A station for each VHF channel

[radiorob2.0]

Where are some sections of the country that, with modest effort, receive a station on each VHF channel. An area north of Baltimore could receive Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington and Lancaster all twelve VHF channels. In the days of analog television were there any other areas of the country where that occurred?

 

[fybush]

In many parts of coastal southern California, it was a fairly trivial task:

2,4,5,7,9,11,13 from Los Angeles
8,10 from San Diego
6,12 from Tijuana
3 from Santa Barbara

It was also do-able at the southern end of Lake Michigan:

2,5,7,9,11 Chicago
3 Kalamazoo (or Madison)
4,6,10,12 Milwaukee
8,13 Grand Rapids (also 13 Rockford)

I could even do it from Rochester when conditions were right:

8,10,13 Rochester
2,4,7 Buffalo
3,5,9 Syracuse
6 Deseronto ON
11 Kingston ON
12 Peterborough ON

 

[RadioDaze]

Likely some areas of North Carolina's northeastern Coastal Plain where you were sited roughly equidistant from the Raleigh-Durham, Richmond-Petersburg, Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, and Greenville-New Bern-Jacksonville markets:

2-WUND, Edenton, NC (formerly Columbia, NC)
3-WTKR, Norfolk, VA
4-WSKY, Manteo, NC or WUNC, Chapel Hill, NC
5-WRAL, Raleigh, NC
6-WTVR, Richmond, VA
7-WITN, Washington, NC
8*-WRIC, Petersburg, VA
9-WNCT, Greenville, NC
10-WAVY, Portsmouth, VA
11-WTVD, Durham, NC
12-WWBT, Richmond, VA or WCTI, New Bern, NC
13-WVEC, Hampton, VA
*WFXI-8/Morehead City, NC was sited too far southeast for this alignment to work


Perhaps some areas of western and northwestern North Carolina, especially high elevations:

2-WETP, Sneedville, TN or WFMY, Greensboro, NC
3-WBTV, Charlotte, NC
4-WYFF, Greenville, SC
5-WCYB, Bristol, VA
6-WATE, Knoxville, TN or WVVA, Bluefield, WV
7-WSPA, Spartanburg, SC or WDBJ, Roanoke, VA
8-WVLT, Knoxville, TN or WGHP, High Point, NC
9-WSOC, Charlotte, NC or WSWP, Beckley, WV
10-WBIR, Knoxville, TN or WSLS, Roanoke, VA
11-WJHL, Johnson City, TN
12-WXII, Winston-Salem, NC
13-WLOS, Asheville, NC or WSET, Lynchburg, VA

 

[KeithE4]

From Bloomington IN, early '70s, depending on where the antenna was pointing:

2 WTWO Terre Haute (NBC)
3 WAVE-TV Louisville (NBC) or WCIA Champaign/Urbana (CBS)
4 WTTV Bloomington/Indianapolis (Ind.)
5 WLWT Cincinnati (NBC)
6 WFBM-TV (WRTV) Indianapolis (NBC, later ABC)
7 WTVW Evansville (ABC), WHIO-TV Dayton (CBS), or WLS-TV Chicago (ABC)
8 WISH-TV Indianapolis (CBS)
9 WNIN Evansville (PBS), WCPO-TV Cincinnati (CBS) or WGN-TV Chicago (Ind.)
10 WTHI-TV Terre Haute (CBS)
11 WHAS-TV Louisville (CBS, later ABC)
12 WILL-TV Champaign/Urbana (PBS) or WKRC-TV Cincinnati (ABC)
13 WLWI (WTHR) Indianapolis (ABC, later NBC)

Stations not in Indy or Terre Haute were snowy, but easily viewable. For some reason, our north-side neighborhood had a good "pipeline" to Chicago that most people in Bloomington didn't have. WLS and WGN were pretty regular.

