Boston, MA - OTA - Page 6

Bob,

Certainly still interested in a station tour of the DTV site, if only to say thanks for all the proactive and communicative work you do!

Also, by "ghosting", might a previous writer actually be seeing the extravagant edge enhancement embedded in the SD upconverts? If so, there's not much to be done but change the channel.

Looking forward.

Bill

Count me in.

/Matt

still interested also.

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Regards,
Steve

[quote]Originally posted by Bob Hess:
Anyone else still interested in the WBZ tower site open house?

I am.

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Jim

Bob,

I think Derek did speak for all of us!

Also, any luck on stopping the guide blocking on the Tosh/Mits/Hughes units?

Thanks,
Tim

Hi Bob Hess,
yes, I am still interested in attending the open house.

As for the Ghosting I only see it when:

1. Locally originated

2. When one particular source device is used.

All other occasions it is very sharp and detailed picture with excellent color quality. The problems looks like ringing on the edge of the detail. Maybe an impedance problem in the VTR I/O, or cables.

Hope this helps.

Pat

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HDjunky

Anyway to combine the open house with a work party? A lot of us will do just about anything to help get WGBH-DT on the air! [Yes I've sent contributions earmarked to WBGH-DT, but I figured some press coverage of volunteers might be a better way to raise awareness of "viewer supported television."]

--Jim

P.S.
Afterwards, we can sit around the transmitter tubes, toasting marshmallows and reminiscing about the good ol' days of channel 30 with its 4kw of power and the techniques we used to get it.

Have trouble with quite a bit of snow with 44. Sounds like this is going to be a problem. Antybody else in Southern NH receiving Boston Digital? Thanks.

I am also very interested in the tour.

For anyone in Framingham who receiving PBS either out of New Hampshire, or Springfield.... could you please tell me your antenna configuration? I live at the junction of I90 and Rte.9 but in an apartment complex facing south. So I have to point through a North facing apartment if I want to point to New Hampshire's PBS. I have a CM 3021 without any amplifiers and I dont get any signal from that PBS station.

Thanks,
Sal

Equipment: Mits 65857 / DISH 6000 / Pioneer DV-434

I'm in Framingham... and we're at the fringe!!!. (Fortunately the Model 6000 is very good at handling multipath!).

I have the CM Parascope...with a 28db preamp, and that's about the minimum configuration. (They won't go to full power for quite some time [i.e. when they switch channel 11 to digital]).

Also PBS only is normally on weekday evenings (7-9pm); and
weekends 2-9pm.

Good news: It's well worth the effort to get!

P.S.
The other alternative is to put up a 3 ft satellite dish (will face SSW!) and use the UnityMotion/Integra HDTV satellite receiver to get PBS-HD directly off the satellite.

Hi Bill.

I live in Merrimack, NH, and pick up all the Boston DTV stations just fine. You just need the right rooftop antenna and amplifier. I have a Channel Master 3020 antenna and Winegard 8700 pre-amp and can pick up ATSC versions of 4, 5, 7, 11 and 25.

- Dave

Time to kick some life into Boston digital TV!

Anyone noticed quality issues lately? ABC's signal is in and out, radical strength swings-- while CBS, from the same antenna, is rock steady and strong.

Also notice NBC's digital conversion equipment is set very poorly-- the frames are always lagging, or ghosting, like the digital converters can't keep up with the analog frames. Wonder if they watch their own transmission--

Any word if nationwide PBS got the $40m in funding? Targeted for digital conversion--

Starman

I have also noticed that about ABC... I'm about 50miles west of Boston, but with a roof top antenna I can get all the stations. ABC is weird because one day I'll be getting 98-100% of the signal (which is pretty impressive considering how far away I am), then the next I get 70%, while none of the other stations seems to affected.

NBC can look pretty bad, I often won't bother watching it just for that reason.

I wish WFXT-DT would up their power a bit. That's the only Boston station that I have problems with it going in and out, and only getting 65% of the signal. WFXT 25 analog comes in crystal clear here however.

-Mike

Mike,

I have found that a marginal southward pointing movemet of the antenna makes a significant difference in getting in WFXT. I am sure you did a lot of trial and error in optimizing all stations.

Amazingly I have been having some breakups on WBZ. (Hope I don't have to get the voodoo out again). I am desperately trying to get WENH-DT 57 by Jointenna'ing my ChannelMaster about 130 degrees to the left of Needham to no avail. Next stop is a pre-amp. Stop after that would be to run the ChannelMaster back in parallel to Needham which ups the Boston stations enough to fry eggs.

Tim

FYI, according to an email x-change I had with Ross Kaufman of WCVB, Ross said that WCVB-DT's power will be increased this week from 48% of full to 64%. I know this will help me as I get a very fringe signal now with frequent multipath interruptions. This should put WCVB pretty much on par with WBZ.

