Chicago, IL - OTA

CHICAGO OTA: QUICK INDEX
Scroll down to the desired post, or click to open a new window.

• Post #2 - OTA channel lineup
• Post #3 - Broadcast location and power
• Post #4 - Longley-Rice signal propogation
• Post #5 - How to pick up WBBM-DT

• Post #6 - Helpful links
• Post #7 - Essay: 6th gen tuners: picking up weak signal stations
• Post #8 - What antenna should I use?
• Post #9 - Analog over-the-air broadcasting shutdown in Chicago: How did it happen?

Click here for the previous Chicago OTA thread.

Edited by sebenste - 3/19/13 at 9:53am

OTA Channel Lineup - April 11, 2013

Format:
Station Callsign (actual channel assignment)
PSIP remapped channel: Programming - Resolution - Dolby Digital availability


Green indicates HD programming available (either 1080i or 720p resolution)
480i resolution is standard definition, and may or may not be in widescreen format.

HD Stations

WBBM-DT (12)
2-1 : CBS HD - 1080i - DD 5.1

WMAQ-DT (29)
5-1 : NBC HD - 1080i - DD 5.1
5-2 :  Cozi TV- 480i

WLS-DT (44)
7-1 : ABC HD - 720p - DD 5.1
7-2 : LiveWellHD - 720p - DD 5.1
7-3 :  LiveWell SD

WGN-DT (19)
9-1 : The CW - 1080i - DD 5.1
9-2 :  Antenna TV- 480i

WTTW-DT (47)
11-1 : WTTW-HD - 1080i - DD 5.1
11-2 : WTTW-Prime - 480i
11-3 : PBS Create - 480i
11-4 : V-Me (espanol) - 480i

WOCK-LD (4)
13-1 :  Mundo Fox  - 1080i - DD 5.1

13-2 : KBC - 480i
13-3 :  Veria Living  - 480i
13-4 :  WeatherNation  - 480i
 

WYCC-DT (21)
20-1 : WYCC-HD - 1080i - DD 2.0
20-2 : WYCC SD simulcast - 480i
20-3 : MHz Worldview - 480i

WCIU-DT (27)
26-1 : Independent - 720p - DD 5.1
26-2 : U-Too - 480i
26-3 : WWME-TV 23 simulcast (MeTV) - 480i
26-4 : WMEU-CA 48 simulcast (MeToo) - 480i
26-5 : This TV - 480i

WFLD-DT (31)
32-1 : FOX - 720p - DD 5.1

WCPX-DT (43)
38-1 : ION - 720p - DD 2.0
38-2 : Qubo (children's programming) - 480i
38-3 : ION Life - 480i

38-4 : ShopTV

WSNS-DT (45)
44-1 : Telemundo - 1080i - DD 2.0
44-2 : Exitos - 480i

WPWR-DT (51)
50-1 : MNTV HD - 720p - DD 2.0

WYIN-DT (17)
56-1 : PBS - 1080i - DD 2.0
56-2 : 56.1 simulcast - 720p - DD 2.0
56-3 : Lakeshore Kids - 480i
56-4 : 56.1 simulcast - 480i

WXFT-DT (50)
60-1 : Telefutura - 1080i - DD 2.0
60-2 : 60.1 SD simulcast - 480i

WJYS-DT (36)
62-1 : Independent (Religious/Shopping) - 480i
62-2 : WEDE-CA 34 SD simulcast (MCTV) - 480i
62-4 : WJYS-2 - 480i

 

WGBO-DT (38)
66-1 : Univision - 1080i - DD 2.0

Other Digital Stations

 

WRKJ-LD (24)
22-1 :  Infomercials  - 480i

22-2 :  Infomercials  - 480i

22-3 :  Diya  - 480i

22-4 :  Infomercials  - 480i

22-5 :  Infomercials  - 480i

22-8 :  Infomercials  - 480i
 

WWME-LD (39)
23-2 : MeTV - 480i

WPVN-LD (20)
24-1 : Retro TV Network - 480i
24-2 : Tuff TV - 480i
24-3 : Community access - 480i
24-4 : Polvision - 480i
24-5 : Korean KUBS (family) - 480i
24-6 : Korean MCTV (religious) - 480i

