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Sacramento, CA - OTA

post #1 of 9458
5/1/04 at 9:18am
Thread Starter 
I don't see a good Sacramento thread. I am setting up my HR10-250 (High Definition Tivo) next week and would love to hear some reports. I am actually in Roseville (95678) about 35 miles from the towers (all located in the same direction). I live in a very suburban neighborhood with CC&R's that prohibit rooftop antenna's (I know, I could fight that if I want...). I opted for the Winestar Squareshooter (which should be fairly unobtrusive). I will mount it on the roof of my two story house right above the living room so the cable will only run about 20 ft. Do you guys think I will still need an amplifier?
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post #2 of 9458
5/3/04 at 7:39pm
You should be fine. I live in Modesto, have a small antenna and my signal strenght is always 100 percent.
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post #3 of 9458
5/5/04 at 2:04pm
Quote:


Originally posted by bralli
I am actually in Roseville (95678) about 35 miles from the towers (all located in the same direction). I live in a very suburban neighborhood with CC&R's that prohibit rooftop antenna's (I know, I could fight that if I want...).

I'm off of Pleasant Grove in Roseville (also 95678)...right on the Rocklin border. I have my TV on the second floor, and just have a RadioShack double bow-tie sitting on top of the TV. Picks up all the locals with no problems.

So, with your stated setup, you should be OK. You probably wouldn't even need to get a roof mounted antenna...something in the attic should do fine...or an indoor if you are on the second story would probably work.

Andrew
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post #4 of 9458
5/5/04 at 5:26pm
Thread Starter 
OK, you are right down the street from me. I am off of Highland Park. So me stressing about whether or not I need an amp for my Squareshooter sounds like a non-issue...
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post #5 of 9458
5/6/04 at 9:34am
Hi Guys,

I would sure like to see a consolidated Sacramento thread.

We will be making some changes to our PSIP (virtual channel among other things) system over the next day or two. You may have to do a channel scan/search to find us on channel 31 instead of channel 21.

Bob Hess
Director of Engineering
KMAX
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post #6 of 9458
5/6/04 at 9:38am
I am also located off of Pleasant Grove but over in 95747. Using the ChannelMaster 4221, I have no signal strength problems. I occasionally have reception (and other) problems with KQCA. I started another thread about that this morning, but it would be nice to consolidate everything in one place.
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post #7 of 9458
5/6/04 at 9:45pm
Amazing, I'm also in the Pleasant Grove/Roseville Pkwy area. Seems like an HDTV hotbed in this area. I use the CM4228 without an amp with no touble.
Good news about KMAX. Whenever my HR10-250 shows up, I can actually record Enterprise. Speaking of the HD TIVO, is KOVR going to get their guide data straight so that matches all the time?
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post #8 of 9458
5/6/04 at 11:05pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Bob Hess
[b]Hi Guys,

I would sure like to see a consolidated Sacramento thread.

/B]

I second that..think this will do it?
:-}
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post #9 of 9458
5/8/04 at 10:25pm
I posted this in HD Programming first, but it seems to be a local issue. The last two weeks that I have watched "Joan of Arcadia" on KOVR, there has been a 5 minute interval where I saw nothing. On 5/7, this occurred at the end of the commercials around 8:42 and lasted until 8:48. I was recording the show with a MyHD-120 so I don't know if people saw this watching live. As usual, I think the MyHD-120 is OK because it has been a solid performer until now.
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post #10 of 9458
5/8/04 at 10:51pm
It's called IMCS (Incompetent Master Control Syndrome), and all stations suffer from it to varying degrees

They are getting really lazy with the switch, especially when they are dubbing their local SBG infomercials and employment ads over the national CBS HD Promo

But, Hannibal looks really good tonight in HD and 5.1
Hammer
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post #11 of 9458
5/9/04 at 3:28pm
RE: KMAX

KMAX? What is KMAX? Daily Channel searches here in Modesto find no such animal.
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post #12 of 9458
5/9/04 at 4:16pm
KMAX-DT the UPN network, channel 21.1 (remaps to 31.1). It's still running at low power so you may not be able to pick it up in Modesto. It's fine here in Stockton but I'm still looking forward to their upcoming change to full power in a few more days.
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post #13 of 9458
5/9/04 at 4:33pm
Quote:


Originally posted by JHL
I posted this in HD Programming first, but it seems to be a local issue. The last two weeks that I have watched "Joan of Arcadia" on KOVR, there has been a 5 minute interval where I saw nothing. On 5/7, this occurred at the end of the commercials around 8:42 and lasted until 8:48. I was recording the show with a MyHD-120 so I don't know if people saw this watching live. As usual, I think the MyHD-120 is OK because it has been a solid performer until now.

