Amateur TV or ATV is an extension of Amateur Radio.
It is the transmission of broadcast quality video and audio over the wide range of frequencies of radio waves allocated for radio amateur (ham) use. ATV is used for non-commercial experimentation, pleasure, and public service events. Ham TV stations were on the air in many cities before commercial television stations came on the air.
ATV includes the study of building of such transmitters and receivers, and the study of radio propagation of signals travelling between transmitting and receiving stations.
Analogue (ATV/FM)
Uses standard NTSC, PAL, or SECAM formats on frequencies like 420–450 MHz.
Digital (DATV)
Uses protocols like DVB-S, DVB-T, or DVB-T2 to transmit high-definition video.
Equipment & Range
Transmissions typically cover 30–100 km (20–60 mi), but repeaters can extend this significantly. Operators use specialized transceivers or modify high-frequency gear to transmit on 70cm, 23cm, and higher bands.
Licensing
An appropriate amateur radio license is required to transmit.
Amateur Television is a fascinating area of Amateur Radio covering all aspects of video production, editing, transmission and reception of Television and has always been at the fore front of the technology revolution. Many stations are now transmitting Digital pictures (DATV) using the DVB broadcast standards and using video streaming technologies to exchange pictures with ATV operators around the world.