What happens with all the old analog TV transmitters?

[nd2023]

Since no one in the US will buy them, what will stations do with them? Throw them out, send them to developing countries, keep them as antiques, what else?

 

[w9wi]

Since no one in the US will buy them, what will stations do with them? Throw them out, send them to developing countries, keep them as antiques, what else?

Good question. We have no plans for ours.

Mexico has already started converting. (IMHO they're well ahead of Canada, though some Canadian broadcasters are considering dropping OTA altogether) I would imagine most other Latin American countries don't see much future in analog either.

They're probably going to be more valuable as scrap metal than anything else.

 

[KTN Corp]

IMHO they're well ahead of Canada, though some Canadian broadcasters are considering dropping OTA altogether

I read on the CBC website about it and remembered the high subscription rate of cable TV in Canada. The article said 9-10 % of Canadians watch OTA, where as the 89-90% have cable service.

 

[Starbucks]

Since no one in the US will buy them, what will stations do with them? Throw them out, send them to developing countries, keep them as antiques, what else?

What you probably will see, is pirate TV stations. Someone, some firm will get a hold of them and sell them in some black market.

 

[Markxxx]

While I think the idea of Pirate TV station is cool, aren't they too easy to track to be worthwhile setting up?

 

[mescutia]

Couldn't they be recycled to provide parts for digital transmitters or other equipment?

 

[Bongwater]

There are still countries that won't be going digital for a long time yet (they're deep in the Third World.) As long as they're still on good terms with our foreign policy (Sorry North Korea, Iran, Myanmar, et al), there's a chance they COULD be sold there.

I'm sure there's still many Pacific Island nations that have yet to go digital.

Would be kind of hard to transmit 316,000 watts discreetly in the US. Secondly, the sheer SIZE and voltage needs of those things are a problem.....

Perhaps they could be converted to FM or something else. But radio will be the next thing to go all digital (certainly not immediately, but I know that's the next big push.)

They also make lovely flower planters ;D.......

 

[pqgeorge]

Well, in fact, many RF amplifiers of former analog stations will be able to be retrofitted into the digital age. As long as the equipment was well maintained and is of semi-recent vintage (within the last 20 or so years) and is suitable for the post-transitional channel of the station, there really no reason for it to be discarded. A little repair, some new wiring, a new exciter and new power supply might make for a good backup system. I've always said that there's always never enough backup systems for a station. At least at my FM's, there is always a warm-standby unit available. "Because you just never know.......".

 

[jal41]

My suspicion...they will still sit in the walls and in the transmitter shacks until the space is needed for something else. They will become scrap metal if it cannot be reused. The local NPR station in Atlanta left their transmitter intact after a short-run at Stone Mountain, which sat there for almost a decade before the statewide PBS network removed it to make way for their digital transmitter.

As for sales to foreign broadcasters...I suspect the paperwork burden alone would prevent that. Much easier to trash it.

 

[1069_KIFR]

I believe they will be holding the digital amplifiers for the DTV reception. Then will probably be sold on eBay!