Sacramento, CA - OTA - Page 315

Chuck, I belatedly figured out that you were talking about the U-verse remote there, sorry. And you're right, with no response at all from the TV (possibly aside from those mysterious 3 blinks on the U-verse remote), it appeared that the U-verse remote was doing nothing to control the TV. Ditto for the original Sharp remote, both of which work fine on other TVs. Ergo, bad IR receiver or the processor behind it.

Late edit: "processor" clicked with me (big forehead slap--should've thought of this a lot sooner): what do you do when any processor appears to be locked up? Kill the power, then power it up, like any computer that's gone nuts. So I pulled the power cord on the TV, waited a minute, and plugged it back in. Problem solved.

--Ron
Edited by KG7OR - 3/3/13 at 11:23am

Scheduled maintenance at the KOVR/KTFK/KXTV transmitter site this morning? They're off the air with KOVR on the back-up site.

Chuck

8:30 am Update: Stations are back on.
Edited by Calaveras - 3/10/13 at 8:34am

Troubleshooting a top beacon.

Bob

Any chance you'll be back on tonight? I show zero signal in Martinez... Tough when all we watch is CBS and that's the only channel I can't get if KOVR is on the back TX as the KPIX signal here sucks big time. ;>

Looks like you're back in operation. Thanks.

I pick-up that station on my car FM around Grass Valley. I use a FM mod for an MP3 player and tried out on 87.7 and had interference. Turn off the FM mod and found KEFM broadcasting in FM Stereo, huh? Put the FM mod on 87.9 and it's OK. But how can a TV audio broadcast in FM stereo (legally)? And it sounds fully modulated, that is 75kHz as opposed to 25kHZ swing of Analog TV audio.

I was actually able to pick up that station (channel 6 analog) at my parents' house in Davis since they have a good roof antenna with a rotor, though the signal wasn't strong enough to hear the audio, just see the still picture. A few stations have been doing this- running audio on analog channel 6 with a still picture, referred to as "FrankenFM" since it can be heard on an FM radio. I've wondered whether the sound is stereo on either TV or FM, since we had a regular channel 6 here in stereo I know that TV stereo wasn't compatible with FM stereo, the audio on a radio just came through in mono. Also wondered why nobody's just put a regular FM station on 87.7 when there's no TV channel 6 in the area.

FM stations below 92 FM are supposed to be Public Broadcasting, College & University Use, Government Public access, High School & Local Public use. A full power tv channel 6 would take signal priority over the FM and 87.7 is reserved for such use.

Nowadays, with government loopholes, 87.7 FM is now stereo, Analog channel 6 is low power to get placement on the fm dial.
Analog tv antenna viewership is zero. The public uses FM radio. So in theory now the FM is priority.

Today, a full power DIGITAL channel 6 would take 87.7 FM away, and make a pulse, buzz and pop on your FM radio.

I'll admit, that in the analog days, I frequently listened to KVIE on my car stereo. PBS is a lot better than NPR. Yet another of the downsides from digital conversion.

I'd sure prefer Franken FM to giving 87.7 to NPR, which is what NPR wants. But it does seem like the FCC is coming to take a lot of the TV spectrum, like it or not.

I noticed a huge volume imbalance then with a slight buzz. Now it's full stereo on 87.7... and they don't care about the picture & sound for the tv.
This is all scheduled to end on September 1, 2015

Is anybody picking up UHF 42 on the valley floor ? .... Translator for KPIX-5 from Mt. Vaca ?
Shows a solid weak signal in the region.

KPIX has not filed for a license to cover so it seems unlikely that it could be them. KMSX Sacramento is on 42 so it's most likely them in the valley. I can see a very weak signal from them here. Farther south it might be KVHF in Fresno on 42.

