First blush, the technical section isn't complete and that is enough for the FCC to kick it back. I don't see a CP number reference either so I have no idea what is going on here.

I'll tell you what's going on. The licensee now wants to use the analog channel for digital operations instead of the current digital channel they certified to. The problem with this is that the licensee wants the FCC to grant a channel change without going through a rulemaking.

COMMISSIONER TATE TO VISIT KNOXVILLE, TN FOR DTV OUTREACH. Visit is Part of Nationwide Tour Focusing on Markets with High Levels of Over-the-Air Television Viewers. News Release CMMR. Contact Susan Fisenne at (202) 418-2502, email: Susan.Fisenne@fcc.gov DOC-285921A1.doc DOC-285921A1.pdf DOC-285921A1.txt

FCC moves to reserve free wireless waves

I don't see an official release from the FCC as yet, but this article is floating around.

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2008/10/11/FCC_moves_to_reserve_free_wireless_waves/UPI-22641223744246/

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin wants to use the available spectrum for future free community-based wireless broadband connectivity providers, as well as for specialty private service providers.

"We need to reserve some spectrum for free broadband services," Martin told the Post. "This would be lifeline broadband service … that would be designed for lower-income people who may not otherwise have access to the Internet."

Edit: This appears to be for a higher frequency band and NOT WSD's.

Here is the report for those that want to read it:

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-08-2245A2.pdf

The Commission has initiated a proceeding to consider provisions for Advanced Wireless Service (AWS) in the 2155–2175 MHz band, referred to as AWS-3.1 Concerns have been raised that, if the Commission were to allow time-division-duplex (TDD) operations in this spectrum under the proposed technical conditions, there is a significant risk of harmful interference from mobile devices operating in the AWS-3 band to mobile devices that receive signals in the adjacent 2110–2155 MHz band, referred to as AWS-1. The Commission also invited comment as to whether the proposed band might be expanded to 2155-2180 MHz to provide greater flexibility to mitigate harmful interference.

Do we "need" this AND WSD's?

This is a sign the FCC is moving on from DTV.

Well, they do have a Little more work to do on DTV, such as for LP's ... ;)

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-285962A1.pdf



The Federal Communications Commission will hold an Open Meeting on the subjects listed below on Wednesday, October 15, 2008, which is scheduled to commence at 9:30 a.m. in Nashville, Tennessee.

ITEM NO. BUREAU SUBJECT
1 MEDIA TITLE: Amendment of Parts 73 and 74 of the Commission’s Rules to Establish Rules for Digital Low Power Television, Television Translator, and Television Booster Stations and to Amend Rules for Digital Class A Television Stations SUMMARY: The Commission will consider an Order, Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and Memorandum Opinion and Order considering issues with respect to the low power television digital transition........


Hopefully, we'll get something about analog shut off for LP's in the NPRM .... My WAG is there will be something in there about it, given at one point they had said they were going to bring it up in 3rd DTV review(but they didn't) but we'll see ....


Update: 10/14 :

Well, Today FCC deleted the above(and some other items) from the meeting's agenda tomorrow See here :

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-286055A1.pdf

I said it was a sign, not the FCC was done with the transition. :) It shows they are now looking past the transition. The train is getting ready to pull into the station now.

I said it was a sign, not the FCC was done with the transition. :) It shows they are now looking past the transition. The train is getting ready to pull into the station now.

Yep ....

COMMISSIONER ADELSTEIN TO VISIT PORTLAND, YAKIMA, SPOKANE AND SEATTLE FOR DTV OUTREACH. News Release CMMR. Contact Katie Yocum at (202) 418-2300 DOC-286023A1.doc DOC-286023A1.pdf DOC-286023A1.txt

I see the FCC is slowly working through these applications. Three of the four in Sacramento I've been watching changed from "Application" to "Modification of Construction Permit." Of course the one I'd really like to see granted, KXTV DT 10 requesting an increase to 43KW, has yet to be acted on.

All of Hawaii Television Stations have been given the go ahead to end analog broadcasting early. They will all end analog at 12 Noon on Jan. 15, 2009.

http://www.hawaiigoesdigital.com/

All of Hawaii Television Stations have been given the go ahead to end analog broadcasting early. They will all end analog at 12 Noon on Jan. 15, 2009.
This is the first I had heard of this. There is a quoted article on this from the Honolulu paper in the HOTP thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=14868897&postcount=23379. Looking at Falcon_77's spreadsheet, a number of the stations in Hawaii will be doing flash cuts. The Honolulu DMA is complicated because it covers the entire island chain with satellite stations on the other large islands. Much more complicated switchover than the Wilmington, NC early shutdown.

From the "out of the blue" department comes this filing:

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_document=6520175729

WNYO-DT in Buffalo wants to relocate from channel 34 to the channel 29 facilities currently used by co-owned WUTV analog. The move seems sensible.

- Trip

This is the first I had heard of this. There is a quoted article on this from the Honolulu paper in the HOTP thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=14868897&postcount=23379. Looking at Falcon_77's spreadsheet, a number of the stations in Hawaii will be doing flash cuts. The Honolulu DMA is complicated because it covers the entire island chain with satellite stations on the other large islands. Much more complicated switchover than the Wilmington, NC early shutdown.

It mostly has to do with the problems on Maui. The Feds and the State are forcing the stations off of Mt. Haleakala, they also never permitted the existing stations to upgrade to digital, which is why all the "flash-cuts" on Maui. The stations didn't like the location the state recommended to relocate, but after problems at a couple of other locations the stations looked at, are building the new transmitters there.

Hopefully since the FCC has signed off on this the issue of KALO and KUPU post transistion channels has been resolved.

One other little tid-bit is that Cable/DBS penetration in Hawaii is 94%, so only about 25,000 households statewide are OTA only.

All of Hawaii Television Stations have been given the go ahead to end analog broadcasting early. They will all end analog at 12 Noon on Jan. 15, 2009.

http://www.hawaiigoesdigital.com/

Very interesting. I will be looking for these updates on the Form 387's for October, which are starting to arrive in numbers. Is this considered to be another test market, though it appears to be due to environmental concerns.

Nice photos of current Hawaii antennas/equipments:

http://www.well.com/user/dmsml/kkua/index.html

--- CHAS

FCC CHAIRMAN KEVIN MARTIN TO VISIT CHARLOTTE, NC FOR DTV OUTREACH. News Release. News Media Contact: Email: Mary.Diamond@fcc.gov CGB. Contact Mary Diamond (202) 418-2388 DOC-286065A1.doc DOC-286065A1.pdf DOC-286065A1.txt

COMMISSIONER COPPS TO VISIT DENVER, COLORADO FOR DTV OUTREACH. News Release CMMR. Contact Rick Chessen at (202) 418-2000 DOC-286075A1.doc DOC-286075A1.pdf DOC-286075A1.txt

POST-TRANSITION DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, 47 C.F.R. § 73.622(I), ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN. Proposed change of station WPXD-DT's DTV channel from 31 to 19. (Dkt No. 08-101, RM-11438). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau. Adopted: 10/10/2008 by NPRM. (DA No. 08-1502). MB DA-08-1502A1.doc DA-08-1502A1.pdf DA-08-1502A1.txt


POST-TRANSITION DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, 47 C.F.R. § 73.622(I), GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA. Proposed channel change to station KTVG-DT's post-transition DTV channel from 16 to 19. (Dkt No. 08-213, RM-11500). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau. Adopted: 10/10/2008 by NPRM. (DA No. 08-2295). MB DA-08-2295A1.doc DA-08-2295A1.pdf DA-08-2295A1.txt

Nice photos of current Hawaii antennas/equipments:

http://www.well.com/user/dmsml/kkua/index.html

--- CHAS

What a cool link!

The squat short towers are really unique! (You'd never see a tower like that here in super-flat/low Louisiana!)

Very interesting. I will be looking for these updates on the Form 387's for October, which are starting to arrive in numbers. Is this considered to be another test market, though it appears to be due to environmental concerns.

I couldn't see anything on that web page that explained why the early move or where environmental concerns come into play.

I wouldn't want OSHA up there! They would cordon the whole top off due to too much E and H plane radiation!!

What a cool link!

Ya, those are cool images.

The squat short towers are really unique! (You'd never see a tower like that here in super-flat/low Louisiana!)

Ya, not in Wisconsin either. Even the tower on Rib Mountain isn't short and stuby. They built the tower so the antennas are above the trees and away from the public's hands (though a fence takes care of that :D ) The base of the antenna is about 1930' ASL. I should post an image of the tower, taken from the nearby wooden observation tower. Just took the photo a few weeks ago. The tower is actually quite tall, filled with microwave still and other third party antennas, as well as the TV antennas on top of the three-pointed candelabra.

I couldn't see anything on that web page that explained why the early move or where environmental concerns come into play.

I can't speak for the rest of Hawaii, but I know the TV stations on Maui are being evicted from their analog tower site for environmental reasons and have been fighting to build digital transmitters somewhere on the island for years.

- Trip

I can't speak for the rest of Hawaii, but I know the TV stations on Maui are being evicted from their analog tower site for environmental reasons and have been fighting to build digital transmitters somewhere on the island for years.

Correct me if I am wrong, but the stations being evicted are not the same ones in the photo link.

How can they be evicted? Isn't the situation there akin to what happened in Denver? They obviously have a digital location, otherwise they wouldn't be able to switch early :D

Fol. is FCC/OET Test Report re Lab and On-Air tests of PROTOTYPE
White Space Devices (WSD), dtg 15Oct2008:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-08-2243A3.pdf

Tread to discuss WSD tests can be found here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1048951

===========================================
Specific proposals on how WSD would be used are still sketchy,
but would most likely include two types.

A Medium power device would provide wide area coverage for
"low cost" broadband service and would probably require a license
to determine the frequencies of operation (a given service
provider would probably operate on MULTIPLE freqs).
Adjacent channel interference to OTA DTV is a major concern.

WSD developers want all of this to be UNLICENSED so it wouldn't
require any spectrum use coordination and would also be FREE...
Winning bidders for the 700+ MHz spectrum auction would not be happy.....

A second, low power device would operate in your home in order
to talk back to the broadband node (alternatively use 700+ MHz or Cell).

They also want to use low power devices to do whatever Wi-Fi
does today....so they could be everywhere in great numbers.
Which can be a HUGE PROBLEM for a variety of reasons....

Section 4.2 of the Report demonstrates how easy it is to leak
into an DTV and completely block reception of cable channels.
This would also be a problem for cable boxes and SAT receivers
using coax downlead signals in the TV band.

Also note they did not test leakage into USB dongles, PCs
and RPTV sets that might not have as much shielding...

THERE ARE NO WHITE SPACES ON CABLE!!!!!

From what I read on an engineering board last week from one of the station engineers, the military has a listening post DIRECTLY across the road and they want the stations off since none of the DTV transmitters were allowed on the mountain.

Correct me if I am wrong, but the stations being evicted are not the same ones in the photo link.

How can they be evicted? Isn't the situation there akin to what happened in Denver? They obviously have a digital location, otherwise they wouldn't be able to switch early :D
Looking up the stations in Falcon_77's spreadsheet, many of the network satellite stations on Maui do not have a digital broadcast. So, if I follow this correctly, they are "flash cutting" or moving to a new set of antennas at a different location. But this is for Maui. I don't see why the primary stations at Honolulu and on the other major set of satellite stations on the big island serving Hilo have to shut down early unless they figure it is just easier to get the process over with.

The Honolulu market is unusual. Where else would you have a KGMB CBS 9 with their satellite station also on channel 9, KGMD CBS 9 (which is on the big island some 200 miles away)?

The pics HIPAR posted are of the Maui transmitters on Mt. Haleakala, and yes the stations are in essence being evicted. The mountain top at 10,000 feet where the transmitters are located are within a National Park with a visitor center at the summit and campgrounds nearby, NASA and UH have observatories also at the summit. The area is home to an endangered species of plant, the Silversword, and is a nesting ground to a migratory bird.

The State and Federal governments have other communication towers at the summit as well and were concerned that adding DTV transmitters would create too many issues at the summit. They also prohibited any upgrades to the existing transmitters in 1999 and asked the stations to relocate the analog transmitters as well. The site the state recommended was 6000 ft. lower in SW Maui where most of Maui's FM stations transmitted from. The TV stations didn't like the site initially since the lower elevation would cause them to lose coverage on the Kona Coast of the Big Island and Windward Oahu, but after other problems at other sites the stations looked at finally settled on the SW Maui site.
They stations likely decided to flip the switch for all the stations at the same time to finally get Maui online since they cover a large area of the state. For example on Oahu 5 stations including CBS, FOX and ABC still transmit from towers inside the Honolulu city limits, highrises mostly, and have a limited coverage area.

What a cool link!

The squat short towers are really unique! (You'd never see a tower like that here in super-flat/low Louisiana!)

Or along the gulf coast of Texas....where 2000ft ASL is also 2000ft AGL :)
or close to it.........I think the Liverpool tower base is 6ft ASL....and the Stowell tower is 3-4ft ASL at the base........IKE had FUN with that site (FM radio site only)

I would think the utility of these things from a business viewpoint would best be served in regions with a high population density. But those would be metro areas where white space will be hard to find. For instance, after the TV spectrum is repacked in the Philadelphia area there's scarcely enough usable space left for television.

However, the devices can operate on VHF Low band on channels 2 - 5 there and cause no harm to TV broadcasting. Maybe Low band channels could even be FCC allocated by geographical area to accommodate the devices. That spectrum cannot be allowed to go to waste.

--- CHAS

I would think the utility of these things from a business viewpoint would best be served in regions with a high population density. But those would be metro areas where white space will be hard to find. For instance, after the TV spectrum is repacked in the Philadelphia area there's scarcely enough usable space left for television.

The devices can operate on VHF Low band on channels 2 - 5 there and cause no harm to TV broadcasting. Maybe Low band channels could even be FCC allocated by geographical area to accommodate the devices.

--- CHAS

The FCC's only proposing using channels 21-51 I think. I doubt the VHF coverage for a WSD would be very good on channels 2-5 anyway, due to the large antennas generally needed for those frequencies.

- Trip

The FCC's only proposing using channels 21-51 I think. I doubt the VHF coverage for a WSD would be very good on channels 2-5 anyway, due to the large antennas generally needed for those frequencies.

- Trip

That takes out the need to be sensitive to Land Mobile devices.

It seems that the WSD coalition isn't interested in VHF at all (low or high band). As for 2-6, they probably don't want to include 8' antennas for cell phones.

I would like to see Land Mobile removed from UHF 14-20 and re-allocated to 2-5. 6 (and maybe 5) belong to FM radio as far as I'm concerned (talk about another crowded spectrum).

The UK has allocated mostly Land Mobile to 54-87.5MHz, with one amateur slot and uses other than broadcasting.

Land mobile already has an allocation from 30-50 MHz now that hasn't been fully used for over 40 years. Propagation from those and 54-87 isn't that much different. They don't use it for the same reason TV stations don't want it for digital TV. Too much manmade and natural noise and over the horizion interference.

