well if no one wants 54 to 88MHZ, I guess it can always be given to the
amateur allocations?
That isn't likely to happen right.
73
Colin, V A6BKX
----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin McCormick" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 10:35 AM
Subject: Re: digital tv and ict90
> Richard Fiorello writes:
> >The fact that the ict90 was preprogrammed with tv audio was a nice extra.
> >If I understand things correctly that will be history come next year.
>
> Someone asked what we would hear in place of the audio.
> A good guess is nothing much. When the analog VHF channels go
> dark next February, we will probably not hear anything for years
> because it will take that long for industry and government to
> agree on what to use some of those bands for. The commercial and
> public safety folks all want pieces of 700 and 800 and up
> spectrum for cell phones and other similar gadgets but who's
> going to want 54 through 88 megahertz?
>
> It may turn out to be useful for Part15-style devices
> such as wireless microphones and baby monitors, etc. It
> certainly won't be as good for cell phones and wireless PDA's as
> UHF.
>
> So, for a long time, you won't hear anything except hiss
> and a little RFI from computers and computer networks and then,
> when something does finally occupy the frequencies, it may be
> digital such as pagers or data networks.
>
> >As for digital converters, does the converter have its own remote or can
> >you still use your own tv remote?
>
> They will be like the cable box you may have had to give
> cable capability to your older televisions. You set the
> television to an unused channel in the area such as 3 or 4 and
> then you do all your tuning and channel changing via the
> converter box.
>
>
> >Also, apparently most channel numbers will change. If this is indeed the
> >case it should be an interesting learning curve for some.
>
> That is the thing I mentioned in a previous message. The
> digital channels send out a code that tells your receiver that X
> digital channel is paired with Y analog channel which makes it
> easier for the viewer to know where to look. The viewer doesn't
> have to think about such things as the fact that in Oklahoma
> City, Channel 13's digital channel is 32. He or she just hits
> the Program button on their digital converter box or tuner and
> it finds all the signals automatically so that when you want to
> watch Channel 13's digital channel, you just enter 13.1 and it
> knows to switch the actual RF tuner to UHF Channel 32.
>
> >Does anyone know why this is being mandated? Is there a similar
requirement
> >in other countries?
>
> Oh yes. It is being done all over the world and
> several countries are a bit ahead of the United States and some
> have yet to start but are thinking about it.
>
> I read where Mexico is also starting the digital switch
> but hasn't set a firm date for switchover.
>
> As for why? It is true that money is behind the change
> but it was going to happen sooner or later.
>
> It was once said that if we wanted high-definition TV,
> it would take about 20 megahertz per channel and there flat
> isn't any spectrum available for that kind of bandwidth
> anywhere. Japan experimented with analog high-definition
> television, but most countries' equivalent of the FCC or
> Industry Canada said a firm and emphatic NO to requests for huge
> blocks of frequencies and that was way before the explosion of
> cell phones and wireless networks.
>
> Now that we've got digital processing capability that
> can create high-def pictures out of information that doesn't
> take up any more bandwidth than a standard TV channel, the push
> really started. Blame technology advances if you want to blame
> anything.
>
> I think I have seen glimpses of the future right here in
> Stillwater, Oklahoma which is a college town about 50 Mines
> North of Oklahoma City. In this area, TV channels 9 and 13 are
> strong out of Oklahoma City and Tulsa channels 8 and 11 are weak but
> receivable. Channels 7, 10 and 12 were virtually empty but would
> occasionally have skip signals from other cities in them.
>
> I have heard a handful of wireless microphones from the
> campus in the pass band of Channels 10 and 12. They probably
> don't cause any problem since nobody is trying to receive TV on
> those channels and the signals from the wireless mikes are only
> audible for a few blocks.
>
> I imagine that some of that VHF spectrum will be used
> for these type devices.
>
> As for Channel 7, it now has the digital version of
> Oklahoma City's Channel 5 so it is full of something for now.
>
> I hope this answers some questions. I do not work in
> broadcasting, but majored in it in college so try to follow what
> is going on.
>
> Martin McCormick WB5AGZ Stillwater, OK
> Systems Engineer
> OSU Information Technology Department Network Operations Group
>
>
>
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