Chuck

I will be doing some antenna work in Roseville for a family member.... as soon as this Saturday.
The fixed antenna I installed there in 2008 worked well then, but has not been used in the new digital era.
I am planning for 3, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13 All Walnut Grove stations plus some Chico stations. (LOS @ 84 miles)
That location is "out of range" for Sutro Tower with a constant fade in & fade out cycling.
Mount Vaca translator could provide one Bay Area station, and was a solid Blue-Purple signal zone from tvfool station signal.
With that translator not in service, I can plan on using 2 antennas instead of 3.
However, very strong signals for Sacramento stations. Chico is average to somewhat below average depending on the station.
I will be testing it all. All four tv markets. Sifting through all the analog junk that is still on the air.
Lots of LOS stations, but high mileage brings sometimes erratic results. Four tv markets have "ABC7" but the closest one is Reno at 89 miles with one path diffraction.
I will soon find out.

There are a bunch of low power analog and digital stations that can be received in Roseville including K04QR on RF 4. A friend of mine in Placerville just tried to receive Reno VHF and was unsuccessful so I wouldn't expect to see any of those. Crossing the Sierra crest is difficult. He does receive most of the Sutro stations. It looks like KICU and KQEH should be possible in Roseville.

Chuck

The fixed antenna is pointed to Walnut Grove and shows zero signal on RF 42. Also some stations listed from Walnut Grove are zero signal too. KRJR-LP 24 (44-1) I didn't see that one.
The antenna is like a channel Master CM 3018 ( 6 VHF elements on each side, 12 total in a vee pattern.) Small UHF yagi in front.
I see some signal on RF 20 and RF 23 but no lock with the antenna fixed in that position.
I see 45% signal on RF 43, and shows 12-1 & 12-2 (The CW10) ? some repeater for CW channel 10 ?

I see the following Analog, 6, 15, 17, 32 those are the strong ones, possibly more.
It locks on RF-3 (Spanish 33) and RF-4, The antenna is not pointed to those stations.
Analog 6 is a screen saver with basically nothing. weak signal.
No signal on 7,8,11 or the Reno ones. No signal on 12 KNTV
No signal on 32 KEMO (co-channel) analog problem
No signal on 36 KICU
All Walnut Grove stations were rock solid. KVIE the strongest at 96%, then KXTV 92% then the UHF stations, 75% all + / - average
RF-3 45% RF-4 55% RF-20 15% RF-23 15%
Most likely alot more if I moved the antenna.
This is not my place, so I am basically trying to copy cat the cable tv system locals with no dropouts in service.
I will be returning in a few weeks, to work out the issues I found.
I will bring a portable antenna, battery tv, and more testing

The location in Roseville is 12 or so houses from Silverado Middle School
The 12' by 7' foot broadband tv antenna is stuffed in a Single story garage attic. About 9 feet elevation.
Except for the 2 by 4 dry wood wall with wood siding, there are no large trees or foliage in front of it, then the street
So the first 200 feet in front of it on the path to Walnut Grove is clear.
It's wired to the "demarcation point" that the phone & tv companies use with the city cable RG-11 removed from the splitter.
Strong excellent signals with this setup.

KRJR went though a lot of paperwork games to get a permit for RF 24 at Walnut Grove. They have never built the station. RF 20 is K20JX in Sacramento, also KCVU in Paradise. RF23 is KEZT Sacramento. RF 43 is KHSL 12 in Chico.


6 is KEFM, one of those FM stations. I've never seen the others here but Sacramento has many LP stations I cannot receive.


RF 3 is KCSO which is near me running 5KW and RF 4 is K04QR.


No surprises with any of these.

Chuck

This was a "hurry up and get it working" family visit. So basically I checked things quickly. I will do a re-do of it later.
Many stations that are supposed to be on the air ......... are not. K20JX I believe is not on. Transmitter is at N. Foothills Blvd @ Athens (5 miles away)
The signal I believe on 20 is KCVU Paradise
Same thing for KEZT Sacramento. I believe to be 23 KRCB Rohnert Park

As far as KHSL goes, from Chico
I think the Vee pattern of the VHF elements are facing the Chico hills , the same direction I would aim a UHF yagi, so that could explain signal locks from that direction.
I think the analog on 17 was from Chico too.
One tuner locked on 2, 61, and others possibly analog. but I did not see anything.
I deleted all the analog channels from the HDTV.

KEZT is definitely on the air. I've seen it here and can always see it on the spectrum analyzer but it's too weak to decode most of the time.

