A station for each VHF channel

[azumanga]

Under the right conditions, the Seattle and Portland VHFs could all be intercepted (with varying degrees of clarity, but still there nonetheless) in Olympia around the mid 1990s, since Olympia's situated roughly mid-way between the two cities.

Did they ever receive CHEK-TV (CTV) channel 6 from Victoria, BC?

Or for that matter, the other VHFs from the Lower Mainland (CHAN, CKVU and KVOS)?

 

[crainbebo]

I had a horrible, crappy TV back in the analog days in Bothell. KVOS-12 barely made it in, and I got CHAN-8 once.

On the FM however, I picked up CFMI 101.1 Vancouver in Olympia-162 miles away to be exact, with a good radio. Victoria's 100.3 also made it in, but after Olympia everything Canadian fades away on the dial.

-crainbebo

 

[BMR]

I am thinking somewhere around Bryan may have been able to receive all of these stations with a large directional antenna and rotator. I was thinking about an area in central Texas closer to DFW, maybe south of Corsicana, but there is a hole for channel 12. Any channel 12 LPTV's in that area?


12 ??? Sherman, Shreveport, San Antonio all too far
13 KERA DFW

I make Bryan to San Antonio 150 miles as the crow flies. That should mean reception at least some of the time

I'd be more concerned about whether the local station on channel 3 would wipe out channels 2 and 4 from Dallas- which isn't a lot nearer than San Antonio.

 

[Darth_vader]

"Did you ever receive CHEK-TV (CTV) on channel 6, from Victoria, BC?"

I think so. I remember I always used to see wavy lines all over KOIN (which pretty much owned 6) which would turn into slight but very noticeable "ghosting" as I'd turn the aerial to the north, so that very well could have been CHEK. Never could get it to lock, though.

That was on the VCR. On the crappy, stone-deaf-to-everything-but-the-most-powerful-signals TV set, KOIN just kind of overpowered it, when it could get anything at all.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

I just realized this after my original post.

Although I never attempted it growing up in that area, from about 1963 (when WQAD-8 Moline, IL signed on) thru 2009 in a small area of western Illinois in or near a triangular area bordered by Peoria, Galesburg, and Kewanee, if the conditions and TALL outdoor antenna was PERFECT--and particularly during DX/tropo events, there MIGHT have been instances of reception of all V's in that part of Illinois. (This even includes part of the all-UHF Peoria/Bloomington DMA). In such an instance you might have been able to receive these channels in that area:

2--Mostly KGAN Cedar Rapids, IA; occasionally KTVI St. Louis or WBBM Chicago. I have also witnessed at least one instance of WTWO Terre Haute. Plus all the many 2's that appear at DX time.

3--Was mostly WCIA Champaign, IL; occasionally KTVO Kirksville, MO and perhaps WISC Madison, WI and/or KIMT Mason City, IA. Plus the tropo.

4--Local WHBF Rock Island, IL (Quad Cities) but susceptible to being hammered by other 4s at DX time.

5--Rarely anything but I have seen WMAQ Chicago; WOI Ames/Des Moines; and at least one instance of KSDK St. Louis.

6--Local KWQC (formerly WOC-TV) Davenport, IA (QCs).

7--Mostly either KHQA Hannibal, MO/Quincy, IL or KWWL Waterloo/Cedar Rapids (with a slight edge to KHQA). WLS Chicago not as often as expected.

8--WQAD. Always prevailed despite the best efforts of KCCI Des Moines (former KRNT--which MIGHT have made occasional appearances in western IL during 1955-63) and KOMU Columbia, MO.

9--Almost always KCRG Cedar Rapids, occasionally the OTA WGN and perhaps even KETC St. Louis on rare events.

10--Almost exclusively WGEM Quincy, IL; rare reports of WTHI Terre Haute and even KTTC Rochester, MN.

11--Usually a weak effort of either KDIN Des Moines, KPLR St. Louis, or WTTW Chicago. I also recall receiving KARE Minneapolis at my parents' house in one tropo instance.

