DTV test begins: Antennas, converter boxes cause headaches

The early DTV transition test in Wilmington, N.C. went ahead as planned Monday. But while the FCC's community outreach worked just fine—most viewers were well aware of the analog shutoff—many residents discovered that their old antennas weren't up to the task, or that they weren't using their DTV boxes properly.

Reports vary on exactly how many Wilmington residents called in to complain when their old analog TV sets went dark Monday afternoon. According to Media Life, the "big four" TV stations in town reported a total of 226 calls, while the FCC said that "several hundred" calls came in by late Tuesday.

What's interesting is that the vast majority of those who called in knew in advance that the DTV changeover was happening. For example, of the 226 who called the "big four" stations, only one caller had been caught by surprise, Media Life reports.

Meanwhile, a student survey of local TV viewers found that "only a few" of the 172 residents contacted didn't know that the analog shutoff was happening, the AP noted.

But while it appears that the FCC's outreach program in Wilmington was a success (as it should have been, given that a dozen FCC staffers had been fanning across the area for months), at least one crucial fact slipped through the cracks, according to the AP: That some ancient, puny, or misaligned over-the-air antennas might not be capable of receiving DTV signals. (If you get your TV over cable or satellite, don't worry—you're covered.)

Theoretically, of course, any old antenna (even a pair of rabbit ears) should be able to grab a digital TV signal—but if your antenna isn't aligned properly or you live near hills, trees, or tall buildings, you might be out of luck.

And while analog TVs will work even with a poor signal—you'll just see interference like static and ghosting—digital TV receivers won't give you a picture at all if the signal is too weak.

Another problem, according to the AP: Residents who had DTV converter boxes didn't know they had to tune into, say, channel 6.1 instead of channel 6.

Learning how to tune a DTV box is easy, but dealing with an old antenna can be a little trickier—indeed, you might need to get on the roof and realign the thing, raise it higher, or buy a new, more powerful model.

Not sure how your over-the-air antenna will fare once the "big switch" arrives on February 17, 2009? Check out AntennaWeb.org; its FAQ has plenty of tips on how to get the best reception. It also has a searchable database of antennas for sale, along with local DTV stations and antenna locations; just plug in your address to get the right channel numbers and compass headings.

So, show of hands: Who's still using an over-the-air antenna? Rooftop or rabbit ears? Got it aligned properly?

Related:
Old antennas cause complaints in digital TV test [AP]
A few more things you should know about the DTV transition [Yahoo! Tech]