Knoxville, TN - HDTV - Page 3

Same black outs on Medium Sean.

OK, thanks for the info.

So I finally get a Channel Master 4228 sitting in attic space -- literally on top of various A/V gear shipping boxes until I have time to deal with it properly -- and had no trouble getting all the locals I care about (6,8,10,15,20,43) and some I don't (7 and 54 alternately depending on antenna position).

But 6.1 comes in with solid audio but no video whatsoever.

Using the DirecTV HD PVR (TiVo), signal strength hovers around 70 on all channels.

I'm just curious if anyone else is having issues with WATE this week before I start finding a permanent home for the antenna. I've pulled in the channel before using a simple set-top VHF/UHF/FM RadioShack antenna.

What's your signal strength for WATE-DT? With digital TV you should be getting both audio and video, or nothing. Are you getting the weather info on 6.2?

Thanks for the reply, DaverJ.

Currently, the signal strength is 60, but now I'm getting both audio and video. Where you getting video on 6.1 at the time you posted?

I just performed a rescan of all channels and am now picking up 6.2 and 10.2 as well as 54's subchannels.

And now it's gone again, at 11:00 just as the next week previews started leading into the local news. Seems like a station problem: Only the network video feed is getting through.

Jonathan...

You aren't crazy... I just turned on WATE-DT 6.1 at 11:05pm and indeed... sound but no picture.

Last week this channel was cutting in and out, so I think they are having problems with 6.1. The 6.2 weather channel is fine though... :-/ Give them a call and ask what's up.

Yea, I was really annoyed when in the middle of my favorite show, Lost, the picture and audio just died on ABC about a week ago. I had to go over to my parents house and watch a SD version they have Tivoed.

After reading back through this thread and refreshing my memory, I see that NBC, ABC and FOX do indeed all share the same antenna. So, could it still be a multipath issue?

I found the FusionHDTV signal meter applet and have it running. It shows 0% signal as well, which seems quite hard to believe, since I do get a very stuttery picture and sound on Fox, which would suggest a) that I am getting some level of signal above 0% and b) that there is something going on with the Fusion card.

Is there something about the way that Fox broadcasts their signal that differs from the other networks?

Really really really wanted to watch some baseball. Even if those backbiting Braves did it to me again...

Gerald

Could be. There's also a full power analog in Campbellsville, KY on 34 which knocks it out for me from time to time. Not sure if it would affect you down there, though.

The thing is that when you guys were having problems with it, I wasn't, so maybe not. The next time it happens, switch to analog 34 if you can. If you can see any picture at all, that means there's co-channel analog interference from somewhere.

Now WATE 6.1 shows ~80%, which is usually plenty, but there is no video and very very choppy sound.

I checked for the analog station 34 and didnt get anything but white noise.

May purchase an ATI HDWonder and see what it can do... not prepared for much, as folks seem to bitch mightily about its shortcomings as well.

Gerald

They have been having a problem or two all week. The sound was a tick behind the movement of people's mouths on all shows, very annoying. WATE has to be the worst with regards to quality and "flipping the switch".

Anyone know why Comcast added WB20 to the HD lineup when they aren't showing anything HD? Seems like a waste of a channel.

Greetings all. DaverJ, I live in Fountain City also. Just received my Panny 37" HD plasma last week, & hooked up some older Radio Shack rabbit ears since I'm not into the Comcast thing (we primarliy watch DVD's, & the major networks). I checked antennaweb.org... I'm 1.9 mi. at 200 degrees & 2.7 mi. at 213 degrees for the 5 primary digital stations).

Reception so far is "hit & miss", but I haven't experimented much yet. Not sure if any others have a similar situation to mine (very close to Sharps Ridge, single level house), but I'm considering the Radio Shack 15-1880 (amplified) or the Zentith Silver Sensor. I know the digital channels ar predominantly UHF signals.

Any suggestions? Thanks fellow Knoxville AVSers.

Congrats on your purchase!

I have an outdoor antenna - in our unfinished basement lying on the floor! Our house at the end of the street is up a slight hill and I can see the towers on Sharp's Ridge out the first story window. I pull in WATE, WVLT, WBIR, WKOP and WTNZ all in the 80 to 90% range. I have problems getting WMAK and WBXX digitally.

I'm not sure why the rabbit ears didn't work, I would have guessed you would have no problem. Good luck with your experimenting - make sure you aren't plugging the antenna in the "cable" coax input on your TV.

rhcorolla
OTA HDTV reception "is" hit and miss.I'd sure try the Silver Sensor"(at least you can return it) and it's small and mobile.It may take some experimentation to hit the "hot spot".If the Zenith SS doesn't work,then you can go larger.Good luck!

Thanks, it's nice to be part of the digital revolution (even though it's baby steps getting 16:9 digital programming material)


Actually, quite a few of the channels come in great. I'm primarily having problems w/ WATE's signal coming in & out.

