70°

Fair

Have you lost channel 6?

How to get channel 6 back:

KFDM changed our antenna and transmitter on April 7th, 2011. This was done in order to improve our signal. We are now transmitting a more powerful signal than before. The problem you have is caused by the fact that we had to change our TV channel in order to increase our power. Your converter box or digital TV set is still looking for us on our old channel (21); you need to have it find us on our new channel (25). Different manufacturers use different names for this procedure, but "rescan", "channel search", "auto scan" and "Scan for channels" seem to be the most popular.

The 'rescan' function (or whatever your digital converter box or digital TV set happens to call it) can usually be found by pressing the "setup" or "menu" button on the remote control (you will have either a "menu" button or a "setup" button on your remote, but not both). There are many different digital converter boxes and digital TV's out there, so I can't tell you exactly where to find the rescan function on your particular converter box or TV. If you see either "channels", "antenna", "setup", "configure", or "tools" on the screen after pressing the menu or setup button, there is a good possibility that rescan is under one of these.

If completion of the rescan function results in two channel 6.1's and 6.2's, one of which that does not show anything, then you have our old channel 21 stations (6.1 & 6.2) as well as our new channel 25 stations (6.1 & 6.2). To delete the inoperative stations, you will need to perform the "double rescan" procedure below.

If the rescan function resulted in only one set of stations (6.1 and 6.2), but neither show anything, then this means that your converter box or TV set does not allow two channels (21 and 25) to be assigned to the same station number set (6.1 and 6.2). Performing the double rescan procedure will fix this problem as well.

The "Double Rescan" procedure:

(1) Disconnect the antenna from your digital converter box (or digital TV set). Perform a rescan. You should now have no TV stations listed.
(2) Reconnect the antenna to your digital converter box (or digital TV set). Perform a rescan. You should now have all TV stations with one set of working channels 6.1 and 6.2.

Why this happened:

KFDM-TV had been operating at a reduced power level on our digital signal since the demise of analog television broadcasting (June 12, 2009). This was due to a channel conflict with TV station KLTL in Lake Charles.

We received authorization from the FCC to change from channel 21 to channel 25. This allows us to use an "Omni" antenna (the signal goes in all directions equally), and we increased our power level. This means is that everyone will be receiving a stronger signal, especially those living to the east in the Orange area as well as everyone in Louisiana.

In order to accomplish this, we removed our old analog antenna from the top of the tower and replaced it with a new channel 25 antenna. We have also installed a new, more powerful transmitter.

When the antenna was installed on April 7th, we were off the air for a few hours. When we returned, we were broadcasting with our new transmitter on channel 25; we are no longer on channel 21.

What makes digital television reception so difficult?

May, 2011 Richard Kihn, KFDM

(1) The Digital cliff

Back in the days of analog broadcasting, when you had a weak TV signal, your television could still display a picture. It was probably full of noise and "snow", but there was a picture. This allowed you to rotate the antenna until the picture cleared up. This is not true with digital TV.

The major problem with digital television reception manifests itself with a phenomenon known as "the digital cliff". A digital picture is either perfect or it is not there at all. There is no "snowy" picture to let you know that the signal level is low. If a digital signal is weak, your TV set or converter box may not display a watchable picture. Instead, it displays a picture that freezes, stutters, or turns into a bunch of colored blobs, or simply vanishes and is replaced with a "weak or no signal" message.

This becomes a real problem when you connect your digital television (or converter box) for the first time. If your antenna is not pointed in the correct direction the first time your digital converter box or digital TV set looks for any active TV channels, you may not pick up all of the local stations (KBTV-4, KFDM-6, KBMT-12, and KITU-34).

The first time you turn on your digital converter box or digital TV set, it will go through a process that includes "scan for channels". Your digital converter box or digital TV set looks at every TV channel searching for a digital signal. When it gets to TV channel 12, it will find KBMT channels 12 dot 1 (12.1) and 12 dot 2 (12.2). When it gets to TV channel 25, it will find KFDM channels 6 dot 1 (6.1) and 6 dot 2 (6.2). It continues the search until it finds all 5 channels of KITU on channel 33, and last, it will find KBTV on channel 40. It may find other channels such as 12.3, 12.4, 29.1, and 29.2 depending upon where you live and exactly where your antenna is pointing.

