WHEN RF-11 GOES AWAY in D/FW...

[Bob E. Nelson]

It's still some ways off, but when KTVT shuts down the simulcast on RF-11, what's likely to happen?

1). Since the FCC substituted channel 11 for Ft. Worth with channel 19 (and 29 for 19), there will be no changes whatsoever aside from KTVT being exclusively on RF-19.

2). KXII/12 in Sherman will be able to increase its power a bit from an already potent 36 kW since adjacent channel QRM with KTVT is eliminated.

3). Someone will seek to reallocate channel 11 to the area and we get a new station in D/FW.

4). One of the budget-minded operators (Mike Simon's KTAQ, for example) will seek a move from UHF to VHF to save money on power, replacing RF-46 with RF-11 in this hypothetical.

5). One of the LPTVs will move to RF-11 once it go away.

I'd surmise that the first scenario is most likely. Your ideas?

 

[upstate29651]

I was not aware of a WHEN in D-FW.....

G

 

[LibertyNT]

there is no WHEN. he was saying When RF-11 Goes off...

KXII may increase its power. But that could be unlikely as they cover all they really need too.
an LPTV could wind up on RF-11 Though. But it couldnt be called 11. it would have to map somewhere else.

 

[tripinva]

KTAQ would have to be dumb as a post to move to channel 11 after seeing what a mess it is, especially considering any service that leases bandwidth on that signal (as USDTV did so many years ago) will want to be on a UHF rather than a VHF signal. I would certainly hope that nobody is quite that short-sighted as to only look at today's power bill rather than tomorrow's income possibilities.

A KXII power boost seems unlikely since from what I can tell, they're not brushing up against 0.5% now and could increase power TODAY if they wanted to without causing interference.

The FCC's not allotting new stations at this time.

I fully suspect we'll see a low-powered station apply for 11.

- Trip

 

[Megapsycle]

With all the talk about the FCC confiscating the UHF spectrum to hand it over to the ISPs for a price, I wonder how smart or timely of a move it is for KTVT to move and abandon the less mobile internet-friendly VHF spectrum for UHF... ???

 

[JHBrandt]

It's still some ways off, but when KTVT shuts down the simulcast on RF-11, what's likely to happen?

1). Since the FCC substituted channel 11 for Ft. Worth with channel 19 (and 29 for 19), there will be no changes whatsoever aside from KTVT being exclusively on RF-19.

...

I'd surmise that the first scenario is most likely. Your ideas?

KTVT shutting down channel 11 is the first domino in a chain of events.

KTXA is moving from channel 18 to channel 29. But they want to erect their channel 29 antenna where KTVT's channel 11 antenna is. So first KTVT has to shut down channel 11, then dismantle their antenna.

KTXA moving to channel 29 is the second domino. Once that's done, channel 18 will be available.

KPFW-LP has a CP to move from out-of-core channel 61 to 18. That's the third and final domino.

 

[JHBrandt]

That last domino has already started to fall. KPFW/61 is off the air. Just before they went off, HCCN was running a crawl saying (in Spanish) to look for them on channel 18 soon.

Of course, KPFW can't do that until KTXA moves, so probably a few months yet.

 

[Bob E. Nelson]

That last domino has already started to fall. KPFW/61 is off the air. Just before they went off, HCCN was running a crawl saying (in Spanish) to look for them on channel 18 soon.

Of course, KPFW can't do that until KTXA moves, so probably a few months yet.

...and KTXA has filed for an extension to continue on channel 18:

``THE LICENSEE SEEKS AN EXTENSION OF THE EXISTING STA. NEGOTIATIONS ARE CONCLUDING FOR THE REQUIRED TOWER SPACE AND ANTENNA AND TRANSMITTER EQUIPMENT ACQUISITION. THIS IS A JOINT PROJECT WITH SISTER STATION KTVT.''

https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/w...xt=25&appn=101358233&formid=911&fac_num=51517

 

[JHBrandt]

That last domino has already started to fall. KPFW/61 is off the air. Just before they went off, HCCN was running a crawl saying (in Spanish) to look for them on channel 18 soon.

Of course, KPFW can't do that until KTXA moves, so probably a few months yet.

