Over-the-Air reception of San Diego 6's HDTV
digital broadcasts
Cable Reception of San Diego 6's HDTV
broadcasts
Satellite Reception of San Diego 6
Over-the-Air Reception of Channel 6 analog
Other Technical Questions About our
Broadcasts
Got a question for our Engineering
department? Ask it here.
About Over-the-Air reception of San Diego 6's
digital broadcasts
Are you
broadcasting in high definition?
Yes, we broadcast all available HDTV shows from
the CW Network. In order to watch our HDTV broadcasts, you must
have a TV or monitor capable of displaying high definition video,
and a set-top box or integrated tuner to convert the signals to
video and audio. If you are watching a new flat-screen TV using a
cable, satellite, or over-the-air tuner, make sure you are using
the proper HDMI or component (RED, GREEN, and BLUE) cables.
Regular video cables with the yellow-end connectors won't carry
high definition video.
Our high definition format is 1080i. That's
1080 lines of resolution with interlaced scanning. You don't have
to know what that means to enjoy the sharpness and clarity of the
picture.
Can I
receive your digital broadcasts over-the-air with my old TV
set?
Yes you can! Note that this won't be HDTV (high
definition), but with a DTV converter you should be able to
receive very clear, sharp picture with your old TV. Just go to an
electronics supplier and buy a DTV converter that will take our
channel 23 digital signal and convert it to audio and video for
your older TV. With a good antenna system, you will get far
better pictures than you were accustomed to watching before. They
won't be in high definition, but if you are happy with the
picture, so are we. The Zenith and Insignia brands (both made by
LG Electronics) get particularly good reviews. The Channel Master
CM-7000 even has an S-video output that will give superior
pictures if your set has an S-video jack.
I can't receive
your digital station over-the-air even though I get many or all
of the others. Any advice?
We're on UHF channel 23 broadcasting from Mt.
San Antonio in Tijuana, Mexico, using full legal power of 403kW
ERP, directed primarily northward. On most digital receivers, our
digital channel will be displayed as "6.1" or "6-1." Our analog
channel will be displayed as "6" or "6-0". San Diego viewers can
receive local digital TV signals over-the-air using a relatively
small antenna. Receiving all stations at the same time can be
challenging because unlike most cities, San Diego area digital TV
stations are currently located on three separate mountains.
If you don't want to hire a
professional, your first step should be to predict what kind
of reception you could get from your home. Go to Antennaweb.org
and click on "Choose an antenna." Enter your home address (email
address and other information is not required). You will receive
a list of TV stations the computer predicts you can receive at
your home address, and in what directions those stations reside.
In all cases, you may be able to receive all stations listed with
the largest of antennas and a rotator you're willing to control
when you change station. That's worst case.
Many of you will get a chart from
Antennaweb.org that shows only purple. You live in a canyon or
behind a mountain. You will embrace cable or satellite TV. Get to
know and love your cable or satellite TV box. It is your friend.
You will likely be frustrated if you attempt to receive TV
over-the-air, even with an outdoor antenna on a giant tower.
Another, more technically oriented signal
finder webpage is TVFool.com.
You'll get of a complete list of stations that you may or may not
be able to receive from your location, but with a well-designed
antenna system, you should be able to receive the stations listed
above an NM (dB) value of 0. Any station with a "C" listed on the
left side may take a high performance antenna, or be altogether
impractical to receive. This site will even tell you how high you
should place your antenna to get line-of-sight reception. They
don't give you any advice on antennas, though, assuming instead
that you already know what to use.
Let's say you live in central San Diego, or
somewhere between Clairemont or Tierrasanta to the north and
National City to the SDSU area south. Add, perhaps, Chula Vista
and the higher elevations of Mira Mesa and Scripps Ranch. You can
install a relatively small Channel Master
HD-1080 or Winegard HD7694P or
similar for channels 7 - 69.
as long as you don't live in
a canyon. You'll need either a rotator to orient these antennas
to the different transmitter sites, or you will need separate UHF
and VHF antennas (see below about this option). Canyon dwellers
please use a cable, fiber, or satellite provider.
