WSHM-LD 21?

[tripinva]

Hey all:

I'm inquiring as to whether or not anyone is seeing WSHM-LD 21 on the air. I've heard of a few people seeing the signal but unable to decode anything from it, and I'm trying to figure out if it's a problem at the station's end or not.

If you're seeing it with programming, please post what you're seeing along with subchannels, etc.

Thanks, all.

- Trip

 

[tripinva]

I got word from the WTFDA mailing list that it is on the air as 3-5 and has been flipping between HD and SD, so I suspect it'll be up in HD soon.

- Trip

 

[KML0224]

I just brought out my old converter box and antenna here in New Britain, CT. After doing a rescan, I'm still getting the same services with WFSB-DT that I always did:

3-1 WFSB
3-2 WSHM ("CBS 3")
3-3 Eyewitness News NOW
3-4 WFSB Fairfield County [with terrible picture quality]

I manually tuned WFSB 3-5, 3-6, etc and the box only went back to WFSB 3-1.

 

[w9wi]

I just brought out my old converter box and antenna here in New Britain, CT. After doing a rescan, I'm still getting the same services with WFSB-DT that I always did:

3-1 WFSB
3-2 WSHM ("CBS 3")
3-3 Eyewitness News NOW
3-4 WFSB Fairfield County [with terrible picture quality]

I manually tuned WFSB 3-5, 3-6, etc and the box only went back to WFSB 3-1.

I don't think you're going to see 3.5 or 3.6 in New Britain. As Trip is saying, those two channels are being broadcast over the WSHM transmitter on Mt. Chapin, Massachusetts -- not the WFSB transmitter. WSHM isn't very powerful, and it's fairly directional favoring the west. I think you're going to need a DX-quality antenna system to see 3.5 or 3.6 that far south.

You could try punching in channel 21 on your STB. With most boxes that will manually scan WSHM's frequency. But don't be too disappointed if you don't get anything.

 

[KML0224]

I manually entered 21, with not even a whisper of a signal. I'm guessing the station is considered to be a low-power digital station? Also, is there a reason why this transmitter isn't on Mount Tom in Holyoke like analog channel 67 was?

 

[w9wi]

I manually entered 21, with not even a whisper of a signal. I'm guessing the station is considered to be a low-power digital station? Also, is there a reason why this transmitter isn't on Mount Tom in Holyoke like analog channel 67 was?

Yep. Its old analog signal on channel 67 was a LPTV license, and channel 21 is a digital LPTV license. 6,000 watts ERP. (which is actually about 4 times what their analog ERP was on channel 67)

I can only speculate on why it's not on Mt. Tom, but I think my speculation is likely to be accurate:

Mt. Tom is north (and west) of Springfield. WSHM-LP on channel 21 is, and must be, highly directional to the west. Rhode Island PBS's main transmitter is on the same frequency and must be protected from interference. WSHM puts almost no power to the east. From Mt. Tom, it would have a VERY weak signal across Springfield and really wouldn't have much of a signal anywhere besides Northampton and Easthampton.

I'm not from the area & don't know precisely where Mt. Chapin is, but it's well to the east (and somewhat to the south) of Mt. Tom.

 

[PaulRAnderson]

It looks like WSHM-LD's transmitter is on Ridge Road in Wilbraham, east of Springfield.

 

[necrat123]

It's on the now abandoned Charter Cable tower, on the Wilbraham Monson line, which is owned by Sal Minniti (owner of WRNT-LP in Hartford) and this tower is also home to WTXX-LP 34.

--Mike