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Their new repack signal for main 9.1 seems very strong and improved since moving last year from RF34 to RF19. I now get a reliable fringe signal in Spartanburg County, since they increased height and moved down to a stronger frequency due to the dipole factor. And a viewer on another forum is reporting a strong signal in the town of Columbus in Polk County in western NC. So closer market viewers in Gaston, Cleveland, and Rutherford counties should be getting a good signal also.
But, to fill in the gaps, the Crowder's Mountain translator has also been restored, which also has a good signal on RF12, which is a pleasant surprise since they moved from UHF to VHF. But it does require an antenna with VHF extended elements, which can include amplified rabbit ears at the minimal level. The better Clearstream antennas also include a VHF dipole, but you may need to step up to RCA ANT751, sold at Walmart or Amazon. It is a very good small antenna made by Winegard with 4 extended VHF elements that is a good choice where small size is a factor. I use this antenna to receive the WSOC translator, along with an Antop inline amp. And the Antop 800SBS remains an excellent choice for a compact indoor antenna, as it has a UHF panel, VHF dipole, indoor stand, and adjustable gain amplifier. It also receives the RF12 translator, but adding the RCA antenna gave me stronger results at my fringe location.
But with proper antennas, the new WSOC repack signals seem to be providing improved reliable reception. So for most suburban viewers, Clearstream 2MAX or MAX/V antennas or Clearstream 4MAX should work well, although you may want to add an adjustable gain amp. Or the Antop 800SBS. Most other overpriced antennas in retail stores remain poor performers.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Originally Posted by tylerSC
LG and Samsung make smaller sets, in 40 inch, 32 inch, and 24 inch sizes. And possibly Vizio and Hisense also. Walmart has a cheap house brand called Onn, and they seem to have a nice picture but I don't know about long term quality control. Another inexpensive brand is Element which is decent and sold at Walmart and Target. I think they also come in 40 inch and 32 inch sizes. I am not sure which has the better signal meter and tuner info for over the air antennas, which is important to me. With LG and Samsung you get a channel guide and program info that is transmitted from the broadcasters digital signal. And they have good signal diagnostics for adjusting your antenna. If it is a Smart TV it will add features and streaming apps from the internet, but that is not necessary for antenna reception and info that is transmitted from the broadcaster as long as the TV brand includes these features, which is done on Samsung and LG. I prefer an external Roku device for better streaming options. And by the way, the Element brand was manufactured nearby in Winnsboro, SC and that may still be the case.
And when browsing in the store,I always insist upon borrowing a remote to examine the channel menu on the TV to see if it provides program info and signal diagnostics for antenna reception, as the salesperson is often clueless. And this is now an ordeal, as the TV displays in the stores all show some promotional video that tells you nothing about the internal set up menu on the TV. And most stores like Best Buy don't have an antenna connected to the TV display like they used to. They just want to tell you about Smart TVs, streaming options, and add on features that I am not really interested in. And often they are pushing a DirecTV package at the same time, which I don't want either. And if you ask about an antenna at Best Buy, they try to sell you an overpriced Mohu flat panel that doesn't perform very well. The best antenna at Best Buy is the Clearstream 4MAX from Antennas Direct, but it is often cheaper ordered online.
Oh, it would make my life easier if I could use those sizes. I was offered a 32 inch model, but there is nowhere to put it. I'm after a13 or a 15 inch TV. Having worked as a broadcast tech for years I rarely sit down and watch. I'm usually doing something else and following along. I do want a good picture for when I glance over at the TV or the rare show that I actually watch, like Victoria. The current (dead) TV is 19 inch, and there's only one place for it.
The Walmart on East Franklin had several of the models that I wanted to look at but sold out of all of them, apparently just before the TV died. I thought of you when I was researching models. One is called Tyler.
Oh, it would make my life easier if I could use those sizes. I was offered a 32 inch model, but there is nowhere to put it. I'm after a13 or a 15 inch TV. Having worked as a broadcast tech for years I rarely sit down and watch. I'm usually doing something else and following along. I do want a good picture for when I glance over at the TV or the rare show that I actually watch, like Victoria. The current (dead) TV is 19 inch, and there's only one place for it.
