A station for each VHF channel

[Limp73]

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.)

You pretty much covered it Kirkiefan...but you forgot to mention something else about (the former) WLWD..since it was a weak signal and a short tower (like the former WLWC) due to overlapping issues with WLWT and could not upgrade its signal due to the Crosley/Avco ownership of their stations,let alone the FCC breathing down their back. I grew up on a farm north of Dayton always noticing that Channel 2 had interference from WJBK up in Detroit on those days where the atmospheric conditions were good for those other stations further away from the cities outside of Dayton...but was detrimental to poor old WLWD...The vertical hold on the TV went completely out of whack...making a buzz saw-like sound. This was very much prevelant when you lived near the rural area communities of Sidney, Wapakoneta and Lima where the WLWD signal was at its weakest. As for WLWC, it was half the time overpowered by WTTV with its humongously tall stick at Trafalgar south of Indy...where I always enjoyed watching Sammy Terry, Indy's answer to Dr. Creep and The Cool Ghoul late at night.

 

[Dtv]

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)

We Got all with a roof setup in Halifax Mass 3, 9,11,8*from CT at most time were not viewble but, you could see a enough picture to get an ID just about every day. Durring summer nights the above were watchable and sometimes came in like locals on my old sears tv set.
BTW 6,10,12 were my strongest stations back in the day.

 

[KML0224]

Cool! What's with the asterisk with channel 8? Does it mean you could receive both WTNH and WMTW, depending on which way your antenna was pointing?

 

[e-dawg]

Is there a place in Southern California where you can picked up both San Diego/Tijuana and Los Angeles TV stations during the analog days? Such as.....
KCBS 2 Los Angeles (CBS)
XHTJB 3 Tijuana (Once TV)
KNBC 4 Los Angeles (NBC)
KTLA 5 Los Angeles (CW)
XETV 6 Tijuana (FOX/CW)
KABC 7 Los Angeles (ABC)
KFMB 8 San Diego (CBS)
KCAL 9 Los Angeles (IND)
KGTV 10 San Diego (ABC)
KTTV 11 Los Angeles (FOX)
XEWT 12 Tijuana (Televisa-Local)
KCOP 13 Los Angeles (MNT)

 

[ShawnHill1]

Is there a place in Southern California where you can picked up both San Diego/Tijuana and Los Angeles TV stations during the analog days? Such as.....
KCBS 2 Los Angeles (CBS)
XHTJB 3 Tijuana (Once TV)
KNBC 4 Los Angeles (NBC)
KTLA 5 Los Angeles (CW)
XETV 6 Tijuana (FOX/CW)
KABC 7 Los Angeles (ABC)
KFMB 8 San Diego (CBS)
KCAL 9 Los Angeles (IND)
KGTV 10 San Diego (ABC)
KTTV 11 Los Angeles (FOX)
XEWT 12 Tijuana (Televisa-Local)
KCOP 13 Los Angeles (MNT)

I would imagine you would have to live in far-southern Orange County to receive all 12 channels; living in South L.A. and all points south and southeast, the summertime was ripe to pick-up the San Diego/Tijuana stations (except XHTJB). If you lived north and west of Downtown L.A., you would have had better luck picking up KEYT from Santa Barbara on Channel 3 than the Tijuana station.

 

[crainbebo]

Also, I wonder how far you could get XHBC Mexicali on 3? I'm only talking normal dead-band conditions, and not via E-skip [but I did once in WA via E-skip].

-crainbebo

 

[w9wi]

Is there a place in Southern California where you can picked up both San Diego/Tijuana and Los Angeles TV stations during the analog days? Such as.....

I've been doing the math on a lot of these as people have posted them. I have yet to find any location where the FCC's propagation curves predict all 12 channels to produce a Grade B protected-contour signal. However, this suggestion comes closer than any I've seen.

At the reference coordinates for Oceanside, all channels deliver a Grade B signal except 3 and 12. Channel 3 falls 5dB short; channel 12 falls *one* dB short. I'm sure there's a place on the south end of Oceanside where channel 12 would reach Grade B levels. However, since channels 7, 9, 11, and 13 are only 2dB above threshold, moving far enough south to bring channel 3 above threshold would probably drop the four LA stations.

Of course, that's assuming flat terrain & no ocean, not a very good assumption in that region!

