Digital TV Nightmares

June 12, 2009 marks the day that all public broadcasting channels nation-wide must convert from analog to digital transmission signals. For many the transition will not even be noticeable. If you have satellite or cable you will notice nothing. But for those who receive their reception through a traditional antenna (whether or not they have a digital television) the quality of their reception will drastically decrease or completely disappear.

For over a year now broadcasters have been advertising the conversion along with the Federal Government's DTV Coupon Program (https://www.dtv2009.gov/) to assist with the cost of converter boxes for those with analog televisions. But it has only been since February that these advertisements have included information about possibly needing an additional outdoor digital antenna in order to pick up a signal. People who must purchase the additional antenna will need to know what direction to aim/align the antenna in order to pick up reception.

AntennaWeb provides a handy dandy system for determining the type of digitial antenna you will need. It is very informative-breaking down the types of antennas and their strength. The selection guide let's you put in your individual information and returns the best recommendations.

In order for your antenna to get the best reception you will need a clear line of sight for the digital signal. Check out www.dtv.com/maps to see what stations you should be able to pick up and where to angle the antenna in order to pick up the most broadcast channels with the strongest possible signal. Not all stations will be in the same general direction. In these instances viewers must pick a direction in which to align the antenna by making a choice as to which network is most valuable. Once you have your angle you will need to take a look at your surroundings to see if anything will block the signal – limbs, houses, high fences. Eliminate limbs that are too long (this may need to be done annually). Permanent structures such as houses present a different problem. Try to find a location for your antenna that will reduce their effect.

Those who have never had satellite or digital cable will quickly discover pixeling. Pixels are the tiny little squares that make up a digital signal. When a signal is weak your picture will break up into these tiny squares (pixeling). With analog signals weak reception only resulted in fuzzy pictures and you often would still receive the audio signal. With digital signals the pixeling also interrupts the audio signal. A weak signal can be caused by distance from antenna, rain, leaves, solar spots and debris on your antenna.

Storms will cause pixeling/loss of signal. This means during times when you most need access to weather information you will not have it. Plan ahead if you live in areas known for violent weather conditions. Make sure you have a battery operated weather radio,flashlights and backup batteries on hand because you will not have television reception during heavy storms. If the pixeling is caused by debris on your antenna (snow, leaves, etc) you will need to remove it but be careful. Touching the dish can move it out of alignment.

Digital reception does provide better pictures on the screen but the current systems are not ready for mass use (at least in my experience) You can live 50 miles or 5 miles from an antenna and still not receive reception. Hopefully this information will help you in your own transition.