| NISKAYUNA -- WRGB Ch. 6, looking to ease the reception problems that came with last month's conversion to digital-only broadcasting, has increased the power of its TV signal and is asking permission for another upgrade. The Federal Communications Commission last week granted the station emergency permission to boost its signal strength from 4.6 kilowatts to 11.5 kilowatts.The increased power is improving reception. But Fred Lass, chief engineer at the CBS affiliate in Niskayuna, said the station still wants the FCC to approve an upgrade to 30.2 kilowatts. Some viewers continue to have problems despite last week's upgrade. Albany resident Erin Sheehan said she noticed some change in reception, but WRGB still comes in pixillated and unwatchable. "It's pretty disappointing," said the University at Albany employee. "It's not like I'm a big television watcher, but I'm a big fan of CBS." The digital conversion occurred June 12, ending the long era of analog broadcasting. The changeover, mandated by Congress, affected viewers who use over-the-air reception to watch television. It did not affect satellite or cable subscribers. Many stations received calls from confused viewers, but the switchover has been particularly problematic for stations, like WRGB, that are on what is called the VHF band, which was largely untested as a carrier for digital broadcasting. Other Capital Region stations on the VHF band include WXXA Ch. 23 and WNYT Ch. 13. WXXA engineer Sarge Cathrall said the Fox affiliate in Albany is considering a signal upgrade because of continuing reception problems, but has not made a determination. Phone calls to WNYT were not returned Monday. Mike Sechrist, interim general manager at WTEN Ch. 10, said his station has no plans to ask for a signal upgrade. That's partly because WTEN broadcasts on the UHF band, which has experienced fewer reception problems since the changeover. Stations nationwide broadcasting at channel 6 are having the most problems, in part because some converter-box and antenna manufacturers seemingly assumed no station would broadcast that low on the frequency band -- an area particularly vulnerable to interference. Viewers still unable to receive WRGB won't get immediate relief. Lass, the station's chief engineer, estimated it will take at least a month to further boost the signal, a move that's contingent on FCC approval and installation of a new transmitter. He declined to comment on the future of the station's radio simulcast at 87.7 FM, which was discontinued last month when the station began having TV reception problems. The station's general manager, Robert Furlong, was not available Monday but has said the station intends to resurrect the radio simulcast only after resolving the TV-reception issues. Chris Churchill can be reached at 454-5442 or by e-mail at cchurchill@timesunion.com. Missing the signal Hundreds of Capital Region viewers are still struggling to receive WRGB Ch. 6 and other Capital Region TV stations. For those viewers, WRGB Engineer Fred Lass offers these tips:
Use simple rabbit-ear antennas. Lass said more expensive antenna systems are working more poorly for VHF signals than the old-fashioned rabbit ears that were once common in every household. Re-scan your converter box. Lass said many of the converter boxes used to make digital signals available for analog-only televisions still have WRGB's old reception location in their memories. Re-scanning should reset a box's memory. Also recommended is a "double re-scan," which involves unplugging the antenna, re-scanning, turning off the converter box or TV, turning it back on, plugging in the antenna and re-scanning again. Point antennas toward the Helderbergs. The television transmitter nearly all Capital Region stations use is located in the mountain range south of Albany. Source: WRGB Missing the signal Hundreds of Capital Region viewers are still struggling to receive WRGB Ch. 6 and other Capital Region TV stations. For those viewers, WRGB Engineer Fred Lass offers these tips: Use simple rabbit-ear antennas. Lass said more expensive antenna systems are working more poorly for VHF signals than the old-fashioned rabbit ears that were once common in every household. Re-scan your converter box. Lass said many of the converter boxes used to make digital signals available for analog-only televisions still have WRGB's old reception location in their memories. Re-scanning should reset a box's memory. Also recommended is a "double re-scan," which involves unplugging the antenna, re-scanning, turning off the converter box or TV, turning it back on, plugging in the antenna and re-scanning again. Point antennas toward the Helderbergs. The television transmitter nearly all Capital Region stations use is located in the mountain range south of Albany.
Source: WRGB
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