 

[tvnut]

Northern Lake County and McHenry County, Illinois, between Chicago and Milwaukee, with a decent outdoor antenna in the analog days. Stations from Michigan (3 and 13) were more likely than the Madison-Rockford duo the more east you were. Here's how:
2 WBBM Chicago
3 WKZO Kalamazoo (now WWMT) or WISC Madison
4 WTMJ Milwaukee
5 WMAQ Chicago
6 WITI Milwaukee
7 WLS Chicago
8 WOOD Grand Rapids
9 WGN Chicago
10 WMVS Milwaukee
11 WTTW Chicago
12 WISN Milwaukee
13 WZZM Grand Rapids or WREX Rockford

 

[RyanHoward]

From Warminster PA, circa 1985:

2-WCBS New York(CBS)
3-KYW Philadelphia(NBC, now CBS)
4-WNBC New York(NBC)
5-WNEW New York(Ind., now Fox WNYW)
6-WPVI Philadelphia(ABC)
7-WABC New York(ABC)
8-WGAL Lancaster(NBC) or WTNH New Haven CT(ABC)
9-WOR New York(Ind., now MyTV WWOR)
10-WCAU Philadelphia(CBS, now NBC)
11-WPIX New York(Ind., now The CW)
12-WHYY Wilmington DE(Philadelphia, PBS)
13-WNET Newark NJ(New York, PBS)

 

[KML0224]

I was going to say in an area or two of MA or southern NH?

WGBH-TV channel 2 Boston
WFSB-TV channel 3 Hartford
WBZ-TV channel 4 Boston
WCVB-TV channel 5 Boston
WLNE-TV channel 6 New Bedford, MA or WCSH-TV channel 6 Portland, ME
WHDH-TV channel 7 Boston
WMTW-TV channel 8 Poland Spring, ME (before the transmitter move)
WMUR-TV channel 9 Manchester, NH
WJAR-TV channel 10 Providence
WENH-TV channel 11 Durham, NH
WPRI-TV channel 12 Providence
WGME-TV channel 13 Portland, ME (if conditions were right)

 

[vibe]

We had 2-12 in Rutland MA but could not get WGME. One next door neighbor must have had a "hot spot" or a better antenna w/ respect to 13 and could get a so so picture. His VHF antenna was smaller and higher. Ours was bigger but had much longer end elements.
Our 2 ch 8's (New haven and Mt. Wash) were watchable but nothing to write home about. But we had EX reception on the ABC 's 5,6,19,and 40.
I think there are many hilltop locations in New England with great LOS to all areas of the compass that probably could get 2-13.

 

[KeithE4]

Northern Lake County and McHenry County, Illinois, between Chicago and Milwaukee, with a decent outdoor antenna in the analog days. Stations from Michigan (3 and 13) were more likely than the Madison-Rockford duo the more east you were. Here's how:
2 WBBM Chicago
3 WKZO Kalamazoo (now WWMT) or WISC Madison
4 WTMJ Milwaukee
5 WMAQ Chicago
6 WITI Milwaukee
7 WLS Chicago
8 WOOD Grand Rapids
9 WGN Chicago
10 WMVS Milwaukee
11 WTTW Chicago
12 WISN Milwaukee
13 WZZM Grand Rapids or WREX Rockford

I lived in Wauconda in the mid '80s and never got the K'zoo/Grand Rapids stations unless there was a band opening. 3 was Madison and 13 was Rockford. 8 was usually snow.

 

[mjlarochelle]

On the north side of Lake Ontario, this was a possible task, although a couple of channels would've been very hard to get:

2 CIII Bancroft
3 WSTM Syracuse
4 CBOT Ottawa
5 WTVH Syracuse
6 CJOH Deseronto
7 WWNY Carthage
8 WROC Rochester
9 WSYR Syracuse
10 WHEC Rochester
11 CKWS Kingston
12 CHEX Peterborough
13 WHAM Rochester

When I had family between Belleville and Kingston, I got all of these channels at one time or another, except for Peterborough, which was just a little too far west and has traditionally had a poor signal going towards Belleville. There's probably a sweet spot a little to the west where CHEX does come in, but CBOT (pre-digital) likely would be gone.

 

[KeithE4]

I was going to say in an area or two of MA or southern NH?