And just when you thought the government COULDN'T get any further into the private sector:

FCC CHAIRMAN ANNOUNCES SPONSORSHIP OF NASCAR DRIVER DAVID GILLILAND CAR #38 FOR DIGITAL TELEVISION OUTREACH. News Release. News Media Contact: Mary Diamond (202) 418-2388 or email: Mary.Diamond@fcc.gov OCH DOC-286098A1.doc DOC-286098A1.pdf DOC-286098A1.txt

NEWS News media Information 202 / 418-0500Fax-On-Demand 202 / 418-2830 TTY 202/418-2555Internet: http://www.fcc.govftp.fcc.gov
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D. C. 20554
This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order
constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
October 16, 2008 Mary Diamond (202) 418-2388
Email: Mary.Diamond@fcc.gov
FCC CHAIRMAN ANNOUNCES SPONSORSHIP OF NASCAR DRIVER DAVID
GILLILAND CAR #38 FOR DIGITAL TELEVISION OUTREACH
Charlotte, NC – FCC Chairman Kevin Martin announced that the Federal Communications
Commission will sponsor the NASCAR No. 38 entry with driver David Gilliland for a total of
three races in the remaining NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as part of its Digital Television (DTV)
outreach. The FCC DTV sponsorship will debut at Martinsville Speedway on October 19th
followed by the races at the Phoenix International Raceway on November 9 and Homestead-
Miami Speedway on November 16.
It is the leading spectator sport in the country. Seventeen of the top 20 highest-attended sporting
events in the U.S. annually are NASCAR events, with average attendance topping 125,000 per
event for the 36 point races during the 10 month season. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the
number-two-rated regular-season sport on television with nearly 8 million viewers tuned in
weekly, and features 36 races at 22 different tracks across the country.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said of the primary sponsorship, “NASCAR fans are known for
their avid interest in this sport. Their awareness and responsiveness to NASCAR sponsors is also
exceptionally high. I believe this sponsorship is an extremely effective way for the FCC to raise
DTV awareness among people of all ages and income levels across the United States who loyally
follow one of the most popular sports in America.”
“I’m flattered that the FCC chose our No. 38 Ford to help them convey the message about the
upcoming digital television transition taking place next year,” commented Gilliland. “This is a
very big undertaking to convert the entire country to digital services, but the end result will be
improved picture and sound quality and those are definitely important factors to NASCAR fans.
Yates Racing has had a tremendous 2008 season which allowed us to have a variety of important
partnerships, and our No. 38 Digital TV Transition Ford will be another great example of
partners who believe in the reach that we have. I am honored to help promote the Digital TV
Transition messaging.”
The primary sponsorship is to assist in educating the American public about the February 17th,
2009, transition from analog service to digital television transmission. On that date, all full-
power broadcast television stations in the United States will cease broadcasting analog airwaves
and begin broadcasting only in digital.
(more)
2
Digital broadcasting will allow stations to offer improved picture and sound quality as well as
add additional channels. Digital television is a new type of broadcast technology that delivers
digital signal that is virtually free of interference and is more efficient than current analog signal.
For more information about the Digital Transition visit www.DTV.gov .
-FCC-
News about the Federal Communications Commission can also be found on the Commission’s
web site www.fcc.gov

Since you ARE in NC - surely you can see the wisdom of them advertising it this way ? :D

Basically, that's what they are buying - advertising - And it should at least get people's attention .

I mean - you have all the Armed Forces sponsoring teams - why not the DTV transition ?

Unless that car stays in the top 10 all three races, it will get limited TV time. I am not sure if that is a wise choice of using taxpayer funds in these hard economic times. I do see the logic, but just 3 races? Should have been thinking about this kind of stuff MUCH early than now as we move into the 11th hour of the transition. Just my opinion.

Our sports guys were going to get some shots of the car for the sports tonight, but since qualifying was rained out in Charlotte, the car was never rolled out of the garage.

The FCC's only proposing using channels 21-51 I think. I doubt the VHF coverage for a WSD would be very good on channels 2-5 anyway, due to the large antennas generally needed for those frequencies.

- Trip
It has to be channels 21-36, 38-51 to fit with my conspiracy theory. When the WSDs make those channels unsuitable for ATSC the government can auction them off. Channel 6 will be reassigned to FM Radio and the power of TV stations will be reduced to a maximum 40 kw for UHF and 1kw for VHF so they can all fit in the remaining 18 channels. What more could the pay TV providers and government ask for.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Scott Walton
(415) 553-2145, swalton@kqed.org
www.kqed.org/pressroom

BAY AREA BROADCASTERS TO PARTICIPATE IN
DTV SOFT-SHUTDOWN TEST ON OCTOBER 21, 2008 AT 6:15 PM

Test Allows Television Audience to Test Readiness for Transition to
Digital Television Taking Place in February 2009.

Test includes nearly all Television Stations from Santa Rosa to
Monterey

San Francisco, California, October 19, 2008 – To help viewers be
prepared for the federally mandated shutdown of television analog
signals on February 17, 2009, nearly all of the over-the-air, full-
power broadcast television stations in the Bay Area will participate
in a soft-shutdown of their analog signal. The test will occur
simultaneously across all broadcasters' channels at 6:15 p.m. on
Tuesday, October 21, 2008. The test will last at least one minute.
The test will allow television audiences to see if their television
set(s) are ready for the DTV transition and if not, will give them
resources that will inform them of the steps they must take.

At exactly 6:15:00 p.m. on October 21st, three beeps will be heard
and an on-screen graphic will appear on broadcast television stations
informing the viewer if their television is "ready" or "not ready"
for the digital transition. The graphic will also direct viewers to
www.dtv.gov, the federal government's information site about the
conversion. The FCC's call center at 1-888- Call FCC will be staffed
to accommodate Bay Area calls and United Way's 211 Call Center has
been engaged to answer questions viewers may pose on the evening of
the test. Many stations have their own DTV education efforts
underway.

While recent reports indicate that the viewing public is learning
about the transition, many have not yet taken any of the actions that
will be required in order to continue viewing television after the
conversion. The San Francisco DMA has approximately 200,000
households that receive their television exclusively over the air,
according to The Nielsen Company's latest estimates

An earlier test, conducted in September in Wilmington, North
Carolina, showed that there was still a great deal of work to be done
in educating the public about the conversion. The Bay Area hopes to
build upon those efforts in creating a cohesive DTV education plan
that utilizes the resources of all of the stations in the broadcast
area. San Francisco will be the largest market, yet, to do a market-
wide soft analog shut-off.

"The Bay Area poses unique challenges in the conversion to DTV,"
stated Valari Staab, President and General Manager for KGO-TV/DT,
ABC7 and coordinator of the group effort for the shut-down. "With our
hilly terrain, diverse viewers and some stations changing their
digital channel on February 17th; there is much to communicate to our
viewers. While there are many consumer education efforts already
underway at our various stations, it is our hope that this soft shut-
down can serve as an educational tool for our audiences to test their
current set-ups and to take whatever steps are necessary for them to
be ready by February. Our collective mantra is to leave no viewer
behind."

Jeff Clarke, president and CEO of Northern California Public
Broadcasting, parent company of KQED Public Television, noted
that, "It is crucial for all stations in the Bay Area to work
together in order to provide the smoothest possible transition for
our communities. The DTV transition is also essential for leading Bay
Area networks into 21st century standards."

"I congratulate the Bay Area stations on their proactive work
ensuring that every television viewer knows about the important
digital TV transition," commented Commissioner Rachelle Chong, of the
California Public Utilities Commission and a former FCC
Commissioner. "Viewers who rely on antenna TVs and who do not have a
pay service or a digital television must act in order to continue to
receive free television after February 17, 2009. I urge anyone who
thinks they are affected to get your converter box today to enjoy the
benefits of digital television now."

The DTV transition will enable consumers to receive a clearer
picture, better sound and receive multiple channels from their local
over-the-air broadcasters. The shutdown of the analog signal will
allow for greater capacity on the airwaves for law enforcement and
other emergency service providers signals and to use the wireless
spectrum in a more efficient way.

Additional tests are being planned over the coming months.

DTV 101: Consumers who receive their television over the air – with
an antenna on their roof or a "rabbit ears" set-up must take one of
three steps in order to continue to receive a signal after February
17, 2009:
1. Purchase a digital converter box (a coupon is available from
the government to offset the cost)
2. Buy a new digital-ready television
3. Upgrade service to cable or satellite. (Cable and satellite
systems will handle the transition for their customers.)

Participating stations:
KBCW 12/44 (CW)
KCSM-TV, PBS (San Mateo)
KDTV, Univision 14
KFSF-TV, TeleFutura 66
KFTY – TV50 (Santa Rosa)
KGO-TV/DT ABC 7
KICU-TV
KKPX-TV (ION), Channel 65 (ION Media)
KNTV, NBC Bay Area
KOFY TV20/Cable 13, Granite Broadcasting
KPIX-TV,CBS 5
KQED 9 Public Television (PBS San Francisco)
KQET 25 Public Television (PBS Monterey/Salinas)
KRON 4; MyNetwork TV
KTEH 54 Public Television (PBS San Jose)
KTLN-TV
KTNC-TV 42, TuVisión
KTVU 2 (FOX)

Supporting Partners:
AT&T
California Broadcasters Association
California Public Utilities Commission
Comcast
DIRECTV
Dish Network (Echostar)
United Way of the Bay Area, 2-1-1
United Way Silicon Valley, 2-1-1

Yesterday, WWSI-DT withdrew their request to relocate from channel 49 to channel 10 due to "changed circumstances."

I think that's code for "WNEP moved to channel 50 so we aren't constrained anymore on 49."

- Trip

Yesterday, WWSI-DT withdrew their request to relocate from channel 49 to channel 10 due to "changed circumstances."

I think that's code for "WNEP moved to channel 50 so we aren't constrained anymore on 49."

- Trip

What does this mean for WPVI? (Not that they have put in a channel change request yet.) Wasn't 48 a potential or rather least problematic moves, if WWSI moved to 10?

What does this mean for WPVI? (Not that they have put in a channel change request yet.) Wasn't 48 a potential or rather least problematic moves, if WWSI moved to 10?

All it would mean is that if WPVI wanted to move to 48 or 49, they'd have to pay off WWSI in order to do it.

- Trip

There's a post on the Honolulu thread regarding the early analog shutdown in Hawaii. Apparently, part of the reason for the early shutdown is to avoid disturbing some migratory birds that populate Maui in February.

Are there markets where DISH & DIRECT pick up the analog signals & convert it to digital to distribute to their local subscribers?

Are there markets where DISH & DIRECT pick up the analog signals & convert it to digital to distribute to their local subscribers?

As of now (Oct 20,2008) - most of them.

By Feb 19,2009 - they should be picking up the digital feeds of the broadcasters instead of the analog feeds.

Since you ARE in NC - surely you can see the wisdom of them advertising it this way ? :D

Basically, that's what they are buying - advertising - And it should at least get people's attention .

I mean - you have all the Armed Forces sponsoring teams - why not the DTV transition ?

Unless that car stays in the top 10 all three races, it will get limited TV time. I am not sure if that is a wise choice of using taxpayer funds in these hard economic times. I do see the logic, but just 3 races? Should have been thinking about this kind of stuff MUCH early than now as we move into the 11th hour of the transition. Just my opinion.

Our sports guys were going to get some shots of the car for the sports tonight, but since qualifying was rained out in Charlotte, the car was never rolled out of the garage.

The Digital Transition ad looked great when they showed the #38 plastered against the outside wall :) ... some might say it was an analogue of how the FCC has handled the PR aspect of the transition all along.

POST-TRANSITION DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, 47 C.F.R. § 73.622(I), CASPER, WYOMING. Changed Station KPTW-DT's DTV Channel from *6 to *8. (Dkt No. RM-11451, 08-108). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau. Adopted: 10/07/2008 by R&O. (DA No. 08-2305). MB DA-08-2305A1.doc DA-08-2305A1.pdf DA-08-2305A1.txt


POST-TRANSITION DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, 47 C.F.R. § 73.622(I), SIOUX CITY, IOWA. Changed Station KPTH-DT's DTV Channel from 44 to 49. (Dkt No. RM-11452, 08-109). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau. Adopted: 10/07/2008 by R&O. (DA No. 08-2304). MB DA-08-2304A1.doc DA-08-2304A1.pdf DA-08-2304A1.txt


POST-TRANSITION DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, 47 C.F.R. § 73.622(I), HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA. Changed Station WAFF-DT's DTV Channel from 49 to 48. (Dkt No. RM-11444, 08-105). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau. Adopted: 10/07/2008 by R&O. (DA No. 08-2302). MB DA-08-2302A1.doc DA-08-2302A1.pdf DA-08-2302A1.txt


POST-TRANSITION DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, 47 C.F.R. § 73.622(I), KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI. Changed Station KMBC-DT's DTV Channel from 9 to 29. (Dkt No. RM-11454, 08-111). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau. Adopted: 10/07/2008 by R&O. (DA No. 08-2303). MB DA-08-2303A1.doc DA-08-2303A1.pdf DA-08-2303A1.txt

FCC’s Race Car to Promote Digital TV Hits the Wall

Amy Schatz reports on the FCC and tech regulation for the Wall Street Journal, Oct. 20, 2008

Federal regulators hope this isn’t an omen. The “Digital TV Transition Ford” sponsored by the Federal Communications Commission crashed during its inaugural NASCAR race Sunday afternoon.

Car No. 38, driven by David Gilliland , hit the wall during the Tums QuikPak 500 at the Martinsville Speedway in Virginia on the 485th lap. Washington Wire wasn’t watching the race, but the NASCAR Web site says that Gilliand went “hard into the wall after contact with David Reutimann bringing out the caution (flag).”

He ended up finishing 32nd in the race.

“It’s such a disappointing way to end our weekend,” Gilliland posted on his Web site. “I really think we could have brought home a top-20 finish today for our Digital TV Transition Ford, but unfortunately we got shoved into the wall there right at the end and the damage was just too much to be able to repair in time.”

The FCC spent about $350,000 to sponsor the car for three races in hopes of raising awareness about the U.S.’s transition to digital-only television on Feb. 17. “I believe this sponsorship is an extremely effective way for the FCC to raise DTV awareness among people of all ages and income levels across the United States who loyally follow one of the most popular sports in America,” FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said in a statement last week, announcing the deal.

The FCC says it’s also spending about $1 million for ads in AARP magazine.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/1...hits-the-wall/

:)I wonder how big the ad would have been if placed on the 48 car?

POST-TRANSITION DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, 47 C.F.R. § 73.622(I), ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY. Terminated the proceeding to change Station WWSI-DT's post-transition DTV Channel. (Dkt No. RM-11483, 08-176). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau. Adopted: 10/20/2008 by ORDER. (DA No. 08-2324). MB DA-08-2324A1.doc DA-08-2324A1.pdf DA-08-2324A1.txt

POST-TRANSITION DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, 47 C.F.R. § 73.622(I), LA GRANDE, OREGON. Changed Station KUNP-DT'S DTV Channel 29 to 16. (Dkt No. RM-11449, 08-121). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau. Adopted: 10/21/2008 by R&O. (DA No. 08-2329). MB DA-08-2329A1.doc DA-08-2329A1.pdf DA-08-2329A1.txt


POST-TRANSITION DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, 47 C.F.R. § 73.622(I), HENDERSONVILLE, TENNESSEE. Changed Station WPGD-DT's DTV Channel 51 to 33. Terminated the Proceeding. (Dkt No. RM-11460, 08-128). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau. Adopted: 10/14/2008 by R&O. (DA No. 08-2328). MB DA-08-2328A1.doc DA-08-2328A1.pdf DA-08-2328A1.txt


POST-TRANSITION DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, 47 C.F.R. § 73.622(I), HONOLULU AND WAIMANALO, HAWAII. Changed Station KALO-DT's DTV Channel *10 to *38 and KUPU-DT's DTV Channel 38 to 15. (Dkt No. RM-11435, 08-98). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau. Adopted: 10/21/2008 by R&O. (DA No. 08-2330). MB DA-08-2330A1.doc DA-08-2330A1.pdf DA-08-2330A1.txt

COMMISSIONER COPPS TO VISIT BALTIMORE, MARYLAND FOR DTV OUTREACH. Visit is Part of Nationwide Tour Focusing on Markets with High Levels of Over-the-Air Television Viewers. News Release. News Media Contact: Rick Chessen at (202) 418-2000 CMMR DOC-286219A1.doc DOC-286219A1.pdf DOC-286219A1.txt

COMMISSIONER COPPS TO VISIT BALTIMORE, MARYLAND FOR DTV OUTREACH. Visit is Part of Nationwide Tour Focusing on Markets with High Levels of Over-the-Air Television Viewers.
Yes it seems a lot of viewers there don't care about the arbitrary Nielsen DMA boundaries and want both the Baltimore and DC locals without blackouts.

FCC’s Race Car to Promote Digital TV Hits the Wall

Amy Schatz reports on the FCC and tech regulation for the Wall Street Journal, Oct. 20, 2008

Federal regulators hope this isn’t an omen. The “Digital TV Transition Ford” sponsored by the Federal Communications Commission crashed during its inaugural NASCAR race Sunday afternoon.

Car No. 38, driven by David Gilliland , hit the wall during the Tums QuikPak 500 at the Martinsville Speedway in Virginia on the 485th lap. Washington Wire wasn’t watching the race, but the NASCAR Web site says that Gilliand went “hard into the wall after contact with David Reutimann bringing out the caution (flag).”

He ended up finishing 32nd in the race.

“It’s such a disappointing way to end our weekend,” Gilliland posted on his Web site. “I really think we could have brought home a top-20 finish today for our Digital TV Transition Ford, but unfortunately we got shoved into the wall there right at the end and the damage was just too much to be able to repair in time.”

