Local DTV

[NN2E]

It looks like some of my locals will keep running analog 'til June 12. As it stands now, WPSD 6 (DT 32) and KFVS 12 (DT 57) will keep their analog transmitters running.
I think WSIL 3 (DT 34) will shut their analog off today but, time will tell.
KBSI 23 (DT 22) and WDKA 49 (DT 50) are supposed to cease analog today.
WSIU DT has already made the switch from channel 40 to channel 8.
I'm not sure about Kentucky Educational TV. I'll report on them later.

The ice storm wiped out my Antennacraft MXV 5100 VHF antenna. The front half of it broke over and was hanging down the side of the tower so I couldn't turn it. It finally fell off and I was able to turn the carcass. Because WKMU 21 was off I was able to put WUXP 30 (DT 21) in the log for DTV # 206. I can't believe that the 7 ft parabolic UHF survived all of the ice but I'm glad it did. It iced up solid, and bent the mast, but the ice melted off before it ever got windy. Thank goodness! If the wind had come up while it was full of ice it would have broken over and crashed through the roof. I might move the TV antennas to another tower, away from the house, this Spring. I wired up the VHF balun to what is left of the VHF antenna and it still (sorta) works!

Sixteen and 1/2 days before the power came back on, here. Ran the generator part of the time and heated the house with the oven while the generator was off. Some are still without power and I heard a report that said some wouldn't have it back until April! Whatta mess.
73, Ed NN2E
Owner / Operator - Murphy's Law Test Site & Thunderstorm Proving Grounds

[cd637299]

Sorry to hear about that, Ed. Must be bitter cold for you.

On the transition scene here, I am totally confused....

I cannot get WPEC-12 at all, analog OR DTV. Maybe this will free analog 13 for me for a while. WPTV 5 & maybe some others are cutting power, I read on another source (maybe Doug). WHFT 45 is still on---I thought they were going off today. WPXM 35 still on, although there's a disclaimer about Feb 17 shutoff at the bottom. [BTW, I thought the shutoff was supposed to be 12 NOON, not 12 MID.]

I really cannot keep tabs on all this.

cd

[NN2E]

Just got off of the phone with a TV DXer from southern Illinois and he tells me that WSIL 3 (DT 34) will keep the analog running until the network (ABC) tells them to shut it off.

I agree CD, this transition has been confusing since day one. I was sure that WUSI 16 (DT 19) was going to channel 16 when they made the switch but it appears that they're gonna stay on 19 with their digital transmitter. (?!)

73, Ed NN2E
Owner / Operator - Murphy's Law Test Site & Thunderstorm Proving Grounds

[mrhoover]

I was looking forward to a few youtube clips of the shutdowns;)

Oh well....

Here's a German one from November,their last lowband Ch E4 going
& they did put the testpattern(famous German type) up with transmitter
id for quite a long time,goes off right at the end of the clip.I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M96LR3Z3AEE&feature=related

TVDX was easy in the 1970's as in the mornings a lot of transmitters
just put this card up with the transmitter name!!

Hugh

[Mike-CT]

Chris asked...

[BTW, I thought the shutoff was supposed to be 12 NOON, not 12 MID.]


The rules have been revised over and over again. The latest set of rules state that a station can determine for itself when it wants to sign off. This is why you see shutoffs at all different times. Makes it a little hard to know when to record the shutdowns.

[cd637299]

<Harry Hoo from Get Smart> Amaaaaayysing! </HH>

cd

[Danny]

Ed, I am also sorry about your weather-related problems. I'm glad the dish is OK.

I agree with Christopher about the difficulty of keeping up with this DTV transition.

BTW, I suppose this means the official DTV transition "era" has been extended.

[NN2E]

I couldn't watch for anything at midnight, last night, because we were in the middle of a thunderstorm test session. Had all the stuff unhooked.
A quick band scan this morning shows little has changed...
The Kentucky Educational TV anolog transmitters are all still on.
Analogs KBSI 23 and WDKA 49 are still on but are runing info about how to prepare for the switch.
Other than that it appears nothing has changed. Is this all of that "Change" we were promised in the last election? SS-DD. I'll look around a bit more later.

Danny, I'm in the process of tracking down an Antennacraft CS-1100 VHF to replace the MXV-5100. It's too big to be shipped UPS so I'm gonna have to order it from a local supplier and wait 'til he gets a delivery from his supplier. Might take a month or two but it beats paying the price of the antenna, again, to have it trucked. Antenna is about $80 and they want $88 to ship it! I'll wait.

