[SixClub] 6M Getting into TV Channel 3

[Howard Bingham]

At 10:27 PM 7/3/2008, Roger (K8RI) wrote:
>Howard Bingham wrote:
>
>>
>>I understand that once digital TV goes in, that may solve TVI 
>>issues with 6m..
>The interference issues are slightly different, but if you drive an 
>amp into saturation so it is bad enough as in this issue you will 
>still lose the station.  If you change that statement above to, "may 
>solve some TVI issues with 6-meters" it would be correct.
>
>Digital TV does buffer the signal and it has some rudimentary 
>correction built in (IF I understand correctly) so a brief blip of 
>interference from CW or SSB would not be noticed, BUT it only takes 
>a couple seconds of a signal strong enough to cause blocking and the 
>set just gives a "signal lost"  or  "no signal, check antenna 
>connections" message on an otherwise blank screen.
>I've been using digital and digital HD for well over a year.  An 
>analog signal that only gives a marginal image is strong enough to 
>give a crystal clear one in digital and the difference in signal 
>strength between no image and a good image is much narrower than 
>with analog. However it is not true to say with digital you either 
>get a good image or none.  There is an area where the image will 
>break up, pixilate, or go intermittent.  An interfering signal can do the same.
>
>The really big difference is the sound is digital and they'll 
>*normally* no longer hear some one talking when the image starts 
>breaking up. <:-))
>
>Roger (K8RI - ARRL Life Member)
>www.rogerhalstead.com
>N833R (World's oldest Debonair)
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In Houston, my understanding is that local station on Ch 2 
(  www.click2houston.com  ), will permanently stay on Channel 35, 
which is where they are now during the warm in phase of digital, 
instead of returning to ch 2..

Channel 8, which is the local PBS station, it is currently 
transmitting digital at half power on Channel 9, but will return to 
their normal assignment once they go 100% digital & will be closest 
local station to 6m..

Most of my neighbors (In apartments) are on cable, only a handful 
like myself are still using indoor antennas, but I understand that 
with rising cable bills along with everything else going into the 
stratosphere, some may drop cable once local stations are all 
digital, as the image transmitted by cable is very compressed to 
squeeze the large number of channels offered into the cables. (An 
engineer with one station tells me the image they send to the cable 
companies is compressed by 60% & there is likely more compression by 
the cable company as the signals are transmitted by the cable system.)

Howard
KE5APJ

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