Looks like Lynchburg VA/Roanoke, VA is next...

[Darkman]

It's uplinked now ("warming up") ... Not available to "mere mortals" yet...
But a good sign that it will become available to Subscribers next (or in a near future, at the least)

[Darkman]

I guess - Danville VA is in this "mix" as well...

[UpOnTheMountain]

ok ... ok ... I'll bite.
When can I finally get my Roanoke/Lynchburg Locals ????
:-)

Seriously, what does that mean for us potential viewers?

tia
Keith

Darkman,

Yep the Danville station should be with it too!!

ch 9280, WSET, 110 sat, tp 17 (WSET 13, Lynchburg VA/Roanoke, VA)
ch 9281, WDBJ, 110 sat, tp 17 (WDBJ 7, Roanoke VA/Lynchburg, VA)
ch 9282, WSLS, 110 sat, tp 17 (WSLS 10, Roanoke VA/Lynchburg, VA)
ch 9283, WFXR, 110 sat, tp 17 (WFXR 27, (21/27?), Roanoke, VA)
ch 9285, WDRL, 110 sat, tp 17 (WDRL 24, Danville VA/Roanoke VA/Lynchburg, VA)
ch 9286, WBRA, 110 sat, tp 17 (WBRA 15, Roanoke VA/Lynchburg, VA)

Are you in Central VA ?

I'm out in the Lynchburg-Burbs.

[lgnaclo]

any time frame on this?? a month? 2 weeks? 3 years from now? when, just give me a long shot time frame.

[TNGTony]

If the past several additions have been any indication...one to three weeks from today the stations will become available unless there are some serious problems with more than two affiliates. In that case, Dish will wait a month extra and then launch without the stations demanding something or another.

See ya
Tony

[Darkman]

Well, at today's Retailer Charlie Chat - there was an announcement that Jackson, MS will be available to Subscribers on May 15, Knoxville, TN - May 22...

However there was no mention of Lynchburg, VA/Roanoke, VA...

Could be several things: They just didn't mention it, but it might still be available at any of those dates... or it just could be that those Lynchburg, VA/Roanoke, VA are uplinked now, but for "this or that" reason might not be available till lets say hypothetically some time in June or something...(or May 29 or something)...
Just gotto be patient and they Will become available (and cuz they are uplinked - more likely they will become available before the cities that are not uplinked yet... Even though that doesn't seem to be the case with Knoxville, TN which was not uplinked as of yesturday but announced to be available on May 22 (of course it might get uplinked any day, therefore that fact is "not a biggie"))

Anyhow - i hope that helps some people and their anxiety :)

[wmayo]

Well, I looked at Lyngsat today, and can't find Roanoke/Lynchburg on there on 110, or any other bird. I guess is was just preliminary testing.

Sigh, maybe by the end of June?

[Darkman]

It's there dude - lyngsat often doesn't update all in time, and often updates only official stuff...
It's there in place...just have to wait a bit..they ll appear..

Darkman,
Thanks for keepin' us up to date. This has been a long battle. I've been asking about our locals for 5 years. This doesn't seem like the empty promises I've gotten used to hearing. Hope the rug isn't pulled out from under us.

[UpOnTheMountain]

justa-hopeing-and-a-waiting-and-a-hopeing-and-a-waiting .... please please please hurry! :-)

Seriously ... can't wait!!

And I ditto the thanks to you Darkman, any little tidbit you get ... I'm all ears ... err ... eyes!

[Darkman]

Trust me - if i hear anything - i ll put it here..

But - put it this way - it will not be long now (you should be able to put 2 and 2 together (them being uplinked now and being on the list for Q2 launches...Personally - who knows but i still think it might happen on 15th, 22ond, or 29..if not then maybe in June...
Actually - watch Charlie Chat on May 12, ( i suspect they might even announce it there, but again, i do not really know)


Just be patient...

[guest]

Just wondering..how do you know that they have it uplinked??

[TNGTony]

Certain FTA (free-to-air) MPEG receivers can read the transponders information. As long as the uplinked signals have some sort of EPG identification, you can see what is being uplinked. Unless the channel is unencrypted, you can't see the channel itself. But there are times that Dish tests the channels "in the clear". Dish Network receivers will not see the channel unless they are told to do so.

See ya
Tony

[Darkman]

Thanks Tony for clarifying this... (and therefore saving me some time) :)

[mancow]

What's the latest with Rich/Petersburg? (Va) When can we expect to get those?

[Darkman]

Please refer to this thread for this year Dish's plans for local market launches (Q2, Q3, Q4):
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15058

from that thread the only other VA that i can see - is Richmond (planned for Q3)...

hehe - for you benefit - your Rich/... there above - better be Richmond)... - then Q3 for you maybe...
Other then that - Rich doesn't look to exist on Dish's plans (not this year anyhow)...
:)

[BarryD]

I called the ABC affiliate in Lynchburg and was told they are still in negotiations and to expect them by the end of June. That makes sense. That would be the end of Q2. This affiliate is usually the most difficult (CHEAP) to deal with.

[twostepc]

Dish can still launch if it only has the other 3 as it has done in the past....