The FCC spent about $350,000 to sponsor the car for three races in hopes of raising awareness about the U.S.’s transition to digital-only television on Feb. 17. “I believe this sponsorship is an extremely effective way for the FCC to raise DTV awareness among people of all ages and income levels across the United States who loyally follow one of the most popular sports in America,” FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said in a statement last week, announcing the deal.

The FCC says it’s also spending about $1 million for ads in AARP magazine.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/1...hits-the-wall/

PA and Foxeng,

You couldn't have scripted this any better. Great move by the FCC to spend $1 mil in AARP magazine, but this one, IMO, is just the opposite.

PA and Foxeng,

You couldn't have scripted this any better. Great move by the FCC to spend $1 mil in AARP magazine, but this one, IMO, is just the opposite.


Yeah, spending OUR money that they get by taxing US.........just a wonderful idea......(NOT)

Yes it seems a lot of viewers there don't care about the arbitrary Nielsen DMA boundaries and want both the Baltimore and DC locals without blackouts.
Sammer

I think market boundaries are something that need a lot of re-evaluating, or need to be done away with all together. If a station can be viewed OTA, it should be a choice for the viewer, whether by cable or satellite I think.

Yeah, spending OUR money that they get by taxing US.........just a wonderful idea......(NOT)

It isn't tax money. Sorry if you missed the other 99% of AVS Forum... but... the DTV Transition money came out of the spectrum allocation auctions of the frequencies from channel 52-69.

It's a rare case where the government will, if anything, turn a profit on its efforts.

I'm not sure where funding for FCC sponsorship of #38 car came from, I'd venture a guess from funding for "DTV education", and I don't know where that comes from either, but here's some info on it :

http://www.benton.org/node/17286

Note: $350,000 would purchase about 5,833 DTV receivers at $60 a pop, or about 8750 $40 coupons .....

Anyway, Per deficit reduction act of 2005, The CECB Program, some assistance to LP stations, Public safety Communications grants, Some $ for NYC DTV transistion as it involved 9/11, and some EAS/911 stuff were to be funded by Funds from Spectrum auction of the 84MHZ auctioned of ch 52~69, see here :

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/dtv/budgetrequest2008_factsheetDTV.pdf

And some recent activity in congress regarding amendment to deficit reduction act :

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6571824.html

Updated WJBK (Fox Detroit) Form 387 Filing

I found this comment of interest.


FOLLOWING THE TRANSITION, WJBK VOLUNTEERS ITS CHANNEL 2 TRANSMISSION FACILITY TO ACT AS AN OVER-THE-AIR COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD TO PROVIDE CRITICAL POST-TRANSITION AND EMERGENCY INFORMATION TO THE DETROIT METROPOLITAN AREA. WJBK WILL BEAR THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD FOR A THIRTY-DAY PERIOD FOLLOWING FEBRUARY 17, 2009.

Of course, permission has not yet been granted for any full-power post transition analog operations. Does the bill in Congress to allow this have any hope of passing?

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101273963&formid=387&fac_num=73123

I'm forwarding the following info from the SF Bay Area HD Yahoo Group.

Larry
SF

- - -

FYI to the curious!

Summary of San Francisco Soft Analog Shut-off Test:

* 18 Broadcast Stations participated.

* According to Nielsen ratings, the 18 stations reached 17% of
households in the market, 419,000 households.

* 209,000 total households are over-the-air only households in
the San Francisco Market, approximately 40,000 of those homes were
watching at 6:15 last night.

Phone Calls received:

* Total calls: 2274 + Call FCC calls (FCC has not released the
number of calls they have received. My best guess would be 2500 total.)

* 2-1-1 manned 3 call centers, one in Hayward, South Bay (San
Jose) and San Francisco. Lines were jammed from 6:15 - 6:30 p.m. and
call volume was manageable after that.
o San Francisco had 123 calls, 10% Spanish Speakers.
o Hayward had 110 calls. (Had Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese calls.)
o South Bay had 36 calls. (This was a small call center.)

* The automated 1-877-388-5353 number took 1800 phone calls. It
peaked with 640 phone calls at 6:15 p.m.
o This phone line was developed by the NBCU Local Media Division under
the leadership of Robert Miller, Director of Technical Operations.

* KPIX/KCBW promoted their own Consumer Hotline as well as the
automated line and received 155 phone calls.

* Other stations including KGO received another 50.

* The FCC live phone bank: 1-888-Call FCC has not released their
calls. They reported busy traffic for 30 minutes and then manageable
traffic. (I would guess a couple of hundred calls.)

Comcast also received 659 calls around the time of the test.

The most asked questions were: Coupon info, Technical Assistance and
Signal issues.

The Bay Area Broadcasters are planning to do three other tests. Those
tests will be the first week in December, the 2nd week in January and
the first week in February.

Richard Swank
KNTV

I am going through the Form 387's for 10/21 right now, but as of the 10/20 filings:

* Stations operating Post-Transition facilities: 971
* Stations with maximized Construction Permits but otherwise ready: 97 (included in the above)
* Stations to end analog operations early: 142
* Stations that have already ended (or will not commence) analog operations: 86

More info can be found on the spreadsheet (see the link on my signature.)

Updated WJBK (Fox Detroit) Form 387 Filing

I found this comment of interest.



Of course, permission has not yet been granted for any full-power post transition analog operations. Does the bill in Congress to allow this have any hope of passing?

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101273963&formid=387&fac_num=73123

SERIOUSLY doubt it...the Commission has stated pretty much in no uncertain terms, High Power analog TV will cease as of midnight, 2/17/09....anyone still transmitting analog after that will be considered illegal and will get fined, etc.
(IE: all analog full service/high power stations licenses expire at that time)

Is the proposal to allow analog xmitters along the Mexican border still active?

I hope not.

WTVE-DT applied to license the main transmitter in their DTS yesterday. In the application is a map of the DTS, which I've wanted ever since I learned about the DTS. It's very nice and shows the coverage of the various transmitters.

- Trip

anyone still transmitting analog after that will be considered illegal and will get fined, etc.


Locally (LA), perhaps they could buy time on one or more of the 9 LP stations, if needed.

Some stations are doing just that.

Here in SE TX, (BPT market) we have an old NBC affiliate (KBTV-4) switching to FOX Jan 1.....the FOX (LP-64 with digital LP on 36) station has been a LP Sat station off the FOX affil in Lake Charles LA but the service contours of 4 and 29 (KVHP) overlap quite a bit (Usually the programming is the same between 29 and 64 but when the Cowboys and the Saints are playing, 64 carries the Boys and 29 the Saints!....that about the extent of the differenet for all practical purposes)....SOOO after Jan 1, SE TX (from Sabine Pass to north of Woodville and Jasper) wont have a NBC affil to watch...even if 64 gets it, they barely cover Beaumont! and when the analog sunset happens, forget their 36 digital...it gets clobbered by KFTH-DT out of Houston when the band is even slightly open...and it is most of the time!

Is KBTV going to change to 720P transmission or will they broadcast FOX in 1080I? Will LP 36 transmit NBC in 720P or will they convert to 1080I? There could be a lot of these format mismatches in coming years as stations switch networks.

Are police, fire departments, and ambulances going to start using their new frequencies right after midnight? Probably not a good idea, just in case an out of core channel (analog or digital) doesn't shut off their transmitter on time. Some station might decide that midnight is a stupid time to do the changeover (it's right in the middle of The Tonight Show and The Late Show) and leave their out of core signal on until 3AM or so. Then if some emergency radio call doesn't get through because it is jammed by a tv station still using the frequency, someone could get hurt or killed.

Is KBTV going to change to 720P transmission or will they broadcast FOX in 1080I? Will LP 36 transmit NBC in 720P or will they convert to 1080I? There could be a lot of these format mismatches in coming years as stations switch networks.

Equipment that has been purchased in the last 5 years or so will do either 720p or 1080i. When the UPN station in my market changed to MNT, they very easily switched from UPN's 1080i to MNT's 720p with no problem. My guess is KBTV will be able to switch just as easily.

Are police, fire departments, and ambulances going to start using their new frequencies right after midnight?
No. The auction for the new emergency / fire/ police communication system to use those 4 channels failed to attract a winning bid earlier this year, IIRC. I have not read anything in a while on the issue, but I don't think you need to worry about a new emergency digital communication system ready to go by next February.

I doubt any Fox affiliate plans to do 1080i. Fox tends to get a bit pissy about stations messing with connections on the splicer, and will send the station a bill if Fox has to send a tech out to fix a problem caused by the station messing with connections. Only one station I'm aware of does any sort of reencoding of the splicer video, and that's KXII up in Sherman, TX, which has a single channel carrying CBS HD, Fox HD, and MNT SD subchannels.

KXII up in Sherman, TX, which has a single channel carrying CBS HD, Fox HD, and MNT SD subchannels.

Yikes! Anyone have screenshots of what that mess must look like?

Trip in VA asked me to post this here for folks
-------------------------------

I have discussed the transmit contours (coverage area) maps used by the FCC for VHF and UHF with several Chief Engineers I know and other Broadcast consultants I know.

In theory on paper you can prove they are accurate. In practice the UHF maps are pretty close, if anything conservative.

Here is WGFL 28
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-serv...DT1139502.html

Here is WNBW 9
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-serv...DT1273072.html

Indeed they look pretty close.

I live in Orange Springs, SE of Hawthorne. Or if you go SE on the maps till you see an intersection, that is Orange Springs.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=s&utm_...=google%20maps

I am at the end of both contours. Both of my antennas UHF and VHF have about 10db of gain.

Channel 28 comes in full bore, and Channel 9 is not even there. (this could be because of WFTV in Orlando). But Terry their Chief Engineer said 10 miles closer in Hawthorne, his signal meter said it was not nearly as strong as the FCC says and breaks ups unusable on a roof top antenna.

I really think the FCC needs to rethink their VHF contours as they are very very misleading and don't reach nearly as far. Channels 10 and 13 out of Jacksonville are also low power and don't even show up on my mother in laws 60 foot tower in Interlachen.

Now WESH is running 54.9 KW, or about 10 DB more than WNBW. (10DB is the same difference as rabbit ears on a tower vs a YA1713). Of course WESH is much taller 500m, but it's 80 some miles away and 2 edge.

It's only real advantage to me has to be it's power (it's also on a clear channel).

I am not even included in it's contour map by about 10 miles.

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-serv...DT1006540.html

Conclusion. The FCC either needs to allow VHF highband to run more power, or reduce the contour. I have a friend that is a consultant in Chicago and does installs all over the country, and he also concluded that when VHF runs under 20KW or lower, it's contours are too big, but 50 to 100K stations exceed their contours.

Something is wrong in the FCC's VHF contour maps, and it's not just my opinion, but everyone I know in broadcasting.

I wish I lived on a fringe VHF to check it, but I do receive some UHF beyond the contours easily.

I believe WECT DT WIlmington NC has now increased power to 710kW as I receive them at this time equal to WWAY DT. This is one station that the FCC was thinking would be good to put up more towers to cover what they lost on analog.

BTW, the FCC's links is not working it's keep saying 404 errors can someone fix this error so that I can see VHF Vs UHF broadcast contours areas?

Thanks!!

10-29-08

PIGGIE:
WNBW-DT (Ch9) reportedly started on-air testing just last month:
http://www.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?action=printpage;topic=108539.0
They're probably operating at reduced power...

Don't draw any conclusions until they've sorted out various start up problems....
They also may be saving on their power bill while waiting to join the NBC network.

BTW: Your links have dot-dot-dots in them (you probably copied from your local thread).
You can copy the full link by right clicking on the link:
"Copy Link Location" (Firefox) or "Copy Shortcut" (IE).

Something is wrong in the FCC's VHF contour maps, and it's not just my opinion, but everyone I know in broadcasting.
Supposedly 16 kw can replicate the contour of a 316 kw high VHF NTSC analog station but I don't believe it. My guesstimate is that it's closer to 30kw.

Supposedly 16 kw can replicate the contour of a 316 kw high VHF NTSC analog station but I don't believe it. My guesstimate is that it's closer to 30kw.

Without noise, 16kW might be ok, but I doubt it in the real world. Stations to be at less than 10kW for 7-13, which formerly had the full 316kW, could be left scrambling.

Despite having a YA1713 and a Y5-2-6, my local analog VHF stations don't look anywhere near as good as the UHF stations. It always makes me wonder why UHF has such a bad reputation. Many of the OTA analog UHF stations look better than analog cable (back when I had cable).

Considering the number of homes using rabbit ears on the first floor (VHF really suffers by not having the ideal ~30'), stations under 20kW are probably at risk.

At my office, I have a UHF antenna on the floor (ground floor) and reception is good for all but the weakest local channels. My rabbit ear VHF antenna is at about 6' and the quality is very poor. I am not looking forward to VHF locally.

As for the FCC Grade B contours, they are deeply flawed for both UHF and VHF, especially since they don't take into account terrain after a set distance.

Without noise, 16kW might be ok, but I doubt it in the real world. Stations to be at less than 10kW for 7-13, which formerly had the full 316kW, could be left scrambling.

Despite having a YA1713 and a Y5-2-6, my local analog VHF stations don't look anywhere near as good as the UHF stations. It always makes me wonder why UHF has such a bad reputation. Many of the OTA analog UHF stations look better than analog cable (back when I had cable).
I think UHF got its bad reputation because it became the home of minor network and independent stations with many of them not having maximum power levels. Ever seen the Weird Al Yankovic movie "UHF"? IMHO high VHF does have a noise penalty with digital television that probably becomes insignificant around 40 kw and low VHF has an even greater noise penalty.

I doubt any Fox affiliate plans to do 1080i. Fox tends to get a bit pissy about stations messing with connections on the splicer, and will send the station a bill if Fox has to send a tech out to fix a problem caused by the station messing with connections. Only one station I'm aware of does any sort of reencoding of the splicer video, and that's KXII up in Sherman, TX, which has a single channel carrying CBS HD, Fox HD, and MNT SD subchannels.

KHON Honolulu does some re-encoding of the FOX splicer feed to time shift FOX programming.

I'm kind of surprised that Fox doesn't provide them a live feed. Fox provides a live feed for Arizona during DST, which is only used by KSAZ and KMSB. With Hawaii's 2-3 hour delay from Pacific, there should be plenty of open room on Fox's 4 HD slots.

With Hawaii's 2-3 hour delay from Pacific, there should be plenty of open room on Fox's 4 HD slots.

Four? There are SIXTEEN HD streams total on the four birds. IIRC, two birds are backup, so there are EIGHT HD streams.

But nothing stops them from using any of the 16 at any time, since all Fox affiliates have all four birds available at any of the IRDs.

I'm kind of surprised that Fox doesn't provide them a live feed. Fox provides a live feed for Arizona during DST, which is only used by KSAZ and KMSB. With Hawaii's 2-3 hour delay from Pacific, there should be plenty of open room on Fox's 4 HD slots.

It helps that KSAZ is a FOX O&O in a top 15 market. :)

Since its Fox owned they pay either way.

I think UHF got its bad reputation because it became the home of minor network and independent stations with many of them not having maximum power levels. Ever seen the Weird Al Yankovic movie "UHF"? IMHO high VHF does have a noise penalty with digital television that probably becomes insignificant around 40 kw and low VHF has an even greater noise penalty.

In my analog days 3 and 5 had lots of noise, 8,10, looked good, 12 looked DVD quality and 15,45,61 were ok.

I receive KQCK, RF 11, which has 16 kW ERP. I'm 71 miles from the transmitter, have LOS, and use a rooftop antenna. The signal is relatively strong (no dropouts, etc.) and is viewable 24/7. I'm at the very southern edge of their service contour. Unfortunately, the station went dark about 3 months ago although I think it was up for a couple of days about a month ago. I didn't watch the station very much (RTN) but I don't recollect any electrical interference.

Four? There are SIXTEEN HD streams total on the four birds. IIRC, two birds are backup, so there are EIGHT HD streams.

But nothing stops them from using any of the 16 at any time, since all Fox affiliates have all four birds available at any of the IRDs.
2 birds, 2 transponders each. MNT is using one of those, so that limits the number of available slots during primetime. I believe Fox was running 73Mb/s on all 4 at one point, but AFAIK the MNT one was cut back to 42 because most MNT affiliates don't have the tightly controlled setups that Fox affiliates have that allowed them to reliably receive at 73Mb/s. That particular transponder isn't going to be carrying 4+4 like the others. I don't know what bitrate they're feeding MNT at, but someone such as yourself with a C-band dish can take a look. G16, transponder 19, DVB-S QPSK, 5/6 FEC, 27.778 SR. I believe it's encrypted so you probably won't get anything useful other than the bitrates.

