WFIE on KET

[NN2E]

Saw something interesting, this morning, around 6 A.M. WFIE 14 Evansville, IN. was being, intermittently, re-broadcast on three KET (Kentucky Educational TV) transmitters. WKMU DT 36, WKPD DT 41 and WKMA DT 42 all would, occasionally, switch from PBS to WFIE. It's doing it, right now, as I type this. Analogs WKMU 21 and WKPD 29 are re-transmitting the WFIE audio but no picture. I've sent an e-mail to a friend who works for KET to see if he can tell me how this is happening.
Now for the 64 dollar question... Can I count WFIE on DT channels 36, 41, and 42 as well as analog 21 and 29? I know this would be stretching things but I think these would be WTFDA legal loggings. Whatta yall think?
73, Ed NN2E
Owner / Operator - Murphy's Law Test Site & Thunderstorm Proving Grounds

[NN2E]

A day later and KET's problems continue... DT's 36, 41, and 42 are on the air but their pictures are just pixilated junk. Analogs 21 and 29 are black screen with an occasional flash of picture and no audio. Analogs 15 WKPC, 23 WKZT, 31 WKOH, 35 WKMA and 53 WKGB seem to be fine so the trouble is in the west end of the network.
"Houston" (or, in this case, Lexington) "we have a problem."
73, Ed NN2E
Owner / Operator - Murphy's Law Test Site & Thunderstorm Proving Grounds

Update 5:45 A.M. The trouble seems to have cleared up. All the western Ky KET's are running normally. We'll see how long it lasts.

Update 7:30 A.M. They've crapped out, again.

Update 8:10 A.M. They're baaaack!

[Robert Grant]

I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that WFIE-DT's actual channel, 46, is the same channel as KET Flagship WKLE, as well as the virtual channel of WKLE-DT.

One question: Has WKLE transitioned to digital-only yet? (in this case, it's a classic "phanton translator" - the KET stations are repeating the stronger WFIE rather than the intended WKLE).

Another possibility is that these KET relays (or the microwave relays that feed them) are using WKLE's digital signal, and are accidently tuned to actual channel 46 instead of 42/virtual 46).

As for counting - If you haven't seen any of these KET stations before, they are new KET stations. But you haven't seen WFIE any more that I could count Mars because WGTE aired a documentary showing pics from the Mars lander!

Rob

[NN2E]

Yeah, after giving it more thought, I see your point, Rob. Much like the Arkansas transmitter (I forget which one at the moment) that is transmitting it's own signal as well as another station's signal because the second station suffered a tower collapse. Only the primary station can be counted because the secondary station is on the primary's transmitter.
I can't say about WKLE. It takes some tropo enhancement to get Lexington and it just hasn't been there lately.
I still haven't heard back from my friend at KET. I'll keep after him until I get the "official" explanation.
73, Ed NN2E
Owner / Operator - Murphy's Law Test Site & Thunderstorm Proving Grounds

[aaronibus62]

This is a little off topic but WFIE and DX related.

Last week I found through Google Books an article from the August 1962 issue of Popular Mechanics (page 170) where author Thomas J. Hidley provided instructions on making a UHF tin foil bowtie antenna and claimed
that, with the one he made, he picked up WFIE-14 at a location 275 miles away.
He even posted a screen shot showing his reception of WFIE.

I love reading about TV DX history :)

[cd637299]

Yeah Aaron, but what about that KLEE reception? :P

That's the most famous DX "hoax" ever told..... see www.snopes.com & look for KLEE.

cd

[aaronibus62]

Chris, funny thing about that Popular Mechanics article is a failure to mention where the reception of WFIE took place. Maybe the writer lived across the street from WFIE and figured 275 feet from the transmitter was a reception record with his tinfoil antenna? *rolls eyes*

I assume the writer either knew nothing about tropo reception or was doing a bit of huckstering.... no, wait... it'd be huckstering if he were selling tin foil
antenna kits for, in those days, $25! LOL ....

*misses TV tropo reception and hopes to experience it again someday.... heck, I need strong tropo just to get WLNE and WJAR from Providence!* LOL

[NN2E]

Finally got an answer from friend at KET. He says...

"The WFIE issue was a failure of a backup receiver. During this time we had failures in our primary microwave system. Three different locations failed at nearly the same time on the same microwave path."

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

[NN2E]

From Kentucky Educational TV...

"KET will cease analog transmission April 16, 2009, and broadcast only digital signals."

Get 'em while you can.
73, Ed NN2E
Owner / Operator - Murphy's Law Test Site & Thunderstorm Proving Grounds