Does anyone get WMUR in HD over the air?

[IslandRadio]

Your ability to receive off the air signals depends on:

1) Your elevation above the average terrain (or should I say, the antenna's elevation about average terrain)

2) Your distance from the station(s) you wish to receive

3) The antenna gain, antenna mounted preamp gain and noise figure (if you use one) and the sensitivity of the TV receiver.

If you live on a hill and put the antenna up high as well, you will get good signals unless you are very far from the transmitting facilities.

Where I live, I get Boston, Providence RI, a lot from New Hampshire, and sometimes Springfield, MA. The location is 45 miles West-North-West of Boston, and is on a hilltop. The antenna is in the attic of a 2 storey house, with a rotator and an antenna mounted preamp.

The only think I can honestly say that we miss are the Red Sox games, because they are only available on pay TV.

[Rich]

I was trying to have this discussion with another boatsman, but it seems that there still is a lot of confusion as to what people need to be able to receive digital over the air TV signals. I guess most people pay for cable, or satelite or internet these days so most are not sure about what works for OTA digital TV signals.

Here's what I was trying to ask, perhaps someone here can answer it:

If you have the proper equipment, that is a digital TV capable of receiving an OTA digital TV signal, and a typical 'marine' TV antenna, are there any OTA (over the air) digital TV signals that are strong enough to be viewed on the lake. So that means the TV antenna will be a compromise and at about 7 or 8 feet above the lake level.

So in other words, does anyone have any luck watching live TV any more while on their boat either on the lake or at their dock/mooring?

Unfortunately, I don't have a digital TV so I can't test this myself without spending money. And I don't want to spend any money only to find out that there are no signals strong enough in the lake area to be received.

[Island Girl]

On the broads side of Rattlesnake Island I receive three Portland, ME channels, 6-1, 8-1, 13-1 which correspond to ABC, CBS and NBC (not necessarily in that order) I also receive the -2 versions of those stations with are weather and other irrelevant channels.

It took a while to point the antenna properly, but they come in beautifully.

I don't have a TV on my little boat so cannot tell you from where else this works.

I cannot get WMUR. Perhaps another location on the lake will get that.

IG

[SIKSUKR]

Here is a pretty rough guesstimate chart put out by the FCC.Put in the location in the upper left box and wait till it searches your area.The possible signal strengths of each potential channel will pop up after a short wait.
http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps/

[Rich]

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

Here is a pretty rough guesstimate chart put out by the FCC.Put in the location in the upper left box and wait till it searches your area.The possible signal strengths of each potential channel will pop up after a short wait.
http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps/

According to this tool, signals in Smith Cove will be:

WMTW ABC channel 8-1 will be Moderate
WCSH NBC channel 6-1 will be Weak
WENH PBS channel 11-1 will be Weak

They also list, WCMU (CBS 13-1), WMUR (ABC 9-1), WVTA (PBS 41-1) and WNNE (NBC 31-1) as NO SIGNAL.

It's interesting that if I use the tool to look at the signal at the Broads, there are more stations that can be seen with a weak signal (including WMUR channel 9-1).


I'd still like to know if any boat equiped with digital TVs can receive any of these signals using a typical on boat antenna (not a home based directional antenna).

[BroadHopper]

If you have clear site of Mt Washington such as along the Gilford side of the Broads, you can get WMTW (8.1,8.5). Supposedly, according to FCC, Belknap County is WMUR market and therefore the cable companies cannot broadcast the Maine stations. With an HD antenna, anyone in Belknap County with sight of Mt Washington can get WMUR. Is the FCC going to confiscate our antennae?

[Rich]

Haven't you seen these flying around lately:



They are looking for you!

You will know for sure that they are coming to confiscate your antenna when you hear the black helicopters!