[Elecraft] OT 4M

[Jim Brown]

On 5/21/2014 4:58 AM, Charlie T, K3ICH wrote:
> Yeah, that was SUPOSSED to happen, but in true guvmint fashion, it 
> didn't quite work out that way.
> (Where have we seen THAT before?)
>
> There's still a LOT of analog low-band TV, so the chances of a 4M ham 
> band over here in the colonies, is just about dead.

You misunderstand the current situation, as well as the plan for the 
analog to digital transition. This was NOT a "guvmint" screwup. First, 
most non-commercial stations were allowed to "opt out" and stay with 
analog if they wanted to do so. Those are the analog stations that are 
still there.

Second, the channels that were PLANNED to be abandoned by TV and 
auctioned off are the high UHF channels, not VHF.

Third, during the transition period, many digital stations were assigned 
to low band VHF channels (2-6), and they experienced lots of 
interference from impulse noise sources. AT THEIR REQUEST, stations 
assigned these channels AFTER the transition were permitted to request a 
higher channel (7 and above), and most low band VHF stations did so. 
There are a handful of digital stations around the country on each of 
those low-band channels, and they CHOSE to stick with their allocation 
there.

Fourth, digital TV operates in the same spectrum, and even in the same 
6MHz wide channel layout as analog TV, but which station is now and was 
during the transition was carefully set up so that during the transition 
period, their viewers had a choice of either the analog or digital 
transmitter, which were on different channels.

Fifth, with so few stations using low-band VHF (2-6)now, there is plenty 
of that spectrum available, and it would be easy to move those stations 
that want to stay on low-band VHF off of one or more of those channels 
so that other services could use it. I'm sure that there are others 
services beside ham radio that would like some of this spectrum, and 
once item #3 above had been realized, those services have been jockeying 
for position.

Sixth, many DTV stations are using an RF channel different from their 
original analog allocation, but the channel that appears on the screen 
is their original analog channel. For example, WGN-TV in Chicago has a 
half-century long identity as "Channel 9" that they still maintain, even 
though they are transmitting on channel 19.

It's easy to search the FCC database of licensed broadcast stations 
using the link below.  A quick search shows five full power DTV stations 
on Channel 2, six on Channel 3, three on Channel 4. There are 
considerably more on channels 5 and 6.(76-88 MHz). In addition to these 
are some low power translators, and some low power analog and digital 
stations.

http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/tv-query-broadcast-station-search

73, Jim K9YC