Does anyone use an antenna in Lehigh Valley (Philadelphia, Scranton: purchase, bankrupt)

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by johnp292

The mountains are a TV killer. There's a reason why cable TV was invented not too far from the Lehigh Valley.

I drew a line and an elevation profile on Google Earth, and I discovered it was not Bauer Rock on South Mountain (Elevation: 1042 ft) where the WLVT and WFMZ towers are located.

My problem is Flint Hill (Elevation: 1005 ft ) just East of Coopersburg. It is directly in the path to Philadelphia broadcast towers.

[QuietGirl]

I live just south of South Mountain, with a rooftop antenna. Right now mice may have chewed the wiring so we are limited, but usually we get 3, 6, 10, 12, 17, 28, 35?, 39, 60, 69. (there might be a couple more, but I have to fix the wires.) Years ago we had cable, but dropped it and went back to the antenna. Free tv is great.

[PacoMartin]

In 2005, WFMZ formed a broadcast partnership with Philadelphia's ABC owned-and-operated station WPVI-TV (channel 6) that allows the two stations to cooperate in newsgathering for local stories.

Starting tomorrow, WFMZ will lose, Me-TV to KJWP (channel 2) in Philadelphia.

It would be nice if WFMZ were to rebroadcast the ABC channel from WPVI. More people could get ABC on antenna service.

[julian17033]

Paco,

I have called Me-TV with the phone number listed on the on air announcements but it always goes to voice mail with no one returning calls.

I called RCN yesterday evening and the rep who assisted me was nice but had no idea what was going on so he pretty much quoted me verbatim what is listed on ME-TV's website.

I've also used the contact information page on ME-TV's website since no one is returning calls but after approx. seven hours I have yet to receive a reply.

I am a big fan of ME-TV's lineup and it angers me that I will no longer be receiving it.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by julian17033

I am a big fan of ME-TV's lineup and it angers me that I will no longer be receiving it.

KJWP is going to be the local ME-TV station starting tomorrow.

KJWP, channel 2, is a television station in Wilmington, Delaware, serving as the Me-TV affiliate for Philadelphia. The station is owned by PMCM TV, LLC. Its transmitter is located at the antenna farm in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia.

Wikipedia says that "In the months preceding the official launch, KJWP was added to Philadelphia-market cable systems through must-carry." But I don't see it on the RCN channel lineup for either Lehigh Valley or Philadelphia.

It may stay on RCN channel 25, and this change will only affect over the air.

Memorable Entertainment Show lineup (if unfamiliar with the network)
Adam-12
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Batman
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Big Valley
The Bob Newhart Show
Bonanza
The Brady Bunch
Cannon
Car 54, Where Are You?
Columbo
Combat!
Daniel Boone
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Donna Reed Show
Dragnet
Emergency
F Troop
Family Affair
The Fugitive
Get Smart
Gilligan's Island
Green Screen Adventures
Gunsmoke
H.R. Pufnstuf
Hawaii Five-O
Hogan's Heroes
The Honeymooners
I Love Lucy
Ironside
Kojak
Land of the Lost
Leave It to Beaver
Lost in Space
The Love Boat
M*A*S*H
Make Room for Daddy
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Mr. Lucky
My Three Sons
Naked City
Night Gallery
Perry Mason
Peter Gunn
Petticoat Junction
The Phil Silvers Show
Rawhide
The Rebel
Remington Steele
Rhoda
The Rifleman
The Rockford Files
Route 66
The Saint
Star Trek
The Streets of San Francisco
Svengoolie
Taxi
Thriller
12 O'Clock High
The Twilight Zone
The Untouchables
Wagon Train
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Wonder Woman

[julian17033]

Sadly Paco this is not the case.
After I posted here I called RCN again to ask about this, after what they told me, as of yet RCN had not planned for the switch over.

Right now on RCN channel 25 where ME-TV was is now a simulcast 69 News Accuweather channel.
Both Service Electric and Verizon Fios have made corrections to their lineup. I told RCN if there is no set date to again provide ME-TV I will be forced to leave.

With us subscribing to their premium package, premium movie channels , five cable box's plus internet it is a healthy revenue loss for them.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by julian17033

With us subscribing to their premium package, premium movie channels , five cable box's plus internet it is a healthy revenue loss for them.

Simple TV
SimpleTV only works with antenna channels (not cable).

I posted this issue under frugal living, and a former Lehigh Valley resident living in Atlanta hooked up his Simple TV box which he bought for $100 and as a test sent his antenna channels from Atlanta to my Roku box. It worked fine, and was easy to setup.

If you have a friend or a relative in an urban area who would do that for you, you could get your MeTV. At the same time you may be tempted to get rid of that expensive setup. You are paying a lot of money if you are so enamored with TV series that are 30-60 years old.

[Bruce Rosenberger]

We recently dropped our cable in favor of an antenna. I live in Hellertown and bought a cheap ($33) antenna which claims 100 (or was it 150?) miles. I doubted it then and still do, but luckily, the antennas from Philly are only 40+ miles away. We receive 3.1 and 3.2, 10.1 and 10.2, 17.1 - 17.4, 29.1 - 29.3, 35.1 and several sub channels (not at home right now), 39's, several channels in the 35 family, 60's, 61.1 and a couple sub channels, and the 69's. HSN and QVC channels are in there somewhere).