I am using FCC-notified parameters for the Mexican stations -- and since channel 3's analog signal isn't notified, I'm assuming the analog is at the same site and elevation as the (notified) digital signal. (and using the 40kW erp that appears on the Once TV Wikipedia page) It's probably not a good idea to assume any of that is correct

 

[dhett]

Also, I wonder how far you could get XHBC Mexicali on 3? I'm only talking normal dead-band conditions, and not via E-skip [but I did once in WA via E-skip].

-crainbebo

Not far. Mountains to the west prevent the signal from carrying far there; I can't pick up channel 3 in Yuma.

 

[Dave Andrews]

From Lodi, CA with a 40' channel master and a rotor. ;D

2 - KTVU Oakland
3 - KCRA Sacramento
4 - KRON SF
5 - KPIX SF
6 - KVIE Sacramento
7 - KGO SF/KRCR Redding
8 - KOLO Reno
9 - KQED SF
10 - KXTV Sacramento
11 - KNTV San Jose
12 - KHSL Chico
13 - KOVR Stockton

The antenna was usually pointed WNW for Sacramento stations and WSW for Bay Area stations

How did you get KOLO on Ch. 8 instead of KSBW Salinas?

 

[BMR]

From Lodi, CA with a 40' channel master and a rotor. ;D

2 - KTVU Oakland
3 - KCRA Sacramento
4 - KRON SF
5 - KPIX SF
6 - KVIE Sacramento
7 - KGO SF/KRCR Redding
8 - KOLO Reno
9 - KQED SF
10 - KXTV Sacramento
11 - KNTV San Jose
12 - KHSL Chico
13 - KOVR Stockton

The antenna was usually pointed WNW for Sacramento stations and WSW for Bay Area stations

How did you get KOLO on Ch. 8 instead of KSBW Salinas?

Directional aerial? He did say he had a rotator.

 

[Dave Andrews]

From Lodi, CA with a 40' channel master and a rotor. ;D

2 - KTVU Oakland
3 - KCRA Sacramento
4 - KRON SF
5 - KPIX SF
6 - KVIE Sacramento
7 - KGO SF/KRCR Redding
8 - KOLO Reno
9 - KQED SF
10 - KXTV Sacramento
11 - KNTV San Jose
12 - KHSL Chico
13 - KOVR Stockton

The antenna was usually pointed WNW for Sacramento stations and WSW for Bay Area stations

How did you get KOLO on Ch. 8 instead of KSBW Salinas?

Directional aerial? He did say he had a rotator.

If he could get Reno, he should have been able to pick up both 8s. Speaking of Redding, he got KRCR but not KIXE?

 

[Tim L]

From Canton, Ohio (Where there's more than one channel, first listed is most likely to come in)

2 KDKA Pittsburgh
3 WKYC Cleveland
4 WTAE Pittsburgh WCMH Columbus
5 WEWS Cleveland
6 WJAC Johnstown
7 WTRF Wheeling WXYZ Detroit
8 WJW Cleveland
9 WTOV Steubenville
10 CFPL London, Ont. WBNS Columbus
11 WPXI Pittsburgh WTOL Toledo
12 WICU Erie (rarest catch)
13 WTVG Toledo WQED Pittsburgh

 

[Natheodan]

Channel 8 out of Salinas was viewable, just extremely snowy. Same thing for channel 9 out of Redding.

 

[RyanHoward]

From Canton, Ohio (Where there's more than one channel, first listed is most likely to come in)

2 KDKA Pittsburgh
3 WKYC Cleveland
4 WTAE Pittsburgh WCMH Columbus
5 WEWS Cleveland
6 WJAC Johnstown
7 WTRF Wheeling WXYZ Detroit
8 WJW Cleveland
9 WTOV Steubenville
10 CFPL London, Ont. WBNS Columbus
11 WPXI Pittsburgh WTOL Toledo
12 WICU Erie (rarest catch)
13 WTVG Toledo WQED Pittsburgh

Johnstown's WJAC viewable in Canton, OH? How about WSYX from Columbus for Ch. 6.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

I've also never personally attempted it (let alone been in that part of the state much), but from at least 1983-2009, another area of Illinois which MIGHT have had a chance at reliably receiving stations on all VHF channels may have been at least a square bordered by Mt. Vernon, Salem, Flora, and Fairfield in southeastern Illinois (which includes parts of Marion, Jefferson, Clay, and Wayne counties). This small square includes parts of 4 markets (Paducah/CG/Harrisburg, Evansville, St. Louis and Terre Haute), which had every VHF channel in use in one of those 4 markets:

