the analog (channel 7) with the graphic, and used the studio shots on the digital (channel 55). As far as I could see, they did not actually transmit digital on channel 7 or shut off the analog transmission for that matter.

In this, I was a bit disappointed, as reception on channel 55 is extremely spotty at best for me, and I was hoping to prove that digital on channel 7 would work for me.

My TV has both analog and digital tuners, so I typically watch the analog feed for now, but was hoping to test out to see if a new antenna was in order.I doubt that switching 7 to digital would be feasible for such a test. A lot of DTV sets and tuners aren't going to "see" this new digital on channel 7 without going through a new channel scan. Even if you directly tune in 7-1 most TVs are probably going to still be in the habit of checking physical channel 55 until a re-scan tells the set otherwise.

The test they're doing is to help you make sure your TV has the right tuner or subscription service to get DT. For the right antenna, the station would probably need to find an extended overnight period and let the viewers know in advance when they're going to be testing DT on channel 7 (or 9 for that matter; they're also moving.)

Did they actually change modulation from analog to digital on CH 7?

I don't see how this was any real proof you are ready. Even if you were watching
55 doesn't indicate you have the proper antenna (with VHF).

How many homeowners or service techs are going to be injured or killed falling off
roofs installing antennas in Feb? We need a real test before ice.

Did they actually change modulation from analog to digital on CH 7?



agreed - looked a lot more like corporate marketing hype than an actual test.

More like something Chris and Sunny cooked up in the back of his minivan.;)

Actually, that's the way every test has been handled across the country. It's not a test of reception, but a test of whether you are seeing the digital signal or the analog one. Trust me, many people are confused and don't know which side they're watching.

And as I just said, it wouldn't make any sense to change the modulation on channel 7 during such a brief test. Many DTV sets will continue to look for the signal on channel 55 until they are re-scanned, which took a little over four minutes when I did it. To change channel 7 for that long is kind of risky especially during a newscast in a ratings period. One of my tuners does have a roundabout way I can force it to look at RF channel 7 (through the "manual add-delete" menu) to see if there's a DT signal there, but it's kind of an end run. Merely punching in 7-1 is still going to cause the thing to look for the signal on RF channel 55.

For those that haven't noticed.....KIIN Channel 12 (PBS) is now in HD on Directv.

Still no Channel 9 as they haven't reached a retrans. agreement yet.

For those that haven't noticed.....KIIN Channel 12 (PBS) is now in HD on Directv.

Still no Channel 9 as they haven't reached a retrans. agreement yet.

In an email response, GM with 9 is now saying D* has no capacity to add the HD channel. This is a different response than I got 2 weeks ago.

In an email response, GM with 9 is now saying D* has no capacity to add the HD channel. This is a different response than I got 2 weeks ago.


As I've said before that line from KCRG is complete BS, in fact it's a lie.

If Directv doesn't have the satellite capacity how did they just add KIIN in our market? If Directv doesn't have the capacity how did they add the following markets in HD on Wednesday: Des Moines, Peoria, Lacrosse, Rockford, Ft. Wayne, and El Paso?

They haven't begun to max out the new capacity. Specifically for this market the HD locals come from Transponder 21 on the 103 degree Directv Spaceway 1 satellite. The only HD stations on that "spotbeam" are 2,7,12,28. In looking at the charts for other markets, there are many more channels on the same spotbeam than what we have here.

Here's the dialog from yesterday's email. I emailed him because they were supposed to have a conference call with Directv on 11/10.

Me:
Anything come of your conference call with Directv last week?
Thanks,

GM:
The call never took place. We discovered that DirecTV cannot add our HD signal....there are out of capacity and can't add any new local HD channels. We understand they are working on new video compression technology to be able to squeeze more in. No need to negotiate till that happens. Let me know if you have any other questions.


Me:
Odd, why are they adding more HD locals almost weekly if they are out of space? Does that suggest the channels they are adding have had a deal in place for some time? The big 4 networks for Des Moines went live today?
Thanks for the response.

GM:
My understanding is that their decisions are based upon individual markets and Des Moines was ahead of Cedar Rapids on their list.

Yet....Cedar Rapids had their HD locals almost a year before Des Moines. I'm still not buyin' it. KCRG could have been in HD for a year if they were willing to play ball. The fact that KIIN just went live in HD also makes the GM's argument look shaky.

Yet nobody ever bothers to bitch about DirecTV, it is always the evil local station causing the problems. Maybe if a few people would spend some time contacting DirecTV and complaining to them, something would get done. It surely does NO good at all to keep complaining here about it.

I have contacted DirecTV several times and their response, CANNED OR NOT, has always been "we don't have the capacity". Same response as the GM from KCRG has given people who have contacted him lately. So it seems that DirecTV is now giving the "no capacity" response to everyone. Once again contact DirecTV and see what their answer is.

.....And again I say:
If Directv doesn't have the satellite capacity how did they just add KIIN HD in our market?
If Directv doesn't have the capacity how did they add the following markets in HD on Wednesday: Des Moines (4 HD Channels), Peoria (5 HD Channels), Lacrosse (4 HD Chann els), Rockford (5 HD Channels), Ft. Wayne (6 HD Channels), and El Paso (4 HD Channels)? (28 total channels)

I've never received a reply from directv indicating they have capacity issues. It's always that they don't comment on negotiations and channels they may be adding.

I don't bother contacting Directv because we can't talk to anyone in the know anyway.

No matter who's at fault I don't think we can argue that KCRG had the same opportunity to go live when KWWL, KGAN and KFXA did.

Nope, KWWL, KGAN, and KFXA are all OWNED by group owners. DirecTV would much rather deal with an owner of 50 or 60 stations then the owner of 1 station. Whats going to hurt DirecTV more, not having a deal with the owner of 60 stations in 60 markets or the owner of 1 station in 1 market?

It doesn't matter if you talk to someone "in the know". Contact them and request the carriage of KCRG. If nobody asks, they won't know of the demand for the station.

.....And again I say:
If Directv doesn't have the satellite capacity how did they just add KIIN HD in our market?
If Directv doesn't have the capacity how did they add the following markets in HD on Wednesday: Des Moines (4 HD Channels), Peoria (5 HD Channels), Lacrosse (4 HD Chann els), Rockford (5 HD Channels), Ft. Wayne (6 HD Channels), and El Paso (4 HD Channels)? (28 total channels)

I've never received a reply from directv indicating they have capacity issues. It's always that they don't comment on negotiations and channels they may be adding.First off, KIIN is easily explained. The 9 "local" IPTV stations all broadcast the same statewide feed from IPTV HQ in Johnston. You can pretty much send KDIN from Des Moines anywhere in the state and it'd make no difference to the end viewer.

As for at least three of the other markets, we're pretty much dealing with chain owners, for what it's worth. In Des Moines the main stations are owned by Hearst-Argyle, Local TV LLC (the former New York Times Broadcast Group), Sinclair and Citadel. In La Crosse they're owned by the Evening Telegram Co., Quincy (KWWL's parent), Gray and Grant. And in Peoria they're owned by Nextar, Granite, Barrington and Sinclair. (I'm not sure who owns the fifth one.)

The U.S. Senate today approved legislation that would cushion the digital TV switchover by allowing stations to air analog emergency messages and billboards informing of the switch for 30 days after the Feb. 17 switchover.

The legislation, which still awaits a House vote, passed unanimously on a voice vote.

Under the legislation, TV stations still would be required to switch their primary channel feeds to digital on Feb. 17. For 30 days thereafter, they could offer analog emergency information or DTV education information.

In an emergency, weather or other public-service messages could air.

Did they actually change modulation from analog to digital on CH 7?

I don't see how this was any real proof you are ready. Even if you were watching
55 doesn't indicate you have the proper antenna (with VHF).

How many homeowners or service techs are going to be injured or killed falling off
roofs installing antennas in Feb? We need a real test before ice.


I'm finally off the flippin' phone for a few minutes so I can finally chime in here...
This test was designed for people that were not in the know. We are under 90 days away from turning off that analog signal, and believe me, there is a lot of confusion out there, especially among the elderly. We wouldn't turn off our current analog and digital right now to test out our channel 7 digital for a couple reasons:
1- We aren't technically authorized to power that channel 7 digital on yet
2- It would take me about 15 minutes to switch over the line at the transmitter and then 15 minutes to switch it back... not really practical
3- Every box would need a rescan or channel change adjustment in order to see this switch.

Pretty much, that would result in mass hysteria for 95% of the audience I think, since every cable provider would be impacted as well. By 2-17-09, I hope most cable providers will be on site ready to rescan and that we have pounded some more education into the viewers head of what is fast approaching!

As it stood, I was on the phone pretty much all day with viewers that had various issues and questions. I took the time to explain the coupons, converters, antenna issues, what is happening at the cutover with channel changes... pretty much anything they didn't understand. It certainly didn't hurt anyone, as there is a ton of confusion out there. Heck, I got calls from people that had boxes, but had them setup wrong. They thought they were set, as they had the antenna plugged into the box, and then the box wired to the RF input of the TV... but then they disregarded the converter box and remote and continued to switch the channel on their TV to 7 (instead of having it on 3 or 4 to see the box output). I do know that I did help a ton of viewers get KWWL-DT that day, so that was a victory in itself!

FYI - the Iowa Broadcasters Association is going to conduct a state-wide test sometime in December as well. Ironically, the notified us on the day of our test and were asking us to let them know how it went. So, there will be more of these tests to come. Hopefully you won't have to see my mug on the air as much in those tests though! :D

-Jarrett

The U.S. Senate today approved legislation that would cushion the digital TV switchover by allowing stations to air analog emergency messages and billboards informing of the switch for 30 days after the Feb. 17 switchover.

The legislation, which still awaits a House vote, passed unanimously on a voice vote.

