DTVnotworking

Lurker Lee

I'm in that area, using a converter box and a cheap tabletop antenna. I'm not having a particular problem with WBAL - I get 11-1 and 11-2. BUT I have noticed that the strength-o-meter seems to be lower since Friday. When I first got the box (DTVpal Plus) a few weeks ago, the readings for the candelabra channels were in the mid 90's. Now they are around the low to mid 80's. I've also noticed that some of the DC channels I was able to pick up last week have disappeared.

Piggie

Channel 11 was on an out of core UHF that is not longer a TV channel so they had to stop transmitting on UHF. They moved back to their 11 RF frequency but are only running 5KW with no applications to run more power. They might not be able to run more being the NE is crowded now there are not longer channels 2-6 (there but not usable) and 52-69 gone forever.

It depends on how close you live to the tower, type of antenna and luck at that low of a power level. It maybe has a 40 mile range to a very good outdoor antenna.

The TV community got out lobbied by the public service radio companies and the wireless ISPs. We lost.

From another post:

Remember me talking about the "Hidden Transition" that was coming? This is it. Falcon_77 at AVS named it. It's called hidden because the FCC didn't require stations moving from UHF to VHF digital to inform their viewers. Many that thought they were totally digitally ready, had a rude surprise when their antenna system geared to UHF suddenly had one or more VHF channels to deal with post transition.

This is the part if you feel like you have bees in your head, you are not alone.

__________________
The more I understand, the less I know.

DTVnotworking

Ive totally lost all DC channels i used to get both living right in between Balto and DC, but truthfully I knew that would happen didnt think anything good would come out of this whole DTV transistion anyway.

DTVnotworking

you ppl are giving out some really good accurate answers because the response I got back from channel 11 after emailing them is exactly what Piggie said

WBAL Channel 11's Response:

"A problem has been identified with VHF digital broadcasts and indoor antennas. The performance has not been anywhere near the predictions and as a result most stations that moved from UHF to VHF have received many reception complaints.

I can tell you that this is indeed a nationwide problem and the FCC is looking at the problem.

I know that doesn't help with your reception problem, but there are lots of folks across the nation with the same problem.

WBAL is operating at our fully licensed power of 5KW on channel 11. We are limited by FCC interference rules to 5KW to protect another channel 11 television station in Staunton, VA."

You people are so helpful that I directed everybody who had complaints on WBAL's comment section under an artiice on the problem to this forum.

O-O

Thanks for coming back to post that email. Kind of verifies just how informed mods and some of the members are here.

philomel777

We're having the same issue with WBAL (& WJZ actually), but only on our actual HDTV. In another room with a converter box, WBAL is present, but WJZ is missing. So no CBS for us at all until this gets figured out. *sigh*

DTVnotworking

So you say your digital tv with built in tuner is not getting channel 11 either at all and a hard time with channel 13?, but on your regular analog TV's in the rest of the house it comes up fine with the convertor box? Where in MD are you? Thats the exact same thing thats happening with us. Digital TV in the livingroom only gets channels 2 22 24 45 and 54 it took me a minute to start getting channel 13 after pointing the antenna ears down and back facing NE, as long as its in that posistion and that posistion only we get 13 out in the livingroom but if u move it an inch the signal is gone and channel 13 too (the WJZ tower must be northeast or east of Columbia). The same thing happens with the regular analog TV's with convertors in the other rooms. I dont know where in MD you are but if youre anywhere near Columbia try laying your antenna ears back at a steep angle ( point them both facing behind the antenna and down) and point the whole antenna itself facing northeast or east and youll probably get channel 13. Channel 13 admitted they were operating at a lower level and will be boosting their signals in July to higher frequencies so 13 will probably be fine next month, but ch. 11 on the digital TV hasnt come in AT ALL since the transistion Friday. I was thinking that the Memorex Digital TV we got as a gift just has too weak of a signal to connect with it (channel 11's signal is weaker than 13's), so I'm about to connect a convertor box up to it to see what happens it should help boost the signal. But like you say the other regular analog TVs in the house with convertor boxes pick up channel 11 fine now, but I notice whenever I rescan on the analog TV's I have to manually ADD channel 11 right after or else it wont show up at all. Today I tried to see if that was the problem on the Digital out in the livingroom but theres no easy way to add channels on it still trying to figure out how to do it until i find the manual that came with it. So im just gonna try and add channel 11 manually on it and hopefully that works if not I figure it needs a signal boost and just need to connect a convertor box or digital tuner to it to help it out, since all the other channels come up fine with the convertor box in the rest of the house thats obviously the problem.

O-O

News on WBAL Channel 11 and WJZ,

Digital TV is flop for some - baltimoresun.com