12--Battle between KIIN Iowa City and WILL Urbana. Plus at least one instance of either KVOS Cape Girardeau, MO or KEYC Mankato, MN (I recall receiving a beefy CBS signal around 1990 and/or 1996 on channel 12 at my family's home--plus an appearance by KEYC on the Monmouth, IL cable system in fall 1998, where I attended college, after KIIN signed off).

13--Usually WREX Rockford, IL; WHO Des Moines a surprisingly closer second; rarely KRCG Jefferson City, MO and even WTHR Indy. Also I remember one instance of WEAU Eau Claire, WI. No recollection of WCEE (now WPXS) Mt. Vernon, IL ever making an appearance during western Illinois tropo.

Also before anyone asks, I don't personally recall seeing any of the Milwaukee V's (4, 6, 10, 12) appearing in western Illinois, although it has likely occurred in some tropo events. (I have seen some of the Milwaukee U's before, including WDJT-58 after the move to CBS and rare instances of WVTV-18 overpowering the Quad Cities' KLJB-18).

 

[cyberdad]

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.

I grew up in Wauconda for all but my junior year of high school. As a teenager in the 60s, the Chicago stations were locals, the Milwaukee stations were less clear, but all reliable. As for the others....

3: WISC, Madison was the usual, WKZO, Kalamazoo the occasional.
8: Toughest channel of all, would most likely be WOOD, Grand Rapids but occasionally WQAD, Moline
13: Almost always WREX, Rockford, but WZZM Grand Rapids broke through a couple of times. WREX was widely viewed as the "go to" for home blackouts of Chicago Bears games.

Also, WTTW, Channel 11, Chicago was off on Saturdays during the early-mid '60s. WLUK from Green Bay frequently came through.

 

[crainbebo]

Former scan on a very crappy TV in Bothell, WA.

2-
3-
4-KOMO Seattle [ABC]
5-KING Seattle [NBC]
6-interference from local KPLU
7-KIRO Seattle [CBS]
8-one time received CHAN Vancouver [Global]
9-KCTS Seattle [PBS]
10-
11-KSTW Tacoma [CW]
12-KVOS Bellingham [IND, rare occasions]
13-KCPQ Tacoma [Fox. Always extremely ghosty from their Bremerton tower, would go B&W and back to color]

Strongest VHF likely KSTW. Mostly came in crystal clear. Honorable mention to KCTS.

-crainbebo

 

[RyanHoward]

12--Battle between KIIN Iowa City and WILL Urbana. Plus at least one instance of either KVOS Cape Girardeau, MO or KEYC Mankato, MN (I recall receiving a beefy CBS signal around 1990 and/or 1996 on channel 12 at my family's home--plus an appearance by KEYC on the Monmouth, IL cable system in fall 1998, where I attended college, after KIIN signed off).

Ch. 12 in Cape Girardeau, MO is KFVS. KVOS is in Bellingham, WA(Seattle market).

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

12--Battle between KIIN Iowa City and WILL Urbana. Plus at least one instance of either KVOS Cape Girardeau, MO or KEYC Mankato, MN (I recall receiving a beefy CBS signal around 1990 and/or 1996 on channel 12 at my family's home--plus an appearance by KEYC on the Monmouth, IL cable system in fall 1998, where I attended college, after KIIN signed off).

Ch. 12 in Cape Girardeau, MO is KFVS. KVOS is in Bellingham, WA(Seattle market).

My mistake--I meant to say KFVS (I guess I was just fresh from viewing the retro Seattle schedule thread as I typed this reply and got my stations confused). Thanks!

 

[gbranch]

Duh, I completely forgot an area in north-central OK, around Ponca City, where my grandmother lived. The little town that they lived in, Kaw City, was on a hill with few trees, had no cable tv and everyone had large V/U antennas on tall towers with rotators. 100+ mile reception was common. She could get the following stations:

2 KJRH Tulsa
3 KSNW Wichita
4 KFOR OKC
5 KOCO OKC
6 KOTV Tulsa
7 KOAM Pittsburg, KS
8 KTUL Tulsa (SE) or KPTS Wichita (N)
9 KWTV OKC
10 KAKE Wichita
11 KOED Tulsa
12 KWCH Wichita
13 KETA OKC

There were also probably at least a dozen UHF's that they could get from Tulsa, OKC, Wichita, and Joplin.