Under the legislation, TV stations still would be required to switch their primary channel feeds to digital on Feb. 17. For 30 days thereafter, they could offer analog emergency information or DTV education information.

In an emergency, weather or other public-service messages could air.
I saw that news a couple of days back.

It appears this bill would still not allow broadcasters to stay in the channel 52-69 range, which means KCRG and KWWL would not be able to use it.

In an email response, GM with 9 is now saying D* has no capacity to add the HD channel. This is a different response than I got 2 weeks ago.

No bandwidth, what a joke. I finally had enough and switched to the LaCrosse locals since I was so close to that DMA anyhow. No more problems with Brewer and Packer games, plus all MPEG4 channels. They look great.

Nope, KWWL, KGAN, and KFXA are all OWNED by group owners. DirecTV would much rather deal with an owner of 50 or 60 stations then the owner of 1 station. Whats going to hurt DirecTV more, not having a deal with the owner of 60 stations in 60 markets or the owner of 1 station in 1 market?

It doesn't matter if you talk to someone "in the know". Contact them and request the carriage of KCRG. If nobody asks, they won't know of the demand for the station.

Wrong. Contacting somebody in the know makes a huge difference when you want factual answers to questions.

Edit: By the way, do you work for KCRG? You seem awful quick to defend them.

Nope, KWWL, KGAN, and KFXA are all OWNED by group owners. DirecTV would much rather deal with an owner of 50 or 60 stations then the owner of 1 station. Whats going to hurt DirecTV more, not having a deal with the owner of 60 stations in 60 markets or the owner of 1 station in 1 market?


Why should they have to make deals with the local channels at all? Anyone can get them, totally free, with an antenna. The channels are given spectrum to use as a public service, not to milk every last penny out of any company even remotely related to media delivery. KGAN, KCRG, they're all playing the game. And until someone in the FCC or Congress eliminates the "pay to carry" clause, they're going to have the upper hand. They have a literal monopoly on the area, and can therefore ask for whatever they want. KGAN was asking for $1 per subscriber to be on Mediacom, I can only imagine what KCRG is asking for... Idiots.

Why shouldn't the local channel get paid something when cable and satellite are going to charge their customers for the channel. The most watched channels on any system are still the local channels. If cable and satellite were to offer the local channels for free then there might be something to talk about.

Why shouldn't the local channel get paid something when cable and satellite are going to charge their customers for the channel. The most watched channels on any system are still the local channels. If cable and satellite were to offer the local channels for free then there might be something to talk about.

Cable and sat do incur a cost to deliver locals. How much ad revenue does cable and sat get from locals?

Has anyone noticed on OTA DTV that the guide info
has to come from each transmitter?

So, in order to see all channel listings (if your TV or settop
converter box has the feature) you must tune to every
channel first.

This also means the current time and date drift, since none
of the local CR channels are in synch.

Even worse, KWKB (RF 25 DT-20.1) has their date set to the
year 2031 (11/01/2031 today) with NO guide listings ever, so
when I watch KWKB everything else disappears because the
CECB thinks I have jumped 20 years into the future.

I also noticed KWWL listings have disappeared recently for all
3 of their channels. 7.1 shows no program info, 7.2 and 7.3 only
show generic listings all the time. KWWL used to have program
info for 7.1 and RTN initially, but for some reason it has disappeared.

It's weird how I lived for years without it, but now I use the
guide on my Insignia CECB all the time, I love it.

Any suggestions on how I can persuade the station engineers
to get the guide/program information setup properly?

Thanks!

Cable and sat do incur a cost to deliver locals.

Right, and the cable subscriber pays the cable company to deliver those channels. Cable gets their revenue from that "delivery fee". I'm not a fan of the pay to play agreements. If the cable company can receive the signal off air, they should be allowed to put it on the cable. If they want it delivered via microwave or fiber from the stations studio, then they should pay for that.


When KCRG wasn't on Dish Network I simply didn't watch their station. Who lost on that deal, Dish or KCRG?

But this is all just my own personal opinion on the subject.

Has anyone noticed on OTA DTV that the guide info
has to come from each transmitter?

So, in order to see all channel listings (if your TV or settop
converter box has the feature) you must tune to every
channel first.

This also means the current time and date drift, since none
of the local CR channels are in synch.

I also noticed KWWL listings have disappeared recently for all
3 of their channels. 7.1 shows no program info, 7.2 and 7.3 only
show generic listings all the time. KWWL used to have program
info for 7.1 and RTN initially, but for some reason it has disappeared.

Any suggestions on how I can persuade the station engineers
to get the guide/program information setup properly?

Thanks!

The PSIP (Program System Information Protocol) is required for each station and just pertains to their specific channels. KWWL's system must have crashed over the weekend at some point (it was working Thursday for certain). One of the required programs on the server closed and as soon as I restarted it, PSIP data was restored. Everything is good now for KWWL-DT for the program guide.

I appreciate the heads-up so that we can get it restored quickly... especially since I can't watch everything around the clock!

-Jarrett

Northpine.com is reporting a slew of early analog shutoffs in states near Iowa.

Most of those the site lists are PBS member stations. But NBC stations in Chisolm, MN and Hastings, NE are cutting to digital in January and December, respectively, according to the site.

http://www.northpine.com/broadcast/index.html

Nobody here, of course, is planning early cutoff, though KCRG and KWWL are either reducing analog power or planning to do so.

Thanks!

RTN for some reason has listings now, but they are off.

For instance, right now it lists "Simon & Simon" but in reality
it is showing Alfred Hitchcock and Night Gallery in the 12:00-01:00
hour.

I'm guessing the PSIP for RTN comes from them, right?

By the way, I really enjoy the fact that KWWL has those quirky subchannels, unlike the others that have subchannels with redundant data.

~jay

The PSIP (Program System Information Protocol) is required for each station and just pertains to their specific channels. KWWL's system must have crashed over the weekend at some point (it was working Thursday for certain). One of the required programs on the server closed and as soon as I restarted it, PSIP data was restored. Everything is good now for KWWL-DT for the program guide.

I appreciate the heads-up so that we can get it restored quickly... especially since I can't watch everything around the clock!

-Jarrett

I think the weather sub channels are worthless personally. The info isn't real time enough. I'm much prefer live radar run 24/7.

I love RTN, glad to have that on. I was initially very excited about Weather Plus, but in reality I never watch it. I agree real time radar would be much better.

I'm much prefer live radar run 24/7.
Ditto..... Although I'm not really impressed with KWWLs weather radar... :(

Once again KGAN can't make their HD work in the daytime. The parade this AM wasn't in HD. Yesterday, they tried to make it work during Young and the restless but it just kept breaking up and it switched to HD.

My question is why does it work at night, but not during the day?

They say they are working on it. This is getting really old. What a downer to start the Thanksgiving day.

I got a email response from the GM at this station a couple weeks ago that said the problem was fixed. Yea right.

Wow, KGAN HD was so horrible earlier, they should have just killed their HD feed for the first half of the Titans/Lions game and been done with it. I'm still hearing audio pops every so often, in the second half of the game, even if the video is at least watchable now.

Looks RTN PSIP data was working, but now it's off again.
I wonder if it is being sent according to EST instead of
CST, therefore the listings are off.

I've had no luck contacting anyone at KWKB, I'm guessing
it is an unmanned facility with part time staff. :confused:

Is anyone else seeing small amounts of tiling on CBS HD?

I think the weather sub channels are worthless personally. The info isn't real time enough. I'm much prefer live radar run 24/7.

You won't have to live with it much longer with Weather Plus ceasing operations on Dec. 31. We are still going through options right now and nothing is finalized, but we do intend on filling it with something. This will either be a locally produced Weather/News channel or another channel like RTN. I'll pass along details as soon as they are confirmed and good to go public!
-Jarrett

Is anyone else seeing small amounts of tiling on CBS HD?My mediacom hd-dvr recording of sundays kgan cold case & the unit had a couple dozen very short hiccups in the audio after watching last night. Then there's cbs's scheduling of these programs after they do a nfl double hitter.....and ran 40 min late the other night.

My mediacom hd-dvr recording of sundays kgan cold case & the unit had a couple dozen very short hiccups in the audio after watching last night. Then there's cbs's scheduling of these programs after they do a nfl double hitter.....and ran 40 min late the other night.I believe I heard some hiccups on KGAN early Monday evening over-the-air.

I was assembling a piece of furniture at the time so I wasn't completely glued to it, but I definitely heard something.

I heard MANY short hiccups over the last few days on KGAN thru DirectTv so I checked Mediacom and they were there also so it must be originating at KGAN.

Also, KFXA Directtv feed had terrible lip sync issues..... :(

Update:

Finally contacted someone at KWKB, they are planning on adding
the PSIP data in February with the addition of a new encoder.

RTN Program Guide info is mostly correct, seems like later in the evening they might change programming at the last minute or something.

I've also noticed some signal drops with KWWL-DT and most noticeably KRIN-DT (32) in the past few days. I'm guessing this is related to ice and snow on the transmitter, or multipath from the surrounding area. KWWL are just short freezes maybe every 5 minutes, but KRIN (32) is a freeze about every 20 seconds.

FYI, I have a VHF Channel Master Yagi antenna in the attic and a UHF 4-Bay Winegard which feeds into a combiner and then a preamp which feeds into an Insignia CECB converter. The Insignia decodes better than the built in tuner on my el-cheapo DTV set.

Looks RTN PSIP data was working, but now it's off again.
I wonder if it is being sent according to EST instead of
CST, therefore the listings are off.

I've had no luck contacting anyone at KWKB, I'm guessing
it is an unmanned facility with part time staff. :confused:

I heard MANY short hiccups over the last few days on KGAN thru DirectTv so I checked Mediacom and they were there also so it must be originating at KGAN.

Also, KFXA Directtv feed had terrible lip sync issues..... :(There were a few on Tuesdays NCIS & W/O a Trace via mediacom. Haven't watched Thur's CSI yet.

