Charlotte, NC - OTA - Page 183

Sat truck is having problems feeding the game out of Winston

WRAL-TV (Raleigh) posted similar information on their Facebook page.

Yeah, that's why I knew it, lol :-)

Must be weather related due to the rain as those storms pass through.

I haven't been watching WBTV this evening. But I just turned it on and getting signal readings that are averaging about 87% over the past 5-10 minutes on my TiVo. Of course, the weather is bad tonight in the area, so things could change if I continue to watch.

I agree 100%. I have a Master's Degree in Management. That said. I HAVE A MASTER'S DEGREE IN MANAGEMENT.

I work on computers and I know a bit about electronics, but all the technical jargon that some people on here post is over the heads of 99% of those who do not have a background in engineering.

Once more: I HAVE A MASTER'S DEGREE IN MANAGEMENT.

I can tell you how to run a manufacturing floor in the most efficient manner possible, but a great deal of the stuff I see on here just goes right over my head.

I realize that some people just like to see their words on the screen while showing people how smart they are, and many just like to bat their gums. And, it is not just one or two that do it.

Take this post for instance: It is much longer than it should have been.

Enough of that.

I DO hope that WJZY gets FOX. Channel 18 is a crap shoot a lot of times but WJZY is steady as a rock.
EDIT: MOST OF THE TIME
Edited by Country_Boy - 1/31/13 at 2:40am

In the 1970s my grandmother still had an old TV with no UHF band on it. When they watched it was 3 & 9 only.

 

Ahhh... location location location.  I am dreading this because I have just the opposite situation here to the southeast of Charlotte.  WJZY is the crapshoot while WCCB is easily the most reliable signal received.  Haven't watched a single CW show since Smallville went off the air, so the lack of WJZY was not really a problem.  Watch lots of Fox stuff, though, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

I guess another Fox station is not an option for you, like WGHP?

WJZY tower location

WCCB tower location. Depends on where your antennae is directed....your location....your surroundings.... Both come in very well where I live. WCCB is a bit better

It would be an act of fate if Fox went to WJZY. NBC might opt for WCCB... who knows..... truth is stranger than fiction. Don't forget WBTV ...then were would CBS go....ABC?

Are we speaking of a weaker power or coverage. Strange the highest point in (I have been told) Mecklenburg County is just across from the WCCB Studios. Tower height has much to do with coverage..

I'm down in a hole and the antenna (DB8) is inside the attic... I've never been able to receive anything (digital) outside of the local market (in the analog days I could occasionally pick up Ch 7 out of Spartanburg with a different antenna).

 

Right now the DB-8 is pointed NNW, splitting the difference between the two main transmitter clusters:

 

 

With that setup, I get very reliable reception of WCCB, WSOC, WBTV, WCNC, WAXN and (oddly) WNSC (which is nice, because TWC doesn't carry them in HD).  WJZY and WMYT are a 50/50 crapshoot at best.  WTVI, WUNG and WHKY are essentially non-existent.  I can point the antenna further west and improve WJZY and WMYT, but that causes issues with WSOC and WAXN (and has no effect on WCCB).

 

It's not a total disaster... as WJZY will still be available via TWC.  My home is configured with multiple HDHR tuners... an HDHR Dual setup for OTA, another dual configured for TWC ClearQAM, and two 3-tuner Primes configured with TWC CableCards.  All tuners are mapped into a single lineup in WMC (using only the TWC channel numbers for family friendliness).  Tuner source priorities are set such that the OTA tuners are first choice for those channels that are reliably available, then ClearQAM, then the six CableCard tuners, which can provide any channel if necessary.  The setup works like a charm, allowing the benefits of OTA reception/recording seamlessly with the full TWC lineup.

 

The tuner priorities are already set such that the OTA tuner is locked out for WJZY, which looks to ClearQAM first, then to the CableCard tuners, so I will not lose Fox programming at all... it will just be via TWC only and subject to whatever extra artifacts that TWC decides to add.