The Walmart on East Franklin had several of the models that I wanted to look at but sold out of all of them, apparently just before the TV died. I thought of you when I was researching models. One is called Tyler.
They had an Insignia brand 19 inch TV at Best Buy in Spartanburg yesterday on sale for $69. It had a nice picture and they should have it at the Gastonia store or be able to order it from the warehouse. That sounds like the size you may be looking for.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Originally Posted by tylerSC
They had an Insignia brand 19 inch TV at Best Buy in Spartanburg yesterday on sale for $69. It had a nice picture and they should have it at the Gastonia store or be able to order it from the warehouse. That sounds like the size you may be looking for.
I only have one place for the currently dead 19 inch TV. It's in the bedroom and if I want to have guests, that doesn't work well. I really want 13 or 15 inch. Then I can move it and an antenna to any of many places. I had an old analog Sony that was about 12 or 13 inches, years ago. It was my favorite TV, for that reason.
WSOC did some upgrade work the other day on the Crowder's Mountain translator. They boosted the power a bit and are now at full authorized power. It is a good, low power signal but may require a VHF antenna to receive, which would be an indoor antenna with rabbit ears. And the Clearstream antennas sold at Walmart and Best Buy also have a VHF dipole, or you may consider Antop 800SBS or Antop 400BV which include a VHF dipole and amplifiers.
A stronger VHF performance would be RCA ANT751 or Winegard 7694.
The WSOC Channel 9 transponder from Crowder's Mountain has been out of service since the storms last Wednesday. They suffered electrical damage at the transmitter and are awaiting a part to be repaired. Hopefully they will restore service in the coming week and are hoping to add the relay signal for 64. But the main 9.1 signal from Charlotte is coming in strong and reaching to Spartanburg.
The Crowder's Mountain transponder for WSOC has now been repaired and is back on the air. It carries Channel 9 as 9.5 and has now added WAXN-64 as 64.5. It broadcasts on RF12 and may require a VHF antenna. It serves Gastonia, Kings Mountain, Shelby and Gaffney and can be received in Spartanburg.
The Crowder's Mountain transponder for WSOC has now been repaired and is back on the air. It carries Channel 9 as 9.5 and has now added WAXN-64 as 64.5. It broadcasts on RF12 and may require a VHF antenna. It serves Gastonia, Kings Mountain, Shelby and Gaffney and can be received in Spartanburg.
The classic 8bay UHF antenna can receive High VHF in strong signal areas. Such as Channel Master 4228HD or the generic Stellar Labs or Solid Signal versions. And the Antennas Direct DB8e.
I am now using a generic Eagle brand 8bay antenna from Summit Source and it receives a reliable, good strong signal from WSOC Crowder's Mountain, RF12 translator at my distant location in Spartanburg. So if you are west of Charlotte in Gaffney, Rutherford County, Kings Mountain, Shelby, or Gastonia, then the 8bay antenna may be a good one antenna solution for the major Charlotte network channels. It does a good job of pulling in WSOC 9.5 and WAXN 64.5 when combined with an inline amp such as Winegard LNA100 or Antop 601. And it is placed in my downstairs spare bedroom.
I was pleasantly surprised that WSOC has a good transponder signal since they moved from UHF to VHF, as VHF digital reception can be problematic due to noise and interference. But WSOC has a very good relay signal on RF12 and it actually seems stronger than their old UHF channel. But some locations may still require a dedicated VHF antenna based upon local reception issues, but the 8bay UHF antenna does an excellent job at my distant location with an amplifier.
Channel 9 should be one of the stronger stations, since their tower is located in north Charlotte. However, your antenna is picking up stations that have their antenna to the southwest of Charlotte. You might try turning the antenna slightly so that it is orientated a little more toward the northwest. Keep in mind that could also affect the other stations' signals and you could get dropouts.
Not picking up channel 9 at all, but all other Digital Channels are coming in perfectly clear, 3, 36, 46, 55, 64.
Antenna is facing southeast. If Kings Mountain or Croders Mountain has a tower I guess I should be receiving channel 9, but since I am not, do you have any suggestions? Thanks for your help!
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Live in Kings Moiuntain - no channel 9
