• 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

WBZ and WSBK off air 4/8

S

ssetta

On my antenna TV in my house, I currently cannot get a signal from WBZ (4.1) or WSBK (38.1) at all. I don't think it's my antenna, as both are off air and owned by the same company. I wonder if something could be going on, like it was for WHDH and WLVI.
 
On my Bell Satellite Dish, WBZ and WSBK are gone too. In fact, I was fortunate enough to get a very brief recording of WIVB Buffalo (which Bell used to air the CBS schedule for tonight). Found it very weird (until I ran a replay of my brief recording). Was hoping to see a Sports Final segment involving Boston College's recent championship victory in hockey. Not sure if WBZ will rerun it at a later day/time or put it on their website.

I'll try to get a brief video posted.
 
At 11:45 PM, WBZ, WSBK, and also WGBX, are off. They are all located on the CBS tower. However, WCVB and WGBH, also on the CBS tower, are OK. It is possible there is tower or other work being done.
 
No signal at all for WBZ, WSBK or WGBX for the last few hours. Very weak signal for WCVB but not even enough to actually get a picture at all.
 
Mike said:
Side note: WCVB on Bell is NOT running informercials right now. Probably also tower-related but in a weird way. Can someone check what's on CVB right now while I get the Buffalo video uploaded?
Click to expand...

WCVB is showing House, as scheduled.
 
Posted on the WBZ web site, this morning:

BOSTON (CBS) – Due to technical difficulties at our transmitter site in Needham, WBZ-TV and My-TV-38′s over the air signals are not working at this time.

This problem is affecting other stations as well, Paul Pabis, the Director of Broadcast Operations & Engineering, said in a statement Monday.

Crews have been working at the tower site since Sunday evening to fix the problem.

“We apologize for the inconvenience. We hope to have service restored soon,” Pabis said.

“We are still available on cable and some satellite TV providers.”
 
ssetta said:
How were you able to get WIVB? Does it have the same digital channel number as WBZ?
Click to expand...

Mike is in Canada & watching on satellite.

I would imagine the satellite firm (Bell Canada) has an OTA receive site in southern Ontario (within WIVB's coverage area) and substitutes it for the WBZ feed if WBZ goes down.

Why Bell's uplink in Boston doesn't get a fiber feed of WBZ is an interesting question. I would imagine the reason is regulatory - Scott Fybush, do you know?
 
channel99 said:
Posted on the WBZ web site, this morning:

BOSTON (CBS) – Due to technical difficulties at our transmitter site in Needham, WBZ-TV and My-TV-38′s over the air signals are not working at this time.

This problem is affecting other stations as well, Paul Pabis, the Director of Broadcast Operations & Engineering, said in a statement Monday.

Crews have been working at the tower site since Sunday evening to fix the problem.

“We apologize for the inconvenience. We hope to have service restored soon,” Pabis said.

“We are still available on cable and some satellite TV providers.”
Click to expand...

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/04/09/wbz-tv-statement-on-over-the-air-technical-difficulties/
 
w9wi said:
Why Bell's uplink in Boston doesn't get a fiber feed of WBZ is an interesting question. I would imagine the reason is regulatory - Scott Fybush, do you know?
Click to expand...

I don't know the answer to that.

I do know that a decade or so ago, there was a Cancom uplink located just outside the WBZ/WCVB/WGBH transmitter site in Needham. It was a trailer right next to the gate leading into the site, and my vague recollection was that it got a direct feed from the stations...but I can't swear to that.

I believe the rules at the time said that Cancom itself couldn't operate the uplink, so it was operated by WGBH under contract.

I have no idea whether Bell gets its Boston feeds that way as well, or if they have a different point of presence in the market.
 
channel99 said:
At 11:45 PM, WBZ, WSBK, and also WGBX, are off. They are all located on the CBS tower. However, WCVB and WGBH, also on the CBS tower, are OK. It is possible there is tower or other work being done.
Click to expand...

Are Ch.20 (“WCVB:5”) and/or Ch.30 (“WBZ:4”) totally off, or at low power?: When I first noted it last night, just after 8pm, Ch.30 seemed to throw a few spurts of sub-decodable signal; then, a little after 9pm and today, Ch.20 has been throwing a relatively steady——but sub-decodable strength——signal.
 
Uncle Kaimbridge said:
channel99 said:
At 11:45 PM, WBZ, WSBK, and also WGBX, are off. They are all located on the CBS tower. However, WCVB and WGBH, also on the CBS tower, are OK. It is possible there is tower or other work being done.
Click to expand...

Are Ch.20 (“WCVB:5”) and/or Ch.30 (“WBZ:4”) totally off, or at low power?: When I first noted it last night, just after 8pm, Ch.30 seemed to throw a few spurts of sub-decodable signal; then, a little after 9pm and today, Ch.20 has been throwing a relatively steady——but sub-decodable strength——signal.
Click to expand...

Yup, confirmed by a B-R-I post, “Ch5 on a back up antenna at low power.”
 
With multiple stations completely off, I wonder if the problem is not RF in nature, but AC? That would likely also leave any STL receiving equipment (to receive signals from the studios) out of service -- so even if the Canadian uplink received fiber feeds from the transmitter buildings, there'd be nothing to uplink.
 
The Necrat tower photo site "http://www.necrat.us/bztower.html" (not completely up-to-date, since analog is still listed) - shows WBZ, WCVB, WGBX, and WSBK all on the master antenna at the top, and WGBH as on a separate antenna below it. The chart on that page also lists an auxiliary antenna far down the tower for WCVB, with 1/3 the ERP. It they lost the master, the feedline, or something in the combiner, then it would fit the current status - WGBH normal and WCVB weak, all others off.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom