Postable Digital TV's?

[Mark Lloyd]

I wanted to do that last thing, but there's a problem in that major power outages often coincide with hotels being full, as happened during the recent storm (Ike).

[T. McQuinn]

I'm curious about something. On three different TVs with digital tuners, a 2002 model with a set top box, a 2008 model with built in OTA digital tuner, and my mother's portable with a digital converter, it seems like the digital signal does a VERY poor job of penetrating walls. The only thing that I've tried so far that worked worth a crap is an outdoor rooftop antennae and even that was affected if the wind blew the leaves on the tall trees between the antennae and the transmitter towers downtown. Are others having similar experiences?

[Pete C.]

The $40 is out of pocket too, just a bit more indirectly.

[Pete C.]

Wait until Feb '09 or so when the stations are transmitting at full power.

[T. McQuinn]

Are you saying that even though many of the sub channels (12-1, 12-2,

12-3) are only available via over the air that they aren't using full power?

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

I think that's true with the ABC station here. Also, they seem to be planning to go back to the original channel (analog on 7, digital on

10) later. Maybe they're now using a low power transmitter for digital and will switch to the full power one (currently being used for analog) then.

Why would sub channel availability have anything to do with transmitter power?

[gfretwell]

I have a TV running on a converter with nothing but the little UHF wire loop they give you with a new TV.

[Pete C.]

Many if not most of the current ATSC transmissions are at considerably lower power than the stations main NTSC transmission and will switch to full power when the NTSC transmitter is shutdown. Some of these ATSC transmissions are operating at a few kW now and will be in the MW range after the cutover. Somewhere on the FCC site there is a database listing the pre and post cutover power levels. Sub channels have nothing to do with it.

[T. McQuinn]

That could be very good news! I'll have to look for that FCC data.

[Tony Hwang]

Hmmmm,

1MW = 1000,000W = 1Kw. So you're saying they are going to decrease power?

[AZ Nomad]

1MW = 1,000,000W != 1Kw

[G. Morgan]

Batteries provide ELECTRICITY.

[Pete C.]

1 MW = 1,000 KW = 1,000,000 W, not to be confused with 1 mW = 0.01 W

[JohnB]

1 mW = 0.001 W

[Pete C.]

Yea, that too. Typing too fast :(

[trader4]

Circuit City is selling them for $60, so after the rebate they are $20.

[Stormin Mormon]

Will there be TV broadcast signals during a power cut? Some of the stations near me continue to transmit. perhaps backup generator. The power cuts I've experienced, suddenly there is no money work to do. And so I have LOTS of time on my hands. I bring out the manual type writer, and write journal pages, and letters to friends.

[T. McQuinn]

I'm not sure what alternative power options the stations have, but this last outage was pretty widespread and they were transmitting by the time I got the generator rigged. Seriously, it would be no great loss. Their advice was of no use to me and their assurances and predictions struck me as geared more towards preventing panic than telling me when I'd have juice again. And my pessimism served me well last month.

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

The closest digital station to me is 23 miles from here. I get that (and a couple of others) with an indoor (UHF) antenna. However, there are no big towns in the way. Reception is good most of the time. The station was off the air for a few minutes as Hurricane Ike passed through (maybe the time it took to start their generator).

BTW, this is about 200 miles north of Galveston.

[snip]

[gfretwell]

I have been through 2 direct hit hurricanes and dozens of near misses with tree damage and power outages. (SW Florida) We never lost the local TV stations. The NBC and ABC outlets (Ch 11 and 20) are both owned by the same company and broadcast from the same building using different transmitters so they usually merge their broadcast during the storm using the combined crews from both stations and one studio going out on both channels. I have never had a time I couldn't get one of them.