Anchorage DTV-HDTV FAQ

KYES - Anchorage DTV FAQ!

Frequently Asked Questions on DTV!

Questions to date are....:

Do I need a new TV for digital television?
Can I know if I can pick up your DTV station?
Antenna Web Site
What About Cable?
What Kind of Antenna Should I Get?
What Are Anchorage Station Plans?
Where Has KYES-DT Been Received?
Why Can't I See Star Trek on KYES-DT?
What is that ugly stuff on 22.2?

Q. Do I need a new TV for digital television?
A. No. You can buy a Set Top Box (STB) or a computer card for your PC. STBs sell as of this writing for under $400. Computer cards can be found for under $200. For example, see a review of this one,, or look at these. [Note: A viewer wrote me 2/23/2004 to say the MYHD-120 locked up his computer after tuning the audio only channel, 22.3. In response, I turned it off for now. I get all three no problem with my Samsung SIR-T151 STB]. A set top box will receive broadcast DTV signals, and will output standard TV video and audio, or high definition if you ultimately buy a high definition monitor.

Q. Can I know if I can pick up your temporary low power UHF signal?
A. If you can see upper O'Malley from your home, chances are nearly 100% that you will be able to receive the signal.

B. Lacking line of sight, some signal still gets through trees, walls, and even around hills. One way to check for signal.... Some analog TV sets respond to digital TV signals by showing snow, just as on an empty channel but the snow gets brighter. If snow is brighter on channel 22 than on 20 or 24, then probably you are receiving the DTV signal on your analog set. If snow is not brighter, try channel 32, which is the KDMD-DT signal. If your set responds by brightening, but it does not brighten on channel 22, then your have demonstrated your analog set DOES respond to DTV, but on channel 22 you don't get sufficient signal. In my opinion, reception of DTV MUST be via an outdoor antenna with rotator. However, One viewer has reported indoor antenna reception in his midtown home on a computer card. Generally I tell people to not expect indoor antennas to work, but then I have been surprised!

Q. Is there a computer program that will check for signal strength?
A. Yes. But it is not very accurate. For example, it says I need a very large receiving antenna right next to the transmitting antenna. Still, it is worth checking. Look at AntennaWeb.

Q. What About Cable?
A. We are not aware of any deals with any station regarding cable or satellite carriage of Anchorage DTV broadcasts. So far as we know, you will need an antenna to see Anchorage DTV.

Q. What Kind of Antenna Should I Get?
A. Try rabbit ears first. Look at our rabbit ear instructions for UHF. Check for any signal. If you get some signal, then probably a roof top antenna will work. Look at the antenna links on the previous page for more info.

Q. What Are Anchorage Station DTV Plans?

Answer.

KYES hopes to plan construction of a medium or high power facility on VHF channel 6 this summer.
KTUU, KAKM and KIMO have asked the FCC to change their DTV channels from 18, 24 & 30 to 8,10 and 12 and to broadcast from the present tower at Goose Bay. As of the date this is written, the FCC has not yet issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making regarding this change. After the NPRM is issued, and comments from the public are taken, the rule changing their channels may be adopted. Then, and only then may the stations request a permit to construct on the new channel. Before they start construction their permit must be granted. I believe KTUU and KAKM are anxious to get DTV on the air, but they do not choose to put on a temporary low power signal as has KYES. I have heard that both KTUU and KAKM plan high definition broadcasting.
KTBY and KTVA plan to transmit from the midtown KTVA tower on UHF channels 20 and 28, respectively. KTVA has had problems when last fall the project to improve tower structural strength didn't quite go as planned. Added strength is needed to support their planned medium power UHF antenna, but if their problems are resolved they may be able to get DTV on the air this summer.
Channel 9 has been requested by Anchorage Baptist Temple, which would, under normal circumstances allow them DTV on associated UHF channel 26.
KDMD, channel 33, is presently broadcasting one "standard definition" program on channel 32 at low power from an antenna at their studio on the Seward Highway. As of a few days ago I have noted internet quality, old, public domain movies on their DTV channel. Most sites I checked for KYES-DT signal also could receive KDMD-DT.

Q. Where Has KYES-DT Been Received?
A. I put an electrical inverter, a TV and the Samsung Set Top Box in the car and drove to various places. It worked at every location I tested (except on the entry to the dump at the Eagle River Hiland turn off).
It worked Downtown on 4th Avenue, on Muldoon Road, On 5th across from Merrill Field in spite of lots of traffic trying to interrupt reception. I also tried a couple of Upper Hillside locations such as at the corner of Stroganof and Shebanof behind a signal obstructing hill. It still worked. Hillside signals were very strong as expected. One difficult spot was the parking lot at Shimik's. The lot is surrounded by walls and buildings. I got lock there with the out door type antenna. The weakest location in Anchorage tested was at a not line of sight location in the church parking lot on Elmore between Huffman and O'Malley, where I had to stand on the auto tire to get a bit of antenna elevation before the receiver locked. There are lots of trees and some terrain obstruction at Elmore. NOTE: With rabbit ears some locations had unstable lock, while with the outdoor antenna I got solid lock. Also remember, these tests were with the aerial only a few feet off the ground. On a roof results should be much better. I did not do testing outside of the Anchorage Bowl.

I got stable indoor reception with the Silver Sensor antenna on our conference table inside the KYES studio on the 2nd floor at 3700 Woodland Drive. I got no reception on the first floor inside. Our studio is about 8 miles from the transmitter.

I'd love to post your reception report. Send it if you have something to say.

Q. Why Can't I See Star Trek on KYES-DT?
A. CBS/UPN transmits High Def to us at 45 megabits per second. It would cost upward of $80,000 to convert that to a broadcast HDTV signal. We have complained to CBS/UPN to no avail. We find no reason to duplicate our standard def. analog broadcast of Star Trek on the DTV channel. Once you have true high definition pictures in your home, it is hard to go back. We believe HD-NET is more interesting for those who have invested thousands in an HD receiver than standard definition over digital when standard def is already available over the analog channel(s). By the way, transmitted picture and sound quality is a tad better on our Mount Susitna UHF channel 29 transmitter.
KYES has asked the FCC to waive their simulcast rule, as we believe high def broadcasting is more interesting to those of you who have purchased an HDTV.

Q. What is that ugly stuff on 22.2?
A. We can transmit 19.37 Megabits per second. HD-NET pours out as much as 19 megabits per second, making for very high quality pictures, but leaving little left over. I managed to squeeze some very low definition video slides and some quite high quality audio material on 22.2. You might also hear KYES analog audio on 22.3. I'd love to know if you can hear it.