CATV_Channels

The Old CATV Equipment Museum
U.S. Cable Television Analog Channel Designations

Neal McLain 05/05/2007

The following table compares five methods used in the United States to designate analog cable television channels:

  • Band.   The band designations adopted by the broadcast and the cable television industries.

  • Alphabetic.   Channel designations adopted in an ad-hoc fashion when manufacturers began building equipment intended to operate in the midband (120-174 MHz).   Note that:
    • Lowband and highband channels 2-13 are identical to broadcast channels 2-13, and retain the same numeric designations.
    • Midband and superband channels were given alphabetic designations.
    • The lower two midband channels (108-120 MHz) were skipped due to possible conflicts with VOR transmitters.   Eventually they were named A-2 ("A minus 2") and A-1 ("A minus 1").

  • Numeric.   Channel designations adopted by converter manufacturers when they began building converters with illuminated channel-number displays (presumably because of the complexity and cost of displays that could display alphabetic letters).   These designations have been standardized in Consumer Technology Association (CTA)   Standard CTA-542   "Cable Television Channel Identification Plan," and incorporated by reference in the FCC Rules and Regulations at 47 CFR 76.602.

  • Channel Boundary Frequencies.

  • Visual Carrier Frequency.   The visual carrier frequency of an NTSC signal operating in this channel, as offset (if required) to avoid conflicts with certain aeronautical frequencies pursuant to FCC regulation set forth in 47 CFR 76.610.

CABLE TELEVISION ANALOG CHANNEL DESIGNATIONS
Click on footnote for further information.
BAND ALPHA
CHANNEL
DESIGNATION
NUMERIC
CHANNEL
DESIGNATION
CHANNEL
BOUNDARY
FREQUENCIES
VISUAL
CARRIER
FREQUENCY
FOOT
NOTE
LOW
2
2
54-60
55.2500
1
3
3
60-66
61.2500
1
4
4
66-72
67.2500
1
 
1
72-76
Unusable
2
5
5
76-82
77.2500
1
6
6
82-88
83.2500
1
FM
A-5
95
90-96
91.2500
3
A-4
96
96-102
97.2500
3
A-3
97
102-108
103.2500
3
MID
A-2
98
108-114
109.2750
4, 5
A-1
99
114-120
115.2750
4, 5
A
14
120-126
121.2625
4, 6
15
15
126-132
127.2625
4, 6
16
16
132-138
133.2625
4, 6
17
17
138-144
139.2500
4
18
18
144-150
145.2500
4
19
19
150-156
151.2500
4
20
20
156-162
157.2500
4
21
21
162-168
163.2500
4
22
22
168-174
169.2500
4
HIGH
7
7
174-180
175.2500
1
8
8
180-186
181.2500
1
9
9
186-192
187.2500
1
10
10
192-198
193.2500
1
11
11
198-204
199.2500
1
12
12
204-210
205.2500
1
13
13
210-216
211.2500
1
SUPER
J
23
216-222
217.2500
4
K
24
222-228
223.2500
4
L
25
228-234
229.2625
4, 6
M
26
234-240
235.2625
4, 6
N
27
240-246
241.2625
4, 6
O
28
246-252
247.2625
4, 6
P
29
252-258
253.2625
4, 6
Q
30
258-264
259.2625
4, 6
R
31
264-270
265.2625
4, 6
S
32
270-276
271.2625
4, 6
T
33
276-282
277.2625
4, 6
U
34
282-288
283.2625
4, 6
V
35
288-294
289.2625
4, 6
W
36
294-300
295.2625
4, 6
HYPER
AA
37
300-306
301.2625
4, 6
BB
38
306-312
307.2625
4, 6
CC
39
312-318
313.2625
4, 6
DD
40
318-324
319.2625
4, 6
EE
41
324-330
325.2625
4, 6
FF
42
330-336
331.2750
4, 7
GG
43
336-342
337.2625
4, 6
HH
44
342-348
343.2625
4, 6
II
45
348-354
349.2625
4, 6
JJ
46
354-360
355.2625
4, 6
KK
47
360-366
361.2625
4, 6
LL
48
366-372
367.2625
4, 6
MM
49
372-378
373.2625
4, 6
NN
50
378-384
379.2625
4, 6
OO
51
384-390
385.2625
4, 6
PP
52
390-396
391.2625
4, 6
QQ
53
396-402
397.2625
4, 6
RR
54
402-408
403.2500
4
SS
55
408-414
409.2500
4
TT
56
414-420
415.2500
4
UU
57
420-426
421.2500
4
VV
58
426-432
427.2500
4
WW
59
432-438
433.2500
4
XX
60
438-444
439.2500
4
YY
61
444-450
445.2500
4
ZZ
62
450-456
451.2500
4
 