[BarryD]

Originally posted by twostepc
Dish can still launch if it only has the other 3 as it has done in the past....
Good point. I was just stating what I was told. Hopefully, we'll have all of them before the end of June. Also, the FOX affiliate and DISH have reached an agreement. They say mid-June.

[TNGTony]

Just to let you know, in the past Dish has uplinked a local market with the intent to launch within a week. But then they run into a problem with one station or another. Dish will sometimes postpone the launch for up to 30 days while they try to iron out an agreement. After that, they'll launch with or without the station.

See ya
Tony

[N2Tronix]

A reply to my email:

Roanoke local TV channels will be available for customers to purchase today 5/23/03 at 5 p.m. ET. The CBS did report correctly and we moved up the launch to today.



Thanks for you question!





Michelle Portillo
Communications Specialist
EchoStar Communications, Corp.
303-723-2023

[Darkman]

yes - thought so - "my little birdy" was telling me something simular as well :)

[JohnH]

Only CBS, NBC, FOX and PBS are available.
$4.99 a month until ABC shows up.

[UpOnTheMountain]

ok! yes!
I have gone to the web site and "added" my local stations for 4.99 (darn that wset!) ... anyways ... now what?
It still hasn't shown up in my guide.
Where should they show up channel wise?
I was expecting the channels to be mapped to their "normal" locations. but so far I can't find them in the guide (I've got a 721)
Can anyone tell me what to expect with this?

[UpOnTheMountain]

N2Tronix,

thanks for the heads up!!!

This is exciting !

To finally be able to see local news (without a snowy picture even!!!)

I would love to know what WSET's hold out reasons are!
Why would anyone turn down increased market and the potential to raise revenue through higher advertising prices???

[N2Tronix]

I have them and only get sound on 3 of the 4 stations.
The CBS station is the only one with picture and sound.

[Darkman]

UpOnThe... - Did you get them now then? :)
Can you watch 'em?

[N2Tronix]

UpOnTheMountain,

It's WSET.
Remember, they don't even broadcast in stereo.
You just knew they were going to be last.

[Darkman]

N2Tronix - ya... That is what "my little birdy" told me as well..
I bet they ll fix those soon for ya'll

If not soon - i d consider phoning Dish and complaining about it, demanding for them to fix those

[UpOnTheMountain]

Darkman ... nothing yet ... I still access to the distants (NY) , but so far no sign of the locals ...

[Darkman]

UpOnTheMou.... - strange - cuz if N2T... has them - i d think you should have them as well... (even pictureless as him, but have them)

[N2Tronix]

Darkman,

Already did the CSR game and found one that helped.
She said it's a technical issue and if it's not up in a couple of hours to call back.

[Darkman]

N2Tronix - ahh - i see.. I hope so...

[UpOnTheMountain]

N2Tronix,
lol ...
Yep WSET isn't getting it.
You would think, that with this being a college town, that they would make an attempt at staying "hip" with the tech. ;-)

Is you picture and sound improving?

[Darkman]

Up - "little birdy" is still saying: "not yet" (picture)

[N2Tronix]

UpOnTheMountain,

Nope.
WDBJ looks good but the others aren't there. Just intermitant sound.
Do you have picture yet?

[UpOnTheMountain]

N2Tronix
nope, no sign of them yet.

What channel are you getting WDBJ on?

[Darkman]

Thinking out of loud: "If pretty soon, Tech people do not fix the above problem, they might go home, and then who knows when the channels get fixed (tomorrow or Monday)" :)

[UpOnTheMountain]

Darkman and N2Tronix
Do you guys think I need to call Dish, and not rely on the web form addition?
OR Are they just not following through because of the difficulties?

[N2Tronix]

9281 and 7 .

[UpOnTheMountain]

yes !!!
Video and sound on all four channels !!!
woohoo!!

hmm ... where are the other channels besides WSET?

[Darkman]

UpOnTheMountain - I d call - what do you have to lose, but maybe gain some "info" (and share with us) :)

N2Tronix - 7?
CBS 7 you mean :)

[N2Tronix]

Up-,

It might help. And good luck. It was the second call before I had someone help me. The first said I didn't live in an area that qualified. If Evington doesn't qualify, I guess you need to live under the stations tower.

[Darkman]

UpOnTheMountain - where they are - hmm?? -should be all there for you - 9280 and up.. NO?
hmm - but you say video is ON all channels - "little birdy" is still telling me - that this is not so :(

[N2Tronix]

Darkman,

Yes. CBS 7. If I press 7, WDBJ shows up on DISH. Same with the others 10,15,27. The channel integration will help me explain to the others that live in the house.

[UpOnTheMountain]

Darkman,
yep. All four channels appear to be coming in clear and with sound.
They look to be all good! :-)

[N2Tronix]

I just got em.

[N2Tronix]

Darkman & UpOnTheMountain,

Thanks for the help.

[Darkman]

Yes! - confirmed - "little birdy" told me - they are all fixed up (video and audio) - including 2 other ones that are just uplinked but not available to mere mortals at present time...
those are:
WSET TV 13 (ABC - Lynchburg/Roanoke, VA) WSET 9280
WDRL TV 24 (UPN- Danville/Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA) WDRL 9285
(they are fixed as well) - i guess when something gets fixed - all gets fixed :)

[UpOnTheMountain]

Darkman,
Does your little birdy no anything about when and where the other channels are (besides WSET ... I expect them to not play ball until the end)

N2Tronix, enjoy !! I know I will !!

