In article ,
George wrote:

Don Bruder wrote:
In article ,
Robert Neville wrote:

Jimw wrote:

By the way, are there any decent antenna amplifiers for DTV, or does a
person just use the standard UHF VHF amps they always sold?
There is no difference between the analog and digital signal for antenna
or
amplification. Anyone selling "digital" is selling snakeoil.

Correct so far.

The only difference would be for those who are using a VHF only antenna
today
and have digital transmitters that are going to stay in the UHF band.

Partly correct, but for exactly the opposite reason you think. VHF
antennas will indeed become essentially useless. However, this is
because *ALL* digital transmitters are already on UHF (though some are
operating at lower-than-licensed power levels) and will stay there.


There is a station that holds and uses a DT license on VHF in my home
market and I can think of at least 3 more markets that have DT operating
on VHF.

A dollar says that what you've actually got is a station in your market
that has the DT license, transmits its primary signal on VHF in analog,
("business as usual") and operates a UHF "translator" (possibly at a
reduced power level) that's simulcasting the same material as the
analog/VHF signal (and probably one or more "extra" sub-channels) in
digital on the UHF frequency. When the switch hits, expect the VHF
signal to go dead.

The whole point of the switch is to get broadcast TV off the VHF bands
so they can be used for other purposes. Leaving some stations on VHF
would defeat that purpose. ("low power" stations are the exception -
While I haven't been interested enough to chase down exactly what makes
a "low power" station, it's a pretty safe bet that they're all so
"quiet" they won't cause anything but minimal, if any, interference with
whatever use the VHF band gets put to after the switch is completed.)

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