Same here on KOVR. I have an MDP-100 but I was watching Joan of Arcadia live on Friday night. Two weeks in a row now I've had to turn my antenna and watch a snowy representation on San Francisco's analog channel 7 until the KOVR guy gets off the pot. Now we both know we're not alone.
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post #14 of 9458
5/9/04 at 7:06pm
Quote:


Originally posted by Garrett Adams
KMAX-DT the UPN network, channel 21.1 (remaps to 31.1). It's still running at low power so you may not be able to pick it up in Modesto. It's fine here in Stockton but I'm still looking forward to their upcoming change to full power in a few more days.

That explains it why I can't get reliable signal on 21.1. I am using the silver sensor indoor antenna, getting every station except some drop-off on 21.1.

BTW, if you are on Comcast, they have the following HD channels as of today:

ABCDT
NBCDT
ESPNHD
InHD1
InHD2
HBOHD
SHOHD
StarzHD
CinemaxHD
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post #15 of 9458
5/12/04 at 11:24am
Now KQCA is acting up again. I tried watching "Everwood" and "Gilmore Girls" this week and had a lot of problems. There were video and audio dropouts about once/minute. It almost made the shows unwatchable. Fortunately there are very few new episodes left (if any) so I don't need an immediate solution.
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post #16 of 9458
5/12/04 at 1:56pm
Interesting, I've been having the same thing on KQCA , it seemed to clear up most of the way through One Tree Hill last night. I just figured that somthing is wrong with my setup, but I'll be troubleshooting more tonight. (And trying other channels)

-Steve W
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post #17 of 9458
5/18/04 at 8:26am
Thread Starter 
OK, I FINALLY got my HD Tivo unit last night.

To reiterate. 95678 zip code, off of Pleasant Grove near 65. I have a Squareshooter mounted on the roof of a two story house. Because I was rushing to mount it in hurricaine winds last night on a rickety ladder it is pointed to the SE (should be SW). I decided to go ahead and run the antenna through the multiswitch. I was too lazy to run to Lowes, so I just used a cheap 25' coax cable (not RG6) running to a Terk 5x8 multiswitch and then about 100' of RG-6 to the television and through the diplexer. Pretty much everything is coming in rock solid (over 90%). KMAX is not coming in and one of the networks (FOX?) is coming in at about 65%; fluctuating down to 40% occasionally. Overall, no problems. I'll go ahead and buy a better coax cable to connect the antenna to the multiswitch and one of these days I will point it in the right direction (will require remounting).

Can some of you guys explain how the Sacramento stations broadcast HD? Around 8:00 I was excited to watch my first HD broadcasts and tuned into CSI on KOVR 13-2. Although it said HD on the guide, it was a SD broadcast. At 10:00 I was finally about to watch CSI in HD on 13-1.
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post #18 of 9458
5/18/04 at 1:42pm
The HD signals are all on 10-1,13-1,58-1 and 35-1. Anything on 13-2 will be the SD broadcast. Also keep in mind that the schedule is 1 hour ahead on KOVR 13, but only for the SD broadcast. Fortunately the other channels are broadcast in the "standard" timeslots.

So for example, if you want to watch CSI on Thursday nights, it is on at 8PM on 13-2 and 9PM on 13-1. The channel guide in my STB is always correct for 13-2, but I have learned to ignore the information when watching HDTV.

I recommend using www.titantv.com for more accurate information about when the HD broadcasts are active.
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post #19 of 9458
5/18/04 at 4:48pm
Off subject a little but does anyone in Modesto area have HD Comcast? I have D* and am curious to know what Comcast is offering in the HD area.

Go Kings!
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post #20 of 9458
5/20/04 at 6:31am
Quote:


Originally posted by DIO
Off subject a little but does anyone in Modesto area have HD Comcast? I have D* and am curious to know what Comcast is offering in the HD area.

Go Kings!

You might want to do a search on "Modesto".

Primetime HD programming are available on NBC 3.1 (35.1), PBS 6.1 (53.1), ABC 10.1 (61.1), CBS 13.1 (25.1), UPN 31.1 (21.1) and WB 58.1 (46.1). Fox 40.1 (55.1) will start HDs later this year.
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post #21 of 9458
5/20/04 at 3:16pm
Quote:


Originally posted by stevedw
Interesting, I've been having the same thing on KQCA , it seemed to clear up most of the way through One Tree Hill last night. I just figured that somthing is wrong with my setup, but I'll be troubleshooting more tonight. (And trying other channels)

-Steve W

Yeah, KQCA @#$@# ruined the season finale of Smallville for me.

What REALLY stunk was, I JUST got my HDTIVO set up, and it recorded the OTA HD signal of Smallville (which was the one that was dropping out).
If I had left it on the satellite delivery of the SD channel, I could at least have watched the finale!
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post #22 of 9458
5/20/04 at 3:30pm
Go Here To let them know you have a problem with the signal!
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post #23 of 9458
5/20/04 at 4:09pm
Thread Starter 
Just an FYI, I bought a Channel Master 3041DSB pre-amp at Lowes. I was going to order a CM7777 but I wanted to convenience of being able to buy and possibly return locally. From what I've read, this is the "Spartan" line and this particular unit is supposedly equivalent to the CM7778.

