Robert Hovland wrote:
Does anyone know the latest info about what is going to happen to the FM
band when the FCC forces all of the VHF television stations to give up
their broadcast band and switch to the new freqency allocations for
digital TV?

Best bet right now is that that's not going to happen. "Core spectrum",
into which all DTV will be placed, is channels 2-51.

The FCC changed their minds twice about which spectrum to allocate.
First, they said all DTV would be UHF. Then, they amended "core" to
read channels 7-51. Finally, they seemed to conclude not all stations
could be accomodated in 7-51, and added 2-6 to the list.

My employer, whose analog signal is on channel 4, drew digital channel
10. Our biggest competitor has an analog signal on channel 5 and a
digital on channel 56. They'll be forced to move their digital signal
to channel 5 after the analog signs off. Channel 6 in Philadelphia drew
digital channel 64, and will also be forced to move back to VHF after
analog closes. There are many other examples.

My guess is that the VHF stations didn't want to surrender the coverage
(and power efficiency) advantages of the lower channels; and the
land-mobile interests didn't want the large antennas and susceptibility
to sporadic-E interference inherent in VHF.

channels 6 and 7, I believe, and I would be surprised if the FCC would
leave the FM band alone when the TV stations get out. They want to
auction these soon-to-be-obsolete TV channel frequencies off to the
highest bidder.

FM indeed lies between channels 6 and 7 - just above channel 6. (you
can receive channel 6 audio on most FM radios)

The FCC has recently authorized "in band on channel" digital radio
broadcasts in the current 88-108 band.
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com

Doug Smith W9WI wrote:


The FCC changed their minds twice about which spectrum to allocate.
First, they said all DTV would be UHF. Then, they amended "core" to
read channels 7-51. Finally, they seemed to conclude not all stations
could be accomodated in 7-51, and added 2-6 to the list.



It sure is a shame they didn't go through with their original plan. I
would have liked to have seen channels 2-6, or at least channels 5 and
6, given over to the FM broadcast band. Just think of how IBOC and LPFM
might have worked out if the FM band had a little room to expand!

Tony Calguire wrote:
It sure is a shame they didn't go through with their original plan. I
would have liked to have seen channels 2-6, or at least channels 5 and
6, given over to the FM broadcast band. Just think of how IBOC and LPFM
might have worked out if the FM band had a little room to expand!

That's an interesting question: could two TV channels worth of spectrum
(12MHz) provide enough room to give each analog FM BC station a digital
counterpart without using IBOC?

Since IBOC-AM seems to (more-or-less?!) work within 15KHz or so of
bandwidth, it would seem a functional system with adequate quality to
replace FM could be made to work with 120KHz available to each station.

But the FCC had a hard enough time fitting the DTV assignments into the
channels they have. Even dropping one or two might prove a serious
problem...
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com

In article ,
Doug Smith W9WI wrote:

But the FCC had a hard enough time fitting the DTV assignments into the
channels they have. Even dropping one or two might prove a serious
problem...

There would be enough bandwidth in a couple of 6-MHz TV channels to
make Eureka 147 work for every station in most markets....

On a more politically-correct note, there are interference constraints
between 8VSB transmissions on channel 6 and NCE-FM assignments which
resulted in very few TV stations being allocated DTV 6. (I think I
only found two when I looked. One of the original assignments was for
WCTX New Haven (moving from 59); they found that the constraints on
their power as a channel 6 were so confining that they arranged an
allocation swap with very-low-power WEDY New Haven, which didn't need
the coverage.) So it's conceivable that, after the transitional
period is through, channel 6 could still be cleared for other
purposes.

-GAWollman

--
Garrett A. Wollman | As the Constitution endures, persons in every
| generation can invoke its principles in their own
Opinions not those of| search for greater freedom.
MIT, LCS, CRS, or NSA| - A. Kennedy, Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. ___ (2003)

Garrett Wollman wrote:
the coverage.) So it's conceivable that, after the transitional
period is through, channel 6 could still be cleared for other
purposes.

There are nine stations whose analog assignment is channel 6 and whose
digital is above 51. Those stations would have to be accomodated
elsewhere to clear channel 6 after transition. (I suppose that might be
possible by using one of the channels freed by other stations in the
same market.)

FWIW those nine stations a

KVIE Sacramento (DTV-53)
WABG Greenwood, Miss. (DTV-54)
KOTV Tulsa (DTV-55)
WIPR San Juan (DTV-55)
KWQC Davenport, Ia. (DTV-56)
WCML Alpena, Mich. (DTV-57)
WKMG Orlando (DTV-58)
WLNS Lansing (DTV-59)
WPVI Philadelphia (DTV-64)

Also FWIW, there are eight stations whose analog assignment is channel 5
and whose digitals are outside core.
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com

I get a nice signal from WSMV-DT on my Channel Master UHF antenna here
in Bowling Green. Of course 56 booms in but 10's pic is much better.
Of course maybe I'm just prejudiced. HA

Funny thing I'm just like 2 or 3 miles from the local ABC and can't
receive it with the antenna pointing right at the tower but I can get
Channel 2's signal I'm guessing almost 65 or more miles away full
copy. Must be multipath...

Ben
W4WSM

My employer, whose analog signal is on channel 4, drew digital channel
10. Our biggest competitor has an analog signal on channel 5 and a
digital on channel 56. They'll be forced to move their digital signal
to channel 5 after the analog signs off. Channel 6 in Philadelphia drew
digital channel 64, and will also be forced to move back to VHF after
analog closes. There are many other examples.

My

Ben wrote:
I get a nice signal from WSMV-DT on my Channel Master UHF antenna here
in Bowling Green. Of course 56 booms in but 10's pic is much better.
Of course maybe I'm just prejudiced. HA

I've been impressed with our DTV. It does a pretty good job. WKRN's
does a darned good job too. I think something's broken with WTVF-DT,
they don't do anywhere near as well as their analog. (nor anywhere near
as well as WKRN-DT)

Funny thing I'm just like 2 or 3 miles from the local ABC and can't
receive it with the antenna pointing right at the tower but I can get
Channel 2's signal I'm guessing almost 65 or more miles away full
copy. Must be multipath...

Probably, WBKO'd do a lot better if they'd splurge for a bigger tower...
(do it cooperatively with channel 40, they both could use the help...
of course, WSMV is better off with channel 40 having a wimpy signalgrin)

I've seen WBKO-DT here, but only once and during a big tropo opening.
The KETs (which aren't all that powerful) are far more frequently seen.
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com

WKRN really does have a nice signal. So much better than the analog
with all it's co-channel.

I don't think BKO will ever go for a bigger stick. They never have
been on the cutting edge and they seem to be happy with covering the
surrounding counties. They have 4 antennas on the tower now with 13
and 24 both on it.

I spoke with 40's GM a little while back and he talked of a new tower
and an actual studio but it hasn't happened. I did turn the antenna
around and see the DT signal but it didn't impress me so it was back
to WSMV...I'm just glad the signal on 10 is so good up here.

KET is running 4 channels. Too bad we can't see the PBS HD stuff.
Wonder when 8 will turn on a transmitter?

What's the deal with the Sinclair stations? They looked bad enough
before DT but now they look like pixalated mush.

Ben
W4WSM



I've been impressed with our DTV. It does a pretty good job. WKRN's
does a darned good job too. I think something's broken with WTVF-DT,
they don't do anywhere near as well as their analog. (nor anywhere near
as well as WKRN-DT)

Funny thing I'm just like 2 or 3 miles from the local ABC and can't
receive it with the antenna pointing right at the tower but I can get
Channel 2's signal I'm guessing almost 65 or more miles away full
copy. Must be multipath...

Probably, WBKO'd do a lot better if they'd splurge for a bigger tower...
(do it cooperatively with channel 40, they both could use the help...
of course, WSMV is better off with channel 40 having a wimpy signalgrin)

I've seen WBKO-DT here, but only once and during a big tropo opening.
The KETs (which aren't all that powerful) are far more frequently seen.

Ben wrote:
WKRN really does have a nice signal. So much better than the analog
with all it's co-channel.

IMHO that's only half the problem. Even without the CCI here, the
computer noise/leaky insulators are pretty bad - and when they aren't
present, the signal can be just plain snowy.

But when the sporadic-E kicks in, well, you'd better have a DTV if you
want to watch ABC... There have been days when I've had a snow-free
signal from XEFB with some weak WKRN CCI in the background!

(then again, if you'd seen a picture of the XEFB transmitter site (I
have), you'd know why they get out so well!)

I don't think BKO will ever go for a bigger stick. They never have
been on the cutting edge and they seem to be happy with covering the
surrounding counties. They have 4 antennas on the tower now with 13
and 24 both on it.

I wonder if there might be some concern over WKRN (and as a result, ABC)
getting bent out of shape if WBKO puts too much RF down into Tennessee?

Wonder when 8 will turn on a transmitter?

8 just took out a STA for roughly 45kW ERP. Strange, as I thought I
read their full-power transmitter was already ready to go & they were
just waiting on the STL and encoder.

What's the deal with the Sinclair stations? They looked bad enough
before DT but now they look like pixalated mush.

I don't watch often enough to know... They've got five transmitters at
the same site now (all three digitals and the analogs for 30 and 58) so
I suppose STL bandwidth is at a premium...
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com

Does anyone know the latest info about what is going to happen to the FM band
when the FCC forces all of the VHF television stations to give up their
broadcast band and switch to the new freqency allocations for digital TV?


Nothing.

As soon as the conversion to D-TV is complete, the TV stations which were
temporarily relocated to other channels, some to VHF, but most to UHF, can
return to their original channel, but on digital.