When your digital converter box or digital TV set finds an active channel during the "scan for channels" procedure (channel 25 in the case of KFDM), it reads a little bit of the digital data and then tells you that you are watching channel 6.1 although you are actually tuned to TV channel 25. This renumbering of the channels is called "virtual channel numbers".

After your converter box or digital TV set finds us on channel 25, you can punch in 6.1 or 6.2 to watch my station. But this is only true AFTER your digital converter box or TV set has found that 6.1 and 6.2 are actually on TV channel 25. Until your converter box or digital TV set finds us on channel 25, punching in 6 dot 1 (6.1) tells it to look for a digital signal on TV channel 6; but we are not there.

(2) Virtual channel numbers

When local digital broadcasting began in 2002, every station was assigned a new TV channel to use for their digital signal. This was done because it is not possible to broadcast an analog and a digital signal on the same channel at the same time.

Channel 6 (KFDM) was given channel 21, channel 4 (KBTV) got channel 40, channel 12 (KBMT) got channel 50, and channel 34 (KITU) got channel 33 for their digital station. This means that although your television set told you that you were watching channel 6, you were actually tuned to TV channel 21. This swapping of channel numbers is called "virtual channels".

At the end of analog broadcasting, KBMT changed their digital channel from 50 back to channel 12. Recently (April, 2011) KFDM-TV changed our broadcast TV channel from 21 to channel 25. But once you pick up our signal, your TV set or digital converter box will still tell you that you are watching channel 6.1.

Virtual channel numbering was instituted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and was supposed to make your life easier. Instead of having to start calling ourselves channel 21 (and then start calling ourselves channel 25 in April of 2011), we would retain our "traditional" channel 6 name. This kept viewers from having to remember a new set of TV station numbers. And since the converter box (or digital TV set) would scan for the channels and call them by their "traditional name", you did not need to know that I am actually on channel 25 instead of channel 6. This is a great idea, except for two things:

(1) People did not know that they needed a UHF antenna in order to pick up my signal.
(2) When the converter box/TV set failed to pick us up, no one knew to punch in "25 dot/dash 1" to find my signal. Nor did anyone know that punching in "6 dot/dash 1" was a waste of time. The use of a "Dot" or a "Dash" in the channel name depends upon your particular remote control; some have a dot; some have a dash.

(3) The antenna

Many people have VHF antennas because that is all anyone needed to pick up analog channels 4, 6, and 12. But now that most digital stations are on UHF channels, you really should have a UHF/VHF antenna in order to pick up all the stations.

The receiving antenna system is the cause of most reception problems. Regardless of how good your TV set or converter box is, it can not make a picture unless it is supplied with a reliable signal. With very few exceptions, if you can not pick up a digital signal, the antenna system is the most likely cause of the problem. But this does not mean that the antenna is bad and needs replacement, maybe it just needs adjusting.

Note that an antenna system consists of more than just the antenna. The wire between the antenna and the digital converter box or digital TV set and any amplifiers or splitters you have installed are also part of your antenna system.

Bear in mind that the converter box or TV set could be bad, but this it is unlikely. I know of only 3 people where the converter box was actually bad. This is less than one percent of all the reception problems I have dealt with.

Digital signals are simply more difficult to pick up than was analog TV. The bottom line is that what worked for analog may not work for digital.

Types, groups, and classes:

There are three types of TV antennas, UHF, VHF, and the UHF/VHF "combo" antenna. VHF antennas are designed to pick up only channels 2 through 13. UHF antennas are designed to pick up TV channels 14 and higher. A UHF/VHF "combo" antenna will pick up all TV channels.

There are two major groups of antennas: indoor and outdoor. Indoor and outdoor antennas are available in all the antenna types: UHF, VHF, and UHF/VHF. Indoor and outdoor antennas are available in two classes: amplified and non-amplified.

There is a federal law (OTARD: Over-The-Air Reception Devices [47 C.F.R. Section 1.4000]) which prevents homeowner associations and apartment complexes from prohibiting the installation of reasonable TV antennas. A copy of the rule is available at http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html. This law was enacted for satellite dishes (DirecTV, Dish Network) but it also applies to TV antennas.

