Duluth, MN - HDTV - Page 3

It certainly would annoy me. But then, it didn't happen to me as I now live in California, and am missing those lazy summer days in Duluth where I was born and raised.

Did you call the station and tell them about their problem?

But I sure don't miss the winters.

How has everybody in the Duluth area been receiving the Minneapolis stations?

So far tonight I've seen 26, 32, 34, 35, 40, and 50. 44, usually the strongest, hasn't decoded at all.

I haven't tried, I will tonight.

I'm using a cheap-0 powered walmart attena and wonder if I'll be able to get 'em or not.

What kind of attena are you using?

A CM 4228 mounted on a rotator at about 25'.

I've had the MSP stations on a cheap (unamplified) Radio Shack rabbit ears indoor antenna and a Dish Network receiver, however, on the first floor of our house.

Tonight (at around 3:00 am) the MSP stations are coming in very strong - digital 32, 34, 35, 40, and 44 are all in very well, 50 is somewhat intermittent, 21 is strong but the WinTV-D is being choppy on it, 22 is barely even giving any signal (I don't think this one is full-powered), and there's no trace of 16 (which I've never had).

On the analog side, 45 and 41 are almost local quality. 29 is in quite well, with some CCI (co-channel interference) from K29EB in Grand Rapids. 23 is also in fairly well, though with sparklies. 17 isn't visible because of KQDS-DT (they shut the transmitter off last night, however). LPTV 14 is in color but weak; LPTV 25 is almost local quality (though it's not very low powered with something like 169 kW ERP).

Also in are KQDS translators 15 (Hibbing), 29 (Grand Rapids), 31 (Hayward), 39 (Aitkin), and 47 (Virginia); Eau Claire 13 and 48 (though no DTV's from there; are they full-powered yet?), Alexandria 42 (again, no KSAX-DT; this station has been in very strongly here before, I don't see why I haven't gotten their DTV); Brainerd-area translators 14, 16 and 53 and KAWB 22, and some other stuff. On VHF I see KCCO-7, WKBT-8 (very weak), KMSP-9, KARE-11, KCCW-12, and WEAU-13 (with something very strong interfering with it; maybe the Univision station in the Cities?).

I ran the auto scan last nite and did not pick up any of those channels. I did however pick up 10-2 which I didn't know was available.

I may have to look into upgrading my antenna.

10.2 seems to be "The Sportsman Channel", which WDIO-TV 10 / 10.1 carries late at night. A pretty smart subchannel selection for this region. I checked last night and noticed 10.1 and 10.2 to be the same...

==

WLEF-DT 47 in from Park Falls, WI (about 110 miles) quite well tonight. Signal strength is almost local with a signal-noise ratio of just under 21 dB (Duluth locals typically give me 21+ db here 9 mi from the transmitter):

WPT HD slide:



Standard WPT slide on "WPT 1":



WPT 2 / 3 / 4 - apparently they shut these off at night, perhaps to save bandwidth for HD, like WDSE-DT used to do (and should still do):



WPT 3 and 4 have the same slide, with "WPT 3" and "WPT 4" replacing WPT 2.

I always thought it was interesting how Superior is not served by WPT. As far as I know, they don't even get it on cable? I believe Milwaukee is in the same boat, with their own two PBS affiliates.

Note that the old WinTV-D card I am using does not display actually HD. It downconverts everything to 480i. As I use this card primarily for DX'ing, it's no big deal.

MSP DT's in weakly. KPXM analog 41 is VERY strong once again. And KDLT-46 analog from Sioux Falls was in faintly this early morning (~5 AM). They seem to air Weather+ at night.

Also visible tonight:

WUCW-DT (weak):



KMSP-DT (strong, but somewhat unstable)



WCCO-DT (strong, but unstable):



KTCA-DT (strong):



No KARE-DT, which is odd.

KPXM-DT (strong):



That's qubo, a kid's channel. 41.1: Worship, 41.2: ION Life, 41.3 qubo, 41.4 "KPXM Digital Television" (ION).

KSTC-DT:



KSTP-DT



It's odd seeing KSTP-DT with a 20 db SN/R, since just an hour or so ago it was at about 5 (not strong enough to decode the text).

Strangely I have no KARE-DT. This one usually manages to make it.

Of course, no KTCI-DT, which has never been logged here, and I don't anticipate to log any time soon. MSP analog LPTV's 14 and 25 are in quite well though.

The MSP DTV's were back again, along with a very nice surprise:



KDLT-DT 47, Sioux Falls, SD, 302 miles.

So far tonight....

