Updated Spreadsheet with FCC Technical Data on TV Stations Now Available

By Doug Lung
published

During the DTV transition I offered frequently updated spreadsheets containing information on all active TV stations in the FCC's CDBS (Consolidated Database System). Since the DTV transition the number of modifications and changes decreased. I was pleased to hear people were still using the spreadsheet since it was last updated in 2013.

I've created a new spreadsheet from the CDBS July 2, 2014 database listing all active TV station licenses, applications and petitions for rulemaking (full power, low power, translators, commercial and non-commercial) in the United States. On separate tabs I show CDBS data on Mexican and Canadian border stations. As previously reported, the FCC will use CDBS data in the incentive auction and replacing to determine coverage and interference. Repacking coverage and interference calculations will use true geometry and electrical beam tilt so it is important to make sure this information is correct in CDBS. The spreadsheet does not include antenna patterns but does show make, model and orientation when present in CDBS.

The spreadsheet is available at xmtr.com/fcc. While Internet speeds have increased significantly from the dial-up days when I started the spreadsheets, I've continued including a compressed (zip) version of file for those wanting a faster download.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.