KWWL-DT appears to be off the air (12/5 ~1:45PM). Normally when KWWL-DT goes off, there's still a signal being received, but it's completely black. This time though, it flat out says "no signal" on all TVs.

Just posting this as a heads up to any KWWL techs who might frequent these boards.

KWWL-DT appears to be off the air (12/5 ~1:45PM). Normally when KWWL-DT goes off, there's still a signal being received, but it's completely black. This time though, it flat out says "no signal" on all TVs.

Just posting this as a heads up to any KWWL techs who might frequent these boards.


Not only KWWL-DT but analog KWWL is off air and was still off the air at 14300

UPDATED just checked 1537 all of KWWL is now back up and running I can now get my EMERGENCY! fix on 7-3

It's still off on the Directv feed.

http://www.kwwl.com/global/story.asp?s=9464996

KRIN (32) is a freeze about every 20 seconds

Just checked and it's fine now. I haven't seen any reports on this, so it's likely a receive issue on your end, probably multi-path (DTV's evil enemy!)

KWWL-DT appears to be off the air (12/5 ~1:45PM). Normally when KWWL-DT goes off, there's still a signal being received, but it's completely black. This time though, it flat out says "no signal" on all TVs.

Just posting this as a heads up to any KWWL techs who might frequent these boards.
:rolleyes:
Believe me, I was well aware that we were off the air as we were sitting in the dark here at the studios in downtown Waterloo. That wiped out everything leaving our building and although both transmitters were on the air, the analog was in black or snow and the digital had no PSIP data... so good luck locking on to that.

Waterloo Waterworks had some "issues" capping off a hydrant up the street and it flooded Fourth street and the electical pit for Mid-American that supplies power to our building. Eventually, water found a way at the components and took out the fuses. It took them a while to get on the scene, pump out the water and then restore service.

What else can go wrong this year :eek: ?
-Jarrett

UPDATE: KYOU Ottumwa

The FCC database now lists KYOU's application for a post-transition power boost as "granted."

They'll be able to put out 360 kW at 1,181 ft. (354.4m) on Channel 15 after 2-17-09, enough to reach southern Linn and Benton counties and perhaps a few lucky viewers in southwest Cedar Rapids.

Application: http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1251109&Service=DT&Form_id=301&Facility_id=53820

Technical exhibit: http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=650478

They say they are working on it. This is getting really old. What a downer to start the Thanksgiving day.

I got a email response from the GM at this station a couple weeks ago that said the problem was fixed. Yea right.

Dear KGAN-
I work days but if you need someone to drive up to CR to flip the switch for HD (day or night) I'll do it for a few bucks plus mileage from IC. Once again, Monday night prime time has started and no HD! Hello....Anyone home?

Given the problems some local stations continually have in switching over to the network HD feeds on their HD channels, wouldn't it almost make more sense during this transition period to do it the other way around and just carry the network HD feed and convert that to SD on their analog channel? Given that we're so close to February 17, I'm assuming we should be able to rely solely on that HD data feed coming into their studios by now.

Are the major networks going to discontinuing analog feeds to the local stations after 02/17? Noting that some stations are having so many problems switching between SD and HD, you wonder what things will be like when they may still have to switch between network HD and locally-produced SD. I wonder when our locals will have enough HD technology in the studios to have local HD newscasts. Unfortunately even the major network newscasts still don't have a lot of HD video out in the field. Not much value in having an HD newscast when all you get to see is a bad makeup job on some anchor's face.

[QUOTE=4lids;15245282

What else can go wrong this year :eek: ?
-Jarrett[/QUOTE]

ICE? :eek::mad:

Yep, same for me now.

I'm using the Zenith rebranded Insignia converter box which is
famous for it's superb handling of multipath, but I think a fresh coat of ice
is just too much for it.

I'll have to note what happens next ice storm.

Weird thing is, I have a large UHF antenna pointed directly at Walker,
and then during the outages it always seems like KWWL and KRIN suffer,
but KWKB which is coming from the opposite side looks fine, even with it's
lower signal.

KGAN, KCRG and KFXA also don't stutter.

I'm going to miss my analog backups for those come February. I can't imagine how people who don't like tinkering with RF will handle the transition.:rolleyes:

Just checked and it's fine now. I haven't seen any reports on this, so it's likely a receive issue on your end, probably multi-path (DTV's evil enemy!)

Is KCRG going to had HD crawls anytime soon?

Is KCRG going to had HD crawls anytime soon?
Who the hell knows..... They put up the damn DTVAnswers.com crawl in HD so it would seem they have the capabilities.

I'm sending off a email to the station to complain. Only 2 months away from switchover and they still have to put up their crappy looking delay info that takes up at least 1/4 of the screen. How pathetic..... :mad:

Is KCRG going to had HD crawls anytime soon?

On election night, KCRG broadcast the ABC HD feed and had local results crawling. They have the ability.

I hate to always sound like I'm railing against KGAN, but....Right now we have a great HD picture while Criminal Minds is on. The problem is only part of the audio is there. I switched to SD and the audio is fine. On HD, nothing but the background tracks and music. No dialogue at all. Very strange!

I hate to always sound like I'm railing against KGAN, but....Right now we have a great HD picture while Criminal Minds is on. The problem is only part of the audio is there. I switched to SD and the audio is fine. On HD, nothing but the background tracks and music. No dialogue at all. Very strange!

Yup, same here. I've experienced this before but can't remember if those were KGAN also. It's like the center channel (vocals) is removed and all you have is the surround. Looks like they fixed it, just in time for the commercials! ;P

Sorry to double post, but the vocal cut out on KGAN is happening again. One thing I noticed this time is that the audio was 5.1 surround (when it was fine) and now it is just stereo (now it's not fine).

Is this coming in bad directly from CBS or is KGAN screwing something up. Either way, why is it changing during a broadcast? Are there monkeys loose in the control room or something?

Hey, now it went back to 5.1 and we have vocals again..

I'm going to miss my analog backups for those come February. I can't imagine how people who don't like tinkering with RF will handle the transition.:rolleyes:

oldsyd: I love tinkering with RF.
See my Nov 5th post "VHF/UHF home made antenna for Cedar Rapids" back
around page 78.

I am waiting for the complaints from people who bought UHF only panel
or corner reflector antennas and find KWWL & KCRG gone.
If I was not afraid of walking on icy roofs I could make alot of money
installing antennas late Feb. and March.

I hate to always sound like I'm railing against KGAN, but....Right now we have a great HD picture while Criminal Minds is on. The problem is only part of the audio is there. I switched to SD and the audio is fine. On HD, nothing but the background tracks and music. No dialogue at all. Very strange!

During the 7pm to 8pm hour the audio was drifting real bad.........One second it low...........so I turned it up....then BAM! almost broke the speakers.....it was that way pretty much the whole Gary Unmarried program. (Analog was fine with normal audio)

I then DVR'd Criminal Minds----------------lovely background music during the center of the program.........I could ALMOST make out the dialogue but not quite.

EDIT: I just watched CSI NY..(also DVR'd)....audio fine before opening credits ......afterwards it was like before Loud background music and no dialogue at 10 minutes into the program everything went back to normal

Just an FYI for all who care...........

During Thanksgiving week I installed a converter box on my B-I-L's TV along with a Radio Shack amplified "rabbit ears". This was the more expensive one that RS sells
Location 5 mi NE of New Hampton
2-3(Mason City)-7-9- 10(Rochester)-24-32 all came in very strong and 28 digital came in so-so.

I was suprised that rabbit ears....well expensive rabbit ears ---installed inside would work so well at that distance.

He had also bought a digital 13" tube TV for the kitchen....and I put another rabbit ears on it.............on the north side of the house..........and had just about the same results...................
He has an outside UHF/VHF antenna on top of the house but I wasn't climbing up there to change out the flat leads for coax in 10 degree weather......I'll do that in the summer!

rcourtney-------nice antenna build

Does Dish have HD locals up in the CR-Waterloo area?
Thanks

I noticed that KQIN-PBS 36.1, 2 and 3 has increased their power. I checked at noon and again tonight and their signal was just as high as all the others at the Orion, IL antenna farm. Can anyone else verify that? I live 28 miles from the transmitters.

For quite a while, I've been helping some of my friends and neighbors set up their converter boxes. For the past two weeks, I've noticed a couple new channels showing up on the channel scans: 35.99 and 45.99. Currently, they're just black video with a constant tone, but since they both appear to have popped up at virtually the same time, it makes me wonder if IPTV is preparing to introduce a fourth subchannel, since channels 35 and 45 are the channels that the two area IPTV digital stations broadcast on.

Has anyone else noticed this?

For quite a while, I've been helping some of my friends and neighbors set up their converter boxes. For the past two weeks, I've noticed a couple new channels showing up on the channel scans: 35.99 and 45.99. Currently, they're just black video with a constant tone, but since they both appear to have popped up at virtually the same time, it makes me wonder if IPTV is preparing to introduce a fourth subchannel, since channels 35 and 45 are the channels that the two area IPTV digital stations broadcast on.

Has anyone else noticed this?

Noticed the tone a month ago but was interrupted tone. My HDHOMERUN
is loaned out so can't capture the stream on the computer.

I know some stations will use audio sub channels for IFB. (The talent can hear direction
from the studio used in remote broadcast news gathering. GOOGLE: IFB for ENG over ATSC)

I just tried tuning in the new 35.99 and 45.99 channels on my Accurian handheld DTV. As usually happens, the video was black and the tone was heard, but this time the TV popped up an information box after a few seconds that said "Radio Channel". Perhaps these channels are destined to be an audio-only service?

Is there someone other than rcourtney with a computer-based receiver who might be able to capture the transport stream so someone like me could analyze it and figure out just what's going on with 45.99 and 35.99?