WHRM-DT-24 Wausau, WI - 179 mi RELOG - very strong
WAOW-DT-29 Wausau, WI - 179 mi RELOG
WKBT-DT-41 La Crosse, WI - 209 mi RELOG - weak
KGAN-DT-51 Cedar Rapids, IA (PSIP decode only, no picture), 307 mi - NEW

Now am working on KCRG-DT-52 Cedar Rapids

Yes! A new one: WJFW-DT-16, Rhinelander, WI, 166 mi:

Initial decode:



Good image:



DTV #59 here. WJFW-DT was impossible to decode last year as it was only running something like 12 watts (!)

Also had / have WEAU-DT-39 and WQOW-DT-15 in (both relogs, but fairly unusual to decode). I noticed WEAU-DT had what appears to be its own cute little weather channel:



EDIT: Just had WBAY-DT-23 (Green Bay) in! Though this is not a new log for me...

EDIT: WKBT-DT La Crosse is in very strong, the strongest I've seen. I noticed they run The Sportsman Channel on 8.2...

EDIT: W00T! DTV #60 in, WYOW-DT-28. Yay to stations upgrading to full power!

EDIT: WBAY-DT weather:



EDIT: Milwaukee analogs in

I'm lost what do I need to find these channels..I have * Analog TV Tuner
* NTSC

* Reception System
* NTSC, ATSC, Clear QAM

Digital TV Tuner

* Digital TV Tuner
* QAM, ATSC
on my set..please help also in duluth.
Thanks

You won't find any of those channels on your set if the weather isn't right. Which for some channels (none of the ones I've gotten this summer though) is only once in 100 years.

Right now KTTC-DT from Rochester in with better than local quality. It's the weather that's doing it, nothing else. KPTH-DT from Sioux City, 345 miles away, was just in. Just had WPXE-DT from Milwaukee. Also Chicago, Milwaukee, and many others on analog.

Someone please tell me this is a joke. MSP stations in DULUTH??? I still cannot get a stable (year-round) signal for KQDS and WDSE. Of course, I am in the "hidden valley" area and the trees and general "valleyness" of the surroundings make it difficult. Still, I am close to the towers and have a massive antenna on my roof.

If someone can give some advice on how to pick up these MSP stations, it would be great.

As I described in a previous post, I was having signal drops with my previous setup (a Silver Sensor in a sweet spot in my garage directed towards the towers). I'm only 3.5 miles away from the towers, and yet the signal strength would not max out for KQDS-DT and WDSE-DT and I was having signal drops for KQDS-DT and KBJR-DT in what apparently was a result of multipath interference and moving trees and traffic on the street (the problem was particularly intense in windy days, what made me think it could be a problem with the towers too). My new setup is a Channel Master 4228 antenna installed in a sweet spot in my attic. Now I'm getting maximum signals (100) for all channels except WDSE-DT (which maxes out at 93). I don't know why is it that I cannot get a 100 signal for WDSE-DT, considering that I'm using a high gain antenna and I'm close to the towers. I suppose that the environment in Duluth doesn't help the signal when you are near the towers. I'm yet having occasional signal drops with KQDS-DT however. When it happens, it happens all day long, I have about two signal drops per minute. Today however the signal is just perfect, with no drops. I checked the analog signal and it's perfect and there are no ghosts, so I'm starting to believe that KQDS-DT has problems with its tower from time to time. Next time I have signal drops I'll try to change the antenna orientation slightly so I can rule out multipath problems. I'll also install an FM trap on my HDTV feed just and see what happens, just in case.

Again....

You will NOT pick these stations up regularly unless you rent one of the higher towers in the antenna farm. Minneapolis and other long-distance stations come in on an irregular basis, most often on summer nights. Late last night they were in; tonight, there wasn't enough signal to decode anything (though there may be later), although WLEF-DT 47 Park Falls was in with a local-strength signal the last time I checked.

I live on a hill in the rural part of Hermantown at about 1305' above sea level, so that helps (though I'd like to live on the 150' higher hill behind my house to the NW ). Those below the hill in Duluth proper may find it much more difficult to receive anything besides the Duluth 5.

If you have a decent location, a good antenna, and check regularly (and are willing to stay up late), as I do, you'll sometimes find much better catches: in the past two weeks, excellent "openings" have brought in Sioux Falls, Sioux City, Cedar Rapids, Milwaukee, and Green Bay on digital, as well as Chicago, Detroit, and Omaha on analog. However, receiving these often marginal, weak stations is DX'ing, NOT normal TV watching. I count a station as "received" and log it as long as I get a PSIP text decode.

Very strong DTV signals from Eau Claire and MSP tonight. Just decoded (no picture, but PSIP info) WEUX-DT, Chippewa Falls which runs like 10 kW and is 129 miles away. Also saw Rochester and La Crosse.