If you live north of Encinitas or Poway, you
need to take special care to receive our DTV signal. This
includes the communities of Oceanside, Fallbrook, Carlsbad, and
Escondido, and the higher elevation homes in San Marcos, Valley
Center, and points between. Pay close attention here.
Two TV stations in Los Angeles and San
Bernardino counties interfere with our signal enough in North San
Diego County that you need an antenna that does a superior job of
rejecting signals from the back side. Many common antennas do a
good job of receiving signals from the front, but a poor job of
rejecting signals from the back. You need both. One antenna that
does both is the Terrestrial
Digital 91XG. It's sister, the 43XG, is smaller and should
work well if you are on a big hill or toward the south end of the
fringe zone in Encinitas or Poway.
Note that some DTV stations are now on VHF.
North County residents using the 91XG or 43XG antennas will have
to install a second, VHF antenna in order to receive all
stations. For that job, you can use your old all-channel antenna
if you still have it (you can even cut off the stubby UHF
elements on that antenna). Or buy a new VHF antenna. For channels
7 - 13, we recommend the Winegard
YA1713, AntennaCraft
Y10-7-13, or AntennasDirect
ClearStream C5. If you use separate UHF and VHF antennas this
way, you will also need a small, inexpensive UHF/VHF
combiner. Here's an alternate
combiner.
Unfortunately, the best outdoor antennas and
accessories are not readily available. Elkays Electronics and
AmeriSat in Kearny
Mesa, and Willy's
Electronics in Kearny Mesa or National City are the only
places we know of locally that carry these fine antennas. Fry's
Electronics is starting to stock the smaller antennas listed
here. If you are buying at a home projects or another electronics
store, you have the wrong antenna. Other specialized antennas are
available via mailorder.
Please don't use an indoor antenna because you
will only be frustrated with how poorly it works. If you live
upstairs in a wooden home in University Heights, go ahead and try
one. Otherwise, just say no. If you are renting and can't install
an outdoor antenna, pay the $13 per month for basic cable.
May I
install an antenna even if I live in a subdivision with
homeowner's restrictions on roof-mounted antennas?
Yes, usually you may. The FCC
Telecommunications Act of 1996 preempts local governance of
outdoor antennas with few exceptions. The FCC has a useful
information page where you can learn more. I don't need to
tell you that it's a good idea to work with your landlord or
homeowner's association first to head off a nasty battle.
Sometimes when that sewer backs up, it's good to have friends in
high places, if you know what I mean.
See information above regarding choosing an
antenna.
Can I get
help installing an antenna?
Look at "Antennas" in the telephone book Yellow
Pages™. Many of these listings are for satellite antenna
installers, but some of those are pros at installing over-the-air
antennas as well.
Where can I
find advice about my HDTV installation?
A tremendous resource for San Diego viewers is
on the web at http://hdtv.forsandiego.com. There's a wealth of
useful information for best ways of dealing with reception in
your neighborhood, and sticky issues with bleeding edge
equipment.
About Cable Reception
On which
cable systems can I receive San Diego 6's HDTV signals?
Cox Cable and Time Warner Cable in San Diego
County and Cablemas in Tijuana carry our digital
transmissions.
Will it cost
extra to receive cable HDTV?
If you want the most convenient reception or
recording capabilities, you will need a cable company-supplied
set-top box that you will have to pay a small rental fee for. If
you consider how fast technology changes, this rental fee may
actually be the most economical way to view HDTV signals.
In theory, your local digital TV stations are
available to subscribers of the very lowest tier of service at
about $12 per month. At that cost, you would have to provide your
own set-top box or TV with built-in QAM tuner. Support for
reception this way is poor, and you may be required to re-scan
for stations when the cable company re-allocates channels. But if
you are cheap and enjoy the challenge of "beating the system,"
you could do worse. Some TVs, notably Sony, now offer built-in
DTV tuners with CableCard slots. These TVs can receive free HDTV
channels without external boxes. Adding a cable TV company
furnished CableCard will allow you to access pay channels without
an external set-top box, but do know that cable companies are
working hard to make these CableCARD devices obsolete, so their
support may wane soon.
About Satellite Reception of San Diego 6
Can I receive San Diego 6's HDTV signals via
satellite?
