Television digest with AM-FM reports (Jan-Dec 1951)

2 eliminate or minimize many potential ills — oscillator radiation, image and intermodulation interference , etc. He drew close attention to fact that primary service areas for uhf stations is expected to be as great as, if not greater than, for vhf. Coy also favored taking proposed 200-kw ceiling off uhf. It's believed FCC would lift ceiling once it's sure tropospheric interference won't be too severe. "I'm so sold on uhf," Coy averred, "that I'd like to see all TV go to uhf." This oft-repeated thought of his, which fellow commissioners rejected, stems from the demand of other services for vhf spectrum. These services were given TV's Channel 1, he said, but: "You haven't heard the last from them. They got the short end of the stick." Session undoubtedly helped sell uhf to many dubious engineers. A number remarked that, while they would always prefer vhf if available, they would not shy away from uhf in markets yet to open, even if vhf & uhf are intermixed. Obviously, though, none relished job of building uhf audience from scratch in markets where pioneers have painfully nurtured vhf audiences to profitable size — ripe for picking by vhf newcomers. Much of RCA's big brass, from president Folsom down, was on hand to throw weight behind Coy's exhortation. Folsom foresaw 5000 stations and 50,000,000 sets eventually growing out of vhf -uhf expansion. Spirit of friendliness pervaded sessions with Coy and Folsom even joshing each other about their sorest spot, color. "Our tests have proved," said v.p. -technical director Dr. C. B. Jolliffe. "that TV on uhf can be just as clear and stable as on vhf, and in some instances it is even better. " Results with 850-mc signals to date, to be described at Sept. 17 Philadelphia IRE meeting by RCA's Dr. George Brown, indicate following: (1) With 40-kw ERF, median field intensity of at least 10,000 uv/m is obtained out to 5 miles. (2) Tilting antenna downward 1.3 degrees increases signal 10 db out to 5 miles, decreases it beyond that, reduces tropospheric field 12 db at 100 miles. * * * ♦ Next manufacturer planning uhf demonstrations in Bridgeport is Sarkes Tarzian, who will show new tuner to set-making customers Oct. 6. NPA isn't standing in way of uhf experimentation. This week it gave Humboldt Grieg's WHUM, Reading, Pa., go-ahead on 1050-ft. tower to cost $125,000 (Vol. 7:33), even though FCC has not yet granted CP. NPA also granted uhf enthusiast John Poole permission to build on Mt. Wilson, moving his experimental station from Long Beach. POST-FREEZE, HOW SOON & HOW MANY? Two years after FCC lifts freeze — or sometime in 1954 — fewer than 300 vhf & uhf stations on the air, out of potential of 2000? Five years after end of freeze — something over 500? These figures may look conservative, at first blush, but they deserve careful study because they're first estimates from any manufacturer of transmitting and station equipment. They're from GE's Dr. W.R.G. Baker, v.p. in charge of electronics, speaking Sept. 10 before National Electronic Distributors Cleveland convention. They add emphasis — and more realism — to plain facts of TV life we've stressed again and again: that it will take time, and plenty of it, before there's any sizeable n\mber of new TV stations in operation, even if as now haped formal act of lifting freeze occurs early next year (Vol. 7:36). (Careful reading, incidentally, of our sizeup captioned "Mighty Few New Stations Before 1953" in last week's issue is urged; even at FCC, they will tell you it's reasonable and realistic appraisal and timetable. ) Based on GE market research studies. Dr. Baker forecast that 2 years after freeze-lifting, possibly next spring, there should be minimum of 141 new vhf outlets on air (making total 248) plus minimum of 36 uhf stations. And in Dr. Baker's words: "At the end of 5 years, I think we can look forward to a minimum of 343 vhf stations and 166 uhf stations or more than 500 stations in the United States. This