Digital TV Signals

[SkunkedAgain]

We dropped DirecTV a month or so ago. No real complaints as we get all of the main channels and only need to adjust the antennae once in a while to get a better picture. I had a cheap, $30 "digital" antenna that I bought at Menards. It was terrible. My old rabbit ears are working pretty good. However, I see on the TV Guide that there are tons of channels that I'm not getting, such as channels 9.3, 9.4, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, etc....Some of the non-main channels. Do better antennas exist, do they get all these other Twin Cities stations, and do you have any suggestions.

[LMITOUT]

I would try re-scanning the channels on your TV to see if it'll lock into those sub-channels. If you're getting the primary channels such as 4.1, 5.1, etc, then you should see the sub-channels as well.

[SkunkedAgain]

I get 5.2, 9.2, 11.2, and the PBS 2.1 - 2.4 type of channels, even 45.2. The TV Guide for my area (Richfield) lists the following additional channels that I don't seem to get even with a re-scan:

9.1B (what does the "B" mean?)

9.2B

9.3B

9.4B

9.5B

9.6B

10.1

10.2

10.3

10.4

12.1

Most of these seem to be PBS stations but am wondering if there is a super antenna out there or these are stations truly meant for those in other parts of the Twin Cities.

[LMITOUT]

I know that FOX9 and KARE11 broadcast a VHF signal, so you'll need a VHF/UHF antenna to get all of the digital over-the-air channels including those two. I don't know what channel 10 is.

Sometimes a UHF antenna will pick those two channels up because they are low on the VHF band, but it's not a given that it'll work. Usually have to be fairly close to the transmitter.

If you're getting 9.2 and 11.2 it looks like everything is working.

I think 12.1 is Mankato CBS?

I wonder if channel 10 is from a nearby town as well, but in a different direction from where your antenna is pointing. The TV Guide probably just prints all the channels in the surrounding area to make sure it is covered. Just a guess...

If you're in Richfield then your antenna is probably pointing NNE towards the tower farm in Shoreview. With Mankato in the complete opposite direction you're not going to pick that up unless you rotate your antenna. Even with that, you're a fair distance away and it might not even matter if you get it aimed perfectly at the Mankato tower.

[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks, that's kind of what I figured but thought it would be worth finding out if I was missing channels. I guess the old rabbit ears are still doing their job.