[Darkman]

what other channels? (UP....)
there are only 6 i think... - and you should have 4 already, so besides WSET (9280), there is only one more uplinked but unavailable to Subscribers yet: WDRL TV 24 (UPN- Danville/Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA) WDRL, ch 9285

[Darkman]

UpOnThe....
What i ment - i am not sure how many total channels are there (or how many you are looking for), but only 6 are uplinked, and you already have 4, with 2 others (mentioned above) - not available yet to a "mere-mortal" Subscriber...

[UpOnTheMountain]

Darkman,

The Danville station :
WDRL TV 24 (UPN- Danville/Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA) WDRL 9285

was the main one I was looking for, and for some reason I thought that there was a PAX and WB station too ???

[Darkman]

not exactly sure what "was" or "wasn't"
All i know that up-to-date - only those 6 are uplinked (be they available or not to a Subscriber):

WSET TV 13 (ABC - Lynchburg/Roanoke, VA) WSET 9280 17 110° E*8
WDBJ TV 7 (CBS - Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA) WDBJ 9281 17 110° E*8
WSLS TV 10 (NBC - Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA) WSLS 9282 17 110° E*8
WFXR TV 27 (Fox - Roanoke, VA) WFXR 9283 17 110° E*8
WDRL TV 24 (UPN- Danville/Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA) WDRL 9285 17 110° E*8
WBRA TV 15 (PBS - Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA) WBRA 9286 17 110° E*8

[UpOnTheMountain]

Darkman,
ok ... thanks for all the info!
Now time to go watch my locals ... :-)

edited to add :

I couldn't help myself ... I found this on the EKB :

It looks like local channels 13,19,24 and 38 are still missing.
 

[Darkman]

no problem

AND

have fun :)

[JohnH]

Deleted post. Backlog of replies not noted.

[Darkman]

John - 9280 is not available to the "mere-mortal" Subscriber (not to my best knowledge anyhow), not yet anyhow, and neither is 9285

[TNGTony]

Mountain Man...

AFAIK now, only two locals coming. The FN channel is listed only so I could show that its available on Sky Angel. It's a low power channel. And the Pax channel is an O&O. So that one is not coming either. UPN and ABC are the only two that will be coming eventually. (we hope)

See ya
Tony

[wmayo]

The local paper makes it sound like you have to have a second dish for UPN/WB. Fortunately, I already have one for HD, but others will have to arrange for the FREE second dish, I guess.

Meanwhile, even with two dishes (2nd one at 61.5), no UPN yet (and of course, no ABC).

Which leads me to vent a little on WSET 13/ABC. The 100% no-waiver station, no stereo, unresponsive by various forms of contact even on other matters, no settlement with Dish, no digital broadcasts of any form yet, and on and on. What is it with this station? I swear, if I could put up an antenna to get another ABC from somewhere else (north or south) I would. They are building an image problem, and frankly, I would never advertise on that station with the attitude they've given me.

[N2Tronix]

wmayo,

I agree with you.
WSET has an identity crisis also. They aren't sure they want to be a Lynchburg or Danville station. The simulcast news is a joke. To hear about Lynchburg news, you have to watch the Roanoke stations. P*ss poor operation IMO. I've complained to ABC with no response. Seems like we're stuck with them.

[Darkman]

wmayo - the UPN that is uplinked now (but not available to Subscribers) is not at 61.5, but at 110 as well...
And if this doesn't change - then maybe the 2nd dish will not be needed

[TNGTony]

What the newspaper article probably meant to say is that a Dish 500 is needed or a second dish for folks with an older dish 300 they don't want to replace for some strange reason.

See ya
Tony

[will]

i was told upn was going to be on 61.5 and it would launch on 5-27-03 wonder how many others will go to 61.5 before dish ends up adding all roanoke locals <fcc reg's> require them to give us a free second dish for 61.5 looks like it's tree trimmin time for me lol

[Darkman]

if 5-27 is the date it will happen - upn more likely to be at ch 9285 then, but currently it is at 110... (if we are talking about the same upn of course..however curretnly - that is the only one that is uplinked - wdrl - upn 24 (or something)) - and, again, it is at 110 (currently anyhow)

[Darkman]

N2T... or UpOnThe... - Check with Customer Service if 9280 maybe available to you now - or if it will be in a couple of days or so...
(you could be pleasantly surprised maybe) :)

[EDIT] actually - i am not that sure about 9280 any longer - but if you have a chance - it shouldn't hurt to maybe check your EPG or/and double-check with Customer Service on IT...

[UpOnTheMountain]

Darkman,

I just checked, but no joy on the 9280/13 yet.

Is your birdy singing like it should be coming right-away?

Another question ... :-)

Does anyone know if and when these stations will be available on DirecTV ?

tia

[Darkman]

"my birdy" could have been wrong after all - as i stated above...
but if you have any time - doesn't hurt to call Dish and ask them about it... (Cuz there is a scenario maybe that the birdy is correct, but it is not available currently, however coming soon)

[N2Tronix]

A Radio Shack sales person told me around a week to 10 days.
I don't know how reliable that is, but it's something.

