No More TV Reception

[Jack]

The converter box had been working OK for the past year but starting today, conversion day, most of the channels 2-13 do not come in. The higher numbered channels are working.

[G. Greather]

Did you re-scan?

[Josh]

Many (but not all) stations who had been broadcasting digital on "temporary" frequencies are moving the digital signal to their original frequency (or a third frequency in some cases) as part of this cutover. You'll want to rescan now, but also again tomorrow morning, as some stations aren't cutting over until midnight tonight. After that, things should stay stable...

Josh

[Mark]

They suggest people that installed their converter boxes a while back re-scan the channels. In fact I heard a recommendation that you do it about monthly to ensure you have all the latest channels and updates.

Let the group know if this helps so others will learn from your experience!

[Hipupchuck]

Digital broadcasts in UHF. The old VHF channels are defunct. Hence the box to reassign the numbers.

[aemeijers]

Not true in all areas. Around here, many of the digital assignments are in the old VHF band. Not on the same freqs as the old channels, but in that band. A lot of people that replaced their old big antennas with one of those tiny 'DTV' antennas (really just UHF bow ties with a reflector) will be crying, when they can't get the lower channels.

Jack needs to rescan, and maybe tweak the pointing of his antenna. A lot of stations did change what actual freqs they were using on cutover day. Antennaweb.org and similar sites have utilities for making a map, to show which way to point it.

-- aem sends....

[Jack]

I did rescan as you guys suggested and everything works great.

Yes, the old VHF channels 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13 are still using those numbers but they all have sub-channels (for want of a better word) e.g., 2-1. 2-2. 2-3.

[Mark Lloyd]

One of the stations here disproves that.

Analog was on channel 7, digital on channel 10. After June 12 digital is on channel 7.

The band that they're not using any more is about 700MHz-800MHz (UHF channels 51-69).

[Vlad]

I don't really understand all of this but via my converter, I'm still getting 54 (CW), 66 (ION), and 67 (PBS).

[aemeijers]

They let the stations keep the old channel numbers, so as to not confuse viewers, but they aren't in the 700-800 band any more. The freq and the displayed channel number are no longer related.

Back in 1946-early 1960s era, FCC did make some stations change channels, to avoid interference with new stations coming on line. Lot of pissed-off stations and confused viewers. They were trying to avoid that this time.

I'm gonna have to upgrade my roof antenna one of these days- I lost the OTA PBS and Fox stations. Wrong direction (DTV is much fussier about direction) and I don't have room for a big antenna and a rotor unless I chop down a tree or move my pole, so I'll probably try one of those amplified 'flying saucer' omni directional setups. If it doesn't work, I can always get half my money back on Craig's List.

-- aem sends...

[Vlad]

I see.

Hope you are successful.

[larry]

They are virtual channels. According the FCC site, all the stations will migrate out of the vhf segment over the next few years. The new bowtie (fan dipole) HD antennas are designed with that in mind. Since it's all digital virtual channels, they can easily move the digital carriers when the fcc needs to add staions, change power levels, limit nearby station interference or congress needs the money from more bandwidth sales.

All you need to do is press the rescan button.

-larry / dallas

[Mark Lloyd]

An amplifier can help, when used on strong signals. It won't make up for poor reception.

[mm]

You posted to balt.general. Where exactly do you live that you can get all the DC stations too. I'm at Liberty Road and Milford Mill Road, in a tiny valley, and can only get 7, not 4 or 9 or 20 or 26.

Thanks.

I read that you shoudl rescan after you move your antenna, I guess because you might get new stations, but how is one to know when they change frequency or come on the air. Will they advertise this on other channels.

When I try to get rid of 2.2, a weather channel, I lose all of 2. I'm using a philips DVDR, (although conceivably there is an update to the software inside). If I used one of the converter boxes, would I be able to get rid of 2.2 while keeping 2.1? If so, every time I rescan I'd have to uncheck 2.2. What a pain.

[mm]

At a yard sale years ago, I got one from years earlier than that, that went into the attic and rotated too, inside the case. It worked but it was too much trouble to be aiming all the time, especially for a surfer like me. I don't know if they still have one, or if ebay ever would.

I'm in Baltimore and I do like 45.2, mostly movies and some half-hour or hour shows from the 60's. And 7.3 from DC, mostly stuff from the

60's or 70's. Sometimes 7 won't come in.

There is also 66.1, .2, .3 adn .4 which isn't even in the zap2it list for my zip code. I can't get it well, and 3/4 of the time not at all, but with a better antenna, I expect to. I haven't seen anything good on it yet, but with 4 channels, it must have something.

I used to record Monk on channel 20 10PM Saturday, and news on channel

26, 8PM Friday. Maybe i can get them back some day.

P&M

[Jack]

Been using a converter with antenna of course since early in 2008. Live on a hill in Carroll County. Cable's not available in this specific area.

Most of your questions are too technical for me, but I can get 4, 5,

7, 9, 20, 26, 50 along with their sub-channels and even 30, sometimes

1. The "universal" settings for my rotator antenna are 341 for Baltimore and 123 for DC. I keep it at 123 pretty much all the time though and Baltimore comes in fine. I suppose that you could fine tune a rotator setting for each individual channel. The weather channel for 2 is 2-3.

Two converters: one for basement TV one for upstairs. The downstairs has a splitter. Also, the basement set-up feeds into a DVD recorder. It's a funny thing. If I pull the plug from the wall on the basement setup, the upstairs TV won't work. But if the upstairs plug is pulled from the wall, there's no effect on basement setup. It must have something to do with ths splitter. I dunno. I'm too old to understand all this stuff.

[mm]

BTW, I lost 2 and 11 the day of the conversion. I was recording a show on 2 and in the middle it switched to static!

Southern Carroll County at least? So you live on a hill, and it sounds like your antenna is on the roof.

Mine is only in the attic, and actually now it's broken and I'm just using a four foot piece of telephone-wire-thickness single strand wire stuck in the coaxial connector in the back of the DVDR. So maybe I will be able to get some of those stations if I get the antenna in the attic working. (For reasons too long to go into, I can't get up there now. )

OTOH, I love living next to a stream. It's very interesting. But that means I'm at the lowest level around here, maybe 10 or 20 feet below Liberty Road -- How do I measure that? -- and I'm sure it hurts my tv reception. And I think I also get less breeze than people at ground level and certainly less than those on a hill. I often have no breeze at all and I miss it. I have fans running at low speed but it's not the same.

Those aren't actual compass bearings I think. Baltimore might be but DC seems way off for that.

Very strange. I can't even guess. Wait do you have an amplified antenna for both converter boxes and it's plugged into the basement setup? That might account for it. Maybe you installed the basement first. The power supply when my amplified antenna was working plugged nto a jack in the coaxial cable near to the DVDR/converter box, and used the coax to power the amp in the attic.

Sometimes I install things myself and later forget how they are connected. For my burglar alarm, which is more complicated, if I hadn't made a diagram, I'd be so much more confused.

[Jack]

Bummer.

6 mi. so. Westminster. Yes, on the roof. New antenna bought in early 2008.

Despite what little of what I know about this subject, it nevertheless seems amazing that you're getting any reception.

What you're saying makes sense but you might as well be teaching me rocket science.