[LINK] Analogue TV frequencies not just used for TV, so spanner in works of spectrum sale

[Carl Makin]

Hi Stewart,

On 22/01/2007, at 9:35 AM, Stewart Fist wrote:

> We supposedly use the international spectrum allocation for television
> transmission, yet Australia has never used Channels 12 to 27 in the  
> UHF
> band.

Because they are already in use for other purposes.

> Yet this is the best part of the UHF band for distance broadcasting  
> (more
> important in Australia than elsewhere) -- and it exists as an enormous
> spectrum gap from 222MHz up to 526MHz.  This was the obvious region  
> to open
> up for digital TV, and this could have been done without needing to  
> destroy
> analog channels until they are totally obsolete.

There is no "spectrum gap".  That is the part of the spectrum where  
the vast majority of two-way radio and similar services sit.

> I've never managed to get an answer (that I trust) as to why these  
> channels
> were left vacant,  The authorities opened up the high end of the  
> UHF band
> for 'so-called business and foreign language' broadcasting at one  
> time,
> which meant that a set-top box was needed, because it was off the  
> range of
> international TV tuners.  Yet this on-tuner range from 12 to 27  
> lies vacant.

It's not vacant.  It's packed with other services like police, fire  
brigade, ambulance, RFS, taxis, courier companies, etc.  Where do  
these services go if you reallocate the spectrum to digital  
broadcasting?

You can search the ACMA website for frequency allocations within a  
certain postcode and frequency range.  The form is at;

http://web.acma.gov.au/pls/radcom/assignment_range.range_search

I searched for all allocations between 220Mhz and 525Mhz just in the  
Sydney CBD postcode (2000) and it returned 1204 allocations.   That  
doesn't include allocations made in the surrounding postcodes.

The ACMA spectrum plan is at

http://www.acma.gov.au/ACMAINTER.1638528:STANDARD::pc=PC_2713

which includes both a PDF text document and a PDF wall chart  
detailing exactly the use of each bit of spectrum between 9 hertz and  
275Ghz.

The Australian spectrum plan conforms mostly to the International  
Telecommunications Union (ITU) spectrum plan which, interestingly,  
does not have TV channels listed between 220Mhz and 525Mhz.



Carl.