KOIN goes lights out... But for how long?

Submitted by Farwest on Thu, 03/29/2007 - 5:48pm.

I turned on the TV to catch the last few minutes of Leno and Letterman. When I clicked over to KOIN, their "Please Stand By" screen was up (or whatever you call it). I just know this ran from the end of Letterman to the beginning of The Late Late Show (just the little bit of time I had the TV on). Does anyone know what the problem was or how long it lasted?

I also had a side question about KATU. Occasionally during evening ABC Entertainment shows like Grey's Anatomy or such, the quality of the picture will become slightly static-like, sometimes even reaching a point where the KATU "Stand By" screen will pop up. I have Dish Network so I know the picture is supposed to be solid/clear. We are currently watching under standard definition. Does anyone get this problem or know why it happens. Thanks for the help.

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Submitted by Myhousemf on Thu, 03/29/2007 - 7:15pm.

I just got a tuner card for my computer and it supports ATSC and NTSC. I get most DT channels great, but KOIN and KGW (the ones I really want!!) don't work. KGW just shows up all greenish and jumbled.

When my software scanned for the channels, 2 KOIN DT channels showed up. 1 is like KGWs and the other comes in clear, but is jerky(my computer isn't the best but this doesn't happen with the others). Why does KOIN have 2? And the thing is, I was looking forward to watching them in Digital Widescreen, but it was no different than the analog channel....Can anyone technical savvy help me out?

The antenna I am currently using is my 2nd try. It is indoors. So, I guess my next option is to get an outdoor one. I just don't understand why KGW and KOIN won't work. Their towers are just as far or even closer than the others.

Is there a place I can go to find out what stations broadcast what? Like, I want to find out if the signal is HDTV, how many signal the station broadcasts...etc.

Thanks!

Submitted by Anonymous Source (not verified) on Thu, 03/29/2007 - 10:08pm.

I have an EyeTV and I pick up ALL of Portland's digital signals perfectly clearly.

Standard NTSC has fuzz in it depending on the antenna position. And yep, it's just rabbit ears I'm using.

Submitted by Anonymous Source (not verified) on Thu, 03/29/2007 - 8:33pm.

You won't find widescreen except in Prime Time for the most part. Go to engadgethd.com to get daily HD schedules.

Best indoor antenna I have found is a Radio Shack antenna that looks like a UFO. It lets you rotate it to provide the strongest signal. It made a huge difference for me.

Submitted by Myhousemf on Fri, 03/30/2007 - 12:18am.

Anonymous Source wrote:

Best indoor antenna I have found is a Radio Shack antenna that looks like a UFO. It lets you rotate it to provide the strongest signal. It made a huge difference for me.

That is the antenna I have....

KOIN's open says they are broadcasting in Digital Widescreen....and i'm not getting it...and KGW's HD signal doesn't come in either, nor does KRCW. The rest are perfect!

Submitted by Anonymous Source (not verified) on Fri, 03/30/2007 - 9:14am.

Myhousemf wrote:
Anonymous Source wrote:

Best indoor antenna I have found is a Radio Shack antenna that looks like a UFO. It lets you rotate it to provide the strongest signal. It made a huge difference for me.

That is the antenna I have....

KOIN's open says they are broadcasting in Digital Widescreen....and i'm not getting it...and KGW's HD signal doesn't come in either, nor does KRCW. The rest are perfect!


I live in the Rock Creek area near Hillsboro and the KOIN signal is the weakest of all. Put your antenna near a window and see if that helps. Don't forget to wait a few seconds after you rotate the antenna to allow the receiver to try to lock on the signal. It could also be that the receiver card you have is just not sensitive enough to pick up the signals you are missing. I use OPB as my reference signal as it is the strongest digital channel for me.

Your problem brings up what I consider to be the one of the problems with shutting off analog transmissions - lack of signal strength on the digital channels. People now receiving OTA signals in outlying areas will, in all probability, not be able to receive OTA digital. These are the same folks who don't have cable available and may not have a good sight line to satellites. They are going to be a might upset. $40 vouchers for digital receivers will do them no good.

Remember that KOIN is digital widescreen, not high definition.

Submitted by Myhousemf on Fri, 03/30/2007 - 11:27am.

OPB HD as your strongest? It doesn't com in here at all....I get the other sub channels fine though...I guess I'll have to try a rooftop antenna even though I thought an indoor would be fine enough.

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