Boston, MA - OTA - Page 8

Nothing is easy for the Early Adopters. A preamp on your antenna will do more harm than good when the antenna is pointed at the Needham tower. WBZ's high power signal on channel 30 is probably wiping out WFXT's channel 31 when you have the preamp on. You should not need a preamp from your location to receive the signals from Needham.

New Hampshire signals may require the preamp.

A simple (meaning relatively small) UHF only antenna pointed at Needham should do the trick, when mounted on the roof, for anyone within about 10 miles of Needham unless you have a serious hill between you and Needham.

- Bob

Due to a flaw in a system we use which automatically handles satellite waiver requests from Dish, you may be notified by E* that your waiver request was denied by WBZ. We will not deny any waiver request for CBS-HD. If you are informed that you were denied by WBZ, send me an email and I will generate a waiver.

Bob Hess
Director, Broadcast Operations/Engineering
WBZ
bhess@cbs.com

Now if you could only put some pressure on our friends at WPRI...

Thanks for all the feedback here. In order to keep this thread more on topic, here's a thread I've started for the WENH tuning issue above.

http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/Forum11/HTML/015811.html

Any further feedback is much appreciated.

------------------

Todd

The HT-2-B

After watching channel 57.1 (58DTV) and DirecTV (199/509)for a few months I decided it was time to replace the PO's combined VHF/UHF antenna with a ChannelMaster #3023. A few weeks prior I had added an antenna mounted preamp which helped but not enough. Originally I wanted to put up the CM Parascope but the size of it and the >$100 shipping charge from NY changed my mind. Anyway, local channels (22/40/57/etc.) came in a lot better but the Boston DTV stations were at best intermittent (30-80 signal strength at night on a Sony HD100 but only rarely locking in. On the few nights when it would lock in, nobody was broadcasting 1080i. go figure) Today, I moved the antenna to another part of the roof that is about 15' higher for a total of about 35' above ground. The house is at 1125' above sea level. Now channel 20.1(WCVB) comes in at 90-100 signal strength ALWAYS locked, 30(4.1 WBZ) 95-100 ALWAYS locked, 31.1(WFXT) comes in at 20-30 strength no locking (obviously), 42.1(WHDH) comes in at 80-90 ALWAYS locked, 57/59 (can't remember which and only tried around 8pm) from New Hampshire has a max strength of about 18 and finally 33(WFSB) (3.1 from CT) maxes out at about 30. These signal strengths were taken early this afternoon and the Boston stations are 83 miles away. Of course nobody but the extremely local WGBY 57.1 (18 miles away) is broadcasting 720P/1080i tonight. I tried the NY DTV stations but had no luck (132 miles seems to be pushing it.) When I stick a VHF antenna on the pole I'll try for 10.1 (WTNH/CT)
Goshen is about a 15 minute drive west of NorthHampton on the Franklin County/Hampshire County line.



[This message has been edited by JasonAndreas (edited 08-23-2001).]

There is a thread in the programming section suggesting that there will be a significant amount of HDTV content broadcast during the olympics. I believe an earlier post in this thread indicated that WHDH might start HD broadcasts late fall or by new year. Does anyone know the status of their HD broadcasting plans and if they would be able to broadcast any of the olympics in HD?

SMK

Jim,

Getting WMUR-DT with a 44 signal now. Wonder if power is up even more (because my antenna pointing that way is Jointenna'd for 57 only).

Everything is S T R E T C H E D to improper geometry. Blech. Taking it off the guide.


Todd,

WHAT'S the good word????

Tim

can you please provide the reply-to e-mail address for the Maggie girl at WGBH? I am interested in this voluntary experiment....This station should be on the air in 3 weeks on channel 19.

Her email address is:
maggie_cahill_morasco@wgbh.org

Thanks wkhz. I just emailed her to volunteer. Anything involving WGBH and digital interests me - HD or not. I wonder where they got that question on the antenna though. Seems odd that a 30 foot antenna would be calculated as a 10 foot antenna on a 20 foot rooftop How ;bout a 6 inch one on a 29.5 foot roof

Mark H

I guess I am out of luck since I don't have outdoor antenna.

I wonder if a the "outdoor antenna" is really a requirement. If your current antenna can receive 20 & 30 then you should be able to get 19 unless they're operating at very low power.

/Matt

Just receive this email from WGBH. Does anyone have more information about it?

***Email quoted below***
WGBH, in partnership with Triveni Digital, is conducting a voluntary Interactive Digital Television trial of the program "Life 360." If you would like to be considered for participation in this trial, please answer the following questions and reply to this e-mail with them. If selected, you will be asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement with Triveni.

Questions:

1) Does your dwelling have a functioning thirty foot outdoor antenna (e.g., a ten foot antenna on top of a 20 foot house)?

2) Do you have a Standard Definition or High Definition Digital TV at home?

3) Are you willing to watch "Life 360" and interact with broadcast enhancements using the remote control unit?

4) What level of education have you completed?

5) Are you at least 35 years of age?

6) Have you watched PBS in the last seven days?

7) Do you have children over the age of 10?


