Comments on: UNC-TV explains its tower situation http://www.markturner.net/2009/06/26/unc-tv-explains-its-tower-situation/ Perspectives of a Raleigh geek Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:11:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Tanner Lovelace http://www.markturner.net/2009/06/26/unc-tv-explains-its-tower-situation/comment-page-1/#comment-3957 Tanner Lovelace Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:09:19 +0000 http://www.markturner.net/?p=6742#comment-3957 Thanks for the recommendations for AntennaWeb and Splat! http://dtv.gov has some good info too, like, say this: http://www.fcc.gov/bureaus/mb/engineering/maps/index.html?zipCode=27713 Oh, and btw, on a separate topic, can I please say that your site REALLY needs a way to be notified of replies by email! I remembered to come back to see if you had replied, but I think you're losing out on a lot of great conversations because people don't know the conversation is happening! Thanks for the recommendations for AntennaWeb and Splat! http://dtv.gov has some good info too, like, say this: http://www.fcc.gov/bureaus/mb/engineering/maps/index.html?zipCode=27713

Oh, and btw, on a separate topic, can I please say that your site REALLY needs a way to be notified of replies by email! I remembered to come back to see if you had replied, but I think you’re losing out on a lot of great conversations because people don’t know the conversation is happening!

]]> By: Mark Turner http://www.markturner.net/2009/06/26/unc-tv-explains-its-tower-situation/comment-page-1/#comment-3955 Mark Turner Sat, 27 Jun 2009 11:37:02 +0000 http://www.markturner.net/?p=6742#comment-3955 No, I haven't taken advantage of WRAL's antenna program. I need to, though, as the towers I need to point towards are in two different directions. Go to <a href="http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx" rel="nofollow">AntennaWeb</a> to find out what compass readings you need for your location. Or better yet: as you're a Linux user and a HAM, you'll <i>love</i> using <a href="http://www.qsl.net/kd2bd/splat.html" rel="nofollow">Splat!</a> to do terrain analyses between transmitters and receivers. Splat! takes a little setup (you have to download the terrain files from USGS, for example) but once it's working it's an amazing tool. In fact, I need to check this newest version out because it's gotten even cooler than I remember it! As for UNC-TV, you're right: this could not have been a surprise for them. And that would have been fine had the public been given some warning. No, I haven’t taken advantage of WRAL’s antenna program. I need to, though, as the towers I need to point towards are in two different directions.

Go to AntennaWeb to find out what compass readings you need for your location. Or better yet: as you’re a Linux user and a HAM, you’ll love using Splat! to do terrain analyses between transmitters and receivers.

Splat! takes a little setup (you have to download the terrain files from USGS, for example) but once it’s working it’s an amazing tool. In fact, I need to check this newest version out because it’s gotten even cooler than I remember it!

As for UNC-TV, you’re right: this could not have been a surprise for them. And that would have been fine had the public been given some warning.

]]> By: Tanner Lovelace http://www.markturner.net/2009/06/26/unc-tv-explains-its-tower-situation/comment-page-1/#comment-3954 Tanner Lovelace Sat, 27 Jun 2009 02:57:48 +0000 http://www.markturner.net/?p=6742#comment-3954 That's great that they've finally come out with an easy to understand explanation. I wish, however, that they'd been very upfront about this from the beginning. It's quite obvious just looking at the situation that there were going to be problems and it would have been nice if they'd preemptively attacked this. Oh, btw, interestingly enough, my free antenna from WRAL came today. They sent me a Channel Master 4228HD! This thing is HUGE!!! ( http://www.crutchfield.com/S-G1AAtV8lSC9/p_6594228HD/Channel-Master-4228HD.html ) Now I just need to figure out which way to point it (and whether or not I'll be able to get enough signal from WUNC (once they get squared away) so as not to need a second antenna pointing towards them (since I don't think my attic is big enough for an antenna rotor. You got an antenna from WRAL too, right? Which one was it? That’s great that they’ve finally come out with an easy to understand explanation. I wish, however, that they’d been very upfront about this from the beginning. It’s quite obvious just looking at the situation that there were going to be problems and it would have been nice if they’d preemptively attacked this.

Oh, btw, interestingly enough, my free antenna from WRAL came today. They sent me a Channel Master 4228HD! This thing is HUGE!!! ( http://www.crutchfield.com/S-G1AAtV8lSC9/p_6594228HD/Channel-Master-4228HD.html ) Now I just need to figure out which way to point it (and whether or not I’ll be able to get enough signal from WUNC (once they get squared away) so as not to need a second antenna pointing towards them (since I don’t think my attic is big enough for an antenna rotor.

You got an antenna from WRAL too, right? Which one was it?

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