Is KBTV going to change to 720P transmission or will they broadcast FOX in 1080I? Will LP 36 transmit NBC in 720P or will they convert to 1080I? There could be a lot of these format mismatches in coming years as stations switch networks.

KBTV NEVER did have HD on....they are doing SD digital on RF40 at 1KW ERP...the poor 250watt exciter is humping to put that much out....speculation is KBTV is changing so FOX will give them the 720p equipment......as for KUIL's LD on 36, its only 15KW at 500ft (where as KBTV's analog is 100KW at 1050ft)....so you KNOW they are barely gonna cover the eastern section of KBTV's area IF they go NBC on RF36 digital...but that means one STL handling 720p (KVHP) and 1080i (KUIL)..........can be done but not easily...still look at KVHP's coverage (FOX29) then KBTV's coverage and then K36ID on the FCC web site......

WTVE-DT applied to license the main transmitter in their DTS yesterday. In the application is a map of the DTS, which I've wanted ever since I learned about the DTS. It's very nice and shows the coverage of the various transmitters.

- TripTrip could you post a link to the map? I've looked all over the FCC website and can't find it. Thanks.

Trip could you post a link to the map? I've looked all over the FCC website and can't find it. Thanks.

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=696564

It's on page 25.

- Trip

I think UHF got its bad reputation because it became the home of minor network and independent stations with many of them not having maximum power levels. Ever seen the Weird Al Yankovic movie "UHF"? IMHO high VHF does have a noise penalty with digital television that probably becomes insignificant around 40 kw and low VHF has an even greater noise penalty.

The bad reputation for UHF goes way, way back...technology has improved a lot in the 56 years since the first analog UHF TV station went on the air in 1952.

Back then, nobody had the technology to build a high powered UHF transmitter, so the first UHF TV stations had very poor coverage. Coupled with this was the fact that none of the TVs that had been sold in the preceding six years had UHF tuners, and the UHF converter boxes that were available on the after market had pretty low sensitivity.

Since UHF stations had poor coverage, the networks obviously preferred to affiliate with VHF stations where they were available, which meant that the programming on the UHF stations consisted of the leftovers that the VHF stations didn't want to run. In turn, that meant that there was little reason for viewers to buy UHF converters -- or to spend extra for TVs with built in UHF tuners.

The government attempted to break this vicious cycle by mandating that all TVs sold after 1964 have built in UHF tuners, and by the late sixties, some UHF stations were broadcasting with high enough power to get a good signal out to their markets. Consequently, there were some major market UHF stations, typically unaffiliated with the major networks, that were earning very good ratings by the late seventies -- stations such as WKBD/Detroit, WUAB/Cleveland, WTAF/Philadelphia, and a few others were doing quite well.

But by that time, the industry patterns had been set.

I recall in the early fifties we watched Ch 13 in Rockford IL with rabbit ears. It was the only station we could get. CBS & ABC shared programming. It was all the rage when Ch 39 came on the air with NBC. Those little UHF convertor boxes worked very well in our town with the black & white TVs. Very quickly Sears, Wards, etc. started selling all channel TV sets.

speculation is KBTV is changing so FOX will give them the 720p equipment

The station still has to buy, on their nickel, an upconverter and HD encoder before FOX will install the splicer. This isn't completely a free ride for a station.

A lot of the early UHF tuners were very poor. The dial had just a few channel numbers marked on them and they tuned continuously, no click-stop like on VHF, so you had to know what channels you were looking for. I found a bunch of UHF tuners in surplus stores in the early 70's and they had only a simple non-powered diode mixer, no RF amp. Their noise figure must have been horrible. :-)

COMMISSIONER COPPS TO VISIT CHARLESTON & GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA FOR DTV OUTREACH. News Release CMMR DOC-286497A1.doc DOC-286497A1.pdf DOC-286497A1.txt

POST-TRANSITION DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, 47 C.F.R. § 73.622(I), TWENTYNINE PALMS, CALIFORNIA. Dismissed the rulemaking petition to change Station KVMD-DT's DTV channel from 23 to 50. Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau by LETTER. (DA No. 08-2428). MB DA-08-2428A1.doc DA-08-2428A1.pdf DA-08-2428A1.txt

WLLA(TV), KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN. Granted request to terminate analog operation of WLLA(TV) on channel 64 and operate as a digital-only station on channel 45. Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau by LETTER. (DA No. 08-2447). MB DA-08-2447A1.doc DA-08-2447A1.pdf DA-08-2447A1.txt

Dismissed the rulemaking petition to change Station KVMD-DT's DTV channel from 23 to 50.

It is interesting to note that it was denied for loss of service to 60% of the population currently served. This is primarily due to a request to move their transmitter as well to cover moe of the LA area. I don't know if KVMD will try again for 50 at its current location, but if KTBN is granted a move to 33 before then, the point may be moot.

KVMD is already carried on two sub-channels in the LA area. Maybe they could try the DTS approach if they really want their own station to cover LA, though that would extend to areas outside their contour.

Bakersfield's KBAK is on RF33. KTBN and KBAK's signals will clash in the Lancaster-Palmdale-Rosamond-Mojave area. I suppose viewers there could remedy this by getting highly directional antennas.

The station still has to buy, on their nickel, an upconverter and HD encoder before FOX will install the splicer. This isn't completely a free ride for a station.


True but the splicer is worth something!! :) Also considering NBC's ratings are in the toilet well..................Nexstar was supposed to upgrade their 1020ft tower....then they got a CP to move to the 1500ft FOX 29 tower to the east with a DA....NOW they are planning on building a 900ft tower next to their current analog tower just for the digital.....What a mess of plans and waste of time....I dont know why Nexstar is doing such things...even McKinnon who owns KBMT has a full power DT on 50 and in HD!!! (Something KBTV has not done...NO HD..only SD digital..) Sad.....and with NBC carrying the Superbowl, that means a big part of SE Texas will be SOL come Superbowl time.....DUMB!

True but the splicer is worth something!! :) Also considering NBC's ratings are in the toilet well..................Nexstar was supposed to upgrade their 1020ft tower....then they got a CP to move to the 1500ft FOX 29 tower to the east with a DA....NOW they are planning on building a 900ft tower next to their current analog tower just for the digital.....What a mess of plans and waste of time....I dont know why Nexstar is doing such things...even McKinnon who owns KBMT has a full power DT on 50 and in HD!!! (Something KBTV has not done...NO HD..only SD digital..) Sad.....and with NBC carrying the Superbowl, that means a big part of SE Texas will be SOL come Superbowl time.....DUMB!

The upconverter and HD encoder aren't chicken feed. Something in the $60k range for both boxes. FOX will not even send the install crew for the splicer until those are in place and on the air in operation. Without the station already in 720p, the splicer does them no good.

Bakersfield's KBAK is on RF33. KTBN and KBAK's signals will clash in the Lancaster-Palmdale-Rosamond-Mojave area. I suppose viewers there could remedy this by getting highly directional antennas.

Channel 50 is looking very good in this case, although the Lancaster/Palmdale area probably needs DTS and/or translators to have realistic prospects of UHF DTV reception from Mt. Wilson stations.

I have to believe that a local station will want 50. KCET has been unable to maximize to any significant degree on 28 and should look at it as well.

Channel 50 is looking very good in this case, although the Lancaster/Palmdale area probably needs DTS and/or translators to have realistic prospects of UHF DTV reception from Mt. Wilson stations.

I have to believe that a local station will want 50. KCET has been unable to maximize to any significant degree on 28 and should look at it as well.

If I was KCET, I'd file paperwork on channel 50 ASAP, just to have it in there. Kind of like what WBRA did; it basically gives them a lock on channel 26 if they need it. Then if they choose to build out 1000 kW on channel 50 (maybe buy the equipment off of KOCE?) they can tell the FCC to proceed.

- Trip

Why can't KCET maximize on channel 28? The closest other station on channel 28 (I think) is KMPH Visalia (Fresno DMA), which is far enough away to not interfere with each other.

It sucks that KCET is leaving it's translator stations analog. Here in Bakersfield they have a translator on channel 46. Why would anyone watch them when KVPT PBS Fresno has a digital translator here on channel 18 (and an analog translator on channel 34 that is going away in February)? KCET was once Bakersfield's only PBS station. KVPT came to town in 1993 (both OTA and on cable) and has trailed KCET all along. Now KVPT has an HD digital OTA translator and is in HD on cable, while KCET is only analog OTA and SD on cable. I think KVPT will emerge the winner in the battle to be the favorite PBS station in Bakersfield.

Why can't KCET maximize on channel 28? The closest other station on channel 28 (I think) is KMPH Visalia (Fresno DMA), which is far enough away to not interfere with each other.

Digital 28 in Tijuana.

- Trip

WSMH LICENSEE, LLC. Denied the request to extend first permissible digital testing for WSMH-DT beyond October 31, 2008. Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau by LETTER. (DA No. 08-2448). MB DA-08-2448A1.doc DA-08-2448A1.pdf DA-08-2448A1.txt

Let's see...

Today, KYLE-DT and WMSN-DT had their moves approved.

Also, WSYX filed another supplement. Apparently the FCC is coming down on them since the channel 13 allocation would have more theoretical coverage than the channel 48 allocation they are seeking. They're having to argue this with the FCC. Makes me wonder about these low-VHF stations...

- Trip

WSMH LICENSEE, LLC. Denied the request to extend first permissible digital testing for WSMH-DT beyond October 31, 2008. Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau by LETTER. (DA No. 08-2448). MB DA-08-2448A1.doc DA-08-2448A1.pdf DA-08-2448A1.txt

Learning mode = on

WTF? What does it really mean? If they are not currently running their DTV channel, they won't be able to now, because they aren't allowed to do tests? If they are currently operating their DTV channel, just what would they be testing?

Learning mode = on (learning mode should never be off )

Let's see...

Today, KYLE-DT and WMSN-DT had their moves approved.

Ya, I asked Mattymo, over at WMSN, if it will be done this weekend. :D

But then I remembered that management has him working on snipes, so he can't work on something important. :cool:

FCC ADOPTS RULES FOR UNLICENSED USE OF TELEVISION WHITE SPACES. Established rules to allow new, sophisticated wireless devices to operate in broadcast TV spectrum on a secondary basis at locations where that spectrum is open. News Release. Adopted: 11/04/2008. News Media Contact: Robert Kenny at (202) 418-2668 or Bruce Romano at (202) 418-2124 OET. Contact Alan Stillwell at (202) 418-2470 DOC-286566A1.doc DOC-286566A2.doc DOC-286566A3.doc DOC-286566A4.doc DOC-286566A5.doc DOC-286566A6.doc DOC-286566A1.pdf DOC-286566A2.pdf DOC-286566A3.pdf DOC-286566A4.pdf DOC-286566A5.pdf DOC-286566A6.pdf DOC-286566A1.txt DOC-286566A2.txt DOC-286566A3.txt DOC-286566A4.txt DOC-286566A5.txt DOC-286566A6.txt

POST-TRANSITION DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, 47 C.F.R. § 73.622(I), BRYAN, TEXAS. Changed Station KYLE-DT's DTV Channel from 28 to 29. (Dkt No. RM-11484, 08-175). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau. Adopted: 10/31/2008 by R&O. (DA No. 08-2452). MB DA-08-2452A1.doc DA-08-2452A1.pdf DA-08-2452A1.txt


POST-TRANSITION DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, 47 C.F.R. § 73.622(I), MADISON, WISCONSIN. Changed Station WMSN-DT's DTV Channel from 11 to 49. (Dkt No. RM-11459, 08-127). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau. Adopted: 10/31/2008 by R&O. (DA No. 08-2453). MB DA-08-2453A1.doc DA-08-2453A1.pdf DA-08-2453A1.txt

Also, WSYX filed another supplement. Apparently the FCC is coming down on them since the channel 13 allocation would have more theoretical coverage than the channel 48 allocation they are seeking. They're having to argue this with the FCC. Makes me wonder about these low-VHF stations...

- Trip
How much power and height are they asking for? Maybe the FCC is concerned about WPXI. At first glance the contour for WQED on channel 13 looks only slightly smaller than that of WPXI on channel 48 but the large difference in antenna heights could make the reality as far as interference is concerned very different.

Also, WSYX filed another supplement. Apparently the FCC is coming down on them since the channel 13 allocation would have more theoretical coverage than the channel 48 allocation they are seeking. They're having to argue this with the FCC. Makes me wonder about these low-VHF stations...

- Trip

I thought the FCC was smart enough to know that theoretical VHF contours don't reflect the actual service area, especially for Low-VHF. Well, considering they are going to let WSD's fly, maybe not...

Apparently, the inconvenience of having to add a VHF antenna is not a concern? In WMSN's case, it was UHF to UHF, looking from analog to digital. However, KSTU's move was granted, to stay on 28 (vs. analog 13). Salt Lake City is dropping all 7 analog VHF assignments, but tall mountains make a big difference for UHF. ...if only we could have kept Mt. Wilson all UHF.

Time for some more RM simulations.

I thought the FCC was smart enough to know that theoretical VHF contours don't reflect the actual service area, especially for Low-VHF. Well, considering they are going to let WSD's fly, maybe not...

With 59 kw I think the VHF contour for channel 13 will be accurate enough. Thinking about it more I realized that if WSYX had to reduce power or be directional to the west because of WPXI, Zanesville would lose OTA reception of its closest ABC affiliate entirely. Zanesville may be a very small DMA but it is still an entire DMA. Don't have any idea but what if the cable headend for Zanesville receives WSYX OTA? Entire market loses ABC is not the sort of headline the FCC wants to see in February.

FCC ADOPTS RULES FOR UNLICENSED USE OF TELEVISION WHITE SPACES.

Well, there goes the neighborhood :mad:

The Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz market has been without an ABC affiliate for several years (after KNTV San Jose switched to NBC and moved it's transmitter to serve the San Francisco market). KGO San Francisco is on cable in the market, but no local affiliate. Maybe after the license freeze is lifted a new full power station will be granted to the market and it will become an ABC affiliate.

The Monterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz market has been without an ABC affiliate for several years (after KNTV San Jose switched to NBC and moved it's transmitter to serve the San Francisco market).
Because it didn't happen around February 2009, won't be blamed on the digital transition, the FCC doesn't consider it to be their problem.

I thought the FCC was smart enough to know that theoretical VHF contours
don't reflect the actual service area, especially for Low-VHF. Well, considering
they are going to let WSD's fly, maybe not...

Apparently, the inconvenience of having to add a VHF antenna is not a concern?
In WMSN's case, it was UHF to UHF, looking from analog to digital. However, KSTU's
move was granted, to stay on 28 (vs. analog 13). Salt Lake City is dropping
all 7 analog VHF assignments, but tall mountains make a big difference for UHF.
...if only we could have kept Mt. Wilson all UHF.

Time for some more RM simulations.
ITM ILLR Longley-Rice Propagation Prediction Program (PPP) endorsed by the FCC
assumes Gaussian thermal noise and does NOT include site specific impulse noise
levels for VHF. It also does NOT include site specific local clutter loss for UHF,
requiring the user to apply the "one size fits all" values found in FCC/OET-72 (Table 3),
rather than the highly local "land use" clutter values found in commercial PPP:
http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Documents/bulletins/oet72/oet72.pdf
http://www.edx.com/resources/documents/EDX_WP_UseofClutterDatainRFPlanning_Aug08_web.pdf
http://www.i3.com/products_clutter.html
http://telephonyonline.com/wireless/mag/wireless_clutter_data_assists/
http://www.softwright.com/faq/support/lu_pthloss.html

Hence all ILLR derived programs (incl. Radio-Mobile, TVFool) overestimate propagation
range if these factors are not included. Per OET-72, I usually add 7 dB clutter loss
for UHF, unless an alternative value applies (for example, if no nearby structures).
FCC considered changing ILLR as documented in FCC-00-185 and FCC-05-199,
but absent definitive supporting data, WYSIWYG:
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-00-185A1.pdf
http://www.fcc.gov/oet/info/documents/reports/SHVERA/SHVERA-FCC-05-199.pdf

VHF impulse noise is highly dependent on how close you are to old cars,
welding equipment, fluorescent lights, brush-type motors, and other sources...
and varies by many tens of dBs, so be sure to include your own guesstimates,
which are probably different for day and night (consider the sources):
http://www.its.bldrdoc.gov/pub/ntia-rpt/02-390/02-390.pdf

Because FCC is mostly concerned with predicting station-to-station interference,
overestimation isn't that big a deal wrt assigning channels....

