OTA Station Status: SW Ontario, Lk. Erie, Lk. Huron

[downbeat]

There is an oblique reference to a digital transition:

The licensee is requesting this amendment to facilitate the transition from analog to digital television by liberating channel 60, which is inside the 52 to 69 range.

[argilo]

There is a request in with the CRTC to move CHWI from 60 to 26. Doesn't mention anything about digital.

Actually, the CRTC notice of consultation mentions digital:

The licensee is requesting this amendment to facilitate the transition from analog to digital television by liberating channel 60, which is inside the 52 to 69 range.

Also, the application itself says the following:

CTVglobemedia Inc. will file a separate application to convert CHWI-TV-60 to a digital operation to be considered under Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2010-69, Revised licensing framework for over-the-air digital television services. However, in order to expedite CHWI-TV-60’s departure from the block of UHF channels above Channel 51, we are proposing to change the NTSC operation of CHWI-TV-60 as soon as possible by changing the channel to Channel 26. All other parameters will remain the same.

[Phil81]

I take it this supposed to be only temporary NTSC on 26 until it's final digital ch25 home for this repeater?

Hope they aren't on 26 for very long because i would no longer get WVIZ PBS Cleveland. WVIZ comes in fair to good on a everyday basis here so i imagine it would add some good digital snow at times up there in Windsor.

FCC and IC database have CH25 listed at the final transition. (FCC link)

stampeder's IC database Allotment:

ON  Windsor  AL 25 CHWI-PT-60    421858 830224 93.8 40000 536.00

Using 25 would be far better than a temporary 26 imo. No interference from any full power US digitals to deal with within 125+ miles.

[alebowgm]

I just don't get why they don't convert CHWI from analog to digital if they are going to change from 60 to 26. Doesn't make any sense to me, especially considering the majority if not all the people who are watching OTA in this region are watching via ATSC and not NTSC... plus if CHWI goes digital it would be the /A\ that gets picked up by most providers for HD content since none of the other /A\ are digital at this time...

[mjjl]

CTV has applied to move CHWI's Windsor translator from channel 60 to channel 26 (but stay analog for the time being):

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2010/2010-624.htm

I don't see the point to operating in analog on Channel 26, especially in a region with high OTA penetration with tons of choices from across the river. They should just switch to digital 26.

[alebowgm]

Originally Posted by Phil81

I take it this supposed to be only temporary NTSC on 26 until it's final digital ch25 home for this repeater?

Hope they aren't on 26 for very long because i would no longer get WVIZ PBS Cleveland. WVIZ comes in fair to good on a everyday basis here so i imagine it would add some good digital snow at times up there in Windsor.

FCC and IC database have CH25 listed at the final transition. (FCC link)

stampeder's IC database Allotment:

ON  Windsor  AL 25 CHWI-PT-60    421858 830224 93.8 40000 536.00

Using 25 would be far better than a temporary 26 imo. No interference from any full power US digitals to deal with within 125+ miles.

I wonder if the minor bump in power they requested is because of WVIZ (PBS Cleveland)? Perhaps a hope that a minor boost would help prevent it being overtaken. Regardless, doesn't Industry Canada (IC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) need to both agree to the change from RF 60 to RF 26 since Windsor is one of the designated boarder markets? If so, I could easily see WVIZ intervening in fear of co-channel interference and perhaps a potential (yet slight) dip in viewer donations from its Canadian base.

[Phil81]

Sure will require IC and FCC coordination on this. Either it will take a long time, or this will be approved quickly... RF60 frequencies might be wanted across the border for other purposes soon.

/A\ on RF60 does come in down here near the lake. Its quite watchable in fact, as is WVIZ. Those who can get both right now will likely get neither if ch26 gets approved and on the air.
Someone should point out that RF26 is in use 95 miles to the SE of CHWI-TV60 and would cause some noticeable interference during summer/tropo days.

Maybe they meant to say channel 25 and not 26 in the application?

Strange, i thought CTVgm complained in the past that they had no money and would not do any radical changes before Aug 31 2011.


EDIT: Found this. If this LP station is on the air right now it could cause the application for 26 to be rejected by FCC. http://www.michiguide.com/dials/tv/wlpc.html

[alebowgm]

I just don't get why they would go through the work of changing from RF60 to RF26 instead of just flash cutting to RF25 which they could do right now and start digital transmission in a market that has high ATSC penitration.

/A\ needs a digital transmission so that they can start showing /A\ in HD. CHWI would kill two birds with one stone.

[alebowgm]

Maybe they meant to say channel 25 and not 26 in the application?

Phil81, yep I just came back on the computer myself to say it can't be 26 and HAS to be a typo since I just typed 26 into my analog TV and I am getting an LPTV religious station on 26.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WLPC-LP

The only way its not a typo by CTVgm is if CHWI has knowledge that WLPC is about to cut over to their -CP operation on RF 40 prior to taking on RF 26.

[argilo]

Phil81, yep I just came back on the computer myself to say it can't be 26 and HAS to be a typo since I just typed 26 into my analog TV and I am getting an LPTV religious station on 26.

Nope, it really is 26. Here's what they say about it in the application:

The use of Channel 26 by CHWI-TV-60 will require WLPC-LP, Channel 26, Detroit, MI to move to a different channel. WLPC-LP is treated as a non-protected, non-interfering low power station from an international perspective and would cause unacceptable interference to the proposed station.

[someguy23475]

From my memory of the old NTSC allotments, channel 26 was allotted to Windsor. I believe that's why WLPC in Detroit, also on 26, is heavily directional to the north, with very little signal over the river. WLPC does have a construction permit to convert to digital on channel 40, but I'm not sure exactly when that will happen.

I'm with the others here- instead of spending money to move to 26 for a year, why not just fire up the digital on channel 25?

[mjjl]

From my memory of the old NTSC allotments, channel 26 was allotted to Windsor. I believe that's why WLPC in Detroit, also on 26, is heavily directional to the north, with very little signal over the river. WLPC does have a construction permit to convert to digital on channel 40, but I'm not sure exactly when that will happen.

You would be correct - Global was originally supposed to broadcast on Channel 26 in Windsor back when it first started up in the 1970s. They ended up on Channel 22 in the end.

[alebowgm]

Anyone notice that WMYD fixed their broken PSIP yesterday, as instead of channel 21 its now channel 20 coming in.

BUT, they messed up the HD in the process, as they are now broadcasting in 480i instead of 1080i, and the EPG info is incorrect.

[Phil81]

Yea, WMYD has had considerable problems last little bit. At one point I noticed 1. no audio with unaffected video
2. constant pixellated corrupted stream,
3. SD only operations.

Appears to be all fixed now. Virtual 20-1 has proper EPG info back to 720p. Real 21-1 has a colour bar like test pattern instead of nothing at all.

[alebowgm]

Anyone else notice that WLPC-LP (RF 26, NTSC) is showing an odd slate right now? I wonder if this has anything to do with either switching to -CP operations on RF 40 or CHWI wanting to relocate to RF 26 and displacing the WLPC since it is unprotected.