# Altoona and State College, PA



## Scott in FL (Mar 18, 2008)

TV Fool is showing a digital and analog signal on channel 32 in Altoona. This is shown for both pre- and post transition. Likewise for the State College translators on channels 36 and 39. Does anyone know if this is accurate? I don't understand how an analog and digital signal can occupy the same channel and same transmitter site without interference.


----------



## Upstream (Jul 4, 2006)

According to the FCC database, WTAJ in Altoona currently broadcasts analog on channel 10 and digital on channel 32. Post-transistion, the digital broadcast will continue on channel 32.

The W36BE and W39BE translators for WNEP are currently analog and will switch to digital next February.


----------



## Kansas Zephyr (Jun 30, 2007)

Upstream said:


> The W36BE and W39BE translators for WNEP are currently analog and will switch to digital next February.


You may want to call the Chief Engineer and verify that.

Translator, Low-power, and Class-A stations are not bound by the February 17, 2009 deadline.

So they can flash-cut (turn off analog - replace with digital on the same channel) those whenever they'd like.


----------



## Scott in FL (Mar 18, 2008)

Upstream said:


> According to the FCC database, WTAJ in Altoona currently broadcasts analog on channel 10 and digital on channel 32. Post-transistion, the digital broadcast will continue on channel 32.
> 
> The W36BE and W39BE translators for WNEP are currently analog and will switch to digital next February.


Thanks Upstream. The analog signal I was referring to on channel 32 is WTOO-CA. It's a 36 kW translator that is not going away anytime soon. The GM of WTAJ told me that analog and digital signals can occupy the same channel, and after some looking on the FCC site I see this is true. That was news to me. But these two signals practically occupy the same tower site!

I'm surprised, and the FCC protection ratio for analog into digital is only 1.81 dB. I would think interference would be a problem, and it certainly seems to be the case in my situation.

Your comment regarding 36 and 39 makes sense, even though tvfool.com says these two channels are both digital and analog (tvfool.com has been wrong before). My digital converter won't find them, even though they are LOS. So it's either another case of co-channel analog/digital interference, or they are transmitting analog only.


----------



## Sammer (Oct 21, 2008)

Scott in FL said:


> Thanks Upstream. The analog signal I was referring to on channel 32 is WTOO-CA. It's a 36 kW translator that is not going away anytime soon.
> I'm surprised, and the FCC protection ratio for analog into digital is only 1.81 dB. I would think interference would be a problem, and it certainly seems to be the case in my situation.
> 
> Your comment regarding 36 and 39 makes sense, even though tvfool.com says these two channels are both digital and analog (tvfool.com has been wrong before). My digital converter won't find them, even though they are LOS. So it's either another case of co-channel analog/digital interference, or they are transmitting analog only.


It already went away, the WTOO-CA license is now for channel 50 and why the FCC database hasn't been updated is anyone's guess. As for 36 and 39 their digital licenses are for displacement of the analogs.


----------



## Scott in FL (Mar 18, 2008)

Sammer said:


> It already went away, the WTOO-CA license is now for channel 50 and why the FCC database hasn't been updated is anyone's guess. As for 36 and 39 their digital licenses are for displacement of the analogs.


Thanks for your help. It didn't make sense to me, so I wrote to the FCC and actually got a response. They said exactly what you wrote, with no explanation as to why there is conflicting info in their data base. Even the GM for WTAJ didn't realize WTOO-CA was no longer on ch 32.

Am I correct that channels 36 and 39 are still analog, and will flash cut to digital in February?

Any idea why WNEP is on both 36 and 39?

Thanks again.


----------



## Sammer (Oct 21, 2008)

Scott in FL said:


> Am I correct that channels 36 and 39 are still analog, and will flash cut to digital in February?
> 
> Any idea why WNEP is on both 36 and 39?
> 
> Thanks again.


Unless that's a mistake in the database too I don't know why two identical stations on different channels are listed. For some reason I used to think they had different power levels and directional patterns. Something along the lines of one was aimed more toward Nittany Valley while the other was aimed more toward Penns Valley maybe because that would at least make sense. Happy Valley can of course be considered to be in neither (and generally is) or in both valleys.


----------

