DMA: Omaha & Lincoln Ne

[scottchez]

Problem Description:

The OTA Guide data for Nebraska PBS OTA Station was uplinked over a Month ago. The guide data does not work because the stations call letters are not used in the PSPIP data. NET is used instead of KUON.

The 14,000 range guide data map down is expecting KUON for the stations call letters. All of the Nebraska PBS Digital channels use NET1 NET2 NET3 and NET5 and not the FCC call letters. The NET stands for Nebraska Educational TV.

I contacted the station back in March when they first tried the channel mapping and again in May. I have also contacted Dish. All they need to do is change the Channel mapping name to NET. My requests to fix this go un-answered.

I have also confirm that 3 other people in the two DMAs are also having this same problem. They have also contacted the Station and Dish network. The guide data is uplinked but it does not work on any of the current model HD OTA Dish receivers. We have all done the typical check switch and reboots.

Below is the data from the uplink status report from May.

14416 - KUON1 Spotbeam 29
14417 - KUON2 Spotbeam 29
14418 - KUON3 Spotbeam 29
14419 - KUON5 Spotbeam 29

[Presence]

This is correct. I, too, just get the NET call letters and no guide data as a result.

[Presence]

What can I do to make something happen with this?

[Parp]

I have been in touch with both Dish and NET over the past month or so and have given up on EPG data for NET. They have both said it is the other's problem. Dish even went so far as to tell NET in an email that they DO NOT provide guide data for NET's subchannels, so now NET really doesn't think there is a problem to fix. Basically, Dish made me look like an idiot to the NET engineer I was talking to.

It sucks, but I don't think it's gonna happen. (And I really think it is a fairly simple fix, they just can't seem to get on the same page...)

I fought the fight, but they wore me down! :(

[Presence]

What excuse does NET have for not using the letters they are supposed to: KUON?

[Parp]

Well, I'm not entirely certain that is the problem. I think maybe there is more to it than that. But to answer your question, I don't know...

If you feel like joining the battle, call Bob Huber at NET and email dishquality@echostar.com. (Dish will probably tell you to delete and rescan your locals.)

Like I said before, Dish has told NET that they don't provide EPG info for NET's OTA subchannels, so it will probably look like you're crazy.

Oh, I forgot to mention this. One guy at NET actually told me to get the listings for their channels off of the internet and print them out...

Keep me posted if you make any progress!

[Presence]

Alright. My battle has begun. :)

[Ron Barry]

Hmmm.. I would be suprised that call let0tering would be how the mapping was occuring but I don't have personal knowledge to how the mapping occurs. I don't think it is as simple as mapping call signs based on other issues i have read in the past. However, it does look like something in the stream the station is provided is not correct to make the mapping trigger on the Dish receivers.

[Presence]

What I have so far.

Thanks for your note about our call letters. NET Television operates astatewide network of nine analog and nine digital television stations. Our
main station is KUON, but we also operate KXNE, KTNE, KPNE, KRNE, KMNE,KLNE, KYNE and KHNE. Rather than promote our schedule using nine different
sets of call signs, we use the network name of NET. We do, however useeach station's call letters on the hour for legal station identification.
I hope this answers your question.

[Parp]

I really hope you have better luck than I had. I would love to have the EPG for NET! I'm crossing my fingers...

[Presence]

Now I am getting nitty-gritty. Details to follow.

[huskerpat]

epg would sure be nice.

does programming only show on NET-5 when a program is in HD?

[Parp]

NET-HD (NET-5) only broadcasts over-the-air from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. (They may have longer hours on the various cable systems, but I don't know for sure.)

[Parp]

Got an email today from Dish asking if I was still having problems with this. Nothing has changed...

Hopefully they are really working to get it functioning.

[Presence]

I have been in some contact with Dish on this. One of the suggestions was to edit the names of the channels in question, so two days ago I made these changes:

NET-1 to KUON1
NET-2 to KUON-2

I left the others alone for now, and I used different naming schemes on the
two channels above in case the dash was or was not supposed to be in place.
I figured one of the channels named correctly would pick up EPG data and I
could go from there.

That was two days ago, so the receiver has been through its usual overnight reboot and retrieval of data twice. Neither renamed channel synched; both still say Digital Service in the program guide.

More to come - I have not given up! :)

[Presence]

Trail seems to have gone dead with this one. I am now not hearing anything back from either side (NET or Dish). Is no news good news, as in maybe they are actually talking to each other now? :) Not likely, I know.

