Thread: KTTW Sioux Falls, SD

Is anyone having trouble receiving KTTW in Sioux Falls, SD? Since they came on the air full power I have always received a very strong signal. In the last couple of weeks their signals is very weak and sometimes no signal at all. I exchanged emails with their engineer and he said there was no problem on their end. I still receive stations a lot further away and ones that were always weaker then KTTW. KTTW is a VHF channel but it is only 19 miles NE of me. My antenna is a Winegard Square Shooter 2000. I no this is primarily a UHF antenna but it has always worked before.

They arent running very much power according to the FCC docs
7000 watts isnt that much and being on VHF that doesnt help. I am in the same boat here in Minneapolis. I use a UHF only antenna (since Mpls was UHF digital until 6/12) and when Fox & NBC moved to their VHF my signal dropped.

I am assuming you get KELO & KSFY OK? Both of those are on VHF too but at higher power (KELO at 30kw and KSFY at 27.5kw)

Yeah, KELO and KSFY come in great. I don't know why KTTW doesn't increase it's power.

because the FCC in their infinite wisdom said "oh you can run at minuscule power and get the same coverage"

Good editorial on it

It turns out that most of the public WAS ready for the transition, and that television stations were equally ready for that plug to be pulled, forcing everyone into permanent digital mode. But it turns out that flawed engineering data at the FCC has caused a major fiasco with stations that are now using VHF channels 2 to 13 for digital. Most visible examples include channel 13 in Baltimore, which was doing fine with its analog VHF channel, and equally well if not even better with their temporary UHF digital frequency. Once they shut off analog on VHF, turned off the temporary UHF digital signal, and then turned on VHF digital, a nasty surprise was found. As an outsider, all I can see is that highly visible engineering people must have been sleeping through much of their elementary school mathematics classes, and missed the parts on multiplication and division. Let's see if the rest of you can pass this test: If a UHF TV station was allowed to transmit 5 million watts video power in analog, and then given permission to use 1 million watts for digital, that would mean that the digital signal is using 20% of the power of previous analog signal. Suppose that a VHF station on channel 13 was previously transmitting at the maximum 316 Kw allowed for analog (just as UHF channels were allowed 5000 Kw on analog), would it not make a little bit of sense that the digital allotment should be somewhere near 20% of the previous analog power output? That number would be just over 60 Kw in most circumstances. Why were VHF channels given power outputs typically between 10 and 30 Kw? Did nobody realize that you would get extremely reduced coverage at a fraction of the power? And there was no real-world testing situation in many cases to see if digital VHF performance was adequate at proposed power levels?? Somewhere in the explanation should include the word "idiot", in my humble opinion. At least the FCC is now acting at previously unheard of speed to respond to broadcasters that are struggling with the power levels authorized, and giving them permission to crank up the power. It's still sort of an experimental process, with those complaining the loudest getting the attention (and permission) to increase power levels. Let's hope that things work out for the best sooner than later. Next is the plan to allow fill-in translators and other rebroadcasters to go on the air in areas that digital is now not working---after being satisfactory for analog signals for many years. Another debacle that will take a long time to straighten our!

Originally Posted by Butcha

KTTW is a VHF channel but it is only 19 miles NE of me. My antenna is a Winegard Square Shooter 2000. I know this is primarily a UHF antenna but it has always worked before.

The worst VHF channel for a Square Shooter is 7. KTTW is on channel 7.

The Square Shooter is vertically polarized on VHF. You could try turning your Square Shooter into a Diamond Shooter, simply rotate the antenna 30-45 degrees CCW or CW. You'll loose a bit of UHF signal, but gets lots more VHF.

A VHF high band (7-13) Yagi would be a better choice, ran separately.
On the other hand, a set of VHF rabbit ears in a window facing the transmitter might deliver a better signal on channel 7 than the Winegard Square Shooter, and be easier to install, considering that December weather is finally here.