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Huntsville, AL - HDTV - Page 83

post #2461 of 2849
8/23/10 at 9:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kafei View Post

You should be forewarned that the TvFool info is not totally correct.

[...]

It might be doable to get a directional outdoor antenna (such as the Channel Master CM-4228) and take the reflector off. You are close enough to all your stations that you probably don't need the reflector. Taking the screen off would let signals reach it from both sides.

If you are squeamish about doing that, you could try to build a coathanger clone of the CM-4228 without a reflector and see how it does for you.

I like the DIY idea to test out the basic principal.. thanks for the link!

Also, when looking at antenna diagrams, they all seem to have 0dB at the outer point, and -40dB at the center of the circle... I understand how to read the directionality, but I was also under the impression that the more direction, the longer the range---

How does an antenna radiation pattern diagram indicate "range" of a signal? In other words, is the radiation pattern ONLY useful for looking at directionality and NOT for looking at "range?" These two radiation patterns of course are different. Directionality differences is obvious. But assuming the signal I want is at 0deg, how the heck do I decide which is the better antenna???




thanks,
..dane
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post #2462 of 2849
8/23/10 at 10:06am
Your best bet is to try a CM4228, and point it directly north. If that doesn't pull in all the stations, take the reflector off (easy to do with a pair of needle-nose pliers), and point it east.

Also remember, the higher the better, so you may want to put it in the attic.
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post #2463 of 2849
8/23/10 at 11:11am
What is WAFF doing to their news room? I am guessing they might be getting ready to broadcast in HD. IS that right? Does that change anything for the shows they rebroadcast/syndicate?
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post #2464 of 2849
8/23/10 at 9:27pm
Put up the rat-shake single-bowtie in the attic tonight facing north tonight.. getting cbs/nbc/abc/pbs all pretty well (occasional pixelation)... I'm pretty pleased. To me that indicates a "real" antenna would perform admirably. On the tivo antenna-strength indicator the CW station jumps between 0 and 30 or so..

I'm thinking about trying out the coat-hanger 4-bay antenna without rear deflector. This would be a much less expensive solution as I already have all the pieces...

cheers,
..dane
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post #2465 of 2849
8/25/10 at 1:44pm
WAFF has announced they will begin HD newscasts in mid October.

http://www.waff.com/Global/story.asp?S=13043639

lowdown256
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post #2466 of 2849
8/25/10 at 3:03pm
Amusing, WHNT posted this story just a few days ago.

http://www.whnt.com/news/sandmountai...,6361573.story

So now the question is when will they go HD.
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post #2467 of 2849
8/25/10 at 4:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by audiodane View Post

Put up the rat-shake single-bowtie in the attic tonight facing north tonight.. getting cbs/nbc/abc/pbs all pretty well (occasional pixelation)... I'm pretty pleased. To me that indicates a "real" antenna would perform admirably. On the tivo antenna-strength indicator the CW station jumps between 0 and 30 or so..

I'm thinking about trying out the coat-hanger 4-bay antenna without rear deflector. This would be a much less expensive solution as I already have all the pieces...

cheers,
..dane

If all else fails, you'll need two antennas, pointed different directions, and joined into a single coax via a jointenna. I ended having to do this when I lived in Florence.
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post #2468 of 2849
8/25/10 at 7:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by taz291819 View Post

If all else fails, you'll need two antennas, pointed different directions, and joined into a single coax via a jointenna. I ended having to do this when I lived in Florence.

jointenna? You mean a splitter/combiner like this one?



..dane
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post #2469 of 2849
8/25/10 at 8:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by audiodane View Post

jointenna? You mean a splitter/combiner like this one?



..dane

Not quite. The jointenna has filters for different frequencies before combining the signals. For example one input would allow just the signal from WHDF to pass through and block the other channels. The other input would block the frequency of WHDF and allow the frequencies for the other channels to pass through. A regular cable splitter might work but the combined signals coming from the different antennas will probably end up interfering with each other.
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post #2470 of 2849
8/26/10 at 6:41am
Here is the jointenna that I bought. They're sometimes called notch-filters.

http://www.warrenelectronics.com/Ant...Jointennas.htm
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post #2471 of 2849
8/26/10 at 7:41am
Before going to any drastic measures and buying a jointenna I must point out that I've had success using a simple combiner (as pictured) and two antennas given each reflector (shield) blocks multi-path from the other stations. Besides, it's digital - you either have sufficient (signal) strength or you don't.
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post #2472 of 2849
8/26/10 at 9:46am
I received this via Facebook:

Quote:
Upgrade for APT HD

Extreme HD Makeover:

The Picture is About to Improve



When Alabama Public Television made the transition to digital broadcasting in February 2009, we faced a serious limitation: we didn't have the funds to buy the video storage equipment necessary to record high definition (HD) programs. The economy had recently taken a nosedive and the state had made major cuts in all education funding - including $3 million in APT's budget. Without the HD video server, APT could only broadcast programs in true HD if they were fed to us via satellite or originated live in our studio. Everything we recorded for later playback had to be converted to standard definition and then changed back to HD for broadcast. This resulted in reduced video quality for many programs on the HD channel.

Now, thanks to viewer contributions and a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the picture is about to change. At the end of August and beginning of September, Alabama Public Television will install a new HD video server that will allow us to broadcast every HD program in true HD.
...
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post #2473 of 2849
8/26/10 at 11:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kafei View Post

I received this via Facebook:

Thanks for the tip, I'm gonna repost that link in the Birmingham thread.
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post #2474 of 2849
8/26/10 at 9:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Hornfeck View Post

Before going to any drastic measures and buying a jointenna I must point out that I've had success using a simple combiner (as pictured) and two antennas given each reflector (shield) blocks multi-path from the other stations. Besides, it's digital - you either have sufficient (signal) strength or you don't.

