Greenwood, MS - HDTV - Page 4

Last word I've gotten about WXVT is that they are going to flash cut to 15 for their final DTV instead of building out full power for ch17. The bad news is that WXVT will be SD for most of this year at least.

I can't get WABG over here due to hills/ridge east of me and that KARK-DT Little Rock also on ch32 is strong enough to lock 24/7. Hopefully after analog KVTN 25 is gone, I might be able to lock WMAO-DT in the evenings.

For whatever reason, I can't get even a blip of WXVT's digital signal. Analog isn't much better.

Seems like it should be a doable catch because I hear some public safety stuff from Bolivar County easily, and I seem to get into their 2m repeater decently. I've even briefly gotten a readable pic from the little channel 11 in Webb. But WXVT is just too weak.

On edit, I see the low power temp digital WXVT has up is in Greenville. No wonder I can't get it. :doh:

For all of you who don't know, WABG-TV is going ahead and transitioning to digital on Feb 17. No news yet about WXVT.

WABG (ch 32 DTV) has been broadcasting DTV since October 2005. I used to receive them over here imost evenings and mornings in western Lincoln County Arkansas until KARK-DT (32) Little Rock AR went full power on March 17, 2006.

WXVT has yet to complete their transistion...WXVT-DT is very low power on channel 17 they were planning on "flash cutting" but I'm sure that the the new deadline will allow them some time and since the FCC wants one station in each market to stay analog until 6/12 its very likely 'XVT will stay analog until June. However, from what I understand that HDTV will not arrive at the time WXVT goes full power DTV---that will arrive sometime this fall or next year.

The expression "transistiong to digital" is a bit of a pet peeve since nearly all stations have been broadcasting DTV in one form or another for the past 4-5 years (some longer in some markets). The only ones not at this point are those given a waiver (such as little KXGN channel 5 in Glendive MT in the smallest market in the US #210) or those without a digital companion channel (examples: KEJB channel 43 El Dorado AR, KVTJ channel 48 Jonesboro, AR).

Today over here in AR the Little Rock based VTN (Religious) is flash cutting two stations (KVTH 26 and KVTJ 48)...and shutting down their analog flagship--KVTN channel 25 Pine Bluff which blocks out reception of WMAO-DT 25 ("23-n") over here and in the NW fringes of their SE Arkansas coverage area. I hope to get a lock occasionally on WMAO-DT in the evenings since our public TV here (AETN) has been less than stellar.

I don't know if you have noticed WABG.com. They have on their web site on the first page that they are transitioning on Feb 17th. Also, on Rabbitears.info that WXVT has a notice of analog termination with the FCC stating that they are transitioning on Feb 17th. Also on Rabbitears.info MPB has a notice of termination of analog signal so MPB is transitioning on Feb 17th on all its TV outlets.

All three of Greenwood/Greenville's full power licensed stations have filed termination notices....

I didn't mention WXVT until I saw the notice of termination. I checked those late last night and early this morning.

Barring any FCC intervention, there won't be any analog signals in that area save for translator K42CY channel 42 Greenville , a TBN owned relayer and a couple of Grenada LPTVs/translators.

KTVE 10 El Dorado AR is also terminating analog. The closest major network stations that will remain analog post 2/17 near Greenwood/Greenville are in Jackson (ie, WLBT ch 3) and Memphis (WREG 3, WHBQ 13).

The only full strength Little Rock broadcaster remaining in analog mode will be KTHV 11 (CBS), and KATV 7 on its low power signal---both transmit from Shinall Mtn in west Little Rock. KARK 4, KLRT 16, and KASN 38 will go silent next week.

WABG-DT and WMAO-DT already are at full power, WXVT will flash cut on ch 15, from their "QRP rig" on ch17.

WABG-DT is blocked out here because of KARK-DT also on RF 32. WMAO-DT until yesterday was blocked out by analog KVTN 25 Pine Bluff. Eastern parts of my county (the flat Delta-farming area) will be able to receive all three G/G DTV's, its DX here due to hills and a ridge running from Star City to Monticello AR.

Well WXVT's Feb 5 2009 transition plan came and went and still no DTV from Ch 15.

I was under the impression they were on-air, but with low power. Was Feb 5 supposed to be the day they increased power or something?

I had the GM from WXVT as my presentation at Greenwood Lions Jan 23, 2009.
At that time, they expected to start Broadcasting DTV on Ch 15 on Feb 5th They are in a hard place, as the channel they will broadcast DTV and their Analog channel are the same frequency. This means they do not co-exist well, they need a hard cutoff/startup date. And now the .GOV is waffling on them. Those stations that got/chose a different Digital channel can co-exist digital/analog more easily.

Their antenna is near Boyle, even folks in Cleveland can't get the temporary Digital Ch 17 signal, it is that weak, and exists to comply with the law.

The FCC has spoken for Greenwood-Greenville. It seems that Channel 6 (WABG) and 15 (WXVT) were not told to go ahead and they were not approved by the FCC because of public service concerns. It seems unless they can prove economic hardship that Channel 6 and 15 may be required to run their stations until June 12th unless they can convince the FCC that they will comply with certain conditions as outlined by the FCC. the conditions are outlined in the following pdf file

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_publi...FCC-09-7A1.pdf

WABG and WXVT has been approved to transition on Feb 17th.

Do you have a link to confirm? I saw them on the "tenitively denied" list as well as KTVE, KNOE, KARD, and KAQY. I hope all of these do get final approval for shutting down analog, especially WXVT which has not had a decent DTV signal to date.

Update: saw on WABG's website that they were shutting off at 11:59 on the 17th. I can't get the DTV signal here (co-channel interference from KARK-DT) and the analog very very weak (a ridge is between Star City proper and my location) and the 88.3 FM in Little Rock doesn't help things.

