Tower Technology

Antennas to transmit and receive signals are located at several levels of Sutro Tower™, with television antennas at the top. All television viewers in the Bay Area rely on non-stop digital signals at Sutro Tower:

  • Residents without cable or satellite service receive signals transmitted over-the-air to their antennas.

  • Cable systems use antennas at Sutro Tower to receive signals from cable stations’ satellite transmissions for delivery to their subscribers.

  • Satellite and other wireless TV delivery services receive the signals of Bay Area television stations from Sutro Tower.

Stations generally have primary and backup antennas at different levels on the tower to maintain service 24/7, as well as equipment in the building at the tower’s base.

All radio and television broadcasting is regulated by the FCC, and certain other transmissions are regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission. The City and County of San Francisco has permitting authority over the tower and the buildings on the 5.6-acre site, through a conditional use permit issued in 1966 and the “Sutro Tower standard conditions”, issued in 2000, which formalized a rigorous protocol of mandatory safety inspections.

 

Digital Television

By order of the Federal Communications Commission, the last day of analog television transmission was June 11, 2009. All television stations in the United States are now broadcasting only in the digital format, including the 11 television stations at Sutro Tower. For more information on the national transition to digital TV, go to www.dtvanswers.com

Viewers who rely on off-air reception (no cable or satellite) need a television receiver with a digital tuner or a converter box to convert the digital signal to analog for viewing on an older analog only television.  A new TV antenna may also be necessary for digital reception. Digital TV from Sutro Tower is broadcast on both VHF and UHF channels.

For more information and assistance on digital conversion go to www.dtv.gov or call 888-388-2009.

Digital Conversion at Sutro Tower

The Sutro Tower digital antennas are located at the top of the transmission tower.  Two auxiliary antennas serving 5 stations each are installed between 380 and 560 feet up the tower. A third back-up antenna for KGO is at the 180-foot level.

As part of the permit for installing the digital antennas, Sutro Tower, Inc., reinforced the tower to accommodate the new equipment and to upgrade the structure to current wind and seismic codes for essential facilities.

Outmoded analog antennas at the top of the tower were removed in 2009.