Antenna Users- what channels do you get in Detroit?

[MicrosoftFan]

I cut the cord with Winegard's 50 mile range HD antenna. I live on the south edge of downriver and get all the major network affiliates and some Toledo stations. My list right now is 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, 13, 18, 20, 31, 32, 50, 56, and 62. So far, 2 seems the hardest to get. Probably because flat antenna stink when it comes to VHF.

The mysterious channel to me is 32. It seems like all they show are kids shows! What is the network on 32?

Anyway, is anybody watching channel 40 from downtown? It's either Daystar or Independent. And then there's that weird analog station in Highland Park. If it doesn't switch to digital then It'll shut off on September 1st. Watch it now! Before its too late!

Anyways, I'm just interested to hear what odd channels you get, or what channels are easiest or hardest to watch.

Thanks!

[mtburb]

Channel 32 is TVO. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TVOntario

I've seen British documentaries on 32 in the evening hours.

Local channels I can often get with both of my antennas are 4, 7, 20, 31, 32, 50, 56 and 62. I can sometimes get 38 and got 2 once. Strangely enough, a couple weekend nights back I managed to get a station out of Cleveland, but the signal on that station was breaking up badly unless I manged to place it right on the wall. Though the flat antenna claims to have a 60-mile reach, so far, I've gotten nothing from outside the Detroit area with it.

I'm in southwest Wyandotte.

BTW, is anyone here like me still interested in trying to get anything from outside the Detroit area despite Me TV now airing on 4.3?

[swingline]

Seems kind of strange that Channel 2's signal is so much weaker than the other major network stations.

Are all of the stations now broadcasting in HD? On all of their subchannels as well?

[ndavies]

Channels 2 has the strongest signal strength. Channels 2 and 9 are the only Detroit market channels broadcast on VHF. If you're having trouble getting channel 2, Make sure your antenna can pick up VHF.

Sub channels are broadcast on the master channel as secondary digital stream. By broadcasting a sub channel, the station is sacrificing main channel quality to broadcast multiple channels. I'd prefer to see fewer sub channels with better picture and sound quality on the main channel.

[SyGolden48236]

.... Channels 2 and 9 are the only Detroit market channels broadcast on VHF...

Channels 4 and 7 are also Detroit market stations that are broadcast on VHF.

[ndavies]

Channels 4 and 7 are also Detroit market stations that are broadcast on VHF.

No they're not, they were moved to UHF when they went digital. The FCC reassigned just about every ones frequency when TV went digital.

Channel 4 broadcasts on UHF channel 45, Channel 7 broadcasts on UHF channel 41.

Channel 2 broadcasts on what used to be VHF channel 7. Channel 2s VHF bandwidth was released from TV carriage to be reused for other purposes.

Most TV channels were broadcast on 2 channels during the change over to digital. Once the conversion was complete, they gave up their original locations and only broadcast on their new channels. The Canadian channels are the only ones that remained in their original location.

Current channel assignments:
http://www.rabbitears.info/market.ph...arket&mktid=14

[ndavies]

TV channels are a legacy marking. They now have nothing to do with the channel they are really broadcast on.

[mtburb]

Has anyone else in the Downriver area notice TV 20's signal disappearing today? Someone on another forum said that this was caused by a station out of Columbus, OH, that occupies the same channel that TV 20 occupies.

[Gannon]

By broadcasting a sub channel, the station is sacrificing main channel quality to broadcast multiple channels. I'd prefer to see fewer sub channels with better picture and sound quality on the main channel.

Are you sure about that, N?

I remember there being bandwidth for one full 1080i broadcast with room for at least one adjacent ".2" sub with no loss...but the subs are 480i or 480p resolution. Not sure about whether 720p was truncated [[to make room for sub-channels) on those few channels that chose it as their default...but I'm quite sure the 1080i signal could have subs with no losses.

[Gannon]

Here is a nice article...there is an answer to the question somewhere within...

http://usjvc.com/blog/?p=263

[Gannon]

Had it exactly backwards...720p had guaranteed room for subs, with the old compression scheme.

Nowadays, it seems either 720p or 1080i broadcasts can handle it, especially since they get priority with the overall compression, and the new schemes are much more efficient. If there is lotsa detail and motion, the main channel [[.1) broadcast gets all the pipeline it needs...and any losses are shared between the subchannels.

