RePack Phase 8 started

[km1125]

This today, 3/12, on the WHNE Detroit Facebook page:

ATTENTION WHNE VIEWERS:
Tonight at Midnight the WHNE transmitter will be turned off. WTVS will then take over our current channel. By tomorrow (Friday) several other TV stations in Detroit will also be broadcasting on new channels. You will need to rescan your television set to get the channels updated.
We've been working hard for over a year to get WHNE ready for tonight. We planned everything to the last detail, but our plans didn't work out. We ordered our new channel 3 antenna last fall. It was to be delivered in early January, but it's still not here!
Our new broadcast antenna was ordered from a company in Pennsylvania. They needed a custom made part for the antenna. They ordered this part from a specialty company in Italy about 6 weeks ago. Little did anyone know that because of the coronavirus this company has been all but shut down for the last 3 weeks. The custom part is supposed to be ready to ship, but they can't because of a quarantine on shipping in Italy!
Bottom line here in Detroit is WHNE will be off the air for at least another week. We are exploring all avenues to find a way to get this part or another one made somewhere to replace it.
We will keep you updated here on Facebook as to when we have finished the install and are back on the air broadcasting on our new channel 3.
Up until now, WHNE has been on channel 14, but when we return to the air, we will be found on your television on our new channel 3.
Thanks for watching WHNE TV!

Sorry to hear about. I actually like some of their programming, but think they should drop a few of those channels and reallocate the bits to 14.10

[YpsiGuy]

NIce strong signal on all of these:

WJBK, WDIV, WXYZ, WMYD, WPXD, WKBD, WTVS and WWJ.

I'm good to go.

If I'm not in the rabbitears.info green zone of signal strength, I remove it from my channel lineup.

[szmigiel]

WADL is still on 39 and hasn't moved to 27 yet.
WHNE is down till they get the parts they need and that could be a month or more now. And I am not even sure I can get them even when they comeback on 3.
WUDT hasn't moved yet either, but I will just delete again when it does move.

[MWmetalhead]

I feel bad for WHNE; that is terrible news.

Of all the damn things that could go wrong...

Hopefully, their antenna manufacturer is able to source the component from somewhere else. Pretty much all commerce in Italy is shut down, and that includes sea ports and airports that handle freight. Operations at airports for passenger travel have been restricted (but not completely prohibited).

[Splouge]

Maybe WUDT isn't going to move, maybe then WHNE can go to VHF 8! Or maybe I'm just wishfully thinking

EDIT: They'd better move, or they'll have WNWO and WBSF on their WUDTail (I know, crappy pun)

As for WADL, stations above 36 don't have to vacate until a mobile carrier says they want that frequency. If a carrier around here claims 39, WADL will then have to move.

EDIT: WADL got an extension to phase 9

[SolarMax]

WDIV, its diginet subs and others, are still running their "Rescan your TV" PSAs. If you hadn't done it, you wouldn't be seeing it. Unless it's run for benefit of cable/sat viewers, who might not ever watch OTA.

[RingtailedFox]

I'm pretty sure WUDT and WADL are moving in the next repack phase... that should be by May 1st. I agree, though, i'd love to see WHNE apply for VHF 8 instead if WUDT wants to stay where they are (even if it ends up costing me WNWO from Toledo... a worthy sacrifice! )

[jimh]

Following the changeover, WDIV on 32 is lousy at my location, lots of dropout and tiling.
Perhaps they're on a side mount 32 Aux, until the top of tower ch 45 gets replaced.

Your supposition is correct. WDIV will be on their auxiliary antenna for Ch-32 for a while, which is side mounted on their tower on the north side, several hundred feet below the top of tower. They will replace the top mount Ch-45 antenna, and get the transmission line connected to a transfer switch for the new Ch-32 transmitter.

Where is your location?

[MWmetalhead]

Channels 7 and 62 are much improved at my house compared to their longtime prior DTV facilities!

Both come in with about 31 to 32 dBu strength, which my TV considers 100% strength. Channel 7's signal used to be fluttery, even though I live only five miles from Broadcast House.

62 was also fluttery when using their AUX antenna, and prior to that, was usually around 27 - 28 dBu on the signal meter.

Channels 31 and 50 seem to be weaker than normal:
- Channel 31 is coming in around 22 to 23 dBu whereas 50 is coming in around 24 dBu.
- WPXD is no stronger than WADL, which is located at least 10 miles farther away.
- WPXD is also no stronger than 15 kW WDWO, which broadcasts from the same tower that both WPXD and WKBD use along the Farmington Hills / Southfield border! (WDWO is only slightly weaker than WKBD right now.)

20 and 56 are both rock solid, at or above 30 dBu (95%+ strength).

All of the above results were using my cheap $10 unamplified GE set top antenna.

I live only about three miles from the WDIV tower, so even at reduced power from lower height, they come in like gangbusters.

One station hasn't been picked up on the last two dial scans is channel 19, WUDL. I don't miss them in the least.

[proxima3]

One station hasn't been picked up on the last two dial scans is channel 19, WUDL. I don't miss them in the least.

But they have Cheddar now!

It actually isn't a bad addition to the OTA lineup. Looks much more professional than NewsNet.

[MWmetalhead]

They didn't offer that channel the last time I tuned in. A step in the right direction, I suppose. Isn't Cheddar owned by Scripps? I'm surprised it isn't a WMYD subchannel.

[Splouge]

They didn't offer that channel the last time I tuned in. A step in the right direction, I suppose. Isn't Cheddar owned by Scripps? I'm surprised it isn't a WMYD subchannel.

No, Cheddar is owned by Altice. Scripps owns Newsy

[audiophile]

56 is MIA for me.

[MWmetalhead]

Thanks, Splouge. I confused the two.

I think channel 56 is broadcasting on STA facilities; more power (at least in some azimuths) from about 250 feet less height.

Their range should be very similar to that of channel 62 once the dust settles.

[jimh]

Channels 7 and 62....come in with about 31 to 32 dBu strength...

Usually a HDTV receiver shows signal to noise ratio(SNR) not signal field strength. You’d need a calibrated antenna to measure field strength.

The minimum SNR for solid reception is generally about 17 or 18 dB. The best SNR I have seen on any signals is about 31 to 32 dB. A SNR of 33 dB means the desired signal is 2,000-times stronger than the noise floor of the receiver. The laboratory test minimum SNR for HDTV reception is about 15 dB. More about this at

https://mibuzzboard.com/phpBB3/viewtopi ... ec#p557969