***Alert*** New database has serious issue ***

[rickbb]

Originally Posted by ADTech

That is unlikely to have anything to do with the repack since the repack hasn't started yet except for a few sign-offs, it's probably something else.

You'd have to explicitly identify the stations by call letters, virtual, and real channel numbers in order to dig into it.

The repack was the only thing I could blame. The no content channels don't show any call letters on my TV or signals. Maybe it's the TV, hmmm just in time for the holiday sales.

[ADTech]

Any idea what "real" channel it was? Could just be how the tuner happens to handle a weak or noisy signal. I've had scans on some of my sets come up populating both real and the virtual channels with one or both of the entries corrupted.

[JoeAZ]

Another member, Stan, went through the previous databases
and found that the January 2017 database was the most
accurate and complete for most areas. That won't help for
areas already beginning the repack but it is better than current
offerings.

[shovel99]

I posted several channels missing recently from their being reported properly, apparently, when I started the cord cutting research January of 2017. WPXA channel 31 in our market, ION the most important.
Good luck to the site owner, it has been very valuable to me and apparently us. What exactly is the "repack" you are talking about?
Thanks,
Paul

[OTAFAN]

What exactly is the "repack" you are talking about?

T Mobile was the highest bidder and took the lions share of spectrum or frequencies above UHF real channel 35, paying billions to the FCC for control of new cell phone business over the next several years, as I understand it.

So, instead of the current ceiling of channel 52, the new OTA TV ceiling will be channel 35, I think. OTA viewing will be limited to frequencies covering low VHF-high VHF and UHF up to channel 35, again as I understand it.

Cell phone business is MR. B-I-G.....

[eggman531916]

Thank you ADTech for posting this. My market is the Johnstown-Altoona market in PA and I was wondering why WTAJ and WATM were gone from the listing. I was going to post something about it when I ran across this thread, which answered my questions perfectly. I really hope this gets resolved as TV Fool is my go-to site for the reception question that people always ask me (aka: What all can I get with an antenna.) The FCC site is no where near as accurate.

[shovel99]

....so unemployed twenty somethings can watch TV on their Iphones in their parents basement. Great job Gubment.

Thanks OTAFAN and ADTech for keeping us abreast.

This is happening when large LARGE numbers are cutting cable and rushing to free OTA TV. The big Monopoly Cell companies are also the big Monopoly Cable TV providers. Can anyone smell a rat here? They are losing huge numbers of cable TV subscribers ... .and they pay a few Billion to eliminate free TV to stop the exodus? Just carnally disgusting that our supposed "regulators" let them get away with such monopolistic practices. I have read where regulators in "socialist europe" are doing a better job of protecting the people in a natural monopoly such as these services and force the providers to make their service available to remarketers at cost. That drives the pricing so that the average "triple play" bundle costs $30 per month in a number of Euro countries... not the $120+ it is here. The State of GA PSC does something similar with natural gas and it works really well.
Shovel99

[OTAFAN]

For my meager posts, you're welcome shovel99. But I have to give credit to rabbitt73, because he was first to mention the subject in a previous thread of mine, or perhaps it was actually his thread--can't remember at the moment.

So then I tore into the web regarding the subject and read as much as I could find. It gets rather complicated with various points of view and a lot of BUT.....BUT.....BUT.....but in the final analysis, I think you're right about who really loses out in the end--us OTA fans and many who are strained to pay the cable and satellite fees required to watch the numerous channels today.

So, now it appears we are going to have to go Back To The Future (to quote popular film culture), by getting our large antennas back up on our roofs. Several networks here in the greater LA/OC SoCal Counties are slated to broadcast on low VHF because that's about the only place where there is some availability. One shopping network is already on real channel 5, and Retro TV is going to real channel 4 from its current UHF real channel 42. And there probably will be more to come.

BUT.....maybe Adtech will realize his people at Antennas Direct could make some money by coming up with a smaller size antenna capable of receiving low VHF-high VHF-UHF topping off at real channel 35???

Just saying.....

[Sev]

Perhaps somebody should reload the old Database

This is my original chart from over a year ago.



This is one from last night.


Good thing I saved it.

[ADTech]

Perhaps somebody should reload the old Database

There is only one "somebody" who can do that (the site owner) and he's been unresponsive so far.

[Sev]

Originally Posted by ADTech

There is only one "somebody" who can do that (the site owner) and he's been unresponsive so far.

Well that is quite unfortunate.

Hopefully the problem with the site is not due to the owner having any health problems or other challenges in his life.

[rabbit73]

NEW DATABASE NOW BEING USED FOR REPORTS

TVFool is now using a new database, datecode 201801291705.

It's giving me much more accurate report.

[ADTech]

This is great news! Spread the word!

[Sev]

Just checked mine.
Looks like it is correct again.
I will compare it to my original.

[Sev]

Still a couple of differences. But much better.

[jrgagne99]

I think mine is unchanged. It still shows a post-repack channel allocation for at least one station, and pre-repack allocation for others... NM values are consistent with mid-2017 database queries.