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I have tried to get WENH-DT NH PBS for weeks. I have a 100" antenna, large YAGI which nails Needham. But every time I swing it north to ch. 57 PBS, strange! I get ZERO on my Hipix, nada, not even a 5% which I get from any direction on the Needham stations. I try it between 7-9pm weekday nights. Are they only sporadically transmitting from day-day? Antennaweb.org says I should easily get it with my directional antenna. Nor do I get ch. 59 NH. I figure an amp won't help if I don't even get a blip, right?
Starman

They have been on regularly 7-9ish weekdays as well as weekend afternoons and evenings. They are still at "construction permit levels", and will not be at full power for some time. [Will probably go to full power when they switch over to channel 11].

You will need a good UHF section and a good preamp.
Check a map to see if you have a reasonably clear shot to Saddleback Mtn. in New Hampshire -- and warning that nearby hills can cause multipath issues. Good Luck.
[I'm in Framingham and have a 7 ft. CM Parascope "dedicated" to Ch. 57, and I still need a good 28db pre-amp.]

WENH-DT has been on every night from 7 to 9PM +- a few minutes. I live in Tewksbury and receive them very well. The WENH tower is 39 miles from me and I receive them with a signal of 70-76 with no mulitpath issues. I use a RCA DTC-100 and a APS U-92 UHF antenna up about 25 feet and no pre-amp. With the antenna up at 100 feet and x distance from the tower, you may want to check line loss and correct with the preamp. Ch 59 has been off the air for a long time. I don't know the reason.

Pat


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HDjunky

Jim,

What kind of Pre-Amp are you using. I usually go out to Stark Electronics in Worcester to grab dedicated things, but I went into Radio Shack last night to pick up a returnable Pre-Amp just for trial & error. They never heard of a pre-amp, just in-line signal amplifiers.

Using a ChannelMaster 4248 by itself to try to hit 57 so I know I'm in good shape there. Bupkis.

Tim

Is there a web site listing what digital stations are available in the Boston area, what their channel numbers are, and what their schedules are?

Try www.titantv.com


[This message has been edited by wkhz (edited 08-01-2001).]

Jim,

Thanks.

Tim

Well you can add me to the list of Eastern Mass HDTV receivers. I just installed a Sony HD-100 into my HT using a FPTV. I am using a Rat Shack antenna in the attic with a channel master amp of 12dB. All channels working including FOX which surprised me since I live about 40 miles SE of Needham and my antenna is in the attic. I guessed on pointing the antenna in the attic. First try BZ came in with a signal of 92. The others are in the low 80's to high 90's. So far so good....

---Andy Garabedian

Uxbridge, MA

Andy,

Welcome. Tell us how the HD-100 does with local guides & PSIP channel mapping.

Tim

The channel mapping worked without a hitch. 4.1 & 25.1 occurred. The guide is empty; Just shows Digital broadcast in the time slots. One question. I expected to see Jay Leno in a 16x9 format. Should I have? He only appears in 4x3. The only channel I had breakups with is FOX 25. Happened three times during the 1.5 hours I watch that channel. I am assuming glitches with DTV broadcast. CBS, ABC, & NBC had no breakups.

[This message has been edited by andyg (edited 08-02-2001).]

CM 7777, which I got from Stark [I also have on a channel 11 cut yagi, hence the VHF/UHF pre-amp]. It is listed on Stark's Pre-Amplifier page.

Jay Leno is in 4:3 format in Boston because the GM's of WHDH-DT Boston and KPHO-Phoenix were seperated at birth! WHDH does not feel there are sufficient HD displays in the Boston area, and insufficient NBC HD programs to pass on 1080i signals.

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I send them my .02 on reformatting the picture and the injustice of it all. I saw CSI on CBS. Now that looked awesome....

---Andy

PBS in it's HD glory, Channel 57 in Manchester.

Well I did the preamp and Jointenna route to get about a 56-57% reading on both my DST-3000 and Dish 6000. Below should be mandatory reading for 6000 users.



Hot,

You da' man.

This should be a mandatory course for all 6000 owners. Great workaround.

Watching auburn & Alabama on the PBS National Feed now (80-3, mapped locally).

Of course I'm watching on WENH-DT because our Boston "Flagship" PBS WGBH station believes there are not enough DTV sets in the Boston area, though their Sprinfield affiliate is broadcasting to a fraction of that fraction.

Thanks,
Tim

About a month ago in response to their request that I renew, I sent WGBH a letter detailing why I would not renew my membership until they started broadcasting an HD signal on channel 19. I never got any reply. Yesterday afternoon, one of their pledge people called to ask if they could count on my renewing my membership at the same level as last year since my membership was expiring. I explained that I wasn't going to renew until WGBH was broadcasting an HD signal, and that I had sent them a letter detailing this previously. Without saying another word, she hung up on me. Usually, I'm the one hanging up on telemarketers.

SMK