Will channels 2-6 disappear?

[Jaycifer666]

I read somewhere that channels 2-6 may disappear when DTV/HDTV arrives because you can't get as good quality as on the upper channels? Any truth to this?

 

[pqgeorge]

Not immediately. Apparently, Channels 2 through 6 are still going to be allocated to the TV service, post-transition. However, how effective they can be is still up in the air. Digital TV transmission works well on VHF 7-13 and UHF 14-51. The frequencies of Channels 2 through 6 inherently have a very strong noise floor, require bigger antennas and are prone to sporadic-E skip propagation. Originally, for example, WBBM-DT from Chicago was to use Channel 3 for their DT broadcasts. The results were horrible. It barely made it in its' own backyard (Chicagoland). Most of Chicago's DT's are on currently on UHF and cover Chicagoland like a glove. WBBM will utilize the old WTTW (Channel 11) antenna for their final facilty on Channel 12.

Eventually, more than likely, Channel 5 and 6 will be either reallocated to an extended FM band (probably digital) or for broadband use. As for Channels 2, 3 and 4 will more than likely go to some other use. I can almost guarantee that the TV stations on 2 through 6 (what's left of them) will abandon the VHF-lo pretty quickly once they see that their coverage on digital will go nowhere.

 

[kenglish]

Please, God, just let me have a house way out in the (quiet) country, and a big tower with low-band antenna and preamp. I want to DX a few of those elusive overseas stations before everything in the world goes all-digital. Right now, we have analog stations on 2, 4 and 5.

Can I have it before next February? ;D

 

[pqgeorge]

Please, God, just let me have a house way out in the (quiet) country, and a big tower with low-band antenna and preamp. I want to DX a few of those elusive overseas stations before everything in the world goes all-digital. Right now, we have analog stations on 2, 4 and 5.

Can I have it before next February? ;D

Well, maybe not before February. But, once analog goes bye-bye, chances are good that you'll have a good shot of getting Mexico, Cuba and Canada during e-skip openings. And if the sunspot activity goes on the upswing, with the proper decoding equipment, you just might snag some European and African TV DX via F2 skip or double hop E. I just might fire up some analog equipment next season, myself. I will miss WSB, WEDU, WESH et.al.

 

[e-dawg]

How are you supposed to get European or African TV? They used a different Broadcast format and Frequency i.e. PAL B/G/H SECAM D/K.

 

[kenrayc]

I read that channels 2,3,and 4 will be used for cell phone service, as for 5 and 6 it would be nice if there used for FM radio,it needs to be expanded much like AM added 1610-1710.

 

[pqgeorge]

How are you supposed to get European or African TV? They used a different Broadcast format and Frequency i.e. PAL B/G/H SECAM D/K.

Many technically inclined people around the world, DX'ers especially, have bought or built devices to handle multi-standard transmissions (aka- PAL, NTSC and SECAM). In spite of the differences in TV transmission (AM or FM, negative or positive video modulation et.al.) people have received international skip transmissions. Some will actually decode the color spectrum, others will only decode the black and white component. It does requires patience and a little ingenuity to decode alternate mode of TV transmission via F2 or multi-hop e-skip. BUT, people have done it. Check out some of the TV skip catches on You Tube and other websites.

 

[w9wi]

I read that channels 2,3,and 4 will be used for cell phone service, as for 5 and 6 it would be nice if there used for FM radio,it needs to be expanded much like AM added 1610-1710.

At the current time the official position is that channels 2-6 will remain in TV service. A few dozen full-power stations in markets as large as Philadelphia, Nashville, Memphis, and Albany have been assigned channels in this zone for their permanent DTV operations. It is way too late to move them to different channels against their will - they've invested too much money in VHF transmitting gear, and there's no way they could make the February deadline if they were forced to move to new channels. (three of the four abovementioned stations cannot remain on their interim channels as they're all above 51) There are also a fair number of LPTV and translator stations authorized for digital operation in these channels. And the analog ones that have been there for years are not yet required to convert to digital. (even when they are required to convert, many will convert in-place, on their existing channels)

IMHO channels 2-6 are not suitable for cellphone service. A reasonably efficient antenna would be way too large; alternatively, an antenna that would reasonably fit on a phone would be horribly inefficient. An antenna of roughly the same efficiency as those on current cellphones would be roughly three feet (?!) long. (for channel 6. For channel 2 that figure would approach **five feet**.)

Plus, all the noise and skip that make those channels undesirable for digital TV also make them undesirable for other services. There's a reason the other services didn't complain when broadcasters asked the FCC to allow the continued use of channels 2-6 for TV: no other service wants channels 2-6!

I do think there would be a point to offering the use of all five channels for FM radio on a secondary basis to TV. Here in Nashville there will be a DTV station on channel 5, but none elsewhere in 2-6. So all of channels 2, 3, and 4, and the upper 2/3 of channel 6 could be used for FM. Skip interference would be a significant problem, and it would take decades to get enough radios into the hands of listeners to make the new frequencies competitive. But it could be done.

The NAB will never permit it. They engineered IBOC/HD Radio when a technically-superior technology already existed; the only reason for developing a new system was to prevent the development of new full-coverage full-fidelity competitive signals. Expanding the FM band would do the same thing and would never pass lobbyist muster.

 

[kenglish]

How are you supposed to get European or African TV? They used a different Broadcast format and Frequency i.e. PAL B/G/H SECAM D/K.

Check out this guy's (Australia) site:
http://www.geocities.com/toddemslie/index.html