At my folks' house in Belchertown MA (NE of Springfield) in the early '80s, they got:

WGBH-TV channel 2 Boston
WFSB-TV channel 3 Hartford
WBZ-TV channel 4 Boston
WCVB-TV channel 5 Boston
WRGB channel 6 Schenectady
WNEV-TV (WHDH) channel 7 Boston
WTNH-TV channel 8 New Haven
WMUR-TV channel 9 Manchester, NH (occasionally), sometimes WOR-TV New York
WJAR-TV channel 10 Providence or WTEN Albany
WENH-TV channel 11 Durham, NH (occasionally), sometimes WPIX New York
WPRI-TV channel 12 Providence
WNYT channel 13 Albany

 

[tvnut]

Northern Lake County and McHenry County, Illinois, between Chicago and Milwaukee, with a decent outdoor antenna in the analog days. Stations from Michigan (3 and 13) were more likely than the Madison-Rockford duo the more east you were. Here's how:
2 WBBM Chicago
3 WKZO Kalamazoo (now WWMT) or WISC Madison
4 WTMJ Milwaukee
5 WMAQ Chicago
6 WITI Milwaukee
7 WLS Chicago
8 WOOD Grand Rapids
9 WGN Chicago
10 WMVS Milwaukee
11 WTTW Chicago
12 WISN Milwaukee
13 WZZM Grand Rapids or WREX Rockford

I lived in Wauconda in the mid '80s and never got the K'zoo/Grand Rapids stations unless there was a band opening. 3 was Madison and 13 was Rockford. 8 was usually snow.

Wauconda is in western Lake County, with a bit in McHenry County. WOOD-8 was always the toughest of the three K/GR stations from anywhere in Chicago.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

Northern Lake County and McHenry County, Illinois, between Chicago and Milwaukee, with a decent outdoor antenna in the analog days. Stations from Michigan (3 and 13) were more likely than the Madison-Rockford duo the more east you were. Here's how:
2 WBBM Chicago
3 WKZO Kalamazoo (now WWMT) or WISC Madison
4 WTMJ Milwaukee
5 WMAQ Chicago
6 WITI Milwaukee
7 WLS Chicago
8 WOOD Grand Rapids
9 WGN Chicago
10 WMVS Milwaukee
11 WTTW Chicago
12 WISN Milwaukee
13 WZZM Grand Rapids or WREX Rockford

I lived in Wauconda in the mid '80s and never got the K'zoo/Grand Rapids stations unless there was a band opening. 3 was Madison and 13 was Rockford. 8 was usually snow.

Wauconda is in western Lake County, with a bit in McHenry County. WOOD-8 was always the toughest of the three K/GR stations from anywhere in Chicago.

Were there ever instances of band openings/tropo that allowed you to pick up WQAD-8 (Moline, IL/Quad Cities--ABC) in the Chicago area? Likewise with Milwaukee's 4 and 6 being overpowered by two other QC market stations, WHBF-4 Rock Island (CBS) and KWQC-6 Davenport, IA (formerly WOC-TV; NBC) at times--did that ever happen?

Or even Champaign/Urbana's 3 and 12: WCIA (CBS) and WILL (PBS) respectively?

 

[tvnut]

Northern Lake County and McHenry County, Illinois, between Chicago and Milwaukee, with a decent outdoor antenna in the analog days. Stations from Michigan (3 and 13) were more likely than the Madison-Rockford duo the more east you were. Here's how:
2 WBBM Chicago
3 WKZO Kalamazoo (now WWMT) or WISC Madison
4 WTMJ Milwaukee
5 WMAQ Chicago
6 WITI Milwaukee
7 WLS Chicago
8 WOOD Grand Rapids
9 WGN Chicago
10 WMVS Milwaukee
11 WTTW Chicago
12 WISN Milwaukee
13 WZZM Grand Rapids or WREX Rockford

I lived in Wauconda in the mid '80s and never got the K'zoo/Grand Rapids stations unless there was a band opening. 3 was Madison and 13 was Rockford. 8 was usually snow.

Wauconda is in western Lake County, with a bit in McHenry County. WOOD-8 was always the toughest of the three K/GR stations from anywhere in Chicago.

Were there ever instances of band openings/tropo that allowed you to pick up WQAD-8 (Moline, IL/Quad Cities--ABC) in the Chicago area? Likewise with Milwaukee's 4 and 6 being overpowered by two other QC market stations, WHBF-4 Rock Island (CBS) and KWQC-6 Davenport, IA (formerly WOC-TV; NBC) at times--did that ever happen?

Or even Champaign/Urbana's 3 and 12: WCIA (CBS) and WILL (PBS) respectively?