- Trip

Is there someone other than rcourtney with a computer-based receiver who might be able to capture the transport stream so someone like me could analyze it and figure out just what's going on with 45.99 and 35.99?

- Trip

heck - there are people here who know whazzup - more a question if they have seen this discussion, and if they have, are they allowed to disclose anything. ;)

(you know who you are. :D)

Is there someone other than rcourtney with a computer-based receiver who might be able to capture the transport stream so someone like me could analyze it and figure out just what's going on with 45.99 and 35.99?

- Trip


TSReaderLite info on channel 45 PSIP PMT data shows:

Program Number: 99

Stream Type: 0x81 AC-3 Audio PID 33 (0x0021)
AC3: Bitrate 192 Kbps Sample Rate 48 KHz
AC3: Mode complete main Coding 2/0 L, R
Captured with MyHD card.....

Any chance you could dump it out in the form of an HTML Export? Check all the boxes in the export window except the thumbnails, that'll provide the maximum amount of info.

I'm confused by the PID. Shouldn't be a PID of 0x0021...

- Trip

IPTV used to broadcast on a SAP channel services for the blind
where someone read out loud the newspaper.

That service had a wild history.
At one time it was broadcast on public radio FM SCA (using old
MUZAK receivers when they moved to Dishnet)

This might be the rebirth of the service.

Any chance you could dump it out in the form of an HTML Export? Check all the boxes in the export window except the thumbnails, that'll provide the maximum amount of info.

I'm confused by the PID. Shouldn't be a PID of 0x0021...

- Trip

Not sure I had all options checked when I exported, but here is most of the info.....



Program Association Table

PAT Version Number: 22
Transport Stream ID: 927 (0x039f)

PMT PID 48 (0x0030) - Program 3 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/#pmt_3) KIINHD EIT Link (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/#eit_3)
PMT PID 64 (0x0040) - Program 4 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/#pmt_4) KIINSD1 EIT Link (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/#eit_4)
PMT PID 80 (0x0050) - Program 5 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/#pmt_5) KIINSD2 EIT Link (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/#eit_5)
PMT PID 153 (0x0099) - Program 99 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/#pmt_99)
Program Map Table(s)

Program Number: 3 KIINHD (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/#sdt_3)

Stream Type: 0x02 MPEG-2 Video PID 49 (0x0031)
MPEG Video: Bitrate 65.000 Mbps Resolution 1920 x 1080i
MPEG Video: Framerate 29.97 fps Aspect Ratio 16:9 Chroma Format 4:2:0

Stream Type: 0x81 AC-3 Audio PID 52 (0x0034)
AC3: Bitrate 192 Kbps Sample Rate 48 KHz
AC3: Mode complete main Coding 2/0 L, R
Program Number: 4 KIINSD1 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/#sdt_4)

Stream Type: 0x02 MPEG-2 Video PID 65 (0x0041)
MPEG Video: Bitrate 15.000 Mbps Resolution 704 x 480i
MPEG Video: Framerate 29.97 fps Aspect Ratio 4:3 Chroma Format 4:2:0

Stream Type: 0x81 AC-3 Audio PID 68 (0x0044)
AC3: Bitrate 192 Kbps Sample Rate 48 KHz
AC3: Mode complete main Coding 2/0 L, R

Stream Type: 0x81 AC-3 Audio PID 69 (0x0045)
AC3: Bitrate 192 Kbps Sample Rate 48 KHz
AC3: Mode complete main Coding 2/0 L, R
Program Number: 5 KIINSD2 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/#sdt_5)

Stream Type: 0x02 MPEG-2 Video PID 81 (0x0051)
MPEG Video: Bitrate 15.000 Mbps Resolution 704 x 480i
MPEG Video: Framerate 29.97 fps Aspect Ratio 4:3 Chroma Format 4:2:0

Stream Type: 0x81 AC-3 Audio PID 84 (0x0054)
AC3: Bitrate 192 Kbps Sample Rate 48 KHz
AC3: Mode complete main Coding 2/0 L, R
Program Number: 99

Stream Type: 0x81 AC-3 Audio PID 33 (0x0021)
AC3: Bitrate 192 Kbps Sample Rate 48 KHz
AC3: Mode complete main Coding 2/0 L, R
Terrestrial Virtual Channel Table

Channel 3
Service Name: KIINHD
TSID: 927 (0x039f) NTSC: 12 ATSC: 45 IA IOWA CITY
Channel Number: 12.1
Carrier Frequency: 0
Modulation Mode: ATSC (8 VSB)
Source ID: 1
Descriptor: ATSC Service Location Descriptor
Service Location Descriptor:
PCR PID 0x0031
Stream Type 0x02 (MPEG-2 Video) ESPID = 0x0031 Language =
Stream Type 0x81 (AC-3 Audio) ESPID = 0x0034 Language = eng
Channel 4
Service Name: KIINSD1
TSID: 927 (0x039f) NTSC: 12 ATSC: 45 IA IOWA CITY
Channel Number: 12.2
Carrier Frequency: 0
Modulation Mode: ATSC (8 VSB)
Source ID: 2
Descriptor: ATSC Service Location Descriptor
Service Location Descriptor:
PCR PID 0x0041
Stream Type 0x02 (MPEG-2 Video) ESPID = 0x0041 Language =
Stream Type 0x81 (AC-3 Audio) ESPID = 0x0044 Language = eng
Stream Type 0x81 (AC-3 Audio) ESPID = 0x0045 Language = eng
Channel 5
Service Name: KIINSD2
TSID: 927 (0x039f) NTSC: 12 ATSC: 45 IA IOWA CITY
Channel Number: 12.3
Carrier Frequency: 0
Modulation Mode: ATSC (8 VSB)
Source ID: 3
Descriptor: ATSC Service Location Descriptor
Service Location Descriptor:
PCR PID 0x0051
Stream Type 0x02 (MPEG-2 Video) ESPID = 0x0051 Language =
Stream Type 0x81 (AC-3 Audio) ESPID = 0x0054 Language = eng
Event Information Table

Channel 3
Service Name: KIINHD
Provider Name:
Transport Stream ID: 927 (0x039f)

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 2:00:00 PM
Length: 01:00:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: History Detectives
Description: Atocha Spanish Silver/Lucy Parsons Book/Ernie Pyle's Typewriter 300-year-old documents are translated to crack a unique code of communication among ship captains.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 3:00:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Rick Steves' Europe
Description: Normandy: War-Torn Yet Full of Life Ponder sacrifice on the D-Day beaches and visit a composer's eccentric world and Monet's lily ponds.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 3:30:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Smart Travels - Europe with Rudy Maxa
Description: Bologna & Emilia Romagna A trip to the mountainous Apennines, Ravenna's 6th century mosaics and a beach resort at Rimini.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 4:00:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Jacques Pepin: More Fast Food My Way
Description: Brussel Sprout Love Crusty Chicken Thighs with Mushroom Sauce is served with a Fricasse of Brussels Sprouts and Bacon.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 4:30:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Mexico -- One Plate at a Time with Rick Bayless
Description: Beach Blanket Barbecue Succulent Grill-Roasted Whole Fish Adobado is marinated in sweet-spicy Ancho Chile Adobo.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 5:00:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Desert Speaks
Description: The Lost Palm Weavers of Sonora Join the search in for the descendants of Opata palm weavers and explore the surviving tradition.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 5:30:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Travelscope
Description: Taiwan - City and Culture The heart and soul of the country is found in Taipei's attractions and the ethnic minority people.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 6:00:00 PM
Length: 01:00:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
Description: n/a
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 7:00:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: The Iowa Journal
Description: Flood Stories: Iowa Journal Special Edition
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 7:30:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Iowa Press
Description: n/a
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 8:00:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Market to Market
Description: n/a
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 8:30:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Taste of the Midwest with Dan Kaercher
Description: Iowa Dan visits the Iowa State Fair and tastes the delicacies at The Lincoln Cafe in Mount Vernon.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 9:00:00 PM
Length: 01:00:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: How Art Made The World
Description: More Human Than Human The ancient origins of art provide insights into what makes art a central part of being human.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-PG Description: TV-PG

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 10:00:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Washington Week
Description: n/a
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 10:30:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: NOW on PBS
Description: n/a
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 11:00:00 PM
Length: 01:00:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Bill Moyers Journal
Description: n/a
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

Channel 4
Service Name: KIINSD1
Provider Name:
Transport Stream ID: 927 (0x039f)

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 2:30:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Between the Lions
Description: I Don't Want A Birthday Party & Knuffle Bunny Leona can't understand why Roodles the Clown doesn't want a birthday party. Where is Lovey?
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-Y Description: TV-Y

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 3:00:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Arthur
Description: Arthur's Eyes/Francine's Bad Hair Day Arthur has vision problems and needs glasses. Francine changes herself for her school picture.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-Y Description: TV-Y

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 3:30:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman
Description: Ruff's Big Break Mike and Willie are challenged to learn about the human balance system and visit an otologist.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-Y Description: TV-Y

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 4:00:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Martha Speaks
Description: Martha Blah Blah/Skits Behaves Martha loses her ability to communicate when Granny subtracts letters from the soup at the factory.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-Y Description: TV-Y

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 4:30:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: WordGirl
Description: You Can't Crush City Hall/Two Brain Highway Chuck the Evil Sandwich-Making Guy is threatening to smush City Hall with his giant sandwich press.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-Y7 Description: TV-Y7

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 5:00:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Curious George
Description: Curious George Gets All Keyed Up/Gutter Monkey George volunteers to deliver Betsy's xylophone to her school while she goes to the beautician.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-Y Description: TV-Y

