Thursday, August 20, 2009

19 Asks For More Juice

...and no, we don't mean in the vending machines in the basement of Reserve Square.

Raycom Media's alleged Cleveland market CBS affiliate, known legally to the FCC as WOIO(TV) Shaker Heights, is requesting an immediate power increase for its digital TV facility on RF channel 10.

WOIO is asking to increase power from 3.5 kW to 9.5 kW on its existing antenna system.

The station recently received approval to mount a new, higher antenna that would put out 10.3 kW of power. The special temporary authority request would use the lower antenna WOIO's digital facility is using now, until the 10.3 kW permit is built out and ready to take to the airwaves.

It'll be interesting to see if this actually returns the station to many local digital converter boxes and tuners that have lost it in the past. Like, for example, all three digital tuners here at OMW World Headquarters, just 20 air miles from Parma.

Thanks to OMW reader Trip Ericson, proprietor of the excellent RabbitEars.info TV information site, for the heads up...

3 comments:

derek2 said...

Silly question: Is there anything else now using channel 19, thereby preventing WOIO from moving back to that freq?

What is the highest UHF number that digital stations can use? (I know it doesn't go up to 83 any more.) Surely there must be some high number avaiable that would work better for WOIO than channel 10.

Seens to me that's what WOIO ought to be applying for, sted fighting an uphill battle against the Canadian station on channel 10.

How is the digital reception on WUAB? What would stop WOIO from filling the holes in its pattern by simulcasting on 43.1 (or 43.x)?

Anonymous said...

I'm glad to see WOIO TV 19 addressing its transmission power issues. One idea around its problems might be investigating the use of translators to cover areas that have lost their WOIO coverage. Hopefully, that will be good alternative to any potential interference problems to the Canadian television station that occupieds the same frequency. Just a thought? Looking for some comments from a station engineer?

- Andrew, MALL727.net -

Trip said...

They could theoretically operate channel 19 at 151 kW assuming that doesn't interfere with anything on the American side. The Canadians agreed to 151 kW maximum, and anything greater would have to be renegotiated.