San Francisco, CA - OTA - Page 224

Take a second look. That "reflector" as you call it is actually a dipole for VHF. This antenna is rated down to channel 2. That being said, it is effectively a dipole antenna for VHF, very little gain, and almost no directionality. This antenna as a bit of a director, but no reflector for VHF.

Yes, that is KVVF at 50 KW 107.5. But also at about the same distance is KCNL at 6 KW 104.9.

I found this to be really helpful for finding & identifying transmitters: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1253981

But I don't think that is the only problem. On my spectrum analyzer, the entire FM band is filled with high power signals, most 40dB louder than channel 7.

KGO usually appeared fine on my system as well, but it would at random times fade to nothing. I havn't seen this happen since I installed the FM trap.

If that is a purpose built FM splitter, designed to separate FM from TV, then you effectively have an FM trap in your system for the TV output.

In the same sense that a paper clip can be considered an FM antenna. FM is WAY outside the bandwidth of the CM4228HD. But sometimes a paper clip is good enough.

Hi, well if I reversed the outputs then the FM radio should get nothing and the TV nothing. But it was a Winegard clearly marked! I do not know where it is now, when my old maze of splitters and coax was removed I think a plain two way splitter was in place.

The two Winegards that were in use were a CS-775 for joining the VHF and UHF antennas and a LS-275C used as a two way splitter.

The Winegard equipment was purchased ~ 1973 at Quement Electronics who are still in business but have NO retail store.

> FM is WAY outside the bandwidth of the CM4228HD.

Gee, why then an I getting such better signals from KDFC-FM in Sausalito.

Is the FM band between 5-6 or 6-7? If the latter then it's a much better FM antenna that you give it credit for.

KDFC-FM HD2 102.1 is the only station I ever listen to, WMMY.

SHF

Hi,

I have now attached the full channel scan for my new antenna.

As it is just one command line, if you own a HDHomerun you might do your own scan.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...8#post18848238

SHF

Anyone notice audio drop outs with kbcw 44?
I record the office and it seems as if the audio cuts out every 20-30 seconds.

My DVR just added This TV on 42-3.

Chuck

I am based on Los Altos and just got my very old antenna reinstalled by Dick of Dick's Antennas. He did a great job. The antenna is a lot smaller than it used to be and I am getting 71 channels coming in.

signal is poo here in north bay tonight. ktvu is dropping out, when it is normally solid.

I'm having trouble with KGO as well, many dropouts...

Yesterday I programmed my DVR to record (timeshift) the British Open golf tournament, scheduled on KGO ABC TV channel 7, SF Bay area from noon to 3 PM. So, I start watching around 2 PM and WTF! They've got a documentary tribute to Alonzo Mourning. Obviously an ESPN piece. Finally after a couple of hours or so they had something like an hour of "encore" coverage of the golf tournament, which was obviously the ESPN presentation just monkeyed up, chopped up. Some guy would hit a button and right in the middle of the show would be a set of commercials. It was horrific. Of course, I despise ESPN in general, and their team covering the tournament is atrocious. The coverage ended at the previously appointed time of 3 PM, I believe. So I got one hour instead of the scheduled 3 hours of coverage. I figure I should complain to someone and bitch about the two missing hours of coverage. I guess I can leave a comment at KGO's website, and I will.

Does anyone have any idea why they didn't do the first 2 hours of the scheduled coverage? I am hoping they don't do something similar today. The scheduled coverage according to the newspaper and Titan TV is noon - 3 PM. Maybe they figure that anyone interested enough to watch the tournament obviously has subscription TV service. They can make that assumption, but to screw the viewers by flat out shortchanging them in the face of the schedule is sooooo gross!


I'm not particularly getting dropouts with my MyHD 120 HDTV card, but I've noticed the last week or two that the signal strength is quite low, around 50%. What's up with that?

there probably would have been 4 hours coverage if tiger woods was making a come back, much less if it was another american leading.

