I've had good luck as well, with reception from Indianapolis (40 miles) and Louisville (70 miles). But....when the band opens and distant signals show up, the signals I watch clearly 99% of the time are either gone or torn up so badly as to be unwatchable. That really is a bummer when you've DVR'd a show and discover later that the whole show was not watchable. My first clue that lightning affected it was in a shopping mall in a town 50 miles from Indy. A Tornado Warning was issued and WISH TV's Local Weather Station was on the cable system feeding a TV in the mall. Every time lightning struck, the picture froze and/or pixeled out & the audio muted, making a good product totally useless when lives depended on it...and this was on cable! One would have to assume that the cable head end poured more resources into reception hardware than Joe The Plumber would have. Not to mention, there are a lot of folks in rural areas who are content to watch an analog signal with snow at 80+ miles. Now, unless I've underestimated the technology, these people will go from having a few snowy channels to no channels at all--after buying convertor boxes, or worse yet, a $2000 TV set...at which point, Congress is gonna get an ear full...Juan Bodley said:
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Fort Wayne TV
- Thread starter DouglasB
- Start date
I've noticed that Verizon's FiOS is suffering in the winter weather...
Last night a LOT of channels were pixellized (frozen) for several seconds. At the time local radar showed a TON of clouds and activity to the south of Fort Wayne, so I'm thinking satellite reception was compromised. I have noticed that once in a great while the local stations will freeze for a frame or 2 when there's a lot of SUN in this snowy weather. Bob you're right though when you say Congress is going to get an earful...
But on the flip side, kids, I do get a HELL of a lot better reception at just 5 miles from the FW antenna farm, on an inside antenna, that I EVER got on my analog sets. The good and bad of this is that change just brings on bigger headaches for everyone, so load up on the Tylenol...
Last night a LOT of channels were pixellized (frozen) for several seconds. At the time local radar showed a TON of clouds and activity to the south of Fort Wayne, so I'm thinking satellite reception was compromised. I have noticed that once in a great while the local stations will freeze for a frame or 2 when there's a lot of SUN in this snowy weather. Bob you're right though when you say Congress is going to get an earful...
But on the flip side, kids, I do get a HELL of a lot better reception at just 5 miles from the FW antenna farm, on an inside antenna, that I EVER got on my analog sets. The good and bad of this is that change just brings on bigger headaches for everyone, so load up on the Tylenol...
I'm about 3 miles away near Jefferson and Ardmore. Everyone comes in great except WFFT. My antenna is 30 feet up and aimed right at the "farm". WFFT comes in once in a blue moon and pixilates frequently. So, is that going to get any better, or is FOX TV going to be a pixilated no-show. I thought this digital thing was going to be a step forward, not backward. :'(Juan Bodley said:
Douglas: A lot of people are reporting problems with receiver overloading on DTV. You might try indoor rabbit ears.
Douglas B. said:
WFFT is not ready for HDTV, at least at full power. I think it was in November or early December I read that Nexstar, WFFT's owner, filed for an extension on WFFT-DT's construction permit. Right now they're at about 900 watts ERP. (This is from memory, mind you. If I'm wrong, because I don't want to look it up, sorry.) Sooner or later they'll get more going. I think with all the trouble they've had since sign on in 1980 with the transmission system I'd want to do a full rebuild from power plant to antenna. Getting that done though before say May is a crap shoot. Unless you've got a stick and a helicopter to fly it up there...cause a major rubbernecking problem out on I-69 when that goes on!!
WFFT's construction permit expired November 19th ... on September 22nd they filed for an extension. That extension was granted and WFFT now has until February 17th to build the final facility (1 million watts!).Juan Bodley said:
In October they reported to the FCC that they expected construction to be complete by December 15th. "Tower work is expected to be completed by the end of October, 2008, with equipment deliveries and installation anticipated shortly after completion of tower preparations. Completion of construction and full-power operations are estimated by 12/15/2008."
Douglas B. said:
This, I don't get - with the exception of WFFT-DT, which might as well not be on the air for all the signal it isn't putting out, I've never had a bit of trouble getting clean, stable, non-pixillating signals from all the FW stations at either of my in-laws' houses, using a $20 indoor antenna and a variety of converter boxes. (One of the in-laws is next to Covington Plaza, the other is in Wildwood Park.)
Ditto - again with the exception of WFFT - for my friend who lives off Evard Road up north.
I'm guessing that the rooftop antenna is giving you way too much signal for the receiver to handle (I have the same problem at home in Rochester, less than a mile from my locals) and that the rabbit ears, being VHF, are having a hard time with the UHF DTV signals.
That's just it. I'm in Wildwood Park, on the south side of the neigborhood facing the Wildwood place apartments. I'm thinking that I must be in a shadow or a hole that channel 55's "phono oscillator power" xmtr can't plow through. Most of Wildwood Park is between me and the "farm", and there is a hill. The rooftop antenna is not amplified and the rest of the stations look fine. Must be "super 55" ain't so super anymore. Hello Comcast!Scott Fybush said:
I think you have to be touching the channel 55 tower to get the DTV signal. If their website is to be believed, they have the equipment in house for full-power DTV operation, and will be running with a viewable signal as soon as the tower crews can get up there and finish the work. It's Nexstar, after all...cheap, cheap, cheap...
OK DougB. I think maybe you need to raise your outside antenna. I know where you are at, and that is a hole. I've never had good luck with analog down there (at least it's not out at Devil's Hollow out west in Aboite...) But I'm pretty sure at night you should see all the tower obstruction lights, so you know you're close.
If you, Doug, and Scott can believe this, I'm using a Zenith (LG) DTV converter to get my digital signal and I get good reception (I live at Reed and St. Joe Center)...all I'm using for an indoor antenna is a stripped piece of RG6. I'm not kidding. Many days I don't get WFFT, but at night I get a good enough signal. (I just haven't had the money for a better antenna.) I have MORE trouble getting WLW for Reds baseball and WGN for Blackhawk hockey. The world is against me... ;D
If you, Doug, and Scott can believe this, I'm using a Zenith (LG) DTV converter to get my digital signal and I get good reception (I live at Reed and St. Joe Center)...all I'm using for an indoor antenna is a stripped piece of RG6. I'm not kidding. Many days I don't get WFFT, but at night I get a good enough signal. (I just haven't had the money for a better antenna.) I have MORE trouble getting WLW for Reds baseball and WGN for Blackhawk hockey. The world is against me... ;D
Douglas B. said:
HEY!! The Hawks are in 2nd in the Central, behind the Redwings, mind you, but for a Chicago team, that's good...
Back to the topic...maybe you have a bad connector or groundblock outside. Look at the dielectric inside the coax (if there IS groundblock...) If it's white and all the way in, you should be OK. Also make sure the connectors are parallel to the ground. (I've seen this enough...I had to think about what you posted and what I knew.) This weather and rainy weather bring out the gremlins. Also look for any kinks in the coax up to the antenna.
Then watch that high-priced Comcast Sports Net for that FANTASTIC Blackhawks hockey!!! ;D ;D
;D- Status