ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - We are now on our permanent top mounted antenna. Remember we are still a low power TV station however we’re still very receivable in the stateline area. Per our FCC license we still need to suppress our signal to the NE to avoid interfering with WISN in Milwaukee. The specs are very similar to our side mounted antenna however this in is 30ft. higher and it connected to our transmitter using a 6″ line instead of a 3″.

This top-mount antenna won’t solve the broadcasting issues in the NE viewing area however some may see improvement. Our parent company Gray Media, Inc, is still trying to secure a frequency so we can construct a translator station for NE viewers. Because of the FCC spectrum repack there aren’t many frequencies, if any, available in the Rockford TV market. The translator station is needed because we have to suppress the signal from our top-mount antenna in order to not interfere with WISN in Milwaukee.

In 2017 WIFR’s full power licenses was sold in the FCC Spectrum Auction. On May 31 of that year, WIFR-DT became WIFR-LD, a low power TV station. On January 15, 2020 we moved to our new frequency on channel 28 or 557mHz. The new signal is not omni-directional as we suppress to the NE. Even as a low power station we are still very reachable in the Rockford TV market and beyond. We’ve received communications from viewers who receive us in Warren, Ill., Stockton, Ill, , as far north west as Monticello, Wis. We’ve heard from viewers in Marengo and DeKalb.

We will continue to update viewers with our progress with updates on this page. Thank you for your continued patience as we make these changes.

Here are some notes on the frequency change:

Viewers to the NE may not receive our Antenna TV, Circle and ION channels until a translator station is complete.

Since we will be on two different frequencies at the same time during this phase of our transition, some viewers who can receive both signals viewers may receive a 23.1 and a 23.11 which will be duplicates of our CBS stream.

Most viewers use a simple auto rescan to tune in the new frequency. Viewers who manually tune their TV receivers should tune to digital channel 28 or 557.00 mHz. If they can’t receive the signal they should tune to digital channel 23 or 527.00 mHz where the duplicate CBS stream can be found.

Instructions on how to perform an auto scan can be found below and in the video attached to this article.

We would like to thank Weigel Broadcasting for allowing us to channel share on channel 35, digital 23 creating 23.11.

We apologize for all the channel scanning confusion.

Why stations are moving frequencies?

In 2017, the Federal Communications Commission ordered TV stations to move from the 600mhz range and 23 WIFR’s frequency is in that range. The FCC then auctioned the spectrum space to cell phone and other wireless companies to give them more capacity.

Rescanning is very easy and doesn’t require any new equipment. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Find the remote that changes your channels.

2. Press Menu then select “Channel Setup” or Broadcast Setup” on the menu. If you can’t find these options check your owner’s manual or search online for your television’s specific instructions.

3. Select “Scan,” “Auto Scan,” “Channel Search” or “Auto Program.” Then click to start the search.

The TV should then search for available signals and lock in 23 WIFR’s new frequency along with other local stations.

Viewers can email questions to engineeringquestions@wifr.com.

Cable, satellite and streaming subscribers do not need to do anything. They will continue to receive the 23 WIFR channels without making any changes.