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First Day For WBTS-LD: Countdown NBC Boston
By Dani B. on Thu, 11/10/2016 - 10:52pm
Today is the first day that NBC Boston is broadcasting on WBTS-LD on digital channel 8.1. In Cambridge I'm just barely able to pick up the signal if I have my antenna in one specific sweet spot (this one spot does not allow me to receive WBZ or WCVB, so for the first time since the DTV transition I'll have to actually adjust my antenna regularly...). How are the rest of the antenna users like myself faring? Are you able to tune in WBTS-LD (channel 8.1)? WNEU (channel 60.2)? Where are you located and what type of antenna do you use?
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Comments
Channel 8.1
I'm in West Roxbury, just a few miles from the transmitter (supposedly in Needham), using a powered indoor antenna. I can get it, but today is a rather windy day, and the signal keeps breaking up. Since this is the only channel for which I would need to readjust the antenna - even assuming that that would increase the signal strength - I'm simply not going to bother; there aren't that many terrific programs on NBC to justify continually turning the antenna, and then turning it back just so, in order to get all the other stations. I'll try watching in January, but if the constant dropouts get too annoying, it's goodbye NBC.
People with decent broadband can stream most of the shows they might want to see; but I have a data cap (for various reasons), and 5-6 hours of hi-def video is the maximum I can watch in a month without incurring overage charges. Besides, if I wanted to watch television on a little laptop screen, I wouldn't have gotten a TV set!
If NBC becomes unwatchable over the air, my suggestion is to file a complaint with the FCC. The networks were required to maintain over the air broadcasting as part of the digital transition, and NBC, as part of Comcast, was specifically required to do so before it could acquire a local station.
one thing on NBC...
I mostly agree with you that there is little worth watching with one notable exception: The NFL. Can you imagine if this were a year where NBC had the Super Bowl?
.go ahead London
I receive NBC Boston on 8.1, WBTS-LD channel strength 48%
I receive NBC Boston on 60.5, WBTS-LD channel strength is 57%.
Yes
As I said in another post.. I tried too today to see if I could get 8.1 and I don't. And never have since that station supposedly has existed on 8.x for a while now (as a Spanish channel.. which also surprises me since Chelsea has such a high Spanish population)
I also do not get channel 60.x either but Concord is far further away than Needham.
Press releases say between the two stations they should be able to cover 97% of WHDH's coverage area.. but really? I'm RIGHT outside of Boston, and if this is supposedly a Boston station, I should be able to get it. and if I can't even pick up a faint signal, I'm willing to bet most people in Boston can't get it very well either. So 97%, my ass, unless they increase the signal strength.
I get every other Boston station just perfectly, except this new one. My worst station (until today) is WSBK. No idea why but 'SBK just breaks up so much no matter where/how I adjust the antenna. But at least it comes in and is detected by my TV... WBTS.. not so much.
But to answer your question about equipment, I have a powered 'directional' TERK indoor antenna. It works well.. it has to be powered, but I pick up most stations with 4 (out of 5) bars. The only interference I get is when planes land. I can always tell when a plane is near as it will break up.
That 97% figure . . .
"Press releases say between the two stations they should be able to cover 97% of WHDH's coverage area.. but really? I'm RIGHT outside of Boston, and if this is supposedly a Boston station, I should be able to get it. and if I can't even pick up a faint signal, I'm willing to bet most people in Boston can't get it very well either. So 97%, my ass, unless they increase the signal strength."
The 97% figure may be a clever lie. From a recent Boston Globe article: "Mike St. Peter, president and general manager of NBC Boston, NECN, and Telemundo Boston [whose facilities are being used for channel 8.1], acknowledged that NBC Boston’s coverage area “does not match” WHDH’s, but plenty of people will be able to watch the network. He pointed out that 97 percent of households in the Boston market subscribe to cable or satellite, the highest in the country."
The NECN announcement of the new channel also stated the following: "NBCBoston.com will be the new website for NBC Boston and will launch Nov. 10 followed by an NBC Boston app, bringing NBC Boston news and weather to audiences on the go. The desktop and mobile web site will provide coverage across the region." So it really sounds as if the "97% coverage" figure refers only to web and cable availability, not over-the-air.
When Comcast acquired NBC, one condition imposed by the FCC was that they were not allowed to reduce over-the-air coverage of NBC - otherwise they're basically forcing people to buy their cable service to get that network. In other words, going from 100% coverage to 97% coverage does not satisfy the FCC requirement if the missing 3% is precisely the population they are not allowed to cut off.
So if you still can't get NBC in January, consider filing an FCC complaint. I'm not at all convinced that the FCC gives a damn about us "small people", since unlike networks and cable systems, we lack the resources for really generous bribes; but short of paying through the nose for cable, or just abandoning NBC entirely, I don't know what other options we have - unless you want to spend lots of time trying to organize a boycott of the station's advertisers. There are closer windmills at which to tilt.
world class city
my foot, you can't even get Access Hollywood to come in.
