New York City Digital Over the Air reception stinks.

[reddice]

I can't believe how bad it is. I tried two antenna's. First a Terk antenna and then the radio shack UFO antenna and all I can pull in clear is WABC 7 (green to yellow), WNJU 47 (solid green) and a stupid waste religious garbage WFME 29 (solid green) which I pull in the strongest and it is suppose to be the most distance yet locals right in Manhattan I can barely get. I can barely get WCBS 2, WNBC 4, WNYW 5 and WWOR 9. If I move the antenna I get it for a bit but then it becomes a pixilated mess and drops out. Then it can be clear for a while with a yellow signal, never green but then drops out. WNET 13 which I was looking forward too I can barely pull in one bar. It is so sensitive that if I stand near the antenna it drops out. I can pull in the analog stations better. There is no way I am installing a outside antenna. It is just I read people on forums who live in other cities that could pull in their local digital stations with a cheap antenna.

Too think I was going to be able to record with two dish tuners and a over the air tuner on my ViP612 but I would not trust recording over the air digital. Just was expecting good reception.

 

[sleepybear]

Yeh I have really never had good luck with indoor antennas (had some ears 8' apeice one time too) or outdoor antennas in an attic for that matter. You just need something unobstructed.

 

[johninbricknj]

There doing work on the tranmitters on the Empire State Building.
Doens't seem to matter how close or far you are.

 

[reddice]

I guess they are doing work because yesterday I was able to pull in channel 4 better but if I just breath on the antenna I will get pixelated boxes.

 

[reddice]

What really peeves me is that I looked at the FCC map and that stupid channel 29 is suppose to be located in northern NJ and the map does not even cover Brooklyn or Manhattan. I can't even pick up the analog version yet the digital signal I get it so strong, around 85 strength yet channel 13 and the other NY locals are right in midtown Manhattan according to the FCC map with a big circle covering all of Brooklyn and more yet I can barely pick up most of them. Hovers around 10 to 55 signal strength except for channel 7 which I peaked up to 71 signal strength. At least I can get channel 7 kind of strong and that is the only digital station that I can get clear that I care about. Wish I can get the other NY locals stronger. Don't care about those other religious and Spanish wastes that I can get a stronger clearer signal.

 

[raj2001]

It's not any maintenance in the ESB.

It's the fact that NYC is full of tall buildings which can cause severe multipath.

From Northern NJ you can get the NYC channels better. When I lived in Wayne I had a small indoor antenna and got all of the channels.

Either get an outdoor antenna or get cable.