FCC To Repack Channels

[Jeffhs]

Since I don't bother with OTA television signals anymore (I watch all my TV via streaming video, DVDs and VHS, having cable on my account only so my Roku's TWC TV app will bring in local channels), the repack does not now and will not, ever, concern me in the least.

BTW, I've been wondering about channel 37. If this channel was never intended to (and in fact is forbidden to) be used as a TV broadcast frequency in this country, why do TVs still tune it? There should have been a way to block that channel somehow, whether by mechanically blocking the tuner at 37 (meaning the tuner would go from 14-36 and then 38-83, with a blank spot on the tuning dial on the front of the set where channel 37 would have been) or any other method so that the tuner would skip that channel. I guess the only reason those continuous UHF tuners even tuned channel 37 at all is due to the nature of continuous tuning; now that I think of it, it would be almost impossible to design any continuous TV tuner such that it would skip any channel. Even the old Zenith varactor tuning systems in their early 1980s TVs could tune to channel 37, and in fact there was a tab for that channel which could be inserted in one of the blank UHF channel positions (U1-U6).

The only other thing I can come up with is that broadcast use of channel 37 in Canada was in fact permitted, with stations on the air on that channel in some cities. I never saw one when I was still watching TV using an antenna, but of course that doesn't mean there might have been at least one channel 37 station north of the border.

I am only guessing at this, of course, since I don't know how Canada's TV broadcasting rules are set up. It could be, however, that use of channel 37 for TV in Canada in some areas near the US border would in fact be forbidden, if the authorities (Canada's "FCC") thought a Canadian station on that channel might interfere with U. S. radio astronomy operations.

[old_tv_nut]

Originally Posted by Jeffhs

BTW, I've been wondering about channel 37.
...
It could be, however, that use of channel 37 for TV in Canada in some areas near the US border would in fact be forbidden, if the authorities (Canada's "FCC") thought a Canadian station on that channel might interfere with U. S. radio astronomy operations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_37

Besides the somewhat spotty ban, receiver makers probably found it easier to include the capability rather than explain to buyers that they didn't need it.

[jr_tech]

Incomplete information now, but a searchable database from National association of Broadcasters:

http://www.nab.org/repacking/clearinghouse.asp

Check out your area, if listed.

jr

[NowhereMan 1966]

Originally Posted by jr_tech

Incomplete information now, but a searchable database from National association of Broadcasters:

http://www.nab.org/repacking/clearinghouse.asp

Check out your area, if listed.

jr

I checked my area, I live in the Steubenville/Wheeling area so no changes there, I jut get VHF channels 7 and 9, "that's it, Fort Pitt." If I was on a hill, I might get some of the stations from ym old home, the Pittsburgh area but I live on a valley so I only get two channels, but at least one GOOD thing about the digital transition is we get Fox, ABC and MeTV on the subchannels along with CBS and NBC on the main. However, I did look at the Pittsburgh area changes as well as Youngstown and Johnstown area nearby and noticed some of the channels are on the same channel or adjacent to each other. I know Youngstown stations come into Pittsburgh quite a bit, us kids used to watch the "Money Movie" on WKBN 27 Youngstown when we were kids and teenagers during the summer when we were not outside. Given that, I had a thought at what "weisenheimer" thought of that idea to reband channels where you can have co-channel interference or adjacent channel problems. That's about s wise as the FRC (then Federal Radio Commission) putting all commercial stations on 360 meters and farm station on 485 meters in 1921.

[Jeffhs]

I am 30 miles outside Cleveland, and some 35-40 miles from the city's TV towers.

I saw the FCC repack database as well; however, I found no listing whatsoever for Cleveland's CBS station on channel 19. I looked under all three options, but no luck. I was hoping I'd see it, with perhaps a move to a channel above 10, so that I could get the station using an antenna. As it stands, I do not get channel 19 on an antenna, almost certainly because of its DTV channel being channel 10. I am not certain by a long shot whether the repack will result in the station's DTV channel being moved to a channel above 10, or whether it will be moved to another VHF channel; only time will tell.

Oh well. I guess I shouldn't be concerned about the issue; after all, since I watch TV via streaming video (Roku, with the Spectrum TV app) and not OTA, it almost certainly will not matter to me where channel 19's DTV signal winds up after the repack. However, I will continue to follow the progress of the overall repack, just out of curiosity as to where the remaining TV stations not listed in this database will be moved in the RF spectrum. My best guess is most stations now on VHF DTV channels will be moved to UHF stations, in order to clear the VHF television spectrum entirely.

[DavGoodlin]

This rearrangement of channels will affect some areas more. A few I can think of is Baltimore with two UHF at 40 and 46, and Wilkes-Barre Scranton with three of thiers at 41, 45 and 50.

I would be OK with expanding to more subchannels on the remaining allocated VHF and UHF-low freqs, but to shift frequencies to a crowded band should not be left to the FCC.

FCC already has worsened co-channel issues (Between NYC and Baltimore) when VHF DTV channels 11 and 13 were ALSO assigned to the other two Wilkes-Barre/Scranton stations that were on UHF pre-digital. Between Baltimore and W-B-S, I can select which pair of these I get with a rotator and a deep-fringe (big) antenna with amp.

Having one strong local and three other medium-strength VHF channels is hard enough to work around with in-home broadcast equipment.