The Transmitter Icons file has been updated to reflect the following changes

 - Updated to the latest FCC database snapshot (25-Jul-2008)

To download the latest file, go to the Transmitter Icons area.

A number of changes have been made to the Signal Analysis Tool today.  There are some significant changes to the visual appearance of the reports, but the real important changes are actually under-the-hood in the way the tool loads and processes the FCC database.  The highlights of the changes are as follows:

• FCC database extraction now tries to interpret the new DTV transition fields that were recently added.  This will hopefully provide more accurate and timely updates as broadcasters work toward the February 17 transition date.  We'll see how well the FCC can keep this information up to date...
• FM broadcasts are also tested when checking for adjacent channel interference next to channel 6 (thanks to our sister site FM Fool).  Testing of FM signal strength for pre-amp overload issues is not there yet, but we'll probably add that at some point in the future.
• The bars on the radar plot have been "reversed".  This alternate presentation was considered over two years ago, but since a few TV Fool users have suggested the same idea, we thought we'd try it out.  For some people, this might be more intuitive since it gives the appearance of signal strength emanating from the horizon.  Feedback is welcome.
• Channel numbering on the plot have been spaced apart a bit.  There's no perfect solution for the cases where there are just way too many channels to display, but this layout should help most people see more of the channel numbers clearly.
• VHF channels are now drawn with extra emphasis (thicker, with a yellow outline) in both the radar plot and the spectrum plot (bottom graph).  VHF antennas are distinctly different from UHF antennas, with special consideration needed when planning an installation (antenna type, pointing, mounting configuration, pre-amp type, etc.).  We hope this representation will help draw attention to those channels that need it.

We hope you enjoy the changes.  Please send feedback via the "Contact Us" button at the top of the page if you have any comments, questions, or bug reports. 

On March 6, 2008, the FCC released an update to their list of "Final DTV Allotments" (originally released August 6, 2007). 

TV Fool's Signal Analysis Tool has been updated to include these latest updates when you select the "post-transition" reports.  We hope that this will provide a more accurate representation of how things will look after February 17, 2009.

The latest list is available from the FCC as FCC-08-72A2.pdf .  For more information, please visit http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/.

The Transmitter Icons file has been updated to reflect the following changes

 - Updated to the latest FCC database snapshot (10-Feb-2008)

To download the latest file, go to the Transmitter Icons area.