DRAGNET: The Case Of 2 TVs.

This is the case of 2 TVs. 2 small portable
"HDTVs". The story you are about to hear
is true. The names have been changed to
protect the innocent.

This is the case of 2 TVs. 2 small portable
"HDTVs". The story you are about to hear
is true. The names have been changed to
protect the innocent.

Just The Facts, Ma'am. Oh - I mean, SIRS.

This is the city. West Hartford, Connecticut. There are
many fine stores and restaurants here. There
are also some wonderful statues. Even more history
can be found in West Hartford's two fine libraries.

Sometimes it's difficult for the citizens of West
Hartford to pick up radio and terrestrial television
signals. They suffer great anguish and grief
when this happens. Families are broken apart.

That's where I come in. I carry an SO-239.

Saturday October 31st, 2011. Halloween. The children
in the neighborhood were getting ready to go out for
the festivities. It was unusually cold in West Hartford.
In 1965 the high was 71 degrees. Today it was
31. I could smell the storm in the air. The morale
in the house was almost at an all time low.

I reported into the living room to see the chief. She was
in a foul mood due to a bag of broken potato chips.
I knew it was going to be a long evening shift.

Then it snowed. The combination of the snow and
the leaves that were still on the trees brought
the power lines down. Power transformers exploded.
Our 16 year old daughter was ordered not to go to the Halloween
party at the other side of town. Her verbal response
was predicable. She stated that she would not
comply with the directive.

When a power transformer across the
street exploded and flared up, she changed her mind
and retired to her room. She was not heard from
or seen again.

Then the power went out. We tried all night and
into the next day to find out news from the outside.
We were snowed in so the vehicle that had been assigned
to us would not operate. We tried everything, but
due to budget cuts we were unprepared. Finally I
was able to receive a local AM station on a primitive
crystal radio. It was our first tie to the outside
world.

We were desperate to receive television signals. Then
we got a break. An aquaintance named Edwardo Ezekial Johnson
dropped off a small battery powered held held DTV.
He was able to do this because he had been issued
a large four wheel drive vehicle capable of such
trips including the trip he made to us.

We examined the DTV Mr. Johnson had provided.

It was a small unit with a 3.5 inch screen. We attempted
DTV reception in the usual manner as per the chief's
regulations. There was no reception anywhere inside
or outside. The
probable cause of this is because we are in a deep
valley. But something had to be done. Then we
received a lucky tip from Mr. Johnson. The DTV hand
held unit may have had an internal loose connection
where the whip antenna met the circuit board.

Attempts were made by 3 people to assess and repair
the situation. They were me, myself, and I. All
3 of us were unsuccessful. The unit was destroyed
in the attempt. Working on it in the dark had not
helped matters and all attempts at re-repair were
unsuccessful.

The chief heard the news and we were assigned to
kitchen duty for 48 hours. The chief was not
happy. The potato chips were still damaged and
no attempt had been made to fix them. We tried to
contact "Joe's Food Repair," a local establishment
that works on damaged food. Even the most difficult
cases such as squashed beans. The telephone service
was jammed. We tried all that day to contact them.
Then we tried the next day and the next day and
the day after that. We were assigned to another 48
hours of kitchen duty. I and myself left for other
assignments. Now it was just me. My feet hurt.
After 24 hours special pads were placed in my shoes
to ease the discomfort. It was very cold in the
house, typically 45 degrees. In this special duty
all SO-329 holders are required to wear a suit and tie at all
times and no coat is allowed, even at low
temperatures. I wore my suit and tie.

Then suddenly the case was closed. The DTV, a Digital Prism
model number ASTC-301 was placed the special lockup
for broken electronics. It was not to be seen again.

The days passed. Then the days turned into weeks and
the weeks turned into months. Winter and Spring came
and went. Now it was summer and the mystery was still
hanging over my head.

Suddenly there was a break and the case was reopened.

A gentleman, a Mr. F. Crawford "Shorty" Smith donated an identical
DTV to the department. But this TV was different and
that would maybe to be the key to solving the case. Mr.
Johnson had installed an F connector in the back of
the TV.

I tried to receive DTV signals. There were none. I tried
external antennas. There was no reception. I tried fabricating
a UHF dipole cut to the frequency of the most used DTV
channel. Still there was no reception. A possible cause
of this may may have been losses in the 75 to 300 ohm
transformer.

We would never know for sure. I worked into the night and
into the next day. I was assigned shopping duty
the next day and had to wait another 24 hours until
the next attempt.

Then, at 6:AM first shift duty in the morning at the beginning
of the next day it stuck me. On July 23rd 2012 a counterpoise
whip antenna was attached to the shield side of the
F connector on the back of the DTV. It was able
to swivel so the operator of the unit would have
some options. This my have been the break we were
all looking for.

Soon after that there was some actual television
reception. Previously, there had been no reception
in the house. And also, previously there had been some reception outside, but - it was unstable and the DTV would not lock onto any
channel.

Now, outside, reception was accomplished from five
different HDTV television transmitters where there
had previously been none. There was even some reception
inside the house near windows and on a table at
the top of the stairway which led to the second
floor. For the first time, the DTV was operating
on a table without being held by hand in the house.
Now the DTV was operating on it's own without
any assistance from anybody.
But - I was quite surprised that the length of the whip
antenna and the couterpoise was so critical.

As stated, reviously, indoor reception with the DTV on a
table was not possible. Now if the
antenna and counterpoise were set precisely to
the exact length and position indoor reception was possible.
In fact it would become routine. Now day after day,
I would be able to watch DTV in some spots in
the house. The reopened case was solved and
closed. But there was a hearing before the
closing of the case.

In a moment, the results of that hearing.

On July 24th it was determined that the DTV
could have a useful existence under certain
conditions. Those conditions were that the
conterpoise remained attached and be monitored
and adjusted for reasonable reception. It
was not a sensitive HDTV, in fact, it was
a crappy one, but it was given
a break because the HDTV protocol is fragile and
the DTV would forever operate in a dwelling
in a valley.

She chief was in a good mood.

I was granted a cold cup of coffee from the
kitchen and took the special pads out of
my shoes. The coffee was satisfactory even
though it was cold. The special pads in
my shoes had been there since October. Now
it was July, almost 9 months later. The shoe
pads were taken by the department and were
destroyed as per regulations.

The story you have seen is true. The first
Digital Prism ATSC-301, is still in lockup.
The second modified ATSC-301 is serving
special duty here at headquarters. It was
determined that the counterpoise be made longer
because tests showed that the DTV performed
better in that fashion.

Why this is still remains a mystery.

Bruce, DRS2