KTRK ABC13 OTA Channel Reception problems (Houston, College Station: house, buy, cinema)

[HelloKitty76]

Hi everyone,

I have several TVs and only one of them can receive a signal from KTRK ABC13 channel, but the others can't for some reason. FYI, it's only the newest tv in the house can pick up the ABC13 channel for some reason. Does anyone have tips or suggestions? Thank you

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Do they each have their own antenna, or are they using a split signal from a single antenna? What kind of antenna, or antennas are being used, and where are they located?

[RVD26]

https://www.avsforum.com/threads/hou...#post-60408316

Check out this forum for tips on pulling in OTA channels. I too have issues pulling in KTRK. It seems to be hit or miss.

[Mr. Krinkle]

I have the same issue in the Montrose area. The signal is inconsistent.

[HelloKitty76]

Originally Posted by HookTheBrotherUp

Do they each have their own antenna, or are they using a split signal from a single antenna? What kind of antenna, or antennas are being used, and where are they located?

Yes, each have their own antenna. One Sony has a TERK antenna that is setting on the floor next to the TV, the other Sony tv has a RCA antenna that is sitting on the eating tray thing next to the TV, the Samsung has old rabbit ears that B.C. the OTA of 2009 that is to the side Brand is RCA Antenna, one tv is a Sharp without antenna according to my mom ( that's want she said IDK). Samsung is from 2008, the two Sony's are from 2009 and Sharp is about two years old. Thank you

[HelloKitty76]

Originally Posted by Mr. Krinkle

I have the same issue in the Montrose area. The signal is inconsistent.

I've been having problems for months on my Samsung with ABC13, so I've been watching 13 news online from their website.

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Originally Posted by HelloKitty76

Yes, each have their own antenna. One Sony has a TERK antenna that is setting on the floor next to the TV, the other Sony tv has a RCA antenna that is sitting on the eating tray thing next to the TV, the Samsung has old rabbit ears that B.C. the OTA of 2009 that is to the side Brand is RCA Antenna, one tv is a Sharp without antenna according to my mom ( that's want she said IDK). Samsung is from 2008, the two Sony's are from 2009 and Sharp is about two years old. Thank you

Thanks for the info, unfortunately, with your setup, I don't have any advice, other than to get an aerial (outdoor) antenna. It is no longer cool to have one, as my neighbors have noted. You can still buy them. My neighbor once asked me if I had any streaming service, which I do, then he asked why I still have that old thing on my roof!

I had a hobby in satellite TV, going back to the big C-Band dishes, then smaller dishes, not DirecTV, or DISH, but small, 1 meter, to pick up free-to-air (FTA) programming. I also had a good antenna as well, and still have that sucker mounted. It is one of those big ones one used to see in the 'day'. However, my Vizio TV has 129 stations, and my Sony has 159. Most of it junk, but I do get the locals perfectly clear, I even get Bryan College Station, or if I move my antenna, I can get the Galveston station, I forget which... I watch only IP tv now. Most SMART TVs now have IP programming, like PLUTO, lots of good programming there. Good luck!

[Texamichiforniasota]

Originally Posted by HookTheBrotherUp

Thanks for the info, unfortunately, with your setup, I don't have any advice, other than to get an aerial (outdoor) antenna. It is no longer cool to have one, as my neighbors have noted. You can still buy them. My neighbor once asked me if I had any streaming service, which I do, then he asked why I still have that old thing on my roof!

I had a hobby in satellite TV, going back to the big C-Band dishes, then smaller dishes, not DirecTV, or DISH, but small, 1 meter, to pick up free-to-air (FTA) programming. I also had a good antenna as well, and still have that sucker mounted. It is one of those big ones one used to see in the 'day'. However, my Vizio TV has 129 stations, and my Sony has 159. Most of it junk, but I do get the locals perfectly clear, I even get Bryan College Station, or if I move my antenna, I can get the Galveston station, I forget which... I watch only IP tv now. Most SMART TVs now have IP programming, like PLUTO, lots of good programming there. Good luck!

An aerial would most likely do the trick. As a kid about 20 miles from downtown Houston, we had a big antenna in the attic that did a good job. That was before digital, so I’m not sure how that would change things.

I’m in Los Angeles now, and despite living right in the middle of the city, I can’t get a good reception for some stations with the flat digital antenna in my window. I wanted ABC and Fox to watch college football. I was going to try out a bunch of antennas to see if I could find one that worked well, but in the end I stumbled across LoCast.

https://locast.org

It lets you stream all your local area broadcast channels live if you live in several large media markets (Houston is one). They say it’s free and run by “donations,” and that is how they so far have escaped getting shutdown (though pretty much all the networks have sued them, and I believe the case is ongoing). However, the free version is unwatchable, as they interrupt every so often to show their own ads, and that may be during a goal line stand or a major plot point in a movie or TV show, which you would then miss. If you “donate” $5.50 a month, you can basically watch all the OTA channels in crystal clear HD live via your internet. The biggest drawback is no DVR, but for $11 for 2 months, I was able to live stream the World Series, as well as my favorite college team’s COVID truncated season to my TV.

I only wanted it for football season, so when I did the math, it was so much cheaper than a new antenna, it was kind-of a no brainer. In LA, with all the broadcast sub channels, I got 50 something stations on LoCast. If I watched more TV, I might have kept it, since it would only be $66/yr, but I’ll probably get it for football season again next year.

[hbcu]

for those c-bands - if you knew the coordinates how many channels could you actually get?

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Originally Posted by hbcu

for those c-bands - if you knew the coordinates how many channels could you actually get?

Not much is broadcast on C-band these days, but back in the 80-90's, hundreds. Even today with KU-band, there are many channels up there. But long gone are the days of watching free HBO/CINEMAX/STAR, etc. It is still fun though because live feeds are everywhere, plus the PBS stations. C-band is not used much anymore because of the large dish requirements, but there are still a few random stations up there. I will say though, the signal and video quality from a dish feed is 'first generation', and the picture is unbelievable.