Radio World - April 8, 2009 - (Page 30) 30 Radio World | radioworld.com FEATURES April 8, 2009 Ch. 6 Continued from page 1 have decided to remain in their old neighborhoods. Prevailing opinion has it that Channel 6 TV (and low-band VHF frequencies in general) isn’t really a fit place for television, thanks not only to impulse noise, but also to less than due diligence by the FCC. This is one of the reasons that an old-line Oklahoma Channel 6 broadcaster cites for moving to a UHF slot. “Tulsa is in the Bible belt — some say it’s the buckle — and the FCC’s radio division allows non-commercial FM stations to encroach on the aural subcarrier of Channel 6,” said Gerald Weaver, director of engineering at Tulsa’s KOTV. “Around here these are typically religious stations and we have one radio station sitting very close to our aural carrier. A number of our viewers are hearing them instead of our audio.” Asked about any regrets in leaving the lower six, Weaver said that it would be in shutting down his Harris Platinum VHF transmitter. “It’s roughly 10 years old and still has a lot of life left in it,” Weaver said. “It’s always been very reliable.” Hey, not so fast Other Channel 6 broadcasters, however, feel their TV assignment has a lot of life left in it and could be actually be beachfront property in the post-transition world. “I’m a believer in low-band television,” said Fred Lass, director of engineering at WRGB, a Channel 6 station licensed to Schenectady, N.Y. “We’re in an area where there are a lot of mountains and the predictions indicate that we’ll get better coverage as a V. Low-band signals tend to bend over the horizon.” Billy Ward, chief engineer at KTVM in Butte, Mont., also feels Channel 6 is a good place to be. KTVM is another of the full-power stations that will keep its Channel 6 allocation. “The FCC originally offered us Channel 2, but we didn’t really want that,” Ward said. “Then they gave us Channel 34 WPVI(TV) Channel 6 analog vs. digital signal coverage. Courtesy Hammett & Edison and we thought that terrain issues would be a factor — there are a lot of mountains here in Montana. Channel branding had a lot to do with it too. Overall, Channel 6 looks like the best choice.” Electric bill Coverage in mountainous terrain aside, one very apparent benefit to staying VHF is reduced operating costs. Lass says that WRGB’s new Channel 6 digital TV transmitter should be completely paid for in a few years from electrical power saved by not going UHF. Philadelphia is another DMA where Channel 6 will hang around after the transition. Hank Volpe, vice president and director of engineering at WPVI(TV) there, said that his new Harris 8 kW digital transmitter isn’t “breaking a sweat” in providing full DTV service. “Our original allocation was for 3.81 kW ERP,” Volpe said. “We went up as far as we could without causing interference problems — to 7.56 kW ERP. Right now I’m putting a shade under 4 kW from the transmitter into a standby antenna. When we make the switch to the main antenna I’ll only need 1.7 kW. I’m not operating a transmitter; I’m running a hair dryer.” Channel 6 interference issues don’t seem particularly worrisome to Volpe, See CH. 6, page 31 Universal Studio Connectivity Don't Build A Studio Without One! The Global Distribution Portal provides convenient two way interface 3 Mono Summed Output Feeds at Mic Level. between any Studio / Central Audio System and external equipment. Independent Ground Lifts. Active circuitry supports both Analog & Digital Stereo I/O in both Professional & Spaced to permit use of Consumer formats, utilizing the most commonly encountered audio c onnectors. Wireless "Butt Plug" Transmi tters. 6 Utility Feedthrough Connectors. Standard configuration is 2 each USB, Fire Wire, and RJ-4 5, but all are interchangeable and can easily be field configured as desired. 3RU High - Rackmount Adapters optionally available. SystemsStore 890 Carter Road #150 Winter Garden, FL 347 87 Tel: 407-656-3719 Fax: 407-656-5474 www.SystemsStore.com Sales@SystemsStore.com http://www.radioworld.com http://www.SystemsStore.com http://www.SystemsStore.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.