Sometimes(AND I'M NOT KIDDING!!) there is a "farting" type sound that
comes from the Weather Channel during their "Local on the Eights"
forecasts. I think it happens mostly when they roll the radar loops.

Anyone else notice this - or it it time for me to head to the Home?

; )

-ChrisCoaster

"ChrisCoaster" wrote in message
oups.com...

Sometimes(AND I'M NOT KIDDING!!) there is a "farting" type sound that
comes from the Weather Channel during their "Local on the Eights"
forecasts. I think it happens mostly when they roll the radar loops.

Anyone else notice this - or it it time for me to head to the Home?

Have you been hanging around with Tom Cruise?

N

"ChrisCoaster" wrote in message
oups.com...
Sometimes(AND I'M NOT KIDDING!!) there is a "farting" type sound that
comes from the Weather Channel during their "Local on the Eights"
forecasts. I think it happens mostly when they roll the radar loops.

Anyone else notice this - or it it time for me to head to the Home?

; )


Could be a 25/35Hz signalling tone for satellite automation?


--
Best Regards,

Mark A. Weiss, P.E.
www.mwcomms.com
-

That will be fine, NSM.

: )

On 29 Jul 2005 18:08:39 -0700, "ChrisCoaster"
wrote:

Sometimes(AND I'M NOT KIDDING!!) there is a "farting" type sound that
comes from the Weather Channel during their "Local on the Eights"
forecasts. I think it happens mostly when they roll the radar loops.

Anyone else notice this - or it it time for me to head to the Home?

**The Home Avoid the green jello. Actually, there is a part where
there is a graphic and then a box slids from the left onto the screen
and it carries the present temp and the sun/cloud icon (Your Weather
Right Now or something like that). It takes up half the screen, the
other half is some dude pretending he's being active. When it slides
onto the screen there is a farting sound. I couldn't figure out
whether it was my TV or the Weather Channel.

kaboomie

It's a combination of tones to switch what you are seeing from the
national weather - which everyone sees to the local weather which is
different for each area.

ChrisCoaster wrote:
Sometimes(AND I'M NOT KIDDING!!) there is a "farting" type sound that
comes from the Weather Channel during their "Local on the Eights"
forecasts. I think it happens mostly when they roll the radar loops.

Anyone else notice this - or it it time for me to head to the Home?

; )

-ChrisCoaster

"Jumpster Jiver" wrote in message
news:LbbHe.1955$va1.630@trndny09...
It's a combination of tones to switch what you are seeing from the
national weather - which everyone sees to the local weather which is
different for each area.

ChrisCoaster wrote:
Sometimes(AND I'M NOT KIDDING!!) there is a "farting" type sound that
comes from the Weather Channel during their "Local on the Eights"
forecasts. I think it happens mostly when they roll the radar loops.

Anyone else notice this - or it it time for me to head to the Home?

; )

-ChrisCoaster



Can't be exactly sure but I bet they are cue tones that the network inserts
to cue local media to insert programming... Normally you are not to hear
them.. Your local cable company has something out of whack....

DBLEXPOSURE wrote:

Can't be exactly sure but I bet they are cue tones that the network inserts
to cue local media to insert programming... Normally you are not to hear
them.. Your local cable company has something out of whack....


They used to use DTMF codes for remote switching to allow local
inserts or commercials. but I've been out of the CATV business since
1986 when I used to cue up a commercial on 3/4" U-matic tapes and hand
switch the commercials into the system. We sold commercials on three
channels. MTV was the worst. Their signal was that they used a
multiplexed stereo audio channel on the C-band receiver and they turned
off the pilot carrier to control the switch so you had to buy the
controller from them. I just waited for their fade to black and
switched it then.
--
Link to my "Computers for disabled Veterans" project website deleted
after threats were telephoned to my church.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

But there's something I don't understand.

If this noise is a "cue tone", then why is it occuring in the middle of
the "Local on the 8s", right after the voice-over announces "Our local
doppler radar"?

Aren't these forecasts seen at exactly 8, 18, 28, and so on, past the
hour - across the entire US?

For a more accurate description of the sound, turn your bicycle upside
down, spin the rear wheel good and fast, take a straw or twig, and let
it hit the spokes - interemittently.
t-t-t-t-t.......t-t-t-t-t-t...t-t-t--t-t- etc. Right as the doppler
radar shows.

-CC

"ChrisCoaster" wrote in message
oups.com...
But there's something I don't understand.

If this noise is a "cue tone", then why is it occuring in the middle of
the "Local on the 8s", right after the voice-over announces "Our local
doppler radar"?

Aren't these forecasts seen at exactly 8, 18, 28, and so on, past the
hour - across the entire US?

For a more accurate description of the sound, turn your bicycle upside
down, spin the rear wheel good and fast, take a straw or twig, and let
it hit the spokes - interemittently.
t-t-t-t-t.......t-t-t-t-t-t...t-t-t--t-t- etc. Right as the doppler
radar shows.

-CC


I'm guessing that right after he sais"our local doppler radar" is when the
cable company is to switch to your local radar which is generated localy.
Everyone gets to see a different map depending on where they are.

On Friday 29 July 2005 20:08, ChrisCoaster wrote:

Sometimes(AND I'M NOT KIDDING!!) there is a "farting" type sound that
comes from the Weather Channel during their "Local on the Eights"
forecasts. I think it happens mostly when they roll the radar loops.

