Here is an idle curiosity type of question: As I understand it, right now a station such as KFOR in OKC (for example) is broadcasting analog signals on VHF channel 4 and digital signals on UHF channel 27. After that station makes the digital switchover next week, it will then start broadcasting digital signals on a (presumably) new digital-capable VHF transmitter tuned to channel 4, yes? If so, what are stations like KFOR going to do with the digital-capable UHF transmitters they have been using for the last few years? I presume the old analog-capable VHF transmitters will be consigned to the junk pile (or recycler, I hope), but I have to think the digital-capable UHF transmitters they have been using still have some life left in them, yes? Can a UHF transmitter be retuned electronically to start broadcasting on a VHF channel easily? Anyone know?
Main Pages
Forums
- KFOR reception problems in SW Oklahoma?, 21 days ago
- TV antena breakover mast, 144 days ago
- Cox added 5 new HD channels on 10-27, 146 days ago
- Fall 2011 schedule, 154 days ago
- KTUL news goes HD, 171 days ago
- Dear KOKH…, 225 days ago
- Suddenlink Local HD Channels Down, 436 days ago
- Is Koco news in HD, 485 days ago
- Cox making changes to OnDemand, 546 days ago
- Links to forums no longer appears on main page, 586 days ago
RSS Links
Categories
- 3D (7)
- Ada/Ardmore (25)
- Administration (32)
- Audio (2)
- Blu-Ray (18)
- Cable TV (75)
- Commentary (4)
- DLP Theaters (3)
- DTV Switchover (28)
- DVR (1)
- Equipment (575)
- Eufaula (9)
- Finance (2)
- For Sale (32)
- HD-DVD (27)
- Low Power (3)
- News (5)
- OETA (46)
- Oklahoma City (1084)
- Opinion (4)
- Production (45)
- Programming (1154)
- Retail (13)
- Satellite (60)
- Sherman-Ada (7)
- Sightings (100)
- Site News (31)
- Thunder (3)
- Tulsa (401)
- U-Verse (4)
- Wichita Falls/Lawton (105)
Programming
Local Digital Television
Stations highlighted in Green have operational digital television stations. Stations are listed in the order it was first reported here that they were testing or broadcasting over the air.
Networks highlighted in Purple broadcast at least some high definition programming some days and most nights.
Channel Numbers highlighted in Red are multicasting — offering multiple sub channels on one DTV station. If it's not listed, we just don't know about it yet. Contact us
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City DTV
Network DTV Station NBC 27 KFOR-DT IND 51 KSBI-DT ABC 7 KOCO-DT ION 50 KOPX-DT FOX 24 KOKH-DT WB 33 KOCB-DT TBN 15 KTBO-DT PBS 32 KETA-DT CBS 39 KWTV-DT UPN 40 KAUT-DT Tulsa DTV
Network DTV Station NBC 56 KJRH-DT CBS 55 KOTV-DT ION 28 KTPX-DT FOX 22 KOKI-DT IND 49 KGEB-DT UPN 42 KTFO-DT ABC 10 KTUL-DT IND 48 KWHB-DT PBS 38 KOED-DT WB 55-2 KWBT-DT Ada, OK/Ardmore, OK
Network DTV Station CBS 20 KXII-DT NBC 26 KTEN-DT Bartlesville, OK
Network DTV Station TBN 15 KDOR-DT Cheyenne, OK
Network DTV Station PBS 8 KWET-DT Claremore, OK
Network DTV Station IND 35 KRSC-DT Eufaula, OK
Network DTV Station PBS 31 KOET-DT Shawnee, OK
Network DTV Station IND 29 KQOK-DT Surrounding States
Fort Smith, AR
Network DTV Station ABC 21 KHBS-DT CBS 18 KFSM-DT NBC 27 KPOM-DT PBS 45 KAFT-DT Wichita Falls, TX/Lawton, OK
Network DTV Station ABC 11 KSWO-DT CBS 22 KAUZ-DT Fox 15 KJTL-DT NBC 28 KFDX-DT
10 Comments
Actually, KFOR is staying on 27.1 UHF. A better example would be KWTV, which is using 37.1 UHF now, but going back to 9.1 VHF. The UHF transmitter will become surplus.
