Why does my Zenith digital TV converter not get the two PBS channels I can get without the box?

Question

I have an old TV with a roof-top antenna and can get KRMA and KBDI. With the converter box installed, it can't get a signal from KBDI at all and gets only an intermittent and fragmented image with no sound from KRMA. (It does, by the way, get lots of other channels just fine.)

Answer 1

You may want to check with the stations.

As I'm looking into their licensing, KBDI has temporary authorization for their digital on channel 38 with 42kW. They have a construction permit to build a higher power transmitter, 1000kW on channel 38, and an application to build a digital on channel 13. It looks like they intend to move to channel 13 after the analog shutdown. All transmit from the same location. It appears the digital signal for that station may not be very good.

Is it mountainous where you are? Seeing as this is the Denver market...UHF signals such as channel 38 tend not cover nearly as well as VHF in mountainous areas.

KRMA is similar, their digital, also temporary is on UHF channel 18 with a low 13.8kW.

These two stations do not transmit from the same location. Your antenna may be getting some signal from one and not the other. KRMA is transmitting from the same general location as other stations which may explain why you get some signal. KBDI is some distance away. You may want to check the transmitting location coordinates on a map.

Go here http://www.fcc.gov/mb/video/tvq.html and search by city or a radius around your coordinates.

You can try here also http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.asp... You only need to enter the zip code and uncheck the options. It isn't always accurate but can give you an idea about what is going on.