North American broadcast television frequencies
Encyclopedia
The North American broadcast television frequencies are on designated television channel
s numbered 2 through 69, approximately between 54 and 806 MHz. Traditionally, the frequencies are divided into two sections, the very high frequency
(VHF) band and the ultra high frequency
(UHF) band. The VHF band is further subdivided into two more sections, VHF-Lo (band I
) and VHF-Hi (band III
). In between lie allocations for other services including the FM broadcast band
(band II), bands used for land mobile radio, radio remote control, civil service
agencies, amateur radio
, and aircraft
navigation aids and voice communication (airband
).
On many FM
radios, the audio for channel 6 can often be picked-up by turning the tuner
dial below the lower FM band edge, at 87.75. The volume
is low as the frequency deviation
for TV audio is only ±25 kHz
, versus ±75 kHz for FM broadcasting. The lower sideband
of HD Radio
signals on 88.1 also overlap slightly from 87.9 to 88.0.
The FM audio carrier
is 4.5 MHz
above the VSB
video carrier, and the total channel bandwidth is 6 MHz. The video carrier is nominally 1.25 MHz above the lower channel edge. In some cases, analog TV stations are assigned carrier frequency offset
s of +10 or −10 kHz to minimize RF interference with distant stations on the same channel (see NTSC
for more details). Positive-offset station will therefore end in .26, while negative-offset stations will end in .24, and are usually denoted with a plus or minus sign immediately after the number (such as 8 or 37). While offsets are rare in digital TV, positive-offset stations end in .3380556, while non-offset stations end in .30944056 (rounded
to .31).
Analog stations must be separated by at least one unused channel
except for non-adjacent channel pairs 4 and 5, 6 and 7, and 13 and 14.
Wireless microphone
s and medical telemetry
devices already share some of the TV bands, but transmit at a very low power
. In early 2010 the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) banned these from using the 700 MHz band in the U.S., effective June 12.
reservation and given to amateur radio
and other uses. Channels 70 through 83 were removed from the bandplan
in the 1980s to make way for AMPS
mobile phone
service. These channels were mainly used in the U.S., and mainly for broadcast translators, some of which continued in operation if their frequencies were not used by cellular. Channel 37 is allocated to radio astronomy
and may not be used by any station.
In the U.S., channels 52 through 69 are being reallocated for other purposes as the transition to digital television broadcasting
is completed for low-power TV stations. All full-power analog broadcasts ended in June 2009, and all temporary full-power digital broadcasts moved back down to the lower channels. While most other countries abandoned VHF due to its poor suitability for TV broadcasting and allocation for Digital Audio Broadcasting
, the FCC chose to cut high-UHF channels instead, because frequency-use rights could be auction
ed for a greater price.
Channels 14 through 19 are used for two-way radio
in major cities on a non-interference basis, although the transition to digital television
(DTV) has caused problems in certain instances when a previously unused channel has begun to be used for DTV broadcasts. The same holds true for wireless microphone
s and medical telemetry
device
s in that band.
In most regions, new digital television station
s are placed on UHF (14
to 51
, except 37 and sometimes 14 and 20) or high-VHF channels (7-13
), although others are used in some of the more crowded media market
s. With virtual channel
numbering, many digital televisions group digital channels with their corresponding analog broadcasts. For example, the first digital TV stream of a station that broadcasts analog TV on channel 4 will usually appear as 4-1 or 4.1 on a DTV receiver, even though the digital transmissions may be on channel 38. Several digital subchannel
s can be multiplexed together, so 4-1 through 4-5 might be used by one station. Subchannel 0 (e.g., 4-0) designates the analog broadcast. In the U.S., all channels from 7-36 and 38-51 are frequently used for digital TV broadcasts. However, VHF 2 to 6
are rarely used by DTV broadcasters due to ongoing problems with impulse noise
, and channel 6 being an adjacent channel
to the FM broadcast band
. Additionally, VHF performance is poor for mobile TV
, with ATSC-M/H
being the standard finalized and approved in late 2009.
The VHF bandplan was modified several times before 1948. The last change was the transfer of channel 1, originally intended as a low-power (less than 1,000 watts) LPTV community channel, to two-way land-mobile radio and the six-meter amateur radio
band. http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/Channel%20One/Channel_1.htm Amateur television
(ATV) is used on four channels in the 420-450 MHz (70-centimeter) amateur band; UHF TV channel 14 starts at 470 MHz. These ATV channels are popular for repeater
output and direct communications and are seen over-the-air
with a cable-ready tuner set to channels 57 to 60 (14 being seen on 65). ATV is also used on the other amateur bands above 450 MHz. ATV is also known as HAM TV or Fast Scan TV.
Note the upper edge of analog TV 6 slightly overlaps FM channel 200, 87.9 MHz. That FM frequency is used by KSFH
, various low power pirate stations, and broadcast translator station K200AA (the only USA repeater licensed to use that frequency).
Analog TV 6 audio can be heard on 87.7 or 87.8, but with lower sound volume and therefore fidelity due to differences in the FM specifications between TV and FM radio. Some low-power analog TV stations (see here) operate on TV 6 with the intent of being heard on FM radio at 87.7 MHz.
is reserved for radio astronomy
in the United States
, Canada
, Bermuda
and the Bahamas
, thus there are no television station
s assigned to it in these countries.
Television channel
A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
s numbered 2 through 69, approximately between 54 and 806 MHz. Traditionally, the frequencies are divided into two sections, the very high frequency
Very high frequency
Very high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency...
(VHF) band and the ultra high frequency
Ultra high frequency
Ultra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
(UHF) band. The VHF band is further subdivided into two more sections, VHF-Lo (band I
Band I
Band I is the name of a radio frequency range within the very high frequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum.Band I ranges from 47 to 88 MHz, and it is primarily used for radio and television broadcasting....
) and VHF-Hi (band III
Band III
Band III is the name of a radio frequency range within the very high frequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum.Band III ranges from 174 to 230 MHz, and it is primarily used for radio and television broadcasting...
). In between lie allocations for other services including the FM broadcast band
FM broadcast band
The FM broadcast band, used for FM broadcast radio by radio stations, differs between different parts of the world. In Europe and Africa , it spans from 87.5 to 108.0 megahertz , while in America it goes only from 88.0 to 108.0 MHz. The FM broadcast band in Japan uses 76.0 to 90 MHz...
(band II), bands used for land mobile radio, radio remote control, civil service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
agencies, amateur radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
, and aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
navigation aids and voice communication (airband
Airband
Airband or Aircraft band is the name for a group of frequencies in the VHF radio spectrum allocated to radio communication in civil aviation, sometimes also referred to as VHF, or phonetically as "Victor"...
).
On many FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
radios, the audio for channel 6 can often be picked-up by turning the tuner
Tuner (radio)
A radio tuner is a subsystem that receives radio broadcasts and converts them into audio-frequency signals which can be fed into an amplifier driving a loudspeaker. FM tuner, AM tuner, Digital Audio Broadcasting DAB tuner, etc. are types of radio tuner dealing with transmissions using different...
dial below the lower FM band edge, at 87.75. The volume
Loudness
Loudness is the quality of a sound that is primarily a psychological correlate of physical strength . More formally, it is defined as "that attribute of auditory sensation in terms of which sounds can be ordered on a scale extending from quiet to loud."Loudness, a subjective measure, is often...
is low as the frequency deviation
Frequency deviation
Frequency deviation is used in FM radio to describe the maximum instantaneous difference between an FM modulated frequency and the nominal carrier frequency...
for TV audio is only ±25 kHz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
, versus ±75 kHz for FM broadcasting. The lower sideband
Sideband
In radio communications, a sideband is a band of frequencies higher than or lower than the carrier frequency, containing power as a result of the modulation process. The sidebands consist of all the Fourier components of the modulated signal except the carrier...
of HD Radio
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
signals on 88.1 also overlap slightly from 87.9 to 88.0.
The FM audio carrier
Carrier wave
In telecommunications, a carrier wave or carrier is a waveform that is modulated with an input signal for the purpose of conveying information. This carrier wave is usually a much higher frequency than the input signal...
is 4.5 MHz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
above the VSB
Single-sideband modulation
Single-sideband modulation or Single-sideband suppressed-carrier is a refinement of amplitude modulation that more efficiently uses electrical power and bandwidth....
video carrier, and the total channel bandwidth is 6 MHz. The video carrier is nominally 1.25 MHz above the lower channel edge. In some cases, analog TV stations are assigned carrier frequency offset
Frequency offset
In radio engineering, a frequency offset is an intentional slight shift of broadcasted radio frequency , to reduce interference with other transmitters.- Interference :...
s of +10 or −10 kHz to minimize RF interference with distant stations on the same channel (see NTSC
NTSC
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
for more details). Positive-offset station will therefore end in .26, while negative-offset stations will end in .24, and are usually denoted with a plus or minus sign immediately after the number (such as 8 or 37). While offsets are rare in digital TV, positive-offset stations end in .3380556, while non-offset stations end in .30944056 (rounded
Rounding
Rounding a numerical value means replacing it by another value that is approximately equal but has a shorter, simpler, or more explicit representation; for example, replacing $23.4476 with $23.45, or the fraction 312/937 with 1/3, or the expression √2 with 1.414.Rounding is often done on purpose to...
to .31).
Analog stations must be separated by at least one unused channel
Guard band
-Radio and electronic signalling:In radio, a guard band is an unused part of the radio spectrum between radio bands, for the purpose of preventing interference....
except for non-adjacent channel pairs 4 and 5, 6 and 7, and 13 and 14.
Wireless microphone
Wireless microphone
A wireless microphone, as the name implies, is a microphone without a physical cable connecting it directly to the sound recording or amplifying equipment with which it is associated...
s and medical telemetry
Telemetry
Telemetry is a technology that allows measurements to be made at a distance, usually via radio wave transmission and reception of the information. The word is derived from Greek roots: tele = remote, and metron = measure...
devices already share some of the TV bands, but transmit at a very low power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
. In early 2010 the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) banned these from using the 700 MHz band in the U.S., effective June 12.
Changes and variations
Channel 1 was removed early on as a community televisionCommunity television
Australia's Community Television is a form of Citizen media much like Public Access Television in the United States and the Community Channel in Canada...
reservation and given to amateur radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
and other uses. Channels 70 through 83 were removed from the bandplan
Bandplan
A bandplan or band plan is a plan for using a particular band of radio frequencies, that are a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum . Each bandplan defines the frequency range to be included, how channels are to be defined, and what will be carried on those channels...
in the 1980s to make way for AMPS
Advanced Mobile Phone System
Advanced Mobile Phone System was an analog mobile phone system standard developed by Bell Labs, and officially introduced in the Americas in 1983, Israel in 1986, and Australia in 1987. It was the primary analog mobile phone system in North America through the 1980s and into the 2000s...
mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
service. These channels were mainly used in the U.S., and mainly for broadcast translators, some of which continued in operation if their frequencies were not used by cellular. Channel 37 is allocated to radio astronomy
Radio astronomy
Radio astronomy is a subfield of astronomy that studies celestial objects at radio frequencies. The initial detection of radio waves from an astronomical object was made in the 1930s, when Karl Jansky observed radiation coming from the Milky Way. Subsequent observations have identified a number of...
and may not be used by any station.
In the U.S., channels 52 through 69 are being reallocated for other purposes as the transition to digital television broadcasting
DTV transition in the United States
The DTV transition in the United States was the switchover from analog to exclusively digital broadcasting of free over-the-air television programming...
is completed for low-power TV stations. All full-power analog broadcasts ended in June 2009, and all temporary full-power digital broadcasts moved back down to the lower channels. While most other countries abandoned VHF due to its poor suitability for TV broadcasting and allocation for Digital Audio Broadcasting
Digital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
, the FCC chose to cut high-UHF channels instead, because frequency-use rights could be auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
ed for a greater price.
Channels 14 through 19 are used for two-way radio
Two-way radio
A two-way radio is a radio that can both transmit and receive , unlike a broadcast receiver which only receives content. The term refers to a personal radio transceiver that allows the operator to have a two-way conversation with other similar radios operating on the same radio frequency...
in major cities on a non-interference basis, although the transition to digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
(DTV) has caused problems in certain instances when a previously unused channel has begun to be used for DTV broadcasts. The same holds true for wireless microphone
Wireless microphone
A wireless microphone, as the name implies, is a microphone without a physical cable connecting it directly to the sound recording or amplifying equipment with which it is associated...
s and medical telemetry
Telemetry
Telemetry is a technology that allows measurements to be made at a distance, usually via radio wave transmission and reception of the information. The word is derived from Greek roots: tele = remote, and metron = measure...
device
Information appliance
In general terms, an information appliance or information device is any machine or device that is usable for the purposes of computing, telecommunicating, reproducing, and presenting encoded information in myriad forms and applications....
s in that band.
In most regions, new digital television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
s are placed on UHF (14
Band IV
Band IV is the name of a radio frequency range within the ultra high frequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum.Sources differ on the exact frequency range of the band. For example, the Swiss Federal Office of Communications, the Broadcast engineer's reference book and Ericsson India Ltd all...
to 51
Band V
Band V is the name of a radio frequency range within the ultra high frequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum. It is not to be confused with the V band in the extremely high frequency part of the spectrum....
, except 37 and sometimes 14 and 20) or high-VHF channels (7-13
Band III
Band III is the name of a radio frequency range within the very high frequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum.Band III ranges from 174 to 230 MHz, and it is primarily used for radio and television broadcasting...
), although others are used in some of the more crowded media market
Media market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area , Television Market Area , or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers and Internet content...
s. With virtual channel
Virtual channel
In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel, is a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel on which the signal travels....
numbering, many digital televisions group digital channels with their corresponding analog broadcasts. For example, the first digital TV stream of a station that broadcasts analog TV on channel 4 will usually appear as 4-1 or 4.1 on a DTV receiver, even though the digital transmissions may be on channel 38. Several digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
s can be multiplexed together, so 4-1 through 4-5 might be used by one station. Subchannel 0 (e.g., 4-0) designates the analog broadcast. In the U.S., all channels from 7-36 and 38-51 are frequently used for digital TV broadcasts. However, VHF 2 to 6
Band I
Band I is the name of a radio frequency range within the very high frequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum.Band I ranges from 47 to 88 MHz, and it is primarily used for radio and television broadcasting....
are rarely used by DTV broadcasters due to ongoing problems with impulse noise
Impulse noise (audio)
Impulse noise is a category of noise which includes unwanted, almost instantaneous sharp sounds . Noises of the kind are usually caused by electromagnetic interference, scratches on the recording disks, and ill synchronization in digital recording and communication...
, and channel 6 being an adjacent channel
Adjacent channel
In broadcasting an adjacent channel is an AM, FM, or TV channel that is next to another channel. First-adjacent is immediately next to another channel, second-adjacent is two channels away, and so forth. Information on adjacent channels is used in keeping stations from interfering with one...
to the FM broadcast band
FM broadcast band
The FM broadcast band, used for FM broadcast radio by radio stations, differs between different parts of the world. In Europe and Africa , it spans from 87.5 to 108.0 megahertz , while in America it goes only from 88.0 to 108.0 MHz. The FM broadcast band in Japan uses 76.0 to 90 MHz...
. Additionally, VHF performance is poor for mobile TV
Mobile TV
Mobile television usually means television watched on a small handheld device. It may be a pay TV service broadcast on mobile phone networks or received free-to-air via terrestrial television stations from either regular broadcast or a special mobile TV transmission format...
, with ATSC-M/H
ATSC-M/H
ATSC-M/H is a standard in the USA for mobile digital TV, that allows TV broadcasts to be received by mobile devices.....
being the standard finalized and approved in late 2009.
The VHF bandplan was modified several times before 1948. The last change was the transfer of channel 1, originally intended as a low-power (less than 1,000 watts) LPTV community channel, to two-way land-mobile radio and the six-meter amateur radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
band. http://www.tech-notes.tv/History&Trivia/Channel%20One/Channel_1.htm Amateur television
Amateur television
Amateur television is the transmission of Broadcast quality video and audio over the wide range of frequencies of allocated for Radio amateur use. ATV is used for non-commercial experimentation, pleasure and public service events...
(ATV) is used on four channels in the 420-450 MHz (70-centimeter) amateur band; UHF TV channel 14 starts at 470 MHz. These ATV channels are popular for repeater
Repeater
A repeater is an electronic device that receives asignal and retransmits it at a higher level and/or higher power, or onto the other side of an obstruction, so that the signal can cover longer distances.-Description:...
output and direct communications and are seen over-the-air
Terrestrial television
Terrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which does not involve satellite transmission or cables — typically using radio waves through transmitting and receiving antennas or television antenna aerials...
with a cable-ready tuner set to channels 57 to 60 (14 being seen on 65). ATV is also used on the other amateur bands above 450 MHz. ATV is also known as HAM TV or Fast Scan TV.
VHF bands
| Channel | Lower edge | Video carrier | ATSC carrier | Audio carrier | Upper edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 54 | 55.25 | 54.31 | 59.75 | 60 |
| 3 | 60 | 61.25 | 60.31 | 65.75 | 66 |
| 4 | 66 | 67.25 | 66.31 | 71.75 | 72 |
| 5 | 76 | 77.25 | 76.31 | 81.75 | 82 |
| 6 | 82 | 83.25 | 82.31 | 87.75 | 88 |
Note the upper edge of analog TV 6 slightly overlaps FM channel 200, 87.9 MHz. That FM frequency is used by KSFH
KSFH
KSFH FM 87.9 is a student radio station broadcasting an active rock radio format. Licensed to serve Mountain View, California, USA, the station's broadcast range is the San Francisco Bay Area. The station is owned by private school Saint Francis High School, and is completely run by its students,...
, various low power pirate stations, and broadcast translator station K200AA (the only USA repeater licensed to use that frequency).
Analog TV 6 audio can be heard on 87.7 or 87.8, but with lower sound volume and therefore fidelity due to differences in the FM specifications between TV and FM radio. Some low-power analog TV stations (see here) operate on TV 6 with the intent of being heard on FM radio at 87.7 MHz.
| Channel | Lower edge | Video carrier | ATSC carrier | Audio carrier | Upper edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 174 | 175.25 | 174.31 | 179.75 | 180 |
| 8 | 180 | 181.25 | 180.31 | 185.75 | 186 |
| 9 | 186 | 187.25 | 186.31 | 191.75 | 192 |
| 10 | 192 | 193.25 | 192.31 | 197.75 | 198 |
| 11 | 198 | 199.25 | 198.31 | 203.75 | 204 |
| 12 | 204 | 205.25 | 204.31 | 209.75 | 210 |
| 13 | 210 | 211.25 | 210.31 | 215.75 | 216 |
UHF band
In the United States, channels 52 to 68 have been reallocated to Part 90 Land Mobile Radio Service. Channels 70 to 83 were previously reallocated to Land Mobile Radio Service and Cellular Mobile Radio Service in 1982. Channel 37Channel 37
Channel 37 is an unused television channel in countries using the M and N broadcast television system standards. Channel 37 occupies a band of UHF frequencies from 608 to 614 MHz, frequencies that are particularly important to radio astronomy...
is reserved for radio astronomy
Radio astronomy
Radio astronomy is a subfield of astronomy that studies celestial objects at radio frequencies. The initial detection of radio waves from an astronomical object was made in the 1930s, when Karl Jansky observed radiation coming from the Milky Way. Subsequent observations have identified a number of...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
and the Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
, thus there are no television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
s assigned to it in these countries.
| Channel | Lower edge | Video carrier | ATSC carrier | Audio carrier | Upper edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 470 | 471.25 | 470.31 | 475.75 | 476 |
| 15 | 476 | 477.25 | 476.31 | 481.75 | 482 |
| 16 | 482 | 483.25 | 482.31 | 487.75 | 488 |
| 17 | 488 | 489.25 | 488.31 | 493.75 | 494 |
| 18 | 494 | 495.25 | 494.31 | 499.75 | 500 |
| 19 | 500 | 501.25 | 500.31 | 505.75 | 506 |
| 20 | 506 | 507.25 | 506.31 | 511.75 | 512 |
| 21 | 512 | 513.25 | 512.31 | 517.75 | 518 |
| 22 | 518 | 519.25 | 518.31 | 523.75 | 524 |
| 23 | 524 | 525.25 | 524.31 | 529.75 | 530 |
| 24 | 530 | 531.25 | 530.31 | 535.75 | 536 |
| 25 | 536 | 537.25 | 536.31 | 541.75 | 542 |
| 26 | 542 | 543.25 | 542.31 | 547.75 | 548 |
| 27 | 548 | 549.25 | 548.31 | 553.75 | 554 |
| 28 | 554 | 555.25 | 554.31 | 559.75 | 560 |
| 29 | 560 | 561.25 | 560.31 | 565.75 | 566 |
| 30 | 566 | 567.25 | 566.31 | 571.75 | 572 |
| 31 | 572 | 573.25 | 572.31 | 577.75 | 578 |
| 32 | 578 | 579.25 | 578.31 | 583.75 | 584 |
| 33 | 584 | 585.25 | 584.31 | 589.75 | 590 |
| 34 | 590 | 591.25 | 590.31 | 595.75 | 596 |
| 35 | 596 | 597.25 | 596.31 | 601.75 | 602 |
| 36 | 602 | 603.25 | 602.31 | 607.75 | 608 |
| 37 | 608 | 609.25 | - | 613.75 | 614 |
| 38 | 614 | 615.25 | 614.31 | 619.75 | 620 |
| 39 | 620 | 621.25 | 620.31 | 625.75 | 626 |
| 40 | 626 | 627.25 | 626.31 | 631.75 | 632 |
| 41 | 632 | 633.25 | 632.31 | 637.75 | 638 |
| 42 | 638 | 639.25 | 638.31 | 643.75 | 644 |
| 43 | 644 | 645.25 | 644.31 | 649.75 | 650 |
| 44 | 650 | 651.25 | 650.31 | 655.75 | 656 |
| 45 | 656 | 657.25 | 656.31 | 661.75 | 662 |
| 46 | 662 | 663.25 | 662.31 | 667.75 | 668 |
| 47 | 668 | 669.25 | 668.31 | 673.75 | 674 |
| 48 | 674 | 675.25 | 674.31 | 679.75 | 680 |
| 49 | 680 | 681.25 | 680.31 | 685.75 | 686 |
| 50 | 686 | 687.25 | 686.31 | 691.75 | 692 |
| 51 | 692 | 693.25 | 692.31 | 697.75 | 698 |
| Channel | Lower edge | Video carrier | ATSC carrier | Audio carrier | Upper edge |
| 52 | 698 | 699.25 | 698.31 | 703.75 | 704 |
| 53 | 704 | 705.25 | 704.31 | 709.75 | 710 |
| 54 | 710 | 711.25 | 710.31 | 715.75 | 716 |
| 55 | 716 | 717.25 | 716.31 | 721.75 | 722 |
| 56 | 722 | 723.25 | 722.31 | 727.75 | 728 |
| 57 | 728 | 729.25 | 728.31 | 733.75 | 734 |
| 58 | 734 | 735.25 | 734.31 | 739.75 | 740 |
| 59 | 740 | 741.25 | 740.31 | 745.75 | 746 |
| 60 | 746 | 747.25 | 746.31 | 751.75 | 752 |
| 61 | 752 | 753.25 | 752.31 | 757.75 | 758 |
| 62 | 758 | 759.25 | 758.31 | 763.75 | 764 |
| 63 | 764 | 765.25 | 764.31 | 769.75 | 770 |
| 64 | 770 | 771.25 | 770.31 | 775.75 | 776 |
| 65 | 776 | 777.25 | 776.31 | 781.75 | 782 |
| 66 | 782 | 783.25 | 782.31 | 787.75 | 788 |
| 67 | 788 | 789.25 | 788.31 | 793.75 | 794 |
| 68 | 794 | 795.25 | 794.31 | 799.75 | 800 |
| 69 | 800 | 801.25 | 800.31 | 805.75 | 806 |
| Channel | Lower edge | Video carrier | ATSC carrier | Audio carrier | Upper edge |
| 70 | 806 | 807.25 | - | 811.75 | 812 |
| 71 | 812 | 813.25 | - | 817.75 | 818 |
| 72 | 818 | 819.25 | - | 823.75 | 824 |
| 73 | 824 | 825.25 | - | 829.75 | 830 |
| 74 | 830 | 831.25 | - | 835.75 | 836 |
| 75 | 836 | 837.25 | - | 841.75 | 842 |
| 76 | 842 | 843.25 | - | 847.75 | 848 |
| 77 | 848 | 849.25 | - | 853.75 | 854 |
| 78 | 854 | 855.25 | - | 859.75 | 860 |
| 79 | 860 | 861.25 | - | 865.75 | 866 |
| 80 | 866 | 867.25 | - | 871.75 | 872 |
| 81 | 872 | 873.25 | - | 877.75 | 878 |
| 82 | 878 | 879.25 | - | 883.75 | 884 |
| 83 | 884 | 885.25 | - | 889.75 | 890 |
Historical band plans
| Channel | Lower edge | Video carrier | Audio carrier | Upper edge | Current U.S. use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50 | 51.25 | 55.75 | 56 | Amateur band, TV ch. 2 (deprecated) |
| 2 | 66 | 67.25 | 71.75 | 72 | TV ch. 4 (deprecated) |
| 3 | 72 | 73.25 | 77.75 | 78 | Radio-controlled car Radio-controlled car Radio-controlled cars are self-powered model cars or trucks that can be controlled from a distance using a specialized transmitter... /plane hobby, TV ch. 5 |
| 4 | 78 | 79.25 | 83.75 | 84 | TV ch. 5 |
| 5 | 84 | 85.25 | 89.75 | 90 | TV ch. 6, FM radio |
| 6 | 96 | 97.25 | 101.75 | 102 | FM radio |
| 7 | 102 | 103.25 | 107.75 | 108 | FM radio |
| Channel | Lower edge | Video carrier | Audio carrier | Upper edge | Current U.S. use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 162 | 163.25 | 167.75 | 168 | NOAA Weather Radio NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is a network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Service office. It is operated by the NWS, an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration within the United States Department of... (162) |
| 9 | 180 | 181.25 | 185.75 | 186 | TV ch. 8 |
| 10 | 186 | 187.25 | 191.75 | 192 | TV ch. 9 |
| 11 | 204 | 205.25 | 209.75 | 210 | TV ch. 12 |
| 12 | 210 | 211.25 | 215.75 | 216 | TV ch. 13 |
| 13 | 234 | 235.25 | 239.75 | 240 | military |
| 14 | 240 | 241.25 | 245.75 | 246 | military |
| 15 | 258 | 259.25 | 263.75 | 264 | military |
| 16 | 264 | 265.25 | 269.75 | 270 | military |
| 17 | 282 | 283.25 | 287.75 | 288 | military |
| 18 | 288 | 289.25 | 293.75 | 294 | military |
See also
- Broadcast television systems
- ATSC (standards)
- Multichannel television soundMultichannel television soundMultichannel television sound, better known as MTS , is the method of encoding three additional channels of audio into an NTSC-format audio carrier.- History :...
- NTSCNTSCNTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
- NTSC-JNTSC-JNTSC-J is an analog television system and video display standard for the region of Japan.While NTSC-M is an official standard, "J" is more a colloquial indicator as used in Marketing definition but not an official term.-Technical definition:...
- PALPALPAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
- RCARCARCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
- SECAMSECAMSECAM, also written SÉCAM , is an analog color television system first used in France....
- Moving image formatsMoving image formatsThis article discusses moving image capture, transmission and presentation from today's technical and creative points of view; concentrating on aspects of frame rates.- Essential parameters :...
- Early television stations
- Television channel frequenciesTelevision channel frequenciesThe following tables show the frequencies assigned to broadcast television channels in various regions of the world, along with the ITU letter designator for the system used. The frequencies shown are for the video and audio carriers. The channel itself occupies several megahertz of bandwidth....
- Very high frequencyVery high frequencyVery high frequency is the radio frequency range from 30 MHz to 300 MHz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency...
- Ultra high frequencyUltra high frequencyUltra-High Frequency designates the ITU Radio frequency range of electromagnetic waves between 300 MHz and 3 GHz , also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decimetres...
- Knife-edge effectKnife-edge effectIn electromagnetic wave propagation, the knife-edge effect or edge diffraction is a redirection by diffraction of a portion of the incident radiation that strikes a well-defined obstacle such as a mountain range or the edge of a building....
- Channel One (disambiguation)
- Channel 37Channel 37Channel 37 is an unused television channel in countries using the M and N broadcast television system standards. Channel 37 occupies a band of UHF frequencies from 608 to 614 MHz, frequencies that are particularly important to radio astronomy...
- North American cable television frequenciesNorth American cable television frequenciesIn North American cable TV networks, the radio frequencies used to carry signals to the customer are allocated to standardarized channel numbers listed in the CEA standard 542. Cable channel frequencies are generally different from off-air broadcast frequencies...
- Australasian television frequenciesAustralasian television frequencies-What led to the differences:What are the important underlining circumstances that led to the different allocations?* Universally the VHF low band channels of , 1, 2, and 3 were allocated on an ad-hoc basis in Australia and NZ without any trans-Tasman coordination.* Australia decided against...
- TV stations in the United States:
- Channel 2
- Channel 3
- Channel 4
- Channel 5
- Channel 6
- Channel 7
- Channel 8
- Channel 9
- Channel 10
- Channel 11
- Channel 12
- Channel 13
External links
- What ever happened to Channel 1? - J. W. Reiser, based on a Radio-ElectronicsRadio-ElectronicsRadio-Electronics was an American electronics magazine that was published under various titles from 1929 to 2003. Hugo Gernsback started it as Radio-Craft in July 1929. The title was changed to Radio-Electronics in October 1948 and again to Electronics Now in July 1992. In January 2000 it was...
article of the same name by David A. Ferre. - Post-transition U.S. digital TV channel assignments as of 1 August 2007
- U.S. cable television channel frequencies
- TVTower.com - Commercial Television Frequencies