Hartford, CT - OTA - Page 132

The tripod type doesn't matter much, but make sure the mast is guyed in all directions. I use nylon rope. The galvanized steel guys rust out and break in a couple of years. You could try doing some testing with a short mast so it is easier to try preamp and filter combinations with the antenna more accessible. John

I used the galvanized steel guy wire but it had a nylon coating. I might go with an extendable antenna mast again. I could start out with it in the collapsed position trying out the different equipment then raise it after.

That is a monster antenna. If you don't care about analog stations you could probably do just as well with a smaller arangement of a UHF antenna mounted several feet above a VHF-high antenna. Here are the two that I use that way:
http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_disp...T=&PROD=PR9032
http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_disp...T=&PROD=YA1713
Winegard also makes a good low gain pre-amp:
http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_disp...PROD=ANWHDP269

I have the same antenna you do and say you must have it on a tripod with 4 guy wires. It blows pretty good in wind. I love the antenna as I can get New York City channels and I am 78 miles from transmitter. Gives me options when CT channnels screw up their HD as channel 3 did last week. Happens a lot with Fox so I watch WNYW if WTIC is screwed up. I also have the cm7777 preamp but dont have any trouble with overloaded signal.

Hey Ct Raider,
I haven't had WTNH in a while and wanted to get it for the superbowl.
I am not far from you in Montville and just got off my roof.
Well I lucked out and found a old Channel Master 1510, it is a VHF cut
for Ch 10.
I spent most of the morning trying different combonations. I ended up
with just this anntena and a Channel Master 7777 with the FM trap
in and the switch for use of the separate UHF and VHF inputs in that
position and hooked the anntena into the VHF only input and a 75 ohm
terminator on the UHF only input.
I wouldn't say it is rock solid but I am happy with the results.

Hope It Hepls !

I beleive that WFSB receives the CBS HD signal at their transmitter and switches it without sending it to the studio. The problem could be the CBS receiving equipment, the remote HD/SD switcher, the control panel for the remote switcher, or the communications link that controls the switcher.

WFSB has been bouncing around like crazy for me lately. Not sure what the deal is. I get it locked in, and then a couple hours later it seems like it's swinging wildly between 0 and 70+. My amp is completely removed from the picture now, and I'm talking about calm clear days. Really bizzare behavior.

You might want to note if any planes are in the area when the signal degrades, particularly if it is momentary but repeats several times in a 2-4 minute window. I have noticed that this happens to me with WFSB when low flying planes are in the area. I think it's a multipath issue that clears up when the plane is far enough away.

Interesting thought... I've got a pretty clean shot but I'll have to see. When the bouncing starts it is pretty bad.

When I had my amp installed, I used to get that all the time when a big truck would drive by my house. Removing the amp resolved the issue.

I don't think you're alone - I've also been seeing the same problems with WFSB OTA the last few weeks. I believe a few pages back, one of the WFSB engineers was checking into the board and seemed like he was really open to helping out. I would shoot him an email and see if something's up.

When did WFSB add the 3hd logo? it's really annoying, given the CBS logo is also present during HD broadcasts.

I had occasional "hiccups" when watching WGGB-DT with an amplified antenna.

I turned the amplifier OFF and the hiccups went away and the S/N ratio for the station improved.

My amp is gone, I'm purely on the antenna now. So it's not the amp . But it is still happening badly.

Anyone getting 35-3? I get the 35-4 subchannel but nothing but a blank screen on 35-3. Same thing Monday night analog Las Vegas was so disappointing.

I noticed this last night. Very annoying. It is on even during commercials.

I've noticed this but I don't see both logos, just the 3HD logo

Hi All,
I got it!! I added an attenuator to lower the wall of Pax. I also added RS $10 Rabbit ears, connected to the UHF (RS u75). My Pre-amp (RS) requires less power, which I believe lowers any noise.
The antenna is connected to a concrete stamper. This is on one tall stool, and one short. The Rabbit ear leads are connected right to the UHF antenna, but no elements touch. I secured the rabbit ears on the back of the UHF on the preamp housing (electrical tape). I put This Large "indoor antenna" (my roomy is more correct by calling it an abomination) in the corner of my 3rd floor office. In this one position I at last get channel 8 (which would not be seen before the rabbit ears), 30, 61, 59. Those are my most wached networks. I also get I/Pax, CPTV, and 23. Some tweaks to the preamp gain is sometimes needed for the UHF's. For now, I am leaving it where it is. It is a sweet spot.
It would be nice to get 3, and 20, though I don't view them much. I'm not sure this current set-up will do it. Since it is inside, it makes it tough. I am saving for a nice mast/tripod to move this set-up outdoors. I'll take a pic of how it looks now for all of you later. It will be sure to make you laugh. Atleast it works!
Thank you all for your help, this thread holds a wealth of info! This BBS is also huge. I am able to find a place for all diffent issues with HDTV.
I do have a few questions. I hear I can get Eastern cable for just basic networks, as well as an HDTV PVR for $20 monthly. Has anyone used this service, and what are your thoughts? I don't think they have channel 8. Can I get 8 OTA to record on the PVR? are there any low prive OTA PVR's I can get outright (or a link to the correct forum)? It is tough for me to catch the shows live sometimes.
Thanx again!
Seeth

Where I work in Newington, we have two HD-capable TVs hooked with amplified indoor antennas to show at least a little digital TV. All we can get consistently are WFSB-DT (channel 33) and WVIT-DT (channel 35). WTIC-DT (channel 31) is very intermittent, with a Panasonic 50" TV having better results than the 52" RCA TV sitting next to it. Both TVs are in a large tv wall running an in-house cable feed on them. We don't get any VHF signals whatsoever (3, 8, digital 10 or digital 12). Management won't allow us to do anything else with the antennas (and didn't want any antennas on the TVs in the first place).