I don’t think a transmitter cares if it’s analog or digital, but some operate at a higher power than others. That may be why KWTV and OETA are going back to their VHF transmitters and channels.
Really? Interesting. I am a little surprised that KFOR 4 would stick with its UHF channel 27 transmitter as I thought at least one of the reasons stations wanted to go ahead with the digital conversion was that they could cover the same broadcast area with fewer watts of power (thus a lower electric bill) using a VHF channel such as 4 versus a UHF channel such as 27.
I’m not doubting what you wrote, I’m just surprised.
KWTV and OETA will use 9 and 13 for DT, because high VHF (7-13)is more desirable than UHF for a number of reasons.
Very few U. S. TV stations plan to use the least desirable low VHF (2-6).
The last time I checked with the FCC, only about 16 (yes, 16) stations of 1600 planned 2-6 for DT. As I remember, most of the 16 chose ch 6, which is most desirable of low VHF. I’m a little surprised that the FCC does not reclaim low VHF.
You KWTV and OETA engineers please confirm.
I can tell you with certainty that UHF and VHF are completely different transmitters. You can’t use a UHF and retune to a VHF and same goes the other way. It’s a very small percentage of analog transmitters that can be re-used for DTV transmission. I can’t get into specifics, but trust me. As for the old analog transmitters that can’t be used for DTV transmission, I’m sure most will get scrapped. You have to remember, most transmitters out their are 10+ years old, and alot are 20+ years or older being held together with black tape and a prayer, that’s about the average life expectancy of a transmitter. For those that think we are in a hurry to sell these transmitters overseas…guess again…no demand.
fox25eng you are going to stay on uhf channel 24 and 33 or go back to your reg numbers 25 or 34 uhf? thanks
quanah or fox25eng (or anyone who knows and can satisfy my curiosity)–
What is it about the low VHF stations (2 through 6) that makes them less desirable? Or, conversely, what is about the high VHF stations (7-13?) that makes them more desirable?
I thought VHF was desirable over UHF because a VHF transmitter required less power to cover the same geographic area with a usable signal than a UHF transmitter required. If that is correct (and maybe it isn’t), wouldn’t it logically follow that low VHF should be preferable over high VHF?
(Layman’s terms, please. Talk to me like I’m 4.)
UHF is a higher band 470-890 mhz. LESS noise better for HD less dropouts if you live like me 60+ miles away because channel 5 sucks and i’m sure 9 and 13 will do the same in a lighting strom.
2-6 are highly susceptable to electrical interference (impulse flashes, et al). The state of Oklahoma is especilly high air electrical interference region.
Very early in the TV days the FCC recovered ch 1, because it was almost unusuable in many areas. 2 was somewhat better.
When DT showed up, I thought digital transmission would eliminate the problems of low VHF interference. Not so. Now we seem to have blocking and freezing in high electrical interference areas on low VHF.
Many old first big market stations use ch 2. That’s what everyone wanted in the early days.
Late comer ABC wound up the big winner. ABC had to “settle” for ch 7s all over the country.
4 and 5 frequencies are going the dodo bird route in OKC, Dallas, Salt Lake City, Chicago and a number of other markets. 3 and 6 go away in Wichita Falls.
foxengineer, What you say above is precisly what my studies tell me. Thank you.
Maximum video power for low VHF analog was set at 100,000 watts. Maximum for high VHF analog was set at 316,000 watts. There’s a goodsized skip between 6 and 7, including the entire FM radio band.
Lawton’s KSWO sister KXXV in Waco has been using 25 analog at 5,000,000 watts and 26 DT at maximum 1,000,000 watts, with about the same coverage. Big, big skip between ch 13 and 14. KXXV is dying to turn this analog klunker off. Texas electric rates are about double that of Oklahoma. KXXV tells me they’ll save $200,000 per year after turnoff.
A number of VHF analogs around the country are now broadcasting at reduced power.
I used to have a real nice roof antenna years ago and I would occasionally get Channel 2 out of Tulsa here in Oklahoma City during the summer months. Ham Radio operators call it skip. But that is one of the reasons they were restricted to lower transmit power on those channels, since it could interfere with a Channel 2 in another city.
The TV channels 6 and below are going to be re-cycled for public safety two-way communications and other groups looking for new radio spectrum. A lot of those folks waiting for the TV channels to open up really screamed foul when the cut-off date was move back to June.