# Can anyone in Chicago pick up channel 20, WYCC, PBS on an antenna? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 10, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-in-chicago-pick-up-channel-20-wycc-pbs-on-an-antenna/673535 "2013-11-10T01:13:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-in-chicago-pick-up-channel-20-wycc-pbs-on-an-antenna/673535/1 "2013-11-10T01:13:19Z")
I can easily pick up WTTW, channel 11, using my $20 tv antenna. I really like WYCC, channel 20, PBS as well. I cancelled cable tv last month and I can not find any antenna setting that will allow me to get WYCC. I live near Belmont and Lake Shore Drive, on the 9th floor of a high rise. Outside antennas are not allowed. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-in-chicago-pick-up-channel-20-wycc-pbs-on-an-antenna/673535/2 "2013-11-10T01:41:22Z")
Do you have one of those digital converters? Or are you picking it up on an old analog channel? I can’t do the latter in Lombard with my roof antenna pointed straight at John Hancock, but the former gives me three versions of Channel 20: regular, MHZ, and now a First Nations (American Indian) station which is a shockingly dull and Canadian waste of bandwidth so far. 😉 ETA: There was a cooking show that was mildly interesting because it featured native foods. Nice to find shows that show you what you can gather along a bike path and eat, theough my favorite for that is black mulberries and they ain’t from around these parts. ---
**Author:** ![cardinal\_fang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal_fang/32/15316_2.png) [@cardinal\_fang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cardinal_fang)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-in-chicago-pick-up-channel-20-wycc-pbs-on-an-antenna/673535/3 "2013-11-10T04:43:55Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Do you have one of those digital converters? Or are you picking it up on an old analog channel? I can’t do the latter in Lombard with my roof antenna pointed straight at John Hancock, but the former gives me three versions of Channel 20: regular, MHZ, and now a First Nations (American Indian) station which is a shockingly dull and Canadian waste of bandwidth so far. 😉 Same experience here (Loop). According to Wikipedia, WYCC [no longer broadcasts an analog signal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WYCC#Analog-to-digital_conversion). The [programming guide](http://www.wycc.org/schedule/) on their website lists: 20.1 High Definition (HD) 20.2 First Nations Experience (FNX) (SD) 20.3 MHz Worldview 20.4 Mobile ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-in-chicago-pick-up-channel-20-wycc-pbs-on-an-antenna/673535/4 "2013-11-10T11:54:35Z")
MODERATOR NOTE: Thread title amended, at **dalej42** ’s request, to fix typo. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-in-chicago-pick-up-channel-20-wycc-pbs-on-an-antenna/673535/5 "2013-11-10T13:01:47Z")
South suburbs here. My plasma t.v. lacked a digital tuner, and when the switch to digital occurred, I bought a used direct t.v. box solely for the use of it’s digital tuner. Rabbit ears into the direct t.v. box, then the signal out from the box to my t.v. Is such a thing an option for you? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-in-chicago-pick-up-channel-20-wycc-pbs-on-an-antenna/673535/6 "2013-11-10T20:40:10Z")
I honestly don’t know what type of antenna it is. I bought it in 2011, It’s hooked up to my 50 inch plasma. The picture is excellent with over the air broadcasts. I work second shift, so I’m often watching tv in the early hours of the morning when I get home, and I used to like WYCC’s educational programming that aired overnight. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-in-chicago-pick-up-channel-20-wycc-pbs-on-an-antenna/673535/7 "2013-11-10T22:44:32Z")
Complete side note here: You work 2nd shift? You watch t.v. late at night? Are you familiar with the World News Polka? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-in-chicago-pick-up-channel-20-wycc-pbs-on-an-antenna/673535/8 "2013-11-10T22:57:24Z")
Not Chicago, but nearby. I live on the edge of Gary, Indiana. No problem picking up all permutations of channel 20. What cheeses me off is that channel 5 always seems to be pixellating from interference. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-in-chicago-pick-up-channel-20-wycc-pbs-on-an-antenna/673535/9 "2013-11-11T04:56:10Z")
No problem with all the 11s and all the 20s, just using some old rabbit ears. Of course, I only live 2000 feet from Willis Tower. But I haven’t figured out how to get channel 4 WYIN. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-in-chicago-pick-up-channel-20-wycc-pbs-on-an-antenna/673535/10 "2013-11-12T03:24:15Z")
I have a roof antenna attached to my chimney, but I have no problem getting Channel 20. > [@bobot](#): > > Complete side note here: You work 2nd shift? You watch t.v. late at night? Are you familiar with the World News Polka? [World News Polka with Barry Mitchell and the Polonaise Dancers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pwskm3No4PI) ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-in-chicago-pick-up-channel-20-wycc-pbs-on-an-antenna/673535/11 "2013-11-12T23:57:04Z")
That’s the one! Sorry for the hijack! ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-in-chicago-pick-up-channel-20-wycc-pbs-on-an-antenna/673535/12 "2013-11-13T19:53:55Z")
mountains and canyons can cause reception problems with digital tv. sometimes a stronger signal could come from a building farther away if you were on the wrong side of a building. with stations/signals coming from different directions you might need to adjust the antenna or use more than one antenna and select that with a switch. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-in-chicago-pick-up-channel-20-wycc-pbs-on-an-antenna/673535/13 "2013-11-14T06:47:11Z")
If you go to TVFool and type in your address, you can see the channels you should be getting, and the direction toward the broadcast antenna. For best reception, the antenna has to be pointed in the right direction. WYCC broadcasts in the UHF band, so an antenna optimized for UHF will work better than one optimized for VHF. I have a Terk indoor antenna with separate UHF and VHF antennas that works pretty well. Finally, either your TV or digital converter (if you have one) probably has an autoscan feature, sometimes under the setup menu. After adjusting/replacing the antenna, try running that. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-in-chicago-pick-up-channel-20-wycc-pbs-on-an-antenna/673535/14 "2013-11-14T15:15:15Z")
yeah tvfool is the best resource. when adjusting an antenna receiving digital tv, you need to wait a minute after each adjustment for the tv set/converter to get a full signal. if you do an autoscan that is good for that antenna placement. if you need to move an antenna manually to switch between stations you may need to add the channels individually. the information at tvfool gives you the real channel number for the stations you can receive. those real channel number are the ones you would need to input and the ones your antenna should be for.