An email reply from DISH states any day now.

The ABC station says the end on June.

[Darkman]

Btw - i am pretty sure 9285 - moved today from 110 satellite to 61.5, tp 12 (not available to mere-mortals yet still, even though uplinked)

[Greg Bimson]

Regarding Roanoke and DirecTV, I have seen the channel identifiers in the 460-470 channel range, so I believe they'd be on soon.

[Gerald]

WDRL is viewable now if you have a dish pointed at 61.5.
Look on channel 14 or 9285.

[N2Tronix]

Darkman,

Since I will need a second dish to receive WDRL, would you recommend waiting for the superdish or getting the free second dish?

[Darkman]

N2T... - sorry but i am Definatly not expert on this question (superdish, etc)..

But maybe someone else can answer or suggest you something :)
Sorry - could not be of help...

[TNGTony]

Gerald, I have that UPN channel listed on the 110 satellite. What transponder is it on on 61.5?

See ya
Tony

[JohnH]

Tp 12, Tony. It moved there.

[jhall]

Tony, it is on 112 and available to mere mortals.
It is also simo to 217, but only announcing the 61.5 to the guide--so the channel on E*8 will not be used by an E* receiver. Likely the contract specified whether it would be visible on 110 or 61.5 and it got moved. This transponder on 61.5 is now what I would consider over capacity at 9 services plus the usuals.

[TNGTony]

Thanks guys. I've updated the chart. Lots of changes tonight!

Figures that the shoot I had tonight kept me out until midnight! Usually on Wednesdays I'm home in plenty of time to field all these lovely changes. :)

See ya
Tony

[Greg Bimson]

I was mistaken. I confused the Des Moines locals and the Roanoke locals on DirecTV. The real channel numbers for the upcoming Roanoke locals on DirecTV are 658-664.

[Monterey VA]

Of course, all know by now that the reason WSET13 is not present on Dish's Roanoke local channels service is due to the dispute between 13's owner Allbritton and Dish. DC's WJLA and other Allbritton stations have already been removed from DISH. Allbritton (and 13) is a lousy company which I hope will be kicked in the rump by Dish. In addition to the deficiencies of 13 listed above, they are chiefly noted in this area for pre-empting programing at the order of the Rev. Falwell. Fortunately, I live in an area that is still eligible to recieve WABC7, in addition to the Roanoke locals. I know, that is what Allbritton is protesting!!!!

[Inundated]

Curious...it's my understanding that WDRL "UPN 24/54" maps out in Dish locals to Channel 14. 14?? Why??? I seem to recall they were talking about consolidating on one cable channel in the market, and 14 may have been it.

But WDRL, typically, does not get all their identifying ducks in a row. If they really want 14, why don't they dump the "24/54" stuff and call themselves "UPN 14" or something?

Can someone verify that WDRL is indeed showing up as 14, presumably for Dish owners with the proper mapping satellite receivers?

[UpOnTheMountain]

WDRL is showing in my (721) guide as channel 14. I'm having my (free) dish installed for 61.5 on next Monday, so until then I can only assume that the channel will not change.

This brings up another question. ... Can anyone point me to a diagram on how to connect a 721 up to a dish 500 and a second dish for 61.5 ? I want to make sure that the best method is used by the installers.

tia

[BobaBird]

It really depends on your current setup -- current LNB and switch, number of tuners. See this thread (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15342) for a situation similar to yours though your solution may be different.
Legacy Twin + 2 SW21s (http://www.dishnetwork.com/downloads/pdf/technology/installation/install-4.pdf)
DP34 (http://www.dishretailer.com/ts2002/Disk3/MVC-021S.JPG)

[N2Tronix]

Darkman,

Does your little birdie know anything about the WBVA 5 station?
Direct has it and Dish has an agreement with the Fox station where it's broadcast from.

[TNGTony]

WBVA is not a broadcast station. It is a cable-only station and therefore not subject to must-carry. Also Dish has 3 WB stations available for $1.50 each or $5.99 for all along with two more UPN in the Superstations package. So don't expect this pseudo-channel.

See ya
Tony

[N2Tronix]

Tony,

Just figured I'd ask since Allbritton wants to eliminate the superstations and the distant nets.

Thanks for the info.

[dishrich]

Originally posted by TNGTony
WBVA is not a broadcast station. It is a cable-only station and therefore not subject to must-carry... So don't expect this pseudo-channel.

Actually, that's NOT totally true anymore, (at least the broadcast part anyway) since it is carried off-air on WFXR-DT, as a sub-channel, according to this:

http://www.100000watts.com/tv/ROA.html

FWIW, D* IS carrying it in their Roanoke local pkg (& it's posted on their website now)

[Guest]

Can you get these locals with one dish or is two required? What satellite are they on?

[UpOnTheMountain]

110 has 7,10,15 (and 13 someday maybe)
and
61.5 has 14 (WDRL)
so you would need two dish's to see all of the channels

[UpOnTheMountain]

Well that is quite a bummer.
Does that mean that DirecTV customers will get 13 WSET and 5 WB ???
That is very frustrating.
1. How come Dish is not offering 5 WB
2. How come DirecTV is offering 13 ???