[Parp]

It might help if we could get some other local viewers to contact NET and Dish to help stir the pot!

Anybody? Anybody?

If so, call Bob Huber at NET and email dishquality@echostar.com. Please post if you are joining the battle and let us know what was said, etc...

Or, Presence, do you have any better contacts?

[Presence]

I have specific names on both sides, but do not want to drop them in public, or just yet. I am still working the system, don't worry. :)

[Presence]

More progress today. The issue is not dead yet!

[Presence]

It now works for me. ;) Anybody else?

I do not know if it will happen automatically, but if not you may have to delete all your locals (Select All, Delete, Save) then rescan your locals back in. Also, afterwards a Check Switch might be necessary to force a Program Guide download.

[Parp]

I'll give it a try after work... Keeping my fingers crossed!

[Presence]

I just checked my second 622, which I did not play with at all. The guide data is now syncing up.

The only problem at this point appears related to 012-05 (PBS-HD). On my second, untouched 622 it still says Digital Service. I suspect this is because the channel only broadcasts for a few hours at night. On my first 622 when I scanned channels while it was on the air last night, the guide data synched on it.

[Parp]

Woo Hoo! It works! Thanks P for all your help with this. I'd be interested in knowing how you got this done, and what the problem was if you feel like telling the story.

I did have to delete and rescan my locals, then do a check switch. I will have to scan again when NET-HD is on the air this evening.

Looks like mine shows "Off Air" at some sorta odd times, (until 1:00 pm everyday on NET-1 and NET-2) but hopefully that will work itself out after it downloads the guide on its own a few times. I know they really are off air over night, but not till 1:00 in the after noon.

Thanks again!

I'm going to show my appreciation by becoming an NET member. :D

[Presence]

Looks like mine shows "Off Air" at some sorta odd times, (until 1:00 pm everyday on NET-1 and NET-2) but hopefully that will work itself out after it downloads the guide on its own a few times.

Actually, "Off Air" is the information being put in the guide by whoever builds the guide and is not the fault of Dish or NET, unless NET is providing them bum information. There won't be a way around that one.

[xteacher]

It now works for me. ;) Anybody else?

I do not know if it will happen automatically, but if not you may have to delete all your locals (Select All, Delete, Save) then rescan your locals back in. Also, afterwards a Check Switch might be necessary to force a Program Guide download.

I'm not sure I follow exactly what you did to get this to work. Is what is quoted above pretty much the whole process?

I've been fighting it for over a year now. I'm in central Nebraska and it's not just NET but CBS that is screwed up here. Guide is for KOLN CH 10 and we get KGIN CH 11 off air. And just like those in the eastern part of the state that off-air is CH12 for NET, our's is CH 29. NET and CBS are the only HD channels we have I can't record them except by manual timer then they don't record correctly. At least they didn't the last time I was working on this during the winter.

Any step-by-step directions would certainly help me out. Thanks everyone

[GravelChan]

I've been fighting it for over a year now. I'm in central Nebraska and it's not just NET but CBS that is screwed up here. Guide is for KOLN CH 10 and we get KGIN CH 11 off air. And just like those in the eastern part of the state that off-air is CH12 for NET, our's is CH 29. NET and CBS are the only HD channels we have I can't record them except by manual timer then they don't record correctly. At least they didn't the last time I was working on this during the winter.


I'm just across the line in SD but have similar problems as you. I can't help you with the NET problem. I do get NET over the air out of Bassett (KMNE) but of course for me it shows "digital" in the guide. However, with the KOLN/KGIN I think you are like me "SOL" :-( I'm in the Sioux Falls DMA, I get KELO and KSFY on translator stations KPLO and KPRY.
Even though the programing is identical to the Sioux Falls stations, KPLO and KPRY shows "digital". Dish knows nothing about our translator stations so we get no guide info. The solution would be for dish to give us the ability to attach the info from one station to another. That is I could attach KELO guide data to KPLO. I doubt that this will ever happen.

I very rarely record off the air but I have had no problems doing so. Of course with no guide data I do have to record with manual timers.

[Presence]

does programming only show on NET-5 when a program is in HD?

I previously understood that NET-HD only broadcast in HD from 7-10pm, and that seems to be what happens. However, we just got a new HD television installed at work and it gets NET-HD full-time! I am trying to figure out how and why, because via the 622 OTA feature I still only get HD from 7-10, and during all other hours one of the other NET channels shows on NET-5.

[Presence]

Is anyone else having trouble getting 012-05 (NET-HD) full time, and now even part-time?