DECEMBER 2014 The Magazine for TV and FM DXers Jeff's Antennas Macomb, IL Jeff Kadet (K1MOD) A Truly Dedicated DXer 1947 - 2014 IN THE TOP TIER OF TV DXERS: LOGGED 682 DTVs AND THOUSANDS OF ANALOGS FROM AS FAR AS 8,750 MILES wtfda.org HIS WEBSITE IS STILL UP AT OLDTVGUIDES.COM THE WORLDWIDE TV-FM DX ASSOCIATION Serving the UHF-VHF Enthusiast THE VHF-UHF DIGEST IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WORLDWIDE TV-FM DX ASSOCIATION DEDICATED TO THE OBSERVATION AND STUDY OF THE PROPAGATION OF LONG DISTANCE TELEVISION AND FM BROADCASTING SIGNALS AT VHF AND UHF. WTFDA IS GOVERNED BY A BOARD OF DIRECTORS: DOUG SMITH, GREG CONIGLIO, KEITH McGINNIS AND MIKE BUGAJ. Editor and publisher: Ryan Grabow Treasurer: Keith McGinnis wtfda.org Webmaster: Tim McVey Forum Site Administrator: Chris Cervantez Editorial Staff: Jeff Kruszka, Keith McGinnis, Fred Nordquist, Nick Langan, Doug Smith, Bill Hale, John Zondlo and Mike Bugaj Website: www.wtfda.org; Forums: http://forums.wtfda.org _______________________________________________________________________________________ DECEMBER 2014 WHAT A MONTH! MEMBERS AND MORE What a month, indeed! Cold temperatures During the period from Oct 19th through Nov descended from the north covering much of 19th we received renewals from Steve Solomon North America. Areas to the south and east of (MA), Rich McVicar (NY), Steve Branch (IL), the city of Buffalo got hit with up to five feet of Bryce Foster (TN), Bill Mitchell (OH), Greg snow in a two day lake effect event while other Coniglio (NY), Jacob Norlund (MN), Adam areas of town received almost nothing. Then a Rivers (CT) and Bill Nollman (CT). Thank you few short days later much of it disappeared all for your support of the club! due to temperatures rising to the 60s! Veteran TV Dxer Roy Barstow reported on MORE MEXICAN SHUT-OFF INFO the WTFDA email list that “Since TV DXing was started when age 14 (60 yrs. of DXing ) Posted on the WTFDA Forums by forum this season still the worst I can remember.” member Raymie: You can find a few November Es and tropo loggings from our Bulletin Board elsewhere in “So what does it take to conduct an analog this issue. shutoff in an area under new policy? SAD NEWS There is no established date except the national deadline of December 31, 2015, when For those that don’t know, all analog transmissions will cease. we’re sad to report the passing of veteran TV DXer However, an analog shutoff can be done Jeff Kadet. Jeff passed away ahead of time in an area given that these two on the evening of November conditions are met: 22nd from septic shock. He was 67 years old. #1. Digital transmissions must be already Frank Merrill posted the news on the operating. (I suspect that there will also be WTFDA Forums (http://forums.wtfda.org) and cases where cities like Chihuahua, Chih. will the news was also posted on the WTFDA not go until the final day because Azteca has Facebook Page not built its digital facilities there.) www.facebook.com/groups/wtfda/ (aka TV and FM DXing) where tributes poured in from other #2. 90% of low-resource homes—under the WTFDA members. definition of SEDESOL (state welfare A service is planned for December 1st at agency)—can receive digital broadcasts. (This 1pm in McComb, IL. Please see Jeff’s is verified using a field survey.) Facebook page for more info. He left much too soon and he will be Once these conditions exist, the IFT will set missed by more people than he ever realized. the date (which will be a working day), which must be at least 4 weeks after notice is served DECEMBER 2014 ··· 2 ··· THE MAILBOX to the stations. From that date, regular SET TOP BOX TIME-OUT ISSUE SOLVED! advisories will be made on the stations, and at peak hours stations will be obligated to run two Mike Glass has figured out a way to keep warnings an hour. your Zenith/Insignia set top box from timing I do not expect any shutoffs from April to out… June 2015. Mexico has midterm elections. You “I have used the Zenith DTT900/901 STB may recall that Tijuana's transition got since 2008. It is a great DX tuner, especially entangled in ongoing elections at the time and the manual tuning feature. However, like most ultimately had to be pushed back until after the devices all menu options will time out if you let election. It's also worth noting (and, given it sit too long without pushing a remote button. Mexican politics, more than probable) that a lot The Zenith will go 60 seconds, which is not of TV distributions are being brought closer to bad, but it still would time out unexpectedly the midterm elections for political reasons. during a DX event. I discovered that if you (Getting a 24/26" TV from the government periodically pushed the RIGHT or SIGNAL probably encourages more people to vote for button on the remote it would restart the