WTVF moves to RF-25

[w9wi]

Along with their new owners, it looks like WTVF has a new frequency

Their transmitter on RF-25 is on the air. They've already filed for the license-to-cover to convert the old main transmitter on RF-5 to a "replacement translator", operating at 3kw. (vs. 22kw when it was still the main) It looks to me as if the original replacement translator on RF-50 is off the air.

In non-engineer-ese... if you're having trouble receiving channel 5 -- or you had trouble in the past & gave up -- try scanning for channels again.

 

[anotherguyTN]

I wonder how far along WMC in Memphis is in getting off of channel 5 there. I think they had applied to move, but don't know what's been happening lately.

 

[w9wi]

They've filed a petition to get channel 17 allotted, but I don't see any sign the FCC has acted on it.

 

[anotherguyTN]

Thanks for the info. I always thought it was a bad idea to stay on 5 for either station.

 

[cd637299]

Well, that likely may kill my chances of catching WTVF on RF 5 again.....got it twice in 2012 from FL. I got PSIP, but never a local commercial or break.

@w9wi: Did WTVF recently have incessant spots for folks to re-scan OTA?

cd

 

[w9wi]

Well, that likely may kill my chances of catching WTVF on RF 5 again.....got it twice in 2012 from FL. I got PSIP, but never a local commercial or break.

@w9wi: Did WTVF recently have incessant spots for folks to re-scan OTA?

cd

I wouldn't give up on it.. At 3kw from as high as that antenna is, it's still going to skip out pretty well. That, and do remember that they've filed for a waiver to operate the RF-5 DRT at the same power it used when it was the main transmitter. I don't know the status of that waiver (I do know the license-to-cover filed this morning specified 3kw) but I think they have a VERY good chance of getting it.

As for the rescan spots... I have no idea. Remember I work for their competition and as long as Amazing Race isn't on, I never watch...

 

[firepoint525]

@w9wi: Did WTVF recently have incessant spots for folks to re-scan OTA?

I can answer that question. YES they have! Last week, they ran a news story on newschannel 5 promoting their much ballyhooed change, and it was supposedly going to take place later that day (within a few hours). It was the wife's day off work, so I showed her how to rescan using the remote, if the change should occur while I was gone. I returned home that evening, and she told me that nothing had changed, that she did not need to rescan.

And as of this morning, nothing has changed since then.

Go figure! :

(Those rescan commercials haven't run as much as, say, Nissan spots, but they have come pretty damn close! :)

 

[cd637299]

^ Well, that is because per w9wi that they still use RF5 as well, albeit with low power......

Or, if you re-scan, you will NOT see any change in the virtual channel, 5....likely the TV or converter box re-scanned and "slowed down" as it hit RF 25, taking in WTVF, This, & its other channels.

Correct, w9wi?

cd

 

[w9wi]

Firepoint: what neighborhood do you live in?

I'm thinking you're watching WTVF on RF-5. That'll probably work fine if you're in Joelton, or you've got an outdoor antenna, or an unusually RF-quiet location. RF-5 is still on the air & carrying the same datastream, so if you're watching on that frequency you won't notice any difference. (the power has been substantially reduced, but if you're reasonably close to Joelton you won't notice that either)

RF-50 is definitely off the air. I think they figure a very large proportion (quite possibly a majority) of their OTA viewers are watching on UHF; for those viewers, something has definitely changed & if they didn't rescan, they've lost Channel 5.

 

[firepoint525]

Firepoint: what neighborhood do you live in?
I'm thinking you're watching WTVF on RF-5. That'll probably work fine if you're in Joelton, or you've got an outdoor antenna, or an unusually RF-quiet location. RF-5 is still on the air & carrying the same datastream, so if you're watching on that frequency you won't notice any difference. (the power has been substantially reduced, but if you're reasonably close to Joelton you won't notice that either)
RF-50 is definitely off the air. I think they figure a very large proportion (quite possibly a majority) of their OTA viewers are watching on UHF; for those viewers, something has definitely changed & if they didn't rescan, they've lost Channel 5.

I'm in Pegram, and I do indeed have an outdoor antenna. But I was under the impression that if they "moved," I would need to rescan in order to still pick them up. But I am not an engineer (never have been, never will be), so I definitely wouldn't understand "engineer-speak."

 

[w9wi]

I'm in Pegram, and I do indeed have an outdoor antenna. But I was under the impression that if they "moved," I would need to rescan in order to still pick them up. But I am not an engineer (never have been, never will be), so I definitely wouldn't understand "engineer-speak."

Yep, I'm betting you're seeing RF-5.

WTVF has two transmitters. One is on a relatively low frequency near 76MHz. The other one used to be near 686MHz. The 76MHz frequency works well with outdoor antennas and at a distance from their tower. The 686MHz frequency worked better for indoor antennas in Davidson and bordering counties.

What happened last weekend, is that the higher frequency was changed from 686MHz to 536MHz. If you were watching WTVF on the higher frequency, your TV would now be looking for them on the wrong frequency -- they would appear to be off the air. Doing a rescan would cause your TV to find them on the new 536MHz frequency, and all would be well.

If you were watching on 76MHz -- well, that signal is still there. Even if you didn't rescan, your TV would still find them on 76.