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 5:30:00 PM
Length: 01:00:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
Description: n/a
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 6:30:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: The Iowa Journal
Description: Flood Stories: Iowa Journal Special Edition
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 7:00:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Washington Week
Description: n/a
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 7:30:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Iowa Press
Description: n/a
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 8:00:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Market to Market
Description: n/a
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 8:30:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: NOW on PBS
Description: n/a
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 9:00:00 PM
Length: 01:00:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Bill Moyers Journal
Description: n/a
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 10:00:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Nightly Business Report
Description: n/a
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 10:30:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Blackadder The Third
Description: Dual and Duality Will Edmund's Scottish cousin, MacAdder, save him from death at the hands of the fearsome Duke of Wellington? Or is he more interested in Mrs. Miggin's buns? Baldrick comes up with a cunning idea!
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 11:00:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: BBC World News
Description: n/a
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 11:30:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Worldfocus
Description: n/a
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

Channel 5
Service Name: KIINSD2
Provider Name:
Transport Stream ID: 927 (0x039f)

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 2:30:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Travelscope
Description: Cruising Alaska's Inside Passage Joseph takes in scenic and cultural experiences in Prince Rupert, BC, Juneau, Skagway and Sitka.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 3:00:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: P. Allen Smith's Garden Home
Description: Garden Glories Spring plantings of daffodils give way to summer poppies in a color switch that's breathtaking.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 3:30:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: This Old House
Description: Weston Project, Part 9 of 16 A New England fieldstone natural stone veneer is installed, with the help of a busload of masons.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 4:00:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Hometime
Description: Boulder Waterfall The crew creates a backyard water feature, put up a fence, insulate an attic and install a new roof.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 4:30:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Cultivating Life
Description: Spring Flowering alliums for a garden and growing and curing shallots, garlic and leeks are featured.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 5:00:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Paint, Paper and Crafts
Description: Hit Album Get into the scrapbook craze and learn the trick and the know-how to make an album in an evening.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 5:30:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: One Stroke Painting with Donna Dewberry
Description: Furniture Painting Fun techniques for giving furniture and walls quick and easy makeovers without spending a fortune.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 6:00:00 PM
Length: 01:00:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Making Sense of Place
Description: Phoenix: The Urban Desert Explore the impact of rampant development, which provides homes but threatens the region's ecology.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 7:00:00 PM
Length: 01:00:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Making Sense of Place
Description: Cleveland: Confronting Decline In An American City Examine issues of urban decline and some hopeful opportunities for neighborhood revitalization.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 8:00:00 PM
Length: 01:00:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Race for Open Space
Description: Charles Gibson narrates a look at the issues surrounding development and open space preservation.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 9:00:00 PM
Length: 01:00:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
Description: n/a
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 10:00:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Nightly Business Report
Description: n/a
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 10:30:00 PM
Length: 00:30:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Worldfocus
Description: n/a
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1

---------------------------------------------
Starts: 12/12/2008 11:00:00 PM
Length: 01:00:00
EIT Source: n/a
Name: Making Sense of Place
Description: Phoenix: The Urban Desert Explore the impact of rampant development, which provides homes but threatens the region's ecology.
Descriptor: ATSC AC-3 audio Descriptor
ATSC AC3 Descriptor
Descriptor: ATSC Caption Service Descriptor
ATSC Caption Service Descriptor:
Language: eng Format: Captions service 1
Descriptor: ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor
ATSC Content Advisory Descriptor:
Region 1 Rating: TV-G Description: TV-G

MPEG-2 Statistics

TableSections ProcessedCRC Errors PAT268.5k0 CAT00 PMT80 ETT755.5k0 PSIP188.9k0 EIT159.3k0
Continuity errors: 17976
TEI errors: 0
Calculated multiplex rate: 19392651 bps
General Information

Source: Transport Stream File-loop
Tuner: n/a
Signal: n/a
Network Type: ATSC
Run Time: 000:04:14
PID Usage Chart

0x0000 (0.13% ~ 0.03 Mbps) 0x0000 MPEG-2 Program Assocation Table 0x0021 (1.07% - 0.21 Mbps) 0x0021 AC-3 Audio for program 99 0x0030 (0.13% ~ 0.03 Mbps) 0x0030 MPEG-2 PMT for program 3 0x0031 (63.71% - 12.37 Mbps) *1284/0 0x0031 MPEG-2 Video for program 3 0x0034 (1.02% ~ 0.20 Mbps) *1284/0 0x0034 AC-3 Audio for program 3 0x0040 (0.13% ~ 0.03 Mbps) 0x0040 MPEG-2 PMT for program 4 0x0041 (19.04% - 3.85 Mbps) *1284/0 0x0041 MPEG-2 Video for program 4 0x0044 (1.02% ~ 0.20 Mbps) *1284/0 0x0044 AC-3 Audio for program 4 0x0045 (1.02% ~ 0.20 Mbps) *1284/0 0x0045 AC-3 Audio for program 4 0x0050 (0.13% ~ 0.03 Mbps) 0x0050 MPEG-2 PMT for program 5 0x0051 (9.35% - 1.93 Mbps) *1284/0 0x0051 MPEG-2 Video for program 5 0x0054 (1.02% ~ 0.20 Mbps) *1284/0 0x0054 AC-3 Audio for program 5 0x0099 (0.13% ~ 0.03 Mbps) 0x0099 MPEG-2 PMT for program 99 0x1d00 (0.12% ~ 0.02 Mbps) *1284/0 0x1d00 ATSC EIT-0 0x1d01 (0.06% ~ 0.01 Mbps) 0x1d01 ATSC EIT-1 0x1d02 (0.03% ~ 0.00 Mbps) *1284/0 0x1d02 ATSC EIT-2 0x1d03 (0.02% ~ 0.00 Mbps) *1284/0 0x1d03 ATSC EIT-3 0x1e00 (0.26% ~ 0.05 Mbps) 0x1e00 ATSC Event ETT-0 0x1e01 (0.11% ~ 0.02 Mbps) *1284/0 0x1e01 ATSC Event ETT-1 0x1e02 (0.03% ~ 0.00 Mbps) *1284/0 0x1e02 ATSC Event ETT-2 0x1e03 (0.01% ~ 0.00 Mbps) *1284/0 0x1e03 ATSC Event ETT-3 0x1ffb (0.10% ~ 0.02 Mbps) *1284/0 0x1ffb ATSC Base PID (TVCT, MGT, RT, STT) 0x1fff (1.37% ~ 0.27 Mbps) 0x1fff MPEG-2 NULL Packet

It's strange. The audio is there, but it's not mapped, it's not included in the TVCT at all. Hopefully that'll get sorted out.

- Trip

Nothing on both my PCs and DTV receiver...

I guess things must be pretty bad reception-wise for all channels. Tweaked the rotor a little to around 350 degrees now, moved about 23 degrees more north. KWWL is bouncing now, getting low 50s on it, KGAN too. KCRG and PBS Wloo are better but lower also, KFXA in the 90s but usually 100%. Backsiders KWKB and PBS IC lower too but coming in solid.

Using a cm2016/7777 setup near Kirkwood in CR...in clearer weather get 90s on everything but have noticed the Pinnacle tuner PC loses 2,7 and 32 since I went to the 2016 (3 total antennas being fed as with the prior cm4228/7775 rig). The other PC with an Aver VolarMax, usually is solid greens/perfect reception in Vista Media Center and Aver Media Center but is in the yellows or worse today also.

BTW, the VolarMax is a great ATSC USB PC tuner. Well worth the money, blows the Pinnacle out of the water.

I hate to always sound like I'm railing against KGAN, but....Right now we have a great HD picture while Criminal Minds is on. The problem is only part of the audio is there. I switched to SD and the audio is fine. On HD, nothing but the background tracks and music. No dialogue at all. Very strange!

Rail on KGAN all you like, for I do it all the time also, just usually not publically. I too have experienced the aggravating center channel disappearances, where you can hear lots of lovely traffic sounds and no dialog. While I do tend to watch more CBS dramas than the other channels, I've recorded/watched a bunch there as well, and have not once noticed the same problem--it seems exclusive to KGAN. Its "mastery" of the HD signal is woeful. I think it was during that same CSI:NY episode that someone else referenced that KGAN experienced a period where the signal must have switched from analog to HD something like 10 times in a single minute. Unwatchable.

When writers have technical quirks, readers' attention starts to drift toward the writing rather than the story. These writers get editors or get fired. When TV shows push viewers' attention to technical ineptitude rather than the story, it does not put the viewers in good moods to feel favorably to what they see on commercials. You'd think that would catch up with the station after awhile. Maybe it does, who knows?

Perhaps these problems will go away in February when there's only one signal going out, but if it doesn't, look out. February is sweeps, after all, and all of the networks will be putting up their ace new material. Personally, I'm looking forward to that "Very Special episode of the Channel 2 News" when the anchors are inadvertently. Sheesh.

I noticed that KQIN-PBS 36.1, 2 and 3 has increased their power. I checked at noon and again tonight and their signal was just as high as all the others at the Orion, IL antenna farm. Can anyone else verify that? I live 28 miles from the transmitters.

KQIN-DT has increased power. I don't recall the particulars, but I believe it went from something like 6kW to 194kW. Don't quote me on that as I'm going from memory and haven't really paid that much attention to what's going on over there.

heck - there are people here who know whazzup - more a question if they have seen this discussion, and if they have, are they allowed to disclose anything. ;)

I know little more than what any one else here knows. Obviously there is some sort of audio on XX.99, on every IPTV station in the state. The question then becomes, what is it?

I'm told its a test of something, what that something is I was not told. I'm also told that NO consumer DTV receiver should be able to see it. I can see it on my LG TV, an Accurian portable TV, and several DTV converter boxes. I haven't tried it with my Hitachi, Vizio, or Dish Network boxes. Whatever it is certainly can be seen.

At this point I can only guess what it is that might be in testing, and will not disclose any of my guesses in a public forum, since they are only that, guesses.

No consumer boxes should see it? It's not in PSIP but it's very clearly a decodable audio stream on its own Program number. A number of stations transmit entirely without PSIP and those are received by the boxes, no reason why individual streams with usable content not listed in PSIP shouldn't be shown.

