Tucson, AZ - HDTV - Page 124

Is anyone else having issues with KOLD channel 13.1? Over the last week I have recorded two shows (using Windows Media Center), 2 Broke Girls on Monday and The Big Bang Theory last Thursday, and both had problems.

2BG had a huge number of skipped/freezing frames, and BBT only had the last 5 minutes recorded. When I tune into it right now, WMC says that there is no signal.

When I switch to subchannels 13.2 or 13.3 (the weather forecast), it receives signal.

Is this something on my side, or do other viewers with antenna have this problem? I haven't changed anything in my setup, and have no problems with other channels.

Nobody has any problems with KOLD? Or is this thread abandoned completely now...

Well, I haven't checked in a while... KOLD is not working now via OTA or 212 on comcast HD. Seems like HDTV via local broadcasts is just unreliable still. It maybe was OK when they had a steady SD broadcast but that's not the case any more and atleast locally here they still can't get their acts together. I suggest internet and usenet now.

I haven't checked here in a while, Tucson certainly isn't the most active thread, couldn't believe it was on the second page of a search for "Tucson" (and never understood why so many other cities apparently mention Tucson in their threads)

Anyway, way out here in Cochise county between Benson & Willcox KOLD comes in fine. I've been recording Two and a Half Men all Fall in the time slot right after 2 Broke Girls and it's always perfect, and that's with Media Center in Win 7. Perhaps try a re-scan of of all channels in Media center? Mine is always dropping KVOA even though it always comes in fine on 3 TVs, a re-scan fixes it for awhile.

In the other direction, I pick up all of the full-power Bigelow signals from as far away as north Scottsdale, including KOLD with no difficulty. Micke, are you in NW Tucson, Marana or Oro Valley? If so, you may be getting the replacement translator for KOLD, which is broadcasting on RF ch 13, instead of the main signal on RF ch 32.

2 Broke girls didn't record at all this past week, but the shows before and after it were fine, so not sure what happened with that. If you are going to have any problems with one of the stations though, it will be with KOLD, they have been the red-headed stepchild of all the stations since DTV started back in 2007.

And KOLD is doing something because first my file sizes for Letterman and Ferguson shrunk this past week, down to 6.2 G and 5.5 G respectively when they used to be 6.9 G and 6.7 G, and then on Fri they blew up in size to 7.3 G and 7.0 G so now they are 5% larger than they used to be after they went 10% smaller for a few days, so I'm not sure what they are doing.

KOLD just dropped their weather feed, right? I would assume the bandwidth from that is being added back into the remaining HD and Me-TV.

- Trip

I've set up my sister's HDTV (Panasonic TC-L32X2) to receive clear QAM from Comcast in NW Tucson. The locals all come in except for two PBS channels: Create and V-Me. The TV picks up their PSIP names correctly but shows a black screen, no audio. My OnAir GT receives both of them.

Both subchannels are on physical channel 121 along with PBS Kid, KWBA-HD, KWBA-LA and World, all of which the Panasonic receives. Examining channel 121 with the GT and TSReader Lite I believe the Service Type is incorrectly set to 4 (ATSC_data_only_service) for these two. It should be 2 (ATSC_digital_television) as all of the others are. See ATSC Standard: Program and System Information Protocol for Terrestrial Broadcast and Cable (Revision B), Table 6.7. Apparently some receivers respect the Service Type and others ignore it.

I'm snowbirding (not that there's been any snow to speak of back home) and won't have time to follow up on this with Comcast or KUAT. Could someone pass this along to a tech at either place (preferably both)?

I just noticed my cablecard device with USB tuning adapter now has channels that my Cox DVR's (8240/8300 HD) and the Cox channel guide don't list:

1073 FSAZHD
1073 FSAZHDA (as needed?)
1101 HUBHD
1133 DIYHD
1134 COOKHD
1136 HSTRYHD
1136 H2HD (available on DVR)
1161 OUTHD2
1202 HBOSPHD
1203 HBOFPHD
1204 HBOCPHD
1205 HBOZPHD
1210 HBOHD
1211 HBO2HD
1212 HBOLATP
1222 ACMXHDP
1223 THMXHDP
1225 MAXHD
1226 MOMAXHD
1230 5MAXHD
1242 SHOCPHD
1243 SHWXPHD
1251 TMCXPHD
1262 STZIBHP
1264 STRZ4H
1265 STRCHP
1266 STZCHP
1900 SWRVHD

KMSB is all screwed up right now. The aspect ratio is all off (everything's tall and skinny), and it sounds like the center channel's not coming through at all.

I'd love to contact them and tell them, not because I care so much, but because I assume that they care and would like to know (a big assumption, I know). I called their main phone number at 770-1123, but that's just a recording and a voice mail box. Does anyone know how to get in touch with a TV station after hours in a case like this?

Master control used to be at KTVK, but Wikipedia says that everything was just transferred to KOLD. Try 744-1313 for the front desk or 744-6397 for the news line (probably the only one staffed after hours).

KMSB news is now run by KOLD 13, so the old numbers may not be forwarded.

