WPTV Ch 5 Analog Shutdown - DTV Conversion - Frequency Retune June 12th, 2009 @ 5:45 AM

The end of over 50 years of analog broadcasting by WPTV CH 5 in West Palm Beach, FL . Chief Engineer shows step by step how this televsion station converts their digital transmission from the temporary channel (UHF 55) and move the VHF CH 12. And then the final analog shut down. This was the only station that took the time time to show their viewers the process in the South Florida Market that I was able to find. Kudos to WPTV, conversion well done!
Should you have any problem viewing WPTV, the station's viewer hotline is open. Call 1-800-345-WPTV (9788).
WPTV began broadcasting on August 22, 1954 with the call letters WJNO-TV. At sign-on, the first words heard on-air were from control room director Vern Crawford: "The power has just been turned on for WJNO-TV channel 5 by Frank M. Folsom, President of The Radio Corporation of America."
For more info see en.wikipedia.or...)

[@TimelordR]

An interesting bit of DTV history.

[@lunithecreator3051]

Digital: All your programs are belong to me.

[@QueenDynamo]

Top comment but in broken English.

[@brianfletcher9774]

I hope that the analog transmitter was put to good use on 6 Meter amateur radio. There’s a lot of still useable parts there.

[@MrKashmire123]

That's good of you to switch before the big switch so you can see it for yourself!

[@DJ_Megahertz]

Look at the clip again at 2:33 into it. He pressed the "operate" button and then the tranmistter came up about 10 seconds afterwards. It first started at 0% and went to 73% power and then he walked over to the old UHF DTV transmitter. By the time he turned the corner, the new RF CH 12 transmitter was already at 100 % power. The "warmed-up" period is actually putting RF out over the air, but not a full power for the first 15 seconds or so.

[@Iquitthischannelnow]

3:51 Me: I love watching on analog t- *Pushes button Me: What? It took me scared.

[@DJ_Megahertz]

I saw that as well, my guess is that the ENG truck that was sending the feed to the studio might have had a glitch and it might be the way they try to correct frame loss or errors with some sort of repeat of a few frames prior. I hear this all the time with Sirius radio where they through in a little sample of the previous audio when you get frame loss. It sounds like reverberation effect added. There is another video someone put up that is the actual analog recording, you should see that one.

[@davidvelazquez9473]

Now I know why WPEC signed off their analog signal 3 days earlier: Because WPEC still has its Digital Signal on VHF 13, and the former channel 12 allocation was used for the Post-Transition digital channel for WPTV, since their pre-transition UHF channel 55 was reallocated for non-broadcasting purposes. Oh, and as for the repack, both WPEC and WPTV are not going anywhere, because they will stay on their channels.

[@DJ_Megahertz]

David Velazquez yes I am using that spectrum now :). LTE. I really liked it on 55 as I am in Broward. Better efficiency IMO.

[@davidvelazquez9473]

@@DJ_Megahertz As of 3/22/21, WPTV is now simulcasting its main signal on now co-owned WHDT on channel 5.11, thus putting WPTV’s main signal on UHF for the first time since the DTV transition.

[@DJ_Megahertz]

@@davidvelazquez9473 in preparation for ASC3?

[@davidvelazquez9473]

@@DJ_Megahertz I vowed not to get a 4K TV until ATSC 3.0 becomes available in my area, so this should be interesting.

[@DJ_Megahertz]

@@davidvelazquez9473 agh! And I just bought a new nice 65” and it is not going to be ATC3.0 ready! Not good for those just buying one. I think they’re only a couple of sets ready right now.

[@maxtech6966]

R.I.P PTV WPTV TV ANALONG

[@DJPaolo0711]

@luvencl but did you see a black screen after he flip the old UHF?

[@DJ_Megahertz]

Sorry for answering 10 years later LOL. No I didn’t see a black screen because I was actually monitoring the digital channel already.

[@dapet123456]

I was watching the conversion on Comcast and everything was OK except just a few seconds after Dave switched off the analog, there was a sort of ghosting. It was more of an echo or adjustment of some sort. Do you know what that was? (It happens at 4:10 in the video)

[@DJ_Megahertz]

dapet123456 I think that was the camera RF link that bounced. Likely unrelated to the switch. The feed I had was already on digital OTA

[@SerAbiotico]

I like to believe that that was the point of transition to the digital thing

[@lucasgann7784]

Goodbye WPTV analog!

[@MECHOWL]

Lucas Gann Old me back when I was horrible at remembering passwords, everybody!

[@DJ_Megahertz]

Yes, digital stream.

[@denelson83]

I'm thinking that the chief engineer should have kept the station's signal output continuous by first firing up the VHF digital transmitter, then shutting down the analog transmitter, then putting the VHF digital transmitter on the tower, then finally shutting down the UHF digital transmitter.

[@pr53188]

so cool!

[@LiveToys247]

Yeah. I Guess. luvencl, WPTV Changed There Look On You Xfinity Box, After The DTV Switch All Your Programs Is Been Changed. But luvencl, You Are Watching WPTV 5 On Xfinity [Comcast], So That Means That You Are Not Effected!

[@samanthataylor8606]

cool

[@e75channel]

2:33

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