Disply Wiki Entry

Television Broadcast

Over-the-air television broadcasting in the United States uses the following spectrum. Each TV channel is 6 MHz wide. Digital broadcasting is by the ATSC standard. Some Low Power Television (LPTV), TV translators, and Class A television stations continue to broadcast in analog mode using the NTSC standard, but are mandated to transition to digital by September 1, 2015; however, the FCC has proposed extending this deadline in document FCC 14-151 (available under the related documents section).

VHF TV
54-72 MHz:	Channels 2-4
76-88 MHz:	Channels 5-6
174-216 MHz:	Channels 7-13

UHF TV
470-512 MHz:	Channels 14-20 (may be used for land mobile in major cities; see below)
512-608 MHz:	Channels 21-36
608-614 MHz:	Channel 37 (not used for TV broadcasting)
614-698 MHz:	Channels 38-51

Portions of channels 14-20 (470-512 MHz) are used by the Private Land Mobile Radio Service (PLMRS) in the following metropolitan areas:

Boston MA	channels 14 & 16
Chicago IL	channels 14 & 15
Dallas/Ft. Worth TX	channel 16
Houston TX	channel 17
Los Angeles CA	channels 14, 16 & 20
Miami FL	channel 14
New York NY/NE New Jersey	channels 14-16
Philadelphia PA	channels 19 & 20
Pittsburgh PA	channels 14 & 18
San Francisco-Oakland CA	channels 16 & 17
Washington DC	channels 17 & 18

PLMRS service is allowed by the FCC's rules in Cleveland OH (14 & 15) and Detroit MI (15 & 16), but interference issues with Canada prevent PLMRS from being deployed there. A useful characteristic of digital (ATSC) signals is the addition of a narrowband pilot tone on the RF carrier. The pilot tone is at a nominal frequency of 309.440559441 kHz above the bottom edge of the channel, although the FCC may require small frequency offsets on a station-by-station basis to avoid interference between pilot tones of co-channel TV stations. Ancillary uses of the pilot tones include, for example, monitoring for sudden enhanced propagation events, such as meteor burst or sporadic E.

Channelized Bands
Band	Channel	Use	Service	Table
54 - 60 MHz	2	Broadcast Television (VHF)	Broadcasting	N
60 - 66 MHz	3	Broadcast Television (VHF)	Broadcasting	N
66 - 72 MHz	4	Broadcast Television (VHF)	Broadcasting	N
76 - 82 MHz	5	Broadcast Television (VHF)	Broadcasting	N
82 - 88 MHz	6	Broadcast Television (VHF)	Broadcasting	N
174 - 180 MHz	7	Broadcast Television (VHF)	Broadcasting	N
180 - 186 MHz	8	Broadcast Television (VHF)	Broadcasting	N
186 - 192 MHz	9	Broadcast Television (VHF)	Broadcasting	N
192 - 198 MHz	10	Broadcast Television (VHF)	Broadcasting	N
198 - 204 MHz	11	Broadcast Television (VHF)	Broadcasting	N
204 - 210 MHz	12	Broadcast Television (VHF)	Broadcasting	N
210 - 216 MHz	13	Broadcast Television (VHF)	Broadcasting	N
470 - 476 MHz	14	Broadcast Television (UHF) (may be used for land mobile in major metro areas)	Broadcasting	N
476 - 482 MHz	15	Broadcast Television (UHF) (may be used for land mobile in major metro areas)	Broadcasting	N
482 - 488 MHz	16	Broadcast Television (UHF) (may be used for land mobile in major metro areas)	Broadcasting	N
488 - 494 MHz	17	Broadcast Television (UHF) (may be used for land mobile in major metro areas)	Broadcasting	N
494 - 500 MHz	18	Broadcast Television (UHF) (may be used for land mobile in major metro areas)	Broadcasting	N
500 - 506 MHz	19	Broadcast Television (UHF) (may be used for land mobile in major metro areas)	Broadcasting	N
506 - 512 MHz	20	Broadcast Television (UHF) (may be used for land mobile in major metro areas)	Broadcasting	N
512 - 518 MHz	21	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
518 - 524 MHz	22	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
524 - 530 MHz	23	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
530 - 536 MHz	24	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
536 - 542 MHz	25	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
542 - 548 MHz	26	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
548 - 554 MHz	27	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
554 - 560 MHz	28	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
560 - 566 MHz	29	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
566 - 572 MHz	30	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
572 - 578 MHz	31	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
578 - 584 MHz	32	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
584 - 590 MHz	33	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
590 - 596 MHz	34	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
596 - 602 MHz	35	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
602 - 608 MHz	36	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
614 - 620 MHz	38	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
620 - 626 MHz	39	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
626 - 632 MHz	40	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
632 - 638 MHz	41	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
638 - 644 MHz	42	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
644 - 650 MHz	43	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
650 - 656 MHz	44	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
656 - 662 MHz	45	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
662 - 668 MHz	46	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
668 - 674 MHz	47	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
674 - 680 MHz	48	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
680 - 686 MHz	49	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
686 - 692 MHz	50	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N
692 - 698 MHz	51	Broadcast Television (UHF)	Broadcasting	N

External Links:

ATSC Digital TV Standard

FCC TV station query

Spectrum Tour: U.S. Digital TV (551 MHz) (Prof. Steve Ellingson)

SpectrumWiki