Currently I have the antenna mounted outside an attic window but plant to mount higher so that I can use the built in rotor (has built in amplifier too!) to check out the Scranton channels. I can tell you that one day I had the antenna pointed a little bit SW and we were getting channel 28, but it was an overcast day, and signals seem better on those days.

You'd laugh if you saw my current antenna set up as I have it mounted to a board that hangs out the window, but it works reasonably well. I was online here looking for others who had tried and what their experiences were and found this forum. Looking forward to hearing from others.

As for the antenna, it was an Esky HG-981. I got it from a large mail order company but don't want to sound like I'm advertising for them! But if you search, you can easily find different options. As for checking what channels you can get, I got most of my info from tvfool.com

Reception is better some days than others, but I assume once I mount the antenna above roof level, it will get better. If nothing else, it's fun to experiment as well as brag about my $140 a month savings over cable.

I'm hoping that when I get it mounted higher, we'll also get 2.1 so I can watch ME-TV, but 17.2 has a good lineup of old shows, as do some of the other stations. The only channel I really miss is TCM!

Bruce

Originally Posted by PacoMartin

Increasing cable bills have renewed my interest in antenna TV. The FCC prediction for my address does not look promising. I have no trouble getting the three local stations with a $5 antenna. The prediction for the Scranton signal says "weak signal", but I am not sure if I want to spend hundreds of dollars on an antenna on a possibility.

FCC Digital TV signal
Strong Signal WBPH IND 60-1 Hi-V (-19 dBm)
Strong Signal WLVT PBS 39-1 UHF (-33 dBm)
Strong Signal WFMZ IND 69-1 UHF (-34 dBm)
Weak Signal WPVI ABC 6-1 Lo-V - Philadelphia (-78 dBm)
Weak Signal WBRE NBC 28-1 Hi-V - Scranton (-81 dBm)
Weak Signal WYOU CBS 22-1 Hi-V - Scranton (-82 dBm)
Weak Signal WNEP ABC 16-1 UHF - Scranton (-84 dBm)
Weak Signal WVIA PBS 44-1 UHF - Scranton (-85 dBm)
Weak Signal WOLF FOX 56-1 UHF - Scranton (-86 dBm)
No Signal KYW CBS 3-1 UHF (-90 dBm)
No Signal WPHL MYTV 17-1 UHF
No Signal WCAU NBC 10-1 UHF
No Signal WHYY PBS 12-1 Hi-V
No Signal WUVP UNIVISION 65-1 UHF
No Signal WGAL NBC 8-1 Hi-V
No Signal WYBE ETV 35-1 UHF
No Signal WPPX ION 61-1 UHF
No Signal WNJT PBS 52-1 UHF

If you anyone is getting stations in the -75 dBm to -90 dBm range can you suggest a model antenna and tell me how you have it mounted.

Thank you

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by Bruce Rosenberger

Reception is better some days than others, but I assume once I mount the antenna above roof level, it will get better. If nothing else, it's fun to experiment as well as brag about my $140 a month savings over cable.

I'm hoping that when I get it mounted higher, we'll also get 2.1 so I can watch ME-TV, but 17.2 has a good lineup of old shows, as do some of the other stations. The only channel I really miss is TCM!

See Flint Hill is about a mile across the Northampton county line in Lehigh county (near Bucks county line). So as you move west you get away from the Summit of Flint Hill. You also gain a 100' in land elevation if you move from route 412 to Reservoir Rd.

I am surprised you didn't mention ABC (channel 6) as they have the highest antenna and most powerful transmitter in Philadelphia.

I would be curious what readings you get from TVfool for WPVI using your address. I am betting they are much better than mine.
WPVI (6.1) -81.9dBm, 2Edge, 42.9 miles

I hear good things about WB Archive. Roku streaming sticks should be released soon for $50 if you don't have one.

Warner Bros Launches Streaming Service For Old Movies And TV Shows
By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Financial Editor | Wednesday April 3, 2013 @ 10:56am

The studio quietly launched WB Archive Instant. According to the website, it enables subscribers who pay $9.99 a month opportunities to watch what the company calls “rare and hard-to-find” content. The moldy oldie movies include The Americanization Of Emily, A Face In The Crowd, Freebie And The Bean, and Black Legion. TV shows include The Adventures Of Superman, 77 Sunset Strip, and Cheyenne. New users can try the Warner Bros service two weeks for free. But for now it’s just available on PCs and Macs — no mobile devices — and televisions connected to a Roku box. Only the Roku can handle HD streams.
Reference

[Bruce Rosenberger]

I can't figure out why, but I don't get even a hint of channel 6! Nor have ever seen a sign of channel 2, which is supposed to be easy for me to pick up, with even an attic antenna, but no sign of it!
I was going to post a screen shot of my TV Fool results but I can't figure out how...