In my area, WHBF was always the most likely suspect, though all three stations were seen occasionally (WQAD rarely). If you had rabbit ears and a sensitive TV (like my Sony), you had a better chance sometimes than with a roof antenna locked down to downtown Chicago, looking E/NE.

 

[Bob1370]

If you lived on an upper floor of a high rise building in New York City in the late 1960s and had a sensitive, selective set with a halfway decent rabbit ears, you were several hundred feet above average terrain and could probably get all these stations pretty regularly;

2-WCBS-TV (CBS NYC)
3-KYW-TV (NBC Philly) or WTIC-TV (CBS Hartford/New Haven)
4-WNBC-TV (NBC NYC)
5-WNEW-TV (Ind NYC)
6-WFIL-TV (ABC Philly)
7-WABC-TV (ABC NYC)
8-WNHC-TV (ABC New Haven/Hartford)
9-WOR-TV (Ind NYC)
10-WCAU-TV (CBS Philly)
11-WPIX (Ind NYC)
12-WHYY (Ed. Philly)
13-WNET (Ed. NYC)

I once brought a small portable set to my hotel room in New York on a trip there in 1969 just to see what I could get, and got watchable signals from all of these stations in my upper-floor hotel room on Central Park South. It would probably have been even better in a top-floor apartment on the Upper West Side.

 

[ding12]

Question on WGAL: Did this station ever transmit further east from its current location?

It appears it transmits 17 miles west of the COL Lancaster: Coordinates: 40.0344, -76.6189. And I recall this was the case in the 2000-

However, in the 80's, it appeared this station as well as WLYH 15 used to have newspaper listing reference in the Philadelphia Inquirer. So I'm wondering if it did transmit a little more east and more people in the Philadelphia region used to receive WGAL OTA.

Also, did this station ever cover Berks County in terms of news? I know from some people who lived in that area that in 2000-forward, it didn't, however, from Berks (Reading), WGAL is the closest network affiliate, over stations from Philadelphia as far as the COL goes. Comcast still does carry WGAL but not in HD. Since it transmits 17 miles west of the COL, it's as if WGAL knows that Berks isn't their territory and perhaps the powers at be in Philadelphia didn't want WGAL transmitting too close to Philadelphia.

Or, it could be because of keeping space from WTNH 8 but there is still greater distance already by 25+ miles already from Lancaster, PA to New Haven, CT than Baltimore, MD to New York, NY, just from the city proper.

 

[tvnut]

If you lived on an upper floor of a high rise building in New York City in the late 1960s and had a sensitive, selective set with a halfway decent rabbit ears, you were several hundred feet above average terrain and could probably get all these stations pretty regularly;

2-WCBS-TV (CBS NYC)
3-KYW-TV (NBC Philly) or WTIC-TV (CBS Hartford/New Haven)
4-WNBC-TV (NBC NYC)
5-WNEW-TV (Ind NYC)
6-WFIL-TV (ABC Philly)
7-WABC-TV (ABC NYC)
8-WNHC-TV (ABC New Haven/Hartford)
9-WOR-TV (Ind NYC)
10-WCAU-TV (CBS Philly)
11-WPIX (Ind NYC)
12-WHYY (Ed. Philly)
13-WNET (Ed. NYC)

I once brought a small portable set to my hotel room in New York on a trip there in 1969 just to see what I could get, and got watchable signals from all of these stations in my upper-floor hotel room on Central Park South. It would probably have been even better in a top-floor apartment on the Upper West Side.

Living in a high-rise on Chicago's lakefront (with a lake view) had the same effect. South Bend stations were clear-as-a-bell regulars for those on upper floors, and, I'm told, several Michigan stations were as well. I can only imagine what enhanced conditions could create.
NBC O&O WMAQ monitored WNDU-16 South Bend from its transmitter room atop the Hancock Center, which came in handy one night when AT&T's Chicago microwave switching station malfunctioned in prime time. WMAQ took an off-air feed from WNDU and punched it up. Chicago viewers got the start of a WNDU ID as a bonus at 9:59:50!

 

[KML0224]

I do know that WTNH-TV (ABC) channel 8 of New Haven has their transmitter just north of their C.O.L. on Madmere Mountain in Hamden, CT. Another station WGAL-TV had to deal with later on was WWCP-TV (FOX) channel 8 of Johnstown, PA. WWCP-TV is what was considered a drop-in allocation.

