NBC has filed a displacement application with the FCC, asking them for permission to move WTVJ’s low-power repeater which is still operating from analog channel 58 to analog 51.
According to the application analog 58 was sold and can’t be used, NBC still has analog 51 which has been freed up since WSCV-Telemundo (NBC-owned)moved to digital.
I guess analog lives for a few more
From what I understand, analog low power TV is still very much alive and well. WTVJ is the only major station still available on analog in the area, albeit at a reduced power.
I thought after June 12 all stations could only broadcast on digital only. Am I missing something here?
digital transition is only for full-power transmitters and stations. Low-power will transition too, I don’t think there’s a set date for them though.
WSVN also has a repeater for the keys, not sure what’s up with it but it’s probably changed to digital I imagine.
WTVJ-analog should bode well in case of hurricane for anyone who didn’t or couldn’t shell out 2-3 benjamins for a new portable TV
Any PSA that said that ALL television stations would be digital-only by June 12th was wrong. Unless there was a disclaimer or other mention that the switch only affected full-power stations and not low-power ones, of course.
http://www.LPTVAnswers.com should provide us with enough information about that sort of thing…which probably won’t be for a few years.
In the WPB market, for those who don’t know it already, WTCN-CA 43 (MNTV) and WWHB-CA 48 (Azteca) were not affected by the June 12th switch. However, viewers who can receive WTVX 34 through an antenna can also get both stations through WTVX’s digital subchannels.
Hell…I got a 7 inch port color digital TV ( ac-dc & car adapter) for $99 at CVS during a sale….It works great! I’m ready for the hurricane !
While on this topic, Four Points Media should file to get WTCN in West Palm Beach its own digital transmitter. Having it on a sub channel is stupid and the easy cheap way out.
Beware that most if not all portable DTV sets run off rechargable batteries that cannot be recharged via the included car adapters and will only operate for about 110 minutes per charge.
Along with the WTVJ translator displacement application, a whole slew of other entities have applied to the FCC to set up new low power stations in Miami on the channels recently vacated by the analog shutdown.
Here in central Palm Beach I can get a watchable picture from the flea-powered analog ch. 58 but I can NOT get ch. 7 and ch. 10 in digital. WSVN and WPLG should think about ditching their expensive and so far unsuccessful VHF digital TV science experiment and secure UHF channels for themselves while they are still available.
Antenna Man,
It is my understanding from web research as well as local transmitter engineer folklore that UHF propogates better in the Florida peninsula than in most other parts of North America. Miami VHF DTVs are not alone in failed attempts to replicate old NTSC coverage contours. WPTV-DT, which just relocated to channel 12 after the transition, and WPEC-DT on channel 13 both have coverage issues if you look at the responses to OTA viewers at avsforum.com . Impulse noise is a big factor, even on highband VHF. At least their transmitter power bills are lower. That’s why WPTV moved from 55 to 12. I think management views OTA more as a means of getting into cable and satellite provider headends than actually getting into far flung households directly. And what choice do they have, really?