With 59 kw I think the VHF contour for channel 13 will be accurate enough. Thinking about it more I realized that if WSYX had to reduce power or be directional to the west because of WPXI, Zanesville would lose OTA reception of its closest ABC affiliate entirely. Zanesville may be a very small DMA but it is still an entire DMA. Don't have any idea but what if the cable headend for Zanesville receives WSYX OTA? Entire market loses ABC is not the sort of headline the FCC wants to see in February.

Attached are the Radio Mobile plots I made for WSYX 13 and 48.

This assumes a ND 1000kW pattern for 48. I do not see the indication of a directional pattern in the PRM. It also assumes a ND pattern for 13, though that is slightly directional.

As for WPXI, there are interference concerns with WTTV and WDRB, but I don't see concerns with WPXI addressed. WPXI is about 160 miles East of Columbus and 110 East of Zanesville. WSYX coverage for Zanesville appears to be spotty for both VHF and UHF, with rugged terrain.

As for WPXI, there are interference concerns with WTTV and WDRB, but I don't see concerns with WPXI addressed. WPXI is about 160 miles East of Columbus and 110 East of Zanesville. WSYX coverage for Zanesville appears to be spotty for both VHF and UHF, with rugged terrain.
Thanks for the plots they do show the expected coverage of WSYX is greater on Channel 13. I'm surprised the terrain is expected to give WPXI so much more protection if that is why it wasn't addressed when WTTV is 7 miles further from WSYX and WDRB is 24 miles further and on an adjacent channel. Antenna heights of the three stations are supposedly within 10 meters AMSL of each other. I've been in Zanesville and have seen the rugged terrain of the area so I suppose most people there do subscribe to cable or satellite.

COMMISSIONER MCDOWELL TO VISIT PHILADELPHIA FOR DTV OUTREACH. News Release. News Media Contact: Rosemary Harold at (202) 418-2272 CGB DOC-286592A1.doc DOC-286592A1.pdf DOC-286592A1.txt

From TVT: FCC Gives DTS Official Nod
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1082235
Thanks Falcon_77

And now the rules are posted for all to see. I made a post in Falcon_77's thread here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15024615#post15024615

- Trip

We have been discussing DTS and this is the Table of Allotments thread so I have been wondering how the ATSC M/H standard might be implemented. IMHO it would be a good idea at least in many markets if there was a new allotment for a channel or two entirely dedicated to Mobile/Handheld. Perhaps each of the 4 major network affiliates and the local PBS station could each use an equal part of this channel's bandwidth for M/H. This would prevent them from having to steal bandwidth from HD and the shared cost would be a lot less than each station doing M/H alone.

Learning mode = on

WTF? What does it really mean? If they are not currently running their DTV channel, they won't be able to now, because they aren't allowed to do tests? If they are currently operating their DTV channel, just what would they be testing?

Learning mode = on (learning mode should never be off )

Well WSMH is certainly running their digital channel. They are on 16 with relatively low power. They have applied for significantly higher power, but have not yet been granted the permission. Maybe they haven't tested yet? I know that there was a Canadian coordination issue with WSMH, maybe this is related to that issue. Someone with more insight may be able to help.

About the viability of VHF-HI...

WLS-DT in Chicago has been operating on 4.75 kw at night between 1:05 AM and 2:05 AM, and then probably later at night; see the last few pages of the Chicago OTA thread on how it is getting out. 60 miles away, low in a river valley with "sparklies" just before they turn off their analog 7 transmitter and turn on their digital, I can lock it without a problem. Their Chief Engineer commented to me and I got permission to post those comments as well. Check it out!

WDTI(TV), INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA. Granted the request to terminate analog operation of WDTI(TV) on channel *69 and operate as a digital-only station on channel *44. Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau by LETTER. (DA No. 08-2473). MB DA-08-2473A1.doc DA-08-2473A1.pdf DA-08-2473A1.txt

FCC COMMISSIONER MCDOWELL TO VISIT BOSTON FOR DTV OUTREACH. News Release. News Media Contact: Rosemary Harold at (202) 418-2272 CGB DOC-286629A1.doc DOC-286629A1.pdf DOC-286629A1.txt

I heard on last night's 27 news that the Madison stations will be doing a 5 minute test in December. I do not remember the date, as the comment was unexpected. It was during their story about yesterday being at the100 day point.

AFAIK, the analog transmitters won't be actually turned off, but a slate of some sort will be displayed.

Since I didn't read the full FCC order, and suspect that others haven't either, the change of WMSN from 11 to 49 can't occur until after analog cutoff. At least they be able to reuse the 47 waveguide, but they suspect that the antenna will have to be replaced. At this point in time they have no idea when the change will occur.

DTV Transition Status Update:

* Stations operating Post-Transition facilities: 1001
* Stations with maximized Construction Permits but otherwise ready: 121
* Stations to reduce analog operations prior to 2/17/09: 157
* Stations to end analog operations early: 247
* Stations that have already ended (or will not commence) analog operations: 99

I heard on last night's 27 news that the Madison stations will be doing a 5 minute test in December. I do not remember the date, as the comment was unexpected. It was during their story about yesterday being at the100 day point.

AFAIK, the analog transmitters won't be actually turned off, but a slate of some sort will be displayed.KWWL in Waterloo, IA, which is owned by the same company that owns 27 WKOW, is promoting a similar test on its channel. I believe it's scheduled for Nov. 20 during two of the station's newscasts.

Quite a few of these "tests" have been going on across the country.

KOAT-TV will broadcast a test at 10 PM Mountain time, on their local news on 11-13-08 to help the TV viewers to see if they pass the test or not by looking the analog DTV slate on analog channel 7.

For those who passed the test is getting the digital signal on digital channel 21 "7.1".

On 2-17-09 KOAT-DT will move their digtial transmitter to real channel 7 and shut down digital UHF 21.

This TV market is in Albuquerque, NM, USA.

11-11-08

KOAT-TV will broadcast a test at 10 PM Mountain time, on their local news on 11-13-08 to help the TV viewers to see if they pass the test or not by looking the analog DTV slate on analog channel 7.

For those who passed the test is getting the digital signal on digital channel 21 "7.1".

On 2-17-09 KOAT-DT will move their digtial transmitter to real channel 7 and shut down digital UHF 21.

This TV market is in Albuquerque, NM, USA.

11-11-08

So I have to ask.... What are we testing here? The ability to pick up a temporary digital signal on an antenna that may or may not have the appropriate elements for the band needed? Is that an accurate test of the post February 17 broadcast landscape?

Usually these tests are really just breaking the analog away from the digital with separate programming, usually a graphic of some kind on the analog that says if you see this, you aren't digital ready.

So I have to ask.... What are we testing here? The ability to pick up a temporary digital signal on an antenna that may or may not have the appropriate elements for the band needed? Is that an accurate test of the post February 17 broadcast landscape?

This kind of test will get your attention if you're obliviously watching an analog channel. Hopefully, it will spark some curiosity about why you got a 'not ready' message and entice you to fix the 'problem'.

--- CHAS

I see how you fail this setup, but how do you "Pass" one of these tests if the signal is not available?

If you see the graphic on the digital signal on the temporary UHF transmitter, what does it say? You are all set until February 18th, 2009?

So I have to ask.... What are we testing here? The ability to pick up a temporary digital signal on an antenna that may or may not have the appropriate elements for the band needed? Is that an accurate test of the post February 17 broadcast landscape?


Mmmmm. A very good post, KE0MI. Yep, what will happen to many whose antenna can get the UHF temporary channel but won't get the VHF channel they move to in February? I have a funny feeling a lot of people could be in this boat, and that could cause major problems for TV stations, and OTA continuing in the future if this isn't fixed fast---and cheap.

Those who think that mobile video and "UHF antennas can pick up VHF-HI" aren't issues when picking such channels, need to have their eyes opened wide...

I see, WPXD-DT, Ann Arbor MI, (Ion) wants to move to channel 19 (same as WXMI-DT, FOX, in Grand Rapids, MI)

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_publi...-08-1502A1.pdf

I don't think I like this, I get both stations now. If this happens I may not be able to watch all the blacked out Lions games next season......

If you see the graphic on the digital signal on the temporary UHF transmitter, what does it say? You are all set until February 18th, 2009?You're thinking farther ahead than they are.

These are tests of whether one can receive digital TV at all, not of whether one's current TV setup can receive all future ATSC signals.  If one gets the success crawl during such a test, one doesn't need a new television set nor a[nother] converter box.  Whether the viewer needs to readjust, replace, or add an antenna to cope with how things will differ after 2009-02-17 is a separate question that you've raised, Ke0mi, but which these tests are not intended to cover.

I see, WPXD-DT, Ann Arbor MI, (Ion) wants to move to channel 19 (same as WXMI-DT, FOX, in Grand Rapids, MI)

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_publi...-08-1502A1.pdf

I don't think I like this, I get both stations now. If this happens I may not be able to watch all the blacked out Lions games next season......

WPXD wants to relocate itself closer to Detroit in the process, so it's not like it's an even swap. It's no different from WJBK and WOOD on 7, or WWJ and WZPX on 44 (which are actually closer together), or WDIV and WLLA on 45, etc.

- Trip

The issue is not can you see a certain digital station, the issue is can you see ANY digital station. IE, do you have a digital tuner, and can you actually watch anything digital on it. If the answer is yes, then you "pass." If you are on cable or sat, it doesn't matter since they will handle the conversion for their subs. That is the point. The point is to make people aware they need to do something.

I would like to see more stations announce when they are going to be doing overnight testing (of their PT facility, when possible/completed). We have heard about a few on the board (thanks to sebenste and others), but for the most part we are in the dark.

We have 4 stations moving back to upper VHF locally and I have not been able to get overnight testing info on any of them. Well, I'm sure they are working closely with the cable and satellite companies for these tests, but why not the viewers? Valuable information could be gained, especially for future low-VHF stations, such as WPVI.

COMMISSIONER COPPS TO VISIT TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA FOR DTV OUTREACH. News Release. News Media Contact: Rick Chessen (202) 418-2000 CMMR DOC-286669A1.doc DOC-286669A1.pdf DOC-286669A1.txt

Usually these tests are really just breaking the analog away from the digital with separate programming, usually a graphic of some kind on the analog that says if you see this, you aren't digital ready.

The problem with this kind of test is that it might not be realistic. It is quite possible that the household is DTV ready, but during this particular test, didn't tune in the station via digital, but did so via the old analog method.

While I'm DTV ready, I watch the local news via the analog TV. Just easier than turning on the STB and routing it to the TV, only to get a letterboxed and pillarboxed SD upconvert.

When I'm forced to watch the local news via DTV, then I will. :cool:

We have 4 stations moving back to upper VHF locally and I have not been able to get overnight testing info on any of them.

Here in the Madison DMA, we are quite lucky in that after WMSN moves to their final DTV channel, we will be an all UHF market. We have the problem where WMSN is currently on channel 11 and there are people who can't get the channel. But, they can get the UHF channels.

At this point in time, it is unknown when WMSN will be able to do the channel switch. It certainly won't be during the winter :D

It is suspected that the current channel 47 analog antenna can't be used with the digital 49 channel. That means getting a new antenna on the tower and removing the old. If the antenna can be used, then there won't be any tower work. :)

The problem with this kind of test is that it might not be realistic. It is quite possible that the household is DTV ready, but during this particular test, didn't tune in the station via digital, but did so via the old analog method.

Then they know they are ready and the test really doesn't matter to them. It is just for those who have no clue and there are many of them. This is basically a one size test that going in we know doesn't fit one size but it is all we can at the present.

COMMISSIONER TATE TO VISIT CHICAGO, ILLINOIS FOR DTV OUTREACH. Visit is Part of Nationwide Tour Focusing on Markets with High Levels of Over-the-Air Television Viewers. News Release. News Media Contact: Susan Fisenne (202) 418-2502, Email: Susan.Fisenne@fcc.gov CMMR DOC-286747A1.doc DOC-286747A1.pdf DOC-286747A1.txt

The problem with this kind of test is that it might not be realistic. It is quite possible that the household is DTV ready, but during this particular test, didn't tune in the station via digital, but did so via the old analog method.Another potential issue: the test is only valid for the TV you are watching right now, not necessarily for the entire household. Just because you're OK in the living room doesn't necessarily mean your TVs in the bedroom, the study, the garage, etc. would pass. Every TV in the house has to be ready.

Then they know they are ready and the test really doesn't matter to them.

True. Point taken.

After WKOW mentioned the test and pointed out their web page regarding the DTV transition, I noticed that they haven't upgraded the page with a notice that there will be a local test, and when. At least nothing that stood out on the web page.

Another potential issue: the test is only valid for the TV you are watching right now, not necessarily for the entire household. Just because you're OK in the living room doesn't necessarily mean your TVs in the bedroom, the study, the garage, etc. would pass. Every TV in the house has to be ready.For the tests we had in Chicago this week, many of the spots for them advised viewers to check all TVs in the house during the five minutes each test would run.

Another potential issue: the test is only valid for the TV you are watching right now, not necessarily for the entire household. Just because you're OK in the living room doesn't necessarily mean your TVs in the bedroom, the study, the garage, etc. would pass. Every TV in the house has to be ready.

I think most stations are telling people to check every TV during the test. We tell them that and we do a 60 sec test, but we have done 3 so far with another one scheduled for Monday and we do ours during newscasts for maximum exposure. At least in my market, people are having many chances to check.

Add another one, KWKT-DT in Waco has petitioned to relocate from channel 44 to channel 25. Nothing in the ECFS about it yet, but it's showing up on the TV Query...

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?list=0&facid=179003

- Trip

Add another one, KWKT-DT in Waco has petitioned to relocate from channel 44 to channel 25. Nothing in the ECFS about it yet, but it's showing up on the TV Query...


It looks like another situation were a station going back to its analog channel has been constricted by newer DTV allocations. (KDTN and KDTX in this case)

Stations such as KWKT don't have the luxury of remaining on their pre-transition channel (57 in this case). I wonder if they have made arrangements to buy equipment from KXXV, which has 25 for analog, but is staying on 26 for DTV.

COMMISSIONER MCDOWELL TO CONDUCT 90 DAYS OUT DTV INTERVIEWS. News Release CMMR DOC-286806A1.doc DOC-286806A1.pdf DOC-286806A1.txt

POST-TRANSITION DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, 47 C.F.R. § 73.622(I), GLENDIVE, MONTANA.. Amended station KXGN-DT's DTV channel from 10 to 5. Proceeding Terminated. (Dkt No. RM-11446, 08-113). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau. Adopted: 11/13/2008 by R&O. (DA No. 08-2521). MB DA-08-2521A1.doc DA-08-2521A1.pdf DA-08-2521A1.txt

IN THE MATTER OF UNLICENSED OPERATION IN THE TV BROADCAST BANDS, ADDITIONAL SPECTRUM FOR UNLICENSED DEVICES BELOW 900 MHZ AND IN THE 3 GHZ BAND. FCC Adopted Rules For Unlicensed Use of Television White Spaces. (Dkt No. 02-380, 04-186). Action by: the Commission. Adopted: 11/04/2008 by R&O. (FCC No. 08-260). OET FCC-08-260A1.doc FCC-08-260A2.doc FCC-08-260A3.doc FCC-08-260A4.doc FCC-08-260A5.doc FCC-08-260A6.doc FCC-08-260A1.pdf FCC-08-260A2.pdf FCC-08-260A3.pdf FCC-08-260A4.pdf FCC-08-260A5.pdf FCC-08-260A6.pdf FCC-08-260A1.txt FCC-08-260A2.txt FCC-08-260A3.txt FCC-08-260A4.txt FCC-08-260A5.txt FCC-08-260A6.txt

XHDTV has probably applied application for DT47 in Tecate, BN. They had 53 allocated but are now going to 47. This station will keep CH. 49 after 2.17.09 since it's in Mexico. Though when Mexico goes digital then they will switch back to CH. 49 for DTV.