Thank you for your time,

Maggie


--
Maggie Cahill-Morasco
WGBH InteractiveText

Bob Hess:

Since "there are so few of us HDTVers", could you ask WGBH for permission to let us know about (and provide feedback for Channel 19's testing activities). Let them know you could solicit the help of the "early adopters" in volunteering to providing signal reports as well as any problems with sound/picture quality.

Please stress:
*) we're here to help
*) we have a well-established communication network [this forum]
*) we have expertise at all levels
*) we have DTV STBs old and new from all the manufacturers
*) we provide advice and suggestions to the newbies
*) we've helped those suffering from pixelization
*) we've contributed to channel 19
and
!!) we want our HDTV

Most of us are veterans of Channel 30's low-power testing, and have amassed the specialized receiving equipment such as voodoo attenuators, rotors, notch filters, Silver Sensor antennas, Parascope antennas, jointennas, etc. We have been face-to-face with multipath, and conquered it. We've
muddled-through audio dropouts and kept on watching.
Watching test patterns and demo loops are our specialty.

I admit that the ranks of Channel 19 watchers may be a bit thin during CBS prime time or the upcoming CBS HDTV sporting events, but I'm sure we can provide coverage (going into side-by-side mode if we have to).

Jim,

If I hear any information regarding testing or on-air date, I will post or have someone from GBH post.

Bob

Anyone else having problems tonight with HDTV OTA. FOX and NBC are not working for me tonight. FOX has no signal while NBC has signal(high 80's for me) but no picture or sound. Just wondering...

---Andy

I am also having trouble with FOX, there is no signal. I am getting NBC at 70% strenght.

I too am getting no signal on FOX. I don't usually get a very strong signal on NBC but tonight it actually is a little stronger than usual. Generally I only get about 25% but tonight it's around 45-50%.

------------------

By all means, please invite them to join the forum -- We want them to know they are not just broadcasting into thin air.

If they aren't already aware of us, please share some of the posts from this thread. Also, if they'd like any special feedback, (or what information they would like contained in the feedback).

Likewise, I think we'd like from them what you reported earlier with channel 30's growing pains (the need for the bridge, the precision splicing of the transmitter cable, the
encoder issues, the planned testing "heads-up", etc).

My problem was NBC moved from 42.1 to 7.1 and my Sony STB went waco. Eventhough I rescanned when I was having problems yesterday, it did not move NBC to the new location. Today I realized my system was whacked when several DTV stations showed up when I rescanned again. The channels that appeared are nothing located from the Boston area. I unplugged the STB for about 2 minutes, then rescanned. All stations now working.

I had a very similar problem with my E*6000 receiver. I manually added WHDH-DT (NBC) 7.1, but when I tried to tune to it it re-mapped back to 42.2. No problem, that hapopens all the time while WHDH-DT is testing their PSIP.

Now I run a scan for DTV stations. (I do this occasionally just to see if there's anything new I may have missed) Lo and behold I now show channels 16.1 thru 16.8! Don't know how this happened as there isn't even a digital channel 16 scheduled for our area. Obviously when I tune to these channels I receive nothing, but it's strange that they made it to the guide.

Weird...

Chip

Well guys, looks like CBS isn't passing on the US Open in HDTV??!!
How can we let them know?
Steve Pearse

[This message has been edited by spearse (edited 09-01-2001).]

I don't think it's down....

"CBS Sports will produce 20 hours of the U.S. OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS for High Definition broadcasts on Friday, Sept. 7 (11:00 AM- 6:00 PM, ET), Saturday, Sept. 8 (12:00 AM-6:00 PM, 8:00 PM-10PM, ET) and Sunday, Sept. 9 (4:00-7:00 PM, ET). The HDTV telecasts, which will be broadcast live by CBS Sports' Tim Brando and Tony Trabert from the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., will be produced and transmitted independent of the Network's analog broadcast coverage. All HDTV programming on CBS will be broadcast in highest form of HD----1080i."
From the CBS website.

Agh, didn't see the date-- next weekend!
Steve

[This message has been edited by spearse (edited 09-01-2001).]

In light of todays announcement by ABC of going HD for all primetime dramas, sitcoms, and movies, does anyone know when channel 5 (DT20.1) will be going full power? I still experience too many drop outs here in Framingham. TIA.

Jay

I received a rejection notice (see below) from WGBH, probably because I don't have the outdoor antenna. Those that were selected please update us here on what "life 360" is and what progress that WGBH is making in providing digital (HD programming.


***The letter***
Thank you for your response to our call for volunteers to test "Life 360". Unfortunately we are unable to accept your offer of help for this trial. There was an impressive number of qualified applicants and only a handful were needed. We will keep your information on hand should we be running any similar trials in the future.

Thanks again for you interest,
Maggie

I got the same notice that you did. I was asked to sign an NDA 2 days ago ad never got around to it. I guess they have filled up their list and have enough people to do the Beta Test.

Does anyone have any CLUE as to what "Life 360" is, anyway?



------------------
endlessly (and mindlessly) in pursuit of clarity and precision

I was accepted, not sure why. I did respond very quickly to their emails. I'll keep everyone informed.
Starman

From www.pbs.org :

Life 360

[This message has been edited by chs4 (edited 09-12-2001).]

I cannot get 7-1 anymore and 42-1 does not come up. Anyone else having this problem?

I get 25-1, 5-1, and 30-1 for NBC.