Monday, June 15, 2009

I lost my TV signal

I am sure many of you have cable or satellite or some other subscription TV service, but I still live in the land of over-the-air TV signals. I had purchased my digital converter box and scanned my channels and thought I was ready for the end of analog signal on Friday night, but I lost access to PBS. After spending time moving the antenna around, I decided it was time to do some research.

First, loss of signal due to switch from analog to digital. There are maps that show you coverage by area and network. For example, check out Denver, which shows on page 23 and 24 that I am stuck in "coverage lost and no other service by same network" when it comes to PBS. Interestingly, it appears there is less then 2% loss for my PBS station, since it is not on the Signal Loss Report.

Second, fixing the problem. There is a interactive guide that can walk you through finding your signal. If you are lucky it will tell you how to solve the problem. One possible solution is to check out the site antennaweb.org, which can tell you which way to orient your antenna for maximum reception.

Still lost, confused, frustrated? Well, the FCC is ready to take your calls at 1-888-CALL-FCC.

Want to do some research on some statistics related to this change? Check out the DTV statistics page, which had some interesting numbers. Approximately 11% of the US gets their TV over the air, but in Colorado about 13% do not subscribe to a TV subscription service.

And just in case you don't have enough to think about, for further information on telecommunications, check out the library's guide.

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