Are we screwing up by only talking about UHF antennas for digital TV? Are we forcing our customers to have new antenna installations in a few years by putting in UHF only systems now?

I have heard on this forum that there are some places in the US where digital channels are on VHF. After the deadline where all TV stations have to be broadcasting in digital, and they cease analog, won't that leave the VHF channels empty? Won't additional digital channels come in to fill those?

If there will be digital channels on VHF, I would much rather tell my customer that I am preparing him for the future and install a VHF/UHF system now, rather than have to sheepishly tell him in a few years,

"Oh, well, sorry, I didn't realize that there would be digital on VHF. Oh, yeah, sorry again, but I can't put the combo antenna where I put that nice little Square Shooter, so you will have to pay for an extensive installation now. Right, I know I could have done this right when you were building the house five years ago, but I didn't think about it."

My guess is that telling your customers that you want to put up an eight foot long antenna on their roof because you think that maybe someday they might use it would be met with a bit of disdain.

Ernie,

for what it's worth, I'm not hearing anything VALID about VHF being a reliable, or widely used, medium for the carriage of HDTV signals...

I did a little snooping around www.antennaweb.org a while back, and was VERY hard pressed to find much HD on VHF...

avdude

Our local ABC-DT is on 5-1. The only VHF in town. They are in a different location (so two ants). One VHF and one UHF with a combiner, while not the perfect setup it will do. VHF carries farther with the same power as UHF, I just don't care for the length of VHF ants.

I probobly dont count because I'm in a Major Market with a VHF HD Station (CBS)....

all my Installations involves UHF/VHF Antennas. ANd for what its worth, In chicago, the Square Shooter picks up CHannel 2 (Broadcast VHF CH3)just fine. WInegard does indeed advertise it as a UHF/VHF Antenna.

It's my understanding that the use of VHF for some HD programming transmission is a temporary thing.

Apparently the FCC waved the requirement for some stations to be online with UHF HD due to the fact that they were unable to obtain the services of a company to erect the needed towers.

I asked about this locally (local station engineer) and was told that it is indeed the case.

True or not?

Your guess is as good as mine....

I dont think you will need VHF.
In the future it will be sabotaged by the government and used for cells, 2-way radios, etc. Anyone?

Impaqt. True.
Most any comprehensive system would include a U/V antenna.
Modulated TV systems with RF satellite receivers and an off-air antenna are the way to go!!!!!!
Folks, Can you feel the IMPAQT?

in our market our abc affiliate is on vhf if they change that in the future who knows or cares hd is here now.

I'm in your market Ernie (greater Los Angeles) and if I'm erecting an antenna, it's always both UHF and VHF. So far as I know, the FCC has not re-allocated the VHF bandwidth yet. There was some talk about making it low wattage local access, but nothing firm. Not sure why I would need 7 channels of Fullerton TV, but with a monster antenna, I would receive it. If they re-assign VHF TV bandwidth to another industry, then I've wasted my time, and my clients money. It's just hard to tell what's going to happen at this point.

Sounds like a pretty good reason for this thread, huh? That's pretty much what I had in mind!



I don't see any reason why it would be any less reliable. It is a matter of bandwidth and noise, I think, and VHF has served rather well in that regard; UHF has always been on the fringe (pun intended) performance-wise.

And of course DTV is put on UHF! In my market, we have 2,4,5,7,9,11,13; where would you stick a digital station in there? You have to make it UHF until those frequencies are clear. That is the other reason for this thread.

Here in Miami we have FOX HD in channel 8 and ABC HD in channel 9. I use Channel Master's Stealhtenna all around the Miami area with good results and get a strong signals in both VHF and UHF

Well, enough said. I am going to be advising my customers that it looks like all the HD that they will need is now in the UHF band, and that we do not know what will happen in the VHF band. They will be fine for several years, which will take care of most customers.