Terrestrial Television Frequencies in the U.S and Canada

The frequency/physical channel/RF channel a TV channel uses can be, and usually is, different from the channel it brands itself as (which is a "virtual" channel number). Learn more by watching this video.

Lo-VHF

Reception Difficulty: Usually Very Difficult

Pros

Slightly bends over mountainous terrain
Best in heavily wooded areas

Cons

Requires an antenna with very long elements for optimal reception
Any antenna (including metal of any size or shape) can technically receive all frequencies. In classical physics, even if an antenna isn't resonant at a specific frequency, Maxwell’s equations dictate that the electric and magnetic fields of an EM wave will still induce a current in the antenna.
Extremely prone to interference from electronics

Note: Most consumers do not have an antenna large enough to adequately receive Lo-VHF frequencies. This is exacerbated by an extremely high noise floor, which makes reception extremely difficult, or nearly impossible. This is why broadcasters tend to not use the Lo-VHF band. However, these reception issues can be mitigated by using a modern broadcast technology like ATSC 3.0. I am recommending the FCC mandate a switch to ATSC 3.0 on the Lo-VHF band first. Learn more here.

Lo-VHF has amazing qualities that are incredibly useful in very rural, hilly, mountainous, and/or forested areas. The use of the Lo-VHF band coupled with ATSC 3.0 implemented in a robust way could reinvigorate rural OTA reception, possibly allowing for OTA TV reception in certain regions for the first time.

RF Channel	Lower Edge	Upper Edge
2	54 MHz	60 MHz
3	60 MHz	66 MHz
4	66 MHz	72 MHz
	4 MHz Gap
5	76 MHz	82 MHz
6	82 MHz	88 MHz

Hi-VHF

Reception Difficulty: Usually Somewhat Difficult

Pros

Slightly bends over mountainous terrain
Performs well in heavily wooded areas
Antenna elements are shorter compared to Lo-VHF (for optimal reception)
Any antenna (including metal of any size or shape) can technically receive all frequencies. In classical physics, even if an antenna isn't resonant at a specific frequency, Maxwell’s equations dictate that the electric and magnetic fields of an EM wave will still induce a current in the antenna.

Cons

Requires an antenna with long elements for optimal reception
Any antenna (including metal of any size or shape) can technically receive all frequencies. In classical physics, even if an antenna isn't resonant at a specific frequency, Maxwell’s equations dictate that the electric and magnetic fields of an EM wave will still induce a current in the antenna.
Prone to interference from electronics

RF Channel	Lower Edge	Upper Edge
7	174 MHz	180 MHz
8	180 MHz	186 MHz
9	186 MHz	192 MHz
10	192 MHz	198 MHz
11	198 MHz	204 MHz
12	204 MHz	210 MHz
13	210 MHz	216 MHz

UHF

Reception Difficulty: Usually Easy

Pros

Interference from electronics is largely not an issue
Requires an antenna with small elements for optimal reception
Any antenna (including metal of any size or shape) can technically receive all frequencies. In classical physics, even if an antenna isn't resonant at a specific frequency, Maxwell’s equations dictate that the electric and magnetic fields of an EM wave will still induce a current in the antenna.
Travels through building material the easiest

Cons

Doesn’t bend over mountainous terrain
Poor performance in heavily wooded areas
Most affected with multipath interference

UHF Frequencies

RF Channel	Lower Edge	Upper Edge
14	470 MHz	476 MHz
15	476 MHz	482 MHz
16	482 MHz	488 MHz
17	488 MHz	494 MHz
18	494 MHz	500 MHz
19	500 MHz	506 MHz
20	506 MHz	512 MHz
21	512 MHz	518 MHz
22	518 MHz	524 MHz
23	524 MHz	530 MHz
24	530 MHz	536 MHz
25	536 MHz	542 MHz
26	542 MHz	548 MHz
27	548 MHz	554 MHz
28	554 MHz	560 MHz
29	560 MHz	566 MHz
30	566 MHz	572 MHz
31	572 MHz	578 MHz
32	578 MHz	584 MHz
33	584 MHz	590 MHz
34	590 MHz	596 MHz
35	596 MHz	602 MHz
36	602 MHz	608 MHz
37 (Unused)	608 MHz	614 MHz

Terrestrial Television Frequencies in the U.S and Canada

Lo-VHF

Pros

Cons

Lo-VHF Frequencies

Hi-VHF

Pros

Cons

Hi-VHF Frequencies

UHF

Pros

Cons

UHF Frequencies