• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Some observations about NYC TV

P

pqgeorge

Are all of the NYC TV stations operating from the Empire State Building running at reduced power? I was at the Hotel Penn (34th at 8th), roughly less than a 1/2 mile the ESB. I noticed that Channel 68 was not on the air. Most of NYC's TV seemed weaker for some reason (except for Channel 2). I did notice that Channel 25 (WNYE) was on the air with ethnic programming (honestly didn't expect that station to return to the analog world, but.... there it was). Channel 31 was running the typical infomercial fare. It's weird knowing that next year when I return to NYC, my portable color set will be useless due to the NTSC sunset. I will have to have a cabled set to watch NYC TV, unless a portable DTV set will be available (highly unlikely). I did notice WNYX-39 running color bars on Friday while going through the Bronx (on the train). Did not see WKOB-LP. And yes, no sign of "Pulse 87.7" on Channel 6.

Any thoughts? (BTW: It was good to see WPIX once again.)

-Peter Q. George (K1XRB)
Whitman, Massachusetts
 
I live right across the river in Jersey City (with direct line of sight to the ESB) and I get signals at or close to 100% on all the digital channels. Not sure about analog, but I wouldn't be surprised if you were getting interference caused by all the tall buildings around.
 
I haven't really noticed anything weaker about the signals recently either....it probably was just bad reception where you were, due to the tall buildings, despite the proximity to the ESB. I used to work just a couple of blocks away and would bring a little portable FM radio with me to listen to, and quite often, it would be hard to get a totally clear signal of stations broadcasting from just down the street.

That said, you probably saw the color bars on either channel 26 or 32. Channel 39 is running the programming of Azteca America, while Channel 35 is running constant repeats of "The New Yorkers." Channel 34 is showing CaribeVision. I have no idea what WNYZ-6 is showing, as I never seem to be able to pull in their video signal (despite being able to see the Citicorp Building from my house, only a few miles away), but the FM signal is much better than people give it credit for....I received it in midtown Manhattan on the aforementioned portable FM radio, albeit not clearly.

There's also the LPTV's on 42 and 46, both with religious fare...46 recently started rebroadcasting CBN, after having an out-of-focus aerial shot of NYC and audio from the National Weather Service. 42 is Daystar. 17 is also another religious station, GCN.

WKOB was on channel 53, right? It's been off the air for at least 5 or 6 years, maybe more. Does anyone know if a license for that station still exists?
 
neo11 said:
I haven't really noticed anything weaker about the signals recently either....it probably was just bad reception where you were, due to the tall buildings, despite the proximity to the ESB. I used to work just a couple of blocks away and would bring a little portable FM radio with me to listen to, and quite often, it would be hard to get a totally clear signal of stations broadcasting from just down the street.

That said, you probably saw the color bars on either channel 26 or 32. Channel 39 is running the programming of Azteca America, while Channel 35 is running constant repeats of "The New Yorkers." Channel 34 is showing CaribeVision. I have no idea what WNYZ-6 is showing, as I never seem to be able to pull in their video signal (despite being able to see the Citicorp Building from my house, only a few miles away), but the FM signal is much better than people give it credit for....I received it in midtown Manhattan on the aforementioned portable FM radio, albeit not clearly.

There's also the LPTV's on 42 and 46, both with religious fare...46 recently started rebroadcasting CBN, after having an out-of-focus aerial shot of NYC and audio from the National Weather Service. 42 is Daystar. 17 is also another religious station, GCN.

WKOB was on channel 53, right? It's been off the air for at least 5 or 6 years, maybe more. Does anyone know if a license for that station still exists?
Click to expand...

I stand corrected on the WXNY color bars. I believe it was on the Channel 32 signal. The portable color set I have does not have a digital channel selector, just a on-screen "line" to tell you what the channel you're watching. The color signal on WXNY was very good. Around noon last Friday while in Westchester moving into The Bronx, I did see that live out-of-focus cam on 46. I wondered what that stationary shot was. I thought (at the time) that it might have been a over-powered surveillance camera. However, at the time I received it, there was no NOAA audio and it looked like there was a lot fog in the shot. The signal was not that great.

I tend to agree with you folks that I was probably too close to the ESB to get a good signal due to intermod from the transmitter site. I probably would have had better results further away from the ESB. Thanks everybody!

-Pete
 
neo11 said:
There's also the LPTV's on 42 ...

WKOB was on channel 53, right? It's been off the air for at least 5 or 6 years, maybe more. Does anyone know if a license for that station still exists?
Click to expand...

In fact, channel 42 *is* WKOB - apparently they got both a channel change and a new owner.
 
I have heard that WKOB is working on something to improve their signal. I am in NYC and see that station vanish just moments before the street lights flicker on. Have seen the same thing several nights. I am convinced that is no coincidence and that the streetlights create enough interference to make their weak signal unwatchable. Have heard that they have applied for a channel change to 42, and that was accepted by the FCC, but have not heard anything further. I really enjoy the retro/historical programming and look forward to the possibility of seeing more.

I have also heard that WKOB does not have plans to pick up the soon to launch PbJ network, though many of those cartoons can be seen as filler on Saturday mornings on 42.3. Have also noticed that "TUFF TV" is still part of their PSIP on 42.4 and someone also mentioned that, TUFF TV's audio may still be heard for a second or two right after the HOT TV logo appears at the top and bottom of each hour.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom