Well my area switched today and since I live in a really rural area with lots of mountains I only had six channels to start with, three PBS one weather CBS and a religious channel.
Now that the switch happened I only get the three PBS and the religious channel.

Oh well I think when the wife gets home I'm going to try to get up on the roof with the antenna and let her keep rescanning the converter box while I reposition the antenna.

Kind of bummed out about it

 

But look on the bright side.....by giving up your TV signals you allowed the government to be able to sell the freed up bandwidth (for chump change) to a few well-connected companies who will then resell it for a huge profit....

Hope you get it working better anyway....

 

I'm not meaning to sound like a jerk but this transition has been advertised for the last 16 months. We even had a 4 month extension so folks would have more time to get ready.

I had no faith in the converter box to begin with and it seems to be useless in certain areas.

Basic sat. and cable prices are fairly cheap.

Tim

 

do they have cable in TN?

 

Sure we have cable in my area, but since I'm unemployed right now I decided against
another $50 - $60 monthly bill

With the antenna on the roof I was able to pick up ABC intermittently so I guess Ill look
into some type of areal antenna next.

 

I thought antennas were worthless now with the change over? hell we got em all over here and now worthless without box. Part of evil sinister plot.

 

I had to get an antenna for my tv to pick up the digital signals in my area,the tv wouldn't pick up any signals without an antenna. The transition has went smoothly in my area,better picture,better reception,and more free channels than before.

 

The pair of $6 rabbit ears I bought 10 years ago still works. At least for me, it isn't the antenna that makes the difference, it's the tuner. A couple of years ago, I had to buy a new TV and DVD player. They both came with DTV tuners built in, and I've been watching DTV since.
I feel somewhat fortunate that the digital signal is clearer for me than the analog signal (except for the local CBS affiliate, but I figure if CBS wants me to watch their programming they'll figure out how to get it to me, and then they'll come up with something worth watching). I hope the OP finds an antenna configuration that will let him work this out.

 

Plug your adress in at antennaweb.org

& find out what you need for an antenna in your exact location.

 

okay I was lost. But cable son in law explained it. You still have to have converter box, new tv with preset innerworks, cable or satellite hook up. He also forwarded this to me. Its still kinda greek but i understand.

Issue # 1 - The Cliff Effect

The cliff effect is a term used to characterize the all or nothing picture associated with digital reception. Analog reception works differently with your TV tuner than digital reception.

With analog, you're able to view good-to-bad signals even if the image has ghosting, static or comes in and out. Digital doesn’t work that way. A digital tuner must receive a complete signal in order to display it on a TV. A partial signal will result in something like no picture or a frozen image on-screen.

How to Fix + Buying Advice
If you’re using a directional indoor antenna, like rabbit ears, then it might be as simple as switching to a multi-directional indoor antenna that's designed specifically for digital reception. These newer antennas are flat and may be amplified.
You might have to upgrade to an outdoor multi-directional antenna if you're receiving a bad signal due to proximity to the transmission tower or obstacles blocking the signal. Antenna Web is great resource for finding the right outdoor antenna for your address.
If you know your antenna isn’t the issue then you might need to change the coaxial cable connecting the antenna to the tuner. RG6, preferably quad-shielded, is the recommended type of coaxial.
It’s possible that the digital signal is coming a lower point on the tower than the analog signal. This is a line of sight issue. Once analog disappears the signal should go back to the top of the tower.
Issue # 2 - Antenna Amplification

Amplification used to be a foolproof method for improving an analog signal. The more the db the better. The opposite is true with digital.

Too much amplification can blow out a digital TV tuner much like too much audio can blow out a speaker. Instead of a popping sound coming through a speaker you get black screens.

How to Fix + Buying Advice
The fix for amplification is to get a better signal. You don't need to raise the roof on power going to the antenna. See Issue # 1 above for more information on the Cliff Effect.
The optimum amplification for digital signals is anywhere between 10 and 14db.
The problem with buying an antenna is that not all packaging will state in bold print the amplification of that antenna. You’ll need to look for the fine print when selecting an antenna based on amplification.
Issue # 3 - Your TV's Scan Process

The scan process is something all antenna users should be familiar with. This is where you go into the menu settings and scan for signals picked up by the antenna.

