Columbus, MS - HDTV

I am located in Pontotoc and was wondering if anyone has had any luck receiving any Memphis digitals in the Tupelo area. I am 80 miles from the Memphis towers and want to know if this is even possible. I currently receive wcbi dt and wlov dt, but would like to be able to get ABC and NBC HD stations. Thanks..........Also, anybody know any info on WTVA in Tupelo as far as their digital plans? I had heard they were having a dispute with one of the Educational stations over a channel #. I also saw on the FCC website that WKDH-ABC network has a projected date of 06/05 of going on the air digital. I don't know if they will be HD or not, but my guess would be ,not, since their sister station WLOV-FOX has been digital for almost a year, but does not pass thru any Fox HD programming. Anybody please post any info you have and let's get this N Ms thread going.

Deno

Are there no other N.MS HD fans on here ???

Deno

Hi, deno. I'm down here in Starkville. I don't get over to this forum very often, but now that I now there's at least one other N. MS member here, I'll check in more often.

Currently the only OTA HD I can get is WCBI-DT in Columbus. I'm using an old TERK TV-50 multidirectional antenna, and I've tried a few other multidirectionals with little success. I'm on the verge of putting up a big, directional Channel Master 3671, their deepest fringe antenna, in hopes of getting at least WLOV-DT and WMAB-DT. I hadn't thought about Memphis, but that would probably be a long shot from Starkville.

I exchanged emails with the WLOV chief engineer last week and he said that they "will be moving to high def very soon". Hopefully this bodes well for WKDH when they begin digital transmission. The engineer also said that WLOV-DT is still transmitting on low power, but I should be able to receive the signal in Starkville with "a good outdoor antenna". Hence my consideration of the Channel Master.

As for WTVA's situation, I received an email from their president a few months ago confirming a channel assignment conflict with MS ETV. Here's an excerpt from his email:

"Initially we were assigned Channel 8. In later FCC proceedings were were assigned channel 55 which is outside the band of frequencies which will be used in the future. Althought Miss. ETV station in Boonville applied for Channel 8 along with us, and they have built on Channel 57, they have refused to withdraw their petition for Channel 8. We are awaiting the Commission's decision which no one knows when will happen."

I hope this doesn't drag on too long, and I hope WTVA isn't using it as a convenient excuse for not firing up their digital transmitter.

Mike

jmr21,
Thanks for your response. I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one from our area that read this forum. I added a CM 7777 pre amp to my CM 4221 4-bay antenna and raised the height to about 30 ft. Much to my surprise I was able to pull in:

WREG CBS from MEMPHIS- strong signal
WKNO PBS from Memphis-strong signal
WPXX PAX from Memphis-strong signal
WPTY ABC form Memphis -ok signal at night , a few dropouts.
WMC NBC from Memphis- marginal at best, only at night.

You should be able to recieve WLOV as you are about the same distance from the tower as I am. In case you didn't know, the tower is in Woodland, about 10 miles south of Houston. I was able to pull in a strong signal from this station with the 4221 @ about 15 ft. with no preamp in Pontotoc. I doubt you would have a shot at Memphis, but with the right setup you might be able to see Jackson,Meridian, or Tuscaloosa. Again, thanks for the response and happy new year!!!!

I currently live in Etta, MS about 15 miles Northeast of Memphis. I have and 8 bay CM 4228 Antenna, a CM 7777 preamp, a CM antenna Rotor on top of a 25 foot Telescoping Mast. I am using a Hughes E-86 D* STB. I currently Receive the following stations:

WREG CBS from Memphis - Strong Signal (73-80 Signal Strength)
WKNO PBS from Memphis - Strong Signal (73-80 Signal Strength)
WPXX PAX from Memphis - Moderate Signal (43-50 Signal Strength)
WPTY ABC from Memphis - Moderate Signal (43-50 Signal Strength)
WMC NBC from Memphis - Hardly any signal at all (25-32 Signal Strength)
WCBI CBS from Tupelo - Strong Signal (100 Signal Strength)

A LOT of the Northern PBS Stations (Oxford, Booneville, Starkville, etc) all come in around 80 - 100 Strength with the Rotor.

If you do not have a rotor on your mast, I would STRONGLY recommend it. A couple of degrees in the direction of the broadcasting towers can mean a lot in picture and sound quality.

Welcome to the thread jdozier and thanks for the response. I agree on the rotor, just haven't got around to it yet. What about WLOV-dt Fox digital station? Do you get reception up that far. It is very strong here in Pontotoc.
They are digital but still not passing HD. I get 55-1 and 55-2 PBS stations with a strong signal even with the antenna turned to the south. They have very good HD picture quality in my opinion.

