WASHINGTON—TVStudy, the Federal Communications Commission’s TV band repack software, has been updated. This version includes an updated interference-check mode, new map output options, support for additional or updated underlying data sources, and several new analysis modes, according to a Public Notice change log from the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology.
TVStudy is based on OET Bulletin No. 69, the metrics used to calculate TV coverage and potential interference for the launch of over-the-air digital television 10 years ago. The OET-69 variant dubbed “TVStudy” was first introduced in February of 2013. The software has gone through several updates and is now in Vers. 2.1.
The interference-check (IX) mode has been “extensively modified” to reflect an older software set called “tv_process” and will accept multiple channel inputs and generate “tvixstudy.dat” files for each. TV IX check mode is said to support the 1 percent coverage contour increase and the 5 percent population decrease thresholds to be used during the first 90 days after the Incentive Auction Closing and Channel Reassignment Public Notice is released in the coming weeks.
“Additionally, to facilitate post-auction filings, TVStudy has the ability... to exclude records filed before a specific date unless there is an associated baseline record on that channel. This will allow applications to be analyzed with respect to post-auction records,” the change log stated.
Vers. 2.1 also eliminates data selection for AM radio station searches and adds a field for a cut-off date, after which newly archived records will be excluded from results. A new TV-FM interference study mode has been added, along with a “Geography Editor” that enables analysis on individual receive points using various receive antenna patterns and the capability to project contours by “various new methods.”
Data sets have been updated to reflect North American Datum of 1983. Consequently, spreadsheet fields denoting latitude and longitude will be suffixed with “83.” A call-sign search field has been modified and a field for identifying an experimental facility has been added, among many other modifications available for review at the commission’s TVStudywebsite.
The commission said the OET will “continue to make improvements and other changes to TVStudy that are necessary and appropriate, and will inform the public via public notice when new versions of TVStudy are released. ”
OET said it also welcomes feedback on vers 2.1, and that the Media Bureau will use the updated and revised software to process construction permit applications during the 39-month repack window.
“In processing applications using TVStudy, the Media Bureau will use the same input values adopted in the Incentive Auction proceeding [See Incentive Auction Report and Order, 29 FCC Rcd at 6636-42, paras. 148-161; Incentive Auction Second Order on Reconsideration, 30 FCC Rcd at 6757-58, paras. 24-26] except that the Media Bureau will continue to afford applicants the flexibility to specify a value for certain inputs, rather than establishing a default value, consistent with the current rules for processing applications.”
“Specifically, while the commission set a default cell size of 2 km per side for the repacking process, the Media Bureau will continue to allow full-power applicants to use a cell size ‘other than the default of 2.0 km per side, but only requests for cell sizes of 1.0 km per side or 0.5 km per side will be considered.’”
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