 

[Darth_vader]

@crainbebo--

No KATU or KOPB?

 

[crainbebo]

Not on a crappy TV. But my 100x better FM radio gets KINK on some high hills in dead-band, plus of course it's a pest during Tr. Wish KATU was a Tr pest! Also-no CBUT. I do get it on 99 however. They used to sign off prior to 2006, every night. Usually I would get color bars with the CBC logo, but some people got KATU during its off time.

-crainbebo

 

[KeyTimes950]

I believe this was possible in the Shenango Valley north of Pittsburgh.

2 - KDKA (CBS) Pittsburgh
3 - WKYC (NBC) Cleveland
4 - WTAE (ABC) Pittsburgh
5 - WEWS (ABC) Cleveland
6 - this would have been difficult but not impossible: WJAC (NBC, formerly NBC-ABC) Johnstown
7 - WTRF (first NBC-ABC, later CBS) Wheeling
8 - WJW (first CBS, later Fox) Cleveland
9 - WSTV/WTOV (first CBS-ABC, later NBC) Steubenville
10 - this might be a stretch also, but not impossible: CFPL (first CBC, then CTV) London, Ontario
11 - WIIC/WPXI (NBC) Pittsburgh
12 - again, difficult but not impossible: WICU (NBC) Erie
13 - WQED (PBS) Pittsburgh

 

[Darth_vader]

"But my 100x better FM radio gets KINK on some high hills in dead-band, plus of course it's a pest during Trace."

An F1HD? ;o)

 

[kirkiefan]

Depending upon the right early morning atmosphereic conditions in west central Ohio in the late 1960s:

2-WLWD Dayton
3-WAVE Louisville(on rare occasions)
4-WLWC Columbus (or more so WTTV Bloomington,IN)
5-WLWT Cincinnati
6-WTVN Columbus
7-WHIO Dayton
8-WISH Indianapolis (on rare occasions)
9-WCPO Cincinnati
10-WBNS Columbus
11-WTOL Toledo (or on occasion WHAS Louisville)
12-WKRC Cincinnati
13-WLWI Indianapolis (or more so WSPD Toledo.)

 

[azumanga]

I believe this was possible in the Shenango Valley north of Pittsburgh.

2 - KDKA (CBS) Pittsburgh
3 - WKYC (NBC) Cleveland
4 - WTAE (ABC) Pittsburgh
5 - WEWS (ABC) Cleveland
6 - this would have been difficult but not impossible: WJAC (NBC, formerly NBC-ABC) Johnstown
7 - WTRF (first NBC-ABC, later CBS) Wheeling
8 - WJW (first CBS, later Fox) Cleveland
9 - WSTV/WTOV (first CBS-ABC, later NBC) Steubenville
10 - this might be a stretch also, but not impossible: CFPL (first CBC, then CTV) London, Ontario
11 - WIIC/WPXI (NBC) Pittsburgh
12 - again, difficult but not impossible: WICU (NBC) Erie
13 - WQED (PBS) Pittsburgh

Actually, after 1988, CFPL was an indy, before aligning with the BBS network, then NewNet (as "The New PL") by the late-1990s, then "A" by the mid-2000s, before becoming the current "CTV Two" (it was never affiliated with the main CTV network).

That being said, as it was possible to get WJAC, were you able to get WTAJ, which was also on 10?

 

[KeyTimes950]

I believe this was possible in the Shenango Valley north of Pittsburgh.