W25CN-D (25)
25-1 : Home Shopping Network - 480i
25-2 : TVC+ - 480i
25-3 : Sonlife Broadcasting Network - 480i
25-4 :  Punch TV- 480i

25-5 : LATV- 480i

25-6 :  Alma  - 480i

WSPY-LD (35)
30-1 :  America One  - 480i
30-2 :  Blank  - 480i

WWTO-DT (10)
35-1 : TBN - 480i
35-2 : The Church Channel - 480i
35-3 : JCTV - 480i
35-4 : TBN Enlace (spanish) - 480i
35-5 : Smile of a Child - 480i

WESV-LD (40)
40-1 : Estrella TV - 480i

W40CN-LD (40)
40-1 : Waubsonsee College TV - 480i

WDCI-LD (30)
57-1 : Daystar - 480i

Edited by sebenste - 4/11/13 at 9:47pm

Broadcast Location and Power

Format:
Station: Broadcast Power - (Digital Channel Assignment) - Network Affiliation

WILLIS TOWER
HD Stations
WBBM-DT : 8 kW - (12) - CBS
WMAQ-DT : 350 kW - (29) - NBC
WLS-DT : 1 MW - (44) - ABC
WGN-DT : 600 kW - (19) - CW

WTTW-DT : 300 kW - (47) - PBS
WCIU-DT : 580 kW - (27) - IND [b]
WFLD-DT : 1 MW - (31) - FOX
WCPX-DT : 200 kW - (43) - ION
WSNS-DT : 660 kW - (45) - Telemundo [b]
WPWR-DT : 1 MW - (51) - MNTV
 

Non-HD Digital Stations
WWME-LD : 15 kW - (39) - Ind/METV
WMEU-LD : 15 kW - (32) - IND/MeToo
WESV-LD : 6 kW - (40) - Estrella TV
WJYS-DT : 145 kW - (36) - IND



HANCOCK CENTER
HD Stations

WOCK-LD : 1.2 KW  - (4) - IND
WYCC-DT : 98.9 kW - (21) - PBS

WXFT-DT : 230 kW - (50) - Telefutura
WGBO-DT : 600 kW - (38) - Univision

Non-HD Digital Stations
(CP)WCHU-LD : 300 W (vhf) - (6) - IND
(CP)WMKB-LD : .3 kW - (8) - A1

WRKJ-LD : 5.9 kw - (24) - IND
WLFM-LD : 15 kw - (33) - IND
(CP)WOCH-LD : 15 KW - (49) - IND

Trump Tower
Non-HD Digital Stations
WPVN-CD: 15 kW - (20) - Retro TV Network and more 


AON Building
Non-HD Digital Stations
W25DW-D: 15 kW - (25) - Home Shopping Network
WDCI-LD : 15 kw - (30) - Daystar


HD stations outside of downtown Chicago, but in the market
WYIN-DT : 300 kW - (17) - PBS - Transmitter: Just South of Crown Point, IN


Other Area Stations
Non-HD Digital Stations
WWTO-DT : 80 kW  - (10) - TBN  - Transmitter: 2 miles SE of Utica, IL
WSPY-LD : 10 kW - (35) - A1 - Transmitter: Just NW of Plano, IL
W40CN-D : 15 kW - (40) - Waubonsee College TV - Transmitter: Just N of Sugar Grove, IL


NOTES:

• kW = Kilowatts
• MW = Megawatts
• DT: Full Power digital station
• LD: Low Power digital station
• (CP): Construction Permit granted, but not yet on air
• (APP): Application to FCC has not yet been approved/disapproved

Edited by sebenste - 4/11/13 at 9:47pm

Everyone,

The 41 dBu UHF signal contours, the 28 dB VHF-LO signal contours, and the 36 dBu VHF-HI (channels 7-13) signal contours are just a general idea of what to expect, reception-wise, from a broadcast digital station as shown on the FCC signal maps; those are the minimum amounts of signal the FCC says you need to properly decode them. In actuality, as you all know, terrain and other factors contribute positively or negatively to the quality of the signal you get from a station.