Buying the right antenna

Antennas can be purchased from Radio Shack, Ralph's Electronics (1293 Broadway, Beaumont), and various other retail outlets as well as over the Internet. This discussion will refer to Radio Shack (RS) antennas because "everyone knows Radio Shack". I am not recommending RS antennas over any other brand of antenna; but they are a convenient reference. Go to http://www.radioshack.com to see the specifications on the antennas mentioned in this discussion.

All local stations except KBMT have been assigned channels in the UHF band for their digital transmitters. KBMT returned to channel 12 for their digital transmission after all the analog TV transmitters were turned off on June 12, 2009. Be aware that a "UHF only" antenna may not pick them up very well. KFDM is on UHF channel 25, KBTV is on UHF channel 40 and KITU is on UHF channel 33.

All antennas mentioned are general recommendations only. I can not guarantee that any one specific antenna will work for you. Check the return policy of the store before you buy the antenna and keep your receipts.

At www.antennaweb.org, you will find an antenna selector program. This site lists all the available television channels you can receive from your location and the antenna type and size needed. If they recommend a different antenna than I suggest in this discussion, go with their selection.

Indoor Antennas:

Many retail outlets (Sears, Best Buy, etc) as well as Radio Shack sell indoor antennas. There are many different indoor antenna designs available. "Rabbit ear" antennas are two telescoping rods (RS# 15-136). A "loop antenna" is that round piece of wire that used to come with some sets (the circle portion of RS# 15-864). A "Bow Tie" antenna is a bent piece of wire or sheet metal shaped like a bow tie (RS# 15-234 and RS# 930-0998).

Normally, an indoor antenna should work if you are less than 20 miles from the TV station tower. If you live in a mobile home or have metal siding or a metal roof on your home, an indoor antenna may not pick up a signal due to the metal blocking the signal from getting to your antenna.

"Rabbit ear" antennas that consist of only two telescoping rods are VHF antennas. If your TV set have a built-in antenna which consists of one or two telescoping rods, it is a VHF antenna, and will not work well for UHF digital signals. In many cases, a VHF only antenna should be replaced with a UHF/VHF antenna.

If you live close to Vidor, you may be able to pick up our UHF signals with a "rabbit ear" VHF antenna. But as the distance between your home and our transmitter increases, the likelihood of this happening decreases.

One of the best indoor antennas is the "Silver Sensor" by Zenith. This is the antenna I have been using for my signal level tests throughout the area.

Amplified Indoor Antennas:

The purpose of an amplified indoor antenna is to increase (amplify) the signal level obtained from the antenna. This type of antenna will work for greater distances than a non-amplified antenna. If you live less than 25 miles from Vidor, an amplified indoor antenna may allow you to pick up our signal.

An amplified version of the Silver Sensor antenna made by Terk is available at Radio Shack and Best Buy.

Indoor antenna tips:

If all you have are "rabbit ears" and you live close to Vidor, you might get a signal if you push the two rods to their shortest length. This will not harm reception of KBTV. It might reduce the signal from KBMT a little, but probably not enough to lose their picture. In most cases, it is better to have the rods of the rabbit ear antenna lying flat, not straight up and down or at an angle.

If you live more than 20 miles from Vidor, you should replace the rabbit ears with an indoor UHF/VHF antenna. You might want to try an amplified indoor antenna if you live within 25 miles of Vidor. Save the box and your receipts in case you need to return it. But you should try the following tips before you spend any money on a new antenna; you just might get lucky.

In general, you should place the antenna as high as you can. If possible, do not put the antenna on top of the TV set, as the TV set can actually interfere with the antenna's performance. If you live on the second or higher floor of an apartment building, higher may not always be better (the antenna is already high because your home is high). In this case, putting the antenna on the floor may work.

Moving the antenna a few inches could make a big difference. Turning the antenna a little bit might also help. But try only one change at a time. Remember to leave the antenna in its new position for at least 5 seconds to give your converter box or TV set time to notice the new position.

