Frequently Asked Questions

Contents (last updated 6/20/2009, 5pm)

1.0 Television

1.1 When did TV Booster begin translating digital TV?
1.2 What do I need to do to receive digital TV from TV Booster?
1.3 Why do we not broadcast Bakersfield Stations?
1.4 Why did (any) (sub)channel disappear and (maybe) reappear on another channel number?
1.5 Why did all channels go down and come back up again?
1.6 Why are KTTV-DT and KCOP-DT breaking up?

2.0 FM Radio

2.1 What happened to FM station KVCR on 88.7 MHz?
2.2 What happened to FM station KMZT on 107.1 MHz?
2.3 Why don't you translate KUSC to replace the lost KMZT?
2.4 When will the TV Booster begin translating HD Radio?

1.1 When did TV Booster begin translating digital TV?

At 8pm on September 5, 2006 we completed the installation of our first three digital translators on channels 35, 39 and 41, and began translating KNBC-DT and KTLA-DT at full power on channels 35 and 39. At 1pm on June 12, 2009 we completed the digital transition with nine digital translators in operation providing twenty channels. We can add more digital channels on Laurel Mountain as donations allow.

1.2 What do I need to do to receive digital TV from TV Booster?

To view digital TV from TV Booster requires an old analog or an "HD-ready" TV, an HDTV set-top tuner, and a UHF antenna pointed at Laurel Mtn. An "HD-integrated" TV needs only the antenna. Follow the instructions for your "HD-integrated" TV or HDTV set-top tuner to scan for digital channels and it should find them easily. As we add new digital channels, it will be necessary to perform a re-scan to add the ability to receive them. An excellent HDTV Primer is available on-line.

1.3 Why do we not broadcast Bakersfield Stations?

TL:DR answer: LEGAL REASONS.
Longer answer: The United States is divided up into "Media Markets" where affiliates have exclusive rights for broadcasting. Kern County east of the Sierra Nevada Range and Inyo County are in the Media Market for Los Angeles, which is not a choice made by the IWV TV Booster. To broadcast content from another media market, the IWV TV Booster would require written permission from the same affiliated station in Los Angeles. Even if the stations in Los Angeles were interested, they would require permission from their parent companies. The whole thing would be expensive (and a major legal headache) for all involved.

1.4 Why did (any) (sub)channel disappear and (maybe) reappear on another channel number?

The stations that the IWV TV Booster rebroadcast control the programming and subchannels. A subchannel might be dropped from one parent channel or network and picked up by another, therefore the channel and subchannel number might subsequently change.

1.5 Why did all channels go down and come back up again?

Most likely a temporary power loss at Laurel Mountain. Southern California Edison try to get power back up as soon as possible. There is not a likely chance for a backup generator. Laurel Mountain is Navy land, therefore Navy Facilities (NAVFAC) would have to approve a project like that, and would be required to do more paperwork than its worth.

1.6 Why are KTTV-DT and KCOP-DT breaking up?

These stations intermittently get multipath depending on meteorological conditions. If 11-1 is unwatchable, try 11-2, which is the exact same programming in Single Definition. The difference is that single definition is more forgiving to signal-to-noise loss than high definition is.

2.1 What happened to FM station KVCR on 88.7 MHz?

KWTD recently went on the air at 91.9 MHz from El Paso Peak at 7000-watts effective radiated power. Unfortunately, in doing so, it completely eliminated any chance of receiving KVCR-FM in Ridgecrest on 91.9 MHz ever again. Living Proof, Inc., the owner of KWTD, was also granted a construction permit for KZLU on 88.7 MHz in Inyokern that expires on April 25, 2008. FCC regulations recently changed to allow us to file for displacement of our K204AE license.

2.2 What happened to FM station KMZT on 107.1 MHz?

All good things come to an end eventually. The station owners of KMZT have decided to move it to the AM band and revive KKGO in it's place with a Country format. They will be multicasting in HD Radio, with KKGO Country on subchannel HD1, and the classical format on subchannel HD2. Unfortunately, the IBOC signal occupies the adjacent channels, and local station KLOA knocks out the lower adjacent channel at 104.9.

2.3 Why don't you translate KUSC to replace the lost KMZT?

At -88 dBm at the antenna at Laurel Mt., KUSC is just too weak to be a satisfactory replacement. It took considerable time and effort to tweeze a usable KMZT signal at -67 dBm (at the antenna) out of the spectrum right next to KLOA, and we fielded a lot of complaints about signal quality until we figured out exactly how and where to stand holding the antennas. The good news here is that, although Ransburg station KGBM totally wipes out Las Vegas station KCNV at 89.7 MHz, KCNV broadcasts in HD and their IBOC signals on the adjacent channels were perfectly receivable at Laurel Mt. after assembling and tuning a phased antenna array to knock down KGBM's analog signal.

2.4 When will the Booster begin translating HD Radio?

Not anytime soon. Judged purely by the FCC's IBOC implementation, HD Radio is clearly meant to be a "local only" service. The IBOC digital signals occupy the adjacent channels to the analog channel. Consequently, when you're 80 miles away from an FM station, odds are pretty good that there's another strong station located on one of the adjacent channels. That said, there are (as of this writing) a couple of stations that we have verified we can get in HD. But that could easily change at any time. We are working on designing modifications to our FM translators to pass the IBOC signal through. If we can do it, either KLOS or KCRW (KCRY) will be the first FM translator to be modified.