(edited to add)

3 Why is UPN on Dish on 14 instead of 24?

&nbsp;

[Monterey]

I'm of the opinion that the "WB5" may have to be carried by Dish, if the operators of that channel have met all of the other requirements of Federal law. Fox in Roanoke/Lynchburg is broadcast on two separate analog channels, 21 and 27. 21 is WJPR and its digital transmitter is on 20. For at least the last 6 months, 20 has broadcast only the programing of WB5. Since WJPR is a full powered TV station, my understanding is they have their choice of whether their digital or analog broadcasts are taken by the sat providers. They do not need to have their analog broadcasts carried---27 is already on the sat, so why wouldn't they demand that the WB programing on WJPR-DT also be carried, in lieu of WJPR-TV? Also, hasn't anyone noticed that 9284 is vacant in the R/L program listings (assuming 13 shows up on 9280 as previously announced)?

[TNGTony]

Sorry Monterey...doesn't work that way. Right now if the broadcaster wants to get their DT signal carried that is fine, but only their MAIN channel is a must carry. The sub channels are not.

Also the way Dish sets up their locals for ALL markets is in the following order:
(smaller markets in parentheses)
xxx0 (5) ABC
xxx1 (6) CBS
xxx2 (7) NBC
xxx3 (8) Fox
xxx4 (9) WB
xxx5 (0) UPN
xxx6 (1) PBS
xxx7 (2--) primary Independent
xxx8 Univision
xxx9 Telemundo
xxx0+10 and up as needed for the following in order:
Additional spanish or ethnic
Additional PBS
Additional Independents/religious/ethnic
Duplicate networks

With the first 7 to 10 if there is one missing in the market, they leave the channel number open. For example, in Cincinnati the UPN affiliate (which every other multi-channel carrier in the city has except Dish) is a low power channel and not subject to must carry. So channel 8355 is open. We do not have a Univision or Telemundo affiliate, nor is there an independent so channels 8357, 8358 and 8359 are open. However we do have two additional PBS outlets. One of them is on 8360 and the other until recently was uplinked to channel 8361 however this station never got a good signal to Dish so it never went up.

So we have channels 8350-8354, 8356 and 8360. And there are NO plans to add anything else.

Take a look at the 8000 and 9000 blocks on www.dishchannelchart.com and see what I mean.

See ya
Tony

[N2Tronix]

WSET 13 is on.
Just in time for the NBA Finals.

[Darkman]

congrats...

Tony - did you hear that - take a note of that :)

[Darkman]

the reports are ch 9284 is uplinked now at 61.5 (not sure if available to Subscribers yet or not) - WJPR

[UpOnTheMountain]

9284 isn't showing up in the guide quite yet ...

[Inundated]

Looks like WB5 is coming up, then?

For what it's worth... I believe WJPR-DT 20 has moved the "WB5" signal to the 1 subchannel, and are uplinking the primary Fox 21/27 on the main channel.

[Inundated]

Sorry Monterey...doesn't work that way. Right now if the broadcaster wants to get their DT signal carried that is fine, but only their MAIN channel is a must carry. The sub channels are not.

I suspect if WB5/WBVA shows up on Dish (it already has on D*), it'll be because of demand for the WB Network shows, and not because of any "must carry".

[UpOnTheMountain]

I am quite anxious to see if they will hurry up and bring this station to us. I have posted the following message to them via their contact us form ...

Hello,
I would like to thank you for bringing the Roanoke/Lynchburg Locals to my home. This has been a long awaited and very appreciated addition to our viewing pleasure!
But, I am concerned that our local WB station has not been included. Our local DirecTV dealers are quick to point out that they offer this station.
I have always been proud to say that I have Dish instead of DirecTV. But in this instance it is difficult to understand why my provider is not matching the competition.
Please bring WB5/WBVA into your Roanoke/Lynchburg Local lineup. It is an important channel that should not be ignored.
Thanks in advance for you assistance.
Please advise if and when you plan to complete this package with WB5/WBVA.

Keith Birchfield

:pride:

[UpOnTheMountain]

Wow,

I just got a very pleasant surprise.
Dish answered my question and concern fairly quickly with the below response.
What an excellent example of customer service !

I just hope that the negotiations go well!

Excerpt from the emailed response :

Dear Mr. Birchfield,

Thank you for your email. We are currently negotiating with the WB in the Roanoak area. We are working to have a retransmission agreement signed so that we may provide that station. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this issue.
...
...
Your business is greatly appreciated and we thank you for allowing us to be of assistance to you. If you have any further questions or concerns, please refer to www.dishnetwork.com or reply to this email.
...
...

[Inundated]

Dear Mr. Birchfield,

Thank you for your email. We are currently negotiating with the WB in the Roanoak area. We are working to have a retransmission agreement signed so that we may provide that station. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this issue....

Now, if only they could spell the city right! ;)

It shouldn't be too long. As noted here frequently, "WB5/WBVA" is operated in whole by the folks who run Fox 21/27 (WJPR/WFXR), and I wouldn't expect any troubles to derail this.

