Post by Milo_FM on Jan 24, 2011 23:04:33 GMT -7
Our local CBS affiliate (retransmits KGWC Casper) KGWR, channel 13 VHF, seems to be suffering some major problems lately.
Every few days the station poops out and isn't receivable over the air and on cable (which unfortunately uses the OTA feed as well). If it is receivable, its choppy pixelated uselessness.
KGWR DT-2 is where we get KTWO (ABC) from as well, so when the main is down, both feeds are off on the cable broadcast as well. I'm sure they get complaints galore at Green River and Rock Springs Cable, but its not the cable company's fault.
The tower is on Aspen Mountain and its not exactly a transmitter friendly mountain in the winter.
I suspect the 30 year old equipment can't handle the cold like it once did, and on top of that, was probably designed for analog only (I'm referring to the antenna they use).
Why not enlist the help of the two guys running the FAA radar site up there. What are they busy doing, farting around and watching radar screens? The KGWR tower is less than 500 feet from the radar site. I say they could just drive their little snow cat down there and fix the darned thing. But it wouldn't be their fault either. I lay all the blame on the folks from Casper.
I also would guess that they think nobody cares about the station either. Nobody watches over the air TV any more. Um, correction, our local cable companies rely on KGWR to be working so we can watch CBS and ABC from Casper, and not have to resort to Salt Lake stations that have differing time slots etc. The more people that complain to the cable companies, the more they have to do something about it.
My proposal would be as follows...
Either fix KGWR so it doesn't fail daily, or get a fiber optic feed of KTWO/KGWC and put both in your cable system via HD instead of just having CBS from Casper in HD. The local KTWO OTA feed is standard definition because its on 13-2. Fiber optic would be more expensive, but would be a hell of a lot more reliable than KGWR is. That and if there is a bad snow storm or thunderstorm and the weather takes down the transmitter, we don't lose two channels.
I wonder how we got KTWO (analog) prior to the digital transition. It certainly wasn't via a translator, since KTWO doesn't have translators in or around Rock Springs.
Sorry for the rant but I'm sick of not being able to watch my favorite shows on KTWO and KGWR because someone forgot to fix the transmitter properly. If I didn't watch OTA television as much as I do, I would care a little less, but I am probably the only one in this town watching OTA channels with cable at the same time.
EDIT:
Note, as of this post KGWR has been off air for two days straight, and the weather has been decent enough. Also, my OTA box shows signal from the station, but no picture... definite transmitter problems. I wonder if deer chewed the transmission line.
Every few days the station poops out and isn't receivable over the air and on cable (which unfortunately uses the OTA feed as well). If it is receivable, its choppy pixelated uselessness.
KGWR DT-2 is where we get KTWO (ABC) from as well, so when the main is down, both feeds are off on the cable broadcast as well. I'm sure they get complaints galore at Green River and Rock Springs Cable, but its not the cable company's fault.
The tower is on Aspen Mountain and its not exactly a transmitter friendly mountain in the winter.
I suspect the 30 year old equipment can't handle the cold like it once did, and on top of that, was probably designed for analog only (I'm referring to the antenna they use).
Why not enlist the help of the two guys running the FAA radar site up there. What are they busy doing, farting around and watching radar screens? The KGWR tower is less than 500 feet from the radar site. I say they could just drive their little snow cat down there and fix the darned thing. But it wouldn't be their fault either. I lay all the blame on the folks from Casper.
I also would guess that they think nobody cares about the station either. Nobody watches over the air TV any more. Um, correction, our local cable companies rely on KGWR to be working so we can watch CBS and ABC from Casper, and not have to resort to Salt Lake stations that have differing time slots etc. The more people that complain to the cable companies, the more they have to do something about it.
My proposal would be as follows...
Either fix KGWR so it doesn't fail daily, or get a fiber optic feed of KTWO/KGWC and put both in your cable system via HD instead of just having CBS from Casper in HD. The local KTWO OTA feed is standard definition because its on 13-2. Fiber optic would be more expensive, but would be a hell of a lot more reliable than KGWR is. That and if there is a bad snow storm or thunderstorm and the weather takes down the transmitter, we don't lose two channels.
I wonder how we got KTWO (analog) prior to the digital transition. It certainly wasn't via a translator, since KTWO doesn't have translators in or around Rock Springs.
Sorry for the rant but I'm sick of not being able to watch my favorite shows on KTWO and KGWR because someone forgot to fix the transmitter properly. If I didn't watch OTA television as much as I do, I would care a little less, but I am probably the only one in this town watching OTA channels with cable at the same time.
EDIT:
Note, as of this post KGWR has been off air for two days straight, and the weather has been decent enough. Also, my OTA box shows signal from the station, but no picture... definite transmitter problems. I wonder if deer chewed the transmission line.