This has turned into drama and utter confusion....

Haley-SEA:

Look on the FCC web site http://www.fcc.gov and look at the first item on their home page. It is called:
FCC Releases Lists of TV Stations' Responses to Requirements for Analog Termination on February 17, 2009.

Look at the public notice first to make any sense of what they have posted. The link to the information is Appendix A.

If you want to go to the attachment directly it is at http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_publi...A-09-245A2.pdf

Rich, I've already checked those out....there are also some Excel spreadsheets which show which stations, etc.

The past week has been nuts with what is staying, what is going. One station in Little Rock that applied and was approved for shuttting off (KLRT 16 FOX) is going to postpone its analog shutdown due to "dozens of viewer complaints." At least KASN38 Pine Bluff (CW) is going away, its my closest station. KLRT analog is snow free also, but its due to the antenna, preamp and location of the antenna (area to Little Rock at my location is pasture land).

WMAO-DT here has yet to decode with KVTN analog's absence, but I do see the signal show up on the Zenith box's meter. I was hoping for a stronger signal here, and being able to watch.

WXVT analog 15 flash cut sometime after midnight, I only caught the station right after 1am when I noticed no signal on the analog side, a check of the converter box and WXVT popped up.

I'm pointed at Inverness (for WMAO) and WXVT-DT is by far the strongest signal from Greenville/Greenwood over here in Western Lincoln County AR WMAO-DT is also decoding, being aided by tropo scatter.

Only complaint is the PSIP time and date are incorrect, but I'm sure that will be taken care of quickly.

Ch 15 WXVT-DT is usable, but weak here in Greenwood. Now to reprogram all my (old) ladies converter boxes.

I was receiving WMAO (Greenwood) last night OTA, but subchannel 23-2 was locking up my DishNetwork vip 211 receiver's built in ATSC tuner, and the Zenith converter box will only tune 23-1, and 23-2, not 23-3. Video on 23-2 (the HD stream) was stop-motion and jerky.

This morning during intense tropo WMPN-DT 20 (29-n) Jackson was received here but there no subchannel issues with getting all three streams, or video issues with 29-2.

If anyone from Mississippi Public Broadcasting is reading this board, please send someone to Inverness and check out the problem. Thanks.

MPB is in the process of installing new FM antennas at all its locations in Mississippi. The problem is that this installation will affect HDTV coverage in your area. There has been FM problems with WMAV as well as WMAO and WMAB . So they are powering down their HDTV signal in order to install the FM antennas. The FM antennas are being replaced so that they will have a decent antenna in place to transmit FM so that their HD radio setup works the way it is supposed to. All MPB locations are to have this work done. I do know that down here where I live in Forest that the MPB station had that done in Meridian before the transition.

Uh oh, better tell my father. He was nearly late for work one morning when WMAV out of Oxford went low power; his clock radio only had static. Now he's switched to WMAO out of Greenwood.

Luckily it didn't seem to affect the TV side of things from Oxford for us. It's the only MPB HD we can get in Grenada.

KETZ-DT (PBS-AETN El Dorado AR) has to wait two more months for KTVE (NBC El Dorado AR) to shutdown analog. FCC denies KTVE and (sister station) KARD hardship waivers.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/art...hp?rssid=20065

I am wondering what problems you had for your DTV reception? I was wondering since everyone in the Delta have gone ahead of the rest of the state and converted to Digital channels? Could we have some testimonials from you folks?

I'm not completely in the Delta (Grenada) but I'll offer up an opinion until someone else chimes in. I've got a set-top amplified cheapo antenna up in the attic, about as minimal setup for OTA as you can get.

I actually get much better reception of WABG Greenwood's digital channel than I ever did their analog on channel 6. WXVT is completely absent here digital. I don't know if they are broadcasting full power digitally or just locally to Greenville still.

MPB used to be decent here, in analog, on channel 18 from Oxford, but also weakly on channel 23 from Greenwood and 2 from Miss State. They're all shutdown now and I only get the Oxford outlet maybe 30% of the time. Been that way since they replaced the FM antenna at the TX site. Dunno if they tweaked the digital or my antenna moved, but it is useless.

WTVA has been the big surprise for me. We always got a good signal via analog but the digital on VHF 8 is pretty reliable. It blips out anytime a relay or motor fires up in the house, though. Not bad, though.

I'd personally like to hear from anyone in the Delta to see if WTVA's digital signal can be picked up out there at all.

Honestly, the biggest changes have been to the local cable lineup. Before the first shutdown they carried WMC from Memphis and WLOV from the Columbus-Tupelo market. Those have been dropped and WABG's Fox subchannel has been picked up.

WMAV-DT 36 (18-1) is operating at 6.4 kW versus the 272 kW they hold a construction permit for. They plan to have the new transmitter and antenna installed in July.

- Trip

I was under the impression they were up to 150 kw now. Either way I'm still within the coverage area, though.

It looks like both WMAV and WMAO will put a decent signal here (in theory) after both reach fuller power.

They told the FCC in April that they were still at 6.4 kW. I was just going by that, since it was the last thing they filed.

- Trip

I was visiting my wife's grandmother in Belzoni, and checked out her converter box. She had an old pair of rabbit ears with UHF loop, but was barely getting WABG and WXVT, while WMAO was fine.

I moved it a little, and got a strong signal. I then did a rescan, and got WMPN, WUFX, and WDBD from Jackson! There's no telling what she could get with a good outdoor antenna.

With an good outdoor antenna and preamp, she could probably get all the Jackson stations from Belzoni. Especially WJTV... a great chance on catching WLBT and WAPT, too.

She has satellite, so the Greenville locals are fine with her.

I can't pull them in this morning, but for those in 24/7 range of WXVT...is WXVT broadcasting CBS programming in HDTV?