Setup a Backup NBC Channel

#1

I use an OTA quad tuner to get my local affiliates. I have 2 different towers I can pickup for the same NBC affiliate (WGAL):

Real Channel 35 is the closer and more reliable signal; and
Real Channel 8 is the main tower signal but farther away.

When I run a manual scan, unless I'm having a problem with the signal on Channel 35, the tuner will always pickup channel 35. However, occasionally I'm having issues where Channel 35 goes blank and when I do a rescan, I then pickup Channel 8. However, Channel 8 is not always consistently strong enough, especially in the mornings when my wife is trying to watch the Today Show.

I'd like to be able to have both channels in my guide, the stronger Channel 35 linked to my normal virtual channel 8-1, and then have the Real Channel 8 mapped to an adjoining unassigned channel, say 9-1 with the same guide. That way if she can't get it on one channel, she can easily switch over to the other.

Unfortunately when I do the channel scan on the HDHomerun admin page, it won't display both real channels, it only shows the virtual channel. I can manually tune to Real Channel 8 using a tuning app on my phone and I can see it's using the right channel due to the MHZ it displays, but how can I do this in Channels? Any suggestion on how I can do what I am suggesting above? And unfortunately, our NBC doesn't have a ATSC 3.0 channel yet, so that's not an option.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Jay

#2

You could make a custom channel with m3u using the frequency based url

#3

So I've gotten part of the way there. I inserted the below as a Custom Channel using Text entry:

#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:-1 channel-id="NBC" channel-number="9"
http://192.168.0.29:5004/auto/ch183000000-3

However, the channel comes up with Chanel 10196 instead of channel 9 (there is currently no channel 9 in my guide). Also, I mapped to the NBC Channel under the Set Provider using the OTA zip code and mapping the channel to NBC (I don't see WGALDT however). When I go to guide, it only shows national content, all the local content just says Sign Off.

So, 2 remaining questions:

  1. How do I get it to map to Channel 9? and
  2. How to I get the correct guide linked to it.

Thanks, I've been at this for an hour and feel proud I got this far, but I'm clearly not well versed in the custom channel's space.

Thanks.

#4

You need to provide a name for the channel too:

#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:-1 channel-id="NBC" channel-number="9",NBC
http://192.168.0.29:5004/auto/ch183000000-3

On your Custom Channels interface you need to change "Ignore channel-number" to "Prefer channel-number"

To set the guide, click gear icon > Manage, then click the pencil next to NBC, click the gear to change to Search All, and enter the NBC callsign

#5

Now this is cool. I have had the same issue with my NBC. Main transmitter on Channel 10 identifying as 4.1 and the local transmitter down the road from me on channel 29 but using 4.10 This solved the issue for me of wanting to use channel 29, but only enter channel 4 on my remote.

#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:-1 channel-id="NBC" channel-number="4.1",WSMV
http://192.168.1.5/auto/ch563000000-3
#6

95% of the way there. I got the guide to work, but still mapping to the channel 10196. I even removed the custom channel altogether and then re-added per the above but it still is mapping incorrectly?

#7

try 9.1

#EXTM3U
#EXTINF:-1 channel-id="NBC" channel-number="9.1",NBC
http://192.168.0.29:5004/auto/ch183000000-3
#8

Thanks, tried that and a couple of other channel, no luck.

#9

Odd, works perfect for me using 4.1. You did select prefer channel from m3u?

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#10

Try changing the name of your Custom M3U
And don't forget to

And you may have to delete and recreate the guide database after that

#11

Finally fixed the issue, I was incorrectly telling it to ignore the M3U channel.

Thanks all.

#12

I noticed that stations I create using this method no longer show any stats on the Channels webpage. Is there a way to get that info to come thru?
Screenshot 2023-03-13 at 7.38.21 AM

VS.
Screenshot 2023-03-13 at 7.39.21 AM

#13

I can confirm I am seeing the same behavior, no signal strength, symbol or quality metrics.

#14

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