- Trip

The QAM channel list for Mediacom in Cedar Rapids badly needs to be updated. Since it hasn't, here is my list of what I believe to be stable signals channels:

PBS HD 114.4
KCRG HD 115.2
FOX HD 115.4
KGAN HD 89.4
KWWL HD 114.1

KCRG News & Weather 115.6
KWWL News & Weather 114.2

CSPAN 111.256

CW 99.8
FOX28 99.4
KCRG 99.6
ION 99.2
KGAN 99.10
KWWL 99.12
IPTV 99.18

A third IPTV channel is supposed to be in the clear as well but I can't find it. Does anyone how if Mediacom transmit it? OTA it is on 12.2

Please make any corrections or additions and share, share, share!

No consumer boxes should see it? It's not in PSIP but it's very clearly a decodable audio stream on its own Program number. A number of stations transmit entirely without PSIP and those are received by the boxes, no reason why individual streams with usable content not listed in PSIP shouldn't be shown.

I'm just passing on what I've been told about that particular stream. I agree that it does show up, I've seen it myself.

The QAM channel list for Mediacom in Cedar Rapids badly needs to be updated. Since it hasn't, here is my list of what I believe to be stable signals channels:

Only today did I realize I could get all these channels on my HDTV. I knew it had a QAM tuner, but I had never seen this QAM channel list and I couldn't figure out how to get the extra channels I had read about. I tried doing a channel auto-search a couple times, but it never found any digital channels. So, for the last four months I could have been watching a lot of shows in HD, but instead I was watching crappy standard def. I watched some football games this afternoon and the Survivor finale tonight in HD and it just blows SD away.

Rail on KGAN all you like, for I do it all the time also, just usually not publically. I too have experienced the aggravating center channel disappearances, where you can hear lots of lovely traffic sounds and no dialog. While I do tend to watch more CBS dramas than the other channels, I've recorded/watched a bunch there as well, and have not once noticed the same problem--it seems exclusive to KGAN. Its "mastery" of the HD signal is woeful. I think it was during that same CSI:NY episode that someone else referenced that KGAN experienced a period where the signal must have switched from analog to HD something like 10 times in a single minute. Unwatchable.

When writers have technical quirks, readers' attention starts to drift toward the writing rather than the story. These writers get editors or get fired. When TV shows push viewers' attention to technical ineptitude rather than the story, it does not put the viewers in good moods to feel favorably to what they see on commercials. You'd think that would catch up with the station after awhile. Maybe it does, who knows?

Perhaps these problems will go away in February when there's only one signal going out, but if it doesn't, look out. February is sweeps, after all, and all of the networks will be putting up their ace new material. Personally, I'm looking forward to that "Very Special episode of the Channel 2 News" when the anchors are inadvertently. Sheesh.

I noticed the same thing during that CSI:NY episode Triangle. The first 15 min of the show you couldn't hear any dialouge just background noise. Then when the audio started working again it would flip between SD and HD for the picture too.

This is the first time I have noticed this with CBS (KGAN) since hooking up the new HD set. ABC (KCRG) looks horrible compared to KGAN and KWWL to me. It's like the brightness is dialed way down.

Perhaps these problems will go away in February when there's only one signal going out, but if it doesn't, look out. February is sweeps, after all, and all of the networks will be putting up their ace new material. Personally, I'm looking forward to that "Very Special episode of the Channel 2 News" when the anchors are inadvertently. Sheesh.Hate to burst your bubble, but from what I've read, February sweeps have been moved to March due to the analog shutoff.

More shows on KCRG in SD because they can't manage an HD crawl.

C'mon KCRG!!!!

More shows on KCRG in SD because they can't manage an HD crawl.

C'mon KCRG!!!!

Here's the response I got from KCRG GM to my email complaining about the SD primetime:


We are in the final days of installing new equipment that will fix the problem you are referring to. We hope to have the equipment in place by the end of the week. We realize that from the viewers perspective that this must be an easy fix, but it is not that simple and one of many issues we face during the transition from analog to digital. We do believe that timely notice of closings and cancellations is more important than the format they are in.

Regards,
John Phelan

We are in the final days of installing new equipment that will fix the problem you are referring to. We hope to have the equipment in place by the end of the week. We realize that from the viewers perspective that this must be an easy fix, but it is not that simple and one of many issues we face during the transition from analog to digital. We do believe that timely notice of closings and cancellations is more important than the format they are in.[/FONT][/I]

John Phelan

And thats why KCRG is losing market share. I own an HDTV. Chances are good, that if I am interested in seeing what is canceled, I can fire up my computer and check the website. And if, God forbid, that doesn't work, I can tune in to 9.2 which should be where cancellations are shown, full screen, a page at a time. I don't know anyone with an HDTV who could care less about MFL Mar-Mac being closed, or there being a snow emergency in Vinton. Sorry, but I think DirecTV is doing us a favor by not carrying KCRG to be honest.

anyone catch Jarret last nite? He was on, explaining DTV (again) in a fifteen minute infomercial that pre-empted KWWL news.

Was worth a watch, at least for the humor (Jarret was fine - from all appearances his IQ had to match or surpass the sum of all other talking heads that were shown.) Chris Carter told us everything he knew about DTV, and then he vamped for 14 and a half minutes.

Best part was the old guy with the new Samsung panel. He was "ready and waiting" for the transition to digital. They even had a touching shot of him leaning forward in the recliner, remote poised, ready to punch in the right digits to watch in HD, just as soon as February rolled around.

You would have thought someone would tip the poor guy off, let him know that the digital channels are ALREADY THERE! :rolleyes:

I'm real glad that the folks in charge of on-air content aren't the same ones responsible for keeping the transmitter running. :D

And thats why KCRG is losing market share. I own an HDTV. Chances are good, that if I am interested in seeing what is canceled, I can fire up my computer and check the website. And if, God forbid, that doesn't work, I can tune in to 9.2 which should be where cancellations are shown, full screen, a page at a time. I don't know anyone with an HDTV who could care less about MFL Mar-Mac being closed, or there being a snow emergency in Vinton. Sorry, but I think DirecTV is doing us a favor by not carrying KCRG to be honest."I can tune in to 9.2 which should be where cancellations are shown, full screen, a page at a time."
Best quote ever on the subject of drags for all channels.:) :D

anyone catch Jarret last nite? He was on, explaining DTV (again) in a fifteen minute infomercial that pre-empted KWWL news.

Was worth a watch, at least for the humor (Jarret was fine - from all appearances his IQ had to match or surpass the sum of all other talking heads that were shown.) Chris Carter told us everything he knew about DTV, and then he vamped for 14 and a half minutes.

Best part was the old guy with the new Samsung panel. He was "ready and waiting" for the transition to digital. They even had a touching shot of him leaning forward in the recliner, remote poised, ready to punch in the right digits to watch in HD, just as soon as February rolled around.

You would have thought someone would tip the poor guy off, let him know that the digital channels are ALREADY THERE! :rolleyes:

I'm real glad that the folks in charge of on-air content aren't the same ones responsible for keeping the transmitter running. :D

I think I'm beginning to get the hang of this digital TV stuff... I'll give that guy in the recliner a call when when the magic begins :rolleyes:

Last night, we got slammed again with phone calls. But the calls last night were different from the previous test, which focused more on antennas and reception. Most were from people who didn't understand that you actually had to connect the converter box for it to be ready to go! UGGGGHHHHH!

The best one was a gentleman pressing me for additional remote codes so that he could control his emerson TV through the STB remote. Evidently, the ten listed in the manual didn't work and he felt I was holding on the the actual codes that would work. I'm not even sure the emerson had a remote to begin with :eek:

It's going to be a fun 61 days!
-Jarrett

I think I'm beginning to get the hang of this digital TV stuff... I'll give that guy in the recliner a call when when the magic begins :rolleyes:


It's going to be a fun 61 days!
-Jarrett



got that right. I actually had to send away for some coupons (and Chris also did folks a disservice, letting them think they'll be available until March, what with the rumors that the gov is almost out of them.) - I have 3 hd boxes that I'm not using; unfortunately, none of the danged things have an rf output so I can connect it to my ancient Zenith. Crap. I have a firewire Samsung stb box, and I'm going to have to score a poc Insignia welfare cheese box to keep using my tv. :(

and fwiw, Jarrett, my wife said you looked like the only one who was relaxed and had a clue. :cool:

got that right. I actually had to send away for some coupons (and Chris also did folks a disservice, letting them think they'll be available until March, what with the rumors that the gov is almost out of them.) - I have 3 hd boxes that I'm not using; unfortunately, none of the danged things have an rf output so I can connect it to my ancient Zenith. Crap. I have a firewire Samsung stb box, and I'm going to have to score a poc Insignia welfare cheese box to keep using my tv. :(
If any of your boxes has an A/V output, you might want to check RadioShack or some other electronics stores to see if they have RF modulators. I understand there are models which will convert an A/V or S-video input to an RF output for an analog TV. Or if you've got a spare VCR you could hook it up to your Zenith through that.

FCC filing: Waterloo independent station may be in trouble

A Waterloo TV station may be forced to leave the air completely after February 17, at least temporarily.

KWWF has filed a new transition report (http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1285345&Service=TV&Form_id=387&Facility_id=81595) suggesting the independent station may not make the flash-cut it needs to make by the February 17 deadline. KWWF is an analog-only station with no digital companion channel.

According to the report, parent company EBC Waterloo filed for bankruptcy earlier this month and "must obtain post-petition financing and court approval before digital facilities may be constructed." Their filing suggests they may not be able to convert Channel 22 to digital by the deadline, and they acknowledge that this could force them to leave the air entirely for a time.

Way to go KCRG!!!! Hopefully we can finally keep HD in primetime going!!!!