2 - KDKA (CBS) Pittsburgh
3 - WKYC (NBC) Cleveland
4 - WTAE (ABC) Pittsburgh
5 - WEWS (ABC) Cleveland
6 - this would have been difficult but not impossible: WJAC (NBC, formerly NBC-ABC) Johnstown
7 - WTRF (first NBC-ABC, later CBS) Wheeling
8 - WJW (first CBS, later Fox) Cleveland
9 - WSTV/WTOV (first CBS-ABC, later NBC) Steubenville
10 - this might be a stretch also, but not impossible: CFPL (first CBC, then CTV) London, Ontario
11 - WIIC/WPXI (NBC) Pittsburgh
12 - again, difficult but not impossible: WICU (NBC) Erie
13 - WQED (PBS) Pittsburgh

Actually, after 1988, CFPL was an indy, before aligning with the BBS network, then NewNet (as "The New PL") by the late-1990s, then "A" by the mid-2000s, before becoming the current "CTV Two" (it was never affiliated with the main CTV network).

That being said, as it was possible to get WJAC, were you able to get WTAJ, which was also on 10?

Sadly, no, not even in any of my residences east of Pittsburgh. A shame, really, as I briefly was associated with WTAJ many years ago.

 

[charlestondxman]

There's very few places in SC where that was possible. There were a few spots around Allendale and Barnwell, SC that could get all signals from Charleston, Augusta, Columbia and Savannah, but even then you had no channel 8 or 13 unless you picked up a distant Macon.

A place where it was possible was south of Waxhaw in NC. You could get 3 and 9 from Charlotte, 7 from Spartanburg, 4 from Greenville and 13 Asheville (not as reliable as the others), 10 Columbia plus 2, 8 and 12 from the Triad and 5/11 from Raleigh. Still, there would be no Cchannel 6.

Around Boone and Spruce Pine in NC on the high mountain tops it could also be done. You'd have everything but the Raleigh and Columbia channels, but you could probably get 2, 5 and 11 from the Tri-Cities, and 6, 8 and 10 from Knoxville were possible.

In Charleston, there might have been one or two nights I DXed where 11 of the 12 channels were filled, and it took a huge opening. You'd have 2/4/5/7 from Charleston, 3/11 from Savannah, 6/9 from Orlando, 10 in Columbia, 12 Jacksonville or New Bern, and 13 from Florence. Very little ever came in on Channel 8.

 

[radiorob2.0]

There's very few places in SC where that was possible. There were a few spots around Allendale and Barnwell, SC that could get all signals from Charleston, Augusta, Columbia and Savannah, but even then you had no channel 8 or 13 unless you picked up a distant Macon.

A place where it was possible was south of Waxhaw in NC. You could get 3 and 9 from Charlotte, 7 from Spartanburg, 4 from Greenville and 13 Asheville (not as reliable as the others), 10 Columbia plus 2, 8 and 12 from the Triad and 5/11 from Raleigh. Still, there would be no Cchannel 6.

Around Boone and Spruce Pine in NC on the high mountain tops it could also be done. You'd have everything but the Raleigh and Columbia channels, but you could probably get 2, 5 and 11 from the Tri-Cities, and 6, 8 and 10 from Knoxville were possible.

In Charleston, there might have been one or two nights I DXed where 11 of the 12 channels were filled, and it took a huge opening. You'd have 2/4/5/7 from Charleston, 3/11 from Savannah, 6/9 from Orlando, 10 in Columbia, 12 Jacksonville or New Bern, and 13 from Florence. Very little ever came in on Channel 8.

Charlotte would be possible from Boone adding 3 and 9 plus 4, 7, and 13 from Asheville/Greenville/Spartanburg. Only Channel 12 would be the long shot out of Winston Salem.

 

[RyanHoward]

A place where it was possible was south of Waxhaw in NC. You could get 3 and 9 from Charlotte, 7 from Spartanburg, 4 from Greenville and 13 Asheville (not as reliable as the others), 10 Columbia plus 2, 8 and 12 from the Triad and 5/11 from Raleigh. Still, there would be no Cchannel 6.

WJBF from Augusta, GA may be possible for Ch. 6 in that area, as would WATE from Knoxville.