The best place for an indoor antenna is near a window that faces towards Vidor. The walls of your home will reduce the signal available to the antenna, while a window does not.

If you live in a mobile home or if you have metal siding or a metal roof, an indoor antenna may not work very well. About the only thing that will help in this case is to put the antenna in a window. Mobile homes and those with metal siding or metal roofs may require an outdoor antenna.

Outdoor Antennas:

If you have tried indoor antennas and can't get a picture, you probably need an outdoor antenna. If you live within 30 miles of Vidor, a small antenna will probably work (RS# 15-2160 or RS# 15-2151). If you live in Jasper or other areas equally far away, you will need a much larger antenna (RS# 15-2156) and maybe an amplifier (RS# 15-1109). If you live somewhere between these two extremes, an "in-between" antenna is in order, such as RS# 15-2152 or RS# 15-2154. You may or may not need an amplifier. If you have tall trees close to your home, you will probably need a bigger antenna than I recommend here.

All outdoor antennas I mention here are of the "standard type" (directional). I know these antennas will work for HDTV.

Outdoor antennas are pretty much required if you live more than 35 miles from Vidor. Outdoor antennas are rated in mileage; meaning that they should pick up a usable signal up to the distance rating of the antenna. If possible, you should pick an antenna that is rated at least the distance your home is from Vidor.

I live in Anahuac, Texas and I can pick up our signal with no problems. I have a UHF/VHF antenna (rated for 60 miles) mounted about 12' above the ground. I am not using an amplifier, and I get a signal reading of 90% on KFDM. KBTV, with its 1 million watts is also at 90%. KBMT is usually close to 60% signal level. The signal level difference is mostly due to the particular TV channel each station uses. Channel 40 (KBTV) needs more power than channel 25 to cover the same area. KBMT is a VHF station, and the signal level difference is due to their relatively low power. The FCC says that they should have the same coverage area as the UHF stations, but that doesn't seem to be true.

As stated earlier, VHF only antennas were the cause for some of the reception problems I have dealt with. In general, if you are far enough away that you need an outdoor antenna; a VHF only antenna will not pick up the UHF signals. Since KBMT is a VHF station, you should be able to pick them up with an outdoor VHF antenna. But since you are reading this article, I will assume that you are trying to pick up my signal, and that you are probably already picking up KBMT. You will need a UHF/VHF antenna to pick up a useable signal from KFDM, KBTV, and KITU.

In cases where your antenna is indeed a UHF/VHF model, your lack of reception could be as simple as the antenna pointing in the wrong direction. You need to aim the antenna towards Vidor. If this results in the loss of KBMT, move the antenna a little towards Mauriceville to pick them up again.

An outdoor antenna can be mounted in an attic if you have the room. However, be aware that mounting the antenna in your attic will reduce its reception range by about half (an antenna rated at 60 miles will be reduced to a 30 mile range). The roof reduces the signal level as it goes through the shingles, felt, wood, and the nails. You should not mount the antenna in your attic if you have a metal roof, as the signal level will be too low by the time it passes through the metal.

For places within 35 miles of Vidor, I usually recommend the Radio Shack model U-75R UHF antenna ($35) or the model HBU22 UHF/VHF ($40) for an outdoor antenna. For areas beyond 40 miles, I like the Winegard model HD8200U ($160) available at Ralph's Electronics in Beaumont at 1293 Broadway (833-9443). Similar antennas are available at Radio Shack.

When you install your antenna, pay close attention to which end of the antenna is the front. This is the end that needs to point towards Vidor. In general, the longest rods on an outdoor antenna are on the back end of the antenna.

Mounting the antenna

If you live within 30 miles of Vidor, you can probably mount the antenna in your attic unless you live in a mobile home or have metal siding or a metal roof. The "UHF only" antenna (RS# 15-2160) is shorter than the UHF/VHF combo antenna (RS# 15-2151) and will be easier to mount in the attic, but the "UHF only" antenna may not to pick up KBMT (channel 12).

The antenna must have a clear "line of sight" to our transmitter. Central air conditioning ducts and other metal objects will block the signal, and may rule out the "antenna in the attic" idea.

