TV Amplifier with scanner?

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Circa

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I have a 25db usb powered TV amplifier that came with a leaf style digital tv antenna. I used the amplifier, and the actual leaf tv antenna, with an SDR and it seems to actually improve reception of FM frequencies. I tested with a NOAA weather channel since it near me but I usually can't receive it and I go from static to being able to hear it when the amp is powered.
I know TV antennas are not 50ohm and that the tv amplifiers are looked at as useless by most, so I ask this in more of an educational/experimental way.

Can I use the TV amplifier with my Whistler or Uniden scanner safely?
 
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n5ims

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Jul 25, 2004
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Yes, but it may not cover the Frequency Range of the scanner

How is that? The TV band generally covers from 54 MHz through 890 MHz. Although several sections have since been removed, most TV amps are rated for the full range, if not for the current TV coverage, but to cover the same range and generally extends up to 1 GHz.

What was removed from the old TV bands and where did it go you might ask? Well, the 800 MHz frequencies were taken from the TV frequencies when they eliminated the top most 10+ channels. Next was the 700 MHz frequencies another 10+ channels. Coming to a TV near you soon will be the loss of more channels (38 and up) to provide the 600 MHz frequencies to the FCC to auction off to wireless carriers.

TV stations will be forced to move down to lower frequencies, including the VHF Low channels of 2 - 6 that aren't very active following the earlier DTV swap and more of the VHF-Hi channels (7 - 13) will also see new activity. Stations will also be packed closer together in many markets and many stations will sell their channel and either stop broadcasting or pay remaining stations to broadcast their content using one of their virtual channels.

Eventually there will be a migration from ATSC 1.0 (the current DTV format) to ATSC 3.0 (a new, incompatible DTV format) that will allow for full 4K broadcasting and additional virtual channels. This migration will not be as easy nor as clean as the previous DTV migration since new tuners will be required to pick up the new ATSC 3.0 formats. Current plans call for one or more stations to switch to the 3.0 format and broadcast their signals along with others that remain on the 1.0 format. One or more of the 1.0 format stations will broadcast the signal of the station(s) that went to the 3.0 format so all channels will be available to folks using either format tuners. Eventually as the 3.0 format tuners are in a majority of homes, more stations will migrate from 1.0 to 3.0 and stations will expand their own content and reduce the carriage of the old format station's content.

Some stations have already announced what their new channels will be as part of this DTV Repack. Many have not or have selected to not announce them publicly just yet. Also the stations that will sell their channel will not be made public until the repack has been completed (to protect them from viewers thinking that their content will no longer be available). This makes the list very incomplete and even those listed may change from what's been reported due to adjustments or negotiations.

Some info on the repack --> https://www.fybush.com/nerw-extra-dtv-repack/
Details on the new channels as reported to the NAB --> https://www.nab.org/repacking/clearinghouse.asp
 
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drayd48

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Nov 4, 2012
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I use a Digital Amplified TV antenna to pick up 800 MHZ digital signals. Works great. Much better than a stock or external antenna
 
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