I have noticed also that the optimum antenna position for WREG is a couple of degrees west of my optimum position for WPTY and WPXX. I have a Hughes HTL so my signal meter doesn't read in numbers, just poor,normal, or good. Those couple of degrees usually bring a marginal signal on WPTY in to the normal range.

Correction to my last post. I live about 15 miles Northeast of Oxford, not Memphis.

deno,

I have had HDTV for about 2 years now. I just got myself a rotor about a month ago and it makes a BIG difference. As far as WLOV-dt I cannot get a signal from them at all. It is frustrating because I live in the Memphis FCC area that is also served by WLOV. I have DirecTV and could have gotten a waiver for FOX-HD had WLOV not have also served my area. It really stings this year since the Superbowl is on FOX this year. I think I need to raise my Antenna Mast about 4 or 5 more feet and cut a tree down between the Antenna and the Tower.

WREG and WKNO (PBS Memphis) are on the same tower. So if you get WREG, you should also have no problem getting 10-1 (Transmitter 29). WPTY and WPXX are also on the same tower. I think if I raise the mast another 4 or 5 feet I might get a little stronger signal. I use the rotor to get the strongest signal and then program the channel into the rotor.

It is nice to see that I am not the only RURAL Mississippi resident that wants his HDTV. I cannot wait for WTVA (NBC - Tupelo) to go into HDTV. I hope it is completely done by June 2005. Does anyone know when the ABC Columbus Station is going to go to HDTV?

As per jmr's post above, WKDH-ABC is scheduled to go digital 06/2005. No word if it is HD or not. I have also seen this on the FCC website. As far as WTVA, as far as I know, they have not released any sort of timetable as to their digital plans. Also, WKDH,WTVA,and WLOV all share the same tower.
Have you heard any info on WTVA?
Deno

Happy to report that WLOV DT-16 broadcast the superbowl in HD yesterday , and it was beautiful. The picture quality was exceptional and they also had DD5.1 audio. I have tried unsucessfully this morning to contact the station to see if they were just trying out the new equipment, or if they are now a full-fledged HD station. If you watched their broadcast yesterday, e-mail them and tell them you appreciate them doing the game in HD. If they get a big response, maybe it will speed up the process of upgrading WKDH-ABC and WTVA-NBC, as they are all under the same ownership. Way to go WLOV, you just doubled my network over-the-air network viewing!!!!!

Deno

Did WLOV-HD have its logo in the bottom right hand corner of the screen like it does on WLOV-SD? The constant logos on WTVA/WLOV/WKDH are one reason I HATE to watch those stations. I much prefer the Memphis stations for this reason. I only hope that when WTVA/WLOV/WKDH switch to HD, they drop the logos.

They do still have a logo, but it is much smaller than on the SD channel. I did notice though that the new logo is not "tranparent" like the SD version.

I talked to the engineering dept. @ WLOV and they said they were now passing through all FoxHD programming. Also, they are planning on increasing power in the very near future.

Deno

I have not been able to receive video or audio for the last few days on WLOV. All I get is a blank screen. However, my signal still shows a very strong signal. Anybody else seeing(or rather not seeing) this? Just wondering if it's a receiver or station issue. Thanks


Deno

Hi all,

I've just received an e-mail from Comcast informing me that they are now offering HD service in Corinth. No specifics on what channels, though. Does anyone in Corinth or Tupelo (or other Comcast areas in northeast MS) have any experience with this? Comments on the channels and quality would be great. I've been mulling the purchase of an hdtv for some time, but an outdoor antenna was not feasible for me, and there wouldn't be much to get from here with an antenna, anyway, I don't think. But this is giving me new food for thought.

Regards,
cArcher

Hello all,

Just found this site, really glad to find some local info. I live in Enid, which is about 10 miles south of Batesville, MS. About three weeks ago I installed an Antenna Direct XG91 with a CM 7775 pre amp along with a rotor. Other than the educational stations, I am only able to receive WCBI 4.1 out of Columbus on a regular basis. Was hoping I could receive the Memphis channels, but they are very sporadic. I can usually get 3.1 and 5.1 late at night, but never can get more than a 20% signal or a lock on 24.1. My house is surrounded by large trees that I'm quite sure are obstructing some of my reception.

Was also wondering if WLOV was still broadcasting at low power. I cannot get any signal for them at all. I spoke with their enginneer back in January when I first bought my TV, and he advised that they would be at full power by early summer.

Thanks,
Ramdy

RAMDY,
Welcome to the board. WLOV is going to boost power soon, but I don't have a specific date. Sounds like you have a pretty good setup there. I am a little suprised that you are not having any better luck with the Memphis stations. You should be able to see them quite well from your location. I have better results than that from here in Pontotoc (about 80 miles from the Memphis towers). I don't have the same antenna as you, but I have read some info on the XG91, and it seems to be one of the best for long range UHF reception. However, it is very directional, so an inch or two one way or the other could make a big difference. What about PBS-Oxford? You should get a strong signal there. Good luck and good viewing. Glad to see more people in N.MS getting serious about their HDTV.