Yeah, I hate to be slighted like this. So, a South African was leading and was chased by an Englishman. Myself, I wanted to see the promised coverage. I think it's absolutely reprehensible that they'd just slap the viewers in the face and say, screw you, we don't anticipate high ratings so we'll just show something else. I posted at KGO:

"I recorded and watched your coverage of the British Open Golf Tournament yesterday, July 17, 2010. The coverage on KGO-HD TV according to the local newspaper and TitanTV.com was from noon until 3 PM. At noon, however, there was instead of coverage of the golf tournament a documentary about Alonzo Mourning! Coverage of the golf tournament didn't start until about 2:00 PM, I believe, so instead of the scheduled 3 hours there was approximately 1 hour of coverage. Why was coverage not as promised?"

I got an email back today:

"Thank you for taking the time to write and express your opinion. I've
taken the liberty of passing this along to our programming department.
Carol Mc Elroy
KGO-TV/DT ABC7"

I should have added when I posted at KGO that the coverage was the worst coverage of a golf tournament I'd ever seen. It was abominable. All they did was take the ESPN coverage (which was extensive) and cut pieces from it and cut to commercials whenever they felt like it. Usually they used the commercial break points that ESPN did, but quite a few times they'd just press a button in the middle of coverage.

It was a network decision on the golf. KXTV 10 also had the abbreviated coverage.

Wasn't there a wind delay during The Open on Saturday? I think so. This could explain the NBA show airing.

Really strange stuff up here. I am getting 90% signal strength but no lock on kron. ktvu has been spotty when normally solid. But all the vhf stuff is strong.
First time it has been like this in over a year.

Last night I got 100% signal on my Dish722 for ktvu. Today all the locals are in the mid 70s except kron in the high 60s and kgo too low to get a reading.
I was really surprised with the 100 on ktvu last night as normally I only get that with the krcb ch22.

Not the exact same issues as you but I have totally lost CBS13 out of Sac over the last few days and KTVU and KRON come and go quite a bit. Guess it must be that time of the season.

I was scanning around today and noticed that the Sacramento stations weren't as strong as they usually are. Both KVOR 13 and KQCA 58 were just at the cliff edge and they're usually solid. I think we're starting to see the effects of summer atmospherics and inversions.

Larry
SF

Yep, SF stations in the North Bay have been flaky the last few days as well. I was getting a ton of dropouts on KPIX last night and it is usually rock solid.

Hi all, I have a question from when I was at my Mother In-laws yesterday in San Leandro. She is only OTA with a Digital converter. Channel 36 is very low to no signal signal and channel 2 (KTVU) fluctuates from good to bad every few seconds. I visually looked at her roof antenna and all appears to be okay. Seems to be pointing in the same direction as others near by her. I know the antenna is over 35 years old, maybe more, but all the elements appear to be intact. She is using a fairly long coaxial run and it does appear to be small in diameter but was okay up till recently??? This just started recently and she was receiving fairly well up till the last week or two. Would it benefit to change her antenna with new? Is this a common phenomenon in this area? I live in the Sacramento area and not too familiar with the signal quality in San Leandro. She is up fairly high with no obstructions.

Hi,

San Leandro has a good line of view to Suto and Mt. San Bruno so nothing is in the way. But you do realize that KICU (PSID 36, Physical 36) is to the South and a little East, a totally different direction. Other than that signal quality should be very good.

The problem with KTVU (PSID 2, Physical 44) is multipath (Bounce from some mountain around the rim of the Bay Area Soup bowl).

While a Channel master CM4228HD may be overkill, it probable would eliminate the multipath for KTVU and because of the lobe at 90 degrees it might pick up KICU. But then, just turning the old antenna a little bit might help.

We here in the Bay area only have two remaining VHF channels, KGO (PSID 7, Physical 7) and KNTV (PSID 11, Physical 12), all the rest are on UHF channels.

