Did some of your digital TV channels disappear overnight? Don’t forget to re-scan for off-air DTV channels that move after analog is turned off

Did some of your digital TV channels disappear overnight? Don’t forget to re-scan for off-air DTV channels that move after analog is turned off

Topic Author: Jay Prater

Posted: 10:24 PM Feb 16, 2009

Replies Posted: 13 comments

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Well... Remember that this blog reflects my personal opinions, and not KAKE's. OK?

The DTV delay act has sure been an incredibility confusing piece of work.

What was passed, and signed into law, wasn’t nearly as complex as the FCC’s interpretation and subsequent new regulations. It created an entire new set of requirements and paperwork to be submitted and approved before stations can permanently turn off their full-power signals.

The landscape is changing so rapidly that some stations that want to end analog on 2/17/09, may not be able to until, as late as 6/12/09.

As of this writing, however, both KAKE and KUPK plan to end analog service by 2/17.

Since KAKE-DT 10.1 will move from UHF channel 21 to VHF channel 10, and KUPK-DT 13.1 will move from UHF channel 18 to VHF channel 13, you’ll need to go back through your HDTVs setup menu and “re-scan” for digital channels to find the digital signal’s new “home”.

If scanning for a station doesn’t work. You may also be able to manually tune to a station’s RF channel (…for KAKE it’s 10, KUPK is on 13, and KLBY is on 17), and some converter boxes have signal strength meters to help you tweak your antenna. I also, recommend www.tvfool.com for antenna help.

You’ll need to re-scan anytime a TV station shifts its digital signal to a new RF channel after they shut-down analog. So, you may need to repeat this several times, since different stations will do this on different days.

Good luck!

Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.

by matt Location: wallead on Apr 12, 2009 at 09:00 PM

wall i get more chennls

by Jay Prater Location: KAKE on Mar 11, 2009 at 07:47 PM

I think that's the one with an built-in amplifier. If so, that could be your problem. Try unplugging the amp, or turning it off. If that by-passes the amp it may help. Also, please don't buy a "digital or HD antenna" that's only a marketing label to try and up-sell a product. You just need a good, non-amplified, VHF antenna. If you had solid digital reception of KAKE-DT channel 21 with rabbit ears on 2/17...you might want to try a simple (and cheap <$10) VHF only, rod antenna. Keep Trying!

by Karen Location: 11 miles NE of EL Dorado on Mar 10, 2009 at 12:18 PM

Thanks, Jay...my antenna(rabbit ears) make and model are Gemini 3-model G2000. We've had these rabbit ears for a few years. They work great out here in the country, and once we got the converter box and added it to the rabbit ears, everything was better, but on Feb. 18th I did a re-scan,and lost channel 10 and haven't had it since. I'm thinking of buying one of these new "digital" or "HD" antennas, but I hate to spend that much money if it's not going to help.

by Jay Prater Location: KAKE on Mar 9, 2009 at 10:33 PM

Please tell me the make and model of your antenna.

by Karen Location: 11 miles NE of EL Dorado on Mar 9, 2009 at 03:10 PM

We caught channel 10 with our rabbit ears and caught it even better with the converter box that we bought months before the switch-over. Now,(since Feb.17th)we can catch all the channels as before EXCEPT KAKE(ch.10)...I miss channel 10!!!!!Now, Dancing with the Stars is coming on tonight, and I can't catch it. I also have one of the new digital tvs in my bedroom, and haven't been able to catch it on that tv either. I have scanned, scanned and scanned some more and still can't catch it. What's the deal???

by matt lutes Location: walland tn on Mar 5, 2009 at 01:31 PM

wall i get more chnnles in walland tn.

by Jay Prater Location: KAKE on Feb 28, 2009 at 10:25 AM

Talisha: The rescan, or delete and rescan, was required when we moved the 10.1 digital signal from UHF channel 21 to VHF channel 10 at midnight on 2/18/09. So, once you get the "new" 10.1, and it is added to your channel list, rescanning will not help. Then it's all about your antenna. Our engineers have been testing some rabbit ears, with some very interesting results. It seems that most amplified ears, also amplify so much background noise that they work much worse, than a <$10 VHF dipole antenna (the two rods). You are so far away from Colwich, however, a good outdoor directional VHF yagi, perhaps with a mast mounted low-noise pre-amp may be your best bet.

by Talisha Location: Little River, KS on Feb 26, 2009 at 11:31 AM

I have a digital television and am only getting channel ten on a hit and miss basis. I missed to Bachelor on Monday because we were not getting the signal. We did try rescanning for it and it didn't work. Any help would be appreciated.

by Jay Prater Location: KAKE on Feb 23, 2009 at 11:02 AM

Update: I was testing in my basement, and removed the amplified VHF/UHF set-top "rabbit ears" and replaced them with a set of old VHF only ears (two telescoping rods) with 300-ohm twin lead cable that I connected to a push-on 300/75-ohm balun, which then goes into a DTV converter box antenna input. Remember, I'm 20 miles from our transmitter and tower near Colwich. I got a better signal strength than before (75 to 85%...around 70% before)! This was a good reminder that an amplifier can't make up for a smaller antenna. You've got to capture enough signal first, before an amp can help. This may be fodder for a future blog posting.

by Jay Prater Location: KAKE on Feb 20, 2009 at 08:49 PM

Richard: I'm getting higher signal strengths now, on channel 10 after 2/18...compared to channel 21 before. I can even get KAKE-DT in my basement now with amplified VHF/UHF rabbit ears, and I live 20 miles from the transmitter. I wonder how many people were sold "digital antennas" (there are no such thing...BTW) that are UHF only? You need a VHF antenna. I do recommend the www.tvfool.com site to help tweak antennas. Good Luck, and keep trying!

by Richard McCullum Location: Hutchinson on Feb 20, 2009 at 05:04 PM

People in Hutchinson were getting Channel 10 digitial before the cutover. They no longer can get it with an antenna. Rescanning doesn't help. They can't get it with a converter box or with a digitial TV. What's going on? We miss Channel 10.

by Jay Prater Location: KAKE on Feb 19, 2009 at 09:40 PM

James: UHF channels 52-69 are being removed from the television service, and the 700 MHz spectrum was sold at auction. VHF channel 10 is a much more energy efficent broadcast frequency than UHF channel 21.

by James Location: Wichita on Feb 19, 2009 at 07:57 AM

How are you able to broadcast digital in the VHF bandwidth? I thought the whole point of going to digital was to free up the VHF bandwidth allowing it to be sold to cellular phone companies? So why did Kake decide that the UHF 10.1 channel wasn't good enough for them?

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