...and KTXA has filed for an extension to continue on channel 18:

``THE LICENSEE SEEKS AN EXTENSION OF THE EXISTING STA. NEGOTIATIONS ARE CONCLUDING FOR THE REQUIRED TOWER SPACE AND ANTENNA AND TRANSMITTER EQUIPMENT ACQUISITION. THIS IS A JOINT PROJECT WITH SISTER STATION KTVT.''

https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/w...xt=25&appn=101358233&formid=911&fac_num=51517

Apparently KPFW was unaware KTXA was already there. I guess the FCC query led them astray!

They have since refiled and been granted an STA for channel 29. See my post in the "FCC mistake" thread. In brief, the "big swap" is expected in September.

I think KPFW actually fired their transmitter up on RF 18 last Sunday, because something was causing severe interference with KTXA. For several hours I could barely lock their signal, let alone watch anything. A real "Aw... crap" moment.

 

[JHBrandt]

Did they pull the plug? I'm getting no signal on RF 11.

RF 19 is fine.

 

[Bob E. Nelson]

Did they pull the plug? I'm getting no signal on RF 11.

RF 19 is fine.

The trusty Sencore signal analyzer comes to the rescue!

First of all KTVT's RF-11 is on as of this writing and delivering the usual 13.5 dBmV power level up here in Frisco. Per your other post, I also checked KJJM on RF-34. It's up just a tad from the nominal -2.5 dBmV to -2.1.

But while doing a spectrum scan, there are a LOT of other signals pouring in this morning due to tropo. KXAN and KVUE are blasting in from Austin as is Waco's KWTX. I'm also getting a signal from KCWX down in Fredericksburg but not a clean enough stream to lock...yet. And poor little 13 kW KFWD on RF-9 is showing a lot of interference from co-channel KCEN a short distance from Cedar Hill near Eddy.

Over the past weekend during the wee hours of the morning, most the Tar Road sites were all off for several hours. On 11 SEP 2010, KDTN, KDTX and KTAQ were all down. On 12 SEP 2010, the trio of KDFI, KLDT and KPXD were also off for several hours.

I no longer have access to an engineering contact in the market so I have no idea if work is being done at that Richland Tower location or if that was just coincidence.

As far as KTVT and co-owned KTXA are concerned, the FCC filing from Iglesia's KPFW (which is still awaiting RF-18 to become vacant), the changes for the CBS stations is (was?) supposed to happen this month:

KTXA, HOWEVER, FILED AN APPLICATION IN SEPTEMBER 2009 TO SPECIFY CHANNEL 29D AS EVENTUAL ITS DIGITAL CHANNEL (BPCDT-20091021ACP). IGLESIA'S COUNSEL HAS BEEN ADVISED THAT KTXA INTENDS TO MOVE FROM CHANNEL 18 TO CHANNEL 29 IN SEPTEMBER 2010.

 

[Bob E. Nelson]

A followup to the previous post. I just came across correspondence from the FCC to KPFW granting an extension of their STA to operate on RF-18 through 18 MAR 2011.

So, it looks like the big KTVT/KTXA modification isn't going to happen with great alacrity. (For those who haven't followed this yarn of musical chairs, KPFW is involved because it plans to move to RF-18 once KTXA vacates that channel for RF-29, now occupied per the STA by KPFW. Of course, RF-19 was briefly the home of KTXA until KTVT opted to bump its little sister off that channel, thus the move of KTXA to RF-18 on an STA).

 

[fredcantu]

Iglesia's KPFW

KPFW's licensee is IGLESIA JESUCRISTO ES MI REFUGIO, INC.
That translates to Jesus Christ is my Refuge Church, Inc.
So using Iglesia in second reference doesn't make sense.
And the FCC files are full of licensees that begin with the world Iglesia.
So shortening the licensee to "Iglesia Jesucristo" would make it a lot clearer.

 

[JHBrandt]

Did they pull the plug? I'm getting no signal on RF 11.

RF 19 is fine.

The trusty Sencore signal analyzer comes to the rescue!

First of all KTVT's RF-11 is on as of this writing and delivering the usual 13.5 dBmV power level up here in Frisco. Per your other post, I also checked KJJM on RF-34. It's up just a tad from the nominal -2.5 dBmV to -2.1.

But while doing a spectrum scan, there are a LOT of other signals pouring in this morning due to tropo. KXAN and KVUE are blasting in from Austin as is Waco's KWTX. I'm also getting a signal from KCWX down in Fredericksburg but not a clean enough stream to lock...yet. And poor little 13 kW KFWD on RF-9 is showing a lot of interference from co-channel KCEN a short distance from Cedar Hill near Eddy.

