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North American broadcast television frequencies
 
 
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In North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, terrestrial television
Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
 is broadcast on designated TV channels 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

VHF is the radio frequency range from 30 megahertz to 300 megahertz. 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 a range of Electromagnetic radiation waves with frequency between 300 megahertz and 3 gigahertz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from ten to one decimetres....
 (UHF) band. The VHF band is further subdivided into two more sections, VHF-Lo (band I) and VHF-Hi (band III). In between lies the FM band (band II) used for frequency-modulated
Frequency modulation

In telecommunications, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its frequency . In analog signal applications, the instantaneous frequency of the carrier is directly proportional to the instantaneous value of the input signal....
 radio
Radio

Radio is the transmission of signals, by modulation of electromagnetic radiation with frequency below those of visible light.Electromagnetic radiation radio propagation by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space....
 transmissions and a VHF radio band typically used by civil service
Civil service

The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* Branch of governmental service in which individuals are hired on the basis of merit which is proven by the use of competitive examinations....
 agencies, amateur radio
Amateur radio

Amateur radio, often called Etymology of ham radio, is both a hobby and a service in which participants, called "hams," use various types of radio communications equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for Public services, recreation and self-training....
 and aircraft
Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle which is able to flight by being supported by the air, or in general, the atmosphere, of a planet. Examples include balloons, airplanes and helicopters....
 (often called the airband
Airband

The airband or air band is the band of frequency used for radio communication in aviation. Airband is used to mean the VHF band between 108 Hertz and 137 MHz, which covers its use for commercial aviation and general aviation aviation, radio navigations, air traffic control and other uses....
).

On many FM radios, the audio
Sound

Sound is vibration transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a threshold of hearing to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations....
 for channel 6 can often be picked up by turning the tuner
Tuner

Tuner may refer to:* Someone or something which adjusts or configures a mechanical, electronic, or musical device* Antenna tuner, a device to adjust the resonance frequency of an antenna or transmission line...
 dial below the lower FM band edge, at 87.75.






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In North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, terrestrial television
Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
 is broadcast on designated TV channels 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

VHF is the radio frequency range from 30 megahertz to 300 megahertz. 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 a range of Electromagnetic radiation waves with frequency between 300 megahertz and 3 gigahertz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from ten to one decimetres....
 (UHF) band. The VHF band is further subdivided into two more sections, VHF-Lo (band I) and VHF-Hi (band III). In between lies the FM band (band II) used for frequency-modulated
Frequency modulation

In telecommunications, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its frequency . In analog signal applications, the instantaneous frequency of the carrier is directly proportional to the instantaneous value of the input signal....
 radio
Radio

Radio is the transmission of signals, by modulation of electromagnetic radiation with frequency below those of visible light.Electromagnetic radiation radio propagation by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space....
 transmissions and a VHF radio band typically used by civil service
Civil service

The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* Branch of governmental service in which individuals are hired on the basis of merit which is proven by the use of competitive examinations....
 agencies, amateur radio
Amateur radio

Amateur radio, often called Etymology of ham radio, is both a hobby and a service in which participants, called "hams," use various types of radio communications equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for Public services, recreation and self-training....
 and aircraft
Aircraft

An aircraft is a vehicle which is able to flight by being supported by the air, or in general, the atmosphere, of a planet. Examples include balloons, airplanes and helicopters....
 (often called the airband
Airband

The airband or air band is the band of frequency used for radio communication in aviation. Airband is used to mean the VHF band between 108 Hertz and 137 MHz, which covers its use for commercial aviation and general aviation aviation, radio navigations, air traffic control and other uses....
).

On many FM radios, the audio
Sound

Sound is vibration transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a threshold of hearing to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations....
 for channel 6 can often be picked up by turning the tuner
Tuner

Tuner may refer to:* Someone or something which adjusts or configures a mechanical, electronic, or musical device* Antenna tuner, a device to adjust the resonance frequency of an antenna or transmission line...
 dial below the lower FM band edge, at 87.75. The volume
SPL

SPL may refer to:...
 is low as the frequency deviation
Frequency deviation

Frequency deviation is used in Frequency modulation to describe the maximum instantaneous difference between an FM modulated frequency and the Center frequency....
 for TV audio is only ±25 kHz
Hertz

The hertz is a measure of frequency per unit of time, or the number of list of cycles per second. It is the SI base unit of frequency in the International System of Units , and is used worldwide in both general-purpose and scientific contexts....
, versus ±75 kHz for FM broadcasting.

Channels 70 through 83 were removed from the bandplan
Bandplan

A bandplan or band plan is a plan for utilizing a particular band of radio frequencies, that are a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum ....
 in the 1980s to make way for AMPS
Advanced Mobile Phone System

Advanced Mobile Phone System is the analog signal mobile phone system standard developed by Bell Labs, and officially introduced in the Americas in 1983 and Australia in 1987....
 cellular telephone service. These channels were mainly used in the U.S., and mainly for 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 Astronomical object at radio frequency. The initial detection of radio waves from an astronomical object was made in the 1930s, but subsequent advances have identified a number of different sources of radio emission....
 and may not be used by any station.

In the U.S.A., channels 52 through 69 will be reallocated for other purposes when the transition to digital television broadcasting
DTV transition in the United States

The DTV transition in the United States is the switchover from Analog TV to exclusively Digital television broadcasting of Free of charge over-the-air television programming....
 is complete.

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 broadcasting receiver which only receives content.Two-way radios are available in mobile radio, stationary base station and hand-held portable configurations....
 in major cities on a non-interference
Interference

In physics, interference is the addition of two or more waves that result in a new wave pattern.Interference usually refers to the interaction of waves which are correlated or Coherence with each other, either because they come from the same source or because they have the same or nearly the same frequency....
 basis, although the transition to digital television
Digital television

Digital television is the sending and receiving of moving images and sound by Discrete signal signals, in contrast to the Analog television 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
Wireless

Wireless communication is the transfer of information over a distance without the use of electrical conductors or "wires". The distances involved may be short or long ....
 microphone
Microphone

A microphone, sometimes referred to as a mike or?more recently?mic, is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal....
s and medical telemetry
Telemetry

Telemetry is a technology that allows the remote measurement and reporting of information of interest to the system designer or operator. The word is derived from Greek language roots tele = remote, and metron = measure....
 device
Information appliance

An information appliance is an appliance specializing in information, a personal device designed to perform a specific activity, such as playing music, photography, or editing text, in a simple and user-friendly way....
s in that band.

In many regions, new digital TV channels are placed on channels 7-13, 15-19, 21-36 and 38-51, although others are used in some of the more crowded television markets. With virtual channel
Virtual channel

In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel in North America, is a channel designation which differs from the actual radio channel or frequency on which the Signalling 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 frequency....
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 2-36 and 38-51 will eventually be used for digital TV broadcasts, although VHF 2 - 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

Impulse noise could mean:*impulse noise *Short-lived loud sounds.*Electromagnetic interference*Burst noise...
.

The VHF bandplan was modified several times before 1948. The last change was the transfer of channel 1
Channel 1

In North America, channel 1 is a former broadcasting television channel ....
, 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, often called Etymology of ham radio, is both a hobby and a service in which participants, called "hams," use various types of radio communications equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for Public services, recreation and self-training....
 band. Amateur television
Amateur television

Amateur television is the hobby of transmitting Broadcasting-quality video and Sound reproduction over radio waves allocated for amateur radio using the broadcast standards of NTSC in North America and Japan, and PAL or SECAM in Europe and elsewhere, using the full refresh rates of those standards....
 (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 Electronics 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 without degradation....
 output and direct communications. ATV is also used on the other amateur bands above 450 MHz.

The FM audio carrier
Carrier wave

In telecommunications, a carrier wave, or carrier is a waveform that is Modulation with an signal for the purpose of conveying information....
 is always 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 "offsets" of +10 or −10 kHz to minimize interference with distant stations on the same channel. (See NTSC
NTSC

NTSC is the analog television system used in most of the Americas, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Burma, and some Pacific island nations and territories ....
 for more details.) 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. Digital TV is much more resistant to interference than NTSC, so it can operate adjacent
Adjacent channel

In Broadcastinging an adjacent channel is an Amplitude modulation, FM, or television channel that is next to another channel . First-adjacent is immediately next to another channel, second-adjacent is two channels away, and so forth....
 to any local station. This permits much greater utilization of the TV broadcast spectrum, allowing the reallocation of many TV channels to other services, including white space devices.

