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Washington Insiders have selected April 9, 2009 as the date for all US Analog TV stations to end operations. Senate Commerce Committee staffers have selected the date as a compromise between January 1, 2009 and late October of 2009 for all analog transmissions to end. While this date has not been cast in stone -- the concrete has already begun to harden around this date. 700 Mhz by late 2009.

I am well aware of this change. My work environment has changed dramatically in the past few months.

The big bad cable company is getting set for digital simulcast.

What does that mean for everyone else....tiling on the 2-99 channels and once the simulcast is gone (2009) an STB on every tv. The model my company is looking to use looks more like an alarm clock. Imagine a very small box where the cables attached weigh more than the box itself and its tilted at a 45 degree angle because of the cables.

At least it will cure the grainy pic problem with the Motorla 6200 on the analog channels.

Good times ahead!

MMMMMM, I get more spectrum....

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I generate Board Warnings

:D :D What this all means to scanner owners --- is that around mid to late 2009 -- the new 700 Mhz Public Safety Band (using UHF TV Channels 63, 64, 68 and 69 ) 764 - 806 Mhz -- will be available for use. You might NEED to purchase a new scanner that covers this NEW BAND. Your present analog TV set will no longer have anything to receive. You will need to buy a "converter" or a new digital TV set --- .

The 700 Mhz band can already be used (in part at least) in Washington State. The State of Washington currently holds a license at 700 MHz and can begin operation immediately if they wish. The only limitations are that the State needs to protect Canadian broadcast operations (for now) inside Canada. Not too hard to do since Washington can pick channels that are not shared with the Canadian TV stations.

There are also TV translators in the US that are secondary to the State license and will need to vacate. In some cases, the State could work around these as well.

For local agencies, they need to wait until adoption of the 700 MHz 'plan'. This plan is ready for submission to the FCC for final approval. Approval will run 90 to 180 days or so. At that point, local agencies (like KC Metro Transit which just announced the bid winner for their new 700 MHz voice radio system or Pierce Transit which is still in the bid process) can deal with the few translators and start building systems.

For info on the plan, see http://www.region43.org

The future is now!