NEW YORK — The shutdown of U.S. analog TV service on Friday appears to have gone relatively smoothly, but as expected, many viewers are having problems getting the stations they want.
Wally Grotophorst in Hamilton, Va., got a "digital” antenna for his digital TV last year. But on Friday, he lost the Washington-based ABC and CBS stations, which he could pick up digitally before the transition.
That’s because those stations, like dozens of others, switched their digital signals from the UHF frequency band to the VHF band as they cut their analog signals Friday. But Grotophorst’s antenna, like many others branded as "digital,” was designed only for UHF stations. Nearly all TV stations were using the UHF band for the digital broadcasts until Friday.
"This moving down to the VHF spectrum was news. The stations didn’t advertise the fact,” Grotophorst said.
He’s now regretting that he recycled his old rooftop VHF antenna.
"The station did warn viewers about this change but not everyone got the word,” said Bill Lord, vice president of news at ABC7. "The station has made the switch and there is no going back.”
Some viewers in Oklahoma City also have complained about not getting the local ABC channel after the switch.
There are TV antennas that can receive both UHF and VHF bands. In the indoor version, these have the "rabbit ears” for VHF reception and a loop for UHF.
Some stations apparently are talking to the Federal Communications Commission to see if it could increase their output power. That could help with reception, at least for those who have VHF antennas.
The FCC said it is examining reports of signal loss by viewers of some stations.
by the associated press
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