Antenna replacement impacted some CBS News Miami viewers
MIAMI GARDENS - The installation of a new antenna impacted some CBS News Miami viewers.
Every decade or so, antennas are replaced.
Wednesday morning, a heavy cargo helicopter helped remove another station's antenna, which sits on top of CBS New Miami's antenna. It then lifted the new one into place.
The antenna is about 38 feet long and weighs more than 4,300 pounds. The antenna tower, located in Miami Gardens, is 1,080 feet tall.
Some viewers who watch CBS News Miami using an antenna at home experienced reception problems during the replacement.
It was a sight to see for those in the Miami Gardens area Wednesday morning as several workers scaled a tower more than 1,000 feet tall.
"The current ATSC 1 system is what we all get now," said Michael Bock with MJB Contractors, which is part of the installation project. "The ATSC 3 is the new system. The current antenna can't handle all that power, so they are putting up a new antenna that can."
In order for that to happen another local television station's antenna that sits on top of the CBS Miami antenna had o be removed and replaced.
The new antenna is 38 feet tall and weighs 2,360 pounds. It was not an easy task to add it.
The heavy lifting was done by a heavy-duty cargo helicopter.
For those who were trying to watch CBS Miami through an antenna, some viewers may have had problems seeing us lately.
"When they are taking it down and putting it back up, we can't be transmitting," Bock said. "So they had to temporarily move while they install this new antenna."
The old antenna was removed without issues and the new antenna was installed. This kind of replacement project happens every 10 years or so.