Oh, and if your metropolitan area has a channel 5, it's logo is mapped here. I'm so happy I stayed home from work today. This is what I got from looking for an old school KPLR logo. Can't remember what I wanted that for, now. posted by pieoverdone at 2:38 PM on August 13, 2007
A foray into old, gritty television scans from the 1980s is not complete without one purple and green boob as seen on a deformed video signal from Playboy Channel. Ah, to be 14 again. posted by rolypolyman at 2:45 PM on August 13, 2007 [3 favorites]
More about TV-DX, or long distance television reception. posted by ALongDecember at 2:50 PM on August 13, 2007
An analog thumbs-up! Very cool post. The video equivalent of tuning and listening between stations on the radio. posted by Thorzdad at 3:32 PM on August 13, 2007
why is this so creepy? i'm all skeeved... (horror movies? that it's all collected like this? that it's now historical images? ?) posted by amberglow at 3:42 PM on August 13, 2007
I wonder if this is how aliens see our tv? posted by amberglow at 3:44 PM on August 13, 2007
I enjoyed this. This brought back days of Scanner Digest and waiting for our local AM/FM radio stations to power down their transmitters so that I could hear distant stations. I was never able to get other TV stations, but every once in a while, Scanner Digest or one of the other magazines at that time had an article about TV DX'ing, and I would try again without success.
Also, remember when TV stations didn't broadcast 24 hours a day? posted by horsemuth at 3:45 PM on August 13, 2007
Also, remember when TV stations didn't broadcast 24 hours a day?
WTTV in Indianapolis/Bloomington Indiana. Started their day at noon with Lunchtime Theater (old cartoons). Not sure when the signed-off. Sometime around 2am, I think. Totally B/W picture until sometime in the late 60s, too.
It's funny that you mention it. I wonder how many people these days don't get it when, for instance, a scene in a movie shows a TV station signing-off...national anthem, followed by static.
And, yes, stations actually did transmit test patterns, posted by Thorzdad at 3:58 PM on August 13, 2007
Ah, WTVR-6, the South's first television station. posted by emelenjr at 3:59 PM on August 13, 2007
Last year I put a 60-mile ChannelMaster antenna on my roof to draw in KALX, the UC Berkeley radio station. The vast number of random broadcasts floating through the ether is astounding. I can see how it could become a hobby. posted by Chinese Jet Pilot at 3:59 PM on August 13, 2007
my brain melted a tiny bit looking at that. So I looked again and it melted more... posted by jonson at 4:00 PM on August 13, 2007 [1 favorite]
"You'll forgive me if I don't stay around to watch... I just can't cope with freaky stuff" posted by oh pollo! at 4:39 PM on August 13, 2007
He pulled-in WFSB Hartford, CT from Macomb, IL? Impressive. posted by ZenMasterThis at 4:44 PM on August 13, 2007
All of this reminds of Videodrome. posted by Joakim Ziegler at 4:51 PM on August 13, 2007
Ah, this brings back memories of being 12 years old and obsessed with DXing.
I remember staying up all night during a major Tropospheric Bending opening, watching UHF stations several hundred miles away on my little 12 inch black and white tv. I was able to watch most of an old Don Knotts movie (the one where he's a fish) before it faded out.
Good times. posted by JeffL at 4:56 PM on August 13, 2007
From the Wikipedia page ALongDecember linked: Moon-bounce - The Arecibo Radio Telescope spherical reflector antenna has been used for detecting terrestrial television signals reflected off the lunar surface.
That's pretty cool... posted by Jimbob at 5:27 PM on August 13, 2007
Stations where I live have actually RETURNED to signing off at night. Note near the top of the page, under channel 2 is CKCK with an old-timey test pattern. posted by evilcolonel at 5:57 PM on August 13, 2007
I was trying to figure out the third item on the list:
All Mexicans have location, distance and power listed (if known)
I thought maybe he was collecting them like pokemon.
And then I read the comments, and find out it is about long range tv station receptions. Still cool, but not nearly as surreal. posted by mrzarquon at 6:40 PM on August 13, 2007
@Jimbob - Moonbounce (generally known as "EME" for Earth-Moon-Earth) can be done with a lot less than a radiotelescope. There is a whole sub-hobby of people who are into it, within amateur radio. Here's one page that has some information. Apparently a few people make scheduled transmissions that you could listen for the reflections of if you had a VHF scanner and a suitable antenna, even if you can't transmit yourself.
For a more moderate challenge, there are always amateur satellites. You can listen in on them with a handheld Yagi that you can build yourself out of scraps, if you want. (Or maybe just the 'rubber duck' on a scanner.)
Also in the amateur-aerospace vein, I've always found the people who obsessively spot and track satellites (visually!) to be pretty interesting. posted by Kadin2048 at 7:57 PM on August 13, 2007
Uh, when talking about the amateur satellites, I should add that you can listen in on them with a DIY Yagi or possibly a 'rubber duck' ... and a radio. A Radioshack scanner would probably do. (Unless you can demodulate RF with your fillings, of course.) posted by Kadin2048 at 8:02 PM on August 13, 2007
the best i ever got was toronto from battle creek mi ... which is actually pretty damned good ... my girlfriend had a 60 ft antenna tower on top of a hill overlooking a lake ... we often watched tv from detroit and sometimes chicago
Baby, if you've ever wondered
wondered whatever became of me
I'm livin' on the air in Cincinatti Cincinatti WKRC. posted by Clay201 at 9:19 PM on August 13, 2007 [1 favorite]
Moonbounce (generally known as "EME" for Earth-Moon-Earth) can be done with a lot less than a radiotelescope. There is a whole sub-hobby of people who are into it, within amateur radio.
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posted by pieoverdone at 2:38 PM on August 13, 2007