11 MONTHS REMAINING UNTIL ANALOG TV SHUTOFF PHOTO by ROBERT GRANT WTWC-DT2 Seen by Jeff Rostron in MA
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Official Publication of the Worldwide TV-FM DX Association MARCH 2008 The Magazine for TV and FM DXers Picture submitted by Dave Williams 11 MONTHS REMAINING UNTIL ANALOG TV SHUTOFF PHOTO BY ROBERT GRANT WTWC-DT2 Seen by Jeff Rostron in MA All you wanted to know about GREAT LAKE TROPO! IS IN THIS ISSUE TV and FM DXing was never so interesting! 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, BRUCE HALL, KEITH McGINNIS AND MIKE BUGAJ. Editor and publisher: Mike Bugaj Treasurer: Keith McGinnis wtfda.org Webmaster: Tim McVey wtfda.info Site Administrator: Chris Cervantez Editorial Staff: Dave Williams, Jeff Kruszka, Keith McGinnis, Fred Nordquist, Nick Langan, Doug Smith, Peter Baskind, Bill Hale and John Zondlo, Our website: www.wtfda.org; Our forums: www.wtfda.info MARCH 2008 _______________________________________________________________________________________ CONTENTS Page Two 2 Mailbox 3 TV News…Doug Smith 4 Finally! For those of you online with an email FM News…Bill Hale 8 address, we now offer a quick, convenient and 2007 Financial Report …Keith McGinnis 20 secure way to join or renew your membership Photo News…Jeff Kruszka 22 in the WTFDA from our page at: WTFDA DX Contest Progress 23 Report: Insignia NS-DXA1Set Top Box 24 http://fmdx.usclargo.com/join.html Report: Magnavox TB100MW9 STB 25 Northern FM DX…Keith McGinnis 26 Dues are $25 if paid to our Paypal account. But Southern FM DX…John Zondlo 27 of course you can always renew by check or Eastern TV DX…Nick Langan 29 money order for the usual price of just $24. Western TV DX…Dave Williams 30 Either way, it’s still a bargain! 6 Meters…Peter Baskind 33 eVUD members please send $10 for Great Lakes Tropo Explained…Chris Kadlec 41 membership or renewal to [email protected]. FIND US FAST! WTFDA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mike Bugaj, use the WTFDA Mailing address listed below [email protected] Doug Smith, 1385 Old Clarksville Pike, Pleasant View, TN 37146-8098 [email protected] Greg Coniglio, 11825 Genesee St., Alden, NY 14004 [email protected] Bruce Hall, 5 Stirton Ave., Brantford, ON N3T 1E2 [email protected] Keith McGinnis, 18 Newbridge St., Hingham, MA 02043 [email protected] ******************************************************************************************************* THE MAILBOX and all general club correspondence: Mike Bugaj at WTFDA, PO Box 501, Somersville, CT 06072 [email protected] TV NEWS Doug Smith, 1389 Old Clarksville Pike, Pleasant View, TN 37146-8098 [email protected] FM NEWS Bill Hale, 6124 Roaring Springs Drive, N. Richland Hills, TX 76180 [email protected] PHOTO NEWS Jeff Kruszka, 1909 Lost Lake Pl., Pearland, TX 77581 [email protected] EASTERN TV DX Nick Langan, 1040 Riverview Dr., Florence, NJ 08516 [email protected] WESTERN TV DX Dave Williams, 3525 SW Timber Ave., Redmond, OR 97756 [email protected] SOUTHERN FM John Zondlo, 4009 Driftwood Cir., Yukon, OK 73099 [email protected] NORTHERN FM Keith McGinnis, 18 Newbridge St., Hingham, MA 02043 [email protected] TV and FM STATISTICS Fred Nordquist, 147 Travis Hill Road, Moncks Corner, SC [email protected] 6 METER/2 METER Peter Baskind, 3225 Forest Hill-Irene Rd, Germantown, TN 38138 [email protected] WEBSITE Tim McVey Webmaster http://www.wtfda.org [email protected] 2 P.O. Box 501, Somersville, CT USA 06072 MIKE BUGAJ [email protected] MORE WINTER E-SKIP! have before and I hope even more people use Paypal because it costs you nothing, Winter Es continued through the first half does the job in seconds and saves you 41¢ of February. Randy Zerr caught Es on the in postage. The minute you send it, we 3rd of February while a few DXers caught it th get it and post it. on the 5 covering an area from New England to the southland. Jeff Rostron saw WTWC-DT on ch2 (see the photo on the 250 cover) during an evening Es opening on the 248 th 9 , and Jeff and some others reported more 246 th Es on the 10 during the mid-day. 244 Jeff’s screenshot also appears on the 242 wtfda.org website. If you’ve never been 240 there, maybe you should take a look. We try 238 to keep it as up-to-date as possible. 