If your home has metal siding or a metal roof, you will probably have to mount the antenna on the outside of your home. Chimney, wall, tripod and eaves mounts are available if you don't want to put in a pole. The bottom of the antenna should be at least 3 foot above the top of the roof if possible.

If you live more than 40 miles from Vidor, you will probably need to put the antenna on a pole. In general, the higher you get the antenna, the better. In some cases, getting the antenna higher will keep you from having to purchase an amplifier. Alternately, an amplifier can make up for short antenna heights. The choice is up to you.

If you have tall trees close to your home, you may experience problems picking us up. About the only solution is to get the antenna higher. An amplifier does not help much when trees are in the way since it can not amplify a signal that is not there.

Safety First!

All outdoor antennas must be grounded to protect your home as well as your TV set. Use of a "grounding block" (such as RS # 15-909) will satisfy this requirement.

Outdoor Antenna Tips:

(1) Higher is almost always better. If you live in areas such as Jasper that have hills, lower may be better since the hill has already raised the antenna for you. This is not very likely, but it has happened.

(2) Trees always reduce the signal level available to the antenna. Unless you can raise the antenna above the trees, just get the antenna as high as you can. If high does not work, you may also want to try and put the antenna below the lowest limbs of the tallest trees.

(3) I have found that cedar trees will block my signal. A nearby oak tree did not reduce the signal very much, but the cedar tree totally killed the signal. Avoid cedar trees.

(4) Use coax cable between the antenna and the TV set. The flat stuff (twinlead) is likely to pick up interference while coax is immune to most types of interference when properly installed. Coax cable is available at many retail outlets including Radio Shack, Sears, Lowe's, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, etc.

(5)The center wire of a coax cable should be clean and shiny. It should also be slightly longer than the connector. If it is not, replace the connector or the cable.

(6)If all else fails, try moving the antenna to a different area. Moving the antenna location a few feet has been known to find a signal where none was present in the previous location.

(7)Any metal near an antenna (indoor as well as outdoor) can cause distortion of the received signal, which may interfere with reception. Large metal objects close to the antenna can also block the signal. Avoid placing your antenna above a metal carport, for example. If you or your neighbor has a metal building, place the antenna as far away as possible from these buildings.

How to position the antenna for best reception:

If the picture on any digital channel freezes, burps, stutters, or turns into a bunch of colorful but useless blobs, this means that your antenna is not picking up a sufficient signal for a reliable picture.

Tune your digital converter box or digital TV set to the channel with the problem.

Find the signal strength meter on your box. Some boxes have a button on the remote control labeled "signal" or "meter", but most do not. In this case, you will need to press the "setup" or "menu" button and find the signal meter the hard way. I have found the signal meter to be located under the "antenna" or "channel" option on the main menu on some converter boxes. Check to see if your remote control has an "info" button; on some sets the signal meter is shown on this screen along with the channel number and the program name. If all else fails, consult your operators manual to locate the signal meter.

Now rotate your antenna until you get the highest reading on the signal meter. In most cases, your picture will clear up when the signal meter shows a 50% - 60% reading. But don't stop just because it got to 60%, keep turning the antenna for maximum signal level.

Now check that the "other" stations still come in clear with no problems. If another station has developed the same problem you just fixed on your main station, you will need to find a "compromise" antenna position.

Make a note of the current antenna position and call up the signal meter while watching the station that just developed the problem. Turn the antenna for maximum signal level on this station and note the antenna's new position. Now turn the antenna about halfway between where it is now and where it was when you adjusted the signal level on the main station. Check reception of all stations again. This new antenna position should allow you to have a reliable signal for all stations.

In all probability, this new position is pointing between Vidor (where channel 4's and channel 6's transmitters are located) and Mauriceville (where channel 12's and channel 34's transmitters are located).

KBTV is broadcasting 1,000,000 Watts and should have the highest signal level of all the local digital stations. If you can't pick up KBTV, then there is definitely something wrong with your antenna system, and you have almost no chance of picking up any of the other local UHF digital stations.

KFDM-DT (our digital transmitter) is on channel 25, our transmitter is in Vidor, and we put out 350,000-Watts power. Our digital transmitter is on 24 hours a day.