Just noticed (though, only the signal meter, nothing decoded) WHDT-LD has moved from Boston Pl/Court St to The Pru and from Ch. 38 to 4.
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WHDT-LD Has Made The Move
- Thread starter Uncle Kaimbridge
- Start date
Most likely with the temporary reduced power they requested to avoid losing the license due to the long silent period.
Licensing and Management System
Licensing and Management System
What? do they use virtual Ch.4, too?
With WBZ virt. Ch.4, how do they get away with that?....Or are they assigned some oddball subchannel?
With WBZ virt. Ch.4, how do they get away with that?....Or are they assigned some oddball subchannel?
WHDT-LD would have to use some high subchannel, above 4.4, if they expect anyone who scans for channels to see it over-the-air on virtual Ch. 4 with WBZ there on virtual 4.1 through 4.4.
When HDTV's are scanned for channels and encounter more than one on the same virtual channel, they lock in the one that scans last in the scan, which is the one on the highest RF channel, that supersedes any on the same virtual channel but on a lower RF channel that it caught earlier in the scan. With WHDT-LD on RF Ch. 4 and WBZ-TV on RF Ch. 20, WBZ-TV would supersede WHDT-LD unless it's on subchannel 4.5 or higher, above WBZ-TV's subchannels.
It would be similar to WWOO-LD's temporary placement on virtual 10.10 when they first moved from NH to Boston in order not to conflict with WJAR Providence.
WHDT-LD is now on the air on virtual 4.3, and the visual TOH ID card says WHDT 4. It's coming in with a very weak signal, one "bar" on my set with an indoor antenna here in Somerville.
Apparently, different types of sets deal with scanning in multiple signals that have the same virtual channel but are on different RF channels differently. On my old 2009 Westinghouse HDTV (that died a few years ago), the channel with the highest RF channel of two that used the same virtual channel (that the set would find last of the two in a scan), would supersede the one with the lower RF channel (that the set would find earlier in the scan) and it would map that channel to the virtual channel, with the one with the lower RF channel being lost.
The Element "Smart TV" that I bought to replace it (an off-brand that was on sale cheap at Target the night that my Westinghouse died) maps both channels as watchable. It mapped the first one it found (on the lower RF channel) WHDT to virtual 4.3, and it now shows up on the set on 4.3 between WBZ 4.2 and 4.4, instead of WBZ 4.3.
When the Element encountered the WBZ channels on its higher RF channels later in the scan and it already had WHDT mapped to 4.3, it mapped WBZ 4.3 to display on its RF channel 20.3, which is where I now get WBZ 4.3. The Westinghouse would have just thrown out the one it got earlier in the scan (WHDT) and mapped WBZ 4.3 there.
I don't understand why WHDT does this. They have been on something like about a half-dozen different virtual channels in all of their short-lived attempts to come on the air in Boston over the years.
I don't see how this one will work in the long run, are they even aware that they are using a virtual channel occupied by a heritage 70+ year major station? I'd think that WBZ wouldn't be happy with them not only being on the same virtual channel (albeit the .3 subchannel) but also marketing and promoting themselves as Boston's Channel 4.
If they are aware of the existence of WBZ-TV and they insist on being "on" ch. 4 in Boston, why didn't they map to a higher subchannel than 4.4 to avoid the in-use WBZ virtual channels?
Apparently, different types of sets deal with scanning in multiple signals that have the same virtual channel but are on different RF channels differently. On my old 2009 Westinghouse HDTV (that died a few years ago), the channel with the highest RF channel of two that used the same virtual channel (that the set would find last of the two in a scan), would supersede the one with the lower RF channel (that the set would find earlier in the scan) and it would map that channel to the virtual channel, with the one with the lower RF channel being lost.
The Element "Smart TV" that I bought to replace it (an off-brand that was on sale cheap at Target the night that my Westinghouse died) maps both channels as watchable. It mapped the first one it found (on the lower RF channel) WHDT to virtual 4.3, and it now shows up on the set on 4.3 between WBZ 4.2 and 4.4, instead of WBZ 4.3.
When the Element encountered the WBZ channels on its higher RF channels later in the scan and it already had WHDT mapped to 4.3, it mapped WBZ 4.3 to display on its RF channel 20.3, which is where I now get WBZ 4.3. The Westinghouse would have just thrown out the one it got earlier in the scan (WHDT) and mapped WBZ 4.3 there.
I don't understand why WHDT does this. They have been on something like about a half-dozen different virtual channels in all of their short-lived attempts to come on the air in Boston over the years.
I don't see how this one will work in the long run, are they even aware that they are using a virtual channel occupied by a heritage 70+ year major station? I'd think that WBZ wouldn't be happy with them not only being on the same virtual channel (albeit the .3 subchannel) but also marketing and promoting themselves as Boston's Channel 4.
If they are aware of the existence of WBZ-TV and they insist on being "on" ch. 4 in Boston, why didn't they map to a higher subchannel than 4.4 to avoid the in-use WBZ virtual channels?
WHDT-LD is actually assigned virtual channel 3.1 :
https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?request=station_search&callsign=59488#station
Possibly they have not completed configuration of their encoder. They are operating with an STA allowing a lower antenna and 1/3 of their rated power, which they rushed into place to avoid hitting the 1 year maximum silence rule to keep their license, so not completing the encoder config would not be surprising.
It was off the air yesterday, and now it’s back on, moved to virtual 3.1 where it belongs.
They're still promoting as "Boston's Channel 4" on the spoken and visual top-of-hour ID's even though it's now on virtual 3.1.
The station has been around on various channels on and off the air since the early 1980's. At one time it had a fairly strong signal on RF ch 38, carrying Deutsche Welle programming.
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The call letters WHDT (without the -LD) are assigned to a full power Florida TV station once owned by the same owner - Guenter Marksteiner. His impressive LinkedIn profile lists him as owner of WHDT (4) Boston !
https://www.linkedin.com/in/günter-marksteiner-73637a12
It appears to be off the air again yesterday and today.
Well he got it back on the air long enough to satisfy the FCC silent period rules. Possibly the wind affected the temporary antenna.
It’s back.
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