_________________________________________________

It may be worth doing a rescan anyway. They're using a LOT more power on 536MHz than they did on 686 -- it's more likely you'll be able to pick up the higher frequency -- and the higher frequency is more immune from noise. (especially during thunderstorms)

 

[cd637299]

Isn't it true, that in the case of WTVF, if you re-scan, you'll see 5-1, 5-2 etc TWICE, if both RF's 5 & 25 land?

cd

 

[Kent]

They will show up twice, but most TV's and converter boxes will let you delete the duplicate channels.

 

[firepoint525]

It may be worth doing a rescan anyway. They're using a LOT more power on 536MHz than they did on 686 -- it's more likely you'll be able to pick up the higher frequency -- and the higher frequency is more immune from noise. (especially during thunderstorms)

Isn't it true, that in the case of WTVF, if you re-scan, you'll see 5-1, 5-2 etc TWICE, if both RF's 5 & 25 land?

They will show up twice, but most TV's and converter boxes will let you delete the duplicate channels.

I did a rescan today, and all three of their channels did indeed show up twice. I deleted all the duplicates, but I don't know whether I deleted the higher or lower frequency of each one. I suppose it really doesn't matter, as long as I can pick up both. I have never really had any difficulty picking up channel 5, at least in the digital age, at least not compared with some of the other channels. Fox 17, for example, becomes useless in thunderstorms, because even when I have a signal for them, I usually miss about every other word that they are saying on that channel.

 

[cd637299]

^ In the case of my converter box---and I cannot vouch for other units---

If I do an auto-scan, and there is more than one virtual channel of the same number, starting from the lowest frequency/RF channel, the first set of virtuals is the lower RF channel....

Ergo, if I were in Nashville, with my converter box, the first set of virtual 5's would be RF 5; the second set would be RF 25.

They would display thusly in this scanning order:

RF 5 "5-1"
RF 25 "5-1"
RF 5 "5-2"
RF 25 "5-2"
RF 5 "5-3"
RF 25 "5-3"

In south Florida, at one time we had WGEN-TV (main channel in key West) showing on *three* LD channels, all showing as "24". I have a photo from my WinTV....I believe I had "WGEN" showing three times on 24-1, and another three on 24-2. A truly bizarre screen grab.

There will be a test on this, on Monday.

cd

 

[firepoint525]

RF 5 "5-1"
RF 25 "5-1"
RF 5 "5-2"
RF 25 "5-2"
RF 5 "5-3"
RF 25 "5-3"

I have a feeling that this is what my channel lineup looked like after I did my rescan last week. I deleted the first of each of those, so that when I "channel-up" or "channel-down" while channel-surfing, I won't have to "channel-up" or "channel-down" twice to go on to the next channel. If, however, I manually program in, say 0-5-2, it would take me to the first newschannel5+ channel, the one that I deleted following my rescan last week. Hope this all makes sense! ;D

 

[w9wi]

Agreed, I think the list cd posted is what you had after the rescan.

I would be just about certain that you can only manually punch in channels that are in the channel list -- that when you deleted the "first newschannel5+ channel" from the channel-up/channel-down list, you also deleted it from the list of channels that can be manually punched in.

Try deleting channel 50-3, then punching in 5-0-3. I'm betting you'll get "Weak Signal" or something like that -- you will NOT be able to manually punch in a channel that was deleted from the channel list.

In other words, I would be confident the Newschannel 5+ you get when you punch in 0-5-2 is the *second* one on cd's list, the one on RF-25. And IMHO that's exactly what you want.

 

[cd637299]

In the case of my Insignia set top box, RF channels not stored (or removed, shall we say), show in the Manual Tuning in gray. Stored channels are in black.

If I were living there in Nashville, with my unit, using Manual Tuning, I could go up to RF 5 and get a picture; but until I hit the store button to turn the RF # from gray to black, it will be passed over, when using the remote's up/down (when back to the up/down mode).

Again, I cannot speak for other units out there.

I am confusing myself now....I think I've said my piece....

cd

 

[firepoint525]

In other words, I would be confident the Newschannel 5+ you get when you punch in 0-5-2 is the *second* one on cd's list, the one on RF-25. And IMHO that's exactly what you want.

In the case of my Insignia set top box, RF channels not stored (or removed, shall we say), show in the Manual Tuning in gray. Stored channels are in black.

I believe that that is what I am getting as well. I see the "grayed out" 5-2 and that is the one that is highlighted whenever I manually enter 052. I could scroll down and highlight the other 5-2 if I wanted to do so. As long as I've got a picture, I really don't care either way.

Oh, and I'm not trying to confuse anyone! ;D

 

[BuzzCam]

Before I got UVerse, I watched Digital TV over the air. Both Digital TVs picked up two sets of Channel 5s, which I called the bad Channel 5 and the other, the Good Channel 5. One would have less breakups than the other. I will have to rescan the one TV not on UVerse to see if Channel 5 comes in with no breakups. I likes the "This" movie channel they ran on 5-3 and miss it now since UVerse does not carry it. But, hey, I can watch 40 hours of "Law and Order" on the various UVerse Channels weekly. Gosh, what a waste of money!