Interference to DTV Reception due to Non-Linearity of Receiver Front-Ends

Terrestrial television broadcasting has always been an interference limited service. In 2009, the FCC plans to end analog TV transmissions by full power TV stations in the USA and to reduce the broadcast TV spectrum and to allow sharing of the remaining TV broadcast spectrum by unlicensed devices. DTV signals will use first adjacent channels in the same community and there will be no UHF taboos to protect against interference which results from receiver non-linearity, especially that due to multiple signals on certain channels which results in 3rd order intermodulation products which fall in the channel to which the receiver is tuned. This paper will explain the problems caused and suggest means to improve receiver performance .