The problem with scanning for digital signals is that you need a good signal and the antenna needs to be pointed towards this good signal.

How to Fix + Buying Advice
There is no catch-all fix for this. If you use a directional antenna, like rabbit ears, then you must scan every time you point the antenna in a different direction.
Back and forth scanning is not efficient. You can manually enter channels into your channel lineup but you'll need to know the frequency the signal is using, which does not necessarily match its channel assignment.
Something else to consider is that when the digital transition occurs a lot digital signals will change frequencies, which will force you to rescan again. Your TV may still go dark on February 17, 2009, so be sure to rescan your tuner for channels before freaking out when you see a dark screen.
Issue # 4 - Directional v. Multi-Directional Antennas

A multi-directional antenna is the best type to use for digital signals because the antenna will scan a full 360-degrees for signals.

Using a directional antenna you increase the risk that you won’t pick up all the channels in your market.

How to Fix + Buying Advice
Buy an antenna designed for digital reception. This doesn't mean one with more amplification (see issue #2).
Using a directional antenna increases the cliff effect because channels on the fringe of your antenna’s reception won’t be picked up due to their weak signal. (see issue#1)

 

I'm on satellite but have to use Over-The-Air (broadcast) for local channels. All of my OTA are tuned in with my satellite box's built in tuner. Every channel that was there on the 11th did not make the transition. We lost the ABC franchise feed on the Sat box. There were three channels from that affiliate. They are there when you use the direct to the tv feed or a converter box but have become a zero signal found on the Direct TV tuner. I have been in contact with both the affiliate and Direct and we are trying to correct the problem. This is a major problem for me as I used to be an installer for Direct, and have a number of former customers that I installed antennas for that are looking for answers. It appears to be a software problem with the Direct equipment.

 

Perform a delete all channels, then rescan. You have to remove the old channel assignments from the DirecTV boxes' memory first. The box is not capable of performing a re-assignment for channels whose real channels have changed. This has been around quite awhile. I ran into this back in January on my HR20-700 when my local CBS affiliate changed from UHF 56 to UHF 24 for its digital signal.

Also, keep in mind that WLOX went from UHF-39 at 715 kW to VHF-13 at only 10.5 kW yesterday. If you installed UHF antennas for those customers, they will probably need an antenna that will pick up that now-piddly high VHF signal.

 

I don't think any of the junk on cable TV is worth paying for. The shows I watch are broadcast anyway. Although I wouldn't mind having Court TV (Tru TV). I'm much more of a movie person and I have Netflix for that.

 

Antennaweb is close to worthless for picking an antenna.

Got to TV Fool instead for a signal analysis. Select your antenna based on the actual channels in use in your area and your forecasted signal strength.

Only about 40 stations across the country elected to stay on channels 2-6. Unless you're in one of those markets, you don't need an antenna that includes those channels. Notable large-population DMAs include Philadelphia, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Hartford CT, Nashville, Birmingham AL, Memphis, Grand Rapids, Des Moines, Albany, Toledo, Davenport amd additional areas, largely with significant rural coverage.

About 24% of all full-power stations selected a broadcast channel that is between 7 -13. For these markets, you need an antenna that includes coverage for 7-13.

A number of markets have stations that are all on UHF. For these areas, a UHF-only antenna is all that is needed. St Louis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City, Charlotte, Dayton, Buffalo, Omaha, Huntsville, Madison WI, and Shreveport are top-100 DMAs in this category.

For top 100 areas not listed above, you're a mix of high VHF and UHF and need to select an appropriate antenna.

 

Project SHO THANK YOU!! I did the delete and reset and things are working. I have already notified some of the local installers and will be in contact with the affiliate and Direct with your solution soonest.