rf_chaser said:
I saw a blog from one of the WGHP engineers on their website that said they are broadcasting on both channel 8 and channel 35 and to receive channel 8 you have to have a VHF antenna. A UHF wouldn't work.
Channel 43 is really old channel 61. About 2 weeks ago they changed from being 61 to 43.
My neighbors said on the way to the mountains they were getting channel 61, and in particular they liked the subchannel with the old comedies. I couldn't understand this since they have a dish, but they said they don't use it.
Another update: I figured out that the first converter box wouldn't have gotten channel 8 anyway because I didn't rescan. My intention was to do whatever was necessary with converter box no. 2 to get a VHF signal, so I did nothing with the first box. I just assumed when it couldn't get channel 8 on channel 35.1 it would look for channel 8.1. Given all the talk about "double rescanning", I guess I was wrong.
My second converter box had no trouble having its memory cleared, and I don't know why. No one will admit to the problem. More information if you click on the link above.
However, I decided that since I used to get a perfect signal on channel 2 with rabbit ears (with each new TV my channel 2 reception has gotten worse) and I haven't picked up channel 2 at all with any of my new antennas (though channel 51.1, or 2.1, is perfect), I should use the old rabbit ears to try to pick up channel 8. If my distance from the transmitter is a problem with those, people posting here have said they used something to improve reception, and when I got the converter boxes the man said they had no antennas there but I could buy something at another store in the same shopping center which shall remain nameless. That store was closed at the time, which is why I bought my converter boxes from Sears.
I went to the nameless store and they didn't know what I was talking about.
After I had trouble with channel 8 I went back to the nameless store and asked, and they knew what I needed but didn't have any in stock. But here's what's amazing. This is a chain store, not Bubba's TV Repair. The employees are supposed to know this stuff. I asked about VHF and was told there is no more VHF. The governement, and in particular Homeland Security, took that over. (Don't we wish!) I told him about my difficulties picking up channel 8. He turned on this TV which had all this fabulous information. This is over-the-air TV, not cable! Digital TV has ALL this stuff if your TV will display it. But I'm cheap. I just see the name of the show that's on if I change channels. If I want signal strength I have to go to the menu. By the way, signal strength was 91 percent. This is a shopping center. They always have reception problems. We were a long way from the transmitter. I didn't ask but that antenna HAD to be outside.
I said that was channel 35. He checked and said there was nothing between 20 and 36. You know, I should have thought to tell him that channel 8 is VHF. Therefore, if that's channel 8, then how can it be true there is no more VHF?
Hinesight! We should have saved hem when we owned them! Southern Broadcasting..