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What happened to the CW in SATX?

1

1st of 5

Guest
While tuning around on the old analog TV set, I found around 15 stations still beaming out an analog signal. But I noticed that CH 2, which used to be the local CW network affiliate for the San Antonio area, was missing. I rescanned the DTV and no CW station appeared. What happened to them? I remember watching the grainy and fading picture, especially on Sunday afternoons, when they would show Bonanza, Gunsmoke and some weird Vancouver BC police drama, but I think that was a year before the DTV transition.
 
1st of 5 said:
While tuning around on the old analog TV set, I found around 15 stations still beaming out an analog signal. But I noticed that CH 2, which used to be the local CW network affiliate for the San Antonio area, was missing. I rescanned the DTV and no CW station appeared. What happened to them? I remember watching the grainy and fading picture, especially on Sunday afternoons, when they would show Bonanza, Gunsmoke and some weird Vancouver BC police drama, but I think that was a year before the DTV transition.
Click to expand...

What kind of antenna are you using?

Channel 2 is still on the air. But they're on a low-band VHF frequency. If you have a "digital" antenna, it probably doesn't support low-band VHF. Their tower is well to the north of the city (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=DT1251789.html) as they're technically a Fredericksburg station. You will need at least an all-channel antenna with "ears", like the old-fashioned rabbit ears.

They do have an application on file for a second transmitter, on a high-band frequency, on the channel 9 tower.
 
w9wi said:
Channel 2 is still on the air. But they're on a low-band VHF frequency. If you have a "digital" antenna, it probably doesn't support low-band VHF. Their tower is well to the north of the city
Click to expand...

The digital signal is now on RF 5. The FCC coverage map is way too generous...coverage into much of Austin is virtually nonexistent as the signal is blocked by the western hills. I recall at my parents' house in NW Austin the old analog signal was barely visible. No reception of the digital signal there.

They do have an application on file for a second transmitter, on a high-band frequency, on the channel 9 tower.
Click to expand...

They actually have two applications for low power digital transmitters, one on the KLRN tower, and the other in the Western Hills tower farm in Austin. Both on RF 8, both 300 watts.

1st of 5 said:
While tuning around on the old analog TV set, I found around 15 stations still beaming out an analog signal.
Click to expand...

Amazing that you still have all those analog signals in SA. Here in Houston tuning around on an analog set you will receive...nothing.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
The FCC coverage map is way too generous...coverage into much of Austin is virtually nonexistent as the signal is blocked by the western hills.
Click to expand...

I could pick it up in South Austin if my antenna was aimed in their direction. But given the choice of one channel near Fredericksburg or several from Elmendorf... my antenna is fixed on Elmendorf.

I'm wondering about the Austin repeater, though. Wouldn't that prompt copyright problems with shows that are already carried by Austin stations?
 
Mediafrog+ said:
The digital signal is now on RF 5. The FCC coverage map is way too generous...coverage into much of Austin is virtually nonexistent as the signal is blocked by the western hills. I recall at my parents' house in NW Austin the old analog signal was barely visible. No reception of the digital signal there.
Click to expand...

It's also not really official.. they use Longley-Rice now, which does take terrain into effect.

I'm running an *unofficial* Longley-Rice on it right now, strictly for curiousity's sake. OK, the first one finished -- no, it really *doesn't* look very good for San Antonio. (and it looks even worse for Austin) **I hope** those maps will be on my website (http://www.w9wi.com, marked "NEW" on the right) by Tuesday morning.

They also have an application in to increase to 82.9kw. (which exceeds the 45kw nominal limit for low-band DTV, but there may be a loophole in the regulations that may allow sidestepping that limit) I'll run a Longley-Rice on that one too, and on the two repeaters.

They actually have two applications for low power digital transmitters, one on the KLRN tower, and the other in the Western Hills tower farm in Austin. Both on RF 8, both 300 watts.
Click to expand...

Yep, I didn't mention the Austin one because the OP was in San Antonio, but there are indeed two.

1st of 5 said:
While tuning around on the old analog TV set, I found around 15 stations still beaming out an analog signal.
Click to expand...

Amazing that you still have all those analog signals in SA. Here in Houston tuning around on an analog set you will receive...nothing.
[/quote]

I count 19 analog LPTVs licensed to San Antonio. (?!) My information is that three of them are off the air, the status of two more is questionable, and four hold permits to convert to digital and may have already done so. That's a pretty good total.
 
The antenna for my old analog TV is a pair of rabbit ears mounted on a 25 foot pole attached to my garage. It may appear to be Jethro Bodine technology, but it works. Up until to DTV transition, depending on the seasons and weather, I could get Houston, Corpus and once in a while, Austin, sometimes during the day! My GCHQ is approx 3.5 miles west of downtown SA. There are still analog signals out there. All 3 spanish language channels are running analog as well as DTV. Then there are those religious huxters, the jewelry shopping channel, TransGuide and 2 spanish music video stations, (religious?). There is also spanish music that occupies channels 3 - 6, along with video distortion. Its not snow or static, but wavy, undulating bars up down, left to right. I can't locate a parallel radio station on AM or FM, unless its a pirate broadcasting somewhere in the barrio overloading my analog RCA. As for my DTV antenna, its one of those RCA indoor amplified flat panels. It works ok, sucks in all of the locals, in any weather, much better than that crappy converter box with the same amplified antenna. We had to buy a new DTV last year when both converter boxes melted after only 3 months of use! What a rip off. It may look and sound better, but there still ain't **** worth watching.
 
Radio3787 said:
Why didn't The CW take KMYS (previously KRRT) channel 35 as their affiliate? KCWX has little coverage in San Antonio.
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KMYS is owned by Sinclair, which didn't want to pay for the CW. The CW generally required compensation from stations that wanted to pick it up.
 
w9wi said:
I'm running an *unofficial* Longley-Rice on it right now, strictly for curiousity's sake. OK, the first one finished -- no, it really *doesn't* look very good for San Antonio. (and it looks even worse for Austin) **I hope** those maps will be on my website (http://www.w9wi.com, marked "NEW" on the right) by Tuesday morning.

They also have an application in to increase to 82.9kw. (which exceeds the 45kw nominal limit for low-band DTV, but there may be a loophole in the regulations that may allow sidestepping that limit) I'll run a Longley-Rice on that one too, and on the two repeaters.
Click to expand...

I tried to check those maps, and I just got broken links.
 
Kent said:
w9wi said:
I'm running an *unofficial* Longley-Rice on it right now, strictly for curiousity's sake. OK, the first one finished -- no, it really *doesn't* look very good for San Antonio. (and it looks even worse for Austin) **I hope** those maps will be on my website (http://www.w9wi.com, marked "NEW" on the right) by Tuesday morning.

They also have an application in to increase to 82.9kw. (which exceeds the 45kw nominal limit for low-band DTV, but there may be a loophole in the regulations that may allow sidestepping that limit) I'll run a Longley-Rice on that one too, and on the two repeaters.
Click to expand...

I tried to check those maps, and I just got broken links.
Click to expand...

Shoot. It looks like the upload process didn't grab the .JPGs. They're uploading as I type, should be up by 1pm CT.
 
w9wi said:
Shoot. It looks like the upload process didn't grab the .JPGs. They're uploading as I type, should be up by 1pm CT.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I was able to get a look at all of them except the 83 kw app for KCWX 5.
 
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