Digital TV Antenna Design
 

"Cecil Moore" wrote in message
...
Are the GPS coordinates for the transmitting antenna
available anywhere? I called the local TV station
and they don't know the coordinates for their
transmitting antenna.


They used to be able to be found in the FCC database. I recall when a
digital station in Kingsport, TN, first went on the air several years ago,
I looked up the data on location. The FCC even had the antenna pattern on
file.

--
73, Dr. Barry L. Ornitz WA4VZQ

[transpose digits to reply]

Digital TV Antenna Design
 

Dr. Barry L. Ornitz wrote:
"Cecil Moore" wrote in message
...
Are the GPS coordinates for the transmitting antenna
available anywhere? I called the local TV station
and they don't know the coordinates for their
transmitting antenna.


They used to be able to be found in the FCC database. I recall when a
digital station in Kingsport, TN, first went on the air several years
ago, I looked up the data on location. The FCC even had the antenna
pattern on file.


www.fccinfo.com will give you an aerial photo of the transmitter site.

Digital TV Antenna Design
 

On Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:55:39 -0800, dave wrote:

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
On Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:32:51 -0600, Cecil Moore
wrote:

Are the GPS coordinates for the transmitting antenna
available anywhere? I called the local TV station
and they don't know the coordinates for their
transmitting antenna.

Sure. It's on the FCC page for the station.
Start he
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/video/tvq.html
Inscribe the call sign in the call sign box.

For example, this is the results for KNTV:
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?list=0&facid=35280

The Cavell Mertz web page does a much more elegant job than the FCC's:
http://www.fccinfo.com/CMDProEngine....Number=1087036
The info is identical.

Agreed. I just noticed that they have a link to a Google Earth map of
various services:
http://www.fccinfo.com/fccinfo_google_earth.php

Oh swell... Google Earth crashed while trying to view everything at
once. Oops.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Digital TV Antenna Design
 

"Cecil Moore" wrote in message
...

snip

Are the GPS coordinates for the transmitting antenna
available anywhere? I called the local TV station
and they don't know the coordinates for their
transmitting antenna.
--
73, Cecil http://www.w5dxp.com

This thread got a little tangled. If, as I think, you're asking for
coordinates for a US station, try,

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/video/tvq.html

1. Enter the call letters for a known station. KLTV might be a good one.
2. Press Enter or scroll down and click Submit Data.
3. On the following page, click the station call letters. If a station has
more than one listing, click any of them, as they all lead to the same web
page.
4. On the next page, scroll down, observing the different documents issued
by the FCC for the station. They may have a "TV" license for analog, also
have a "DT" license and/or a DT Construction Permit. KLTV has seven irons
in the fire, those busy bees.
5 Each one of the entries for a different document provides specifics for
the installation (or proposal) document. You will see ERP, transmitter
location, antenna height above ground, above average terrain and above sea
level. There are links to area maps, including a coverage map.

(For an agency that wants its licensees to toe the mark, this FCC database
is not free of errors. If the given locations are, in fact, correct, your
desired coordinates are provided to the arc-second, about 100 feet.) Here's
a quick sample:

Licensee: KLTV/KTRE LICENSE SUBSIDIARY, LLC
Service Designation: DS Special Temporary Authority (digital)

Channel: 10 192 - 198 MHz Application
File No.: BSTA-20060217AAS Facility ID number: 68540
CDBS Application ID No.: 1115172

32° 21' 6.50 " N Latitude
95° 15' 59.20" W Longitude (NAD 27)

This website accepts data query in a variety of formats. Interesting to
enter a LAT/LON and a distance (in km). The website returns all stations
within that distance. (Some may be low-power translators aimed away from
you, thus useless.)

Digital TV Antenna Design
 

"MTV" wrote in message
...
Bill Bowden wrote:
Anybody have a good antenna design for the new UHF digital TV
stations?

I get reasonable results from my old VHF/UHF antenna (55% signal
strength) , but it's big and ugly, and I want to replace it with a
smaller, more efficient UHF design (maybe a Yagi) I can construct at
home.

Anybody know the dimensions of such an antenna, probabaly in the
frequency range of 400-800 Mhz ?

-Bill

You could just cut off the long VHF elements and use them, cut to UHF
size, to extend and increase the number of director elements.

MTV

Yes. I have a seven foot TV parabola on my roof, but my next-best antenna
is an absolute piece of junk, literally. My neighbor was throwing out an
all-channel antenna that was blown down in a storm and badly damaged. I
clipped the connections between the UHF & VHF sections and hacksawed off the
mostly undamaged UHF section (12 directors, I think). With a section of
pipe rudely jammed into the boom as a counterweight, I'm pulling in stations
125 miles away almost as well as with the parabola.

Turning other people's discards into functional devices is an art. (I'm the
guy who worked Hawaii on 20m with 100 Watts into an extension ladder. ...
and no, I wasn't feeding it with ladder line.)

"Sal"
(KD6VKW)

Digital TV Antenna Design
 

"Sal M. Onella" wrote in message
...

snip

coordinates for a US station, try,

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/video/tvq.html



For many people, the Cavell Mertz site beats the pants off the FCC site I
posted.

It must use the FCC raw data, since I see it has a long-standing FCC error,
KFMB-DT on Channel 55. They moved to Channel 7 (interim) last summer.

"Sal"

Digital TV Antenna Design
 

Sal M. Onella wrote:
"Sal M. Onella" wrote in message
...

snip

coordinates for a US station, try,

http://www.fcc.gov/mb/video/tvq.html



For many people, the Cavell Mertz site beats the pants off the FCC site I
posted.

It must use the FCC raw data, since I see it has a long-standing FCC error,
KFMB-DT on Channel 55. They moved to Channel 7 (interim) last summer.

"Sal"


fccinco.com is a third party front-end for the FCC Query database. When
you submit a search Cavell Mertz submits a query to fcc.gov. There is a
little report at the bottom of the page.

Digital TV Antenna Design
 

Ian Jackson wrote:
It's pretty hard to keep secret the location of (say) a 1000 foot TV
transmitter mast!

Not much of a T-hunting challenge, is it. :-)

ac6xg

Digital TV Antenna Design
 

On Feb 15, 6:59*pm, Bill Bowden wrote:
Anybody have a good antenna design for the new UHF digital TV
stations?

I get reasonable results from my old VHF/UHF antenna (55% signal
strength) , but it's big and ugly, and I want to replace it with a
smaller, more efficient UHF design (maybe a Yagi) I can construct at
home.

Anybody know the dimensions of such an antenna, probabaly in the
frequency range of 400-800 Mhz ?

-Bill

All my antennas for DTV and analogue are Quads and Quagi antennas. A
two element Quad for channel 2 and 5 VHF(its wideband enough for
this), a three element for channel 11 VHF and a 9 element Quargi for
channel 63 UHF. Thats all the TV
stations we have here on the island. Easy and cheap to make and they
perform like hormones IMHO. My non technical wife says they and the
array looks like a Christmas tree, therefore not ugly but cute -)
Need more info... Tons on the Inet or let me know.
Chris

Digital TV Antenna Design
 

On Feb 16, 10:35 pm, "Sal M. Onella"
wrote:
"MTV" wrote in message

...



Bill Bowden wrote:
Anybody have a good antenna design for the new UHF digital TV
stations?

I get reasonable results from my old VHF/UHF antenna (55% signal
strength) , but it's big and ugly, and I want to replace it with a
smaller, more efficient UHF design (maybe a Yagi) I can construct at
home.

Anybody know the dimensions of such an antenna, probabaly in the
frequency range of 400-800 Mhz ?

-Bill

You could just cut off the long VHF elements and use them, cut to UHF
size, to extend and increase the number of director elements.

MTV

Yes. I have a seven foot TV parabola on my roof, but my next-best antenna
is an absolute piece of junk, literally. My neighbor was throwing out an
all-channel antenna that was blown down in a storm and badly damaged. I
clipped the connections between the UHF & VHF sections and hacksawed off the
mostly undamaged UHF section (12 directors, I think). With a section of
pipe rudely jammed into the boom as a counterweight, I'm pulling in stations
125 miles away almost as well as with the parabola.

Turning other people's discards into functional devices is an art. (I'm the
guy who worked Hawaii on 20m with 100 Watts into an extension ladder. ...
and no, I wasn't feeding it with ladder line.)

"Sal"
(KD6VKW)

I found an old 5 element yagi cut for channel 52 which was used years
ago for a pay TV station called "ON TV". It has 3 (10.5 inch)
directors spaced apart 5 inches, one (12 inch) reflector and the
driven element is about 11 inches. The diameter of all elements is a
little larger than a coat hanger.

Wondering what the bandwidth would be for other UHF stations below and
above 52?

And is there an easy way to modify it for wider band?

I also need to get the high VHF band for channel 7-13, so maybe one
more reflector is needed?

-Bill