Station upgrade plans (updated 2/12)

[Mike Slade]

I can't get email responses from them. I usually have to call.

Called today......

"no schedule on that right now"

[voomvoom]

WGTV-DT 8.1 (12) with there antenna atop Stone Mountain is "On the Air" in HD, only one channel (no sub-channels) at this time. I think they are currently doing work on WMUM-TV 29 (will be DT 7.1) in Cochran (Macon), could be WJSP-TV 28 in Warm Springs (Columbus) might be next? I would have thought Augusta, Savannah, or Columbus would have gotten Digital before Macon. But channel 29 has a larger viewing area than channel 8 (Athens/Atlanta), although considerably less viewers?

Al

[seanmc1114]

admin said:

WXTX: Complete

WLTZ: Complete

WTVM: Complete

WRBL: Complete

WLGA: Possibly by the end of the year

Does this mean that all of these stations are broadcasting their digital signals at full strength or just that their hardware upgrades are complete? I live about halfway between Macon and Columbus in Taylor County and I get WRBL with 100% signal strength and WTVM with around 80% almost all day long but I get regular dropouts on WLGA and I cannot get WLTZ at all. I have a CM 4228 with a CM amp.

If all of the stations are not broadcasting their digital signals at full power yet, will they automatically kick it up to full power on 2-17-09 unless granted a waiver? In other words, are we going to see extremely noticeable increases in signal strength immediately after the deadline passes or am I probably getting the strongest signals I can expect?

[Mike Slade]

This was really just the upgrades to be compliant with what the FCC had mandated they be at last year or whenever it was. I think the power level they are at now is less than their analog signals so there may be more upgrades when they completely switch over. I believe that WTVM has the weakest signal of the columbus stations.

[Mike Slade]

Here's an update I got from WTVM/WXTX:

WXTX is complete as it is now, no other post
transition work. WTVM will install a new digital channel 9 transmitter
late this year and on February 18th of 2009, will begin broadcasting
digital on channel 9 from the current analog channel 9 antenna. This
means our digital will move from channel 47, on an antenna at 984 feet
on the Cusseta tower, to channel 9, on the current analog antenna at
1600 feet on the tower. We will operate on the old antenna until mid
year (2009) when we will go on a temporary antenna somewhere lower on
the tower while a new replacement antenna is installed at 1600 feet. At
the same time, WRBL will be moving back to our tower with their digital
antenna as well, thus replacing the current two analog complex for
channel 3 and 9 with new digital antennas for 9 and 15

[zedsdead]

Mike,

I noticed in the last post you wrote in the first person. Do you work for wtvm or did you do a cut and paste from some site?

Does this mean that the signal quality will improve on wtvm and wrbl later this year?

[Mike Slade]

That was just the quoted update they sent me. I've put it in a quote box now.

[zedsdead]

TY