OTA Reception Comment

[KML0224]

While riding down I-91 South on Tuesday, I saw a billboard for Channel 40, boasting that they were the first HD newscast in the area. I think it was after Mount Tom but before the Connecticut River. As for coverage, would Provin Mountain do better in Springfield proper if WWLP-TV went back to UHF? In the analog days, I never had a clear signal from 22, 40 or 57 here in southern Hartford County. I've never received a peep out of any digital transmitter from that area at all. Lastly, is WWLP's digital translator on Mount Tom kind of like what I mentioned with WMTW-TV and their Portland channel 26?

 

[pqgeorge]

While riding down I-91 South on Tuesday, I saw a billboard for Channel 40, boasting that they were the first HD newscast in the area. I think it was after Mount Tom but before the Connecticut River. As for coverage, would Provin Mountain do better in Springfield proper if WWLP-TV went back to UHF? In the analog days, I never had a clear signal from 22, 40 or 57 here in southern Hartford County. I've never received a peep out of any digital transmitter from that area at all. Lastly, is WWLP's digital translator on Mount Tom kind of like what I mentioned with WMTW-TV and their Portland channel 26?

In answer to your question about the WWLP translator on Mt. Tom, yes, it's a similar situation to the WMTW repeater in Downtown Portland. The idea is to compensate for the loss of coverage when the digital transition was completed. WWLP (DT 11) is located in the Southern part of the Springfield area, unlike most other area broadcasters who use Mt. Tom as THE "antenna farm" for Greater Springfield. Originally, the translator was to be the FOX affiliate for the Springfield area. However, WGGB had the extra bandwidth on their DTV and grabbed the opportunity to put FOX on its' 40.2 . Couple that with extensive cable coverage and you've got..... "instant FOX affiliate". SO, the translator became a repeater of WWLP and simply rebroadcast the DT-11. Once Channel 22 analog bit the dust, and with Channel 11 DTV not making the projected coverage it should have had from Provin Mountain, the Mt. Tom repeater became more important than ever. I wouldn't be surprised if the Mt. Tom UHF repeater would do better in Downtown Springfield than the primary on Channel 11.

 

[necrat123]

In answer to your question about the WWLP translator on Mt. Tom, yes, it's a similar situation to the WMTW repeater in Downtown Portland. The idea is to compensate for the loss of coverage when the digital transition was completed. WWLP (DT 11) is located in the Southern part of the Springfield area, unlike most other area broadcasters who use Mt. Tom as THE "antenna farm" for Greater Springfield. Originally, the translator was to be the FOX affiliate for the Springfield area. However, WGGB had the extra bandwidth on their DTV and grabbed the opportunity to put FOX on its' 40.2 . Couple that with extensive cable coverage and you've got..... "instant FOX affiliate". SO, the translator became a repeater of WWLP and simply rebroadcast the DT-11. Once Channel 22 analog bit the dust, and with Channel 11 DTV not making the projected coverage it should have had from Provin Mountain, the Mt. Tom repeater became more important than ever. I wouldn't be surprised if the Mt. Tom UHF repeater would do better in Downtown Springfield than the primary on Channel 11.

This is close, and allow me to fill in more details, based on what I know. WFXQ-CA does air seperate programming from WWLP, but not much. WFXQ is not a repeater (translator), it is a class A station. It has its own EAS gear, its own signal path. There are a couple of shows that air on WFXQ that don't on WWLP. As it happens to be, the bigger issue with VHF 11 isn't the location as much as it is the pattern and power level. WWLP really got screwed on the channel assignment, being forced to use a directional antenna and 15kW digital power. As a result, the WFXQ channel does fill in a service to viewers who are especially effected by the multipath from Mt Tom in Chicopee and Holyoke. While Mt Tom is higher up, it is also much father from the actual city of Springfield than Provin Mountain is. (And for the record, WFXQ isn't techincally on Mt Tom, its down at the top of the ski area, where the new WRNX transmitter sits.). The Mt Tom site is better for the rural areas to the north, and the Provin site is better for the urbanized areas to the south. Provin also has a much better shot east than Mt Tom does. It's not uncommon to listen to WAQY almost into the 128 corridor. WAQY is audible here in Rhode Island without too much effort. But Mt Tom does better to the west and is higher up, so it has some advantages there. There is something to be said for that WPKX signal when it was on Provin, as a Class A FM at 2.2kW, and pre iboc days, you could hear it in Weston.

 

[KML0224]

On my way up to Brattleboro, VT on Monday, I had a weak signal of WSRS-FM 96.1 from Worcester, coming in between Greenfield and Bernardston. While in my motel room in Brattleboro itself, I got a weak signal of WAQY-FM, depending on how the headphone cord "antenna" was coiled on my AM/FM/CD "Walkman".

As for Mount Tom, it seems to be roughly parallel to mile marker 17 of I-91 in Holyoke. The best view I've seen of the Provin Mountain site in Agawam seems to be along I-91 South, just before Exit 11 in Springfield.

 

[pqgeorge]

In answer to your question about the WWLP translator on Mt. Tom, yes, it's a similar situation to the WMTW repeater in Downtown Portland. The idea is to compensate for the loss of coverage when the digital transition was completed. WWLP (DT 11) is located in the Southern part of the Springfield area, unlike most other area broadcasters who use Mt. Tom as THE "antenna farm" for Greater Springfield. Originally, the translator was to be the FOX affiliate for the Springfield area. However, WGGB had the extra bandwidth on their DTV and grabbed the opportunity to put FOX on its' 40.2 . Couple that with extensive cable coverage and you've got..... "instant FOX affiliate". SO, the translator became a repeater of WWLP and simply rebroadcast the DT-11. Once Channel 22 analog bit the dust, and with Channel 11 DTV not making the projected coverage it should have had from Provin Mountain, the Mt. Tom repeater became more important than ever. I wouldn't be surprised if the Mt. Tom UHF repeater would do better in Downtown Springfield than the primary on Channel 11.

This is close, and allow me to fill in more details, based on what I know. WFXQ-CA does air seperate programming from WWLP, but not much. WFXQ is not a repeater (translator), it is a class A station. It has its own EAS gear, its own signal path. There are a couple of shows that air on WFXQ that don't on WWLP. As it happens to be, the bigger issue with VHF 11 isn't the location as much as it is the pattern and power level. WWLP really got screwed on the channel assignment, being forced to use a directional antenna and 15kW digital power. As a result, the WFXQ channel does fill in a service to viewers who are especially effected by the multipath from Mt Tom in Chicopee and Holyoke. While Mt Tom is higher up, it is also much father from the actual city of Springfield than Provin Mountain is. (And for the record, WFXQ isn't techincally on Mt Tom, its down at the top of the ski area, where the new WRNX transmitter sits.). The Mt Tom site is better for the rural areas to the north, and the Provin site is better for the urbanized areas to the south. Provin also has a much better shot east than Mt Tom does. It's not uncommon to listen to WAQY almost into the 128 corridor. WAQY is audible here in Rhode Island without too much effort. But Mt Tom does better to the west and is higher up, so it has some advantages there. There is something to be said for that WPKX signal when it was on Provin, as a Class A FM at 2.2kW, and pre iboc days, you could hear it in Weston.

You know? They ought to consider changing the WFXQ-CA call-letters to WRLP-CA. They are available. Just for the heck of it, considering the old Channel 32 (Greenfield) WRLP call-letters were part of the history of WWLP from 1957-1978. Couldn't hurt!

 

[KML0224]

Too bad they couldn't fire up the old channel 32! Maybe more than a handful north of Springfield would get their signal!