When a station submits a broadcast coverage area map to the FCC for consideration, it uses a calculation known as the Longley-Rice method. This method bases the signal strength coverage of a station on the following factors:

For the broadcasting station:

1. Height of broadcast antenna
2. Power of the transmitter
3. Any "nulls" required by the transmitter to protect other stations

For the broadcast receiver:

4. Any terrain in the way between you and the transmitter
5. A "proper" receiving antenna up 30' in the air, without amplification
6. 50' of complete copper RG-6 cable from the antenna to the receiver

What is NOT considered in Longley-Rice maps:

1. Weather conditions, which can substantially extend or reduce the broadcast area at any given time
2. Interference from buildings, including multipath and signal blocking
3. Interference from electrical sources or anything else for that matter
4. Attic installations, which reduces signal strength by at least 50% in most cases
5. Antennas larger or smaller than "proper"
6. Signal amplifiers/preamplifiers placed on antenna systems

Having said that, a site came online back in 2007 that helps you determine signal strength via Longley-Rice maps, and they are updated frequently at Andy Lee's great site:

http://www.tvfool.com

Enjoy!

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?

All but two full-power stations here in the Chicago TV market broadcast on UHF. WWTO-DT broadcasts physically on channel 10; their PSIP data also shows 35.X as their channel number. WBBM-DT, once a hard-to-get analog and digital station, became much easier to get when they moved to channel 12 and at nearly double their power. They came from channel 3, which was subject to much interference.

The problem is that a standard UHF antenna likely cannot get these two channels. Thankfully, a relatively easy solution for many people is at hand.

You need to have a VHF-HI/UHF "combination" antenna. This type of antenna picks up channels 7-13, as well as channels 14-51. Close in, less than 30 miles away, depending on your line-of-sight to Sears Tower, a pair of "rabbit ears" with a "loop" UHF antenna MIGHT be all you need. If not, you'll need something stronger. People have reported success with indoor antennas such as this all the way out to Joliet, but beyond I-294, it will be a tougher go. Also, WWTO-DT has their transmitter very near Starved Rock State Park in Ottawa, IL, so it is quite far away from downtown and therefore very hard to get near the inner city.

Here are some *suggested* antennas for picking up all VHF-HI channels (note, this is NOT an endorsement, in any way, of any of these products; I may have used some of them, but I *personally* trust these brands, even if I haven't tried the model), and for picking up WBBM.

Suburbs out to route 59:

Winegard HD7082p

Suburbs beyond route 59 to Kenosha County, or DeKalb, or to past Kankakee, or to Renssalaer, IN, or to Laporte county, IN:

Winegard HD7084p
Winegard HD8200p (better for outdoor use, sturdier than 7084p)
Channelmaster 4228HD

With these on a rooftop at 30 miles, reception out to 70 miles should be decent. Exception: WBBM-DT has a slight null to the east, so range may be a little less.

For indoor antennas, these are good articles:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1037779
http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/79862

Helpful Links


Other Chicago AVS Threads

Chicago, IL - DBS (satellite TV)
Chicago, IL - Comcast
Chicago, IL - RCN
Chicago, IL - AT&T
Chicago, IL - WOW

Gilbert's geeky list of favorite DTV links

William Hepburn's Tropo forecast!
Want to get out of market stations? If this forecast based on weather computer models is reasonably correct, areas shaded in the appropriate colors
will be active. If the general area of tropo is oriented more west-east, watch for Quad Cities, Rockford, and South Bend stations. If towards the northeast, watch for Milwaukee and Grand Rapids. In either case, it isn't foolproof, but if you're in a color beyond just weak tropo, keep an eye out!
My list (Gilbert) of stations and their power, network affiliation channel and network affiliation. Excel spreadsheet. Hope you enjoy it!

6th generation tuners...the solution to getting weak signal stations?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back on December 19, 2007, I had the unexpected opportunity to install an HDTV for a fellow church member on the far northeast side of DeKalb. A few months earlier, to improve his reception and prepare him "someday" for an over-the-air digital converter box, I added a ChannelMaster 7777 preamplifier. He has a VHF/UHF Winegard combo antenna on a 30' tower using RG-6 cable except for a 2' RG-59 jumper; it's about 15 years old, and only the VHF portion of the antenna is used. It's diplexed with a ChannelMaster 4228 UHF antenna, installed at the same time, pointed at Rockford. I warned him: with all but two Chicago stations currently on UHF, and with the UHF antenna pointed at Rockford, most Chicago stations won't come in. And, WBBM-DT will be a no-show until 2009, and WWTO-DT from Utica, IL on channel 10 (just southeast of Starved Rock State Park) won't come in, because he is due north of the station by 45 miles, with the antenna pointed east towards Chicago. He can also lock PSIP on Milwaukee's FOX station on channel 33, even with a low power 33 in Rockford (and the antenna pointed at Rockford, of course)!

