FCC REPORT ON DTV AVAILIBILTY HERES THE STORY

[PowerDNSTech]

The FCC has issued a report showing the coverage maps for all full-service TV facilities.


The report includes 1,749 stations that have both an analog and DTV facility and 69 stations having only DTV facilities.

The maps show each station’s digital TV coverage as compared to its analog TV coverage (except for the 69 DTV-only stations) within each Nielson Designated Market Area.

One map is presented for each TV station. The report also includes nationwide maps showing coverage for the ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and PBS networks.
Here's the links:
Map Book of All Full-Power Digital Television Stations Authorized by the FCC
Map Book For Full-Power Digital Television Stations Having Significant Changes in Coverage

 

[riffjim4069]

Great Info, thanks! According to the report, local reception will improve in 89% of the country.

 

[Art7220]

I don't think those readings are accurate though.

 

[Stargazer]

I also do not think those readings are accurate. I think the areas that had trouble getting signal before due to terrain and trees will have even more problems.

 

[KE4EST]

I agree.

 

[Jim S.]

They must be using some funky definition for viewability of an analog signal! That's the only thing I can think of to reconcile this contradiction:

1) If the digital signal is such a miraculous improvement as is commonly claimed, availability should improve everywhere, yet they have some areas tagged for losing availability.

2) As logic would dictate, the lower transmission power should lead to lost availability, yet they have many areas tagged as gaining availability.

 

[Bulldog]

They must be using some funky definition for viewability of an analog signal! That's the only thing I can think of to reconcile this contradiction:

1) If the digital signal is such a miraculous improvement as is commonly claimed, availability should improve everywhere, yet they have some areas tagged for losing availability.

2) As logic would dictate, the lower transmission power should lead to lost availability, yet they have many areas tagged as gaining availability.

On your number 2; it's called "Digital Vapor Signal Wave"

 

[jegrant]

I wish they would allow stations to use Single Frequency Networks to serve their entire DMA, not merely to replicate the coverage of the most powerful station in the market. Keeping repeaters on the same frequency as the main channel would eliminate most concerns about knocking LPTV or Class A off the dial, and would allow OTA broadcasters, especially in large or oddly shaped DMAs, to truly serve the entire population.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

I do not buy these findings, I know here in Connecticut, people who can receive analog channels like WTNH ABC and WFSB CBS can't pick up their Digital versions. In fact the drop off point for these digital signals is not to far away from the transmitters.

Lets see how accuarate these signal maps are come February 17th, as I have a feeling a lot of people are going to find out the hard way when the analog signals are killed.

 

[drdroo]

Many of the Digital channels are on UHF right now and will be taking over the VHF allocations where analog is right now after the switch. I don't think the current Digital coverage is indicative of the post-switchover coverage.

That's not to say that these local carriers shouldn't be covering MORE of their 'licensed market', it just means that we won't really know what we have until after then.

The LP and translator folks are still screwed for now, since most of these guys will still be on analog until the channels decide to upgrade themselves. They're not under any obligation to upgrade these by any particular date at the moment.

My big curiosity is what will happen to FOX once ABC moves to VHF from UHF. Our FOX is on the ABC subchannel right now, and once ABC vacates to go to VHF, that should mean they have enough bandwidth for FOX to go HD. However, FOX is an analog LP channel, so really we could still be sitting here watching NFL in SD.

I'm sure many other people in the US are in the same boat as me. FOX is in HD on cable, but not over the air. We have a similar situation for CW here, but I couldn't give less of a crap about CW.

 

[philhu]

If the digital channels are moving back to VHF, and some aren't, then what does the whole analog to digital buy the country?

If channels are still allocated to the same market and no frequencies are released for other uses then why not just stay on analog tv?

 

[drdroo]

If the digital channels are moving back to VHF, and some aren't, then what does the whole analog to digital buy the country?

I believe the upper UHF band is what is now known as the 700mhz spectrum for rural broadband and telecom. This would all be vacated for that.

If channels are still allocated to the same market and no frequencies are released for other uses then why not just stay on analog tv?

They would release the unused UHF spectrum when they move to VHF. The only people still on UHF ultimately are going to be LP and Translators, or Digital channels that don't also own a VHF allocation.

 

[Jim5506]

Channels 53-69 will be used for other purposes, no TV on those channels.

