Jim Hampton wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...
Sure, they can nibble at the ham bands. But there's not much spectrum
to be had from them below 400 MHz. All of 6, 2 and 220 only adds up to
about two TV channels.

What you're really seeing is a push to end NTSC TV transmissions, and
go to DTV exclusively.

IMHO

73 de Jim, N2EY


Hello, Jim

Hello

I'm not sure they'd want anything below UHF. If you are inside of a steel
building, I suspect they'd be better off at higher frequencies as they will
tend to bounce around and find an egress far easier than VHF.

A 6 meter HT is going to have antenna/ground efficiency problems as well.
It is far better than 10 (or 11, for that matter), but still is limited with
a small antenna and a far from satisfactory ground. Plus the wavelength is
going to have a difficult time getting outside of a building.

2 meters is better, but still lacking. 440 is better, but up around 1 GHz
would probably be better than the VHF television channels.

Agreed on all that but what I'm saying is that it's not what that blurb
is really all about.

As Hans, K0HB and others have pointed out, the big problems in NO
aren't about lack of spectrum. They're about lack of planning and lack
of good system design.

What I think that blurb is really all about is the desire fo some to
turn off their NTSC TV transmitters. And I can't say I blame them.

Most TV stations here in Philly are simulcasting DTV and NTSC. That's
expensive, both in tower rental, power and labor costs, and because the
NTSC stuff is all going to be worthless when they finally shut it down.

The migration to DTV has taken a long time and it's going nowhere fast.
The stores keep selling NTSC TVs, VCRs, etc., so the 'installed base'
isn't shrinking. DTV sets still cost a pretty penny, and if someone
doesn't watch that much TV it's not a high priority to replace an NTSC
set.

How many more years and dollars before they can shut off the old NTSC
transmitter? That's the big issue.

One solution is to distribute set-top boxes that convert DTV signals to
NTSC, so that you can watch the DTV transmissions on your NTSC set,
tape them on VHS, etc. But who is going to pay for it?

By wrapping the issue in disaster-communications bunting, the whole
thing can be made to look as if it's in the national interest to shut
down NTSC broadcasting ASAP. The red herring is that the freed-up
spectrum will somehow enhance disaster comms.

---

You get down to the museum yet? They have a working pre-NTSC B&W/color
TV set complete with color wheel...

73 de Jim, N2EY