(WIVT-DT Specific) DTV Reception FAQ's

Is WIVT broadcasting DTV over the air yet?
WIVT TV began DTV transmission on June 16th, 2003. Our temporary digital channel assigned to us by the FCC is located on VHF digital channel 4 specifically (67.25 - 71.75 MHz); this is a low band VHF channel which falls below the FM band of (87.5 - 108 MHz). We are transmitting on it continually at the full 1.5 kW power level assigned to us by the FCC for this temporary frequency. PSIP mandates will re-map home digital receivers to our branded analog channel thus it will appear to over the air viewers as 34-1 once locked in on a receiver even though we're transmitting on channel 4.

How come I can receive the other local channels DTV signals but not yours?
All the other digital stations in the Binghamton Area have frequencies in the upper VHF bands (175.25 - 215.75 MHz) and UHF bands (512 - 698 MHz). This is why reception of them is much easier than for our channel and they can be picked up with smaller antennas.

What type of antenna do I need?
Reliable reception for all television frequencies used in the Binghamton Area which include low band VHF, upper band VHF and UHF band generally requires a conventional looking directional VHF/UHF antenna on the roof. One with a long VHF dipole and having excellent front to back ratio pointed at our tower located on Ingraham Hill in the Town of Binghamton, NY. The long dipole is necessary because the wavelengths at low band VHF frequencies are substantially longer than for upper band VHF and UHF.

In most cases a rooftop directional antenna designed by its manufacturer for all the actual frequencies available in a given viewing area will provide excellent reception when pointed in the direction of desired transmitters. A couple of factors for selecting antenna size include viewer household distance from transmitter and surrounding terrain. Medium directional antennas are fine for most residential addresses close to the transmitter. Large directional antennas are needed for further distant addresses. Deep fringe addresses may also need a pre-amplifier mounted on a large directional antenna. Using a larger antenna than required can overdrive your receiver causing an unwatchable picture. Amplifiers if installed when not necessary will cause even greater reception problems. Some difficult locations may find that a separate VHF antenna along with a separate UHF antenna each optimized for the desired channel bands may be necessary.

Omni-directional antennas will by their design also pick up delayed and multiple reflections of the desired target signal especially bad in the Binghamton Area's rolling hills. These reflections will present reception problems for both analog and digital television broadcasts. In the case of digital these signal reflections will reduce desired signal gain and can null out certain frequencies that are at threshold levels. In analog the signal reflections will produce multiple or ghost images of the signal visible on the screen.

What about indoor antennas?
Overall, indoor antenna use for low band VHF is not reliable due to factors of building attenuation, lower elevation and signal noise. Indoor antennas have an average gain of - 1.1 dB, which is actually a loss about 10 dB below the FCC's calculated baseline, which assumes households will be using an outdoor rooftop antenna. Indoors low band VHF frequencies can have an even greater degree of loss with a gain of only around -4.4 dB. With indoor antennas sensitive low band VHF frequencies are susceptible to electrical and impulse noise from within houses and an amplified antenna indoors is amplifying this electrical noise.

What if I still can't pick up WIVTs DTV signal after following the reception guidelines?
If attempts to pick up our temporary digital signal are unsuccessful please be aware that in April of 2009, we are planning to move our digital signal to a permanent digital channel 34 which is UHF where it will also be operating at significantly higher power. This move occurs after the analog shutoff date which is February 2009 as mandated by the FCC.

Which Converter box is best for me?
People have different feature preferences, here is a link comparing features of Coupon Eligible Converter Boxes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_CECB_units

Please note:
The Channel Master CM-7000 has been found to be problematic.
The Zenith DTT900, Zenith DTT901, and Artec T3A Pro were proven reliable in our area.

Use this link to help with pointing a unidirectional antenna from your address.
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx
Here is link for a Winegard HD7210P, which is a great antenna (medium directional UHF/VHF with excellent front to back ratio) for all Greater Binghamton Area's if you fall in the yellow, green, lt. green or red reception zones as determined from the above link.
http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=ANWGHST

For even more information, visit the following website.
http://www.dtvanswers.com