OT: Infro on digital TV that has been not forthcoming.

A ham operator friend contacted the ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League) regarding the new digital TV. His question had to do with interference to the new broadcasting mode by ham radio equipment. The following is their response. First time I have been able to get a handle on frequencies. Apparently they are not all being moved into the UHF spectrum. This means you will still be using conventional broad band antennas like we are now using. Don't know why the media has been so closed mouthed about this. Maybe they're too dumb to know the information, and too lazy to go looking for it. Or don't think it is important!


From the ARRL:

"The new digital TV channels are still 6 MHz wide. Furthermore, the frequency allocations from Channel 2 to 51 will also remain the same. The frequency spectrum from Channel 52 and up will be reallocated for other uses.

With DTV, it tends to be an all or nothing scenario. This means that interference will not be noticeable up to a certain threshold. Beyond the threshold, the interference will prevent reception of the entire signal.

With regard to testing, most cases of interference to television from the Amateur Radio Service are primarily caused by fundamental overload. In this situation, the TV receiver improperly responds to a strong signal outside its intended band pass. The interference from an HF station can be cured in most cases using common mode chokes and a brute force ac line filter. This should be equally true with DTV. "

Did'nt understand a thing I just read but I hope all of that don't affect my remote control, then I'd really be ------ !! Should I line my cap with tin-foil ??

Yes. And run a wire from the tin foil cap lining to a thumbtack stuck into the heel of your shoe. This will ground out the interferance every time you take a step. If you are in a building with wood floor or other non-grounding material, run outside every once in awhile to re-establish grounding circuit. Especially important if you start to feel a tingling sensation, to get grounded before you experience a catastrophic capacitance discharge. Or nocturnal emmission. Or something.

I have seen the future, and it is not pretty. I have also seen Rosie O'Donnell, and she's no prize, either.

LMAO!!

Paul in MN

Forced upon us by the same people who ran this country into unknown trillions of debt.

All they do is goof everything up they touch !!

Can you still get Ham Radios? I was told they are being outdated with newer technology.

As long as my dsl internet keeps working, I don't give a DAMN what they do with TV.

WHO wants to watch the crap on there anyhow???

I take it that you are not interested in any local news or weather reports.

Better read again as the freqs channel 2-6 and 7-12 will not be used for TV. The new freqs will be higher and bandwidth is wider for the new signals.

""The new digital TV channels are still 6 MHz wide. Furthermore, the frequency allocations from Channel 2 to 51 will also remain the same. The frequency spectrum from Channel 52 and up will be reallocated for other uses."

Thanks Ray. Can't beleive all the wiseass comments to a good question. I have been wondering if a UHF antenna was enough. The answer I got was "MOST" stations would/will be on the UHF. The stations here now are still on their old place and also on the UHF channels.

It's still a bunch of BS of electronics companies paying off government honchos so can sell more stuff. Been told all our city and county radios will have to be changed and updated to some new $1800 radios yes that for one mobile radio not counting all the rest of the equipment and how many all over the nation! All has to be changed and done by 2012. Taxpayers got scruuuueeddd again!!!

EXACTLY!

They are able to dis-associate the channel number with the actual broadcast channel now, so we don't know what frequency (channel) they are on.....

Lower channels (2, 4, 5, ....) don't travel as well, so most every station will end up going into the UHF area - even if some lower segment is available, it won't be used unless some station is desperate or stupid.

My public station is channel 2. Every once in a long while they slip into slot 38-1 & 38-2, so I guess they are broadcasting in HD on channel 38 - tho they will continue to call themselves channel 2.

It is true on the all or nothing. There is no more watching fuzzy channels, which those of us in the boonies were used to. With so much data compressed into a digital signal, it is so very clear when you get it, and so totally unwatchable when you don't. With analog the sound often was the last to go, so you could still hear things through the fuzzy patches. With digital, the sound disappears before the picture does, so if it distorts, you are done for. No more 'pretty good' reception. Weather has _dramatic_ effects on digital - it doesn't come in during rain, snow, or fog. At all.

I think the govt will get an earfull on the 18th of February..... Pretty much pushes 1/2 the people with antennas to go to satilite.

--->Paul

It"s the other way around. The 50-88 Mhz low band frequencies for channels 2 through 6 are "long wave" compared to even the channels 174-225mhz 7-13 let alone the 400+ mhz 14-51 channels.
Channels 2-6 will skip on the ionosphere or tunnel in under a weather inversion before any other bands.
In any case a filter to cut FM radio and pager frequencies is often required.
Try a yagi antenna with a rotor to null out some of the interference. For clearer TV, Ham radio or scanner reception.

I want to know which law makers voted for this in the first place.

Now on some of the stations I used to watch I get a constantly interrupted signal that drives me nuts. Used to watch with maybe a very little snow. The PBS stations seem to have suffered the most.

So lately there are advertisements on TV telling me I need to not only get the converter box but also either an outdoor antenna or a certain type of indoor one installed in the attic. I have vaulted ceilings so I guess I get to spend how much on a new outdoor antenna that still won't work when it rains or the wind blows.

I remember the stupid bill and the first couple times it was proposed it failed but persistence paid and Best Buy won. Who voted for it the first couple times and what promises were made to get the other needed votes? Also, anyone know what year this vote took place?

I believe there have been some misunderstandings. either by the ham association, or by the people interpreting their info. The lower bands (2-51) are moving to UHF frequencies. They are available using UHF only antennas. In many areas there are low powered tv stations (college, community, etc.) that will still be on the same frequencies, but high powered commercial stations will move, and all of them are on the new bands now, though some or not at full power.