Posted on 06/17/2009 8:29:02 AM PDT by raccoonradio
WHDH-TV acknowledged yesterday what thousands of viewers had already discovered since last Friday’s nationwide conversion to digital television: its Channel 7 signal is hard to get in the post-analog era.
The NBC affiliate said yesterday that it has begun simulcasting its signal on Channel 42, its temporary sister digital station, until it works out “signal difficulties” with the Federal Communications Commission.
“We are very sorry for the inconvenience to our viewers, and we hope to have this resolved quickly,” said general manager Chris Wayland.
In a statement, WHDH blamed the problem on a “power allocation” issue. The station said that the FCC assigned an insufficient power level to WHDH for its post-switch Channel 7, giving it a weaker signal than it had before last week’s switch from analog to all-digital broadcasts.
The station urged viewers to “re-scan” their non-cable digital TVs and converter boxes to Channel 42 until the issue is resolved.
WHDH’s woes follow what some say was an otherwise smooth transition for other local stations to all-digital broadcasts, though some stations in other major metro markets apparently are experiencing similar problems as Channel 7’s mess.
The nationwide conversion may have been a success for most stations. But thousands of viewers in the Greater Boston media market did call the FCC about their individual troubles over the past five days.
FCC spokesman Mark Wigfield said his agency has handled 2,195 calls since last Friday in the Boston area - with the majority having problems with their new digital converter boxes or not getting a specific channel’s signal.
The city of Boston’s Elderly Affairs Commission has helped more than 120 frustrated seniors to make the conversion since last Friday.
“It was impossible,” said Anna Zizza, 80, of Roslindale, of her attempts to make her digital TV work. She said a city worker came to her residence and did a “very good job” straightening out signals.
It’s really too bad that the FCC decided to force us all to use 1996 technology.
We cannot even get Channel 7 anymore in Chicago! After the switch it was AWOL!!
It’s really too bad the FCC exists.
what....a Government plan going awry? In Boston?
(I’m sure that’s never happened before...)
Yep, the taxpayers who subsidized the little black boxes get the short end. However, I did finally breakdown set up my little black converter box last night and I do receive excellent reception. But my sympathies are with those that don’t get good reception.
The little black box is the compromise, they want you to buy cable/satellite and fund Viacom, Time-Lies-Warner, et al.
I think the core of the problem is here ...
“It was impossible,” said Anna Zizza, 80, of Roslindale, of her attempts to make her digital TV work. She said a city worker came to her residence and did a “very good job” straightening out signals.
It was impossible until someone oriented the antenna pushed the AUTOSCAN button on the box.
ALSO, it’s a ‘crime’ (poor, women and minorities hit hardest) that these gummint-supplied boxes don’t come with a signal amp built-in.
If ya spend $60 with Motorola, you’d be amazed how good your reception is.
And if ya spend $80 on a ‘HD digital signal’ antenna, you’ll think you’re in heaven ;-)
Oh really I am not complaining, ABC7 is a bunch of Agenda driven liberals anyway.
Heard it all before
Digital TV has a much shorter range so much for hi-tech world line of thinking but what the hey stations now can have ten sub-channels we all know how bad we need more paid programing channels.
Bush’s fault!
It’s an NBC affiliate. Nobody watches it anyway.
That’s one reason they went public a couple months ago with the idea of replacing Leno with a 10 pm newscast. They felt
they’d get a poor lead in to their 11 pm newscast. After NBC
threatened to pull their affiliation, they backed down.
Ch 7 had been CBS (and ABC long ago) until CBS took over
Ch 4 and became the CBS affiliate, with NBC going to 7
(Wikipedia entry on WBZ-TV: “The Boston market’s third network affiliation switch took place on January 2, 1995. After a 47-year relationship with NBC, channel 4 became the third station in Boston to align with CBS.”)
There is nothing that makes an antenna "HD digital signal" capable except for marketing prose.
You could take a proper wavelength antenna from 50 years ago and label it that way.
Also, pre-amplification isn't very effective with a digital signal.
With all due respect and partial agreement, the Motorola signal booster brought in 10 more channels because it boosted the signals strength to a sufficient and consistent threshold. Without said amp, I get fewer channels to display.
WRT the antenna, an old VHF TV rooftop ‘Yagi-Uda’ antenna from Radio Shack is not the same form factor as the bow-tie/box-kites that work so well for digital TV. Regardless of the marketing nomenclature, the new for factor works better in the attic than the old ‘arrow-head’ one.
SO I agree with your answer technically, but have found from experience that the new gizmos DO make a difference. I was advised on this effort by my brother, who is a EE (Ga-Tech ‘74). I am a physiology major.
Glad that the amp works for you. You apparently had a decent S/N ratio, but low power. Many people are getting lousy S/N and multipath images and the amp doesn't help with those.
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