Libby Video Club keeps community connected

If you live in Libby and watch over-the-air TV using an antenna, you may or may not know that the Libby Video Club (LVC) is the entity that broadcasts this service to you and has been doing so since 1957. 

It’s only funding comes from local donations and we appreciate this support.

Jim Nelson, President of LVC said at a recent LVC Board Meeting, “From all my travels and all the guys I have taken to the LVC site the thing I hear the most is ‘Wow! This site is the best I’ve ever seen.’ Some of these guys have seen a lot of broadcasting sites in Montana, and their remarks make us feel like the cream of the crop. All the credit goes to our wonderful financial supporters and great volunteers.”

Each year we send out our annual fundraising letter to our faithful supporters and let them know how things are going, what is coming in the future and to let them know how much we appreciate their support. If it wasn’t for these donations over-the-air TV in Libby would not happen. 

Not everyone gets this letter so we would like to share it with you. Many hours have gone into keeping us up and running and this year was no exception. Some volunteers are from out of town and we thank every one of them!

Nov. 13, Jim Nelson discovered that our Octane Encoder had failed. He drove the broken part to Spokane to see if Shannon Wright (KSPS – Spokane) could fix the problem, which was the power supply. In the meantime, Jim reached out to the National Television Association (NTA, who we are sustaining members of) to see if they could help and they were able to send us an Octane Encoder at no charge. 

Many thanks to them for that and all they do for translators all over the country. Shannon was able to fix the power supply to our Octane Encoder and brought it over. Ken Barrett with KAYU FOX 28 (Spokane) came with him to configure the new decoder for KAYU FOX 28. This was on Nov. 27. Jim, Shannon, Ken and Randy Lindsey went to the site to reinstall the Octane Encoder and install and configure a new decoder for FOX 28.

There was 8-plus inches of snow on the Forest Service road getting to the site that day and they had to hand cut a few small trees and branches that had fallen across the road to get access to the site, but they made it. 

They were able to get four channels back online; 3.1, 5.1, 11.1 and 13.1, which was wonderful! However, they could not bring back, 2.1, 10.1, 12.1 and 14.1, these will have to wait until spring when the roads are clear.

On a side note, channel 8.6 is now BUSTED. Also, if KAYU is able send two signals to us, the additional channel will be Antenna TV, which is much like COZI. Find them at www.antennatv.tv.

It has been a blessing to have such great partners to help keep over-the-air TV on in Libby that we should all give them a shout out of thanks. If you would like to thank KSPS Spokane, who is a non-profit, or you would like to send them a donation, go to www.ksps.org or a thank you through their contact page. 

To thank NTA and KAYU send them a thank you message at NTA - www.nationaltranslatorassociation.org/contact and KAYU at www.fox28spokane.com/contact.

All that said, we now have 28 channels, and we have purchased 1Encoder and 3 Decoders all commercial grade, which will help get all the channels back online.

If you watch over-the-air TV you know that the KPAX Channels (the 8s) do quite a bit of pixilating and tearing, this is due to weather and/or a low signal to our receivers. A couple of years ago we were made aware that in August 2025 KPAX will be changing their frequency. When they make this change we will not be able to receive them with our antenna set up and therefore will lose their six channels from our channel line-up. 

Due to this we are working with KPAX to get equipment so we can receive their stream through the internet. Without the proper equipment we will not be able to get this done. To do this both KPAX and LVC will need equipment to stream their channels. On March 10, Jim talked with their engineer to begin the project. Hopefully we will get this done before we lose them completely. When this gets done the good news is KPAX will be more stable and we can enjoy their programing with clear pictures.

We are still trying to get things worked out on the KTMF 23 channels. This may take a while and we appreciate your patience.

As a non-profit, we rely solely on your donations and we are asked, “How much should I donate?” Our suggested donation for the past several years has been $85 annually, but we appreciate all we receive. You can mail your support to Libby Video Club, PO Box 977, Libby MT, 59923 or you can make a deposit in Libby at First Montana Bank, Glacier Bank or Lincoln County Credit Union. 

You can pay online by visiting our website at www.libbyvideoclub.com. You can also leave a comment there or send us an email, we’d love to hear from you.

Happy Spring, thank you for your generosity, and stay tuned.