2--Either WTWO Terre Haute or KTVI St. Louis (plus all the DX)
3--Usually WSIL Harrisburg, IL; occasionally WCIA Champaign might appear
4--KMOV St. Louis, occasionally WTTV Bloomington, IN
5--KSDK St. Louis
6--WPSD Paducah
7--WTVW Evansville
8--WSIU Carbondale, IL
9--Either WNIN Evansville, IN or KETC St. Louis
10--WTHI Terre Haute
11--KPLR St. Louis
12--KFVS Cape Girardeau, MO; with possible rare appearances by WILL Urbana, IL
13--WPXS Mt. Vernon, IL (which signed on in 1983 as WCEE and a rare small-town indy). Before WCEE, possibly WTHR Indianapolis or KRCG Jefferson City, MO might make appearances.

 

[cyberdad]

In my college days in southeast Iowa, a good antenna would produce a full dial.

2-WMT-TV, Cedar Rapids
3-KTVO, Ottumwa
4-WHBF-TV, Rock Island
5-WOI-TV, Ames (occasional)
6-WOC-TV, Davenport
7-KHQA, Hannibal, MO or KWWL, Waterloo, IA. (Both reliable if you had a rotor)
8-WQAD. Moline
9-KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids
10-WGEM-tv, Quincy, IL
11-KDPS, Des Moines (occasional)
12-KIIN, Iowa City
13, WHO-TV, Des Moines (occasional)

The occasional stations (Des Moines area) were there more often than not if you had a good antenna and a rotor.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

In my college days in southeast Iowa, a good antenna would produce a full dial.

2-WMT-TV, Cedar Rapids
3-KTVO, Ottumwa
4-WHBF-TV, Rock Island
5-WOI-TV, Ames (occasional)
6-WOC-TV, Davenport
7-KHQA, Hannibal, MO or KWWL, Waterloo, IA. (Both reliable if you had a rotor)
8-WQAD. Moline
9-KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids
10-WGEM-tv, Quincy, IL
11-KDPS, Des Moines (occasional)
12-KIIN, Iowa City
13, WHO-TV, Des Moines (occasional)

The occasional stations (Des Moines area) were there more often than not if you had a good antenna and a rotor.

Were there ever times of tropo where Des Moines' channel 8 (KRNT/KCCI) overpowered WQAD's signal and made appearances in your college town?

 

[cyberdad]

Were there ever times of tropo where Des Moines' channel 8 (KRNT/KCCI) overpowered WQAD's signal and made appearances in your college town?

No. WQAD had a good signal where I was. (Then) KRNT-TV never overpowered it. I also don't ever remember seeing KRNT when WQAD was off. I think, however that WQAD had a slightly longer broadcast day, so there wasn't much opportunity to snag KRNT.

 

[crainbebo]

Parts of the Vancouver area, with a really good antenna, could receive all 12 VHF channels, from what I've heard.

2 - CBUT Vancouver CBC
3 - CBUT-2 Chilliwack CBC, relays CBUT
4 - KOMO Seattle ABC
5 - KING Seattle NBC
6 - CHEK Victoria CH, CTV earlier
7 - KIRO Seattle CBS,
8 - CHAN Vancouver Global, CTV before
9 - KCTS Seattle PBS
10 - CKVU Vancouver CityTV, IND
11 - KSTW Tacoma CW, former UPN
12 - KVOS Bellingham IND former CBS
13 - KCPQ Tacoma Fox

-crainbebo

 

[KeyTimes950]

If you put up an antenna in the area of Seven Springs, PA, these were possibilities at one time ...

KDKA-2 (CBS) Pittsburgh
WPSX now WPSU-3 (PBS) Clearfield
WTAE-4 (ABC) Pittsburgh
WDTV-5 (CBS) Weston, WV, or WTTG-5 Washington, DC
WJAC-6 (NBC) Johnstown
WTRF-7 (first NBC, now CBS), Wheeling, WV, or WMAL-7 (ABC) DC
WWCP-8 (FOX) Johnstown (earlier, maybe, WGAL, Lancaster)
WSTV now WTOV-9 (first CBS, now NBC), Steubenville
WTAJ-10 (CBS) Altoona
WIIC now WPXI-11 (NBC) Pittsburgh
WGAL-12 (NBC) Clarksburg
WQED-13 (PBS) Pittsburgh