Anyone else notice this - or it it time for me to head to the Home?

; )

-ChrisCoaster

Well, this is the last thing I ever expected to read on
sci.electronics.repair, but I can respond to this. :-)

Don't worry, several of us have noticed. Cable companies utilize a
computer system called the Weather STAR (which was designed by The
Weather Channel to display local weather information over the satellite
video), which is installed at cable company headends. The latest unit,
called the Intellistar, appears to make this buzzing sound during a
certain screen on the Local on the Eights, which is what you mentioned.
I'm guessing it is a minor software bug--it appears to have come and
gone over time. Cable systems that have the older Weather STAR
computers don't appear to make this sound during the forecast, so I'm
pretty sure this sound is being made by the Intellistar.

There has been discussion of this at the message board
http://www.twcclassics.com/forums/ in the past. (Note that
twcclassics.com is not an official TWC website; it's a fan site run by
people who are mainly interested in The Weather Channel during its
earlier years.)

--
Travis Evans
[The email address on this post is valid, but may change from time to
time. Make sure you use the latest email address; if you use an old
one, I will not receive your message.]

BINGO! You and DBLX seemed to nail this one.

Now wait a minute - there's actually a "retro" site for fans of the
original Weather Channel? ? ?

And I thought I was nuts for researching classic NASCAR logos - like a
rare Dale Earnhardt #2 that he drove just a couple seasons into his
career.

-CC
Travis Evans wrote:
On Friday 29 July 2005 20:08, ChrisCoaster wrote:

Sometimes(AND I'M NOT KIDDING!!) there is a "farting" type sound that
comes from the Weather Channel during their "Local on the Eights"
forecasts. I think it happens mostly when they roll the radar loops.

Anyone else notice this - or it it time for me to head to the Home?

; )

-ChrisCoaster

Well, this is the last thing I ever expected to read on
sci.electronics.repair, but I can respond to this. :-)

Don't worry, several of us have noticed. Cable companies utilize a
computer system called the Weather STAR (which was designed by The
Weather Channel to display local weather information over the satellite
video), which is installed at cable company headends. The latest unit,
called the Intellistar, appears to make this buzzing sound during a
certain screen on the Local on the Eights, which is what you mentioned.
I'm guessing it is a minor software bug--it appears to have come and
gone over time. Cable systems that have the older Weather STAR
computers don't appear to make this sound during the forecast, so I'm
pretty sure this sound is being made by the Intellistar.

There has been discussion of this at the message board
http://www.twcclassics.com/forums/ in the past. (Note that
twcclassics.com is not an official TWC website; it's a fan site run by
people who are mainly interested in The Weather Channel during its
earlier years.)

--
Travis Evans
[The email address on this post is valid, but may change from time to
time. Make sure you use the latest email address; if you use an old
one, I will not receive your message.]

Travis Evans wrote:

Well, this is the last thing I ever expected to read on
sci.electronics.repair, but I can respond to this. :-)

Don't worry, several of us have noticed. Cable companies utilize a
computer system called the Weather STAR (which was designed by The
Weather Channel to display local weather information over the satellite
video), which is installed at cable company headends. The latest unit,
called the Intellistar, appears to make this buzzing sound during a
certain screen on the Local on the Eights, which is what you mentioned.
I'm guessing it is a minor software bug--it appears to have come and
gone over time. Cable systems that have the older Weather STAR
computers don't appear to make this sound during the forecast, so I'm
pretty sure this sound is being made by the Intellistar.

There has been discussion of this at the message board
http://www.twcclassics.com/forums/ in the past. (Note that
twcclassics.com is not an official TWC website; it's a fan site run by
people who are mainly interested in The Weather Channel during its
earlier years.)

--
Travis Evans


I installed one of the first STAR units when the Weather Channel was
being launched. Here is a piece of trivia I'll bet you never heard
about the Weather Channel: They tried to launch on the wrong
satellite. They insisted they were transmitting, but the transponder
only had noise so I asked them if they were monitoring the downlink. A
few minutes later they sheepishly admitted they were on the wrong bird.

--
Link to my "Computers for disabled Veterans" project website deleted
after threats were telephoned to my church.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

ChrisCoaster wrote:

But there's something I don't understand.

If this noise is a "cue tone", then why is it occuring in the middle of
the "Local on the 8s", right after the voice-over announces "Our local
doppler radar"?

Aren't these forecasts seen at exactly 8, 18, 28, and so on, past the
hour - across the entire US?

For a more accurate description of the sound, turn your bicycle upside
down, spin the rear wheel good and fast, take a straw or twig, and let
it hit the spokes - interemittently.
t-t-t-t-t.......t-t-t-t-t-t...t-t-t--t-t- etc. Right as the doppler
radar shows.

-CC

I can't get the Weather Channel right now. Tell me, do you hear the
buzz when there is bright white computer generated text on the screen?
The modulator at the CATV head end may be set a little too high and the
over modulation causes an intercarrier buzz. The modulation for
services like that should be set at 95 % to give a little headroom for
variations in the received signal. Most of the techs are in a hurry and
just tweak it to 100% on normal video rather than wait to see if the
level is stable.

Been there, done that, wore out both the HBO and United Video Tee
shirts. ;-)

--
Link to my "Computers for disabled Veterans" project website deleted
after threats were telephoned to my church.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida