Atlanta's digital TV conversion

[Rick Rose 2.0]

Now that I have regular access to a HDTV I am still trying to figure out some things.

I am in northern Henry County and have some dtv signal issues and channel 2 has the most reception issues and I wonder if Cox is dealing with it or whether it actually great for most people. Only recently has digital channel 8 started working along with 8.2 and 8.3 here in Ellenwood.

I was wondering if anyone knows the status for the digital signals for channel 14 and 57 because we dont get them here. Are they at low power for now because the maps show we should get those digital signals.

I have heard mentioned numerous times about the VHF and UHF digital channels but from the way I understand digital broadcasting that those terms don't matter any more and simply put the DTV dial is channels 2-51.

Does anyone know of any other local channel offering additional feeds. I only know of 2, 8, 11, 63 actually broadcasting additional channels at this time. Will 5,17,30,36,46 (besides March Madness) and 69 offer additional channels.

thanks for any help.

It looks like the digital channels for Columbus and Macon are not on full power so I still only get those channels in analog

 

[fussbudget]

I live about 60 miles from the WSB-TV transmitter and receive a strong analog signal from that tower. I'm rarely receive the digital signal and WSB's RTN feed on 2.2. I can't figure it out. The digital signals from 5, 8, 11, 17, 36, and 46 are always crystal clear here in NE Georgia. 30 and 69 DT are some what spotty but neither is absent on my
HDTV as often as Channel 2. If you can't get Channel 2 DT is northern Henry the problem must be with WSB.
As for 14 and 57, are either them required to go digital or are they considered LP stations?

 

[w9wi]

As for 14 and 57, are either them required to go digital or are they considered LP stations?

Both are full-power stations. Both have licenses-to-cover for their permanent digital facilities. 14's is the most powerful in Atlanta at 1000kw/622m. (I didn't think you could get 1000kw with a tower taller than 600m!) 57's isn't all that horribly powerful (165kw/319m) but it's not a -LP.

Both stations are directional, I don't know where the nulls are.

WSB, too, has its license-to-cover for its permanent facility. 1000kw/301m, again a decent signal but directional.

All three stations' digitals are on the same tower as their analogs.

 

[jal41]

As for 14 and 57, are either them required to go digital or are they considered LP stations?

WPXA 14/DT 51 transmits from the north end of Lake Allatoona between Cartersville and Waleska, about 45-50 miles north of Atlanta. You probably will not get much of a signal south of Atlanta.

WATC 57/DT 41 transmits from Sweat Mountain just southeast of Woodstock, about 25-30 miles from Atlanta. Signal might be at a lower power.

I know GPB was planning to offer a digital multicast, but I thought they were going to wait until the entire statewide network was online in digital before offering anything. Does anyone know what they are offering?

 

[daryll]

WSB'S digital channel

Here's where some of the confusion begins with the digital channels.

WSB elected to stay on their assigned digital frequency of channel 39. Yep, it's in the UHF band instead of the analog VHF channel 2 (54 - 60 Mhz) they've enjoyed for all these years. Channel 39 is roughly around 625 Mhz or so. This means you need an antenna that will receive UHF broadcasts. These are the small elements seen on the typical rooftop antenna. To get the analog signal, you need the antenna with elements up to 9 feet wide since it's a lower frequency. Your digital television/tuner receives data from their signal that identifies them digitally as 2.1, 2.2 and so on even though they use a much higher frequency for digital. It's called PSIP/PCIP but that's another story for our wonderful engineers on this board. Only WXIA and WGTV are digital VHF signals. 11 is actually transmitting digitally on 10 and I haven't followed the slightly behind escapades of state government's snail's pace attempt to go digital. They did snap up lots of vacated VHF assignments around the state in this digital transition. WMUM Cochran will use 7 instead of 29 and the south GA stations will be on some V's, too.

For the other Atlanta stations, WAGA-DT is on 27 and WGCL-DT is on 19. The others are UHF, too. Where we live in Jones County just northeast of Macon, WXIA has a monster digital signal but WSB's is intermittent. WAGA's is also quite strong. Most of the Dish Network satellite receivers with the digital broadcast tuners seem to be pretty reliable with OTA digital.

In Macon, 13WMAZ has been using digital channel 4 since August 10, 2002 but has elected to return to 13 on February 17, 2009. I saw this Dielectric panel antenna on the ground before it was installed and it weighs close to nine tons. The others in Macon are all still UHF but have selected other digital channels assignments. A nice Channel Master 4228 will do a great job for the U's and high V's. The model 3671 is a solid VHF/UHF antenna for all channels.

 

[fussbudget]

That brings us back to the question why is WSB-DT so spotty?

 

[ssnake]

That brings us back to the question why is WSB-DT so spotty?

Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing. I live in western Oglethorpe County, just east of Athens, about 65-70 miles from the towers. WAGA, WGCL, WPCH come in great, generally. The other channels are intermittent, but WSB-DT seldom ever comes in -- the worst of the high power DTs in Atlanta. Yeah, I know I am outside of the protected contour, but I can confirm that WSB-DT is the worst, signal wise. The analog signal comes in fine out here with a big VHF antenna, but with some a little static.

I'm using a CM4228 with a CM7777 preamp, which is just about the best setup possible for fringe reception.

 

[kenglish]

"I am in northern Henry County and have some dtv signal issues and channel 2 has the most reception issues and I wonder if Cox is dealing with it or whether it actually great for most people."

So, are you talking about Cox Cable, or are you doing OTA?

If it's Cable, there may be issues with ingress interference...only your Cable company (generally) knows what RF channel they have a particular station's broadcasts on, and what might be in the air on that same frequency.

If it's OTA, there may be issues with co-channel (on 39, where WSB-DT operates), or adjacent-channel (38 and 40) interference. This is made even worse (in the amazing world of Digital) by overloaded tuners and overloaded preamps. There are stations licensed on 38 and 40 at Atlanta, Savannah, and Macon.

 

[dmcco01]

If it's Cable, there may be issues with ingress interference...only your Cable company (generally) knows what RF channel they have a particular station's broadcasts on, and what might be in the air on that same frequency.

Is that why I get such bad bleedover from Peachtree TV onto Comedy Central on my Comcast cable in the City of Atlanta?

 

[jal41]

If it's Cable, there may be issues with ingress interference...only your Cable company (generally) knows what RF channel they have a particular station's broadcasts on, and what might be in the air on that same frequency.

Is that why I get such bad bleedover from Peachtree TV onto Comedy Central on my Comcast cable in the City of Atlanta?

Cable 68 is the same frequency as UHF OTA 17. Here are the Atlanta (and surrounding) UHF channels and the cable channel number that utilizes that frequency space.

WPXA 14 - 65
WPCH 17 - 68
WNGH 18 - 69 (Chatsworth/Dalton - former WCLP)
WGCL-DT 19 - 70
WPCH-DT 20 - 71
WPBA-DT 21 - 72
WNEG-DT 24 - 75 (Toccoa)
WATL-DT 25 - 76
WAGA-DT 27 - 78
WPBA 30 - 81
WNEG 32 - 83 (Toccoa)
WNGH-DT 33 - 84 (Chatsworth/Dalton - former WCLP-DT)
WUVG 34 - 85
WATL 36 - 87
WSB-DT 39 - 90
WATC-DT 41 - 92
WUPA-DT 43 - 94
WHSG-DT 44 - 100
WGCL 46 - 102
WUVG-DT 48 - 104
WPXA-DT 51 - 107
WATC 57 - 113
WHSG 63 - 119
WUPA 69 - 125

For UHF channels 14-43, add 51 to the number for the cable equivelant. For 44-69, add 56. (Cable Channels 95-99 operate in the VHF band where FM radio and the aviation frequencys are).

The Comcast Atlanta lineup goes up to 78 (skipping 76 and 77), and everything after that is used for digital cable.

 

[bpatrick]

For those who live on the extreme eastern end
of the Atlanta market (e.g., Athens), what are
your odds of getting ABC on WLOS-DT? Likewise,
on the western end (Haralson County, for example),
what are your odds of getting ABC on WJSU-DT?

 

[jal41]

For those who live on the extreme eastern end
of the Atlanta market (e.g., Athens), what are
your odds of getting ABC on WLOS-DT? Likewise,
on the western end (Haralson County, for example),
what are your odds of getting ABC on WJSU-DT?

Don't forget:
Northwestern end - WTVC-DT
Southwestern end - WTVM-DT
Southeastern end - WPGA-DT
Eastern end - WJBF-DT

WSB-DT is limited to the fact that they are at the current maximum (1000kW). They are going to need either more power or a taller tower after the digital transition is completed.

 

[ssnake]

For those who live on the extreme eastern end
of the Atlanta market (e.g., Athens), what are
your odds of getting ABC on WLOS-DT?

I get WLOS-DT and WJBF-DT sometimes, depending on conditions. I get them both more frequently than I get WSB-DT.

 

[RadioDoogie]

Out in Loganville, I can get (digitally) with standard Philips rabbit ears and a Magnavox converter box - 2/5/8/11/14/17/34/36/46/63/69. I never can get PBA 30 and channel 63 doesn't hardly ever come in. I know the analog tower for WHSG is right behind me. The digital tower must be far away. 14 is very far away, but if I adjust the fine tune switch on the antenna, I seem to get WPXA ok.

As far as OTA ingress on analog cable, we thankfully won't ever have to worry about this after February.

I know 95-99 is 88-108mhz in 4 mhz steps or the entire FM dial.

100 starts OTA 44.

I remember using a color pocket tv tuner for cable and would receive cable 14-23 between dial channels 6-7. I used to own an old RCA VCR that had the 12 channel slots and fine tune switches behind the door and would do the same between 6-7.

I find that the longer the coax pin is made on the cable, the less ingress you receive. The better grade of coax (6u and higher) eliminates this also.

I used to live behind WMC-TV's tower in Memphis and would constantly get OTA channel 5 and would constantly have to perfect the connection to the back of my set. I finally used an cable amplifier and as you would adjust the gain, the ingress would go away.

 

[w9wi]

Out in Loganville, I can get (digitally) with standard Philips rabbit ears and a Magnavox converter box - 2/5/8/11/14/17/34/36/46/63/69. I never can get PBA 30 and channel 63 doesn't hardly ever come in. I know the analog tower for WHSG is right behind me. The digital tower must be far away. 14 is very far away, but if I adjust the fine tune switch on the antenna, I seem to get WPXA ok.

Channel 63's digital is on the same tower as channel 69. (indeed roughly 20 miles west of the analog tower)

WPBA's DTV is very close to their analog but running only 55kw.

As far as OTA ingress on analog cable, we thankfully won't ever have to worry about this after February.

I don't know that I'd say that... it's just that people won't recognize it as ingress...