Edited by jcalabria - 1/31/13 at 12:14pm

WJZY broadcasts from a very tall 2000ft tower near WBTV and WCNC. And they (WJZY) are full power 1000kw. So the issue may be with the type of side mounted antenna they are using. Perhaps they will eventually top mount their digital antenna on top of their tower and remove the old analog 46 antenna. Then they would perhaps have a more stable omnidirectional signal like WBTV. But the problem with WMYT is the side mounted antenna as well as the much lower power level. But, in my case, I receive a very strong signal from both WJZY and WMYT here in Greenville, SC at a full 10 bars with an attic antenna. But I seldom see WCCB at all. My main problem is ABC as WLOS has a problematic VHF signal on RF13, and the WSOC translator is very weak and subject to daytime dropouts. The main 9.1 often comes in strong at night, but not always. And I get good signals from WBTV, WSPA, WYFF, WCNC, and WHNS in addition to WJZY/WMYT.

It's interesting to read the post from jcalabria, located in Matthews, and the difficulties he has experienced with obtaining WJZY. I wouldn't know for sure, but my guess would be two factors working against him. First, he described his location as being very low in elevation. And second, there's the issue of all the urban sprawl of Charlotte that exists between his location in Matthews and the tower in Dallas. But these factors are obviously being overcome where a lot of the other Charlotte stations are concerned--which seems likely since Matthews is still relatively low mileage from any of the Charlotte broadcast stations.

I am out of market (in SW Winston), but I am able to see WJZY (day and night) with an attic or rooftop antenna. But there are no obstructions in my area, and my home is in a relatively 'high' spot. So those factors help a lot (particularly at my distance); but I must have the antenna (at least at my attic level) to get WJZY. Like TylerSC, I also receive other CLT stations. But I never see WTVI.... and WHKY is very problematic, even with a long range antenna.

Using a preamp properly can help. Without a preamp, I lose all Charlotte signals except WBTV. Possibly a low gain Winegard 269 to prevent overload.

Tell me about it. I live only 30 miles from their main transmitter without much in between (in fact part is across Lake Norman) and even with a DB8 pointed straight at it reception is still a crap shoot. The DB8 simply can't receive the WHKY repeater in E. CLT just 14 miles from here.

Add to that they seem to have problems on and off with their satellite feed for RTV, Tuff, PBJ, and their guide information doesn't match what's transmitted (not in several months) and this makes for an experience that probably isn't worth spending a lot of time on. I finally fixed my guide info by changing the DVR to pick up the schedule for RTV in Columbia. In contrast, I get WUNE from that same direction which is 70+ miles from here. I'm not sure who their intended audience might be, their logo says Hickory/Charlotte, but I can't see how anyone in the Lake Norman area could possibly pick it up WHKY OTA without going to an awful lot of trouble.

Speaking of RTV/Luken

I also think RTV/Luken might be having some financial trouble these days. There is relative little real programming on RTV as there are infomercials on it from 1am to 8 AM and then what I call low grade lifestyle shows until 1pm. So basically they are down to transmitting 12 hours of retro TV/day and they repeat some of these shows during this block. As far as I can tell, they did not pick up any new shows at the first of the year. It's a noticeable change from about a year ago and definitely not on the level of Antenna TV or MeTV. Maybe the most telling tale - their website has gone to "we are working on a redesign". Tuff might be a little better but most of their stuff is very old, repeats a great deal, and a number of shows are transmitted in something like 352x240 format. (think youtube from 5 years ago) Eye watering if you try to watch it on a large screen TV.
Edited by blackcat6 - 2/1/13 at 1:42am

WSOC/WAXN tower sits on one of the highest places in Mecklenburg County at 856' (highest point is 890' near NC115, Mallard Creek Area). In the discussion of height vs power. Height trumps power every time (assuming its not a low power or a drop in, like WAXN). If you have 800Kw at 1200' vs 1000Kw at 820'...the 800Kw at 1200' wins. I have seen this many times in many markets....I had in Norfolk when I was there.

I have a 269 that I never installed because I was satisfied with what I was receiving with the current setup. I guess it's time to try it out.

It does seem as if height plays a very important role in comparison to power level, as I receive WMYT at a full 10 bars, and they are much lower power than WJZY and WBTV from the same location at much higher power. But power levels can be crucial to prevent cochannel interference such as WMYT and WHKY in Catawba County. And obviously at my distance, the WSOC-CR translator is much weaker than the other Gaston towers, and I may possibly have interference if the WLOS translator eventually signs on at a higher 25kw on RF31. Which is why i would like to see RF30 increase to 25kw but I know they are at the max allowed by the FCC currently. Wish that could change.

more news on WCCB

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/02/01/3825755/another-charlotte-tv-news-team.html

There is a chance that WCCB could end up "CW-18" after Fox Charlotte comes to an end, but that remains to be seen. And it is indeed possible that WJZY could move studio operations to Speed Channel facilities where they could more easily launch high definition news broadcasts within the already existing Fox owned building. Because I don't think the current WJZY facility has large studio space or an area for a newsroom. Nor necessarily the ability for HD news broadcasting. Moving to Speed Channel could solve this problem and make sense logistically. And time will tell if WCCB maintains its own newcast and if it remains profitable. I'm sure there are many who hope this is the case.

I thought it was interesting when he said the CW contract with WJZY still had 2 years left on it. Maybe FOX would keep it and move it to 55.

I was wondering when they would drop FoxCharlotte. Sounds like next month.

I would assume they could run CW's lineup at midnight if they wanted to, as long as they run it.

They could run CW and MY together "My CW Charlotte" or something lame like that, running CW shows 8-10 and the My reruns at 10. Then, turn WCCB into ION or Univision - something semi-major that I am surprised a city Charlotte's size lacks.

With Charlotte being the largest market throughout the Carolinas, I am also surprised that the market lacks an ION affiliate whereas other television markets such as Greensboro and Raleigh have ION. This network is known for their lame infomercials but ION does offer some good movies on the weekends. My main criticism of the Greensboro affiliate of ION (WGPX) is the fact that their broadcast tower cannot even get a signal into Winston-Salem. And I think the main reason for that is its low height. As it has been discussed on here many times, height is a major factor in OTA.

^Charlotte is the only city in the Carolinas, actually one of the few in the country, that gets MHZ Worldview. I'd rather have that over ION. My only wish is was in HD. Occasionally they will run a show 16:9 480i which looks pretty good. (as good as the WCNC news broadcast)

http://www.mhzworldview.org

With that said, I agree with that it should be better in Charlotte given its size. Cox really could do a lot more with its two stations here in Charlotte. It would be nice if they'd dump that mostly useless weather sub-channel and instead incorporated WeatherNation with local forecasts. (It's like the old Weather Channel before NBC ruined it where they break away every few minutes for local forecast) They could completely dump WAXN's schedule and put at least 2 channels there.

I''m not positive on this, but I believe ION would require the entire WCCB 6mz, meaning no more METV there. This business could play out badly for the viewers. Antenna TV, and THIS are in certain jeopardy, one or both. Charlotte might not be perfectly served by TV now, but the situation could be worse, a lot worse. Perfectly reasonable business models for the stations involved could create a situation that would have a number of viewers wondering why they have TV sets.

It was not a weaker signal. ABC left WCCB because of the news or lack of news efforts..and the
VHF WSOC TV. (and the past FCC rankings of stations and their public interest, convenience and necessity) check the FCC and the Charlotte Observer files.)

 

According to the Nielsen rankings, the Raleigh-Durham DMA is now slightly larger than the Charlotte DMA.

 

I don't think you're missing much by not having an Ion affiliate. Frankly, I don't know how the CW network or the two syndication services Ion and MyNetwork stay afloat.They have so little in the way of programming. Even the affiliates of the major networks are hard pressed for good programming these days. What chances do the independent stations or the minor networks and syndication services have?

My friend near Altoona, PA didn't even know what ION was. Their closest affiliate is channel 16 of Pittsburgh, which his cable doesn't carry.

ION is cable-only in the Portland/Poland Spring, ME market. Their channel 23 station, licensed to edge-of-market Waterville, was once WMPX-TV (PAX) in a prior time.

Here in Hartford/New Haven (market #30), we do have an ION affiliate via channel 26 of New London, which is about 50 miles away from Hartford.

The Springfield/Holyoke, MA market to my north doesn't have ION either. I'm not sure if they get it from Boston/Worcester or cable-only like Portland/Poland Spring, ME.