[Darkman]

Who said "they" misspelled it :)

Unless UpOnTheMountain "Copy/Pasted" from the original letter - it's more likely that it was UpOnTheMountain's "boo-boo" :)

It doesn't really matter anyhow - cuz this is not a "Spelling" Forum :)

[UpOnTheMountain]

noap,
I spelt it write when i rote two them.
They mesed it up when they replyed to me!
I copyed and paisted it.
:-)

[Darkman]

hehe - funny :)

LOL - UpOnTheMountain - i do not think we questioned your spelling at the time you was writing to 'em ( nor did we really care about that :) )
I think - we purely talked about Roanoke's spelling at THIS Forum (and if it arrived here from their letter to you (Copy/Paste) or from you misspelling it in a hurry) :)

But from your reply - looks like they messed up ( However reading it closely - One might wonder about that - LOL - just kiddin', cuz i know you were kiddin' too)
:-)

[Darkman]

WJPR - Available to Subscribers this Thursday (June 26) - (per Retailer Charlie Chat announcement)

[UpOnTheMountain]

That's great! :hurah:

I am surprised that they included this channel (another fox) before including "WB5/WBVA" (a WB) ...

Thanks Darkman!

[Darkman]

You're welcome :)

[moedog]

That's great! :hurah:

I am surprised that they included this channel (another fox) before including "WB5/WBVA" (a WB) ...

Thanks Darkman!


I am pretty well certain that would be WJPR-DT, AKA WB5. Dish would not add another FOX in the same market, particularly one that simulcasted a channel (WFXR) already carried. Will enjoy my WB if I can ever get my second dish installed. Been waiting a month so far.

[UpOnTheMountain]

moedog,
help me out with this one ...
does the -DT mean that it is another channel being broadcasted by WJPR?

[Darkman]

Do not think so..
Think DT stands for something (Digital Television? - not sure)

[UpOnTheMountain]

moedog,
I was able to get my installation scheduled within a week! I was very pleased that they made the extra effort to do that.

Now the actual installation was very interesting though.
Summary :
1. took off half day to be home during the 4 hour window alloted (12:00 to 5:00)
2. did not show up in window of time
3. called dish and spoke to supervisor
4. they were very helpful and assured that someone would show ... and sent a second guy out just in case
5. 1st guy finally showed up at 7:30 pm !
6. second guy got lost
7. 1st guy installed pole and dish 500 for 61.5 with two single legacies!
8. 1st guy replaced my starband dish with dish 500 and twin
9. second guy showed up
10. neither understood how to operate 721 for the testing
11. found 61.5 didn't work on second tuner (remember that 500 with two singles !)
12. 2nd guy figured it out and replaced the the two singles with a dual on the correct side of the 500
13. all tested well
14. 1st and 2nd guy left
15. I cleaned up there wiring ties, added more ties, buried the wires, and in general made it look better.

All done

I was very surprise that the first guy didn't know how to operate the 721, he also didn't understand that 61.5 is in just one location not two (remember the 500) lol . He also didn't at all get my question about dishpro technology and the specs on rg6. He said yep, rg6 is exactly what you need for this installation. You don't want to use rg59. (I have an entirely legacy based setup)

anyways ... I do appreciate the free install, but it was interesting the way it went.

[moedog]

UpOnTheMountain---
DT, as in WJPR-DT. does indeed signify a second broadcasting station. All full power TV stations in the US have been allocated a second channel to broadcast Digital. ne High Definition TV (DT=Digital Television). Eventually, the old analog transmitters will have to be taken off the air, but now most broadcasters are broadcasting two signals. For example WDBJ, in addition to broadcasting on 7, also has WDBJ-DT which broadcasts on channel 18. WJPR-DT is on channel 20. All stations in the Roanoke market are broadcasting digital channels, except, of course, WSET which is theorically breaking federal regs by not having their digital transmitter operational. One of the features of digital TV is there are several subchannels available on each signal on which different programing can be aired. WJPR-DT, for about the past year, has been broadcasting WB5. Its a complicated subject--hope this makes a little sense! I was interested in your comments regarding installation of the second dish. I do have an appointment for July 1 and am expecting a big hassle. I live waaaay out---115 miles from Roanoke and will be very surprised in see a service person show up. They don't even have directions to my house. Quick question---did you find that reception of any of your channels suffered after installation of second dish?

[UpOnTheMountain]

moedog,
THANKS for the explanation!
That helps considerably!

Does that mean that If I had a 921 (wishful thinking) That I would be able to use the over-the-air digital tuner to get these channels here locally as they are being broadcast now? (assuming sufficient signal and all)

Signal - Actually my signal strength went up by an average of 5 points! I'm getting 93 to 98 with most around 95.
But that was mainly due to the fact that I still had my starband reflector (big ~24x18 dish) in place. The dish lnb arm focus was probably not "tweaked" to "sweets-spot" like the 500 is for 110 and 119. Most likely they made the adapter to optimize the gilat sat first.

I know what you mean about directions. The installers had "this funny little map that I can't read" that they used to find me. It was a map-quest map !!! lol

Don't get me wrong though. The guys were nice, professional, and were really trying to the best job they could.


