FCC DTV coverage maps

[Force Commander]

Looking at the Charleston/Huntington maps, I have to highly suspect the program that generated this doesn't take in to account terrain.

http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/markets/

[Hoosier Daddy]

Columbus Ohio has WSYX (Analog Channel 6) moving to Digital 13
WOWK in Huntington has chosen to abandon Digital 47 and go digital on 13.
Columbus map shows a band of lost WSYX viewers for Pike, Ross, Jackson, Vinton, Athens, Perry, Morgan and Hocking Counties.
Whose fucking brainchild was this one?

[Hoosier Daddy]

Biggest losers:

Check out the Bluefield-Beckley-Oak Hill map.

WOAY Channel 4
WVVA Channel 6

Ouch!

[Dave Loudin]

Low-VHF to UHF conversions seem to be the worst off (see KCBS and WNBC). However, these maps were produced before maximization applications were filed, so things will be better next month (except for WSYX).

[cgarison]

WLPX is quite accurate. No Signal in my part of Boyd County, KY.

WPBO disappeared from my dial after the DTV converter was installed at the Compound. THat should not have happened
WPBY also went away, but I see lost signal dots around the Compound. Being on top of the hill, I would not have expected the lost signal, but maybe something in the area is interefering with the signal.

[Dave Loudin]

You could run detailed propagation predictions at tvfool.com to see if there's terrain blockage.

[djMatty]

Low-VHF to UHF conversions seem to be the worst off (see KCBS and WNBC). However, these maps were produced before maximization applications were filed, so things will be better next month (except for WSYX).

WSYX eats it big time looking at the PDF for Columbus.

WTTE Fox 28 Columbus, WWHO 53 CW, and WSFJ 51 (TBN) stand to gain a lot though looking at the maps.

[AmpedNow]

It appears that many rimshotters made out great by now having the room to move directly into the market.

NYC and Houston gained several "new" DTV channels, among others.

[Hoosier Daddy]

If we had a REAL FCC, this digital signal war between the 13s in southeast Ohio wouldn't be allowed to occur.

[genlock]

Realize that two DTV stations on the same channel can stand much more interference with each
other than analog stations in the same condition. You may be able to copy both stations with a rotatable antenna.
WSYX was the station with an antenna mechanically tilted for interference reduction to a station to the west.
In other words bolts loosened and washers inserted on the west side of the antenna. Apparently they should have
ordered a slightly directional antenna and didn't do it. Anyway don't sweat the DTV interference
till you actually see it. First adjacents do not appear to pose much of a problem.
Tower, rotator , hi-band yagi, lo-uhf yagi, hi-uhf yagi and you are set.
Add good coax and a proper coax switch.

[Hoosier Daddy]

I'm on cable and get both stations now. Will cable be able to differentiate between 13 Columbus and 13 Huntington if the CATV head end is anywhere near the geographic midpoint?

It still seems the easiest solution is for the FCC to say "no way" and require one station to change frequency. After all, there are -- what -- sixty television frequencies out there?

[genlock]

Yes, a properly engineered antenna system could do just that.
You can depend on your cable system to do a good job.