Regarding my previous message (see copy below): I finally sorted out the signal drop issue. I relocated the antenna on a spot in the attic that has the minimum amount of tree branches on the path to the towers. I pruned the tree branches at my house's attic height that remained on the path. No more signal drops! It's amazing how this digital standard can be easily affect by trees and moving branches, particularly when you are in a valley and you can see the massive tree line at the crest blocking the towers.

Is there anyone here from the Iron Range? I live in Eveleth and have Dish Network, and they do not have the Duluth channels yet. Just left the rotten Media com cable who were broadcasting NBC and ABC in high-def from Duluth but no PBS or FOX or CBS.

Our home is the highest point in Eveleth, and no trees in the way. This is about 57 miles from the towers in Duluth (or Hibbing has some translators I think for WDIO). Does anyone know what would be best to try and pick up the locals in HD? I am an audio-video buff but not familiar with antennas.

Hibbing does have a WDIO translator (WIRT-DT, channel 31). I know this because I received it a few days ago, if only the text ID . Anyway, 57 miles shouldn't be impossible, but it may be difficult. I would recommend the Channel Master CM-4228, one of the better UHF antennas out there, a preamp (such as the CM 7777), and a high mast.

Just curious, how do the Duluth analogs come in there?

Hibbing does have a WDIO translator (WIRT-DT, channel 31). I know this because I received it a few days ago, if only the text ID . Anyway, 57 miles shouldn't be impossible, but it may be difficult. I would recommend the Channel Master CM-4228, one of the better UHF antennas out there, a preamp (such as the CM 7777), and a high mast.

Just curious, how do the Duluth analogs come in there?

Hibbing does have a WDIO translator (WIRT-DT, channel 31). I know this because I received it a few days ago, if only the text ID . Anyway, 57 miles shouldn't be impossible, but it may be difficult. I would recommend the Channel Master CM-4228, one of the better UHF antennas out there, a preamp (such as the CM 7777), and a high mast.

Just curious, how do the Duluth analogs come in there?

Hey guys, I'm currently going to UW-Superior living in the dorms. I've recently discovered that Charter (who obviously provides the cable for the dorms) is apparently sending out a QAM signal through the cable which I can pick up. At one point, I was receiving the Outdoor channel (whatever it's called) on 78.1, G4 on 88.3, a boatload of Music Choice channels on 92.2-92.45, and then the local HD channels on 93.x-94.x. I did a rescan of the channels, and now I'm getting about 200 channels of nothingness (no picture says my TV) in the 78.x-90.x range. So what's the deal? Anyone know what channels I actually should be receiving, not including the blank ones? It's a huge PITA going through all of those.

hey i go to uws too. my dad and his fiancee just got a new plasma so i set up that and they get those same digital channels as you along with the blanks, so i guess thats just normal? I have D* at my house so im not as familiar with charter.

That is really strange.

I've got an Olevia set. I did a bit of investigating last night, and I figured something out I suppose. When I had rescanned for channels, I used the "Cable->Automatic" setting, which apparently scopes out everything you receive or something. Last night, I used the IRC method, and it now only displays channels which have content on them. Still not sure what those others were, though. I tried finding channels on the HRC band (or whatever you'd call it) and only analog channels showed up.

EDIT: As it stands, these are the aditional channels I'm getting.
78.13-Outdoor
87.4-WisEye
88.3-G4
90.8-GSN
90.9-PBS Style
90.10-Lifetime Movie Network
92.1-92.48-Music Choice Channels (two or three PBS channels scattered throughout)
93.1-NBC HD
93.2-CBS HD
93.3-24/7 Weather
94.1-ABC HD
94.2-FOX HD
100.2-FSN HD

Is anybody getting 5.1 OTA on channel 3?

I have external tuner analog out directly to my AVR but don't seem to be getting DTS 5.

Folks, do you know if CBS and NBC (3.1, 3.2, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3) stopped broadcasting for the last few days? I stopped receiving their signals but I'm able to receive all other channels (PBS, FOX, ABC) fine, so I don't know if it's a problem with their signals or if it's my setup.

they arent coming in for me right now either, and they were a few days ago, so im guessing its a problem on their part...

Just got news from them that their digital antenna has failed, it will take about ten days to get their digital signal restored.

Hello, I have a question about reception of Duluth stations in further reaches of the market. My fil has a cabin by Snaptail (about 80-90 miles NW of Duluth). I know many of the Duluth stations had analog retransmit station in places like Chisholm and Grand Rapids, but it seems none of the places I looked had an info about what would happen after the digital transition. Are these stations scrapping the idea of retrans and just running the Duluth transmitters? I doubt he would be able to get anything in digital except ABC and NBC the way it looks right now on antennaweb. Any info on local reception up northwest would be appreciated. Thanks from Iowa!