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The converter box (Zinwell) and antenna (Terk FDTV1a) arrived today. I played with it for about 2 hours to see which direction/position gives me best channels. Finally, I guess I found the location and position where I will get maximum number of channels. I don't get all of them though. The ones I get are listed below. It will be great if anybody could go through and check why I am not getting others, if anybody could figure out the problem i.e. their wavelength or direction or anything else.
Out of these only 2 to 9 are received reliably. 31.x reception is little finicky and 31.xxx reception is zero. It shows good signal and signal strenth but no picture or audio. No idea what is going on. I have no idea why I do not get first 3 channels in TVfool radar report. Any pointers are appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
All of the stations you listed broadcast from the Empire State Building, but each have different transmission power. For example, Channel 5 (WNYW) has more than 120x the power of Channel 11 (WPIX), which is why you're not getting channel 11 but you are getting channel 5. (Specifically, WWOR-TV transmits at 990,000 watts, whereas WPIX-TV broadcasts at 8,000 watts). Also, channel 7 (WABC-TV) transmits at 27,000 watts. The higher the power, and height of the transmission tower, the farther the reach. All of the stations I listed here are at/about the same height (plus/minus 30 feet, which is insignificant.)
I don't know there are that many additional channels under Channel 31, which is home to WPXN-TV (180,000 watts, also located at the ESB). The '31.xxx' channels may be encrypted and used for some other service, which may be why you're getting a signal but nothing else. I'm only guessing; I haven't read up on broadcast television stations broadcasting anything other than clear qam (digital transmission that is not encrypted).
I forget where you said you're located, but the reasons why you're not getting the other stations may simply be due to your distance from the transmitter and other surrounding buildings that could impede the signal.
What many people don't realize that with digital, if you got the station's signal before the transition to digital does not guarantee that you'll get the digital signal. The digital coverage is a lot less than analog. (again, not suggesting you didn't, just making a blanket statement. I spent weeks repeating the same thing about the digital tv conversion a few years ago the point that I was blue in the face. The stations/government did a poor job educating the public.)
Thank you for the explanation. I was more interested in WABC because I regularly watch that channel, not that I like it but I think CBS is not bad either. At the end of the day, all I wanted, at least one channel with Live news, in case if I need it. Otherwise Roku does absolutely brilliant job. I am impressed.
I am located in Hartsdale, NY. There is a good chance of obstructions in the vicinity.
With the digital signal, we are so brainwashed by the cable business that we never think of OTA channels. I ALWAYS thought it does not exist and even when I discussed this with my friends, they made me a laughter stock. Glad that it worked out with the help of the experts on the web.
Thank you again.
(P.S. - Where do you find the transmitting power of the channels?)
Yeah, Hartsdale has a lot of buildings in the area, and is hilly... aka, obstructions. Unless you're high up, it can be an issue. If you had an outside antenna, it would probably give you a better boost, but obviously that's not likely given you live in an apartment.
As for the info I gave, I subscribe to a few services that provide me detailed information for Radio and Television stations. The FCC offers that information for free, but it's not really easy to read if you don't know what you're looking for or how to read it. I've been in the broadcasting industry since 1990 so it's an easy read for me.
This one site does offer some basic information about broadcast stations (TV and Radio): FCCInfo Search
Just use the top option, tick the radio button on the left to select AM, FM or TV, and type-in the call letters, and then click CALL SIGN SEARCH. If you get multiple results, look only at the one labeled "LIC" on the left. That means that's the actual license. The other results for the same station may imply an application to the FCC for a change, special condition license, backup facilities, etc., etc. I did a search for "WPIX" and it gave me three. The one for "LIC" says the power is 7.5 (which means 7.5kw, or 7,500 watts). Why that 7.5 differs than the 8kw I originally gave... it boils down to ERP (Effective Radiated Power), which is a long, technical discussion.
Although I was pretty content with the reception I received, when I called Cablevision to cut the phone and cable TV, the guy gave me too good deal to pass up. He gave me iO TV -economy + Boost Plus internet for $56, so the antenna and converter box went back.
iO Economy is basically all OTA channels, plus a few cable channels like CNN, Animal planet and stuff. Yes, I am still playing for cable but saving a tons.
Thank you again everyone that chipped in and helped.
Thanks for starting this thread. Very informative. Congrats on the better deal. I am not surprised. I have often heard that the cable companies are always willing to give you a better deal to keep you as a customer. I just switched from Optimum to FIOS and they were calling me to give me deals so I would stay with them.
Although I was pretty content with the reception I received, when I called Cablevision to cut the phone and cable TV, the guy gave me too good deal to pass up. He gave me iO TV -economy + Boost Plus internet for $56, so the antenna and converter box went back.
iO Economy is basically all OTA channels, plus a few cable channels like CNN, Animal planet and stuff. Yes, I am still playing for cable but saving a tons.
Thank you again everyone that chipped in and helped.
That's a great deal.
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