I saw that RF-11 was back on the day after I wrote that post, but didn't check this board again until today. :-[ If it was ever off, it was only for a few hours Friday night.

RF-8 and RF-9 were both coming in OK at the time, which is part of the reason I didn't suspect interference. For the most part, digital broadcasting beats the heck out of analog. But it does have its drawbacks, and one of those is that if there's too much interference, consumer-grade equipment just shows "weak or no signal," giving the would-be viewer no clue what's wrong. With analog, we would have seen "floating" images from co-channel interfering signals and maybe even herringbones from KWTX's audio, but the primary signal would still be visible, and most likely audible as well.

As for RF-34, its signal strength went back down Saturday, so it was probably atmospheric conditions rather than their maintenance that accounted for most of the improvement I saw afterwards.

 

[JHBrandt]

A followup to the previous post. I just came across correspondence from the FCC to KPFW granting an extension of their STA to operate on RF-18 through 18 MAR 2011.

So, it looks like the big KTVT/KTXA modification isn't going to happen with great alacrity. (For those who haven't followed this yarn of musical chairs, KPFW is involved because it plans to move to RF-18 once KTXA vacates that channel for RF-29, now occupied per the STA by KPFW. Of course, RF-19 was briefly the home of KTXA until KTVT opted to bump its little sister off that channel, thus the move of KTXA to RF-18 on an STA).

KPFW was off the air around 8 PM last night, but I don't know if it had anything to do with the RF swap with KTXA.

I'd expect KTVT and KTXA to run some sort of notice in the weeks before making any RF channel changes, so as not to catch their viewers off guard. I haven't seen any such notices, so I assume no changes are imminent....

 

[Bob E. Nelson]

I'd expect KTVT and KTXA to run some sort of notice in the weeks before making any RF channel changes, so as not to catch their viewers off guard. I haven't seen any such notices, so I assume no changes are imminent....

This probably isn't big enough to merit its own thread, but a Sencore scan tonight finds KLDT/55 (RF-39) blasting in with a stronger raw signal than anyone else in the market. This isn't about signal quality (BER or MER) but just plain power.

By way of comparison RF-39 is now hammering in at 21.5 dBmV whereas KXTX on RF-40 is 18.5 dBmV. Prior readings for KLDT's facility were typically around 5.5 dBmV. Methinks that they've lit up the one megawatt plant (as was done a few months ago with sister station KNWS in Houston).

So, there's a *little* change in an otherwise rather quiet market.

 

[JHBrandt]

KPFW was off the air around 8 PM last night, but I don't know if it had anything to do with the RF swap with KTXA....

The musical chairs game continues. KPFW was back on last night but KHPK/3 and KVFW/38 were off. I'm guessing they're back on by now as well.

It must be maintenance week for DFW LPTV....

 

[julesism]

KVFW/38 is still off for me. I've never been able to get KHPK/3 so...

 

[JHBrandt]

This probably isn't big enough to merit its own thread, but a Sencore scan tonight finds KLDT/55 (RF-39) blasting in with a stronger raw signal than anyone else in the market. This isn't about signal quality (BER or MER) but just plain power.

By way of comparison RF-39 is now hammering in at 21.5 dBmV whereas KXTX on RF-40 is 18.5 dBmV. Prior readings for KLDT's facility were typically around 5.5 dBmV. Methinks that they've lit up the one megawatt plant (as was done a few months ago with sister station KNWS in Houston).

I only have consumer-grade equipment but KLDT does seem stronger. KXTX actually seems weaker, but its signal could just be degraded a bit by interference from a stronger KLDT.

KVFW is still off the air for me too.

 

[JHBrandt]

The musical chairs game continues. KPFW was back on last night but KHPK/3 and KVFW/38 were off. I'm guessing they're back on by now as well.

Took a bit longer than I expected but KVFW/38 was finally back last night. Interestingly, 38.2 still had PromiseLand programming, but was no longer a simulcast of KTAQ/47.

I suspect we've seen the last of KHPK on channel 3. If so, that leaves KZFW/6 as the only VHF-Lo station in DFW (unless KSFW lights up channel 2).

Unless your TV antenna doubles as your FM antenna (or you're into Spanish religious programming), the newer channel 7-up antennas are looking pretty good.