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Lo-Band (2-6) Stations That Would Explain "Skip" to Viewers

S

Stanislav

Summertime "skip" on the lo-band channels has traditionally been a boon to DXers, and a bane to those just wanting to watch their soaps.

WESH-TV (channel 2) in Daytona Beach/Orlando has always historically been plagued when skip is strong. Between their being on the lowest VHF channel, and their Daytona Beach allocation and transmitter site limitation (to protect WPBT in Miami), they ended up being as far as 30-40 miles and more from some of the populated areas they have to serve in both areas (especially Orlando), so it wasn't just more rural viewers who had to deal with Cedar Rapids or Houston stations cutting in on Days of Our Lives.

For years WESH used to actually put a superimposed "notice" on-screen when skip was hot and heavy. As I recall, it showed a little graphic of a TV screen with squiggly lines and the words "ATMOSPHERIC INTERFERENCE." (Inaccurate, though -- should have read "IONOSPHERIC INTERFERENCE.") ;) I think there was a time when they also used "CO-CHANNEL INTERFERENCE" for the same "warning." They would also very occasionally run a little 30-second PSA with the weather guy explaining what skip is (even with a neat little diagram), noting that the problem is not in your set, and apologizing that there was nothing they could do about it. (I only saw that a couple of times, so they may not have run it very often.)

I only ever noted one other lo-bander doing the "Skip PSA" bit (and it was many years ago on a trip, so don't ask which station it was). I'm wondering how common this practice was (or still is, with analog still hanging on a few more months), either the on-screen warning or the explanation/disclaimer to viewers.
 
Nonetheless, you can get some interesting
things when the skip is going on. One night
back in the '80s, during a thunderstorm, I picked
up (in Greenville, SC) KTVI (Ch. 2, then-ABC) St.
Louis, KSNW (Ch. 3, NBC) Wichita, and KCTV (Ch. 5,
CBS) Kansas City, all at the same time.

Even now, in North Carolina, I sometimes get the noon
news and "The Bold And The Beautiful" on CBS affiliate
KIMT/3 Mason City, IA.
 
one time i picked up koa tv klz tv denver on 2and 4 and one time picked up wbbm tv chicago and wbaytv green bay on 2 and 4 and i live in mobile alabama ialso pick up a mexican station i think it was from monterey several times ive pick up all vhf channels during skips
 
I don't think it's just low-band that got these problems -- during the 1980s, when we only had aerial TV, WTSP ch.10 in Tampa Bay also had occasional atmospheric troubles, and would, at times, display a disclaimer on-screen, saying what it was and there was nothing wrong with your set. WTVT also did the same thing, though not as often as WTSP (the latter was short-spaced with Miami's WPLG).
 
azumanga said:
I don't think it's just low-band that got these problems -- during the 1980s, when we only had aerial TV, WTSP ch.10 in Tampa Bay also had occasional atmospheric troubles, and would, at times, display a disclaimer on-screen, saying what it was and there was nothing wrong with your set. WTVT also did the same thing, though not as often as WTSP (the latter was short-spaced with Miami's WPLG).
Click to expand...

That's true -- along the Gulf, where tropospheric bending ("tropo") is rampant at times, I imagine all stations have to deal with CCI a lot. I lived in Tallahassee for a time, and with just a little 4-bay UHF antenna, there were times when the Tampa stations (something like 250 miles away) would be as strong as locals for a day or two, due to high pressure and the all-water path.
 
In 1979 that was a banner year for me for DXing. I got as far south as Corpus Christi, TX and I even got Channel 4 from St John's Newfoundland and Labrador.

A couple times that year I remember WBBM putting up a blip about co-channel interference from Channel 2 in Terre Haute, that's the only time I ever saw a station say anything about e-skip. Though it happened to Channel 2 WBBM quite a bit that summer

I am in Chicago, BTW, and it always seemed the stations from the SW, South, SE and NE would come in routinely but only once in awhile would we get a skip from the NW (Say Rockford) and Milwaukee was a rare thing. But the NE from Grand Rapids was an easy catch in the summer.
 
I don't ever remember a message popping up that there was E-Skip. It was always TV viewing as usual. This is in Gary Indiana for as long as I can remember. I did have a friend who managed to intentionally null out Chicago's channel 2 to get Terre Haute Indiana's channel 2. As for the 1990's, when I had the outdoor antenna behind the garage, I got Champaign/Urbana Illinois stations. On top of the roof on the house, I got Milwaukee stations (mainly 12 & 55, and primarily at night).
 
I used to know this by heart, but I haven't heard it in at least 30 years...

"Due to atmospheric conditions, some viewers may be receiving interference from a station outside the Houston area. The fault does not lie with your set or this station." - Heard often on KPRC, Houston.
 
cowboybud said:
I used to know this by heart, but I haven't heard it in at least 30 years...

"Due to atmospheric conditions, some viewers may be receiving interference from a station outside the Houston area. The fault does not lie with your set or this station." - Heard often on KPRC, Houston.
Click to expand...

Going back to Tampa Bay, WEDU ch.3, the local PBS station, also gave their disclaimers by voice (often over the program they're showing), instead of supering it on the screen (like WTSP and WTVT did).
 
Slightly off topic but I got WPBT way up in London, Ontario in July 2007. Only lasted for a couple minutes but it was in color. Best DX I ever had.
 
cowboybud said:
I used to know this by heart, but I haven't heard it in at least 30 years...

"Due to atmospheric conditions, some viewers may be receiving interference from a station outside the Houston area. The fault does not lie with your set or this station." - Heard often on KPRC, Houston.
Click to expand...

Rather ironic since KPRC would boast about their skip coverage.
 
radiorob2.0 said:
azumanga said:
radiorob2.0 said:
Rather ironic since KPRC would boast about their skip coverage.
Click to expand...

Something to do about that KLEE test pattern stunt in England, perhaps?
Click to expand...

Actually KPRC is a good skip candidate based on channel and physical location. The KLEE event was a hoax.
Click to expand...

I've received them in Phoenix.
 
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