Countdown is ticking on DTV deadline

 The biggest change in television broadcasting since the advent of color TV is rapidly approaching, only this time if viewers don't take some action they could lose their signal, according to a Federal Communications Commission official.

 Jonathan Adelstein, one of five FCC commissioners, held a town hall meeting Wednesday at Yuma City Council Chambers to inform local residents that the switch from analog TV signal transmissions to digital transmissions takes place on Feb. 17.

  The change is designed to greatly improve TV reception, but older TVs have to be adapted to receive the new signals.

  "The point of this exercise is we don't want you to have to buy a DTV (digital television), we want you to continue to get your TV free over the air like you always have (with your present TV set)," Adelstein said.

  There are three choices for viewers. They can buy a converter box for their analog set to convert off-the-air signals to digital, subscribe to a cable or satellite service which are already TV ready, or buy a new digital TV that now costs about the same as an analog set.

  Local TV stations are available via satellite from the Dish Network satellite service, he noted, but not from the DirecTV satellite service. Subscribers to DirecTV will still need an antenna and possibly a converter box if they do not have a digital TV.

   Converter boxes cost between $40 and $70 but a program run by the National Telecommunications and Infrastructure Administration (NTIA) provides $40 coupons for the converters, two per household, even for multiple home owners.

  Due to high demand there is a question when they may be delivered or if there will be enough to meet requests, according to recent news reports.

  Adelstein cautioned the town hall audience that those applying for coupons are now being put on a waiting list. The coupons must be used within 90 days or they are made available to another requestor.

 Adelstein said viewers who want to check their coupon status can go online to www.ntia.doc.gov or call 1-888-388-2009.

  To hook up an analog set to a converter box, the TV must first be set to Channel 3, Adelstein cautioned. A scan must then be performed, which will run through the sequence of all the channels to find those channels that broadcast in the local area.

  If a viewer has already set up their converter box, they will need to do another scan after the transition date of Feb. 17.

  At the meeting, Arnie Kobsar, a winter visitor from British Columbia who lives in Westward Village, said he has already set up his converter box but the only station he can get presently is Spanish language Channel 7. Kobsar said he was told the likely reason is because he does not have the proper UHF antenna.

   Adelstein noted that one in five old antennas will not work with convertor boxes. Those viewers are advised to get a digital antenna, but there are no coupons for antennas. A digital antenna will cost $10 to $30, he added.

   Another reason some viewers with converter boxes are not receiving a signal yet is because Yuma stations are broadcasting with reduced power in order to simultaneously transmit analog and digital until Feb. 17. After that, signals will all be digital, said Andrew Wyatt, KSWT Channel 13 manager. Once the transition date arrives, anyone with an analog set hooked up to a converter box and a digital antenna will get clear reception, he said.

  The DTV town hall meeting conducted a raffle for a converter box, which was won by Linda Savage and husband, Lee Ross, who are from Canada and live at the River Ranch RV Park.

  "We're thrilled, because we can't get a coupon because we're Canadian," Savage said. "We never win anything and this is so wonderful."

 Savage said she now uses an old analog set with rabbit ears and she gets excellent reception. She called the town hall meeting informative. She also attended the converter box demonstration outside City Hall and said that if she is still in doubt, she plans to go to free digital classes at the Yuma public libraries.

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Free DTV Classes

• Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 3 p.m., Foothills Library, 13226 E. South Frontage Road
• Thursday, Jan. 15, at 3 p.m., Wellton Library, 28790 San Jose Ave.
• Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 11 a.m., Heritage Library, 350 S. 3rd Ave.
• Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 6 p.m., Foothills Library, 13226 E. South Frontage Road

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William Roller can be reached at
wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.