WPIX OTA Weak Signal

[ansky212]

Why is WPIX's OTA signal so weak? I live up on a hill with clear line of sight to NYC and I can barely pull in WPIX. I have no trouble with any other NYC locals. It's not just a VHF issue since I can get WABC without a problem. Is WPIX running at a reduced power?

 

[hubcity]

Could be a null or a directional issue - right now, WPIX is the only VHF signal I pick up with any regularity; WABC and WNET aren't nearly as reliable.

 

[KYLEBOOK]

I live 20 miles east of Manhattan, in Floral Park, NY, and have not been able to receive PIX at all since they went to VHF back in '09. Had no issues with their digital UHF signal, and wish they would move back to UHF!

 

[RonTheEngineer]

I live 20 miles east of Manhattan, in Floral Park, NY, and have not been able to receive PIX at all since they went to VHF back in '09. Had no issues with their digital UHF signal, and wish they would move back to UHF!

VHF did not work as well on DTV as expected, stations on the lowband found this out the hard way. High band isnt as bad, but still not as good as UHF. You'll need an outside antenna and have to play with the orientation a bit, you'll get a picture, but it wont be in a direction you expect.

 

[stationless listener]

Also, the antenna has to be built to capture VHF signals. It's simply the case of so many stations and not enough channels to get on.

 

[luperm]

What type of antenna do you use? Your antenna might be "UHF only" and thus not performing too well on VHF.

 

[KYLEBOOK]

I'm using an indoor RCA amplified antenna, purchased about 10 years ago. Admittedly, it was always much stronger on UHF than VHF during the analog days. I'm a renter, so unfortunately, I have some restrictions on hanging an outdoor antenna.

Any recommendations on a good indoor antenna for VHF, or is this something that went out the window with digital tuners in the 70's & '80s?

 

[fybush]

VHF is difficult indoors under the best of circumstances. VHF DTV is even more difficult, and an amplified antenna often makes it even harder. Most of the cheap amplifiers in indoor antennas add a considerable amount of noise to the signal, and that's deadly for DTV, where a good signal/noise ratio is more important than raw signal level. Try the Terk HDTVi (not the HDTVa, which is amplified) - it's hard to find in stores but readily available online, and it's about the best I've seen so far for VHF. Do not assume extending the rabbit ears completely will produce the best signal. For high-band VHF, especially 11, near the top of the band, you're probably better off starting with the rabbit ears extended halfway or so.

 

[ansky212]

I'm using an indoor RCA amplified antenna, purchased about 10 years ago. Admittedly, it was always much stronger on UHF than VHF during the analog days. I'm a renter, so unfortunately, I have some restrictions on hanging an outdoor antenna.

Any recommendations on a good indoor antenna for VHF, or is this something that went out the window with digital tuners in the 70's & '80s?

Oddly enough, I've had some pretty good luck recently using a dipole FM wire antenna. You can get one for less than $5 at pretty much any department store. The nice thing about the dipole is it's very flexible so you can bend it around and tuck it behind the tv or other furniture if you need to. So far it seems to be working pretty well for VHF and UHF.

 

[Bob1370]

It could be an issue of station ERP--WABC-TV is running significantly higher signal power off the Empire State Building than WPIX is right now. My guess is, as the FCC reconfigures the TV spectrum in the coming years, things will change this way (based on inklings from both the FCC and the trade papers);

--upper channels above roughly Channel 35 will be handed over to broadband WiFi and other digital information services
--stations which originally were VHF will be pushed back down to their old channels, if they aren't there already
--all the V's will be permitted to transmit with ERP equal to their old analog visual power (45 kW for channel 2, 30 kW further up the tower for channels 4 and 5, 125 kW for channels 7, 9, 11 and 13) to overcome any inherent noise on the band.
--stations on UHF will be forced to move down-band, either onto a lower UHF channel if they're already there or can find a place, or down to VHF if need be.

You can now license stations on adjacent channels to the same market in digital mode. The only consideration now, is whether stations on the same channel are far enough apart from each other (they still have to be at least 170 miles from each other on VHF, 155 on UHF). And UHF stations can be just as close to each other on the local dial as VHF. That alone will allow all the existing stations to be compressed into far fewer channels

 

[tripinva]

The only consideration now, is whether stations on the same channel are far enough apart from each other (they still have to be at least 170 miles from each other on VHF, 155 on UHF).

Incorrect. The spacing limits do not apply to any allotments that existed during the transition, and only apply to new allotments. Even if they did apply, the rule is no longer 170/155 in Zone I. The rule is now 152/122.

- Trip

 

[VeteranPD]

Welcome to "TV Signal Hell" brought to your by your federal government. Clealry, they messed with something that should have been left alone. That said, I recently switched a friend's OTA receiver from an indoor antenna to an outdoor antenna and more than doubled the number of channels he was receiving. However he still gets some occasional dropped signals because one element of his old outdoor antenna is missing and he has a combination on old 300 ohm twin lead and coax in his transmission line.

In the spring we will replace the old Radio Shack antenna with a new Weingard and new coax transmission line from antenna to receiver.