Subs are proliferating at an enormous rate

[Radioguy41]

Two years ago my system would lock 42 channels. I scanned all my systems (3 separate tuners plus 1 for Dish) just before the holidays and locked 48 channels. I just rescanned this morning and locked 65! That is an incredible jump. There are two dupes, 2 Movies!, 2 MeTVs, plus some religious and shopping stuff I can skip but what's left is all the Classic TV and Movie subs currently available plus some other stuff. The one thing I'd like to see is a sports channel. Not actual games but more like a bulletin board of information. No talking heads necessarily but info on scores, trades, signings, cuts, retirements, schedules, etc.

 

[FTA4PA]

Two years ago my system would lock 42 channels. I scanned all my systems (3 separate tuners plus 1 for Dish) just before the holidays and locked 48 channels. I just rescanned this morning and locked 65! That is an incredible jump. There are two dupes, 2 Movies!, 2 MeTVs, plus some religious and shopping stuff I can skip but what's left is all the Classic TV and Movie subs currently available plus some other stuff. The one thing I'd like to see is a sports channel. Not actual games but more like a bulletin board of information. No talking heads necessarily but info on scores, trades, signings, cuts, retirements, schedules, etc.

That's great! I wish they would get off the stump up in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton market and add something.

 

[Radioguy41]

Not much coming out of SWB. I'm half-way between SWB and Phila in Carbon Cnty and can pull in both markets. Is 28 still on the air? When they went digital I lost them and haven't been able to get them back since then. 16, 22, 38, and 56 come in OK, but not 28.

38.2 = MeTV
16.2 = Antenna TV

 

[FTA4PA]

Not much coming out of SWB. I'm half-way between SWB and Phila in Carbon Cnty and can pull in both markets. Is 28 still on the air? When they went digital I lost them and haven't been able to get them back since then. 16, 22, 38, and 56 come in OK, but not 28.

38.2 = MeTV
16.2 = Antenna TV

Northumberland County here. Yes, WBRE 28 is still there (only 28, no subchannels ) and is among our strongest along with 22 & 44. Then 16 & 56. 64 is weaker but steady. Can't get 38 (yet)

 

[Radioguy41]

Oh, yeah, I forgot to list 44 among those I have locked. It's just 28 for some reason.

 

[FTA4PA]

Oh, yeah, I forgot to list 44 among those I have locked. It's just 28 for some reason.

I'm behind a hill and couldn't get 56 or 64 until I put up an Antennas Direct 91XG. Got signal from 38 too while standing on our front porch with the 91XG but when I put it on the mast we lost it. Gonna try relocating things in the Spring.

 

[Radioguy41]

I'm in the northside shadow of the Blue Mountains. There's an anomaly called "knife edge refraction". As the Phila signals hit the ridge they refract downward. Pointing the antenna upwards at the ridge brings those signals right in. Another interesting thing is that a standard TV antenna is just about as good at pulling digital signals from the back as the front. That's what enables me to pick up Phila and SWB without rotating the antenna, although I do have a rotor. I have a mast-mounted booster and also a distribution booster inside the house as I'm splitting the signal 4 ways.

 

[FTA4PA]

I'm in the northside shadow of the Blue Mountains. There's an anomaly called "knife edge refraction". As the Phila signals hit the ridge they refract downward. Pointing the antenna upwards at the ridge brings those signals right in. Another interesting thing is that a standard TV antenna is just about as good at pulling digital signals from the back as the front. That's what enables me to pick up Phila and SWB without rotating the antenna, although I do have a rotor. I have a mast-mounted booster and also a distribution booster inside the house as I'm splitting the signal 4 ways.

Makes sense because I picked up 38 standing on the porch without a preamp but I had to tilt the antenna up a bit towards the hill or no signal. Figured once it was up on the mast with the preamp we would be good but nope. Would like to try for Harrisburg/Lancaster but another hill on opposite side of the house blocks most of those transmitters. Getting 16 ota channels 3 of which are shopping.

 

[larrykenney]

The last time I scanned the OTA stations here in San Francisco I got 99!! We have one station that has 13 sub-channels and several with 6 to 9 sub-channels, so that helps in getting the high number.

I've put in a set of A-B-C switches for my antennas, so as the OTA module is scanning and showing the channel number, I push the switch for the correct antenna - local Bay Area, Marin and Sonoma counties to the north, or Sacramento-Stockton. I've been able to scan in about 90% of the stations available this way.

I hope that Dish updates the program so that you can add digital channels. Then I'll get to have 100% of the stations in my list.

Larry

 

[Radioguy41]

The Dish guide system is messed up. I have all the antenna channels scanned into Dish but if I set the guide to My Channels they don't display except for the ones that match what Dish has as my locals. I have to set the guide to All Channels for all of the scanned antenna channels to display.

 

[Mr Tony]

still only have 11 in Duluth, MN and has been like that for a couple years now

 

[danristheman]

About 14 here in Fort Wayne market non religious channels.

 

[Mr Tony]

. It's just 28 for some reason.

channel 28 in Scranton operates on RF11 so I assume you have a VHF antenna?

 

[Mr Tony]

still only have 11 in Duluth, MN and has been like that for a couple years now

the only "true" subchannels we get are Create and MeTV
CBS has CW subchannel and NBC has My Network subchannel. Fox has none (MeTV is on ABC)

 

[Radioguy41]

channel 28 in Scranton operates on RF11 so I assume you have a VHF antenna?

160" boom, 57 element, VHF/UHF/FM antenna.

 

[FTA4PA]

160" boom, 57 element, VHF/UHF/FM antenna.

View attachment 104741

We had one of those when we lived in town. BIG but nice antenna. Finally took it down after constant comments from neighbors - 'do you really need something that big'. I stored it in the carport and bought a smaller one. When we moved to the country a few years ago, went to get it out of the carport and it was gone. Apparently it wasn't too big for someone around there and they helped themselves to it (One of many reasons why we left town).

 

[Radioguy41]

That's a shame. I had installed one at my best friends house several years ago and when he passed away last summer and the family was getting ready to sell the property I asked if I could have it. So I now have spare parts out in the shed, including the rotor and pre-amp. The only problem with the antenna is that the plastic snap clips that hold the long elements in position get brittle and break. You can work around it, it's just annoying when it happens.

 

[Mr Tony]

160" boom, 57 element, VHF/UHF/FM antenna.

View attachment 104741

nice antenna. We had one like that at the lake house (until the house burned down)

 

[FTA4PA]

That's a shame. I had installed one at my best friends house several years ago and when he passed away last summer and the family was getting ready to sell the property I asked if I could have it. So I now have spare parts out in the shed, including the rotor and pre-amp. The only problem with the antenna is that the plastic snap clips that hold the long elements in position get brittle and break. You can work around it, it's just annoying when it happens.

Sorry to hear about your friend. Yes, same thing happened to ours - one of the clips broke while it was still up and then a few more when it was taken down and folded for storage. Like you said, could have worked around it if I still had it.

 

[Radioguy41]

Here's one that'll get a "Huh?" out of you, channel 29.4 (FOX Phila) is the "Mummers" channel and basically replays the New Year's Mummers parade every day.