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 the remote measurement and reporting of information of interest to the system designer or operator. The word is derived from Greek language 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 non-International System of Units unit Decibel, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains....
.

VHF original bands

 VHF low-band (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....
 & II
Band II

Band II is the name of a radio frequency range within the very high frequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum.Band II ranges from 87.5 to 108.0 MHz, and it is primarily used worldwide for frequency modulation FM radio....
)
1940 U.S. channel assignments
(frequencies in MHz)
 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
 
2 66 67.25 71.75 72 TV ch. 4
3 72 73.25 77.75 78 RC car/plane hobby, TV ch. 5
4 78 79.25 83.75 84 TV ch. 5 & 6
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


 VHF high-band (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....
)
1940 U.S. channel assignments
(frequencies in MHz)
 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 All Hazards Weather Radio is a network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Service office....
 (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


VHF bands

 VHF low-band (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....
)
(Current channel assignments)
 Channel   Lower edge   Video carrier   ATSC carrier   Audio carrier   Upper edge 
1
Channel 1

In North America, channel 1 is a former broadcasting television channel ....
* 		44 45.25 n/a 49.75 50
 
2 54 55.25 55.31 59.75 60
3 60 61.25 61.31 65.75 66
4 66 67.25 67.31 71.75 72
 
5 76 77.25 77.31 81.75 82
6 82 83.25 83.31 87.75 88
Note that FM channel 200, 87.9MHz, overlaps TV 6. This is used only by KSFH and K200AA.
TV 6 analog audio can be heard on 87.7 or 87.8, but at low volume.

 VHF high-band (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....
)
 Channel   Lower edge    Video carrier   ATSC carrier   Audio carrier   Upper edge 
7 174 175.25 175.31 179.75 180
8 180 181.25 181.31 185.75 186
9 186 187.25 187.31 191.75 192
10 192 193.25 193.31 197.75 198
11 198 199.25 199.31 203.75 204
12 204 205.25 205.31 209.75 210
13 210 211.25 211.31 215.75 216


UHF band


 UHF band
 Channel   Lower edge   Video carrier   ATSC carrier   Audio carrier   Upper edge 
14 470 471.25 471.31 475.75 476
15 476 477.25 477.31 481.75 482
16 482 483.25 483.31 487.75 488
17 488 489.25 489.31 493.75 494
18 494 495.25 495.31 499.75 500
19 500 501.25 501.31 505.75 506
20 506 507.25 507.31 511.75 512
21 512 513.25 513.31 517.75 518
22 518 519.25 519.31 523.75 524
23 524 525.25 525.31 529.75 530
24 530 531.25 531.31 535.75 536
25 536 537.25 537.31 541.75 542
26 542 543.25 543.31 547.75 548
27 548 549.25 549.31 553.75 554
28 554 555.25 555.31 559.75 560
29 560 561.25 561.31 565.75 566
30 566 567.25 567.31 571.75 572
31 572 573.25 573.31 577.75 578
32 578 579.25 579.31 583.75 584
33 584 585.25 585.31 589.75 590
34 590 591.25 591.31 595.75 596
35 596 597.25 597.31 601.75 602
36 602 603.25 693.31 607.75 608
37* 608 609.25* 609.31* 613.75* 614
38 614 615.25 615.31 619.75 620
39 620 621.25 621.31 625.75 626
40 626 627.25 627.31 631.75 632
41 632 633.25 633.31 637.75 638
42 638 639.25 639.31 643.75 644
43 644 645.25 645.31 649.75 650
44 650 651.25 651.31 655.75 656
45 656 657.25 657.31 661.75 662
46 662 663.25 663.31 667.75 668
47 668 669.25 669.31 673.75 674
48 674 675.25 675.31 679.75 680
49 680 681.25 681.31 685.75 686
50 686 687.25 687.31 691.75 692
51 692 693.25 693.31 697.75 698
700MHz band (until June 2009)
52 698 699.25 699.31 703.75 704
53 704 705.25 705.31 709.75 710
54 710 711.25 711.31 715.75 716
55 716 717.25 717.31 721.75 722
56 722 723.25 723.31 727.75 728
57 728 729.25 729.31 733.75 734
58 734 735.25 735.31 739.75 740
59 740 741.25 741.31 745.75 746
60 746 747.25 747.31 751.75 752
61 752 753.25 753.31 757.75 758
62 758 759.25 759.31 763.75 764
63 764 765.25 765.31 769.75 770
64 770 771.25 771.31 775.75 776
65 776 777.25 777.31 781.75 782
66 782 783.25 783.31 787.75 788
67 788 789.25 789.31 793.75 794
68 794 795.25 795.31 799.75 800
69 800 801.25 801.31 805.75 806
800MHz band (until 1980s)
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