As for cable, WGAL-TV, WITF-TV (PBS) channel 33 of Harrisburg and WPMT-TV (FOX) channel 43 of York, PA were on the cable in Wyomissing, PA when I stayed overnight in April of 2011.

 

[joebtsflk1]

I can't testify to this, but there was an area between the Des Moines, Cedar Rapids-Waterloo, Quad Cities IA-IL, Kirksville-Ottumwa and Quincy-Hannibal markets that might have been able to get all twelve with a deep fringe antenna and rotor. It would have been a short strip from about Keota to Richland, Iowa, about 40 miles SW of Iowa City. This would have only been from about 1984 to 2009's analog sunset, made possible by the 1500' tower built by channels 4 and 6 in the Quad Cities. All of the Ames-Des Moines stations used 2000' towers, as well as ch 9 Cedar Rapids- ch 7 Waterloo(with KWWL's 2k tower about 8 miles north of the CR stations, because of co channel KHQA -Hannibal MO with studios and tower in Quincy IL) The most reliable stations have an asterisk...

2 - KGAN* Cedar Rapids IA rotor pointing NNE
3 - KTVO* Kirksville MO ...SW
4 - WHBF Rock Island IL...ENE
5 - WOI Ames IA...WNW
6 - KWQC Davenport IA...ENE
7 - KWWL Waterloo IA...NNE (w/ co-channel KHQA Hannibal MO underneath)
8 - KCCI Des Moines IA...WNW (co-channel WQAD Moline IL underneath)
9 - KCRG* Cedar Rapids IA...NNE
10 - WGEM Quincy IL...SSE (this would be the snowiest, as this was some 90 to 100 miles from its apx. 800' tower)
11 - KDIN Des Moines...WNW
12 - KIIN* Iowa City...NE
13 - WHO Des Moines...WNW

 

[mdamico25]

Growing up in Hazlet Township, NJ (Monmouth County), we got a consistent signal on every analog VHF channel except for "8". New Haven and Lancaster, PA were too far away to get a daily signal, but the slightest bit of tropo or weather would usually bring one or the other in.. The VHF dial at the time looked like this..


2 WCBS-TV New York (CBS)
3 KYW-TV Philadelphia (NBC), now CBS
4 WNBC-TV New York (NBC)
5 WNYW New York (Fox) before 1986 was WNEW-TV (Independent)
6 WPVI-TV Philadelphia (ABC)
7 WABC-TV New York (ABC)
9 WWOR-TV Secaucus, NJ (Ind). Earlier in the decade was WOR-TV, New York, Independent
10 WCAU-TV Philadelphia (CBS), now NBC
11 WPIX-TV New York
12 WHYY-TV Wilmington, DE (PBS), really a Philly channel as they transmitted from Philadelphia by this time
13 WNET Newark, NJ (PBS), also really a NYC channel, only the license said Newark

This area was also a mecca for UHF signals. We got the following UHF's over the air. Like the V's, all were watchable, although some were snowier than others
17 WPHL-TV Philadelphia (Ind)
21 WLIW Garden City, NY (PBS). Really a NYC station which was licensed to Long Island
23 WNJS Camden, NJ (PBS)
25 WNYE New York (PBS)
29 WTXF Philadelphia (Fox). Earlier in the decade it was WTAF-TV (Independent)
31 WNYC-TV New York (PBS)
35 WYBE Philadelphia (Noncommerical, non PBS)
41 WXTV Paterson, NJ (Spanish)
47 WNJU Linden, NJ (Spanish)
48 WGTW Burlington, NJ (Independent). Earlier in the decade it was WKBS.
50 WNJM Montclair, NJ (PBS)
52 WNJT Trenton, NJ (PBS)
57 WGBS-TV Philadelphia (Independent)
58 WNJB New Brunswick, NJ (PBS)
61 WTGI Wilmington, DE (Independent)
65 WHSP Vineland, NJ (Earlier in the 80s was WSJT an independent showing lots of old reruns)
68 WHSE Newark, NJ (Earlier in the 80s, was WWHT showing music videos).
Anyhow, this is what the TV dial looked like in our house, until we got cable at the end of 1988. Those were the days...


-mike