[OKDXA] Six Meters

[AC5UP]

Coy Day wrote:
> Six has been open between EU & AF to the East Coast.  I've heard a burst or two.  I did manage to work 9X0VB on 12 Es
>   
All I know is that I'm seeing signs in electronics stores advising that 
standard TV (NTSC) will stop broadcasting over the air on February 17, 
2009. From that point forward it will be all digital.

Tulsa is blessed with a Channel 2 that makes 51 to 54 MHz all but 
unusable. Not because their signal is dirty, it's just so damned strong 
that even a decent receiver hears all the spurs. I'm line of sight with 
the tower which makes for pretty pictures on the TV but plenty of noise 
on Six. No tears from me when that one goes quiet.

Also... Soapbox Mode... In trying to save the cost of a new transmitter 
our pals at Allbritton petitioned the FCC for an HD allocation on VHF 
and got it. Same deal in OKC. Sure would have simplified everyone's life 
if all the stations could have gone UHF in terms of the antenna setup, 
but nooooooooooooooo, KTUL-HD is on channel 10 and currently pumping out 
something like 7kW. I would have been much happier with an All-UHF 
antenna setup for HD, but it looks like they'll run LP until they can 
QSY the big iron and ice storms will remain my enemy.

NOTE: The National Weather Service tells me there's a .05% chance of an 
ice storm in Union City tonight. Sure, you say it's June, so why worry, 
but statistically there is always some chance of an ice storm in Union City.

BTW: If you haven't tinkered with HDTV yet, no ghosts, no noise, studio 
quality all the way. But... Flipping channels is no longer instant 
gratification as the box needs a moment to sync the data stream and a 
weak-ish signal will tend to 'freeze' intermittently on static crashes 
and such.

Let's just say it should get better after the hardware folks find their 
groove...