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?


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