[BC] Repacking the TV band

[Robert Meuser]

On 6/28/12 9:05 AM, Leon D. Zetekoff wrote:
> Two problems which have most likely been mentioned:
>
> 1. Stations running less power (most likely) than when they were analog

What is missed in such comments is that DTV is based on average power 
while analog TV transmission was based on peak power. DTV peak power is 
6 DB more than the average.
>
> 2. Receiver sensitivity sucks.

I strongly disagree. This may have been the case at one time. My 
original DTV was a Sony CRT Trinitron and it had reception issues. It 
did not work with rabbit ears (no analog set at my location ever worked 
with rabbit ears). Just for fun I bought a flat fractal omni antenna and 
it got a few stations but nothing close to the tuner in a Tivo which as 
a number of years newer.  The Tivo/fractal antenna reception was so good 
I dropped cable.  The Sony got taken out during the storms last week so 
I bought a new Samsung Smart TV (LED thin flat screen). Just for fun I 
connected the fractal to the Samsung and did a scan. It picked up 10 
additional RF signals (not virtual channels) than did the Tivo. These 
were LPTV stations I never knew existed. I had to go to the FCC database 
to figure out where they were. None were located at the obvious 
transmitter locations for the area.  Of course it is connected to the 
web so it does Hulu, Netflix and other video services in HD as well.

I know some people who live who live further away and have older sets 
who are also very happy with OTA as received on a fractal.

>
> I'm using an electronically tuned antenna as I have it in my attic and I have visibility to three tv markets. It is a royal pita to rotate the antenna to pick up signals. I have been a directv subscriber since living in Florida (now outside reading, pa) but they're not carrying certain hd streams and force a puky SD rendition.
An omni would work better or three bowties, one for each market summed 
together. Scanning when multiple markets are involved is probably the 
biggest problem confusing many consumers. The use of an old analog 
antenna is also often an issue. Old habits die hard sometimes.