Some Comments on the Technical Realities Concerning Television Allocations

A realistic engineering comparison of the service which can be provided at VHF and UHF is essential in the formulation of a television allocations plan. The critical technical factors are wave propagation, receiver noise figure, receiving antennas, interference, and transmitter power. A consideration of these factors leads to the conclusion that the service provided by the 70 UHF channels is far less than 70/12 times the service provided by the 12 VHF channels. It is suggested that VHF service may be increased by the use of directional transmitting antennas, and UHF service by the development of satisfactory on-channel boosters.