Update 11 A.M....Looks like most of the Nashville area analogs are still on. WJFB 66 appears to be the only one missing.
W54AE Paducah, Ky. is missing but I suspect the ice storm killed them.
Evansville, In. analogs all appear to be on.
Some of the Memphis analogs still running. I'll need better band condtions to be sure how many.
Can't tell much about St. Louis... band not too good...KPLR 11 analog still on.
WKPC 15 Louisville still on. I'll need better band condx to check on the rest of them.
WSBN 47 Norton, Va. analog still on.
KSPR 33 Springfield, Mo. still on.
WSTR 64 Cincinnati still on. Kinda weak but I think it's them.
WMYO 58 Salem, In. still on.
WAFF 48 Huntsville, Al. still on.
WIAT 42 Birmingham still on.
WUPA 69 Atlanta still on.
And on and on and....
So much for "The Big Switch."
73, Ed NN2E
Owner / Operator - Murphy's Law Test Site & Thunderstorm Proving Grounds

[cd637299]

To Hugh in particular,

Follow this thread on another board, then to any YouTubes.....

http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php/topic,120748.0.html

cd

[mrhoover]

Hi Chris,thanks for that.

Are your local stations still on air in analog?

Saw that youtube pulled off one of the clips!

Regards,

Hugh

[cd637299]

Hugh,

See the new "Cable Only?" thread.... :)

cd

[cd637299]

Oh and BTW, if WPTV 5 is running at the power they're using now, I'm cool with that.....it'll open up some foreign ch 5's that I can monitor here, I think!

cd

[egrabow]

I was looking forward to a few youtube clips of the shutdowns;)

Oh well....

Here's the video from Fort Myers, FL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgnAQVg_rME. I had 4 VCRs running and my camcorder pointed at 5 monitors.

WINK 11's shutdown was by far the best one. They did a live shot from their transmitter, inverviewed a couple of engineers (the one who installed the transmitter was the one who would shut it off), and the last thing we saw on the analog signal was the button that turned it off. :cool:

My own station is running nightlight (DTV info) on channels 20 and 26 through the weekend.

[cd637299]

Well I seem to not be home when any signoff happens.

Update though....WPEC 12's DTV is on, but signal is weak as a kitten. Still cannot get any analog signal.

cd

[mrhoover]

Here's the video from Fort Myers, FL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgnAQVg_rME. I had 4 VCRs running and my camcorder pointed at 5 monitors.

WINK 11's shutdown was by far the best one. They did a live shot from their transmitter, inverviewed a couple of engineers (the one who installed the transmitter was the one who would shut it off), and the last thing we saw on the analog signal was the button that turned it off. :cool:

My own station is running nightlight (DTV info) on channels 20 and 26 through the weekend.

Many thanks for the videos.I hope to record the Spanish Andalucian
area shutoff at the end of June

Hugh

[NN2E]

I think I've found one that actually switched...WBKO Bowling Green, Ky appears to be back on it's old analog channel with a digital transmitter. They were running DTV on channel 33. That signal is gone and now I'm getting little hints of signal on channel 13. I haven't been able to get enough signal for the DTV box to decode yet but I'm pretty sure it's WBKO. There's just not enough left of my VHF antenna, after the ice storm, to get a good signal on them. Maybe W9WI can verify this one.
73, Ed NN2E
Owner / Operator - Murphy's Law Test Site & Thunderstorm Proving Grounds

[w9wi]

I think I've found one that actually switched...WBKO Bowling Green, Ky appears to be back on it's old analog channel with a digital transmitter. They were running DTV on channel 33. That signal is gone and now I'm getting little hints of signal on channel 13. I haven't been able to get enough signal for the DTV box to decode yet but I'm pretty sure it's WBKO. There's just not enough left of my VHF antenna, after the ice storm, to get a good signal on them. Maybe W9WI can verify this one.
73, Ed NN2E
Owner / Operator - Murphy's Law Test Site & Thunderstorm Proving Grounds

Yes, it's almost certainly WBKO.

WBKO's analog signal was a regular, albeit somewhat snowy. It's gone. I'm getting about a 30% DTV signal on 13 - not quite enough to decode, though my VHF antenna is stuck west.

[NN2E]

I've left the DTT-901 sitting on channel 13 for the past two nights. When I got up this morning I found "WBKO-HD" on the display. DTV #207 is in the log.
73, Ed NN2E
Owner / Operator - Murphy's Law Test Site & Thunderstorm Proving Grounds

[NN2E]

KVTJ 48 Jonesboro, Ar. has gone digital. DTV #208
73, Ed NN2E
Owner / Operator - Murphy's Law Test Site & Thunderstorm Proving Grounds

[NN2E]

Sure wish I could do video. I'm on dial-up (ZZZzzz...) and it's soooo sloooow that I've just recently found out about the sinking of the Titanic. :-)
73, Ed NN2E
Owner / Operator - Murphy's Law Test Site & Thunderstorm Proving Grounds