On a side note, for all you Mediacom users, it seems that they changed PBS-HD to channel 89 and moved KGAN-HD up to 114..... Any PC tuner users may need to adjust....

If any of your boxes has an A/V output, you might want to check RadioShack or some other electronics stores to see if they have RF modulators. I understand there are models which will convert an A/V or S-video input to an RF output for an analog TV. Or if you've got a spare VCR you could hook it up to your Zenith through that.

what a kludge...you're absolutely right. heck - would be the perfect use for that manually tuned vcr I found in my closet this summer. (during the floods - I lost an Accuphase FM tuner, but discovered in a safe place a VCR so old it only tuned 20 stations - one of the old ones with the little wheels you had to turn to tune each station.)

but that'll work! are you sure this isn't some ploy by Cheney and the oil companies? I'm gonna have a tv, an hd stb, and a vcr, just so I can get my noon fix of the weather.....

sheesh

If any of your boxes has an A/V output, you might want to check RadioShack or some other electronics stores to see if they have RF modulators. I understand there are models which will convert an A/V or S-video input to an RF output for an analog TV. Or if you've got a spare VCR you could hook it up to your Zenith through that.

RF Converters are readily available, mostly because of the popularity of DVD players. I have a couple lying around at home. They all accept RCA connections, and some even take S-Video. They cost maybe 20 bucks at the most.

Way to go KCRG!!!! Hopefully we can finally keep HD in primetime going!!!!

On a side note, for all you Mediacom users, it seems that they changed PBS-HD to channel 89 and moved KGAN-HD up to 114..... Any PC tuner users may need to adjust....

I must be missing something, I get nothing on 89. I do get PDS-HD on 811 though.

Anyone getting the Food Network in CR yet? Mine is a no go.

ImOn is QAM channel shuffling also. I noticed a few HD channels haven't been coming in on my subscriber box, so I put a QAM tuner on a mission to seek out everything it could find and had a few surprises. Numerous SD 480i Showtime, Encore, and Cinemax channels are coming in unscrambled in the 87.n, 89.n, and 90.n channel range. An ESPN-HD channel is on 88.1, with HDNet on 92.2. There are a few channels discovered that don't contain content. A few of the HD and 480i digital channels have been moved from an old channel assignment a month ago to a channel number similar to how it is presented on subscriber boxes (e.g., KGAN-HD is now on 802 but was on 109.3). Not sure how long all this will stay this way, but it's how I found things this morning.

Here's a chart showing current channels for the expected QAM things out there.

KGAN-HD (CBS) 802 1080i
KFXA-HD (FOX) 808 720p
KCRG-HD (ABC) 110.3 720p
IPTV-HD (PBS) 92.3 1080i

KGANS (digital) 702 480i
KFXAS (digital) 708 480i
KCRG 9.2 110.4 480i
IPTV (digital) 92.4 480i

FOX Business HD 888 720p
QVC-HD 94.2 1080i
BigTen-HD 94.1 720p

ESPN-HD 88.1 720p
HDNet 92.2 1080i

I must be missing something, I get nothing on 89. I do get PDS-HD on 811 though.

I am referring to the actual physical RF channel for QAM tuners. Kgan used to be on RF channel 89 and PBS on RF channel 114. Those have reversed now....

It appears that ImOn has switched over to rebroadcasting the local HD channels on their analog channel locations. For example, KCRG-HD is downconverted to 480i 4:3 and rebroadcast on analog channel "9". I suspected this when I noticed that their new HD crawler was too far to right of the screen and partially cut off on the 4:3 screen. Checking the over-the-air analog signals confirmed that channels 2, 7, and 9 on ImOn all have the slight delay, indicative of a digital channel. The over-the-air analog channel was still crawling the huge weather delay detail during the 5 PM ABC news, but only the tiny HD crawler was visible on ImOn analog channel 9. Way cool ... finally we get our screen real estate back!!

About the only thing left for ImOn to do is to be sure to switch over to the new HD channel locations when 7 and 9 move their HD signal back to their original frequencies.

First I'd like to say thanks to KWWL since their drag takes up very little space on the screen. as it's not very high. I do have one concern, and on my 61" Sammy" HL-R6167W the bottom 20% of the lower row of letters is cut off, probably because my tv is slightly overscanned. Anybody else have this problem, or is it my tv?

First I'd like to say thanks to KWWL since their drag takes up very little space on the screen. as it's not very high. I do have one concern, and on my 61" Sammy" HL-R6167W the bottom 20% of the lower row of letters is cut off, probably because my tv is slightly overscanned. Anybody else have this problem, or is it my tv?

My 51" Hitachi was doing that, I adjusted the overscan settings a bit in the service menu and now It's good.

"I can tune in to 9.2 which should be where cancellations are shown, full screen, a page at a time."
Best quote ever on the subject of drags for all channels.:) :D

I will second that! Why the hell don't any of the locals use the subchannel for weather delays? Then they can muck up X.2 all they want, and the rest of us
can watch programming as scheduled.

I will second that! Why the hell don't any of the locals use the subchannel for weather delays? Then they can muck up X.2 all they want, and the rest of us
can watch programming as scheduled.

1. Cable
2. Satellite

- Trip

Gary,

I have been thinking about switching from Mediacom to ImOn. Have you heard anything about ImOn adding new HD channels anytime soon? I see Mediacom just added nine new HD channels so I'd like to see ImOn at least keep up with them.

Hey, nice looking antenna!

I think I read somewhere that ChannelMaster (or Winegard?) was selling
custom made antennas based on the market you are in.

I just discovered this week, that removing my attic VHF antenna significantly
improved my UHF reception. I think I might have introduced some standing waves with my setup. I also found my Winegard preamp in the attic has some thick sticky waxy goo leaking out of it when I swapped the coax out.

I'm guessing the heat in the attic melted something in the amplifier, probably not good :(

Removal of the VHF Yagi and the combiner and running the UHF directly into the preamp is giving me rock solid signal for everything including KWKB and PBS channel 12 even though those transmitters are on the opposite side of where it is pointed!

Now my next goal is to try and find a way to pick up KYOU. I used to get it in the analog days using my current setup (UHF/VHF/combiner/preamp) but I now have that antenna pointed the other way to Walker.

Is there a proven way to used 3 fixed (2 UHF, 1 VHF) antennas and combine them with minimal signal loss? This sounds like an adaptive array.

From what I have read, it's asking for trouble.
I also have an APEX CECB that has the Smart Antenna port on the back, but I'm still waiting for that technology to take off. So far, I think there's only one out there from RCA.

oldsyd: I love tinkering with RF.
See my Nov 5th post "VHF/UHF home made antenna for Cedar Rapids" back
around page 78.

I am waiting for the complaints from people who bought UHF only panel
or corner reflector antennas and find KWWL & KCRG gone.
If I was not afraid of walking on icy roofs I could make alot of money
installing antennas late Feb. and March.

Ok, reverse that then.

During weather alert time, plaster all the banners
and crap on X.1 and then carry a virgin SD feed
on the subchannel X.2 for those of us who want
to watch it.

That would also add incentive to home users to
start getting free TV via off air.

When they have automated garbage all over the
programming AND have the same automated stuff
on the subcarriers, it's redundant and makes an
informational subchannel pointless.




1. Cable
2. Satellite

- Trip

. I do have one concern, and on my 61" Sammy" HL-R6167W the bottom 20% of the lower row of letters is cut off, probably because my tv is slightly overscanned. Anybody else have this problem, or is it my tv?

had trouble with their initial implementation of the crawl; once they raised it up to their present location, I've been fine. - this is with both Sony and Insignia (:o) hd-crts. so from my end, thanks to those who raised the crawl. -think it was before Jarret came in, but can't remember for sure - if it was you, J, thanks.

KYOU-DT is currently operating at very low-power. On 02/17/09, they plan to return to channel 15 at a reasonable power level, so don't go channel hunting til then. :D

- Trip

Gary,

I have been thinking about switching from Mediacom to ImOn. Have you heard anything about ImOn adding new HD channels anytime soon? I see Mediacom just added nine new HD channels so I'd like to see ImOn at least keep up with them.

Before the flood this summer ImOn sent out a survey with $1 in it (to encourage a response) asking us to select three out of about 15 possible HD channels that we would like to see on their high def lineup. The survey indicated that their intent was to add the most requested channels. That was a great way of listening to and responding to customer desires.

I haven't seen any results from that yet. It's possible that what they are doing with shuffling channels around right now is leading up to new channels. I'm hoping to see something new pop up at some point, but I also realize that they have taken a huge hit with loosing customers, having to replace destroyed cable set top boxes and cable modems, and repairing infrastructure items, all due to the flood. Mediacom had the same issues, but they obviously have a lot more reserve to handle this type of thing. Overall I couldn't be much happier with ImOn services, but they are going to need to keep up with the competition.

I have 2 Silver sensors and 1 big vhf in my attic. Also an amp. I live 20miles south of Waterloo. I get the locals and the Des Moines stations. Works great most of the time. When the weather is cold or very windy, I sometimes have problems. When I have problems I switch from my Didrectv receiver to the TV tuner. The TV has a much better tuner.

...Overall I couldn't be much happier with ImOn services, but they are going to need to keep up with the competition.

Are you using them for broadband? If so, whats your bandwidth?

Also, do you use a cable card from them? Just trying to see if they are a better deal than Mediacom.

Are you using them for broadband? If so, whats your bandwidth?

This is what the websites say.

Mediacom

8 Mbps down/512k up - $46/mo

ImOn

5 Mbps down/768k up - $45/mo
10 Mbps down/1024k up - $50/mo

Are you using them for broadband? If so, whats your bandwidth?

Also, do you use a cable card from them? Just trying to see if they are a better deal than Mediacom.

