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WPXD tower transition
editI've updated the article... I suppose my television's tuner is just hyper-sensitive. it gets a lock with as little as 20% signal strength when all other Detroit locals need at least 40% strength or higher... I'm assuming it's still at its transmitter in Lyndon Center, north of Ann Arbor. I'm located in Windsor, between the Ambassador Bridge and Downtown Windsor, about half a mile from the river, and i recieve the station (though sometimes it pixellates or drops out entirely). I'd LOVE for it to move to Southfield as soon as possible, since ION Television has some nice programs. I suppose for you to get the station, you must aim it towards Ann Arbor, similar to how people in the detroit area pull in WLNS 6... the number-one most important for reception (paritcularly digital) is "altitude, altitude, altitude". The higher your antenna is, the better. RingtailedFox • Talk • Contribs 05:57, 9 April 2009 (UTC)
- Hey, you're welcome! When i first picked it up, i assumed that WPXD-DT had already moved to Southfield becuase i couldn't pick it up before, and since they had approval to move to Southfield (but needed approval on which *channel* to broadcast on), i assumed it was accepted. I was proven wrong when i found that it would fade out every now and then, and the signal was very weak as it is, SO... i am very sure this is a case of digital DXing (though short distance, as it's only 60 miles/100 km or so). I'd love WPXD to be a "permanent resident" on my dial, but for now, i suppose it will have to remain as a "summer visitor". W48AV is nice for me to recieve the analog signal of WPXD-DT.1, BUT... the signal quality is bad, to put it lightly... half the time there's no colour, there's thick black lines through the screen, suggesting probable co-channel interference from WMNT-CA in Toledo (also on 48), and sometimes the signal for W48AV degrades to the point of unwatchability. One of the members on http://www.digitalhome.ca/forums/ has suggested that if it were to move to Southfield and retain its frequency (channel 31), it would be mutually-exclusive with TVO's CICO-TV-32 transmitter in McGregor (which serves Windsor and Essex County), which is on 32. I doubt this to be the case, becuase W33BY-CA would not have been allowed to move from 68 (as W68CH) to 33 if there was the potential for adjacent-channel interference. I really doubt there's an issue, as i get both stations most of the time without problems.
- As for the status of the subchannels? When i get WPXD, i get all four feeds. It's all-or-nothing here... I'm fairly confident that once your final ten feet of antenna mast is installed and you aim your antenna (is it directional, or omnidirectional? UHF-only, or combo VHF/UHF?), you should be able to pull it in. Being a few miles southeast of you is a good sign of this, and i have just a tiny rooftop antenna pointed towards the Ambassador Bridge, going through an arena and a stone gothic cathedral, both on the next street. I thought interference from those two would've messed up any signals from southfield or ann arbor, but i'm glad i was proven wrong. I hope i can help you out with your outdoor antenna reception and potential channel lineups. Sorry for the long post. :) RingtailedFox • Talk • Contribs 19:54, 10 April 2009 (UTC)
The Windsor locals are from the Windsor-Essex Transmitter Farm, about a mile east of the hamlet of McGregor. That's about 18 miles due south of Windsor. I get CBET 9 very strong, CHWI-TV 16 (wheatley) barely, CIII-TV-22 (Wheatley/Chatham) barely, CICO-32 average, with interference from W33BY-CA causing the signal to be fuzzy, along with CIII-TV-3 on 29 and CKCO-TV-3 on 42 from Oil Springs (about 20 miles southeast of Sarnia/Port Huron), CBEFT (CBC French) on 54 from the same tower as CBET 9, average, and CHWI-TV-60 on 60 as VERY strong (being from the Victoria Park Place. My problems are mostly ghosting and interference from man-made electrical devices (an arena and high-voltage powerlines), as well as nearby apartments. You should have NO problem pulling in the Windsor locals, and possibly even CHWI-TV-60. it's aimed southeast, however, so i'm not sure how much signal bleeds over into detroit. it's from the Victoria Park Place (The "L" shaped apartment building) in windsor... so, try to aim for the Penobscot building if you're in Southfield. You may need extra height for WPXD, or you may simply be experiencing too much interference from the Southfield Town Center, other buildings, or electrical systems. Perhaps the Ambassador Bridge acts as a giant pre-amp for me, since it's made of silicon-titanium alloys... My rooftop antenna routinely picks up the station with as little as 20% signal (every other station seems to require 40% signal strength or greater to "lock"), though my indoor antenna on the second floor of my house only picks up 5% signal at best. Sometimes, my main TV (with the rooftop antenna) loses the signal, either for hours on end, or it pops in and out for a while. Even when the signal fades out, it still detects the channel. RingtailedFox • Talk • Contribs 06:07, 15 April 2009 (UTC)
