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FCC repack

Discussion pertaining to Lansing, Jackson, Owosso, and all areas from Alma to Hillsdale
EdWalker
Posts: 125
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2018 2:51 pm

Re: FCC repack

Post by EdWalker » Wed Jan 22, 2020 9:49 am

HD74 wrote:
Tue Jan 21, 2020 10:25 pm
Now that the 17th is past, how are you all receiving WSYM and WLAJ and WLNS?
WSYM is on a temporary antenna, but are expecting to be all done this week I am told.
In Lansing, WLAJ/WLNS and WKAR are both solid, even though my indoor directional antenna is not pointed in their direction.
With the antenna pointed toward Eaton Rapids/Onondaga, WILX is solid; WSYM, on their temporary antenna, will pixelate every now and then, but is certainly viewable.



fuzzpower
Posts: 1027
Joined: Sun Mar 17, 2019 3:37 pm

Re: FCC repack

Post by fuzzpower » Sun Jan 26, 2020 8:11 pm

WLNS is choppy but locks in the western Detroit suburbs. With a better antenna it would be stable for me.



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Calvert DeForest
Posts: 780
Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2004 5:14 pm
Location: The corner of US-16 and M-78

Re: FCC repack

Post by Calvert DeForest » Wed Jan 29, 2020 11:29 am

Everything is solid in St. Johns.


Shortwave is the ORIGINAL satellite radio.

innate-in-you
Posts: 684
Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2018 8:54 am

Re: FCC repack

Post by innate-in-you » Mon Apr 26, 2021 9:10 pm

ftballfan wrote:
Wed Jan 22, 2020 8:50 am
HD74 wrote:
Tue Jan 21, 2020 10:25 pm
During analog days WLNS was considered to be in the Flint market.
In part due to WKNX/WEYI having little to no signal in Flint in the 50s-70s
Not to mention that most viewers had no idea that channel 57->25 existed, because their channel knobs maxed out at channel 13.



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Calvert DeForest
Posts: 780
Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2004 5:14 pm
Location: The corner of US-16 and M-78

Re: FCC repack

Post by Calvert DeForest » Thu May 13, 2021 9:57 am

innate-in-you wrote:
Mon Apr 26, 2021 9:10 pm
ftballfan wrote:
Wed Jan 22, 2020 8:50 am
HD74 wrote:
Tue Jan 21, 2020 10:25 pm
During analog days WLNS was considered to be in the Flint market.
In part due to WKNX/WEYI having little to no signal in Flint in the 50s-70s
Not to mention that most viewers had no idea that channel 57->25 existed, because their channel knobs maxed out at channel 13.
Quite true. It wasn't until 1964 that the FCC required sets to have built-in UHF tuners. The first TV I remember in our house was a Zenith black-and-white console with a push-button tuner. The VHF tuner had a position for UHF. The UHF tuner was an optional device that could be hooked to the set. Suffice to say my dad didn't see the need for it at the time, as there were no local UHF stations to make it worth the investment. My first portable TV was a used B&W set my folks bought when I was about 5 years old. That set had the UHF knob, as the tuners were built-in by then. I was excited to tune in WUHQ channel 41, which had just signed on in Battle Creek. I could barely pull in WEYI from Lansing, but it wasn't really watchable. Those stations were pretty much all there was on the UHF dial in this neck of the woods until WKAR-TV moved to channel 23 in 1972.

My guess is that WKNX-TV was cranking out quite a bit of juice to cover their footprint in the channel 57 days due to their higher frequency. The move to channel 25 probably did wonders for the electric bill, not to mention make the station more discoverable to viewers who didn't bother tuning the upper channels.


Shortwave is the ORIGINAL satellite radio.

Jason Kragt
Posts: 81
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2004 12:01 pm

Re: FCC repack

Post by Jason Kragt » Thu May 13, 2021 9:42 pm

I can remember when WKAR moved from 10 (shared with WILX) to 23. Our school had some TVs with rabbit ears antennas to watch some PBS shows. Us kids were not happy when we lost our shows. It took the school a while to figure out they needed UHF bowtie antennas to replace the rabbit ears.



paul8539
Posts: 1108
Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2004 5:20 pm

Re: FCC repack

Post by paul8539 » Sat May 29, 2021 6:51 pm

In the Auburn area, my box indicates that there is a signal for WLNS, but not enough for it to lock most of the time.



babastooey
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2016 4:29 pm

Re: FCC repack

Post by babastooey » Tue Jun 01, 2021 9:13 am

I live in Holt, 2 miles away from the WILX studio. Their tower is south of me.

