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WMNT-CD repack, with SNAFU!

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innate-in-you
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WMNT-CD repack, with SNAFU!

Post by innate-in-you » Sun Jan 20, 2019 1:59 am

Did a channel scan with one of my converter boxes today. To my surprise, saw SEVEN 36. channels.
Come to find out that WMNT-CD has changed their RF channel from channel 48 to channel 36. The SNAFU is that WMNT is showing as virtual channel 36, where WUPW, also virtual channel 36, is transmitting on RF channel 46. As a consequence, there are two 36.1 channels, two 36.2 channels, two 36.3 channels, and one 36.4 channel,
Of course, WMNT-CD should have virtual channels 48.1, 48.2, 48.3 and 48.4, BUT WMNT-CA does not have a PSIP generator. When WMNT-CA was channel 48, Most sets would display them as 48 because the RF channel was the only reference. My Ikonvert box has always displayed WMNT-CD as channel 0!, with no ID.
Some viewers will certainly be quite confused by this situation, especially those who have performed a channel scan recently, and I could imagine WUPW 36 getting miffed about this in the future.



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mtburb
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Re: WMNT-CD repack, with SNAFU!

Post by mtburb » Sun Jan 20, 2019 1:40 pm

RabbitEars is confirming that WMNT-CD is now indeed on RF 36. Their coverage map on that site seems to show that their RF 36 transmitter actually gives it a coverage area about as large as the RF UHFs in Toledo.


My furthest DTV tropo: KDKA Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at 202 miles for three days in January 2017 and a night in September 2017 with only an Antennas Direct C2V!

Current setup: Antennas Direct C2Max (2018-present)

innate-in-you
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Re: WMNT-CD repack, with SNAFU!

Post by innate-in-you » Sun Jan 20, 2019 3:09 pm

Its signal is strong in Temperance.



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Toledo Eleven
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Re: WMNT-CD repack, with SNAFU!

Post by Toledo Eleven » Sun Jan 20, 2019 3:58 pm

I have the same problem on two of my four televisions. On two of my sets they do show up as 48 and even identify as Antenna on 2, This on 3 and Cozi on 4, but not on the other 2 sets.


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innate-in-you
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Re: WMNT-CD repack, with SNAFU!

Post by innate-in-you » Sun Jan 20, 2019 6:30 pm

The FCC should give WMNT-CD an easy way out: Assign them virtual channel 58. That's their channel on Buckeye Cable, and the sation even ID's as My58 as it is.



80sTalkRadioFan
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Re: WMNT-CD repack, with SNAFU!

Post by 80sTalkRadioFan » Tue Jan 22, 2019 1:49 am

innate-in-you wrote:
Sun Jan 20, 2019 3:09 pm
Its signal is strong in Temperance.
That's probably the only way to get it in Temperance or anywhere in Monroe County, Michigan as Buckeye doesn't show it there, they offer WMYD-TV 20 instead. I don't think Dish or Directv have it either.



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mtburb
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Re: WMNT-CD repack, with SNAFU!

Post by mtburb » Tue Jan 22, 2019 9:40 am

80sTalkRadioFan wrote:
Tue Jan 22, 2019 1:49 am
innate-in-you wrote:
Sun Jan 20, 2019 3:09 pm
Its signal is strong in Temperance.
That's probably the only way to get it in Temperance or anywhere in Monroe County, Michigan as Buckeye doesn't show it there, they offer WMYD-TV 20 instead. I don't think Dish or Directv have it either.
That's because all of Monroe County, including Temperance, is part of the Detroit DMA (blame South Rockwood, Berlin Township and Carleton for this), making WMYD an in-market station to them. Monroe County from Monroe southward should be split off into the Toledo DMA.

Further complicating this is that Berlin Township itself is divided cable franchise-wise, with the north half served by Comcast from headends in Woodhaven and Taylor and the south half served by Charter from a headend in Monroe. The latter carries all of the full-powered Toledo stations (except WBGU), while the former only carries WGTE. It's been that way dating back to the 1980's, when Comcast was known as Maclean-Hunter and Charter was known as River Raisin Cablevision.


My furthest DTV tropo: KDKA Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at 202 miles for three days in January 2017 and a night in September 2017 with only an Antennas Direct C2V!

Current setup: Antennas Direct C2Max (2018-present)

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WOHO
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Re: WMNT-CD repack, with SNAFU!

