     Reception FAQ
     NHPTV Coverage Maps
     Antennas

Frequently Asked Questions About TV Reception

If you're having trouble receiving any of New Hampshire Public Television's channels, please email or call us (603) 868-1100.

Q: I live in Coos County / Carroll County / Maine. I subscribe to DIRECT TV / DISH (Echostar) and it does not carry NHPTV Channel 11. What can be done so we can watch?

A:

Unfortunately, we have no control over this satellite television coverage. Under current federal regulations, satellite companies are not allowed to rebroadcast PBS stations in Nielsen Designated Market Areas (DMAs) unless that PBS station has a full-power transmitter located in that DMA. Coos and Carroll counties are located in the Portland DMA and, since NHPTV’s Pittsburg translator is not a “full power” transmitter, the satellite companies are not allowed to retransmit our signal. The current regulation is due to be reauthorized next year. NHPTV will be working closely with our Congressional delegation to ensure that the language is revised to allow our signal to be carried all around the state.

You might want to see if anyone in your area has a rooftop antenna and is able to receive Channel 11 off-air, which would allow you to watch us. This may not work, but we hear many viewers receive us this way.

We are also working on the possibility of getting a transmitter atop Mount Washington, which would enable our signal to reach throughout this area and satisfy the requirement to have a full-power transmitter in the Portland DMA. However, this request will have a lengthy regulatory approval process.

Q. I'm hearing the wrong sound or someone is talking over the program when I watch NHPTV .

A.

Your stereo TV is probably set to listen to our second audio program channel (SAP). The SAP channel is used to provide a second audio program like the Descriptive Video Service (DVS), which provides a narrative of action on the screen for the benefit of the visually impaired. To turn off the SAP channel of your television and return to the stereo program audio, you must find the buttons or menus that perform this function. Some typical procedures are shown below:

The remote control is the easiest way to inadvertently select the SAP channel and is also the easiest way to turn it off. There is usually a button labeled, SAP, AUDIO, MTS or SOURCE that will switch between regular audio and the SAP channel each time you push it. Many viewers push this button quite accidentally, but don't notice it until they tune to a station that broadcasts SAP.
If you can't find a button on your remote, then you may have to go to your onscreen menus. There is usually a menu choice for AUDIO that lets you select between STEREO (NORMAL), MONO or SAP. Many TV sets have this selection on the same "page" as BASS, TREBLE and BALANCE.

Q. I have a new VCR that's supposed to set its own clock for making recordings. Why doesn't it work on NHPTV?

A.

The Consumer Electronics Association supplied each PBS station with the equipment required to automatically set your VCR clock. NHPTV is transmitting the appropriate signal so if you are certain that your VCR or TV has this capability but it is not working please contact us as listed at the top of the page.

Q. I can't receive Channel 11.

A.

Most people watch New Hampshire Public Television on Channel 11, but actually NHPTV broadcasts on five channels. In dealing with these questions, you can substitute any of the NHPTV stations for Channel 11: channels 15 in Hanover, 18 in Pittsburg/Stewartstown, 49 in Littleton, and 52 in Keene.

If you're on cable, call your cable company. It could be a simple matter of Channel 11's being assigned a number other than 11 on your cable system.
If you aren't on cable, things are more complicated. Television signals (like FM radio signals) are transmitted by line of sight. If there's something in the waylike a building, a tree or a mountainthe signal can't get through.
If you're using rabbit ears, are you close enough to our transmitters to get reception? Channel 11 transmitter is located on Saddleback Mountain in Deerfield, N.H.; Channel 15's tower is on Moose Mountain on the Hanover/Enfield, N.H. line; Channel 18's transmitter is on Holden Hill near Little Diamond Pond in Stewartstown, N.H.; Channel 49 is on Mann Hill, 3.8 miles NE of Littleton, N.H.; and Channel 52 is broadcast from Derry Hill, eight miles NNW of Keene in Walpole, N.H,. Have you pointed your rabbit ears in the right direction?
If you use an antenna on the roof, do you have a rotor and is the antenna pointed toward the NHPTV transmitter?
Are there tall trees around your house? Is there a hill or mountain between you and our transmitter, or are you in a valley?

If you can't cut the trees, level the hills, move the mountains or your house, we suggest that you call one of the NHPTV engineers.

Q. Channel 11 comes in on channels 9 & 13, too. How do I stop the interference?

A.

If you are on cable, please check with your cable company first.

If you're not on cable and you're very close to our transmitter site, our signal could be overpowering your set. So what do you do? If you have an outside antenna, disconnect it and hook up rabbit ears to Channel 11. If that works, and Channel 11 isn't interfering with channels 9 and 13 anymore, then you can purchase an A/B switch that hooks your outside antenna to A and your rabbit ears to B. This way you can easily hop from rabbit ears back to your antenna with a flick of the switch. If you are still getting interference because you're too close, you'll need to purchase an electronic filter that eliminates Channel 11 from your antenna. But don't despair; those rabbit ears keep on going...and going...and going.

Q. Channel 11 is very ghosty.

A.

If you are on cable, contact your cable company to see if the problem originates with their system.

If you're not on cable, this ghosting can result from these causes:

Your home may be surrounded by many trees that cause the signal to bounce.
Your home may be near several hills or mountains that cause reflected signals to enter your TV at slightly different intervals from the main signal
If your TV set is old, it may lack an electronic shielding that prevents ghosting.

Very often ghosting can be eliminated or minimized if you rotate your antenna until the picture improves. Unfortunately, sometimes there is no solution for the problem due to surrounding terrain/obstructions.

Q. Channel 11 has very dark lines and/or a squeal in the audio.

A.

Most often this is when you are on a cable system that shows Channel 11 on channel 11 and our transmitted signal is strong enough to leak into the TV set or cable TV wiring. Please contact our engineers (top of page) and we will help you try to resolve the problem.