OTA Reception Question

[HeavyC]

Ok, if someone could answer this, I'd love it. My local PBS station is broadcasting in HD. When I do the channel scan, I lock onto it with a 99 Signal Strength. However, when I go to tune it in, VOOM says no signal is being received. It's strange considering I lock in the SD subchannel just fine. What's causing this problem?

Beyond that, I know there is a new Fox station broadcasting in the area. It's on RF55. I did the manual RF scan on 55, and VOOM pulls back a 97 signal strength; however, it never adds a channel. Why is that?

 

[DIGITAL~DAN]

The answer to the second question is that your FOX station is probley not generating PSIP data and that is why the voom receiver will not add the channel to the program quide.The voom receiver needs three things to lock and display the channel
1.channel number
2.MPEG service number
3.short name

If any of the three above are missing the voom receiver will not add the channel, try calling the local station and talk to the engineer and see if they are generating PSIP data, if they are not then you can have the channels mapped to your receiver if they are in your DMA.send Sean mota a personal message or email and he will take care of it.................HOPE THIS HELPS...........................DIGITAL~DAN

 

[HeavyC]

After talking to some people at the station, they are transmitting PSIP data and full EPG data on the channel. Could anything else cause the VOOM box to not pick it up?

How long do you need to leave it sitting there in manual tune mode for it to work?

 

[Ilya]

How long do you need to leave it sitting there in manual tune mode for it to work?

Manual tune doesn't add any stations to the map. You need to do channel scan instead. And then make sure to accept it. This is the only way to add a station to the list.

 

[HeavyC]

I know that, I don't think I explained myself well. I tuned to RF55 doing the manual scan last night. The Bar went up to full Green and that annoying solid beep locked in. I hit the Green Button, but then I didn't see the new channel anywhere.

Also, I have a big problem with my local PBS Station. I scanned and picked up that one, it has a signal strength of 99, it's in the program guide, but VOOM continues to tell me no signal is received when I try to watch it. I know for a fact there is programming on.

 

[Ilya]

I tuned to RF55 doing the manual scan last night.

Sorry, but I am still confused. What do you mean by "manual scan"? The "Scan Local Channels" screen is the only place where you can add new channels.

The Bar went up to full Green and that annoying solid beep locked in. I hit the Green Button, but then I didn't see the new channel anywhere.

Again, this screen does not add any channels to the map. Only the "Scan Local Channels" screen does.

 

[HeavyC]

Okay, then what is the screen for after you do the automatic channel scan, it asks you if it's correct. If you say no, it takes you to another screen that asks you to key in the RF number? You can't add a channel that way?

You can also go to that screen, by going to the installer menu, and selecting the option directly above the option for the automatic local channel scan. what is that feature for exactly, and why would VOOM not pull it down if the signal strength is greater than 85 and the PSIP data is being transmitted?

I've talked to one of the engineers at the station and they swear that the PSIP data is being sent. Other people in the area have confirmed that as well.

 

[Ilya]

The purpose of that screen is to show the signal meter and to provide the audible signal, so you could rotate your antenna and maximize the signal strength by doing that. No, you cannot add a channel on that screen.

 

[HeavyC]

Ok, that makes a little more sense now. Thanks for clearing that up. Do you have any ideas why VOOM won't display my HD-PBS channel?

 

[Ilya]

Do you have any ideas why VOOM won't display my HD-PBS channel?

No idea. What is the channel number and what is the RF number? Are you on version 6.20?

 

[HeavyC]

Yeah, I am on 6.20.

The channel in question is on RF46 and the channel number is 46-4. The name is WTVPHD and the signal strength is 99. That's what the auto-scan comes back with. There's also another channel at RF46 and its channel number is 46-1. The name of that channel is WTVPSD1 and it also has a signal strength of 99. However, I have no problems watching that channel.

 

[Ilya]

It is strange that the channel number is the same as the RF number. Usually this is not the case with digital channels.
So, you are getting the SD sub-channel, but not getting the HD sub-channel. Are you sure they are currently broadcasting on that sub-channel? Check with others in your area.
The signal strength doesn't mean much in this case, as it is probably the same for all sub-channels.

 

[HeavyC]

Here's the breakdown. There are 3 PBS channels in my zipcode. 1 was pre-mapped by VOOM and the other two I picked up on the Auto-Scan.

VOOM Premap at RF47 (47-1)
Autoscan at RF46 (46-1 SD & 46-4 HD)

47-1 and 46-1 show the exact same thing. 47-1 has guide info (since it was mapped by VOOM) and 46-1 does not, but the programming is always the exact same thing. Here's the weird thing though. All of the guide info for 47-1 is incorrect. All of the program information on 47-1 actually corresponds to the HD channel on 46-4.

I know for a fact (after talking to other people in the area on avsforums.com) that 46-1 and 46-4 are both functional. 46-4 is indeed showing HD programming.

There are multiple problems here in regards to these channels, and this about the clearest way I can explain it.

 

[Ilya]

Is there an anlog NTSC station on channel 46 or 47 in your area as well? Sounds like there are some mapping issues here.

 

[HeavyC]

I don't know about NTSC? What is that exactly?

 

[Ilya]

NTSC? That's what we used to have in the last century before digital television appeared. That old Standard Definition analog television, remember?

What I mean is that if you have a non-HD TV set and connect a home antenna to it, which channel number will be WTVP? 46, 47, or something else?

I would also recommend you check www.antennaweb.org for your address. Filter it to show digital stations only and see which channel numbers and which RF numbers (in the last column) your local stations are assigned to.

 

[HeavyC]

That's what I thought, but wanted to double check. The NTSC channel would appear at 47.

 

[Ilya]

The NTSC channel would appear at 47.

Ok, then the digital channel 47.1 cannot be on RF 47 (I don't think analog channels can share radio frequency with digital channels).

I looked up the www.antennaweb.org. Since I didn't know your zip code, I used 61614 for Peoria - this is where your PBS seems to be coming from. Here is what I think is going on. According to antennaweb, the WTVP-DT (which is indicated there as channel 47-3) has RF frequency 46. So, the RF for your PBS (for both of its sub-channels) is 46. RF 47 is used by analog (NTSC) transmission that VOOM receiver cannot tune to. Now, what causes you to have two versions (46.1 and 47.1) is a difference in mapping. VOOM maps your RF46 to channel 47 (similar to what antennaweb does), but your WTVP-DT evidently sends channel number 46 in its PSIP data packet, that's why the auto-scan assigns the ch. number 46 instead of 47 and you end up having the same channel mapped twice.

Well, this still doesn't explain why you are not getting 46.4, but at least it may help you understand what's going on with your channel map.

As for channel 55, is that WRSP (FOX SPRINGFIELD)? If so, according to antennaweb, it is analog only. No digital version seems to be currently available. And VOOM STB can only tune to digital stations.

 

[HeavyC]

Thanks for all your help. WRSP just went live with a digital signal but it's not powerful enough for me to receive. I did another channel scan tonight, and I picked up a PBS station I've never heard of before and I have its HD feed so I guess that's better than nothing.