I can get every channel except WILX, which is unwatchable. Do you think they could attach another couple of D batteries to their setup so maybe I could get it over the air?



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HD74
Posts: 584
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 4:53 pm
Location: SOMEWHERE BEHIND THE RACKS

Re: FCC repack

Post by HD74 » Tue Jun 01, 2021 9:58 am

Perhaps you should invest in an antenna with VHF elements? They are on channel 10 after all.


You're never too old to learn something stupid.

EdWalker
Posts: 125
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2018 2:51 pm

Re: FCC repack

Post by EdWalker » Tue Jun 01, 2021 10:15 am

WILX is also simulcast on RF 29 (WLMN-LD); tower is at Pennsylvania and 496. I know that can be received as far away as Dewitt. Do a rescan and see if it pops up if you're having problems with RF Channel 10.



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HD74
Posts: 584
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 4:53 pm
Location: SOMEWHERE BEHIND THE RACKS

Re: FCC repack

Post by HD74 » Tue Jun 01, 2021 8:49 pm

BAD ED WALKER! BAD!
It is ALWAYS the TV station!

I am hearing Spanish! You people are causing a conspiracy!!
Did you push your SAP?
Absolutely not, you are all a bunch of idiots! I won’t watch you ever again!

I just came up to the lake house, why can’t I see your stupid station? You people suck!
Did you rescan? Everybody has moved.
Rescan? I’ve rescanned 5 times! You’re all Idiots!


You're never too old to learn something stupid.

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MWmetalhead
Site Admin
Posts: 11873
Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2004 11:23 am

Re: FCC repack

Post by MWmetalhead » Sat Jun 05, 2021 2:08 pm

Prior to the advent of DTV when everything was analog, I never had any issue picking up UHF stations with VHF dipoles so long as the back of the TV had only a single jack, intended for a VHF/UHF combo antenna.

Picked up WUHQ (WOTV) near the Wyoming / Kentwood border reliably and quite clearly using VHF dipoles. Ditto WGVU-TV, WXMI, and WTLJ. Low power stations in the Grand Rapids area broadcasting on channels 15, 25 and 61 at the time were very viewable and only experienced a medium amount of snow; ditto TV 43 once it signed on from a TX site forty miles away.

Took the same TV up to Hardy Dam once. Was able to pick up a fuzzy but watchable (with some effort) picture from WGVU-TV and an impressively good picture from WTLJ - with just VHF dipoles! Not bad for nearly 50 miles' distance.

An old Sylvania in my parents' master bedroom did have an excellent UHF bowtie antenna. The only significant improvement was WZPX channel 43, which came in crystal clear on their TV if the antenna was turned properly. WLLA analog 64 on that TV, just like my TV, was virtually unviewable. Also just like my TV, WWMT channel 3 had diagonal lines dancing across the screen, and none of the Lansing market stations were receivable under normal conditions.

Back in the day, some TVs had separate jacks or terminals for VHF antennas vs. UHF antennas. In those situations, it was obligatory to have something screwed into the UHF terminals or plugged into the UHF jack to be able to receive UHF transmissions.



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HD74
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Location: SOMEWHERE BEHIND THE RACKS

Re: FCC repack

Post by HD74 » Mon Jun 07, 2021 11:47 pm

God I’m so glad we’re smarter now!
Oh wait, antennas?
I bought the one that brings in all the channels in the world on my yacht! You stupid engineers, fix your stuff! How dare you think I should know how to operate my TV! Get with it dumbasses!


You're never too old to learn something stupid.

paul8539
Posts: 1108
Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2004 5:20 pm

Re: FCC repack

Post by paul8539 » Tue Jun 15, 2021 7:37 pm

So there is a station on RF 28 only 2 years after CMU sold off WCMZ/WFUM on RF 28 in Flint in the spectrum auction. What else is the RF 28 spectrum in Flint being used for since it was sold off?



wsummers
Posts: 59
Joined: Sat Apr 01, 2006 6:22 pm

Re: FCC repack

Post by wsummers » Wed Jun 16, 2021 7:05 am

paul8539 wrote:
Tue Jun 15, 2021 7:37 pm
So there is a station on RF 28 only 2 years after CMU sold off WCMZ/WFUM on RF 28 in Flint in the spectrum auction. What else is the RF 28 spectrum in Flint being used for since it was sold off?
The channel is used by WSYM Lansing and WLPC Redford. Nothing else is there in this area at this time. Selling the station allowed for WSYM to move down so its spectrum could be used for cell.



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