Digital TV has a better picture (even SD), especially HD.

Digital broadcasts are not subject to co-channel interference, so in the same market you can and do have adjacent channels broadcasting.

 

[navychop]

They are releasing some channels to other uses. Everything above 51, IIRC. We used to have channels up to 83.

 

[navychop]

.... The only people still on UHF ultimately are going to be LP and Translators, or Digital channels that don't also own a VHF allocation.

Nope. After the transition, we will have more UHF stations than ever.

BTW, most of the world has plans to repurpose all of the VHF band to other uses, making all DTV UHF.

 

[drdroo]

Nope. After the transition, we will have more UHF stations than ever.

I don't think that's going to be the case here in Rural land. UHF channels don't cover enough land here in the sticks. The only reason why FOX is on UHF is because they couldn't get a VHF slot. The reason why they're not HD is because they had no way to get another allocation for HD from the FCC since they were so late to the game for their analog slot (so they claim).

BTW, most of the world has plans to repurpose all of the VHF band to other uses, making all DTV UHF.

Yet our ABC and NBC are moving to VHF on Feb 17th in 'post transition' to where they are now for analog. AntennaWeb . Apparently VHF is still going to be alive and well here.

At my friends place in NJ (Near NYC) CW, 2 PBS stations and ABC will be moving to VHF as well.

 

[dlsnyder]

Channels 53-69 will be used for other purposes, no TV on those channels.

Digital TV has a better picture (even SD), especially HD.

Digital broadcasts are not subject to co-channel interference, so in the same market you can and do have adjacent channels broadcasting.

They are still susceptible to co-channel interference but adjacent channel interference is no longer an issue with digital. In spite of adjacent channel interference, here in the LA area there have been adjacent analog channels for some time. The one that seems the weirdest to me is KVCR-TV, a full power broadcaster on channel 24. On channel 25 is KBLM, a LPTV broadcaster. Now here's the weird part - they are both located on Box Springs Mountain, high above Moreno Valley. KVCR has a cardioid pattern that serves most of the Inland Empire and a great deal of LA County and Orange County. KBLM has a signal that is narrowly focused south and serves Moreno Valley and Perris. I live about 5 miles from the transmitter, and until recently could barely pick it up because of the adjacent channel interference. Now when KVCR goes digital all this will change. There are a number of LPTV applications for the Inland Empire and Los Angeles areas. There is going to be an explosion of analog broadcasting once analog broadcasting has ceased.

 

[granny]

FCC de N0UXN re yr website and broadcast HDTV

sorry, dudes, but I live right by the transmission tower for KATU (PDX) and CBS and can only get channel 8 on HDTV and I'M PISS'd. Terk TV 155 and ZENITH (ha ha to you too it's korean LG) does not bring the signal in. You force my hand. Also your web site it hard to use. Sorry. New OBAMA FCC dude, please DO SOMETHING.

--gwm

 

[Stargazer]

There are people that are able to get analog stations in as clear as a whistle but not the digital stations in at all. Many of these people are on hilltops and I have seen this with my own eyes. There is definitely something wrong with that picture.

Funny thing is, other folks are able to get digital stations in that could not get some of the analog stations in before. It is very strange. A guy on a hill above my house gets two stations that I cannot get and I get two stations that he cannot get and I am next to a hill and have hills all around me. It doesn't make any sense except for the fact that these signals are working differently than what the analog signals have. It requires more to lock in any signal at all or the digital stations are not full power yet? If they are not full power yet then how do we know if they are or when they will be?

 

[TNGTony]

The old definition for a channel being "viewable" in an area was:
Half of the households are able to receive the channel half of the time using an antenna specifically cut for that channel on a 20 foot pole IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET where the household is located.

At least for me, the maps seem pretty accurate in this area.

I do know that some channels that I could never get before on analog (not even a whisper) I get "most" of the time now on digital--specifically channels 14 WPTO and 54 WCVN. Once the channels move to their "real" digital channels and there is no analog adjacent channel interference that may improve. Right now I cannot receive two channels on their digital locations that I can receive on analog (WPTD 16 and WBDT) but both these channels are slated to move from temporary digital channel assignments to their "real" channels. I guess I'll have to wait until Feb 17 to see if the move helps that any.