I'm subscribed to their Cable Modem MAX service. They have always had the lite service and then several variations of faster services that has been enhanced (increasingly faster) over the years since I first signed on in the McLeod days in 1999. Back then I think the speed was more around 1.5-2 Mbps, but they have increased it over the years for that same price to remain competitive with Mediacom. I used to run speedtests and the like to see how good of service it really was, but anymore I don't worry about it because it's always fast enough for me. I've even kicked around the idea of downgrading to the lite service just because I rarely download much anymore. If they had something in between the lite and max speeds, I'd probably go for that. Internet speed are so variable but what you can't really guarantee getting consistent high bandwidth from any one source anyways.

http://www.imon.net/internet/features.php

I've always just had their analog TV service until a little over a year ago when I subscribed to their high definition service in the theater. They provided me with a Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HD. That box has a cable card, but all my other sets are just analog except for new 19" LCD panel I put in the bathroom that has a QAM tuner in it.

I'd rather support a local company over Mediacom any day, but I also expect them to remain fairly competitive in price and services.

If I'm reading the site correctly, to get ImOn's full set of HD channels you are charged $10/mo for the HD service plus $6/mo for an HD box. Is that right, Gary?

If I'm reading the site correctly, to get ImOn's full set of HD channels you are charged $10/mo for the HD service plus $6/mo for an HD box. Is that right, Gary?

They waive the fee on the first set top box. I subscribe to their Digital Entertainer at $51.98 plus and additional $9.98 for High Definition Programming. The $5.98 is waived in that I only have that one box.

http://www.imon.net/cabletv/rates.php

They do require that you pay $2.98 a month for a cable modem rental for Internet service.

They waive the fee on the first set top box. I subscribe to their Digital Entertainer at $51.98 plus and additional $9.98 for High Definition Programming. The $5.98 is waived in that I only have that one box.

Ok. The package I would want is the preferred service($41.98) with HBO($11.50), HD($9.98), and two set-top boxes($5.98... at least one being HD. Maybe with the scarcity of HD boxes each subscriber is allowed only one?).

It appears the same package from Mediacom would cost me about $25 more.

They do require that you pay $2.98 a month for a cable modem rental for Internet service.

Even if you already own a cable modem?

Even if you already own a cable modem?

Someone told me that you couldn't supply your own DOCSIS modem - I never inquired about it so you may want to check with them to be sure.

The QAM channel list for Mediacom in Cedar Rapids badly needs to be updated.

The QAM HD broadcast channels for Mediacom Waterloo had been stable for quite some time, but yesterday I noticed that they did change a couple things around at some point (not sure when exactly).

Here's the current list (changes in red):

113.6 KRIN (PBS)
114.1 KWWL (NBC)
114.2 KWWL Weather
114.4 KGAN (CBS)
115.2 KCRG (ABC)
115.4 KFXA (FOX)
115.6 KCRG 9.2 (News/Weather)
--

Mediacom Cedar Rapids has shifted PBS HD and KGAN HD as noted below. Our local Mediacom outlet does not retransmit IPTV Create/World but that public TV service is available over the air if you have digital antenna reception.

PBS HD 89.4
KCRG HD 115.2
FOX HD 115.4
KGAN HD 114.6
KWWL HD 114.1

KCRG News & Weather 115.6
KWWL News & Weather 114.2

CSPAN 111.256

CW 99.8
FOX28 99.4
KCRG 99.6
ION 99.2
KGAN 99.10
KWWL 99.12
IPTV 99.18

For those wondering how the digital transition will affect coverage area, the FCC has published maps based on engineering studies for each TV market in the country.

The map for Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City-Dubuque is at http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/markets/maps_report1/Cedar_Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa_City-Dubuque_IA.pdf . It should be fairly encouraging.

PBS HD 89.4
KCRG HD 115.2
FOX HD 115.4
KGAN HD 114.6
KWWL HD 114.1

KCRG News & Weather 115.6
KWWL News & Weather 114.2

CSPAN 111.256

CW 99.8
FOX28 99.4
KCRG 99.6
ION 99.2
KGAN 99.10
KWWL 99.12
IPTV 99.18

And....

KWWF 99.14

Surfing...noticed The Longest Yard on, the rear channel surround appears to be being directed through the front speakers. No dialog at all, just background stuff. I've read of this happening to others, but never seen it myselk on my system. Not doing it on any other channel both OTA and DSS/DTV.

I think that there is a lot of opportunity for local stations to muck up digital retransmissions. Yesterday during the start of a basketball game (it may have been the West Virginia-Ohio State game on channel 2 - I don't remember for sure) it started out in analog (no surprise!), but when they finally cut over to digital all that you could hear for a few minutes was background noise in the arenas, mics on the hoops, etc. No commentators. They also cut away to one commercial during this time and you couldn't hear anything on that. It was like this for a good five minutes or more, and then they corrected it. It's almost like they had the center channel audio turned off for a bit.

Happy Holidays, I have been considering changing my source for programming from c band satellite to imon cable. I currently have imon internet only. I was wanting some information what they use for a cable box, how well it works, and how they stack up compared to Dish or Direct. Their website doesn't list too many HD channels and if they are planning to add much in the future. I recently was forced to upgrade my RCA 61" tv to a Mits 65". I was amazed what a better tuner it has. The RCA I needed to be pinpointed at each tower. The house antenna is "froze" directly east and I pull in all locals without drop outs as well as some analog Des Moines, Ottumwa, & Davenport. When it warms up I will likely need to replace the Channel Master rotor as it has only worked sporatically since I put it up a couple years ago. Mostly, just looking for some info on imon, thanks, Bear

I was wanting some information what they use for a cable box, how well it works, and how they stack up compared to Dish or Direct. Their website doesn't list too many HD channels and if they are planning to add much in the future.

I subscribe to their Digital Entertainer and High Definition Programming services for my theater only. They supplied a Scientific Atlanta 8300HD set top box (STB) when I signed up for the HD service. Before that when I just had their digital channels in the theater, they used another lower end box that didn't have component and HDMI output. I don't remember the model. The 8300HD has a hard drive for DVR service, but it's not enabled without a monthly fee. All my other sets are analog only or with a QAM tuner and don't have a STB.

Before the flood ImOn sent a survey to customers asking us to pick three out of about 15-20 HD channels they'd like to see added. I'm assuming that they will react to this at some point and we'll see new channels, but nothing has come out of that survey to date. They've had their hands full like many in having to react to the flood.

QAM channels in the clear that you can receive without a box in addition to all of the analog channels under their Basic and Preferred Service includes KGAN-HD, KFXA-HD, KCRG-HD and KCRG-9.2, IPTV-HD, FOX Business-HD, QVC-HD, BigTen-HD, and 720p variations of KGAN, KFXA, and IPTV. The past few weeks they have been renumbering and shuffling on and off a number of QAM channels - I'm guessing in preparation of enabling some new things, so the QAM line up has been a moving target recently.

BREAKING: KWWL is airing -- or at least trying to air -- a slide on channel 7.2 announcing "This TV Network" (yes, "This TV" is the name of the network) is coming soon to the channel formerly occupied by Weather Plus.

Edit: it's now showing a green screen, and even when the slide was on it was kind of going in and out, hence the "trying to air" part.

BREAKING: KWWL is airing -- or at least trying to air -- a slide on channel 7.2 announcing "This TV Network" (yes, "This TV" is the name of the network) is coming soon to the channel formerly occupied by Weather Plus.


According to the "THIS TV" Wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_TV), they air some movies currently owned by MGM. One of the Chicago broadcast networks airs "THIS TV" and so you can look at an example of their schedule on Zap2It (http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCSGrid.do?sgridType=list&stnNum=61780&channel=26.4).

I see they aired "The Terminator" yesterday and "Rob Roy" in a couple weeks, so that channel might not be a complete waste of bandwidth.

DMA City Station Channel Owner
#3 Chicago, IL WCIU-TV 26.4 Weigel Broadcasting
#10 Houston, TX KPRC-TV 2.2 Post-Newsweek Stations
#11 Detroit, MI WDIV-TV 4.2 Post-Newsweek Stations
#14 Seattle, WA KOMO-TV[12] 4.2 Fisher Communications
#26 Baltimore, MD WBFF-TV 45.2 Sinclair Broadcasting
#32 Columbus, OH WSYX-TV 6.2 Sinclair Broadcasting
#35 Milwaukee, WI WDJT-TV 58.3 Weigel Broadcasting
#41 Lancaster, PA WGAL-TV 8.2 Hearst-Argyle Broadcasting
#57 Albany, NY WRGB-TV 6.2 Freedom Communications
#58 Richmond, VA WRLH-TV 35.2 Sinclair Broadcasting
#64 Dayton, OH WRGT-TV 45.2 Sinclair Broadcasting
#82 Huntsville, AL WAFF-TV 48.2 Raycom Media
#83 Cedar Rapids, IA KWWL-TV 7.2 Quincy Newspapers
#143 Lubbock, TX KCBD-TV 11.2 Raycom Media

BREAKING: KWWL is airing -- or at least trying to air -- a slide on channel 7.2 announcing "This TV Network" (yes, "This TV" is the name of the network) is coming soon to the channel formerly occupied by Weather Plus.

Edit: it's now showing a green screen, and even when the slide was on it was kind of going in and out, hence the "trying to air" part.

Stupid WeatherPlus stuff wouldn't die! It kept trying to take control despite all of its content ending at midnight the night before. We finally got it fixed and stable. Now the big question is when we actually will have the gear in place. I'm lobbying for as soon as possible, but it may take a couple months to sort all of the "this" out.

I'm not sure if we will do something else in the meantime, like a promotional loop for This TV or simply a radar. I'll keep you all posted. I think it will be a pretty good thing once we get it on the air. I will probably shave a little bandwidth from RTN to even things out between the two channels (I'll leave the mother ship on 7.1 alone though... that needs all I can give it!).

-Jarrett

Weigel Brodcasting = WCIU? WCIU has select Cubs broadcasts during the season.

Hmmm...