236 234 232 SET-TOP BOXES 230 DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC The new DTV converter boxes began to appear in some stores around the first of February. Walmart was the first with the While we’re at it, here’s a graph of the Magnavox STB and Best Buy followed with club’s membership for the past three their Insignia brand box. Both boxes are months. Note that these figures were taken suitable for DTV DXing but the the Insignia on the 1st of the month, so figures around box has one or two features not available the middle of the month are higher. At least with the Magnavox. Check out the reviews we seem to be heading in the right direction! of these boxes here and on wtfda.org. MEANWHILE, BACK IN JANUARY MEMBERS AND MORE Al Radella asked about coat hanger This month we want to welcome Dr. Tim antennas and mentioned the AFL playoff Noonan to the WTFDA. Tim is well known game in San Diego. Bryan May saw it, midwest DXer and I think this is his first called me and gave me more information. venture into the WTFDA, so welcome Tim! What Al mentioned was the NFL/AFL World Also welcome back to Les Rayburn! Championship Game at the L.A. Coluseum. Great to see you back, Les! The game was not sold out, so it was Tim is in Wisconsin and Les is down blacked out in the Los Angeles area. Only there in Alabama. 62,000 out of 90,000 tickets were sold and it During the period from 1/18 to 2/11 we was broadcast on both CBS and NBC. I received renewals from Glen Hale (IN), hope I wrote all of this down correctly. Melvyn Larson (MN), Rod Thompson (CA), Wally Dickson (MA), Scott Hood DTV DISAPPOINTMENT (MA), Robert Steadman (WI), Jeff Rostron (MA), Barry Shinall (VA), John Zeis (PA), Here’s a short note received at deadline Charles Burnham (NY), William Higgs time from John Ridge in Brooklyn NY. John (CA), James Brown (VA), Joseph Kureth writes “I hope technology will advance to (MD), Paul Hansen (MA) and Richard make it easier to receive digital signals. My Porter (IL). Thanks everyone for your efforts locally and at a summer place at support of the club, especially the two of you Sturbridge, MA have been very who joined and renewed for three years! disappointing. I feel sorry for those That’s called really going out on a limb! dependant on antennas for their future Also, for your information, during this reception post the change-over.” (I think period we took in $177 in dues via Paypal everyone is Sturbridge has to have cable or and $348 in dues by check or money order. I they’ll receive snowy analog pictures at best. can see people using Paypal who never Sturbridge is fringe to every market. –Mike) 3 Douglas E. Smith TV 1389 Old Clarksville Pike Pleasant View, TN 37146-8098 News [email protected] http://www.w9wi.com March 2008 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 DC Converted to DTV PR Power change requested DCC Digital Companion Channel RA Returns to the air NS DCC Granted flash-cut to DTV QC Channel (frequency) change on the air DE License/permit deleted QG Channel change granted DR Requests flash-cut to DTV QR Channel change requested FC Programming (format) change RE Reinstated (previously-dismissed app.) FTP Failure to Prosecute ROA Request of Applicant GA Granted amendment (to table of channel SI Off the air (silent) allotments) LC License to Cover STA Special Temporary Authority MX Mutually Exclusive XC Transmitter site changed NDA Non-directional antenna XG Transmitter site change granted NS Permit granted for new station XR Transmitter site change requested News: (full-power analog stations in bold face; LPTV and translators in Christian Community regular type; full-power digital stations in bold italics; low-power Network digital stations in regular italics) California: Arroyo Grande 20 KSSY-LP PC>150kw, 34-54-37/ 120-11-09 Baker 62 NEW-LP AF dismissed U.S. Virgin Is. Banning 12 KMRZ-LD DR 300w, Christiansted 34 W34DO PR<7.5kw, 33-57-42/ 17-45-24/ 117-16-47 64-48-00 Barstow 14 NEW-LP AF dismissed Likely 5 K05ET-D DR 250w; DG Litchfield 26 K13RZ QR from ch. 13, 570w, 40-07-01/ 120-19-06 Litchfield 48 K48DI XG 40-07-01/ USA: 120-19-06 Alabama: Needles 28 NEW-LP AF dismissed Andalusia 40 W40BE PR>50kw dismissed Sacramento 35 KCRA-DT PR>579m, Dothan 21 WDHN-DT PG 1000kw/ 38-15-54/ 190m 121-29-24 Fayette 15 WSSF-LD XR 33-40-54/ Santa Rosa 40 KQRM-LP PR>11.25kw 87-49-24; CL from Watsonville 25 KQET PG>182kw/ Berry; reduce tower 699m, height 134m; XG; CL 36-45-23/ from Berry 121-30-05 (tower height & coordinates Alaska: correction only) Girdwood 7 KAKM-1 AF 55w, 60-57-12/ Colorado: 149-06-28, booster for Cripple Creek 5 K05MD-D DR>300w, Anchorage station 39-23-06/ 105-02-49; DG Arizona: Glenwood 44 K44DF PC>15kw, Flagstaff 17 K54GI QR from ch.