- I've also been able to pick up toledo stations with varying success (though nothing digital from the area, unfortunately), as i'm aimed towards Southfield, away from my house. WTOL 11 comes in ranging from average to fuzzy and barely watchable. WTVG comes in from below-average to barely watchable. WNWO 24 comes in average to below-average (best of the "big three"). It's unfortunate that i lost WGTE 30 (now 29) to the digital transition. I've also been able to pick up WLMB on 40 as "barely watchable". I'm sure you will have NO trouble picking up WTOL-DT (17), WGTE-DT (19), and WNWO-DT (49), but CIII-TV-29 may cause interference with WGTE-DT (also on 29). On rare occasions, you'll get CHCH-TV-2 on 51 from Strathroy, Ontario (30 km west of London), which is aimed east at London, becuiase its signal bounces across Lake St. Clair. I'm surprised you're picking up stuff from Flint. The only channel i ever got from them was WJRT 12, and that was with severe interference from WTOL 11 and WTVG 13, back in 1993. You should be able to drag in WNEM 5, POSSIBLY WEYI 25, WJRT 12, and WFUM 28, as you've already seen.
- I recommend you get the pre-amp installed, add the additional ten feet of antenna tower, and try to go with a directional with a "switch" and program it for the two main antenna clusters (Southfield and McGregor) in the Windsor-Detroit area. If it has a wide-enough cross-beam for reception, you just might be able to pull in WPXD without having to add a third spot, or aim it at WPXD and Lansing and try to get the Southfield stations from the side, as you're so close to them. An omnidirectional could work as well, but their range is rather limited... out to only 45-60 miles, while directionals can be over twice that. The best thing for reception is height, height, height. Get as much as you can (or that your local authorities will allow for residential antennas), string as little co-ax cabling from the antenna (as impedence on the wires can attenuate/weaken the signals over distance), and have a pre-amp to inrcease signal, but not to the point where you're just amplifying noise. Think of how automobiles tend to have a "sweet spot" for optimal fuel efficiency (which is around 120 km/h or 75 mph)... the same holds true for amplifiers. They can improve the signal-to-noise ratio until the noise starts to overpower the signal again.
- Just so you know ahead of time, i'll list the windsor DTV transition channels, as agreed upon by the FCC and CRTC: CBET: 35 until 2011, 9 afterwards, CHWI-TV-60: 66 until 2011, 25 aftewards, CBEFT: 69 until 2011, 35 afterwards, CKCO-TV-3: 27, CIII-TV-27: 55 until 2011, 29 afterwards (may interfere with WGTE), CIII-TV-22: 6 until 2011, 22 afterwards. Let me know if this works! RingtailedFox • Talk • Contribs 06:04, 15 April 2009 (UTC)
Sweet! I'm glad you're having success with your antenna. I'm sorry to hear it blew over... perhaps a stronger anchorage to the roof or wall would help if you want to remount it to the same height as before...
The Cleveland stations will be regular summer visitors to your antenna, but NEVER as permanent residents. they will be BOOMING into southern ontario and extreme southeast michigan when there is warm air over cold water. you'll be blown away at CBLT-TV (CBC Toronto)'s digital signal quality. The CBC stations that *do* have digital signals... they are just astounding... sadly, CBET-TV (CBC Windsor) won't be converting to digital for at least 2 years... it's a shame. RingtailedFox • Talk • Contribs 17:17, 5 June 2009 (UTC)
A "round" omnidirectional antenna would not allow you to drag in the distant signals as you do now, becuase they are a bit weaker to compensate for their tendancy for ghosting/multipath interference. your current setup of a directional + rotator is ideal.
Summer TV reception
editJust check out my user page for all the reception i've done. :) RingtailedFox • Talk • Contribs 00:41, 15 August 2009 (UTC)