 
63
456-462
457.2500
4
 
64
462-468
463.2500
4
 
65
468-474
469.2500
4
 
66
474-480
475.2500
4
 
67
480-486
481.2500
4
 
68
486-492
487.2500
4
 
69
492-498
493.2500
4
 
70
498-504
499.2500
4
 
71
504-510
505.2500
4
 
72
510-516
511.2500
4
 
73
516-522
517.2500
4
 
74
522-528
523.2500
4
 
75
528-534
529.2500
4
 
76
534-540
535.2500
4
 
77
540-546
541.2500
4
 
78
546-552
547.2500
4
 
79
552-558
553.2500
4
 
80
558-564
559.2500
4
 
81
564-570
565.2500
4
 
82
570-576
571.2500
4
 
83
576-582
577.2500
4
 
84
582-588
583.2500
4
 
85
588-594
589.2500
4
 
86
594-600
595.2500
4
 
87
600-606
601.2500
4
 
88
606-612
607.2500
4
 
89
612-618
613.2500
4
 
90
618-624
619.2500
4
 
91
624-630
625.2500
4
 
92
630-636
631.2500
4
 
93
636-642
637.2500
4
 
94
642-648
643.2500
4
 
100
648-654
649.2500
4
 
101
654-660
655.2500
4
 
102
660-666
661.2500
4
 
103
666-672
667.2500
4
 
104
672-678
673.2500
4
 
105
678-684
679.2500
4
 
106
684-690
685.2500
4
 
107
690-696
691.2500
4
 
108
696-702
697.2500
4
 
109
702-708
703.2500
4
 
110
708-714
709.2500
4
 
111
714-720
715.2500
4
 
112
720-726
721.2500
4
 
113
726-732
727.2500
4
 
114
732-738
733.2500
4
 
115
738-744
739.2500
4
 
116
744-750
745.2500
4
 
117
750-756
751.2500
4
 
118
756-762
757.2500
4
 
119
762-768
763.2500
4
 
120
768-774
769.2500
4
 
121
774-780
775.2500
4
 
122
780-786
781.2500
4
 
123
786-792
787.2500
4
 
124
792-798
793.2500
4
 
125
798-804
799.2500
4
 
126
804-810
805.2500
4
 
127
810-816
811.2500
4
 
128
816-822
817.2500
4
 
129
822-828
823.2500
4
 
130
828-834
829.2500
4
 
131
834-840
835.2500
4
 
132
840-846
841.2500
4
 
133
846-852
847.2500
4
 
134
852-858
853.2500
4
 
135
858-864
859.2500
4
 
136
864-870
865.2500
4
 
137
870-876
871.2500
4
 
138
876-882
877.2500
4
 
139
882-888
883.2500
4
 
140
888-894
889.2500
4
 
141
894-900
895.2500
4
 
142
900-906
901.2500
4
 
143
906-912
907.2500
4
 
144
912-918
913.2500
4
 
145
918-924
919.2500
4
 
146
924-930
925.2500
4
 
147
930-936
931.2500
4
 
148
936-942
937.2500
4
 
149
942-948
943.2500
4
 
150
948-954
949.2500
4
 
151
954-960
955.2500
4
 
152
960-966
961.2500
4
 
153
966-972
967.2500
4
 
154
972-978
973.2500
4
 
155
978-984
979.2500
4
 
156
984-990
985.2500
4
 
157
990-996
991.2500
4
 
158
996-1002
997.2500
4

FOOTNOTES
These channels are congruent with television broadcast channels 2-13.   Channel designations, boundary frequencies, and carrier frequencies are identical.   These channels are used to carry NTSC video signals.
This 4-MHz channel (designated Cable Channel 1) can be used for aural or control carriers, but it cannot be used for a 6-MHz NTSC video signal.
These channels overlap the FM Broadcast Band.   Some cable companies use them to carry three NTSC video signals; some companies use the entire bandwidth (88-108 MHz) for cable FM radio service.
These channels overlap non-broadcast services.   They are usually used for NTSC video signals, but they may be used for data carriers to provide such services as internet access, telephony, and private data networks.
These channels overlap the VOR (VHF Omni-directional Radio Range) aeronautical radio navigation system.   Carriers operating in these channels must be offset +0.250 MHz to avoid conflict with VOR transmitters.   Example: the nominal Channel 98 visual carrier frequency is 109.25 MHz.   Applying the required offset yields
109.2500 + 0.0250 = 109.2750,
halfway between VOR frequencies at 109.2500 and 109.3000 MHz.
These channels overlap the aeronautical mobile band.   Carriers operating in these channels must be offset +0.125 MHz to avoid conflict with aeronautical mobile transmitters.   Example: the nominal Channel 14 visual carrier frequency is 121.25 MHz.   Applying the required offset yields
121.2500 + 0.0125 = 121.2625 MHz,
halfway between Aeronautical Mobile frequencies at 121.2500 and 121.2750 MHz.
This channel overlaps the aircraft Instrument Landing System.   Carriers operating in this channel must be offset +0.250 MHz to avoid conflict with ILS transmitters.   Example: the nominal Channel 42 visual carrier frequency is 331.25 MHz.   Applying the required offset yields
331.2500 + 0.0250 = 331.2750 MHz,
halfway between ILS frequencies at 331.2500 and 331.3000 MHz.



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