UHF in Southern New England (was WHNB/WVIT Channel 30 (was Re:WTAG-TV?))

[A. Joseph Ross]

On 22 Nov 2009 at 10:29, Dan.Strassberg wrote:

> I don't think your message and mine said anything different from each
> other. Moving 10 to Bald Mtn would have reduced the already short
> spacing to Providence, but so what? The ERP toward Providence would
> have had to be reduced to less than it was from the Helderberg site.
> But with relatively little population to the east of Bald Mtn, this
> should not have been a big deal. Meanwhile, from Bald Mtn, 10 could
> have sent a full-power signal to the west over all three of the major
> cities in the Capital District. Same reasoning would have covered 13
> if it had moved to the Helderbergs. Yes, the spacing to WNET would
> have been reduced, but again, so what? The ERP to the south would have
> had to be reduced further than it was from Bald Mtn, but most of the
> population would have been to the north and northeast, directions in
> which the station could have transmitted a full-power signal. Also, by
> moving to Bald Mtn, 10 would have been closer to the area where it
> could deliver the least signal. The shorter distance would have at
> least partly compensated for the reduced ERP. Similarly, by moving to
> the Herderbergs, 13 would have been quite a few miles closer to the
> area where it had to deliver a reduced signal. The reduced distance
> would have at least partially mitigated the effects of the reduced
> ERP. And the full-power signal to the north/northeast would have
> improved reception in Albany, Schenectady, and Troy.

So the question is, was it really a good idea to move those stations 
to VHF channels, rather than try to put up a better UHF signal?  
Where were the UHF signals deficient?  This was one of the few 
markets where UHF receiver penetration wasn't the issue.  As I 
regularly complained to my parents at the time, we were the ONLY 
people in the entire area who had a TV incapable of receiving the UHF 
channels.  ;->
 
> Best example I know of is WBZ (AM). It's east of downtown Boston
> and directional to the west, north, and south. Only fish live east
> of the site and, for good measure, the signal reaches land to the
> north, west, and south via a high-conductivity salt-water path. 
 
Why does WBZ have a directional signal at all?  What do they have to 
protect?

-- 
A. Joseph Ross, J.D.                           617.367.0468
 92 State Street, Suite 700                   Fax 617.507.7856
Boston, MA 02109-2004           	         http://www.attorneyross.com