Rabbit ears are primarily designed for VHF. You can use them for UHF, though, but you have to know how to configure them. See http://www.kyes.com/antenna/rabbitear.html

I'd try the Silver Sensor unamplified first if that doesn't work. Stay away from anything amplified that close.

The Panny tuner seems pretty good at least for me at a distance. I have a 50PX50U.
Multipath will probably be your problem , though. You can look at your analogs for a clue to what's going on. Ghosting=multipath.

That's kind of where I'm at aVOLanche. Being just 2 mi. away, it seems the Silver Sensor makes, well, sense. We just moved to this house 2 weeks ago, so I want to get the compass out to verify where the towers are (& what is between me & the towers. )

Thanks cpcat. I have seen that link & had already bookmarked it. The rabbit ears I have also has a UHF antenna (the kind that's rectangular & rotates slightly).

You are spot on about the multipath problems, as the analog channels are ghosting horribly.

I'd go out and get the RS variable attenuator. It's cheap and it might work. Attenuation can knock down a reflection enough for the receiver to lock. Look at analog 15 and 43 as they should mirror what's going on with the uhf digitals more closely.

I'd try the RS attenuator first with your current antenna, then also with the Silver Sensor if necessary. If you can't even get close with the current antenna, the Silver Sensor is not likely to solve it for you. If you can get almost there, though, it'd be worth a try especially if you can return it.

Non-intuitive aiming can also be worth a try when mulitpath is bad. Sometimes you can tune a reflected signal better than the direct one. You might also try tilting up toward the top of the towers.

thanks for the great advice cpcat

I definitely wanted to play around w/ the existing indoor antenna, & had even thought of possible needing an in-line attenuator being so close, but a variable version is an excellent idea. Is this the RS one you were referring to?

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=search

I will say that I am not overly concerned w/ the analog channels. I just mainly want to lock-in the digital ones as best I can. And WAF-wise, I would like to avoid a behemoth indoor antenna. If all else fails, I'll put something in the attic if necessary...

Yep, good luck.

Anyone have a contact email address for WATE's techs? Their sounds is a little behind the pictur, been that way for almost 2 weeks. Very annoying.

bwilliams@wate.com

I think that's their CE.

It seemed to me that not only was the audio out of sync but the picture seemed very jerky/stuttery last night for Commander in Chief. This happened for MNF as well but fixed itself.

My D* DNS ABC feed was fine last night so I don't think it was a network issue.

Their picture was like that last night and tonight. When the camera pans or someone moves quickly, it looks like a streaming video clip with the jerkiness in the picture.

I am a novice to HDTV and found this site through Goggle. I have bought Panasonic HDTV and have had trouble getting some OTA stations. I live in Alcoa just South of the airport.

I cannot reliably receive WBIR-HD or WKOP-HD, but get the others including WBXX-HD without much trouble. I have tried a Phillips amplified loop antenna and could get WBIR-HD and WKOP-HD sometimes. The antenna had to be aimed away from the station direction to get these two stations. I have also tried a Terk HDTVi Antenna Pro and a borrowed AntennasDirect DB-2 indoors with and w/o a preamp without getting either WBIR-HD or WKOP-HD.

I would appreciate any suggestions you might have.

Also, I see where some of you list % or relative signal strengths. Is this from your tuner or a separate device.

Thanks,
tclee

It sounds to me like you should try a CM 4221. You might do o.k. in your attic but dont' hesitate to put it outside if necessary. You shouldn't need a preamp. If you have multiple indoor splits/ tv sets use a distribution amp like the CM 3042 just before the split. Remember that amplification makes multipath worse, however.

Stable reception with an indoor antenna just isn't always possible for everyone. It sounds like multipath is the problem. Multipath=ghosting on analogs. You can check analog 15 and 43 to get an idea.

Sometimes the variable attenuator from RS can help with multipath. It's cheap and it's probaby worth a try.

The other thing you might try is moving those indoor antennas around in the house as well as on a second floor (if present) or in the attic. A CM 4221 isn't very expensive, though.

Get a channelmaster 4228. I have one in LaFollette and I get every station great except wb 20 which is in another location

tclee, if you haven't already, check out antennaweb: http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx
Input your address & see what is recommended antenna-wise. With a compass & this data in hand, you can pinpoint any & all signals you wish to receive.

Is your Panasonic a CRT or Plasma? Signal strength is accessed on my Panny plasma by remote: menu, setup, program channel, signal strength (then advance channels w/ right or left arrows & press enter to get results).

WBXX is now 1080i. I noticed this a few days ago, but the programs that should be hd are not yet. How long do you think it will be before they can start showing the hd content in hd? My wife likes Reba, so we watched it last night in hope that it would be, nope. I now they are 1080i now, because that is the signal my tunner (built in, panasonic. But I just swithced to Dish friday and am now using their box) says it is picking up.