UHF channels 14 to 43 translate to common cable-ready channels 65 to 94 (add 51).
UHF channels 44 to 69 translate to rarely-used cable TV channels 100 to 125 (add 56).
Virtual channel
Virtual channel

In telecommunications, a logical channel number , also known as virtual channel in North America, is a channel designation which differs from the actual radio channel or frequency on which the Signalling travels....
s 1, 37, and 70 to 99 can be assigned via PSIP even though there is no corresponding station on that channel.

External links

  • - TV Channel, CATV and FM Broadcast Frequencies by Kevin K. Custer (W3KKC)
  • - J. W. Reiser, based on a Radio Electronics
    Radio electronics

    *For the magazine, see Radio-ElectronicsRadio electronics is the sub-field of electrical engineering concerning itself with the class of electronics electrical network which receive or transmit radio signals....
     article of the same name by David A. Ferre.


See also

  • Broadcast television systems
    • ATSC Standards
    • BTSC
    • NTSC
      NTSC

      NTSC is the analog television system used in most of the Americas, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Burma, and some Pacific island nations and territories ....
    • NTSC-J
      NTSC-J

      NTSC-J is an analog signal television system and video display standard for the region of Japan....
    • PAL
      PAL

      PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is a color-encoding system used in broadcast television systems in large parts of the world. Other common analog television systems are SECAM and NTSC....
    • RCA
      RCA

      RCA Corporation, founded as Radio Corporation of America, was an electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. Today, the RCA is owned by the France conglomerate Thomson SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Thomson....
    • SECAM
      SECAM

      SECAM, also written S?CAM , is an analog television system first used in France.A team led by Henri de France working at Compagnie Fran?aise de T?l?vision invented SECAM....
  • Moving image formats
    Moving image formats

    This article discusses moving image capture, transmission and presentation from today's technical and creative points of view; concentrating on aspects of frame rates....
  • Early television stations
  • Television channel frequencies
    Television channel frequencies

    The 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....
  • Very High Frequency
    Very high frequency

    VHF is the radio frequency range from 30 megahertz to 300 megahertz. Frequencies immediately below VHF are denoted High frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Ultra high frequency ....
  • Ultra High Frequency
    Ultra high frequency

    Ultra high frequency designates a range of Electromagnetic radiation waves with frequency between 300 megahertz and 3 gigahertz . Also known as the decimetre band or decimetre wave as the wavelengths range from ten to one decimetres....
  • Knife-edge effect
    Knife-edge effect

    In electromagnetic wave 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 1
    Channel 1

    In North America, channel 1 is a former broadcasting television channel ....
  • List of channel 2 TV stations in the United States
  • List of channel 3 TV stations in the United States
  • List of channel 4 TV stations in the United States
  • List of channel 5 TV stations in the United States
  • List of channel 6 TV stations in the United States
  • List of channel 7 TV stations in the United States
  • List of channel 8 TV stations in the United States
  • List of channel 9 TV stations in the United States
  • List of channel 10 TV stations in the United States
  • List of channel 11 TV stations in the United States
  • List of channel 12 TV stations in the United States
  • List of channel 13 TV stations in the United States
  • Channel 37
    Channel 37

    In countries using the M and N broadcast television system standards, TV channel 37 occupies a band of UHF frequencies from 608 to 614 MHz. In the United States and Canada, channel 37 has never been used by any over-the-air television station, as it was reserved in 1963 for radioastronomy....
  • North American cable television frequencies
    North American cable television frequencies

    North America cable television broadcast band and NOTE: Frequencies given are for luminance carriers. For channel center frequencies, add 1.75 MHz....
  • Australasian TV frequencies