FCC Database is wrong with NEW-DT 47 in BCN. That allocation is now a Tecate allocation not a Tijuana allocation. NEW-DT 47 must go on Cerro Bola. Also there is a new DT app in Tijuana on CH. 46. Don't know who will use that one. The original DT-47 would be on Mt. San Antonio co located with XETV. Now they will probably move that to Tecate since that's where XHDTV-DT is. It will probably use the CH. 49 transmitter. The switch to 49 would be true if XHDTV were an American station.

FCC update: Hawaii to transition a month early; new website announced

In a press release (.pdf (http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-285893A1.pdf)), the FCC announced that it has launced www.dtv.gov/Hawaii to give out information about that state's early analog shutoff, set for January 15.

The website listed did not work when I tried it (edit: it seems to work now), but it is reachable as a link on the main site, www.dtv.gov.

Neither the press release nor the website appear to go into why HI is saying "bye" to analog early, but AVS member johnpost noted in another thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15045918#post15045918) that there's an endangered bird which nests near the current analog tower sites in February.

Montana Station Completes Analog Shutoff, Offers Lessons

http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/69232

Ernst said that many people reported problems that were fixed by the repositioning of an antenna, typically by placing it closer to a window. Also, the station found that some viewers who moved their antennas, or even dusted around them, lost the signal and had to re-adjust to regain reception.

In contrast to the common fear that many people will lose TV simply because the DTV signal does not cover all the area that the analog signal did, KTVH found the opposite—that people who could not receive the old analog signal can now get the DTV signal.

It appears that KTVH is operating at 17.5kW, but the CP application has not been granted yet. An STA was granted referencing the CP app. I'm going to show it as 17.5kW/ND vs. 9.3/D that I had before from the old Appendix B. The above comments about an expanded service area seem to confirm this. An amendment for 23kW was denied, however. If it is 17.5, the roughly 1/10 ratio (180kW analog) seems to be working for them.

KTVH is the 100th full power station, to not have an analog signal, according to the information I have. There may be others, but it's not very easy to figure out exactly when a station goes dark w/o being in the coverage area.

KUON has flash-cut from 40 to 12, and filed their license app yesterday. In it, they note that they're receiving reception complaints. They have a pending application to boost power to 75 kW from the 13 kW they are licensed for.

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1274904&Service=DT&Form_id=2&Facility_id=66589

I have to wonder what the difference is that some stations like KMBC-DT and KUON-DT have such trouble with upper VHF while other areas have few or no issues with it.

- Trip

http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/69232
Interesting that DISH was not ready.

I suspect that KUON is having issues with indoor antennas on the ground floor. Lincoln's terrain is more rugged than I had thought as well.

Attached is a quick coverage map I made (for the 13kW facility). Bright green areas are generally strong enough for indoor antennas.

One question I have is why the tower is halfway between Lincoln and Omaha when Omaha has its own PBS station.

I suspect that KUON is having issues with indoor antennas on the ground floor. Lincoln's terrain is more rugged than I had thought as well.

Attached is a quick coverage map I made (for the 13kW facility). Bright green areas are generally strong enough for indoor antennas.

One question I have is why the tower is halfway between Lincoln and Omaha when Omaha has its own PBS station.

Can you make a comparable map for the 75 kW they've asked for?

The reasoning I was told is that KUON started as a commercial station which then ended up under common ownership with KOLN. The owner didn't want to sell to a competitor, so they sold it (donated it?) to Nebraska PBS who didn't want to move the tower. Apparently, they still don't.

- Trip

Can you make a comparable map for the 75 kW they've asked for?

See the attached. Perhaps raising the height of the tower would be more useful, but it's already at 250m.

I wonder how UHF 40 compared, but perhaps not enough people were watching it to determine if that facility provided better service. I would think not as well due to the hills involved, at least as respects Lincoln. I will run a plot for the old facility. Let me know if you want to see it.

Edit: I'm showing an 8dB loss for LOS areas in Lincoln for VHF 12 (13kW) compared to the old UHF 500kW facility on 40. 40 was also lower at 223m.

I have to wonder what the difference is that some stations like KMBC-DT and KUON-DT have such trouble with upper VHF while other areas have few or no issues with it.

- Trip
IMHO there was no way KUON could replicate the coverage of a 316 kW analog station with only 13 kW. Add the distance between the tower and Lincoln and it really shouldn't be that surprising they received many complaints.

Attached is a coverage map for KUON's prior DTV service. It is better than I thought it would be, even though it is about 85' lower than 12.

To replicate the same relative signal strength for the LOS point that I selected outside of Lincoln would take 94kW on 12, ignoring the impact of noise.

Of course, 12 diffracts better, but much of that benefit is probably lost for antennas low to the ground or in urban areas.

It's making me reconsider VHF ERP's yet again.

AMENDMENT OF SECTION 73.622(I), FINAL DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, TELEVISION BROADCAST STATIONS. MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA.. Proposed substituting DTV Channel 20 for DTV Channel 16 for Station WCOV-DT. (Dkt No. 08-230, RM-11504). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau. Adopted: 11/18/2008 by NPRM. (DA No. 08-2544). MB DA-08-2544A1.doc DA-08-2544A1.pdf DA-08-2544A1.txt

It seems that I have not correctly understood circular polarization. I thought that circular was simply radiating equal amounts of horizontal and vertical power. It appears that is not the case.

I was reviewing the antenna pattern info for WPLG, which was recently granted 156kW on 10 (circular) and noticed that the vertical ERP was significantly less than the horizontal. Note that the following was for their 30kW record, though I would assume the proportional difference will remain the same (see page 4).

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=650480

If someone can set me straight on Elliptical and Circular Polarization, I would appreciate it. Seeing the following on the FCC database seems to have confused me:

Polarization: Circular (H = V)

Also, FM radio seems to commonly employ equal horizontal and vertical ERP's. Is there another term for that?

Thanks,

You can generate circular polarization by equally dividing the power between two dipoles, one horizontal and one vertical, but you must have a ninety degree phase difference between the dipole feeds to make it work.

Look here:

http://webphysics.davidson.edu/physlet_resources/dav_optics/examples/polarization.html

--- CHAS

You can generate circular polarization by equally dividing the power between two dipoles, one horizontal and one vertical, but you must have a ninety degree phase difference between the dipole feeds to make it work.

Look here:

http://webphysics.davidson.edu/physlet_resources/dav_optics/examples/polarization.html

--- CHAS
You can also generate CP by feeding the dipoles in phase, but separating the dipoles by 1/4 wavelength. Here's a picture of that technique used on a circular polarized Yagi.

http://www.m2inc.com/products/vhf/2m/2mcp14.html

Ron

CP was all the rage in the late 70's for TV stations. Everyone station I know that had CP from that time went back to horizontal because no one had CP receive antennas and it took too more transmitter power to generate the CP wave due to the phase shifting. You still have the same problem today, no CP receive antennas so I am not sure why they would want to install a CP antenna.

CP was all the rage in the late 70's for TV stations. Everyone station I know that had CP from that time went back to horizontal because no one had CP receive antennas and it took too more transmitter power to generate the CP wave due to the phase shifting. You still have the same problem today, no CP receive antennas so I am not sure why they would want to install a CP antenna.

There are a bunch of local stations using CP or elliptical polarization. Never though have I seen it specified whether it is right hand or left hand polarization. Anyone know? Or is it possible that it is not CP at all and the power is simply divided up into so much for horizontal and so much for vertical? Of course that is not the same as circular polarization.

I ask this because in my amateur radio experience CP antennas come with an ellipticity spec which tells you how non-circular the pattern is.

It's also my experience that a circular polarized receive antenna is the best choice when you don't have LOS to the transmitter. The improvement can be huge. If you have LOS then matching polarizations are best. Maybe someone will experiment with a CP TV antenna.

There are a bunch of local stations using CP or elliptical polarization. Never though have I seen it specified whether it is right hand or left hand polarization. Anyone know?

I have never heard it specified. I think the last station here that was using CP was RH.

CP was all the rage in the late 70's for TV stations. Everyone station I know that had CP from that time went back to horizontal because no one had CP receive antennas and it took too more transmitter power to generate the CP wave due to the phase shifting. You still have the same problem today, no CP receive antennas so I am not sure why they would want to install a CP antenna.

I'm no antenna expert, but doesn't CP provide a considerably better signal to indoor antenna viewers who generally don't bother to orient their antenna's elements horizontally?

I'm no antenna expert, but doesn't CP provide a considerably better signal to indoor antenna viewers who generally don't bother to orient their antenna's elements horizontally?

The issue isn't which is better, the issue is what is available to the consumer. There is a noticeable decrease in signal level of when transmitting a CP to a non CP antenna even though the orientation of the antenna isn't as critical. I did a quick google and didn't see a CP TV receive antenna. That is the real issue. No receive antennas. That is what killed the CP movement in the 70's.

Here's the text of the proposed legislation that has been passed by the Senate:

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?dbname=2008_record&page=S10758&position=all

--- CHAS

FCC requires RIGHT HAND CIRCULAR if it is polarized,
but may also be Elliptical or Slant, as discussed here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15039143

Many more are coming to support ATSC-M/H (Mobile/Handheld) receivers....

FCC requires RIGHT HAND CIRCULAR if it is polarized,
but may also be Elliptical or Slant, as discussed here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15039143

Many more are coming to support ATSC-M/H (Mobile/Handheld) receivers....

Thanks for the info. Never having dealt with a broadcast CP, I am not up on the legal particulars of it.

Should WPLG be listed as Elliptical? According to the antenna data, the vertical ERP is less than the horizontal.

I have uploaded an updated spreadsheet (see signaure for link).

Stations operating Post-Transition facilities: 1006
Stations with maximized Construction Permits but otherwise ready: 125
Stations to reduce analog operations prior to 2/17/09: 158
Stations to end analog operations early: 250
Stations that have already ended (or will not commence) analog operations: 101

Average 2-6 ERP: 13.7kW
Average 7-13 ERP: 24.5kW
Average UHF ERP: 513kW

Here's the text of the proposed legislation that has been passed by the Senate:

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?dbname=2008_record&page=S10758&position=all

--- CHAS

I think they would accomplish more if they ran a non-stop scroll on the analog station for the last month of operation.

Should WPLG be listed as Elliptical? According to the antenna data, the vertical ERP is less than the horizontal.

Unless someone has better information, unless it is specifically noted as a CP (equal amounts of H and V), the predominant polarization is what is listed. You will see many stations listed as horizontal with some components of vertical. The vertical components are in preparations for mobile services which are vertical or back in the old days to cut down on reflections from either tall buildings or mountains. FM is also know to unbalance the H and V to cut down on multipath.

Cross pol H into V from transmit to receive will yield a 20 db loss in signal where a cross pol of H or V into CP is about 8 db signal loss.

I think they would accomplish more if they ran a non-stop scroll on the analog station for the last month of operation.

Even if only one station in a market can continue analog broadcasts for 30 days (for messages), I think it would be helpful. I am convinced that a portion of OTA viewers simply won't understand the message until the transition happens and then they will be left scrambling. At that point, a message will be much better than snow.

As was shown in Wilmington, you had people who did not think the analog stations would cease broadcasting so they did nothing. WECT interviewed one woman who didn't do anything and asked her why. She said she had seen all the on air promotions and bill boards and newspaper articles but kept saying to herself that they would never turn off the analog transmitters. There are some people you just can't save.

Even if only one station in a market can continue analog broadcasts for 30 days (for messages), I think it would be helpful. I am convinced that a portion of OTA viewers simply won't understand the message until the transition happens and then they will be left scrambling. At that point, a message will be much better than snow.
But snow on the analog TV is the message! :D

Seriously though, having 1 station in a market continuing a analog broadcast for 30 days with a continuous info message loop after the shutdown is not a bad idea. But they have to find stations that can and are willing to spend the money to maintain an analog broadcast for 30 days after Feb. 17. Maybe if the station can run commercials along with the info loop.

But after you eliminate the stations that will be digital only by February, doing a flash cut to their analog channel, the analog channel is blocking another station from their post-transition channel, have to remove the analog antenna in order to place a new full coverage digital antenna, there are not as many candidate stations to keep a analog broadcast on the air post-transition as Congress might think. The best candidates would probably be the low VHF stations would also offer, in most cases, the widest coverage.

However this is way late in the process to change course and find suitable stations to stay on the air for 30 days post-transition. There has been a astounding lack of fore-thought by the FCC and government on the practical aspects of the digital transition for the public/consumer. The FCC could possibly have ordered all stations to cease "live" programming on February 10 and switch to 24/7 broadcast of a analog shutdown loop message for the last week.

KSDX has applied for CH. 9 in the San Diego area. That means it will co-channel with KCAL-DT after 2009. It might not be on 2.17.09 since LP's don't have to go digital. That means KSDX-LD is possible. That will allow San Diegan's to watch XHTIT-DT but that station will co channel with KFTR-DT.

KSDX-LD will be on Mt. San Miguel in Spring valley at 0.0275kw ERP as approved by the FCC.

http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?list=0&facid=168576

The whole idea of letting them keep even ONE analog station will just bolster people like that Wilmington Woman. Better to "Let them watch static" (to paraphrase Marie Antoinette) than to give them false hope that analog will continue.

As far as a 24 hour loop showing nothing but - I think a 24 hour crawl on the analog for the last week would be more likely to be accepted by the broadcasters.

having 1 station in a market continuing a analog broadcast for 30 days with a continuous info message loop after the shutdown is not a bad idea. But they have to find stations that can and are willing to spend the money to maintain an analog broadcast for 30 days after Feb. 17.

And there lies the rub.

I struggle to believe there are many stations that want to do anything beyond Feb 17 except transmit digital.

Frankly, there have been delays enough and information enough. There comes a point where the average OTA viewer has to face the firing squad if they didn't upgrade by now.

I have a relative who works retail, and she said they had a guy come in the other day and bought five HDTVs because he figured it was just the easiest solution under the circumstances. They asked him about the coupon boxes and he said he figured he might as well modernize while he's screwing with it.

While I'm not saying people have to go overboard like this guy did, the reality is that by Feb 2009 anyone who isn't prepared has been given fair warning.

Cross pol H into V from transmit to receive will yield a 20 db loss in signal where a cross pol of H or V into CP is about 8 db signal loss.
Linear to circular cross polarization is only a 3 dB penalty.

Ron

KSDX-LD will be on Mt. San Miguel in Spring valley


0.275kW appears to be the grant, but I don't expect it to go very far, especially with co-channel and adjacent problems.

Putting a VHF station on Mt. Miguel is not a good idea. San Diego, despite being non-co-located, allows for different band antennas to be fixed (e.g. upper VHF for 8 & 10, Low VHF for 6 and UHF for Mt. Miguel). Of course, that hasn't been the case for DTV, but it will be so again, except for XETV-DT. It is quite common to see separates (antennas) in SD.

COMMISSIONER MCDOWELL TO VISIT RICHMOND, VA, FOR DTV OUTREACH. Town Hall meeting to be held Monday, Dec. 1.. News Release CGB. Contact Brigid Calamis (202) 418-2205, Brigid.calamis@fcc.gov DOC-286921A1.doc DOC-286921A1.pdf DOC-286921A1.txt

CP was all the rage in the late 70's for TV stations. Everyone station I know that had CP from that time went back to horizontal because no one had CP receive antennas and it took too more transmitter power to generate the CP wave due to the phase shifting. You still have the same problem today, no CP receive antennas so I am not sure why they would want to install a CP antenna.

Takes 3db more power to do CP......the linear signal (H or V) is split between H and V in CP....thus a 3db loss......of course for a 110KW xmtr, that means going to 220 KW OR doubling the number of antenna bays on the tower to get back to the correct ERP in one linear plane.......FM uses CP all the time and noone used a CP FM antenna.....it DOES reduce multipath and helps in reducing flutter and signal cancellation in some areas.

I'm no antenna expert, but doesn't CP provide a considerably better signal to indoor antenna viewers who generally don't bother to orient their antenna's elements horizontally?

Yes, rabbit ears love CP.....with the mix of V and H polarization in the signal, the rabbit ears can then get the most of the transmitted E field reovered...MOST LB have stayed BAtwing (Horizontal) as a CP array below TV7 is BIG....more UHFs are CP than not,

Linear to circular cross polarization is only a 3 dB penalty.