That's not a bug, it's a feature!
n/t
Channel 8
I live in Newton, a stone's throw from the TV towers in Needham (I can see them out my windows), and I just started receiving channels 8.1 through 8.4 (two in English, two in Spanish). The hi-def looks great, but the reception breaks up badly despite my having rescanned my antenna (which is a powerful one). I'm assuming that once the station goes live for real in January, the broadcast signal strength will be upped. It HAS to be, because right now channel 8 is pretty much unwatchable. Nice to see NECN news, though (what I can see of it).
Lexington no coverage
I get most Boston TV networks at around 90% signal levels on my converter box.
I cannot pick up this station at all. I did do a FCC complaint.
Try channel 60.5 - I get it
Try channel 60.5 - I get it there in Lexington.
I get no reception of ch. 8 in Brookline Village
Friends in South Brookline began to received channels 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, and 8.4 over the air recently. I also only watch over the air broadcasts, don't have cable. I live right near Route 9 in Brookline Village (02445) and would not have known that those channels were even broadcasting except I use a TIVO. The TIVO program guide suddenly started showing all the programs that are currently running on 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, and 8.4 but with no audio or video, and an error message that there is no signal. I tried rescanning, moving my antenna, etc. but still nothing. Then I skipped the TIVO connected the antenna directly to my TV and rescanned, but this time I didn't even know that there was an 8.1, 8.2, ,8.3, or 8.4 there. I get lots and lots of stations, can use my antenna in amplified mode, but still nothing. I filed a complaint with the FCC as someone suggested here, and then later also sent a request directly to the station. But so far nothing. I'm a big fan of Celebrity Apprentice, which is coming back to NBC in January, and I fear not being able to receive it at all. Perhaps they will stream NBC online? Not nearly as good as being able to set up the TIVO to catch/time shift episodes, but better than nothing. I also have an Apple TV Box, and there is an NBC app on there, but there is no NBC Live option but maybe I'll be able to get sommething, I hope. Still, I'm annoyed that NBC appears to not care about those of us who don't subscribe to their cable service, and broadcast the signal only in a low power mode that doesn't reach me, despite my being in a very populated area where I can receive tons of other broadcast channels.
WBTS
WBTS, also 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, and 8.4 showed up on my television screen this past weekend. I live in Marlborough, Ma- a good distance from the transmitting tour- and also do not have line of sight to the transmitting tower.
Either I didn't stumble across it, or it wasn't there last Friday. Sunday night, when channel surfing, my HDTV included the above channels for the first time. My guess is that they either increased power greatly or put up a new, higher gain antenna. In any case, the picture appears to be solid with no pixellation, completely watchable here.
If you had problems before, I'd suggest you take another look at it. Your problems may be gone.
Dennis
WBTS
I will try again, but as of this weekend I'm not getting ANY signal of the new Channel 8 via my digital converter. I live in Boston (Jamaica Plain). So once NBC goes off Channel 7 they will go dark in my household. Sounds like I'm not the only one
How could FCC have approved this loss of public service? I have complained to them and to NBC Universal.
No channel 8.1, but strong channel 60.5
Yeah I live in Lexington. My UHF antenna and channel scanning efforts have not been able to pick up channel 8 at all. They might be planning to boost power come January 1st, hard to say. But I DID find "WBTS-LD" coming in strong on channel 60.5 with COZI programming and a a graphic countdown of the days left until it becomes new NBC outlet for Boston.
8.1
Directv is now broadcasting this channel (10) loud and clear in HD....
Is this station broadcasting yet?
Live in the Attleboro area. Watching Ch 7 News OTA. Heard about the switch to WBTS. With Square D antenna CH 7 comes in 100%. for strength and quality. Not seeing a signal for WBTS.
ch. 60-5 appeared in Woburn
A new OTA station! This was a surprise. Came across a digital channel (60-5) with the unfamiliar call sign (WBTS-LD) this evening. Is this signal being broadcast from southern New Hampshire? Woburn is a straight line distance of 13.5 miles to Needham, but I cannot locate a signal for channel 8. I use an Artech indoor flat panel antenna connected to a powered RCA digital signal amplifier.
wbts antenna
I live in Beverly and just did a rescan and found it coming in strong on 60.5
60.5 programs so far not listed on TIVO service
My earlier comment here was a complaint that I couldn't get access over the air. Now it comes in strongly over 60.5, the non-cable antenna-based way to bring in NBC Boston in lots of Boston areas, but I have a different problem. I use my TiVo to DVR programs of interest. As of this moment, TiVo's program guide doesn't show the programs that run on 60.5, listing them as "To be announced." Many of us have contacted TiVo to report this, but so far, no success. I've also contacted NBC Boston, which quickly replied to say that they were going to investigate and get it fixed, so I'm hopeful, whereas so far, TiVo hasn't replied to many of us (probably hundreds or more), beyond assigning a Case Number.
Still can't get it
I live in Southboro MA and I still can't get with 8.1 or 60.5. Good by, NBC. I'm actually looking up the FCC complain line, since this is definitely not a good change for broadcast TV in the Boston area.
antenna reception not good
I am in Framingham. I have rescanned channels and can go to 8.1 and 60.5. However, 8.1 is often freezing and breaking up. Today I can't get a working signal on that channel. If 60.5 is my only option I will not be clicking through that many channels to get to that number. Direct entry of the number is too challenging with the remote I have. I hope this is a problem that will be fixed.