6/12/09 D DAY!

[eurosport]

I had some fun yesterday. When our local channel 2 CBS went off we were getting e-skip bigtime. Im in Chicago and was getting channel 2 WESH from Orlando Fla. They had a test card up. Took a few pictures from an great old Zenith tv I have in the kitchen. What a nice way to end analog getting OTA tv from 1000 miles or so away. Analog will be missed

It was doing it on the radio too.... Yesterday I was driving home for lunch listening to WRJO 94.5 Eagle River Wisconsin, WOLX 94.9 Madison Wisconsin, and 95.5 WIFC Wausau WI, here in north Florida!

 

[punch]

excellent antenna plans here

Before you run out and buy an over-price, under performing antenna for OTA,
check out tvantennaplans (dot)com it features accurate plans for a DB4 antenna, There are links to youtube videos as well.
I have made a couple already and they work great compared to store-bought
type with powered amp. The DB4 works great laying on a chair. I am mounting outside soon and I'm expecting even better reception.
so don't rush out to spend money on something you can make in 10 minutes.

just my $.02
regards, punch

 

[bubba108]

Hope link works-cheap UHF antenna.
How to build a HDTV Antenna....CHEAP!

 

[tvropro]

It was doing it on the radio too.... Yesterday I was driving home for lunch listening to WRJO 94.5 Eagle River Wisconsin, WOLX 94.9 Madison Wisconsin, and 95.5 WIFC Wausau WI, here in north Florida!

This goes back to high school in about 77. I was driving home from school and Thought I had the local top 40's FM rocker, WDHF 95.5 Chicago on the car radio, I didn't think anything of it until they announced the call letters WSUN (Think it was Daytona Beach) I said what Then I hit the local distant button on my stereo and it was gone on local so I swiched back to distant. It lasted about 30 minutes then faded out. I went through the Chicago FM band and there were only 2 or 3 stations on at that time (weird). They all slowly started coming back on the air one by one. When I saw the news that night They said they had a big fire in the John Hancock Center (where just about all the stations broadcasted from back then) What a weird but cool experience

I always have loved DXing AM/FM and Tv since I was a kid. Thats probably one of the reasons I love satellite so much.

 

[eurosport]

That reminds me of the New York city blackout of '77. We lived in New Jersey right across the Hudson from NYC. All the NYC FM's and TV's were off and WABC AM was about the only station still on. I remember hearing distant FM's from all over that night! This thing that happened Friday was "sporadic-e" cloud ionization. The long distance reception can last from a couple of minutes to a few hours. I also drive for my job and those WI stations were coming in very well for several hours that day. I remember a few years ago I picked up several of my old FM favorites from NYC, down here in Florida this way! How I found them was 103.5 from New York, about 1100 miles away, was bleeding over on WRUF 103.7 in Gainesville FL about 45 miles away!

 

[bubba108]

This has probably been posted somewhere else already but here goes. I think Retro-Jams has gone dark. So my total so far is EDT FOX and my poor man's MTV on G18.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DX story.
I was 12 years old and wanted to get a distant AM station. I borrowed my sister's pink Philco tabletop tube AM radio. Opened up the back and disconnected the loop antenna glued to the back cover. Ran a large loop antenna around the backyard, about 50 ft long. By golly, that should do it. Hooked it up to the two connectors that had been going to the antenna on the back cover. Tuned around but couldn't get any of the usual AM stations, just funny noises. Then picked up a loud clear station. A lady announced, "Good evening. This is Radio Moscow coming to you from Moscow Russia." I flipped completely out. I had completely de-tuned the radio to around 6 MHz.

Later on got my hands on a cheap ShortWave radio. From then on I was the family genius because I could run a radio that had more than two knobs!

 

[Anole]

windfall:

...so I went to Radio Shack today and asked the guy if they had any OTA antennas...
...He asked me what size television I had ...

My Radio Shack manager actually knows something. -

On Friday the 12'th, he sold about 45 converter boxes.
Those went with whatever "cheaper" antenna he had. Around $39, I believe.
Then on Saturday the 13'th, he sold another 45 or so boxes.
These mostly went out with the antennas he had left: $59 versions.
He was out of antennas for Sunday sales, but I'm sure he moved more boxes!

Customers called up and demanded: "Do you have any converter boxes IN STOCK?"
Apparently all the Walmarts and Targets in the area had sold out!
Don't ya love how folks wait 'till the last minute?
(I believe he started the week with around 180 converters! He saw the handwriting on the wall.)