Ron


cORRECT!!! Also CROSS POL in CP (right hand CP to left hand CP) is ALSO 20db+ difference!! Most stations use Right hand CP today....nice thing aout that is a reflected CP signal will be reversed in its CP....thus ignored by a correct CP antenna (IE: FM xmits in RH CP......user has RH CP antenna....but major bldg down the street causes reflection but its in LH CP....and thus rejected by the listeners' CP antenna.......sure helps in multipath.....cant get that with linear H pol antennas..

Website lists numerous early analog cutoffs in the Upper Midwest

Northpine.com, a blog-type site which follows broadcasting in the Upper Midwest, reports a slew of stations planning to cut off their analogs long before Feb. 17. The stations include six members of Nebraska's public network, known as NET; three PBS stations in the Dakotas; and NBC affiliates in Hastings, NE and Chisolm, MN. Some of the PBS stations listed have already cut off their analog service, according to the website.

Site: http://www.northpine.com/broadcast/index.html

Linear to circular cross polarization is only a 3 dB penalty.

Ron

Yes, you are quite correct. I got typing too fast and didn't proofread my work. Sorry about that.

. . . numerous early analog cutoffs . . .

There is WBKO in Bowling Green, KY. It broadcasts on analog 13 and digital 33. They will turn off their analog channel permanently on December 7th. Then two weeks later, they will turn on their new digital channel 13. I am following their progress by their engineer's blog. The link to the blog is below.


http://www.wbko.com/blogs/engineersblog

NashDigie signing off.

In Sacramento, California, during the period December 1-19, both the KXTV - ABC 10 (61) and KOVR - CBS 13 (25) digital signals will be off the air during daylight hours. This will not include weekends or rainy weather days. If weather is bad for an extended time, this could go beyond the 19th. The reason for this is that all RF must be shut down while KTFK - Telefutura is installing their new channel 26 antenna on the tower. KTFK is moving from Mt. Diablo on channel 62 to Walnut Grove on channel 26 February 17th.

After dark, both KXTV and KOVR digital will be back on the air.

The SD streams of both KXTV and KOVR will be on the KMAX channel 31 (21) digital signal. This will occur any day now.

This information is from KOVR Director of Engineering, Bob Hess, on the AVS Sacramento OTA Forum -
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15144291#post15144291

Larry
SF

COMMISSIONER COPPS TO VISIT MILWAUKEE & GREEN BAY FOR DTV OUTREACH. News Release. News Media Contact: Rick Chessen (202) 418-2000 CMMR DOC-287009A1.doc DOC-287009A1.pdf DOC-287009A1.txt

POST-TRANSITION DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, 47 C.F.R. 73.622(I), WACO, TEXAS. Proposed substitution of DTV Channel 25 for Post-Transition DTV Channel 44 for Station KWKT-DT. (Dkt No. 08-233, RM-11505). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau. Adopted: 11/25/2008 by NPRM. (DA No. 08-2571). MB DA-08-2571A1.doc DA-08-2571A1.pdf DA-08-2571A1.txt

The issue isn't which is better, the issue is what is available to the consumer. There is a noticeable decrease in signal level of when transmitting a CP to a non CP antenna even though the orientation of the antenna isn't as critical. I did a quick google and didn't see a CP TV receive antenna. That is the real issue. No receive antennas. That is what killed the CP movement in the 70's.

Doesn't the FCC let you run more power if you're CP? I mean, can't you run 100kw in the horizontal plane *and* 100kw in the vertical if you're on channels 2-6? So you'd have at least as much signal to a horizontally-polarized antenna and more signal to vertically- (or cross-) polarized antennas?

I figured CP never got off the ground for TV because cable/satellite made it a moot point for 80% of the audience & requiring double the transmitter output power wasn't worth it.

Doesn't the FCC let you run more power if you're CP? I mean, can't you run 100kw in the horizontal plane *and* 100kw in the vertical if you're on channels 2-6? So you'd have at least as much signal to a horizontally-polarized antenna and more signal to vertically- (or cross-) polarized antennas?

The local channel 2 ran CP until 1998 and they ran equal amounts of power to each phase (H and V) and TPO was 50kw to run 100kw ERP. It was a RCA F line.

I figured CP never got off the ground for TV because cable/satellite made it a moot point for 80% of the audience & requiring double the transmitter output power wasn't worth it.

I would bet that had something to do with it, but when I got into TV in the early 90's I asked that very question of why didn't CP catch on (coming from FM) and those with vast more TV knowledge than I "schooled" me so to speak. So there you go.

I did a quick google and didn't see a CP TV receive antenna.
There's the Wade helix antenna.

http://www.wade-antenna.com/Wade/WH14-69.pdf

I'll guess it's pretty expensive though. However, a helix antenna can be DIY'ed. In fact, I'm a little surprised the DIY crowd hasn't tried one yet.

http://www.af9y.com/helix.htm

Ron

I ran the numbers for a channel 14 to channel 51 helix using the formulas in the ARRL Antenna Book.

Design Center Frequency - 585 MHz (Ch33)
Optimum Circumference - 1 wavelength
Optimum turn spacing ratio - .25
15 Turns

Results:

Total length = 75"
Ground Plane = 24"
Diameter of Helix = 6.4"
Spacing between turns = 5"

Impedance = CH14 - 112 ohms, CH33 - 140 ohms, CH51 - 167 ohms
Gain = CH14 - 14.6dBic, CH33 - 17.5 dBic, CH51 - 19.8 dBic
3dB Beamwidth (degrees) CH14- 37, CH33- 27, CH51 - 21

I'm surprised that none of the consumer antenna companies make a helix since it looks to be competitive with the best of the other models and it will be a superior performer in non LOS locations.

Chuck - AA6G

.FM uses CP all the time and noone used a CP FM antenna...

Well, mostly true. Though, one of my FM stations has no vertical component.

See: http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&facid=13618

Well, mostly true. Though, one of my FM stations has no vertical component.

See: http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&facid=13618

Interesting. I will have to remember to test this station next month with the vertical car antenna. My car in CA has an in-glass antenna which appears to be horizontally polarized.

I ran the numbers for a channel 14 to channel 51 helix using the formulas in the ARRL Antenna Book.

Design Center Frequency - 585 MHz (Ch33)
Optimum Circumference - 1 wavelength
Optimum turn spacing ratio - .25
15 Turns

Results:

Total length = 75"
Ground Plane = 24"
Diameter of Helix = 6.4"
Spacing between turns = 5"

Impedance = CH14 - 112 ohms, CH33 - 140 ohms, CH51 - 167 ohms
Gain = CH14 - 14.6dBic, CH33 - 17.5 dBic, CH51 - 19.8 dBic
3dB Beamwidth (degrees) CH14- 37, CH33- 27, CH51 - 21

I'm surprised that none of the consumer antenna companies make a helix since it looks to be competitive with the best of the other models and it will be a superior performer in non LOS locations.

Chuck - AA6G

Math is not my strong suit.
Would adding Hi-VHF to the mix make the antenna ridiculously large?

Add another one to the list. KACV-DT 8 in Amarillo is asking to move to channel 9. Their current signal is 5 kW DA at 519m, and they claim (probably rightfully so) that this signal does not replicate their analog. They want to replace their analog 2 antenna at 398m with a new omni directional antenna on channel 9 at 30 kW.

- Trip

Math is not my strong suit.
Would adding Hi-VHF to the mix make the antenna ridiculously large?

It would have to be a separate antenna. It would be big, 19" in diameter and each turn 15" in length.

Last night KCRA-3 Sacramento had a program on about OTA DTV. Unfortunately I turned it on in the middle. They were talking about people who live in fringe areas who have been watching OTA but cannot receive DTV. They showed some guy with rabbit ears and a UHF loop trying to adjust them to get a rather multipath analog signal. Then they said if you live in a fringe area and can't receive DTV to call the FCC, and they put up the phone number. Seems to me that this was a thinly veiled hint that they'd like to run a lot more power than 1 MW since their DTV transmitter on channel 35 can't come close to duplicating their analog coverage on channel 3.

If KCRA is worried about losing coverage in fringe areas, they would do well to consider DTS while they can. I recall that an expiration date applies for stations trying to replicate their analog coverage areas.

As for increasing power, I don't think that would be nearly as effective. 1000kW is already very high power. CP (e.g. 500kW vertical and horizontal), is another option to consider.

However, the best solution for viewers on the fringes is to upgrade from indoor rabbit ears. Analog can produce a snowy picture with some exceptionally weak signals. DTV doesn't have that luxury.

If KCRA is worried about losing coverage in fringe areas, they would do well to consider DTS while they can. I recall that an expiration date applies for stations trying to replicate their analog coverage areas.

As for increasing power, I don't think that would be nearly as effective. 1000kW is already very high power. CP (e.g. 500kW vertical and horizontal), is another option to consider.

However, the best solution for viewers on the fringes is to upgrade from indoor rabbit ears. Analog can produce a snowy picture with some exceptionally weak signals. DTV doesn't have that luxury.

I had to look up DTS to see just exactly how that system worked. I found this detailed white paper if anyone is interested:

http://www.axcera.com/downloads/technotes-whitepapers/hershberger_white_paper.pdf

It's a pretty complicated system and I don't think it would be applicable for any of the Sacramento stations. There are just too many ridges to cross and too many small communities to serve. It would take dozens of transmitters. I think they're just out of luck for OTA.

The difference between VHF and UHF reception in this area is stunning. I just helped a friend install a YA-1713 and a pair of 91XGs with a preamp. He gets a better picture on channel 2 from San Francisco on the high VHF only antenna at 110 miles than he gets on channel 58 which is 55 miles, a high power UHF station, and one of the locals. He gets as good of a picture on channel 7 from SF as the best of the the UHF locals which are all at 55 miles.

Anyone not already on satellite is going to be forced into it around here since there is no cable.

Well, mostly true. Though, one of my FM stations has no vertical component.

See: http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&facid=13618

I should have said MOST FMs do CP; some do run horizontal.......in fact, FCC rules call for stations in the NCE band (below 92) to run VERTICAL only if needed due to a near by TV6...that will likely go away after the digital transition..

The difference between VHF and UHF reception in this area is stunning. I just helped a friend install a YA-1713 and a pair of 91XGs with a preamp. He gets a better picture on channel 2 from San Francisco on the high VHF only antenna at 110 miles than he gets on channel 58 which is 55 miles, a high power UHF station, and one of the locals. He gets as good of a picture on channel 7 from SF as the best of the the UHF locals which are all at 55 miles.

Anyone not already on satellite is going to be forced into it around here since there is no cable.

It's going to be very interesting to see who gets what come February 18th. With adjacent analog channels going off the air, I think it'll be easier to receive the more distant stations on high VHF.

I have never been able get anything from Sacramento on VHF except channel 13, due to the locals here that are adjacent to the Sacramento channels. 2 over powers 3, 5 over powers 6, 9 over powers 10, and since KNTV moved to Mt. San Bruno, channel 13 is no longer watchable here. I hope to receive KVIE on 9 and KXTV on 10 post transition. People over in the Central Valley might have good results with KGO on 7 and KNTV on 12.

On the other hand, I receive several of the Sacramento digital channels now on UHF using a CM 4228. KMAX and KTXL are solid here, and the others come in quite a bit of the time. Most will be increasing their power, so it should only get better. The only foreseeable problem here is KTXL on 40. We have a low powered station authorized to go digital on channel 40 from Mt. San Bruno. It's now analog on 40 and will be doing a change to digital sometime in the near future.

We can all compare notes after the analog stations have signed off and the digital stations have moved to their final channel assignments.

Larry
SF

I should have said MOST FMs do CP; some do run horizontal.......in fact, FCC rules call for stations in the NCE band (below 92) to run VERTICAL only if needed due to a near by TV6...that will likely go away after the digital transition..

Yes, and the thing I have never been able to understand is why the FCC ruled horizontal for WNPR when it is so close to WNLE-6, New Bedford (right on the edge of their Grade B contour).

On the subject of short shutdown "tests" of the analog signal, the stations in the Washington DC market are interrupting their analog broadcast signal today. Quoting from dcrtv.com: "DC DTV "Test" Today - 12/2 - We tipped you earlier. Now more. At 5:28 PM today, WRC/4, WDCA/20, WTTG/5, WETA/26, WJLA/7, WHUT/32, WUSA/9, WDCW/50, WFDC/14, and WPXW/66 will participate in a digital TV "test" - interrupting their analog signal for two minutes to inform viewers that "if they see this message" they're not ready for the DTV switch-off in February....."

Maybe they should be doing this every week until January, then 5 times a week in January, then several times a day in February as midnight, February 17 approaches.

Interesting... I watched the Washington station WRC on Dish network today at 5:28 pm, and I saw the warning message. Wonder if Dish was taking the analog feed? (This on a SD set-top box.)

There are many markets D* and E* are still taking the analog waiting to take the digitals on Feb 17th.

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1278932&Service=DS&Form_id=911&Facility_id=66589

That didn't take long. I haven't had a chance to pick through it yet, but KUON has asked to boost from 13 kW to 44 kW immediately.

- Trip

http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1278932&Service=DS&Form_id=911&Facility_id=66589

That didn't take long. I haven't had a chance to pick through it yet, but KUON has asked to boost from 13 kW to 44 kW immediately.

- Trip

Congrats on the new call sign!!

Thanks! Maybe I'll hear you on the radio. =)

- Trip

COMMISSIONER JONATHAN ADELSTEIN TO VISIT HAWAII FOR DTV OUTREACH. Visit is Part of Nationwide Tour Focusing on Markets with High Levels of Over-the-Air Television Viewers. News Release CMMR. Contact Katie Yocum (202) 418-2300 DOC-287151A1.doc DOC-287151A1.pdf DOC-287151A1.txt

And I'm sure the visit to Hawaii, when D.C. is getting frigid, is well timed!

Remember quite well when I worked for an advertising agency based in Chicago,
how many commercial shoots took place in warm and even tropical environs when
Michigan Avenue was frigid!

Good timing Commissioner!!!!!!!!!!

Hawaii has volunteered to shut down early, Jan 15th. The FCC had said any market shutting down early would get the FCC's full support, something markets that wait until February 17 will not get.

What would happen if every market shut down on Feb 15 just to screw with the FCC? :D

- Trip

What would happen if every market shut down on Feb 15 just to screw with the FCC? :D

- Trip

RoFL! They'd all be screwed.:D

I don't think the FCC would say anything - maybe something along "We applaud the Broadcasting industry taking the initiative to start the DTV transition early" :D

Or more appropriately, "ending the digital transition early". Most stations started in 1999-2000.

That didn't take long. I haven't had a chance to pick through it yet, but KUON has asked to boost from 13 kW to 44 kW immediately.
Interesting. KUON-TV 12 is one of the many upper VHF stations running at the max NTSC ERP of 316 kW. A lot of these stations are flash cutting to digital ERPs of 12 to 20 kW. So KUON-DT found rather quickly that a ERP of 13 kW resulted in reception problems, not in the outer fringes, but in the downtown or metro area. Quoting from the attachment to their filing:

"Immediately upon commencing DTV operations for KUON-DT on Channel 12, a substantial number of KUON-DT viewers began reporting critical reception issues. The University immediately noticed this trend because it had set up an extensive Call Center to help viewers with the DTV transition. Many of the viewer reception complaints are from “downtown” or metro-area Lincoln, Nebraska. Based on information from the viewers, the KUON engineering team and KUON’s outside consulting engineering, the University has concluded that the reception problem results from inadequate signal strength and penetration – i.e., the 13 kW ERP is not powerful enough to penetrate the metro-area in the same way that KUON’s analog and pre-transition digital signal penetrated. Thus, despite the fact that the predicted coverage area of KUON-DT on DTV Channel 12 replicates the analog KUON coverage, the viewing public is experiencing significant OTA reception problems with the KUON-DT signal."

The 316 kW analog upper VHF stations flash cutting to 10 to 20 kW digital could well be one of the major problems with the upcoming transition. I have four upper VHF stations in DC & Baltimore I get, all of which are at 316 kW analog:
WJLA-DT ABC 7 - post-ERP of 13.6 kW, maximized app pending for 30 kW.
WUSA-DT CBS 9 - post-ERP of 12.6 kW
WBAL-DT NBC 11 - post-ERP of 5 kW (this is going to be VERY interesting. I predict a flood of complaints many showing up in the press).
WJZ-DT CBS 13 - post-ERP of 28.8 kW directional, but will operate at STA 9.6 kW until mid-May while new directional antenna is installed.

WJLA's request for 30kW was granted a couple days ago.

