[Tig] DTV assignments antenna work may be good business
Ted Langdell
ted at tedlangdell.com
Mon Feb 11 13:26:45 PST 2008
On Feb 11, 2008, at 11:30 AM, TSassoon at aol.com wrote:
>
> In a message dated 2/11/08 10:41:57 AM,
> bfriesen at simple.dallas.tx.us writes:
>
>> I have heard this claim ("ATSC is UHF") before but the claim is
>> wrong. Both
>> VHF and UHF are still used
and will be used after the transition next year, particularly by
stations that are switching DTV transmissions to their existing
analog channels after the cutoff for full-power stations to cease
analog transmissions.
BUT, there is NO cutoff for analog stations licensed as CA, LP or
TX... Community (Low power with protection from being bumped by a
full-power application) Low Power (bumpable) or Translator
(rebroadcasts another station) respectively, and there are something
like 8,000 of these licensed across the country.
> Come to think of it, I've heard that, too, but maybe the word is
> "predominantly" UHF. Here in LA I don't think there are any VHF DT
> stations, and including
> multicast I'm getting 42 channels here at the studio. The lowest
> frequency I
> have listed is Telefutura (46-1) at 563 MHz, decidedly shorter than
> 1 meter.
There are few VHF DTV's because the VHF frequencies are currently in
use by analog stations or are vacant as protection for other analog
stations in adjacent markets.
WFAA-DT, 9, Dallas is one of the few I'm aware of. (YMMV), WFAA-DT
will switch to Channel 8 (now occupied by WFAA-TV's analog
transmissions) after the cuttoff.
> Aren't all the VHF NTSC channels being auctioned off to Google and
> Verizon as
> we speak?
No. I think you're thinking of the upper UHF spectrum, some of which
is also destined for emergency/homeland security use.
Quite a few stations have elected to move their DTV transmissions to
their current VHF analog allotment at the moment of cutoff (or as
soon as they can.)
Here's a link to the final channel arrangements, including current
NTSC and final DTV assignments.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-138A2.pdf
This will mean that some full-power stations will vacate their
current DTV channels.
> Maybe someone can say whether there are any sub-300 MHz DTV
> stations in NYC?
> Is VHF DTV actually used anywhere, or can it theoretically be used,
> but isn't?
>
> Tim "I weserve the wight to be wong" Sassoon
In NYC, 7 and 11 will use their analog for DTV after the cutoff. The
other NYC licensed stations won't.
In LA... 7, 9, 11, 13, 28, 34, will put DTV on their existing analog
channels post-cutoff, while other stations will not. Interesting
that CBS owned KCBS-TV will go from 2 to 43, while sister KCAL will
put DTV on its existing frequency.
I see very few LOW band VHF (2-6) channels putting DTV on their
current analog channel... perhaps because of worries about impulse
interference and/or propagation.
On the other hand, running a VHF transmitter costs less than a UHF,
so that may have played a part in the decision making.
There are a few UHF analog stations going to a VHF. Channel 65 in
New Haven, CT is vacating the "to be auctioned" band and going to
Channel 6 with a very low ERP. (400 watts).
In the analog all-UHF Bakersfield market, Channel 23 is breaking
ranks and ending up on channel 10.
Once the transition happens and stations can actually SEE what
happens to their signals, I suspect there will be some applications
to move things around to correct for problems that can't be
identified until then.
It's a little hard to do DTV testing on your current channel when
it's occupied with a 24/7 analog signal.
Because of the way the DTV system works to "map" the channels, people
will still find the channels coming up as their old analog channel
numbers, even they may be transmitting on something totally different.
Hope this is helpful.
Ted
Ted Langdell
Ted Langdell Creative Broadcast Services
Marysville, CA
Main: (530) 741-1212
tedlangdell.com. Storytelling through Broadcast Coverage and Creative
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