Reception Issues with Los Angeles area

[divxhacker]

Used to, but not getting any more of these channels in right:

KABC-DT (I'm picking up KBEHDT)
KCAL-DT (looks like KSCI)
KTTV-DT (picking up KRCA)
KCOP-DT

There are other channels listed on TV Fool that are not also being received before the transition (KTVU-LP, KSFV-CA, KVMD-DT, KSMV-LP)

Also picking up a few of the yellow-zone, but none of the red zones.

I could be breaking down to buy a strong amp to replace the A-Neutronics amp.

I might even join the rest of the house on FIOS if this doesn't get fixed soon.

I'm wondering, why are other stations duplicating into the wrong slots?

 

[mustard]

After the transition, I'm receiving all channels (some with a stronger signal) that I did before the transition with the exception of FOX (KTTV) and My13 (KCOP) (basically the same station). I've lost it completely. I've tried several rescans but it's completely gone.

 

[cvoptimus]

Hey there I'm also in L.A and I've lost the same stations after the transition.

 

[Don_M]

Every one of those stations moved their digital broadcast from the UHF band (channel 14 and up) to VHF channels 7, 9, 11, and 13 on transition day. Each of you has some troubleshooting to do:

* First re-scan your HDTV/converter box. Yes... again. As mustard's experience suggests, even this doesn't do this trick sometimes because the obsolete channel assignments get "stuck" in the memory of some boxes/receivers. Some models have a command for deleting obsolete channels; do this if you can. Others don't have this function. For those, a complete re-set will resolve this issue: Unplug the tuner completely, and leave it unplugged for a minimum of five minutes. Plug it back in, and then perform a full ("blind") channel scan.

If those stations still won't come in:

* Your antenna is probably designed for reception of UHF channels only. If so, you'll need a replacement capable of receiving both UHF and VHF signals. In some circumstances, though, particularly those involving attic or rooftop antennas, you may be able to buy a compact VHF-high band antenna and add it to your current UHF antenna using an inexpensive signal combiner. I'll be glad to offer help in this regard if anybody needs it. Let me know in a follow-up post.

If the antenna was the culprit, please remember to re-scan the tuner once everything is set up. Those channels won't come in from their new assignments without it!

To the OP: The signals are already strong enough per the TVFool report that a newer/bigger/better pre-amp isn't going to help.

 

[Piggie]

Used to, but not getting any more of these channels in right:

KABC-DT (I'm picking up KBEHDT)
KCAL-DT (looks like KSCI)
KTTV-DT (picking up KRCA)
KCOP-DT

I posted the same answer a few minutes ago here.

http://www.dtvusaforum.com/dtv-reception/3262-also-lost-few-channels-after-transition.html#post17960

Also note that as Don M says, all four of those channels moved from UHF digital to VHF digital post transition.

Remember me talking about the "Hidden Transition" that was coming? This is it. Falcon_77 at AVS named it. It's called hidden because the FCC didn't require stations moving from UHF to VHF digital to inform their viewers. Many that thought they were totally digitally ready, had a rude surprise when their antenna system geared to UHF suddenly had one or more VHF channels to deal with post transition.

This is the part if you feel like you have bees in your head, you are not alone.

 

[divxhacker]

I've given up on ever watching again FOX morning news, basketball and NASCAR, then... I just hope I won't have to give up baseball.

I'm gonna have to learn to like CBS.

I'm considering buying this antenna: http://cgi.ebay.ca/AMPLIFIED-ROTOR-...s=65:2|66:4|39:1|240:1317|301:0|293:1|294:200

Still it's a lot for just picking up 4 missing channels. If it picks up more than 8 additional channels, it would be worth it.

I just wish these rotor antennas are RF remote controlled - that way you don't have to step outside or into the attic to adjust them.

 

[divxhacker]

I'm wondering, why are other stations duplicating into the wrong slots?

I discovered that only the Motorola DSR-550 (ex-VOOM) has that trait. It's picking up something, but not enough to make a correct lock on it. It locks onto a different channel. Odd.

 

[Don_M]

http://cgi.ebay.ca/AMPLIFIED-ROTOR-ANTENNA...

I'm going to get really, really blunt here: Don't do it! This is a cruddy antenna sporting virtually no gain of its own, coupled to a horribly noisy pre-amp, and aimed by a cheap and unreliable rotor. Posts I've seen include:

"Had better luck stretching out a piece of coax on the floor"

"Rotor broke after 10 days"

"An ancient set of rabbit ears got better reception indoors than this did outside"

This thing should be the illustration next to the dictionary definition of the word "junk."

Moral of the story: Stay away from Flea-Bay if you're looking for quality antenna equipment. It isn't hard at all to do much, much better virtually everywhere else online.

 

[Piggie]

I'm going to get really, really blunt here: Don't do it! This is a cruddy antenna sporting virtually no gain of its own, coupled to a horribly noisy pre-amp, and aimed by a cheap and unreliable rotor. Posts I've seen include:

"Had better luck stretching out a piece of coax on the floor"

"Rotor broke after 10 days"

"An ancient set of rabbit ears got better reception indoors than this did outside"

This thing should be the illustration next to the dictionary definition of the word "junk."

Moral of the story: Stay away from Flea-Bay if you're looking for quality antenna equipment. It isn't hard at all to do much, much better virtually everywhere else online.

Amen. How come something that is a folded dipole sport any gain on VHF can claim those kind of numbers? Very few UHF directors.

It doesn't have any metal in the air. Amps don't make antennas, aluminum in the sky makes an antenna.

You need to contact the local stations on VHF, see when they plan to increase power (at least KTTV and KCOP and KABC) .

Depending on the type of structure, what type of antenna you can put you have people here to suggest better antenna. Don M has been at this longer than I. A lot of my learning came from reading his posts at AVS.

 

[atlas101]

LA area reception

here is my sad story:
i bought two HDTVs, then added a converter box for the last analog tv, got an outdoor antenna; and viola! i have been watching fantastic digital TV for a year or so - the only issues were crappy reception of KTLA (ch5) and NO digital reception of KCOP (ch13). after the transition, i now get KCBS (ch2), KNBC (ch4), still crappy KTLA, and surprisingly enough i get KCOP. That's it. I'm 48 miles from Mt Wilson in south Orange county, and i can only get three channels. anything else that comes in at all breaks up constantly and is unwatchable. What a bunch of crap. and yes, the antenna is aligned, i have scanned and rescanned and rescanned, and i get nuthin'. compare that to the 12 channels (with subchannels) i have been getting for a long time.

great transition, folks!