Today Wed 2012-04-04 Cox cable outage 16:45 I can't tune any channels 2-17, and the Cox support number is too busy to get thru 884-0133.

Wow, not a lot of activity here.

Is KGUN9, 9.1 OTA digital broadcast up & running? I haven't been able to get it all week. I'm out in Cochise county between Benson & WilIcox and do have problems receiving 9.1 during monsoon, but it hasn't been that cloudy this week. all other Mt. Bigelow broadcast channels come in fine.

Not surprising, as KGUN is the only Tucson major station that broadcasts on a VHF frequency (chs 4, 6, 11 and 13 are actually only virtual channels; the real broadcast channels are 23, 30, 25 and 32, respectively). KGUN has a construction permit to increase power, but I don't know when that will happen.

VHF stations have had problems with signal propagation in digital that they never had in analog.

Yeah, KGUN is always problematic for me, around 50 miles from the towers on Mt. Bigelow - the only VHF transmission and with much less power than the UHF stations. And I only have a mid sized VHF/UHF combo antenna. I considered getting a large VHF only antenna for better KGUN reception, but that would be a larger target for lightening and the wind and decided it's not worth it. Jeopardy is the only thing I really miss when I can't get KGUN.

Interesting you call yourself an "OTA Holdout". When I first moved out here in 2005 I got DISH as neighbors assured me you couldn't get anything by antenna. Back then DISH didn't carry any of the Tucson stations in HD. PO'd at paying $50/mo. and not getting any of the networks in HD I researched on the web and found if I roof mounted a large antenna with preamp I should get most of the Tucson stations. I did, and the HD was better quality than DISH. At the end of the 1 yr. contract I realized I was watching 90% of my TV viewing from OTA and canceled DISH and have never regretted it. More than enough TV for me from OTA.
Edited by CochiseGuy - 7/15/12 at 10:21am

I've had a lot of problems with poor signal on KGUN9 the last few weeks, which surprised me because it has been rock solid before that. Now it barely goes 20 seconds between breakups in the signal, and sometimes the screen is just black. Something must have happened on the other end., since I haven't changed anything. Maybe they have reduced the signal strength?

Well, it came in fine yesterday, actually better than it has for some time - so maybe they were tinkering with their broadcast strength or signal.

Yep, it's working fine again for me too now. They must have been messing with something, or fixed whatever was wrong.

Wed 8-8-12 KMSB 11 17:05 MST on Cox cable channel 1011 via digital cable boxes and clear QAM (11.1) has had no audio for the past 65 minutes, regular non HD channel 11 audio is working fine. Call to Cox cable 884-0133 stated no known problems and cannot file a problem report due to only a single report! I contacted the newsroom http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/160758/about-tucson-news-now (they run enginering and broadcast services for KMSB/KTTU and KOLD) at 744-6397 and reported the issue.
OTA physical channel 25 11.1 is showing no picture or audioas of 18:24, but signal strenght of 78. I am able to tune 11.2 and see picture and audio there, so perhaps the main problem is the originating broadcast from KMSB?
Edited by SailorAladdin - 8/8/12 at 6:26pm

MickeS or anyone having issues with KVOA (digital 23) in Tucson? Got good signal until just after the olympics, now is dead. Thoughts? Thanks.

Had the same problem Sunday morning with our Visio TV (no signal) but our Samsung TV and Panasonic DVD recorder could get a signal. Strange?

Speaking of issues, someone I know in Tucson is reporting audio problems on KOLD 13.1. Anyone else getting the same?

In other news, I hear that Tucson now has Antenna TV on channel 9.2, replacing the SD feed of 9.1.

I can't believe Tucson got AntennaTV before Phoenix. So many sub-channels over here and the majority of them are completely worthless. Maybe I should have stayed in Tucson

For a long time now, I've noticed a "rushing" sound on Ch 13.1. Kind of sounds like waves genteelly crashing on a beach.

Bi-annual EPG problem due to DST change

Does anyone know of a contact at Cox or Zap2It to get the many programming errors fixed? Sun 11-4-2012 05:00 am MST many turner and non turner channels have 30 min programs displayed as 90 minutes.
Some examples are:

Channel
58/1058 05:30 - 07:00 Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex;
57/1057 The Suite Life on Deck;
1062
1063
1138
28/1028
29/1029
1039
23
45

I've heard the background ocean sound, and good old red headed step child KOLD sucks again, I lost their signal 2nite because it's raining, they are so pathetic compared to all the other stations that are all still working just fine.

Does anyone have a link to a current channel listing for Tucson, hopefully in a format that I can print onto 8.5" x 11" paper? I'm primarily interested the digital starter channels.

Thanks, Bill

This should get you what you're looking for - just print the first page for Starter TV.

http://ww2.cox.com/wcm/en/residential/datasheet/arizona/channel-lineup/tucsonarea.pdf

I expect that will change soon, as Cox should soon be adding a channel for COZI TV which will begin broadcasting on KVOA's channel 4.2 on January 1.

Oops, I should have mentioned I was looking for a Comcast listing. WhIle waiting for a reply to my post, I made my own listing - although I'm not sure it's current. This is it: