Help picking up a station

[olfenite]

Hi,

So I'm trying to pick up my local FOX affiliate, KIDY. I can pick up a few other stations, but I cannot pick up KIDY.

I do not know what brand or strength of antenna I have. I do know it is a VHF/UHF combo, and it is very large. When it was installed, it was the most powerful one my local hardware store carried.

Anyway, I currently view my ota locals through Dish Network's ota module on my 722k receiver. I can receive 11, 16, and 20, but that's it. If I could just pick up KIDY (channel 19), I'd be satisfied. Someone I know had this to say about KIDY:

KIDY is also at low power. They have to install a new antenna, transmitter, and STL microwave. Hopefully, also by June 12, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

I went to tvfool.com and ran a test, but I have no idea what it is saying I need to do. Maybe somebody else can make sense of it.



I hope this made sense. Thanks for reading.

 

[CowboyDren]

If your antenna is pointing due west, you should be getting that station. Unless your wiring or connectors or antenna itself are damaged. Have you been up there to look at it lately?

 

[CowboyDren]

Looking at your plot harder, it doesn't say that it's a digital only, post transition plot. Please do the process again and attach the result here. I like image shack, btw, it's easier to read on my phone.

 

[Mr Tony]

nothing I read about says they are at low power..they're showing 700Kw

 

[Tower Guy]

nothing I read about says they are at low power..they're showing 700Kw

They are running 3.7 KW on an STA. KIDY filed this with the FCC on 2/10/2009.

IN THE MEANTIME, LICENSEE UNDERSTANDS FROM THE BUYER THAT IT INTENDS TO CONTINUE OPERATIONS WITH THE EXISTING LOW-POWER DIGITAL FACILITIES ON CHANNEL 19 PURSUANT TO THE EXISTING STA PENDING RECEIPT AND INSTALLATION OF FULL-POWER EQUIPMENT.

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws...xt=25&appn=101294241&formid=387&fac_num=58560

 

[Tower Guy]

I do not know what brand or strength of antenna I have. I do know it is a VHF/UHF combo, and it is very large.

I suspect an aiming problem. You have stations in the following directions:

26 degrees: 24, 29, FOX on 15

194 degrees: 11

270ish: 16 & 19 (also FOX)

352 degrees: 20 ABC

The solution is a rotor or multiple antennas and a complex combining system.

 

[CowboyDren]

It doesn't have to be complicated. Winegard makes an inexpensive combiner that's all band and uses 75ohm cabling. If the existing mast is tall enough, both antennas could even share it.

 

[Tower Guy]

Both antennas could even share it.

That would be four antennas.

 

[CowboyDren]

26 degrees: 24, 29, FOX on 15
194 degrees: 11
270ish: 16 & 19 (also FOX)
352 degrees: 20 ABC

With a combo unit with a poor front/back ratio, aim it so that the back side points to 194°; channel 11 is only 17 miles away. That puts 24, 29, 15, and 20 (only 34° apart and about 50 miles away) on the front side of said antenna, which will have to be pretty big to pick them up. He said he's already picking up 11 and 20, so that sounds like what's going on right now.

19, 16, and with a little luck, 44, can be picked up (today) with a UHF-only antenna aimed due west. A Winegard CC-7870 ($20 from Winegard Direct) would handily combine the signals. Not knowing his post-transition channel asignments, perhaps a slightly smaller VHF/UHF combo antenna, still pointed due west, would be a smarter idea.

 

[CowboyDren]

Plugging in those coordinates, setting the date to post-transition, looks like the only VHF station left is channel 11. All of the stations around 270° are less than 35 miles away, so a four-bay bowtie (Antennas Direct dB4) and the CC-7870 should be perfect...if you can put it about 5' up or down from the big combo antenna.