# WBBM HD - Chicago



## BillJ (May 5, 2005)

Watching NFL Tenn v Bal via satellite signal. Numerous video freezes and audio drops in 1st half. Signal from 129 only reading 36. Eventually able to get the receiver to switch to 61.5 where signal is 52. Still having some video stutter and minor audio drops but at least the picture isn't freezing completely. 

I always seem to have problems with this channel on both network and local programming. Don't recall it ever being this bad. Are other WBBM viewers seeing the same thing? Are you watching via satellite or OTA?

I'm beginning to think this is a transmission problem but trying to isolate it to either the station or the uplink to Dish.


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## luisorlando (Jun 19, 2003)

BillJ said:


> Watching NFL Tenn v Bal via satellite signal. Numerous video freezes and audio drops in 1st half. Signal from 129 only reading 36. Eventually able to get the receiver to switch to 61.5 where signal is 52. Still having some video stutter and minor audio drops but at least the picture isn't freezing completely.
> 
> I always seem to have problems with this channel on both network and local programming. Don't recall it ever being this bad. Are other WBBM viewers seeing the same thing? Are you watching via satellite or OTA?
> 
> I'm beginning to think this is a transmission problem but trying to isolate it to either the station or the uplink to Dish.


I believe WBBM-hd is only at 129.


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## bigshew (Feb 26, 2007)

I've been seeing similar problems. Picture looks like green solar flares for several minutes. I finally gave up and switched to SD channel.:eek2:


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## MPH711 (Jun 1, 2005)

I called and they said they are aware of the problem for WBBM 2 in Chicago. I have the green & yellow solar flares too.


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## BillJ (May 5, 2005)

luisorlando said:


> I believe WBBM-hd is only at 129.


All Chicago HD channels have been on both 129 and 61.5 since early last summer. Signal strength on 61.5 is much better but 129 seems to be the default on both my 622s unless 129 signal falls extremely low.


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## BillJ (May 5, 2005)

MPH711 said:


> I called and they said they are aware of the problem for WBBM 2 in Chicago. I have the green & yellow solar flares too.


Glad to hear they are aware of it. I've had the green and yellow flares often but today the picture was completely locking up.

I watched the 2nd half of the game on 61.5 and had no picture lockups but did have a few brief audio drops.


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## dakn2 (Sep 20, 2002)

I also called when it started and was told it would be fixed in mins. After I missed most of the second half, and the last second win, I called again. Of course I get the CSR know-it-all with attitude. First I'm told it's a CBS local problem; I tell him that’s not true because the neighbor is getting it just fine. He then tells me it's a weather related problem; I then ask why I can get every other channel and by the way the neighbor is getting it on DirecTV just fine. 

He then tells me I should have an antenna on my roof and should have switched to an antenna signal. This is where I got a bit perturbed. I then told him that bedsides the fact I’m paying Dish for HD so I don’t have to have an antenna, I do indeed have an antenna and get every local station with the exception of CBS, to which he buts in again and asks why I didn't watch that. I then stated I would be happy to explain antenna theory to him since he must not understand that the brain trust at CBS New York decided that CBS Chicago local should be the only local station to be broadcast on VHF frequencies and therefore needs a different antenna than the remainder on the UHF band, which unless Dish is going to supply me with an antenna for a back-up I'm not going to add. I then asked for a Supervisor who understood radio frequency wavelengths so I could continue the discussion with someone semi-intelligent. 

The supervisor offered me $10 off for the next 5 months for my inconvenience, so I'm guessing he really didn't want to continue on a technical discussion...


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

WBBM-DT is moving from RF 3 to 12 -- which is still VHF (along with WLS 7.1 returning to RF 7) and WWTO 35.1 out of LaSalle on RF 10).

The OTA problems ARE a known local issue. Hopefully one that will be fixed when WBBM makes their change.


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