I'd like to report that this unit worked great. It boosted a fluctuating Fox to 95% and 20% KMAX to 90%. Everything else was already pretty solid and now all report nearly 100%.
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post #24 of 9458
5/20/04 at 4:45pm
I just sold my house in Roseville (Baseline/Junction area) and am relocating to Foresthill (just think "Auburn"/zip 95631). I put off buying any gear to pull in OTA signals because I know my stay in Roseville was temporary. I had Comcast HD which was terrible. I had choppy picture and audio dropouts. Anyway, my question is that what is an acceptable distance to a broadcast tower to be able to successfully pull in a particular channel? Antennaweb says that the major broadcast towers are about 60 miles away from my new house in Foresthill, at roughly 200 degrees on the compass. Is 60 miles considered too far, especially since I am in a rural area with lost of trees, etc? Or is it do-able? I was considering directv or dish but wasn't impressed with their HD channel lineups. Then I saw that for an extra fifty bucks directv will install a directional antenna...any thoughts as to my best course of action?? Sorry if this is off-topic or if this post belongs elsewhere.

Jeff
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post #25 of 9458
5/20/04 at 5:57pm
Quote:


Yeah, KQCA @#$@# ruined the season finale of Smallville for me.

Me as well. I watched Enterprise and recorded Smallville to both a MyHD card and a FusionHDTV3 QAM for anal insurance since it was the season finale. Both recordings had the terrible audio and video drops/glitches. In fact it was the worst I had ever seen on KQCA. I watched it but it was agony.

They must relegate the good equipment to KCRA and use Radio Shack gear on KQCA. Either that or their headend is connected to their transmitter by two tin cans and a string.
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post #26 of 9458
5/21/04 at 8:00pm
I can also report that KQCA's video+audio dropouts during the last Smallville made the show unwatchable. Basically 1 second of dropout for every 10 seconds of good signal. My signal meter reports a steady 80+% signal while these dropouts are occuring. Luckily, I had my HD Tivo record the show via satellite and OTA at the same time, so I had an OK SD resolution copy. I just checked KQCA tonight and there was *no* signal so perhaps they are fixing their problems...

Also, I'd like to report that KVIE-DT2's guide data for the 'Nightly Business Report' is always incorrect (as seen via directv's guide, or zap2it.com, or titantv.com). The program data indicates that the show airs weekdays at 6:30pm PDT, but in fact the show airs at 5:30pm PDT. I reported this problem to zap2it and KVIE but got no response.
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post #27 of 9458
5/21/04 at 9:54pm
Quote:


Originally posted by jl1252
I just sold my house in Roseville (Baseline/Junction area) and am relocating to Foresthill (just think "Auburn"/zip 95631). I put off buying any gear to pull in OTA signals because I know my stay in Roseville was temporary. I had Comcast HD which was terrible. I had choppy picture and audio dropouts. Anyway, my question is that what is an acceptable distance to a broadcast tower to be able to successfully pull in a particular channel? Antennaweb says that the major broadcast towers are about 60 miles away from my new house in Foresthill, at roughly 200 degrees on the compass. Is 60 miles considered too far, especially since I am in a rural area with lost of trees, etc? Or is it do-able? I was considering directv or dish but wasn't impressed with their HD channel lineups. Then I saw that for an extra fifty bucks directv will install a directional antenna...any thoughts as to my best course of action?? Sorry if this is off-topic or if this post belongs elsewhere.

Jeff

Depending on the location of your house in Foresthill, you will possibly get a windfall of OTA HD channels. I had relatives up there for many years, and the SF channels came in nice and clear. If you sit on top of a hill or to the west side, with a clear view west, you should be able to get Sutro as well as Sacramento nets. If you are on the east side of a hill, or there's a hill blocking your western exposure, good luck getting anything at all...
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post #28 of 9458
5/24/04 at 3:47pm
Grrr, my last post did was erased. Here's a quick recap.

Location: Folsom, bottom floor of 3 level apt.

Equipment: Zentih HDV420 + Zenith SS w/ inline amplifier from Rat Shack sitting atop the old dusty TV replaced by a HD Projector.

About 3/4 of the available Sac HD channels that do come in have a 70-90% signal strength. The other channels get a partial signal (no sound or pic) when playing around with the antenna outside. Will have more to report once I have more time to properly set it up.
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post #29 of 9458
5/24/04 at 6:23pm
Anyone having a problem with KQCA 58-1? I do not get a picture at all, no sound, nothing, just "searching for signal." All the other Sac channels are OK.
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post #30 of 9458
5/24/04 at 6:48pm
I am also not getting 58-1 at this time. All others are OK.
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