In article , ml wrote:

isn't the digital channles a different freq here in nyc we mostly
use channels 2-13 i understood the new digital channels to be of
a diff freq and band i dunno

All of the TV frequencies fall into one of three ranges: VHF low-band
(traditionally channels 2 - 6), VHF high band (channels 7 - 13), and
UHF (channels 14 on up).

During the big digital-TV transition, the upper end of the UHF
frequency range (700-800 MHz) is going away entirely. It's being
auctioned off or allocated to commercial and public-safety interests.

During the transition period, the full-power TV stations have each
been allocated a second channel in the remaining portion of the UHF
frequency band, which they've been using for their ATSC (digital-TV)
signals... these are on UHF channels which had not previously been
used in the station's service area. The stations have continued to
transmit NTSC analog on their original frequencies.

It's important to understand that with digital TV, the "station
number" displayed on the TV, and to which you tune, doesn't
necessarily correspond to the actual RF frequency.

During the final switchover, each station will either:

- Drop its old NTSC frequency entirely, and move its full-power
transmission to its current (transition) ATSC frequency, or

- Stop using its ATSC transition frequency, and switch its current
NTSC transmitter over to ATSC digital, or

- Drop its old NTSC frequency, and start transmitting ATSC digital on
a newly-allocated frequency.

My impression is that most of the stations now on channels 14 on up
(UHF) will be doing the second of these. Most of the stations now on
VHF will do the first of these - they'll give up their VHF frequency
and move to UHF.

There *are* a few stations which will keep using their VHF frequencies
(channels 2 - 13) and just switch them over to full-power digital
operation. Most of these are in the VHF highband (7-13), but there
are a small handful in the lowband (2-6) which will stay there.

In many areas of the country, a good UHF-only antenna is all you will
need for digital TV, after The Big Day. This is fortunate for the
many people who have bought "digital TV" antennas - most of these are
UHF-only.

In urban areas of the country, quite a few people will need antennas
which handle both UHF, and the highband part of the VHF spectrum.

In a very few urban areas, people will need antennas with
full-frequency TV-band coverage (VHF low, VHF high, and UHF) in order
to get all of the channels.

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
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