K20JX should be on the air. They filed a license to cover application in October 2011.

https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101402409&formid=4&fac_num=334

The FCC shows them with a digital license. I cannot see any signal on 20 from the Sacramento direction. Sometimes I can see Fresno but never strong enough to decode it.

Chuck

A large antenna, .... Line of sight to all stations .... Usually when I see 10% signal, .... It's far far away.
Maybe someone else reading this in Roseville can verify K20JX (4 miles) LOS near Roseville is on. ..... I think the signal was from Chico.
Nothing local on RF 20

I will re-test "RF 23" next time I go there.
I think KRCB Rohnert Park, because that, and KFTY (KEMO) were seen on that antenna in the analog era.
Those were the only reliable Bay area stations that did not suffer from fade-in & fade-out cycling.

Also looked at RF 42 for signal.. ... No signal. ...... (No KPIX) or Local low power station.
Another dead channel.

I should bring a 91XL antenna next time, for the answers. And the signal direction(s)

Filing a license to cover operation does not mean they are actually on the air (ever). I have seen a lot of stations say they are on the air but were not. I have been to the site and sometimes there is not even a tower there. I call it misrepresentation to the FCC. In none lawyer talk that means they lied to the FCC.

K20JX was on, if it isn't now.

http://www.rabbitears.info/screencaps/ca-sac/334-0_0.htm

- Trip

Why does the KOVR program information say "DTV Program" for every half hour tonight? This messes up the DVR programming by splitting all the shows into 1/2 hour segments.

Even under normal conditions KOVR only has 12 hours of program info at best. But it's not the only offender. The best Sacramento station has only 2 days.

One would think that 4 years after the DTV transition that a complete program schedule would be SOP but I guess not. It makes it hard to program more than 1 day out when you leave for a few days.

Seems to me that OTA viewers are getting the short end here. Since TVGOS is gone, the stations need to have complete PSIP program information.

Chuck
Edited by Calaveras - 4/30/13 at 8:16pm

I guess KOVR is running on the backup transmitter again. No signal in Martinez.

Oh... That's why the SNR was so low last night. Still on back-up this morning - SNR 16 dB while everyone else is in the 20's. Looks like the PSIP program info is back.

Chuck

Chuck, we lost Ethernet connectivity to our program guide provider. Interesting that I only received two phone calls.

You know my email address. Let me know right away if this happens. I check this board about once every two weeks or so.

Bob

Bob,

I didn't have it but I found it. Tnx.

Chuck

I just got RF20 to lock. Barely It maps to this ..... (Not from Chico) after all
K20JX 27-1
Afact 27-2
Hope 27-3
3Abnla 27-4
I see signal on RF23. So maybe KEZT No lock yet.
A scan locked KBCW, but no signal at all after the auto-scan. Scanning is very slow. Like every channel has something to decode.
26-2 and 19-1 are the same thing. RF 26 & RF 18
Tons of low power channels including
Vmas 49-1
Fam tv 49-2
KSAO 49-3, 4, & 5
Aviva 49-6

NO SIGNAL on 22 K22FR, 24 KRJR-LP, 41 KMMK-LP, 42 KMSX-LD
KMMK (41)...No .....KMMW-LD(28) ....Yes

If I don't see a signal, after moving the antenna, and the meter stays at zero.
I give each RF channel around 30 seconds to register something above zero
So someone in the general area with a modest antenna would expect the same channels.
No signal means I moved the antenna with no signal at all. Not a channel lock.
You could expect much worse reception with a indoor antenna, ... and somewhat better reception with a stacked array.

Anyone else having issues with KQCA my58 (which I believe is channel 58.1) dropping signal? It goes from 100% to 0% and back every 15 - 30 seconds. KCRA, on what I think is the same tower, seems fine. It's entirely possible that it could be an issue on my end. I'm in East Sac with a Mohu Leaf. Not sure if more information is needed.

I haven't watched anything recorded off that channel for quite some time, so it's possible that this has been ongoing for a while. Thanks in advance.
Edited by cnccnc - 5/17/13 at 7:44pm

KQCA appears normal here. 100% to 0% is something I've never experienced here.