WAFB OTA Signal Sucks

WAFB is lower in frequency than the rest of those stations (ch9 vs the next up: ch13 for WBRZ). Meaning you need an antenna with one or more longer elements than what I see on the one you noted.

ETA: Something like This

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Are the CBS affiliates intentionally sending a weak signal to force users to buy CBS All Access?

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It's been like this for at least 10 years, the first time I tried to get HDTV OTA, and I'm a lot closer than you. I've only tried indoor antennas, and the unamped Winegard Flatwave finally worked where the amp/unamped Philips Mant510 and Terk HDTVa failed.

Same I have all ota channels and only wafb has a hard time coming in clear. I'm 22 miles from the antenna.

Had this issue with the tv at work. We tried all kinds of amplify HD antennas. Finally, we kind of stumbled on the fact that you have to have the antenna outside to pick it up. The signal is not strong enough to reach through the walls. Every other channel will, but not WAFB and its affiliates.

We use some old rabbit ears at work and it comes in just fine.

St. Gabriel area.

WAFB transmits at a MUCH lower effective power than the other local stations. WAFB transmits at something like 5.5 kW effective power from a site in the first bend of the river south of the city while WBRZ transmits at 30kW ERP from the second bend. WGMB is something like 665 kW ERP and WVLA is like 1000kW ERP. Their antennas are also different in that WAFB has a non-directional antenna and scatters its signal in every direction, but WBRZ and the others have directional antennas that focus their transmissions to be in selected directions. For instance, WGMB barely transmits at all to the SW and focuses its signal between North and East, so while you'll get a great signal if you live in that direction, you'll get a shite WGMB signal if you don't and may lose WGMB before you lose WAFB if you live in a direction WGMB doesn't directionally transmit to. All figures from the FCC.

Also, paradoxically, if you keep getting closer to a transmitter and it's way high in the air, at some point the signal strength you receive can start dropping. Think of a lighthouse. From far away, you can easily see the light, but as you get closer and closer, more and more of the light beam is passing over your head and the source gets dimmer and dimmer to you, though you can still see reflected light. If you move all the way in and stand at its base, you can barely see the light because almost all of it is shooting over your head. You can still see reflected light if there is any, but it's entirely possible if there's nothing for the light to reflect off of and you're really close to the lighthouse that you won't be able to see the light at all even though it's bright as all get-out and you're almost standing on top of it. Same thing with radio. Radio is light.

The net result of all of this is WAFB's much lower ERP. It might even actually have a stronger transmitter than others, but because it's not focusing its signal and is blasting it in all directions, the effective range of the transmitter is lower. I don't know if that's by design, if the FCC limits their transmitter power for some reason, or what, but it is what it is.

And, as others have said, WAFB broadcasts in a different band than most of the other HD stations, so using an antenna tuned for the wrong band is going to be less efficient than the right antenna, further compounding the problem.

There's a lot that goes into WAFB's shite signal.

Using this one in my attic from the Watson area. It picks up WAFB and WBRZ.

LINK

Have it combined with this antenna- also in the attic - for all the other channels.

LINK

Both are pointed towards the transmitters south of Baton Rouge. Never had an issue.

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The net result of all of this is WAFB's much lower ERP. It might even actually have a stronger transmitter than others, but because it's not focusing its signal and is blasting it in all directions, the effective range of the transmitter is lower. I don't know if that's by design, if the FCC limits their transmitter power for some reason, or what, but it is what it is.

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One of the reasons why they are so lower in power is that they are short spaced with other channels.

WVUE was at a time on channel 8 in digital. They too got short end of the VHF power issues in digital. But they rectified that by going back to their pre transition UHF channel right after they received a ton of complaints. Now in NOLA, the only nonUHF digital WYES is moving to UHF.

KLFY is also an issue for WAFB, since the broadcast on VHF too in digital. WAFB is only rocking 5.5 kW while KLFY is rocking 20 kW. A lot of that has to do with the limits of 1st adjacent channel interference.

WBRZ for comparison is at 30 kW. In south Florida after the VHF transmission problems, WSVN was able to up their power to a whopping 158 kW.

VHF for digital TV is a waste, unless ATSC 3.0 makes huge strides in reception, the FCC should repack those into UHF. But in the larger cities that is not possible due to the current repack that used all of those lower stations who traded cash for a terrible signal.