[ndavies]

Well, it's a compressed signal, You get ~19Mb/s total for a 6Mhz OTA channel. You can either use all 19 for a single HDTV stream or you can compress it to fit more channels in. You're already compressing the crap out of it to get it under 19Mb/s. Every SD channel you add you lose almost 4 Mb/s.

The question becomes Can you see the difference between video compressed to 19Mb/s or a 15Mb/s signal? I don't know because I don't have a way to see them next to each other. I'm stuck with what the broadcast company sends me.

You also need to know the source materials bit rate. More compression is usually bad in my estimation.

[Ray1936]

Interesting thread, but it makes me just as glad to have my cable service. Of course, I don't live in Michigan.

[MicrosoftFan]

18 broadcasts from Chelsea. I've got it a few times. It's a MyNetworkTV affiliate.

[MicrosoftFan]

TV 20 keeps going in and out on my antenna. I have to reprogram every time.

[mtburb]

TV 20 keeps going in and out on my antenna. I have to reprogram every time.

I first mentioned this a few replies ago...I guess I'm not the only one. Have you noticed anything from a station down in Columbus dominating over TV 20? I haven't...and I'll have to check again, because if I do, it'll beat my current record-holder for most distant TV station received with my antennas, currently held by channel 5, WEWS, out of Cleveland.

18 broadcasts from Chelsea. I've got it a few times. It's a MyNetworkTV affiliate.

That affiliate serves the Jackson and Lansing market, even though Chelsea is in the Detroit market. I believe 18, like WEWS, is a sister station to channel 7 and TV 20.

[Zacha341]

My RCA converter box and antenna holds channels very well but does not pull that many in. I fill in the gaps with my Roku box streaming WIFI which I already have. Great to not have a cable bill!!

[mtburb]

Channel 5 is an ABC affiliate and broadcasts from Parma, Ohio, which is south of Cleveland. And guess what's between you and Parma? Yep, water, a perfect conductor. When that water warms up, the signal travels a lot farther than normal. Try performing a rescan on a hot day in the early morning hours with your antenna in a south- or southeast-facing window. Your antenna will probably recognize it.

It hasn't been hot enough in the past few days [[combined with a number of rain systems that had passed through), so you may have had no luck.

Here is an excellent resource that predicts things like this. Looks like we're probably over with chances like this for the month.

http://dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html

[Honky Tonk]

"Channel Z"

[EastsideAl]

Here in my perch on the river I have cable on the big TV, but on the smaller bedroom TV with a simple little flat antenna I get all major network stations from Detroit and Toledo. Although channel 2 can be pretty crappy and can go out entirely under certain conditions [[but I usually get Fox from Toledo loud and clear anyway). You would think that the folks at Channel 2 and Fox would want to do something about this widely reported poor reception.

I also get several public TV stations, including TVO from Canada. I sometimes can even get that pesky CTV station from the other side of the border that is purposely aimed away from us USAians. I also get Cleveland stations when the sun is out or after a warm day.

If a few more networks move towards streaming I may think very seriously about cutting off Comcast, and their lovely "customer service" [[a misnomer if there ever was one).

[mtburb]

Here is an excellent resource that predicts things like this. Looks like we're probably over with chances like this for the month.

http://dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html

Well, guess I was wrong...the site is now predicting strong tropo conditions this Monday for Detroit.

Let's see if we'll be able to get any new channels then...

[Lowell]

Daddy, what's a TV antenna?

Amazing isn't it? How rooftops used to be covered with antennas. It is so rare to see one any more. Any old timers remember the excitement of getting an electric powered antenna allowing you to change its position?

[mtburb]

Most of the remaining rooftop antennas I've seen around here are, for some reason, pointed towards Toledo. Is there a reason for that?

[RaumVogel]

Daddy, what's a TV antenna?

Amazing isn't it? How rooftops used to be covered with antennas. It is so rare to see one any more. Any old timers remember the excitement of getting an electric powered antenna allowing you to change its position?

Yea,ours had a huge dial and made this grinding noise when you changed the direction to let you know that the antenna was turning.I loved it as a 5 year old and my dad let me be the official TV tuner guy because I'd get the channel so clear.

[Honky Tonk]

Any old timers remember the excitement of getting an electric powered antenna allowing you to change its position?

Or the thrill of that first lightning strike?