While it doesn't hurt to try, the problem with in Huntsville is that there are a lot of hills which reflect signals back to an antenna. Especially with a bow-tie style antenna like the CM4228, it's definitely not as directional as a yagi-style.

But, if he plans on buying the antenna anyway (could probably get away with a CM4221), it doesn't hurt to try a passive 2-way splitter first, since they only cost a few bucks.

The other alternative is to buy a cut antenna, specifically for channel 14. Then a 2-way splitter would work just fine. But a cut antenna costs more than a jointenna.

We may have a few more cut antennas for channel 14 laying around the studio, I'll have to check.
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post #2475 of 2849
8/27/10 at 6:17am
Yeah... thanks Taz for the tech discussion. As you said "it doesn't hurt to try" which was my point - while there are technically accurate solutions, sometimes using what we have lying around the house might work without spending money on a focused solution. Regardless of his final solution he needs to achieve a good signal strength from both directions... so far he hasn't attained above 30% on the CW - gotta address that before working on the combiner vs jointenna implementation!
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post #2476 of 2849
9/7/10 at 2:34pm
I know someone will stumble in and ask...

Apparently large sections of Huntsville are without power for some reason. I know WHNT is off the air (from their Facebook page).
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post #2477 of 2849
9/7/10 at 5:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kafei View Post

I know someone will stumble in and ask...

Apparently large sections of Huntsville are without power for some reason. I know WHNT is off the air (from their Facebook page).

Both the power and WHNT are on in the S.E. That's at 7:44 PM.
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post #2478 of 2849
9/8/10 at 1:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kafei View Post

I know someone will stumble in and ask...

Apparently large sections of Huntsville are without power for some reason. I know WHNT is off the air (from their Facebook page).

A bushhog took out a guy-wire on a utility pole.
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post #2479 of 2849
9/8/10 at 2:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by taz291819 View Post

A bushhog took out a guy-wire on a utility pole.

It's the little things that will do you in!
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post #2480 of 2849
9/8/10 at 6:44pm
Isn't that what the generator is for?
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post #2481 of 2849
9/9/10 at 4:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by burdellgp View Post

Isn't that what the generator is for?

Not really a generator, but a UPS is what we use. It only lasts for about 30 minutes running everything. I believe the power was out in south Huntsville for over an hour.
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post #2482 of 2849
9/9/10 at 4:56pm
After severe weather in the 1980s (the 1984 or 1985 ice storm and the 1989 tornado), the "big 3" local stations each made a big deal about having generators (before the airplane/helicopter wars, the radar wars, etc.). It sounds like somebody isn't performing proper maintenance and/or testing for their generator.
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post #2483 of 2849
9/14/10 at 9:08am
Maybe someone will have an answer to this. We received an automated call a couple of weeks ago saying that the transition to all digital would take place on Sept. 14. Well as of now we don't have any of the new channels we were supposed to get, however, the one set we have that does not have a digital adapter has had nearly all the channels (except for local) cut off. So that part of the transition has taken place. Does anyone have an idea when we can expect to get all the new HD channels shown on the Comcast mail out card?
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post #2484 of 2849
9/14/10 at 9:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by thedjs6 View Post

Maybe someone will have an answer to this. We received an automated call a couple of weeks ago saying that the transition to all digital would take place on Sept. 14. Well as of now we don't have any of the new channels we were supposed to get, however, the one set we have that does not have a digital adapter has had nearly all the channels (except for local) cut off. So that part of the transition has taken place. Does anyone have an idea when we can expect to get all the new HD channels shown on the Comcast mail out card?

Did the mailer say Digital or HD, as there is a big difference.
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post #2485 of 2849
9/14/10 at 10:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by taz291819 View Post

Did the mailer say Digital or HD, as there is a big difference.

Both. One side shows the digital channels available after the transition. The other side shows all the new channels including a number of new HD channels. Since we have the HD service and set top box, I would assume that we should receive all the new HD channels( not including the premium channels.)

Anyway, I will keep trying to get through to Comcast and maybe they can give me an answer. I'll post back when I find out something.
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post #2486 of 2849
9/15/10 at 8:50am
Looks like the full transition is now underway. Last night we started receiving several new HD stations including Hallmark and Hallmark Movie Channel, the Weather Station and LIfetime Movie Channel. Also, we now have nearly all of the Digital Starter Channels listed on the Comcast mail out along with some that are not listed.
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post #2487 of 2849
9/16/10 at 10:48pm
Jeopardy in HD at 6pm on WAAY, 9/16/2010, over the air, and it looked dang good.
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post #2488 of 2849
9/17/10 at 8:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Irving1956 View Post

Jeopardy in HD at 6pm on WAAY, 9/16/2010, over the air, and it looked dang good.

I guess I don't pay much attention to the local news. When did they ditch the 6 O'clock news?
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post #2489 of 2849
9/17/10 at 9:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Irving1956 View Post

Jeopardy in HD at 6pm on WAAY, 9/16/2010, over the air, and it looked dang good.

Did you mean WAFF (NBC on 48) or did Jeopardy get picked up by ABC?
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post #2490 of 2849
9/17/10 at 11:38am
Jeopardy is now on WAAY 31 at 6 instead of the news. It is HD and looks nice. I'm sure more people will watch that than would have watched WAAY news.
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