What I didn't know was that he decided to buy an HDTV that I recommended to him with an apparent 6th generation tuner. And after a Bible study, I found myself up late into the evening putting in the TV, and then checking out the reception, which blew me away!

From ~55 miles out, he has a rock-solid lock on WBBM-DT. When I mean rock-solid, the signal strength is 4 bars out of 4 on his new Initial brand HDTV! He has NO impulse noise breakups, except during a thunderstorm on December 22nd, when they occurred "one every great once in a while". And 3.5 bars out of 4 on WWTO-DT! All Rockford and most Chicago stations come in, but he cannot lock WYCC-DT and WCIU-DT. This is from major analog interference from two high-powered analogs in Madison, WI causing the inability to lock. He can lock all the other Chicago stations just fine.

Then, I got a report this morning from another gentleman who did an HD install near Elburn. With lots of electrical interference and snow on WBBM-TV analog, he, too, was still able to lock in WBBM-DT solid! It reportedly left him amazed, to say the least!

Up until now, I haven't had experience with 6th gen tuners, but had heard of their extreme sensitivity. Most DTV tuners need a signal to noise ratio of 20:1 to have a solid lock; go down to 19:1, and the picture breaks up. 15.7:1 is the theoretical limit, and these tuners reportedly go right up to it! This is not trivial: the improvement from signal reception alone is 66%+! Plus, the tuner chip features slightly to somewhat improved performance from interference and multipath, causing an even greater improvement! Those of you who are thinking about getting a second or third HDTV or your first one...and plan to use OTA reception...5th or 6th generation tuners are a must, in my mind (every tuner I know out there sold these days is at least 5th gen). But for WBBM reception, I now strongly recommend a TV with a 6th gen tuner. Those absolutely known to have it are:

1. All LG HDTVs that are 2007 models and later (note: Insignia brand HDTV's, made by LG, and sold exclusively at Best Buy, still only have 5th gen tuners!)

2. All LG/Zenith DTV digital converter boxes that are "coupon approved" by the FCC DTV converter box coupon program

3. All Mitsubishi 2008 HDTV models

Since most HDTV's use LG made tuners (they hold the patent), look for 6th gen tuners to sprout in off-brand and other name-brand models. I cannot confirm 100% the Initial branded TV having it, but the reception is way beyond anything I have ever seen. And if you want WBBM-DT reception, there are still no guarantees...but it substantially increases your chances of getting it with these latest generation tuners.

With a 30' high large antenna and amplifier, when WBBM goes high power on 12 and WLS goes high power on 7 in 2009, you'll be able to get both these stations, I'm thinking, in Rockford, and maybe beyond with a 6th gen tuner!

______________
Gilbert

This post should not be construed as an endorsement by myself, AVSForum, or anyone else. I found this to be convenient and helpful for newbies to over-the-air reception on what antenna they may need. For specific antenna recommendations, please post in this forum, and we'll do what we can to help.

First, a general signal strength map from the FCC:

http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/markets/

And a breakdown of distance and direction by channel:

http://ota.winegarddirect.com/

This post is a record of what full-power analog and digital stations did on June 12, 2009...the day analog over-the-air broadcasting was shut off.


WBBM-TV/DT 2.1: WBBM-TV analog stayed on until noon on 6/12/09. At noon, they changed to channel 12 from their channel 3 slot. They are using the old WTTW-TV analog antenna, and installed a new transmitter.

WMAQ-TV/DT 5.1: They shut the analog station down on 6/12/09 at noon. The digital channel was completely built out and at full power on channel 29, so there were no changes there.

WLS-TV/DT 7.1: Flash-cut from channel 52 to channel 7 on 6/12/09 at noon, using 4.75 kw of power.
But, they had severe reception problems. In November, they went to channel 44, at roughly 300 kw of power, but will boost to 373 kw of power, and maybe more, in 2010 and beyond.