 

[bubba108]

Blind scanned G18 again and Retro-Jams popped up in a different place. Guess I'm going to have to blind scan G18 everyday for awhile until things settle out.

 

[bubba108]

My Radio Shack manager actually knows something. -

The local Radio Shack here has the owner's moron cheerleader daughter running it, 'like totally for sure, duh'. I love asking her highly technical questions just for the deer in the headlights look.
Yeah, I'm bad.

 

[tvropro]

That reminds me of the New York city blackout of '77. We lived in New Jersey right across the Hudson from NYC. All the NYC FM's and TV's were off and WABC AM was about the only station still on. I remember hearing distant FM's from all over that night! This thing that happened Friday was "sporadic-e" cloud ionization. The long distance reception can last from a couple of minutes to a few hours. I also drive for my job and those WI stations were coming in very well for several hours that day. I remember a few years ago I picked up several of my old FM favorites from NYC, down here in Florida this way! How I found them was 103.5 from New York, about 1100 miles away, was bleeding over on WRUF 103.7 in Gainesville FL about 45 miles away!

I've logged some wicked OTA and FM DX years ago from tropo and e-skip. Just started messing with it again with digital. The cool part about digital is its perfect when it's there. Gonna toss up a UHF monster I have on a rotor this summer and have some fun. Been messing with my regular antennas I had up there for analog the last few days and logged Milwaukee Wis and South bend Ind in digital already on my Zenith DTT-900 (great tuner for Dxing) Waiting for some massive tropo to hit.

Tropospheric Ducting Forecast for VHF & UHF Radio & TV

 

[tvropro]

My Radio Shack manager actually knows something. -

On Friday the 12'th, he sold about 45 converter boxes.
Those went with whatever "cheaper" antenna he had. Around $39, I believe.
Then on Saturday the 13'th, he sold another 45 or so boxes.
These mostly went out with the antennas he had left: $59 versions.
He was out of antennas for Sunday sales, but I'm sure he moved more boxes!

Customers called up and demanded: "Do you have any converter boxes IN STOCK?"
Apparently all the Walmarts and Targets in the area had sold out!
Don't ya love how folks wait 'till the last minute?
(I believe he started the week with around 180 converters! He saw the handwriting on the wall.)

I've been ready for digital since March of 2008. It's funny how people thought it would never happen. I'll bet that there are people out there making some premium prices on CECB's right now, Should have bought a truckload

 

[tvropro]

The local Radio Shack here has the owner's moron cheerleader daughter running it, 'like totally for sure, duh'. I love asking her highly technical questions just for the deer in the headlights look.
Yeah, I'm bad.

Cell Shack only know how to push cell phones by me. You got answers... they got questions? that should be RS's saying

 

[melgarga]

The local Radio Shack here has the owner's moron cheerleader daughter running it, 'like totally for sure, duh'. I love asking her highly technical questions just for the deer in the headlights look.
Yeah, I'm bad.

You have GOT to capture that on a hidden video camera Evilbubba......lol
U-Boob may not find in noteworthy, but I bet it will go over great here!
Fer Sure!

 

[Larobpra]

Blind scanned G18 again and Retro-Jams popped up in a different place. Guess I'm going to have to blind scan G18 everyday for awhile until things settle out.

Is that the WNYI feed or the AC3? If it's WNYI what TP is it on?

 

[bubba108]

Is that the WNYI feed or the AC3? If it's WNYI what TP is it on?

It loaded as 'Retro-Jams' on TP 12115 G18 Vertical. Yes it is AC3, it was late when I scanned it and had the sound down and didn't check the audio. Drat! I can do AC3 but not well.
WNYI loads on TP 11721 on my Traxis 3500 and it is blank.

 

[Larobpra]

Just caught the channel listing on Retrojams and WNYI is no longer there.

 

[bubba108]

You have GOT to capture that on a hidden video camera Evilbubba......lol
U-Boob may not find in noteworthy, but I bet it will go over great here!
Fer Sure!

Like OMG!, that's like soooooo a totally fabulous idea. Ew, I think I broke a nail typing!

 

[Larobpra]

KARZ and WMQF both showing a test pattern this morning.

 

[bubba108]

Just caught the channel listing on Retrojams and WNYI is no longer there.

Maybe somebody will pick it up and put it back on the air. The dust hasn't settled yet.

 

[bubba108]

KARZ and WMQF both showing a test pattern this morning.

Yikes! Dust settling bad.