I can't receive Bangor area over-the-air digital TV stations (Belfast: 2009, construction)

[inthewoods]

For folks that are receiving over-the-air stations out of the Bangor area (especially those that live in the fringes), have you had problems getting the digital stations?

I live out past Dover Foxcroft area. I just purchased a large directional antenna with a pre-amp and a rotor. It's mounted on my roof (high posted cape). I am able to pick up MPBN (PBS) and WABI (CBS) and the CW station (which, from my understanding, the transmitters are located on Peaked mountain in Dixmont).

My new antenna system has beautiful analog reception. Perfectly clear on the CBS, NBC, and ABC stations (not so much on the PBS station). I've tried rotating my antenna every 10 degrees and performing a scan for a digital station. Nothing (except the ones I mentioned).

I realize that there are a lot of factors that go into receiving a digital signal, but it seems that I should see something that comes out of Bangor. I'm not quite sure exactly what is meant by 'line of sight', but I suspect that the Charleston Hill might be blocking it. But if that were the case, wouldn't most folks that live on this side of Charleston Hill have the same problem?

Do you know if NBC and ABC stations will increase their power in Feb 2009? Or do I have a very expensive bird perch on my roof?

Any ideas?

[Maineah]

Get Directv

[cdodge04]

I live in Belfast and I can't get NBC either. CBS comes in choppy, but MPBN and CW are good. I'm just going to go with Dish or Cable...I think thats what they are trying to push people into anyway.

[forest beekeeper]

Right now we get ABC [ch 7] and PBS [ch 12]; we get ch 2 and ch 5 very faint, not enough to tell what broadcasting company owns either channel.

We have a HUGE TV aerial on our roof, I have done the complete circle with it searching for signals.

When the shift to digital happens, it will all be gone for us. They are dropping their transmitter power to 10% of their current power.

We are just off I-95 exit 199, maybe 15 miles from Bangor as a crow flies. Which according to the TV techs is outside of their digital transmitter range.

[maine4.us]

Bangor's analog stations aren't even full power. Bangor's stations run at about 50%of the maximum allowable power anyway. It saves them huge amounts of electricity, and of course money. When the digital signals become mandatory, I suspect that the range will increase significantly. I went to the FCC site and all 3 Bangor stations have construction permits (to build new transmitters/towers) to air digital signals with plenty of punch. With the topography around Bangor, I still suspect fringe analog viewers will lose those channels totally.

[inthewoods]

Thank you all who replied. Wow. Very frustrating to think that there are folks that are just a few miles out of Bangor that can't get reception. I do however hope that we'll see more transmitters come up on line as time goes on.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by inthewoods

Thank you all who replied. Wow. Very frustrating to think that there are folks that are just a few miles out of Bangor that can't get reception. I do however hope that we'll see more transmitters come up on line as time goes on.

I agree.

Consider the following:

1. RF broadcasting networks are reducing their transmitter power. However I have not seen anything about the networks putting in more transmitters.

2. Shifting to a 'digital' format means that all video media will be Internet-capable [ie, data packets].

3. Micro-soft, AT&T, and others have all put out press releases that they are dumping HUGE money into Internet broadcasting of all 'Television' types of media.

4. Transmitting RF carriers costs money, and if these corps all are maintaining huge website presences, then this is the 'new' fad. Not broadcast TV.

When I consider all of these factors; I must conclude that the near future of television viewing will all be from media sent to us via the WWW.

[inthewoods]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

When I consider all of these factors; I must conclude that the near future of television viewing will all be from media sent to us via the WWW.

Uh oh... if that's the case, I'm really hurtin for certain.... I have satellite internet. I only can receive at about 90 kps (my dialup is 26.4 kps). And on satellite internet, I can only download 200 megabytes a day (their Fair Access Policy). Any more than that... I get shut off for 24 hours. DSL and cable are not available where I live.

I love living in my rural area of Maine, but the lack of these services are beginning to frustrate me. I feel like we are so being left behind.

[forest beekeeper]

I get DSL, and as I said two TV channels.

From what I can tell, your not missing anything.

"Antique Roadshow" and maybe "Nova" are about the only thing that we watch from broadcast anymore.

We do Netflix.

[Alt Dach]

As i understand it digital is a go-no-go proposition,once the signal drops below a certain level you simply get nothing at all.