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OTA Station Status: Seattle, Tacoma, Bellingham WA

184K views 869 replies 104 participants last post by  keithr386 
#1 ·
I asked KVOS Bellingham's general manager and engineering staff about their progress towards DTV (they're running DTV on UHF 35 remapped to 12.1 in a lab bench sort of system for now) and received this reply:

Dear Jon,

KVOS is only able to operate in DT with a low power (1KW) transmitter
from Bellingham at the present time. Though some people in White Rock
may be able to receive our signal, I doubt that you would be able to
receive our signal in Delta on Ch.35 based on the location of our
antenna and the low power.

We hope to have our new transmitter and more importantly, our new
antenna operational by mid-Summer '06. With that new transmitter, we
will be providing a robust signal from the top of Mt. Constitution on
Channel 35. (We have not been able to make the full transition due to
tower location difficulties. We hope to have a new tower build by the
end of next Spring--but regulatory officials still have to grant
approvals for us to build the tower.)

We will eventually migrate back to Channel 12 DT once the cut off period
has been declared by the FCC sometime after 2006.

Should you have any further questions, I encourage you to contact John
Franz, our Chief Engineer.

Dave Reid
Pres/GM
KVOS TV
They're still on VHF 12 for now.
 
#422 ·
Hi Dan,

My reception of K24IC-D has been rocksolid since before the upgrade. I haven't noticed any break-ups at all. I watched the Hall & Oates concert on K24IC-D last night and there wasn't a single glitch, but then again I wasn't watching at the same time you were.

I have to say though, that the upgrade did not yield as dramatic of an improvement as I would have expected. I heard that they installed a new digital exciter and doubled the output power of the transmitter, but I haven't seen that translate into noticeably higher signal readings on my receiver. The readings I had were in the upper 80s and low 90s (out of 100) before the upgrade, and that's basically where they still are. The only difference I notice is that I don't have to aim my antenna as precisely in order to get the highest signal levels.
 
#424 ·
Which terk anttenna I hope it is not the terk 55 I donated a terk 55 to the local Sally Ann today hoping it would in the right hands become just the material a artists needs to complete a recycled creation perhaps getting a artist a new lease on life because as a antenna it is pipe dream in my view and from the very detailed attempts I gave it to prove me wrong and it did not.
 
#426 ·
It's a $50 Terk CFDTV2 run through an old Electrohome signal amplifier which works great on all local stations (except KBTC)

I also tried the $90 Terk but returned it because it had no better luck with KBTC. I thought KBTC was broadcasting from the same spot as KBCB but it must have a lower signal level and/or be pointed differently
 
#428 ·
Update: CM4228HD on 5' mast

Yesterday I replaced the 10' mast with a 5' (3' max. recommended for CM 9521A rotor). With the change the only questionable station is 2.1. It appears to have 2 sweet spots at 295 & 326* according to my setup. Yesterday afternoon it was dropping out and showing a black screen with no sound when the signal was showing 65-67...signal would drop to 41 then pop back up. I can't explain the no pic & sound when the signal would pop back up...are they having transmitter (PSIP) issues? Anyway, the new readings....

2.1 = 65-73 (295 & 326*)
8.1 = 84 (323*)
10.1 = 78 (312*)
12.1 = 98 (265*)
28.1 = 95 (250*)
28.2 = 95 (250*)
32.1 = 95 (328*)
42.1 = 92 (325*)

N (360*) is close to 17* E +-
 
#431 · (Edited)
KBCB 19.1 is getting closer to the ability to transmit multicast and
HD streams they are working on aiming the new microwave dishes on the tower and on the roof of the station and they received the ASI-IP / IP-ASI conversion gear which I can only guess is a main part of the system upgrade. Aiming and testing is to take place in a couple of weeks. So we can hope for a quality HD service :)

ASI-IP / IP-ASI conversion gear is what lets us transmit the digital
transport stream for the transmitter over the new microwave link.
 
#440 ·
K24IC-D Results - Marysville

Since the increase in power, I can get K24IC-D with a good solid signal, as long as I point my antenna towards Bob and Doug's place. I was hoping for a similar quality signal I get from KVOS (no antenna pointing required) but I am willing to put up with a few seconds of blank screen to see Red Green.

"Crossing my fingers that CBC's digital glow will shine on me someday."

James
 
#441 ·
K24IC-D vs. KVOS

You've got to bear in mind that KVOS's ERP is 580 kW and K24IC-D is only 15 kW. The KVOS signal is almost 40 times more powerful.

15 kW is still great for an LPTV translator station like K24IC-D. It's more powerful than some of the network affiliates on Mt. Seymour in Vancouver and it's the maximum power the FCC will allow for an LPTV station.

I'm impressed, reading this forum, with its coverage. Zapperman sees it all the way out in Chilliwack B.C. and you see it all the way down in Marysville. That's really cool for an LPTV station.

I've noticed an improvement in K24IC since the upgrade too. I still have to aim my antenna here in Bellingham, but the "sweet spot" where it comes in is bigger. With KVOS and KBCB the signal comes in no matter which way the antenna is pointed.
 
#442 ·
KBCB 19.1 Off Air?

Being in Port Moody, I am not in the best location to tell what is happening with Bellingham transmitters. But, I have not been able to receive KBCB 19.1 (Shop NBC) for about a day and this station usually comes in faithfully. The signal quality is showing zero on one of my receivers. Is KBCB 19.1 off air for the modifications to carry an HD sub-channel?

KVOS still more or less received here and K24IC quality level not high enough to pull in.
 
#445 ·
I noticed it was off at around 6pm last night but figured they were doing some testing and equipment changes but this is getting to be as long as when they added 24.1 and 24.2 but even then it came back on once in a while. I will try and give a call being a long week end it may be closed.

I called and left a message when I hear something back I will post the info.
 
#446 ·
KBCB 19.1 Off Air

The long down time for KBCB suggests equipment failure. Looks like being a long weekend no one came to repair it. LOL

Inserting a mux should not mean a long transmitter downtime - a matter of a few hours at most if everything was made ready beforehand. It is introduced into the data stream and should require minimal adjustments after that before the transmitter is brought up again.
 
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