The VHF's Return after UHF (was Re: CH 40 Analog was shut down Sun night)

[TVNETDUDE@aol.com]

In a message dated 12/5/2008 10:08:28 PM Eastern Standard Time,  
boston-radio-interest-request@tsornin.BostonRadio.org writes:

"Quite  the opposite from what I hear.  Especially low-band VHF, like  
channels 2-6, have terrible coverage with DTV.  That's a major reason  
why there are several proposals to force the 24 Ch.5 & 6 DTV stations  to 
the UHF band and repurpose those frequencies into more FM  
coverage/cleanup the AM Band.   Don't laugh, the guys at BMC  have really 
done their homework and it CAN work, if the politics can be  overcome."
 
 
 
Actually the reason stations are bailing on the VHF channels (channels  
2,3,4,5, and 6 especially) is that these channels suffer from impulse noise  
year-round and ducting during the summer months.  DTV  (8-VSB) doesn't do ghosts or 
any type of interference. This can include  planes overhead or in some cases a 
bird sitting on your outdoor antenna. If you  have an indoor antenna any 
motion in the room can cause tiling and loss of  audio. It is either excellent or 
absent.
 
The antenna has to be getting a nearly pristine signal (very little  delay) 
or you get nothing. This would not have been a problem if the  FCC  had chosen 
COFDM, like the rest of the world, instead of the  kluged 1949 model we used 
for analog (8-VSB) but that is an entirely  different argument. We have what we 
have now.
 
When you look at charts that show available channels in your area,  unless 
you are very local to the transmitter, it is understood that this is  from a 
roof top antenna that is up 30 feet. I am not sure how many average  TV viewers 
understand this or will want to jump on-board. We live in a  plug-and-play 
society today.
 
On the upside of DTV, if you can make it work, in the larger markets you  
will be getting a mini-cable TV line up. Many stations have opted to broadcast a  
number of STV (standard) TV signals to one HDTV sugnal so you can get up to 4 
or  5 STV channels for each standard TV channel. Outside of NYC I can get 
about  25-30 video and audio sources from the NYC and NJ stations.
 
I am line of sight of the NYC transmitters from Empire and the Conde  Nast 
building and have had pretty good results. It is very important to use the  
right receive antenna. Even if you are line of sight with a TV  transmitter, you 
will not have much luck with a VHF receive antenna if the  station is on a UHF 
channel.  
 
Mike




**************Make your life easier with all your friends, email, and 
favorite sites in one place.  Try it now. 
(http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000010)