Deno,
Thanks for the welcome. Your correct about the XG91 being very directional. That's why I bought the rotor at the same time. So far I've been pleased with the performance. When I decided to try OTA, I really didn't expect to receive anything.

As I said, I can get 4.1 out of Columbus pretty much all the time and it's approximately 80 miles away. The Oxford PBS channel along with a couple of other PBS channels come in strong also. I get FOX-HD through D*, so I'm really looking forward to WKDH-ABC and WTVA-NBC coming on line and having all the networks. I'm also looking forward to WLOV increasing their power. I'm glad I'm getting Fox over the satellite, but the PQ is much better OTA. Are you currently receiving WLOV?

I'm sure the reason I'm having problems with the Memphis channels is because of the trees on the north side of my property. I built my house in the middle of the woods and there are lots of 60' trees within 30' of the house on the north side. Anyway, it's good to know that maybe soon we will be able to fully enjoy the full capabilities of our TV's.

Ramdy,
Yes, I actually get a very strong signal from WLOV here in Pontotoc. I am about 35 miles from the WLOV tower and about 45 miles from WCBI, and both usually register well into the "good" on my Hughes HTL signal meter. I also get Fox, as well as all the other networks, from satellite( I had to "move" to Iuka to get these networks). You are right that OTA HD is better than sat. especially WLOV vs FOX on satellite. I really don't see much difference in WCBI vs CBS on satellite. I guess this is because WCBI has the two sub-channels that eat some bandwidth.

I'm currently living in Oxford, where I'm a student at Ole Miss living in an apartment. I doubt I could mount an outside antenna so could I feasibly be able to pick up any DTV/HDTV stations here? I don't want to spend $200 on an ATSC tuner to find out the hard way! Any advice or tips would be appreciated!

Thanks!

tool_army,

I live just outside of Oxford and could not pick up anything using a standard outside antenna over a year ago. I have got a Channel Master UHF Fringe Antenna, a Channel Master Rotor and a Channel Master External Amp. I can pick up all of the Memphis and Columbus HD stations. The good news is that the PBS Station here in Oxford now broadcast HD. So you could probably be able to pick up PBS and ONLY PBS with an indoor antenna. It may not be worth the money to pick up just one local station. I hope this helps.

Does anybody have any recent info on WKDH-ABC going digital? I have sent several e-mails to the station with no response. I was once told that June 2005 was the target date but evidently something went wrong. Anyone with any info please share.

Deno

Deno,

I haven't heard anything but I note that antennaweb.org still lists their live date as TBD. They also show WTVA-DT live date as FCC Ext.

Mike

I spoke with an engineer from WLOV yesterday. He stated that WKDH would be operational "Soon". He could not give me a specific or general date. He suggested that I call back every few weeks for an update. He also stated that WLOV will be going full power "Soon". Again no specifics. WTVA will be the last to go full power, but he indicated all three "possibly" would be operational by the first of the year.

That sounds good Ramdy. It would be nice to have WKDH operational before Monday Night Football, but that looks unlikely. Oh well, at least they are working on it. Thanks for the update.

Deno

I live just north of Meridian and I have been picking up WCBI-DT Columbus for about a week now but not last night. Were their digital channels down last night??

Also, is WCBI-DT full power yet?

As far as I know the digital channels were not down last night and yes WCBI is at full power.
Meridian is about 100 miles from the WCBI tower which is located in Mc Condy( on the Clay-Chickasaw county line). I would think that this would put you on the outer edge of their coverage area, so maybe it was just a bad reception night???

When I went to the Directv website to see if I qualified for NBC-HD, Fox-HD, and ABC-HD, It said I was ineligible because WTVA, WLOV and WKDH are already broadcasting an HD signal.

I understand that WLOV is broadcasting, but the idea that WTVA and WKDH are on the air is BS!!!!

If they are on the air I would like to know.

Yep, apparently my reception varies. I can't tune them in the daytime at all. Thanks for the info.

One other issue. Sometimes there seems to be a terrible sync problem with the audio from WCBI. It sounds like a bad echo. This seems to be a station problem. Anyone else experience this??

I noticed the same thing and I agree it is BS. I can't get any kind of timetable from WKDH, just that they are working on it and should be online "very soon". When I applied for waivers a couple of years ago thru D*, WKDH was the only one that rejected me. As for WTVA, who knows, I personally don't think we will see their digital channel until the FCC is about to come down on them. I would like to know where D* is getting their info from.

ttriplett: I definitely know what your talking about with WCBI and their audio. It seems to me that it happens more if the program is being broadcast in DD 5.1.


Deno