How RF Scout scores a location
RF Scout geocodes an address, pulls every FCC-recorded emitter within 80 miles, and computes a 0–1 risk score for each TV channel from three factors: the type of emitter, a distance and power falloff, and how directly it overlaps the channel. Scores below 0.20 are labelled Recommended, 0.20 to 0.55 Caution, and 0.55 or above Avoid. It is a ranking proxy built from licence records, not a measurement and not a propagation prediction.
The advisory RF Scout returns is a ranking, not a reading. Understanding how the ranking is built tells you when to trust it and — more usefully — when not to.
What goes in
- Geocode. The address, venue or city you enter is resolved to coordinates.
- Emitter lookup. Every emitter in the dataset within 80 miles is pulled — the maximum radius any emitter type uses, set by full-power DTV.
- Terrain class. Urban, suburban or rural, inferred from the resolved place name and overridable with the chips on the advisory page.
- Country. US, Canada, UK or Mexico, which selects the band plan and the hard-blocked ranges.
The three scoring factors
- Type weight
- A full-power DTV station counts for far more than a low power television station, which counts for more than a single Part 74 microphone licensee. A transmitter's category is a good first-order proxy for how much of the channel it occupies and how continuously.
- Distance falloff
- A simplified function of ERP, HAAT and distance squared. This is deliberately a sortable proxy rather than a propagation model — it will rank a nearby full-power station above a distant one correctly, and it will not tell you what a ridge between you does.
- Frequency overlap
- Direct co-channel occupancy contributes fully. A first-adjacent channel contributes roughly 35 percent, a second-adjacent roughly 10 percent, reflecting how much energy realistically leaks into a neighbouring channel.
How scores become labels
| Score | Label | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Below 0.20 | Recommended | Nothing in the record suggests a problem. Still scan. |
| 0.20 – 0.55 | Caution | A real contributor is nearby. Usable, often, but check it first and have a fallback. |
| 0.55 and above | Avoid | A strong occupant. Do not plan carriers here. |
Some bands are labelled Avoid regardless of score, because the law rather than the arithmetic decides: TV channel 37 and the 600 MHz service band are hard-blocked in every market.
Confidence
- High — the underlying FCC data is 14 days old or less, and at least one strong contributor explains the score.
- Medium — data is 14 to 60 days old, or the contributors are a mix of types.
- Low — sparse coverage, only weak contributors, or the location sits at the edge of the data footprint.
Where the data comes from
- FCC LMS — full-power and Class A DTV engineering records: callsign, RF channel, ERP, HAAT, transmitter coordinates.
- FCC CDBS — legacy cross-reference for FM and LPTV records.
- FCC ULS — Part 74 microphone licensees, Part 22 and Part 27 mobile carriers, and BAS.
- FCC Spectrum Dashboard — band plan metadata.
- NTIA Federal Spectrum Compendium — federal allocations referenced by the band plan.
The advisory page shows a freshness badge for the underlying ingest, and the full methodology including current limitations and roadmap lives on the about page.
Enter an address and see the score, the labels, and the specific stations driving each one.
Run it on your next locationCommon questions
- Does RF Scout measure RF at my location?
- No. It computes a predicted congestion score from public FCC licence records — what is authorized to transmit near you, not what is transmitting right now. Always confirm with a scan on your own receivers at the location.
- What does a Recommended label actually guarantee?
- Nothing. It means no licensed emitter in the FCC record is expected to be a significant contributor on that channel at your location. Unlicensed devices, intermittent broadcast auxiliary traffic and other production crews are invisible to it.
- Why is a band marked Avoid even when the score is low?
- Some ranges are prohibited by rule rather than by congestion. TV channel 37 and the 600 MHz service band are hard-blocked in every market regardless of what is or is not transmitting there.
- How current is the FCC data behind a score?
- The advisory page displays the ingest date and a freshness badge, and the confidence label degrades from High to Medium once the data passes 14 days old. If the data is more than 60 days old the score is reported at Low confidence.
Sources
Related notes
Field Notes are general reference, not legal advice or a substitute for the rule text. Spectrum rules change; verify anything you are relying on against the current source before you transmit. See the methodology and disclaimer.