WGN-TV/DT 9.1: They shut the analog station down on 6/12/09 at 11:59:59 pm. The digital channel was completely built out and at full power on channel 19, but dropped power to 600 kw (a roughly 50 kw drop) so that it can go 150' higher on Sears Tower in 2010.

WTTW-TV/DT 11.1: They shut the analog station down on 6/12/09 at 5:59 AM. The digital channel was completely built and at full power on channel 47, so no changes there.

WYCC-TV/DT 20.1: They shut off on 4/16/09. The digital channel is completely built out and at full power on channel 21, so no changes there.

WCIU-TV/DT 26.1: They shut the analog station down on 6/12/09 at 11:59:40 pm. The digital channel stays on channel 27, but boosts power to 500 kw in 2010.

WFLD-DT 32.1: They shut the analog station down on 6/12/09 in terms of programming but continued until June 26 as a "night light". The digital channel is completely built out and at full power on channel 31.

WWTO-DT 35.1: They shut down on 4/16/09. They will move their digital broadcast antenna to the top of their tower, once the analog broadcast antenna is removed in summer. They
will go to 80 kw at roughly 1400' sometime in 2010.

WCPX-DT 38.1: They shut the analog station down on 6/12/09 at noon. The digital channel is completely built and they did a slight power increase on channel 43.

WSNS-DT 44.1: They shut the analog station down on 6/12/09 at 11:59:59 PM. The digital channel is built out on channel 45, but they will be going to 660 kw in 2010.

WPWR-DT 50.1: The analog signal shut down on 6/12/09 at 11 PM; the digital channel is completely built and at full power on channel 51, so no changes there.

WYIN-DT 56.1: They shut the analog station down on 6/12/09 at 11:59:59 PM. The digital channel is completely built and at full power on channel 17, so no changes there.

WXFT-DT 60.1: They shut down on 6/12/09 at midnight. They went from channel 59 to channel 50, and increased power to 230 kw.

WJYS-DT 62.1: They shut the analog station down on 6/12/09 at 11:59:59 PM. The digital channel is built out on channel 36. However, they will go to a much less directional antenna, and increase power to 145 kw later in 2010.

WGBO-DT 66.1: They moved to channel 38 at 11 PM, and will go to 600 kw later in 2009.

is reserved for future use.

For future use.

Welcome everyone to the latest saga of the Chicago OTA board! Because of the massive amounts of posts on the previous board which is starting to burden the server, those will be archived...and we start afresh with new, easy-to-follow posts on the first page on our market, including station lists, power/transmitter info, Longley-Rice maps, and even an essay on WBBM-DT, or more specifically, how to get it.

Enjoy, and welcome back to our discussion of all things Chicago-OTA!

Thanks everybody! And thanks to Cpanther for letting me do this. That was way cool! By request above, I did add the resolution (1080i, 720p, 480i) to each channel and subchannel. And I cleaned up some typos, spelling errors, poor grammar, and other goodies since I had to do this in a hurry. If you see anything wrong, please let me know, and I'll fix it ASAP.

Now let's get started! Mudba says:


Sounds like those cheap cables are doing you in. Because you are so close to the towers, interference and bad weather, and signal from the stations themselves may be sneaking into that cheap cable. Especially where you are, you need to use the best RG-6 quad-shielded cable possible. Signal strength will not be an issue for you.

Second, where you are, you are probably getting severe "multipath". On analog TV, that shows up as "ghosts". Tuners don't like that at all. Try to put the antenna as close to an outside wall to minimize them.

Hi Willie,

Thanks! Actually, I do have the analog numbers in there in parenthesis, with a "-1" after it. I could separate it, but it is redundant and could be confusing. As for highlighting it...good idea, but that will take time. Very busy this week. Keep the suggestions and comments coming!

Hi Epsilon,

Thanks! Also, FYI, TLN chose not to renew their contract with PAX to carry it, and I-West was taken off WCPX-DT as well.

Yep. Severe multipath is likely causing the problems for you on WGN. WLS is coming in less strongly because it was likely getting a little signal through your leaky coax! Replace the short cables if they are "cheap". Then, your job is to remember where the antenna is now, and play with it to see what offers you the best signal, now that you are using good cable.