Keith

[moedog]

UpOnTheMountain---
Thanks for the reassurance about the DISH installers. We will see what happens on Tuesday. BTW---WJPR is on now, if you have the second dish. It popped up on the program guide when I turned the TV on a little while ago. Its on 21 and 9204. Yes it is showing WB programming. I think if you had a digital tuner you would be able to recieve some of the channels. WJPR should come in in Goode as the transmitter is near Bedford. WDBJ would also prob be a good catch. WDBJ is broadcasting a lot of HD TV now. THis will be the next challenge for DISH---Hi Def TV.

[UpOnTheMountain]

moedog,
Good luck on the install. I really wouldn't worry too much about it. As long as they can actually find your place (115 miles .. whew where in the world are you?), you shoul be good.

And wow, I had no idea that locally HD was being broadcast! I never considered that this small town would see HD untill it was law. Way cool. I've got a HD monitor, so it's just a matter of the 921 being available ... hoping it's soon!

[moedog]

UpOnTheMountain---
Just wanted to let you and others know that my installation of 61.5 dish for additional (WB and UPN) locals was completed as planned. Completely painless---the guy, from ACS in Roanoke, showed up a Half hour early and the installation was completed by noon! I'm very satisfied with that service and DISH in general. One question, however. My picture on UPN 24 is not so great---very fuzzy. WB5 has a great picture as well as the other channels on 61.5. Also, the sound is very low on ABC13. Are you having the same problems at your location? Now I'm in TV Nirvana---AT150, all 7 Roanoke locals, New York locals, and Superstations!!! BTW, I live in Highland County--least populated county East of the Mississippi! William

[UpOnTheMountain]

moedog,

Congrats! Dish does seam to try to be very professional in there installs. I think most of my "interesting" experience was due to the installers having to travel across such a wide area in between each install.

My 13 also has very low sound. My 21 has a pretty good picture though. I'm not sure what you are comparing it to. It has the normal compression "softness" and artifacts, but it looks just as good as 27 to me. It may just be a matter of when or what you are watching ??

Highland county is supposed to be beautiful, I envy you.

Keith

[wmayo]

It can vary, but generally, the Roanoke locals (like many other locals) are not quite of the same quality as the national network feeds. I've switched back and forth many times, and it is plain to see that the local feeds are even softer, less defined, and have more artifacts. Of course, most folks with a 25" set ain't gonna be able to tell the difference. But it shows easily on my Mits 55" set.

In fact, our Adelphia cable feed looks FAR superior for the locals, though I hate to report that (I do have both at this time). I also rue the day they cut my distants - if they do. (I know, I know, that is a different issue and topic). If it wasn't for the fact that even the "new fiber" rebuild system doesn't give STEREO on most channels, they'd make more penetration in the market, but alas, no stereo and no HD! Advantage: Dish on these.

[UpOnTheMountain]

I have to agree with you on the softness. We have a 36 inch monitor that we watch our Dish on.
We have our main pc (p-iv 1.6) hidden in the entertainment system and have it on and connected 24/7 (only 56k out here in the woods). We run it in 800x600 using a video capture card (radeon 7500) ...
The point being is that the dish picture looks great when ran in a very small picture (400x300 or less), but it gets very soft and fuzzy when you bring it to full screen.
So ... when looking at the picture on a digital screen, you can quickly see just how little detail is making it to your screen after all of the compression.

I have not yet had the pleasure of true HD. I am quite anxious to see what I am missing.

If I were to get a "set-top" box now (instead of forever waiting for the 921) would I actually be able to see true HD from the Roanoke stations ? If so Can anyone recommend a set top box / set-up that is relatively cheap while doing the dish waiting dance :dance: ?

[moedog]

Several hundred dollars for a OTA HD reciever, I think. You can get them at Best Buy. You probably could get a few of the Roanoke stations in HD. WDBJ-DT (18) broadcasts at full power from Poor Mountain and has made a big deal of broadcasting most CBS programs in High Def. WBRA-DT also broadcasts full power on 3 from Poor Mountain. WSLS-DT (30) has a low power trans on Poor that prob would not make it to Goode. WJPR broadcasts a half power signal from right there in your home county, at Thaxton---you could surely get that, but of course Fox does not do HDTV. Otherwise, you might also get a few DTs from Greensboro if your location were high enough. Remember the DT picture is always perfect---either you get it perfectly or not at all. I have a 32" Sony Wega XBR that has a "drop down feature" that doubles the lines in the picture. It is HDTV capable when HD reciever is added, but I'm going to wait a while on that. Of course OTA HD is out of the question at my location! BTW, fybush.com has a great collection of pics of the Poor Mountain transmitting site and other Roanoke area towers on its site this week. Some of the commentary is incorrect, but very interesting all the same.

[UpOnTheMountain]

That's a pretty interesting site. I'm not at all knowledgeable about antennas, but it was cool to see all of those antennas, and hear that others that are (knowledgeable) , find our "small town" a place of interest.

Does anyone know of a site where you can do a "virtual test" to see if you can expect to receive a good signal from specific transmitters. Maybe a database that compares and applies altitude and locations ?

tia
Keith

[Inundated]

BTW, fybush.com has a great collection of pics of the Poor Mountain transmitting site and other Roanoke area towers on its site this week. Some of the commentary is incorrect, but very interesting all the same.