Yes you can! We're on both DirecTV and Dish
Network.
In order to receive local HDTV stations
including San Diego 6 via DirecTV, you need a
special five-LNB dish and receiver. You can get these from
your DirecTV supplier. You cannot receive our HD signal via
satellite unless you have this special equipment.
May I get a
waiver so that I can watch East Coast TV?
No. Sorry.
All of the
local TV stations just went blank on my satellite dish. What
happened?
There are are just a few reasons why you might
experience a complete loss of signal:
- Your puppy just chewed through the
cable.
- In a torrential downpour of rain,
large droplets absorb much of the satellite beam.
- Twice a year, the sun lines up with
the satellite in such a way that the sun overpowers your
satellite receiver with radio signals. This occurs for about
10-15 minutes during midday for a few days in March and
October.
- Big gusts of wind can blow your
receive dish out of alignment.
About San Diego 6 Over-the-Air Reception
Is
channel 6 shutting down its analog services like other area TV
stations?
No. Because we have a Mexican broadcast
license, we will not have to shutdown the analog service for many
years. We still believe you will prefer our digital service
better, so we recommend purchasing a
converter or HDTV in order to enjoy the best TV picture.
Why haven't
I been able to receive channel 6 since I installed my new DTV
converter?
If you received channel 6 analog before you
installed your converter, know that we're still on-the-air. If
you want to view analog stations, you need a converter with what
is called "analog passthrough." Most converters now sold have
this feature. You can receive the analog stations by either
turning off the power to your converter, or by pushing the PASS
or PASSTHRU button on your converter, if it has such a button.
Converters do this in different ways--consult your manual. Do
note that most analog stations are now permanently off the
air--just not ours.
Can I receive
San Diego 6 on my car radio?
Yes, most people in the greater San Diego and
Tijuana area can receive us on 87.7 MHz on your FM radio. Give it
a try! Just turn it up and enjoy. And that signal will continue
for the foreseeable future.
When I listen to
San Diego 6 TV on my FM radio, why is the audio volume so much
lower than that of FM radio stations?
We agree that having to turn up the volume on
87.7 FM is annoying. When the FCC and communications scientists
came up with the standards for FM broadcasting in the late 1940s,
they were afraid that if they turned up the volume on TV audio,
it would interfere with the video portion of the picture. So they
decided to limit TV audio to one-third of the frequency
modulation (FM) of that allowed for FM audio-only broadcasters.
This makes it much lower in volume at the radio end. It's a
fortunate coincidence for us that you can pickup TV audio on the
FM band for channel 6 because it's so close to the FM band, but
that fortunate coincidence comes with the price of having to
"turn it up" every time you switch to our signal because of the
slight incompatibility. You also can't hear our audio in stereo
unless you have a regular analog TV tuner.
I live north of
downtown San Diego and get lines in my TV picture or hear garbled
audio or jazz music. What's going on?
You may be receiving interference from KSDS
(FM). Their tower is on the campus of Mesa College in Linda Vista
and their signal may overwhelm your TV when tuned to San Diego 6
and receiving us via an antenna or rabbit ears. You may be able
to reduce the interference if you use a horizontal rooftop TV
antenna instead of rabbit ears, especially if you are not located
directly north of Mesa College. Having cable TV will eliminate
the problem. Better yet, try our digital service by purchasing a
converter or HDTV in order to enjoy the best TV picture.
An FM-trap device will help if you don't have
the digital converter. KSDS can provide the trap by contacting
them at (619) 388-4440.
I live near
San Ysidro, am a Cox Cable subscriber, and a second, ghost-like
image of San Diego 6 is in my TV picture. The other channels are
fine. Can this be fixed?
You have what they call "cable ingress" or
leakage, which means the over-the-air signal from our transmitter
in Tijuana is interfering with the channel 6 signal on cable.
It's a common problem cable companies have a great deal of
experience with and know how to fix. Cox Cable has to deal with
this issue because while the signal is leaking in, it's also
leaking out. They could be interfering with aircraft radios and
other services.
