On Jul 16, 7:20*pm, "D. Stussy" wrote:
"Jim Prescott" wrote in message

Channels 2-51 are all allocated to DTV (except for 37). *Channels
2-6 aren't as popular so many people won't need an antenna that can
receive them; some people can even get by with UHF only (14-51). *To
be sure about what you will need go towww.tvfool.comand see what
real channels will be used in your area after transition.

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/dtvantennas.html

Are you certain? *I'm in Los Angeles, the #2 market of the U.S., and NONE of
our existing stations in Southern California (including the San Diego market
too) are keeping their allocations on 2-5 (6 is assigned to Mexico, but even
XETV (FOX) is moving to UHF). *None of them have even filed construction
permits for that range - but have actually filed permits for other
allocations (UHF). *If there were to be a place where something were to
remain in 2-6, I'd think that the top 10 (out of the ~200 TV markets) would
have such occur.

Yes, VHF 2 to 6 will be in use after the analog shutdown. There are
currently 40 full power stations set to operate on low VHF after
02/17/09. The low VHF channels for digital signals are more sensitive
to electrical impulse noise and interference. Few stations in the
major urban cities have opted to use low VHF for digital TV because
they are most prone to interference there. The largest market station
that is currently slated to be on low VHF is WPVI-DT ABC 6 in
Philadelphia which will flash cut from UHF 64 to VHF 6 next February.

In a crowded spectrum market such as LA, what may happen is that some
low power (LP) stations will eventually be forced to go to low VHF
because they can't find any viable upper VHF or UHF channels to be on.
But the LPs that do that are going to be stations that really don't
care about OTA reception, but want a broadcast station so they can get
on the local cable systems - religious stations mostly if I had to
guess.

Over 50 stations submitted petitions in June to the FCC asking for a
different post-transition channel assignment because their current
post-trans channel allotment presents problems for them. A few of
these are stations currently alloted to be on low VHF and asked for a
upper VHF or UHF channel, so when the dust settles next year (and
there will be a LOT of dust), we may have fewer than 40 low VHF full
power stations, but they will be there. Many cities will not have any
low VHF digital stations, but will have at least 1 upper VHF station.
Hence the need for antenna for upper VHF and UHF.

BTW, low power stations will be allowed to operate on UHF 52 to 59 if
they have no alternate good channel assignment, but they also have to
have permission from who ever brought the channel frequency to operate
there. The last part will likely limit any LP stations in the UHF 52
to 59 range to rural or remote areas, but a LP station in Denver
recently filed for a digital UHF 52 channel post-transition.

Alan F

PS Verizon messed up my usenet access when they dropped alt.* groups.
Thanks a lot, Verizon and the NY AG.