If you’re one of the millions of Americans who lost some DTV channels on June 12th you may need to do a re- scan. Below is an article with some tips:
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/279392-FCC_Pushing_Double_Re_scan_.php
If that does not work, call the engineering department of the problem station or your local FCC field office. As we had warned earlier, after the June 12th switch , some stations cut their power by over 90%* , making reception nearly impossible. (Note: some stations were forced to cut power by order of the FCC.)
Quote from the article:
“The FCC says some stations in Chicago and Philadelphia may have to apply for power boosts and are in discussions with stations there about their various technical issues.
But for viewers still having trouble, the FCC is talking with stations about possible long-term solutions from their end. If stations have to officially ask for more power, the FCC will take that seriously, he said. But that will also include figuring out who the boosted power might interfere with, and what dominoes that might trigger elsewhere”
UPDATE 08-11-09: We have learned not all of the reception problems are solely related to the power reductions. We have been informed that many of the issues are with urban dwellers relatively close to the transmitting towers. This could be for a variety of reasons unrelated to a TV stations ERP such as:
Antenna issues
· Rabbit ear type antennas inherently narrow band
· Common, inexpensive amplified antennas prone to overload /poor IMD performance & noisy due to inexpensive components
· Pulse fidelity questionable with some indoor antennas (waveform distortion)
· Multipath interference from omni pattern antennas – like rabbit ears -(a problem the closer you get to broadcast source)
· Combination UHF/VHF antennas inherently inefficient
Environment issues
· Attenuation from building materials
· “Faraday Cage” effect from certain wall materials
· RF “haze” from surrounding electrical sources
· Antenna coupling with nearby materials
So reception problems on VHF will likely be a combination of issues including but not limited to the ERP of broadcaster