I don't own anything capable of digital broadcasting at home in New Britain. My grandmother's Zenith TV downstairs is HD-capable but needs a set-top box or the right type of Comcast digital converter (which she doesn't have) to pass digital signals through.

I live in Unionville, CT. I have managed to receive WFSB-DT, WVIT-DT, WTIC-DT, WUVN-DT from Farmington tower. I can also receive WGGB-DT from Springfield, MA, but not WGBY-DT. My Silver Sensor is aiming at Springfield. But unfortunately I failed to receive other channels. I am specially interested in PBS. My question is: Can I receive WGBY-DT from Springfield with an outdoor antenna, e.g. DB2? Do I need a bigger one? Will I receive channels from New Haven if I aim an outdoor antenna at Springfield?


Thanks

Following up: The Channnel Master 4228 8 bay bowtie pointed north gets me everything reasonable except 39 (including VHF 10 [coathanger strength here] and 12). An antenna coupler gets me 39 with the 2 bay bowtie DTV (Halstead) left me, pointed SW. I'm going to substitute for the simple coupler a CM Join-tenna specifically for 39 to clean things up.

Also get ABC from Springfield, most of the time. only glimmers of Springfield PBS. No sign of Springfield 22, No CT PBS at all.

I tried to add a CM 7777 preamp but it only degrades, in combined VHF/UHF mode. In separate VHF/UFH mode it boosts the northern UHF signals somewhat, but not unexpectedly loses me channel 12. I think this may be a defective 7777 (in combined mode) and I'm looking into that.

In general I very much recommend the CM 4228 8 bay bowtie for this area, just a bit shy of picking up Springfield beyond ABC; but 39 is going to need some work.

I just sent a email to WFSB to remove this logo. wfsb@wfsb.com. I suggest others do the same if this bothers you. The response was that they would pass it on to the managers.

Anyone else have a problem with WTNH last night/this morning (no picture or sound)? I figure their PSIP is messed up again like it was a couple of weeks ago, although they're not showing up on 10-1 either, which is where the signal ended up last time. Just spoke to Angelo in Engineering this morning, and he tells me he was watching WTNH OTA last night with no problem.

Ross

When I went to the Big E last year, the Comcast guys in the Better Living Center said the Springfield area would be getting DVRs with much larger disks. He was talking 256gb! Anyone in the Hartford area have one of these? He said he could only speak about Mass and not Conn since they are different regions for Comcast.

I'm sure you would get WGBY-DT with an outdoor antenna. I live up the street from you by the Soccer fields (Tunxis Mead) and I get every station you mentioned with my Winegard antenna and rotor plus WGBY-DT, WTNH-DT, WTXX-DT and WCTX-DT. My antenna is in my attic, so outdoors would only improve reception for you. Check out Signal Electronics @ 589 New Park Ave in West Hartford. I bought my entire set-up there. Antenna, mast, cabling and remote control rotor. They are great to deal with and very reasonably priced. Signal recently merged with Cumberland Electroics, so I'm not sure what name is on the sign.

Links to my antenna and rotor:

http://www.winegard.com/offair/pdf/pr-7015.pdf

http://starkelectronic.com/rotor.htm#rotor

Did you end up basically running the 4228 without the amp ? I live in the same area as you and am using the amp but my performacy definitely varies. Wondering if I should just remove the amp and try go direct. I live on the Wallingford / Cheshire border.

The "3HD" logo is visually unappealing, and should not be present when the CBS "eye" is there during network airtime. Thankfully it is completely out of the picture and over in the sidebar during 4:3 broadcasts. But leaving "3HD" on during 4:3 programs misinforms viewers who are new to HD by making them think standard digital is high definition.

Thanks for your message. Did you ever try to receive channels from both Springfield and New Haven using one antenna? I just don't like antenna rotor which adds one more remote. Will two antenna pointing different directions work? How far should they be apart?

Thanks

Short answer: try the 4228 without the preamp; we've got some signals here too strong for the 7777 preamp and it's overloading.

I suspect that without preamp, and properly pointed, you'll get 10 (ABC 8 WTNH), 12 (WB 20 WTXX), 31 (Fox 61 WTIC), 35 (NBC 30 WVIT) and probably 33 (CBS WFSB) and maybe 55 (ABC 40 WGGB). Probably not 39 (UPN 59 WCTX).

You might also try internally switching the preamp to seperate UHF/VHF. Put a 75 ohm terminator on the VHF input. I expect you'll see significant overall signal improvement, but you'll lose 12 (WB 20 WTXX). Of course a separate cut VHF antenna specifically for 12 (if anybody still sells cuts) plugged into the preamp would solve that. But for 39 you'd need still another small antenna coupled.

Eliminating the preamp is not a great solution because a few of these channels need a little boost to stay steady through weather/Spring foliage/etc.

So my setup is a work in progress. Right now I'm without the amp and getting everything (including 39 from a second small antenna), but a couple channels only in the 60s readings (steady, not swinging), and ABC Springfield is in and out. I took the amp out because it seemed to overload when internally switched to combined UHF/VHF, though it didn't overload switched to separate UHF/VHF. Stark Electronics tells me it's definitely overload and a replacement 7777 amp would do the same. I'm still puzzled about why overload on _combined_ setting but not _separate_, but he seems to know what he's talking about.

Among other things I'm going to try is to put a UHF/VHF splitter right at the 4228, run seperate UHF and VHF lines into the 7777 amp (obviously switched to separate UHF/VHF) and see if the signal comes out clean.

Seems Fox can't get the HD thing working yet once again. American Idol is their blown out SD feed with a nice sharp Fox 61 logo in the corner.