timer the establishment, you think?) The policy without losing anything. This helped but I still allows the IFT to take elections into account. would forget or get distracted. I began to Industry people are estimating January for wonder if there was an easy way to Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa and Matamoros and automatically push a remote button every 50 March for Monterrey. seconds or so to accomplish this. Well, I finally found a solution. I bought a SDRs low cost ($50) device that would learn remote codes and send them back out on a timer. The I think it’s a given that software defined device I purchased was a USB-UIRT radios, better known as SDRs, are the future of (www.usbuirt.com) and I control it with a free DXing. The performance of these radios can program called EventGhost. Long story short I equal or surpass that of conventional receivers set it up to send out the remote code for the for a fraction of the cost. SIGNAL button every 50 seconds. It works For FM DXing, the leader of the pack is the fantastically! I can tune up and down the dial or Elad FDMS2. This radio had good sensitivity just leave it on a channel without it timing out. from 88-108mhz and is supported by it’s own To stop it I can block the IR device or shut native software and SDR Console. down the program. Also, one unit can control Right behind the FDMS2 we find the RSP any STB in its sight, so you can have several (radio spectrum processor) from a company in tuners locked into the manual tune mode at the the UK called SDRPlay. This radio is supported same time. by SDR Sharp (SDR#) and SDR Console. If anyone is interested I would be glad to Rather than duplicate the review of SDRPlay in help them set this up. I'm sure it would work the VUD, I invite you to look at my review on with the Insignia STB as well as the Zenith. I the WTFDA Website (www.wtfda.org). It’s easy would bet it could be done with most tuners to find on the main page and is chock full of that have a remote. information. END OF THE MAILBOX? As you’ve read, Ryan has some changes coming beginning in January and I’ve been thinking about the Mailbox. I think the word “Mailbox” is becoming dated. I get very little mail at PO Box 501 these days. Many of your renewals come in via Paypal now and only one or two trips to the post office in Somersville a week is all I need. So I’m looking to possibly change the column name beginning in January. I think I could have a replacement title but if YOU can think of a better name for this column please email me. If you can think of something really, really One more new SDR is now being offered. good and I use it, you get a free years It’s called Airspy and is the least expensive of membership. Did I say Free? Sure did! the three ($199). At least one WTFDA member has purchased one. When we get a review on Have a great holiday season and we will this SDR we’ll either put it here or give you the see you again around the first of January. link to the article. -Mike These are exciting times for FM Dxers! DECEMBER 2014 ··· 3 ··· THE MAILBOX Douglas E. Smith TV 1389 Old Clarksville Pike Pleasant View, TN 37146-8098 News [email protected] http://www.w9wi.com December 2014 Abbreviations: AF Applied For (a new station) NW New station on the air Aux Auxiliary (backup) transmitter PA Proposed Amendment CC Callsign change PC Power (and/or tower height) change on the air CL City-of-license change PG Power change granted CX Canceled PR Power change requested DC Converted to DTV RA Returns to the air DCC Digital Companion Channel QC Channel (?frequency??) change on the air NS Granted flash-cut to DTV QG Channel change granted DCC DE License/permit deleted QR Channel change requested DR Requests flash-cut to DTV RE Reinstated (previously-dismissed app.) FC Programming (?format??) change ROA Request of Applicant FTP Failure to Prosecute SI Off the air (?silent??) GA Granted amendment (to table of channel STA Special Temporary Authority allotments) LC License to Cover XC Transmitter site changed MX Mutually Exclusive XG Transmitter site change granted NDA Non-directional antenna XR Transmitter site change requested NS Permit granted for new station lpdtv Low Power Digital TV DG Granted conversion to DTV DRT Digital Replacement Translator News: (full-power analog stations in bold face; LPTV and Anaktuvuk Pass 9 K09RS DG translators in regular type; full-power analog stations in Anchorage 2 KZVT-LD QG from 51, 300w bold italics; low-power analog stations in regular italics) Anchorage 41 K41DP DC 15kw Anchorage 45 K45HQ DC 600w, 61-09-42/ 149-51-09 Angoon 7 K07SS DG Anvik 7 K07RE DG CANADA Atka 4 K04LJ DR Atkasuk 9 K09TZ DR Atmautluak 12 K12NP DR Aniak 11 K11QN DR Arctic Village 9 K09RV DG Atka 4 K04LJ DG Atkasuk 9 K09TZ DG Quebec Atmautluak 12 K12NP DG Rimouski