There may be a few things you can do to fix the
problem yourself. The most common cause of this is that people
install their own TV cables. Before you call the cable company,
make sure that you have absolutely zero cheap cables. You must
not have any of the push-on cable connectors or short, poorly
shielded cables that come with VCRs and similar products. You
must not have any RG-59 or unmarked cable. All cables must be
foil shielded, labeled RG-6, and have properly crimped
connectors. All cables must be very tightly installed. I use a
small wrench to give it a little cinch, just past finger tight.
If you think you have violated any of these principles, call Cox
and ask if you can get from them some replacement cables after
estimating the lengths you need. They like to have you use their
cables--it's much cheaper than sending a truck.
If you still have problems after inspecting
your own house, the problem could be a few loose connections on
the street. Call the Cox Cable customer service number and ask
nicely that they fix the problem. Be persistent. Like all service
companies, we find that the cable companies treat our viewers
with respect when they are friendly with the operators and ask,
rather than demand, help.
About Other San Diego 6 Technical
Questions
Why am I hearing parts of your broadcast in
Spanish?
If you watch XETV channel 6 over-the-air, you
will see some Mexican public service announcements. XETV is
required to play these announcements in their original form as
part of its obligation to the people of Mexico, where the station
is licensed. Those watching SanDiego 6 via cable, satellite, or
over-the-air on our digital station will not see these
announcements.
Why is there
so much difference between soft and loud parts of your
programming? Why are commercials so loud?
With TV viewing approaching the experience of a
movie theater, there is much greater dynamic range with digital
television. We understand that this does not please everyone.
There are ways to defeat this in order to make whispers the same
audio level as the music crescendos. Many current TVs and many
amplifiers have a built-in limiter so that you can change the
dynamic range to meet your own taste or lifestyle circumstances.
Check out your manuals or your remote control menu to see if you
have a NIGHT or LIMITER or AUTOMATIC VOLUME CONTROL listening
mode option.
Also, make sure if you are using a theater
sound system on which you don't have SURROUND mode engaged while
listening to TV when a specific surround program is not being
broadcast. SURROUND mode greatly distorts the presentation of
stereo material, and will boost the music unnaturally, burying
the dialog. Use STEREO mode except for network programs with
Dolby Digital 5.1. If you have connected your TV to your audio
amplifier using an optical or coaxial digital link, your
amplifier should be able to switch to the proper mode
automatically.
Note that we do not control audio from network
HDTV programming--content passes through our systems without
altering either audio or video.
Rarely, people will have their stereo systems
miswired such that the speakers are out-of-phase or their middle
front speaker is missing from their surround sound system. Either
of these conditions will cause the stereo music of a commercial
to be MUCH louder than the monaural speech during the news.
During sports, it will sound as if the announcer's audio is being
buried in music and crowd noise. If your middle speaker is
missing, either install it or run your amplifier in STEREO mode
rather than in SURROUND mode. If you have stereo speakers
out-of-phase, you can fix it by swapping the + and - terminals on
one of the speakers at either the speaker or amplifier end. If
you still aren't satisfied, you need the help of the nearest
available geek relative.
Commercials are often designed by their
producers to be loud. They may have their dynamic range greatly
reduced to make them "stand out" in a sea of different sounds. We
limit every audio source to be no louder than a certain amount,
but when commercial sound editors record audio that is on average
much louder than the average dialog level of other programming,
there's not a lot we can do.
Can I
receive San Diego 6 on my computer using an internet
stream?
Due to copyright issues with all of our
commercial, network, and syndication providers, San Diego 6
cannot provide full-time streaming audio and/or video at this
time. Some of our local newscasts are streamed.
If you wish to receive our audio feed at work,
you may be able to pick up our FM signal on 87.75 MHz using a
high quality portable radio. This is the signal in the San Diego
area at the very bottom of the FM band. Note that the signal may
be very weak in canyons and steel-reinforced buildings, so your
radio under these conditions must be the best. We recommend the
GE Superadio III or the new Sony XDRF1HD Radio. Adding a dipole
or outdoor antenna will improve reception on just about any
radio.
Still need
help?
Have a technical question not answered above, or just want to give
us your feedback? Fill out the form below to contact our Engineering department,
or click here for other contacts.