I agree that relatively low power of many VHF facilities is going to be a problem, one which has not been widely talked about outside of this forum. Solo VHF stations are also at risk in otherwise UHF only markets.

Looking at the spreadsheet, there are 19 316kW analog upper VHF stations which are currently slated to have less than 10kW ERP for post-transition ops. However, I count 9 which have maximized applications pending, so many probably realize they could be in trouble. One of those stations will be at less than 10kW on UHF (KHNL/NBC in Honolulu).

The count increases to 49 for such stations to be under 15kW.

I think that WBAL especially is going to be in some very hot water, but are they constrained from boosting power due to new arrivals in the upper VHF band? e.g., WWPX/12 (though they want to move to 51) and WHTM/10.

I think that WBAL especially is going to be in some very hot water, but are they constrained from boosting power due to new arrivals in the upper VHF band? e.g., WWPX/12 (though they want to move to 51) and WHTM/10.Falcon_77 & afiggatt,

Do you think the FCC is overly conservative with adjacent channel concerns on VHF? I am right on the edge of the WWPX-12 coverage area, and it is still receivable even with relatively strong analog signals now coming from channels 11 & 13 in Baltimore.:confused:

Falcon_77 & afiggatt,

Do you think the FCC is overly conservative with adjacent channel concerns on VHF? I am right on the edge of the WWPX-12 coverage area, and it is still receivable even with relatively strong analog signals now coming from channels 11 & 13 in Baltimore.:confused:

FWIW, I live 3 miles from a 316 kW analog station on ch. 13 and to date I've been able to DX four weak DTV stations on ch. 12.

Steve

FWIW, I live 3 miles from a 316 kW analog station on ch. 13 and to date I've been able to DX four weak DTV stations on ch. 12.

Steve
YET,
our local CBS affil which is on RF 21 has had some issues and the CE thinks its adjacent issues from a digital PBS on RF 20 some 40+ miles to the east!!! I just dont think that's the whole answer

I think the KUON problems have more to do with the fact that their transmitter is not in Lincoln, but northeast towards Omaha. That site was chosen prior to KYNE, the Omaha NET station signing on. Lincoln viewers are probably 25-30 miles distant. Digital might give them some options in relocating to a tower near Lincoln or with 8 and 10 to the west, although a power boost might fix the problems and cost a lot less.

POST-TRANSITION DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, 47 C.F.R. § 73.622(I), KEARNEY, NEBRASKA. Changed station KHGI-DT's DTV channel from 36 to 13. Terminated the proceeding. (Dkt No. RM-11486, 08-199). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau. Adopted: 12/05/2008 by R&O. (DA No. 08-2672).

Copying this from one of the local threads:

http://www.journalstar.com/news/local/doc493d9f75021aa580466008.txt

- Trip

New San Diego-Tijuana-Tecate DT's.

CH. 34: XHAS-DT (San Diego-Tijuana Telemundo affiliate but they have an LP repater KTCD-LP)
CH. 38: XHTJB-DT (Tijuana affiliate for Once TV aka XEIPN in Mexico DF)
CH. 44: XHBJ-DT (Tijuana affiliate for Televisa XHGC)
CH. 47: XHDTV-DT (San Diego's Tecate licensed MNTV affiliate that plans to go digital should have better reception than the analog station. The station is on a mountain south of Tijuana and there are many obstructions that cause problems with the analog signal. Will sign on no later than 2.17.09.

All Televisa stations are colocated on Mt. San Antonio which is where XETV is located. All these stations are in Mexico so they don't have to shut off analog just yet. XHTJB won't be signing on for a while but Once TV the Mexican version of PBS is doing testing in Mexico City on CH. 33. Entravision also has plans to show HD programming on XHDTV-DT. No word on if XHAS gets HD telemundo shows. No idea when XHBJ or XHAS-DT will sign on.

POST-TRANSITION DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, 47 C.F.R. § 73.622(I), CANTON, OHIO. Proposed substituting DTV channel 49 for DTV channel 39 for station WDLI-DT. (Dkt No. 08-126, RM-11458). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau. Adopted: 12/08/2008 by NPRM. (DA No. 08-2677).

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-08-2677A1.pdf

New San Diego-Tijuana-Tecate DT's.

CH. 34: XHAS-DT (San Diego-Tijuana Telemundo affiliate but they have an LP repater KTCD-LP)
CH. 38: XHTJB-DT (Tijuana affiliate for Once TV aka XEIPN in Mexico DF)
CH. 44: XHBJ-DT (Tijuana affiliate for Televisa XHGC)
CH. 47: XHDTV-DT (San Diego's Tecate licensed MNTV affiliate that plans to go digital should have better reception than the analog station. The station is on a mountain south of Tijuana and there are many obstructions that cause problems with the analog signal. Will sign on no later than 2.17.09.

All Televisa stations are colocated on Mt. San Antonio which is where XETV is located. All these stations are in Mexico so they don't have to shut off analog just yet. XHTJB won't be signing on for a while but Once TV the Mexican version of PBS is doing testing in Mexico City on CH. 33. Entravision also has plans to show HD programming on XHDTV-DT. No word on if XHAS gets HD telemundo shows. No idea when XHBJ or XHAS-DT will sign on.

Also the FCC sez that XHBJ-DT has been granted on CH. 44. Must be signing on soon. If there is no stupid cochanneling then it might reach LA.

COMMISSIONER JONATHAN S. ADELSTEIN TO VISIT PUERTO RICO FOR DTV OUTREACH. News Release CMMR. Contact Katie Yocum at (202) 418-2300 DOC-287254A1.doc DOC-287254A1.pdf DOC-287254A1.txt

KPSD (PBS/Eagle Butte SD) has completed their flash-cut to 13 as of 12/3. I did not have any notes that they were going to switch to 13 early.

http://www.sdpb.org/digital/index.asp

A License to Cover was submitted on 12/3 and accepted for filing as of 12/10 for BMPEDT-20080618ACN.

They have an STA from October which indicates that they had been using the same feedline for both the VHF-13 and UHF-25 transmissions and then split it at the top of the tower, and that splitter failed. Rather than try to get the part replaced, they connected only the VHF-13 antenna and then began notifications and flash-cut it early.

Had equipment not failed, they wouldn't have flash-cut.

- Trip

POST-TRANSITION DTV TABLE OF ALLOTMENTS, 47 C.F.R. § 73.622(I), SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA. Proposed substituting DTV channel 31 for DTV channel 38 for station WSWB-DT. (Dkt No. 08-244, RM-11507). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau. Adopted: 12/09/2008 by NPRM. (DA No. 08-2701).

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-08-2701A1.pdf

Somehow I missed seeing any posts about this at avsforum. Did we all miss this in the news somehow? The house passed the DTV Nightlight bill on Wednesday, so all it needs for Bush to sign it for it to become law. See http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6621803.html.

Quoting from the article: "The FCC is directed by Jan. 15 to come up with a plan to implement the voluntary program. A source says the FCC has been working on the plan in anticipation of the bill's passage." Ok, so with all the maximized ERP filings, DT channel change petitions that they have not acted on yet and numerous LD construction permits for LP stations that I have noticed that have been granted in the past several months, the FCC technical staff now has to deal with this?

So how many stations will able to and how many will be willing to keep an analog signal on the air?

Two have volunteered in unrelated FCC filings, WJBK in Detroit and KETC in St Louis.

I figure it'll be mostly low-VHF stations.

- Trip

Sat survey waivers:

WTVG-TV, TOLEDO, OHIO. Granted the request of WTVG-TV for an extension of its waiver of Section 339(a)(2)(D). (Dkt No. 05-317). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau by LETTER. (DA No. 08-2559). MB DA-08-2559A1.doc DA-08-2559A1.pdf DA-08-2559A1.txt


WABC-DT, NEW YORK, NEW YORK. Granted the request of ABC for an extension of its waiver of Section 339(a)(2)(D). (Dkt No. 05-317). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau by LETTER. (DA No. 08-2565). MB DA-08-2565A1.doc DA-08-2565A1.pdf DA-08-2565A1.txt


KAUZ-TV, WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS. Granted the request of Hoak's for an extension of its waiver of Section 339(a)(2)(D). (Dkt No. 05-317). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau by LETTER. (DA No. 08-2562). MB DA-08-2562A1.doc DA-08-2562A1.pdf DA-08-2562A1.txt


KNOP-TV, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA. Granted the request of Hoak's for an extension of its waiver of Section 339(a)(2)(D). (Dkt No. 05-317). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau by LETTER. (DA No. 08-2564). MB DA-08-2564A1.doc DA-08-2564A1.pdf DA-08-2564A1.txt


WNKY-DT, BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY. Granted the request of Max-Media for an extension of its waiver of Section 339(a)(2)(D). (Dkt No. 05-317). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau by LETTER. (DA No. 08-2560). MB DA-08-2560A1.doc DA-08-2560A1.pdf DA-08-2560A1.txt


KCBY-DT, COOS BAY, OREGON. Granted the request of Fisher Broadcasting for an extension of its waiver of Section 339(a)(2)(D). (Dkt No. 05-317). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau by LETTER. (DA No. 08-2561). MB DA-08-2561A1.doc DA-08-2561A1.pdf DA-08-2561A1.txt


KVAL-DT, EUGENE, OREGON. Granted the request of Fisher Broadcasting-Oregon for an extension of its waiver of Section 339(a)(2)(D). (Dkt No. 05-317). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau by LETTER. (DA No. 08-2566). MB DA-08-2566A1.doc DA-08-2566A1.pdf DA-08-2566A1.txt


WTRF-TV, WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA. Granted the request of West Virginia Media Holdings for an extension of its waiver of Section 339(a)(2)(D). (Dkt No. 05-317). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau by LETTER. (DA No. 08-2563). MB DA-08-2563A1.doc DA-08-2563A1.pdf DA-08-2563A1.txt


WBOY-TV, CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA. Granted the request of West Virginia Media Holdings for an extension of its waiver of Section 339(a)(2)(D). (Dkt No. 05-317). Action by: Chief, Video Division, Media Bureau by LETTER. (DA No. 08-2558). MB DA-08-2558A1.doc DA-08-2558A1.pdf DA-08-2558A1.txt

Also XETV and XHDTV are participating in the CA DTV test on Dec 17th. No idea why XHDTV is participating since they don't even have a digital signal yet. XETV has a digital signal on CH. 23. XHDTV is in the process of getting one that will sign on no later than 2.17.09. It hope it has HD programming from MNTV.

The FCC has asked all stations to run a DTV test on Dec 17th and Jan 17th in what is called a "roadblock." That is where all the stations do the test at the same time to keep people from tuning to a different station and miss the test. North Carolina is doing ours at 6:27pm ET.

The FCC has asked all stations to run a DTV test on Dec 17th and Jan 17th in what is called a "roadblock." North Carolina is doing ours at 6:27pm ET.

Interesting, the local Madison DMA did their "test" on Dec 10th.

Head on over to the Madison AVS forum thread if you want to see what each of the
stations looked like during the test (a H.264 video download), and an image of a typo from one of the local stations.

In San Diego it's 6:58. No idea why an Analog only station in Mexico is participating but there are other mexican OTA stations that aren't participating.

KVTV Laredo, TX (CBS analog 13) has switched off its analog transmitter (http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101284065&formid=910&fac_num=33078) due to an equipment failure and is now all-digital on physical channel 31; a competitor has a news report (http://www.pro8news.com/news/local/36086669.html) (KVTV doesn't have a website).

KVTV Laredo, TX (CBS analog 13) has switched off its analog transmitter (http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101284065&formid=910&fac_num=33078) due to an equipment failure and is now all-digital on physical channel 31; a competitor has a news report (http://www.pro8news.com/news/local/36086669.html) (KVTV doesn't have a website).

There are a few other stations who have had analog equipment failure and just opted to cease analog than spend the money to repair it at this late date.

New Orleans had it's first channel permanently "make the switch" yesterday.

WVUE, FOX8 shut off its analog channel 8 transmitter for good yesterday morning at 8:00 AM. I have not heard much hue and cry from people who lost the signal, yet.

WVUE will spend the week converting their analog VHF transmitter to a digital one, during which time they will remain on their pre-transition frequency of 29. Next Monday, Dec. 22, again at 8:00 AM if I understood correctly, they will shut down their channel 29 digital transmitter and fire up their channel 8 one. Then their transition will be 100% complete. We'll see how much hue and cry there is then.

In other news:

The New Orleans DMA did a digital test about a week ago. All full power stations, every single one, at precisely 6:59 PM central (to catch people tuning in for prime time) simultaneously put up a slide with a big red 'X' on their analog channel with the wording, "FAIL! Your television is not ready for the transition to digital." On their digital channel, they put up a slide with a big green check mark and the wording, "PASS! Your television is ready for the transition to digital."

All full power New Orleans stations did this simultaneously. The slides remained on screen for 30 seconds. Each station did their own slide design, so the appearance varied slightly, but they all agreed on identical wording, and that the "Fail" slides should have a big red 'X' dominating most of the screen and the "Pass" slides would have a big green check mark.

This from Scott Fybush's NortEast Radio Watch website:

But WFXT has bigger concerns at the moment: after many months fighting problems with its aging analog transmission system, we're hearing that WFXT's analog signal finally gave up the ghost for good last week, leaving only WFXT-DT (RF 31), which is not yet at full power. Interestingly, WFXT had just last month submitted an STA application to the FCC asking for reduced analog power (293 kW visual) through the end of the transition period, due to "recent, partial damage to the licensed antenna."

This may be the first "Big 4" in a major market to go all digital, voluntary or not.

http://www.fybush.com/nerw.html

This also from Fybush:

Another Bay State analog TV station - albeit one that mainly serves RHODE ISLAND viewers - has gone dark. New Bedford-licensed WLWC (Channel 28), the CW affiliate for the Providence market, turned off its analog transmitter on December 9, leaving WLWC-DT 22 behind.

MAINE Public Broadcasting Network is planning an early shutdown of its analog signals. WMEA-TV (Channel 26) in Biddeford, WCBB-TV (Channel 10) in Augusta, WMEB-TV (Channel 12) in Orono, WMED-TV (Channel 13) in Calais and WMEM-TV (Channel 10) in Presque Isle will sign off in analog early on the morning of January 11, allowing engineers time to convert several of those VHF transmitters for MPBN's post-transition channels. While WMEA-DT will keep its present channel 45, WMEB-DT will stay on its present channel 9 and WMED-DT will stay on its present channel 10, WCBB-DT and WMEM-DT will be moving to 10 from their present spots at channels 17 and 20, respectively.

(And that, sadly, is somewhat more information than you - or any average viewer - would learn from visiting MPBN's own rather sparse DTV information pages; the challenge of fully educating viewers about the challenges of the digital conversion, especially the tricky matter of antenna selection in mixed VHF-UHF markets, still isn't being fully met in too many areas, and we're down to the two-month mark now even in the areas that aren't experiencing early analog shutdowns.)

http://www.fybush.com/nerw.html

Once MPBN goes digital, half the stations in Portland will be digital-only.

WCSH A+D
WMTW A+D
WCBB D
WGME A+D
WPFO A
WMEA D
WPME D
WPXT D

- Trip

The 'Nightlight' bill directing the FCC to plan for analog stations to remain on the air with public service announcements for 30 days has been delivered to the White House. President Bush will sign it.

It's going to be interesting to discover who they 'encourage' to do this.

--- CHAS

Also, WBKO 13 Bowling Green, KY had turned off their analog channel back on Dec. 8th, but it is taking two weeks for them to transition to digital channel 13. They are going to turn on their digital 13 on Monday morning, Dec. 22nd. The thing is, is that they had planned to come on the air at 13.5kw ERP, but they changed their antenna from directional to omnidirectional and now they will be coming on the air at 11.6kw. They do have a CP to maximize up to 22kw, but they can't do that until they order and install a piece of equipment which means they won't go to 22kw until Aug. 18, 2009. Bummer! If you want to keep up with this station. I am posting a link below to the engineer's blog on the station's website.

http://www.wbko.com/blogs/engineersblog

NashDigie signing off.

There are a few other stations who have had analog equipment failure and just opted to cease analog than spend the money to repair it at this late date.

Yes. And one of those stations was our WEDY-65 in New Haven. The transmitter went belly-up back in May or June of '06. Within six weeks we had ordered and installed our Ch. 6 DTV transmitter, did the prescribed testing, then turned it off while we waited for the license from the FCC. Well, 2-1/2 years later we are still waiting. Go figure??