The width of the Channel master CM4228HD allows picking up the two VHF stations even though it is a UHF antenna.

After 35 years out in the wind, salt fog, Rain and Sun, the Coax sounds like a good time to replace it. Having it replaced and a new UHF antenna sounds like a plan.

But an old TV with a converter box, it makes me wonder if it is.

Any other stations with problems and how important are KTVU and KICU?

But there are many reports lately about reception changing in many areas, I have also seen some changes myself. They might change back to the better.

SHF

SHF, thank you. That does sound about right as you explain it. I appreciate your input. There is an older rotor on the mast but at 90 Yrs young, sometimes just navigating the remote is overwhelming for her so I suspect we will leave it unless she really wants KICU. In the off chance she want a new antenna, does anyone have a recommendation for and installer in the area?

Thanks again!.

Hi,

Here is a link to a post for a good installer:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...9#post18831909

If he is busy, ask me for the one I used. I am waiting to post his name until all the good work done by Dick settles down. It would be hard to combat all the publicity Dick has gotten here. Mine I expect would do just as good a job.

I have one additional comment, My Coax from my VHF antenna installed ~ 35 years ago in my attic did a poor job with UHF and thus was used only as a power source and a new coax run down from the attic.

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

I am wondering if all the coax installed way back when VHF was king should be replaced now as most stations are on UHF.

I think modern coax does a much better job with UHF that the old coax. (Less loss of signal strength)

SHF

Thanks again and thanks for the link!!

Hi,

Bay Area Long time TV Meteorologist Joel Bartlett who retired in September 2006 kept saying on clear days:

"You can see the Golden Gate Bridge from the Farallone Islands."

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/bio?secti...ios&id=3281962

Sorry, his picture is gone.

While I never was near the Farallone (Fishing) on a day that the Golden Gate Bridge was visible, I now have proof that he was right even though today is not a clear day. The 360 Panarama appears to no longer allow zooming, I found Sutro before with it.

SHF

http://www.calacademy.org/webcams/farallones/

I can only offer up my experience from my cousin's house in San Leandro with OTA. I installed an antenna for her and I was somewhat dismayed by the results. Her problem is she looks straight through a solid line of huge eucalyptus trees. She does not have true line-of-sight. Signals varied from nearly 100% to 70%. KCSM would not come in. I looked on the spectrum analyzer and the trees were chopping up the signal badly. I checked this a year later though and KCSM was coming in. She'll likely never have perfect reception because of the trees.

She cannot receive anything from Fremont because her antenna is not pointed in that direction.

Chuck

Thanks. My Mother in-law does have a clear line of site and all channels are great except KICU. KTVU and KBHK are fairly OK but do fluctuate. I think SFischer1 hit it on the head.

I'm an OTA fan in Atlanta. My Dad recently moved to Petaluma and I'm looking into setting him up for OTA so he can save on the cable bill. What is the general experience here on getting SF OTA stations in Petaluma?

Can it be done with a flat UHF panel (e.g. DB2 or CM4220) mounted on the side of the house outside a ground floor window? I realize that may sacrifice KGO but he won't care. Give him a dozen or two channels to surf and he'll be happy. Sorry KGO

He's on the west side of town, less than a mile from town center, if that matters. I did search this thread for "Petaluma" and "Santa Rosa" before posting. I see there's some folks here from Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa -- how would Petaluma reception compare, considering Petaluma is more in the shadow of that mountain range just to the south?

Thanks!

Does anyone have any image files (.psd preferably) for all the bay area ota channels? The larger the better, but not too large. I am going to use them to load onto the iRule app for display and control of my tv viewing on my ipad. This would be much appreciated and save me a lot of work in trying to create them myself.
I looked on www.remotecentral.com but was ot able to find anything that was complete.
Thx, Lloyd

Go to TVFool.com, enter the location & height of your intended antennae, post a link to the result here so we can give you a better answer.