Hi, Moedog,

Just curious...since I was actually along with Scott on this trip...what's incorrect? I'm sure he'd like to know...he's a stickler for detail...

[moedog]

Hi, Moedog,

Just curious...since I was actually along with Scott on this trip...what's incorrect? I'm sure he'd like to know...he's a stickler for detail...

Inundated---
Nice to hear from somebody that accompanied Mr. Fybush on one of his "tower-hunting" trips. I really enjoy his site and have particularly followed his trips through Charlotte, Columbia and Greenville-Spartanburg since I lived in that region for 30 years. I now live in VA and have a long history in this area as well. Two things I differed with Mr. Fybush on the Roanoke leg. He stated that the Roanoke and Lynchburg radio markets were separate, since the Roanoke radio stations did not reach the Lynchburg area and vice-versa. That is not true, as all of the high-powered FM stations he pictured easily reach Lynchburg and far beyond. Several of the "class A" FMs in Lynchburg are simucasted on A FMs in the Roanoke area, and as Mr. Fybush stated. several AMs simucast in both areas. Arbitron rates the area as one market. The second issue concerned a few legacy FMs which transmit from Poor Mt. The former WDBJ-FM is now WSLC-FM and superpower (200KW) WSLQ was many years ago WSLS-FM. I e-mailed Mr. Fybush with a much more detailed explanation of all this, but have not recieved a reply. Don't get the wrong idea, I love Fybush.com.

[Inundated]

Two things I differed with Mr. Fybush on the Roanoke leg. He stated that the Roanoke and Lynchburg radio markets were separate, since the Roanoke radio stations did not reach the Lynchburg area and vice-versa. That is not true, as all of the high-powered FM stations he pictured easily reach Lynchburg and far beyond. Several of the "class A" FMs in Lynchburg are simucasted on A FMs in the Roanoke area, and as Mr. Fybush stated. several AMs simucast in both areas.

That's true. Roanoke/Lynchburg IS a strange market, though. Without the simulcasts on both AM and FM, they may as well be two different markets. The high-power class C's get listenership in Lynchburg (and even the NRV), but even powerful WXLK "K92" felt the need to simulcast on 100.1 FM before splitting it off as Urban AC "Vibe 100", mainly targetting Lynchburg (though now also simulcasting on 610/Roanoke). It's a weird market. For example, oldies WZZU 97.9/Lynchburg doesn't reach Roanoke at ALL, nor does talk WLNI/105.9, talk/religion WBRG/1050 or religious WLLL/930. Talk WFIR/960 doesn't reach Lynchburg at all, nor does alternative WZZI/101.5 (though I think Travis does have a small translator simulcast in Lynchburg) or religious/gospel/sports WWWR/910 or religious WTOY/1480 and WRIS/1410. Fully 2/3rds of the dial in each city is different from the other city due to the geographic features of the area.

The second issue concerned a few legacy FMs which transmit from Poor Mt. The former WDBJ-FM is now WSLC-FM and superpower (200KW) WSLQ was many years ago WSLS-FM. I e-mailed Mr. Fybush with a much more detailed explanation of all this, but have not recieved a reply. Don't get the wrong idea, I love Fybush.com.

He's a busssssy man :D

[etease69]

I'm getting Roanoke channels 9286, 9283, 9282, 9281 and 9280 but i have no
guide how do i find the list for them?

[etease69]

Oh Oh or can i get channel names and local names, so i can look them up on the net, can anyone help me from Roanoke?

[JohnH]

Did you just subcribe to them? What model receiver?

[Darkman]

I'm getting Roanoke channels 9286, 9283, 9282, 9281 and 9280 but i have no
guide how do i find the list for them?

Try to make your posts more legible (AKA - so at least people know what you are talking about)

Example - you "getting them".. no guide.. you want some list for them.. so you can look them up on Internet somewhere...or something like that

see - "not making much sense" considering all the facts and description - hehe.. getting them how.. what type of receiver.. etc etc...

if you just want the statistical info about them:

WSET TV 13 (ABC) Lynchburg WSET 9280 5 110° E*8 . . Local - Roanoke
WDBJ TV 7 (CBS) WDBJ 9281 5 110° E*8 . . Local - Roanoke
WSLS TV 10 (NBC) WSLS 9282 5 110° E*8 . . Local - Roanoke
WFXR TV 27 (Fox) WFXR 9283 5 110° E*8 . . Local - Roanoke
WJPR DT 20-3 (WB) Lynchburg, VA
click on schedule then WBVA for schedule. WJPR 9284 12 61.5° E*3 . . Local - Roanoke
WDRL TV 24 (UPN) Danville WDRL 9285 12 61.5° E*3 . . Local - Roanoke
WBRA TV 15 (PBS) WBRA 9286 5 110° E*8 . . Local - Roanoke
WTLU-CA 19 (FamilyNet) Lynchburg WTLU . . . . . . (9)Available nationally on Sky Angel

Reference: http://ekb.dbstalk.com/dishlist.htm

[Bobby94928]

Huh???