Post by WOHO » Thu Jan 24, 2019 8:47 am

My scan didn't pick-up 48 WMNT at all, so they really need to invest in some technology that will A: Show Channel Guides for each sub channel, B: Show station ID not in the middle of a program and actually send the correct virtual channel information for OTA boxes, C: Have Closed Captioning to follow FCC rules (and so my Dad doesn't have the speakers blown out of his set cranking the thing-up as there's no CC on WMNT. D: Have a for-real engineer to follow up on A, B, and C and figure out how to get better quality out of the 4 streams. WTVG does a decent job of carrying 4 channels, and WGTE has decent subchannels when the main channel is such high quality. I'll have to try the rescan again for 48 and see if anything has changed.



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Some Guy from Toledo
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Re: WMNT-CD repack, with SNAFU!

Post by Some Guy from Toledo » Mon Jan 28, 2019 9:57 pm

WOHO wrote:
Thu Jan 24, 2019 8:47 am
My scan didn't pick-up 48 WMNT at all, so they really need to invest in some technology that will A: Show Channel Guides for each sub channel, B: Show station ID not in the middle of a program and actually send the correct virtual channel information for OTA boxes, C: Have Closed Captioning to follow FCC rules (and so my Dad doesn't have the speakers blown out of his set cranking the thing-up as there's no CC on WMNT. D: Have a for-real engineer to follow up on A, B, and C and figure out how to get better quality out of the 4 streams. WTVG does a decent job of carrying 4 channels, and WGTE has decent subchannels when the main channel is such high quality. I'll have to try the rescan again for 48 and see if anything has changed.
It would be interesting if they can afford any of this.



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WOHO
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Re: WMNT-CD repack, with SNAFU!

Post by WOHO » Tue Jan 29, 2019 11:32 am

After all the infighting, who owns WMNT now? I thought Pastor Pants sold off the station? Didn't the transmitter/antenna once exist at the overloaded, ready to collapse antenna on Westwood? I understand that they're on the old O-I building, so the original Art-Deco stone O-I building, or the 1981 version O-I building (that was originally projected to be 50 stories and "H" shaped instead of the 28 stories now?

Also, how is the station funded? Don't they get a cut of the 'national' commercials already sent to them along with their network feeds, or do they rely on some local sleazeball class-action suit laywers for income? Also, with the big tax cuts, can't they take a loss for a year to do some basic technical improvements? Even internet video has to have Closed Captioning, so I don't know how they avoid that issue?

It's too bad, as some of the Antenna TV programming IS worth the price of an old-school outdoor antenna, but the video has much to be desired- too bad it wasn't the 4th feed on WTVG instead of ION (let's watch Law & Order, SUV, 18x a day).

Another observation: is there an prohibition on using a 'subchannel' for stereo audio only- or mono, such as 30-5 for the NOAA Weather Radio audio?



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Re: WMNT-CD repack, with SNAFU!

Post by RingtailedFox » Tue Jan 29, 2019 5:21 pm

Not at all! Many television stations broadcast an audio-only subchannel. it's even nicknamed "DTV Radio". Some broadcasters like WGVU in Grand Rapids broadcast a radio station on SAP...


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innate-in-you
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Re: WMNT-CD repack, with SNAFU!

Post by innate-in-you » Tue Jan 29, 2019 7:18 pm

Add to this WADL 38 (RF 39) with its co-owned WFDF AM 910, and WVIZ Cleveland 25 (RF 26) with spoken-word programming for the visually impaired.



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Some Guy from Toledo
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Re: WMNT-CD repack, with SNAFU!

Post by Some Guy from Toledo » Tue Jan 29, 2019 11:48 pm

innate-in-you wrote:
Tue Jan 29, 2019 7:18 pm
Add to this WADL 38 (RF 39) with its co-owned WFDF AM 910, and WVIZ Cleveland 25 (RF 26) with spoken-word programming for the visually impaired.
Nice they offer that.



innate-in-you
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Re: WMNT-CD repack, with SNAFU!

Post by innate-in-you » Sun Feb 03, 2019 4:25 pm

The story has taken a strange turn. All of the 48.x channels are gone.

Tuning RF channel 36, using the manual tuning mode on my Zenith CECB, shows a full strength rating on the display, while also displaying "NO SIGNAL".

I'm guessing they've cut the encoder off to stop the confusing "phantom channels" with the same virtual channels as WUPW.

There could be a very small chance that they are testing an ATSC 3.0 signal while they wait for a proper ATSC 1.0 encoder to be shipped.

UPDATE: No ATSC 3.0 test here. Only energy peak is near 602.310, which is near the ATSC (1.0) pilot frequency.

SECOND UPDATE: They're back to their evil ways, carrying four streams, all with virtual channel 46.
Last edited by innate-in-you on Sat Feb 09, 2019 11:16 am, edited 1 time in total.



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Re: WMNT-CD repack, with SNAFU!

Post by AMFMTV » Mon Feb 04, 2019 12:52 pm

Does Jesse Weatherby still own WMNT?



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