Wisconsin TV seen from across Lake Michigan after 2/2009 ?

[Waterfallguy59]

When I was younger, we used to camp in Muskegon & Manistee state parks on Lake Michigan, and what was cool was that we could get the Milwaukee and Green Bay TV stations better than the Northern Michigan TV stations. I hope this will continue after DTV goes into full service next February. I have looked at the FCC DB for these stations and after the transition, they look like they have the same coverage area. Anyone have any knowledge or opinion about this ??

Thanks

Joe
Grand Ledge, MI

[Robert Grant]

If you are wondering if you will see DTV transmissions of Wisconsin stations across the lake-
In a word, oversimplified - YES.


You remind me of the years we (my parents, siblings, and I) went to a cabin on Platte Lake (Benzie Co.) for 2 or 3 weeks every summer. Traverse City's ABC affiliate (WGTU-29, which had just signed on) was about 50 miles away through forests and hills, so the only way to get ABC was WLUK, ch 11, Green Bay (which has since changed nets first to NBC and more recently Fox).

One day I was looking forward to watching a movie on their "ANT" (all night theatre) that night, and got nothing (reception across an 80-mile wide lake depends on tropospheric enhancement, which, over water in the summer, is actually the NORMAL, but does not always occur).

Two weeks ago, I took my portable DTV setup, with an unamplified twin bow tie, to the Elberta bluff (about 100' over Lake Michigan), and got excellent reception of nearly all Green Bay DTV stations, and of WJMN-DT Escanaba (a station on an STA with only 9.8 kW and a short tower). I have not tried reception across the lake at ground level under normal conditions.

I think you will have with across-lake DTV the same result one gets with fringe DTV reception in general - much better picture and sound when it's in, but not quite as reliable.

73 & gud DX, Rob Grant, N8NU.

[Waterfallguy59]

Thanks Rob.

We are planning a trip to Lake Michigan sometime this weekend, so I'll take my DTV setup and see what stations we get.

Joe

[CasualOTAer]

When I was younger, we used to camp in Muskegon & Manistee state parks on Lake Michigan, and what was cool was that we could get the Milwaukee and Green Bay TV stations better than the Northern Michigan TV stations. I hope this will continue after DTV goes into full service next February. I have looked at the FCC DB for these stations and after the transition, they look like they have the same coverage area. Anyone have any knowledge or opinion about this ??

Thanks

Joe
Grand Ledge, MI

If you used to use rabbit ears or a similar modest antenna, this may be harder to do successfully with DTV. You might need a more serious TV antenna to get solid reception.

I'd be sure to use a CECB or digital TV that allowed manual input of the RF channel (like the DS DTX-9950 or the Zenith DTT-901). With either of those boxes, if it doesn't catch those stations during a scan, you can input the RF channel manually and view the signal strength. If there is some signal detected, you'd know to try repositioning the antenna or to check back when conditions are best for tropospheric propagation.