HD Signal Strength

[wooget]

Why is KSTU's HD signal strength sow low?
I receive all the stations HD off air in Orem, and channel 13's HD and SD for that matter are not strong at all. In fact whenever there is any heavy cloud cover on the on the Oaker Mountains, it is unwatchable.

I know this has probably already been touched on at some point, but I must not have seen it.

[JamesAnderson]

I've noticed that when new CPs are issued for paired digital channels, that the ERPs are sometimes at somewhat less than the analog on the same channel (varies between low VHF/high VHF/UHF) usually similar for both video and audo as the audio on the ERP for the analog.

So if you have a 316Kw analog channel on a VHF, and the digital pair is on a U, then the digital pair can have up to 500Kw.

But 13 is an interesting animal. When the station was alotted, and by the way the original allotment went to West Valley City, and they moved it to SLC and I never saw the change of the allotment, they had to originally protect another 13 in Rock Springs WY by reducing power.

This is known as a 'drop-in' allotment. A large scale case occurred in the late 80s to give New Jersey a number of commercial TV allotments, as all they had generally were noncommercials, all the rest were NYC or Philly stations. Usually these were dropped in buth with limitations on power, were given alot of plus or minus offsets, and I think the 13 in Rock Springs is 13+, and the one here may be 13-.

So that could explain why the digital pair for 13 might be weaker.

Also, for translators/LPTVs and CAs, there are alot of them filing for digital flash-cuts, so the analogs will be switched off on some of them, like the one in Juab County. That's the only one so far in Utah, but they are going to give every TV translator, and LP/CA station either a digital paired channel also, or a flash-cut authorization.

[x]

From up near Ogden, 13 has always been one of the strongest stations I could get period. 7 is the other one. 9 and 11 to a lesser extent. The Low V's are noticeably weaker.

Oh, and the only full-power VHF stations in New Jersey were there long before the late 80's, and both transmit from New York City anyway.

[JamesAnderson]

I'm wondering if 7, 11, and 13 are using some sort of directional array. Especially 13 given the other 13 in Rock Springs.

it's the two NYC area stations that were licensed to NJ that because of them mainly servicing NYC, they decided to 'drop in' more commercial TV allotments there. WRBV Vineland was the first, they are now known by different calls. About half a dozen commercial allotments were made in an aggregated proceeding in the mid 80s.

[x]

Even WUVP (ex-WRBV) doesn't even transmit from New Jersey anymore. The stick is right in downtown Philly. I think it used to be near the coast over by Atlantic City, but nobody was paying attention to it back then. Most of those UHF drop in's aren't paid much attention.