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HDTV converter boxes for the fishhous. be ready.

nytelyter

By nytelyter
in Ice Fishing

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nytelyter Proficient

nytelyter

Posted
Posted

i am sure you all have seen the ads and some of you have even gotten your coupons.if you run a tv, you will need a box in your fishhouse after the deadline in February, if you do not have a dish.

well i have gotten ahead of the game and here is what you may want to know. after many calls to the big box stores, including radio shack. they didnt even have a clue that there was a market for a 12volt system. i found a small electronics shop called Ness Electronics located near the fair grounds on energy park drive east of 280. they do take the coupons for the converter boxes(for yours go to www.dtv2009.gov) and have the 12 volt adaptor. the box is by winegard & the model number is RC-DT09 it even has a remote control.

they are a locally owned sales outlet for the antenna installing professionals but as well sell to the public.

i know that you can always use an inverter. but this set up should have much less draw on the batteries than an inverter. ... paul

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beer batter Experienced

beer batter

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Doesn't this only affect TV's that are not cable ready (i.e digital input that accepts a co-ax cable)? I realize that you're not running cable when using rabbit ears on the ice, but I think if the TV is cable ready it will be capable of analyzing the digital signal that will be received through the rabbit ears.

Am I wrong about that?

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Sandmannd Grand Master

Sandmannd

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Doesn't this only affect TV's that are not cable ready (i.e digital input that accepts a co-ax cable)? I realize that you're not running cable when using rabbit ears on the ice, but I think if the TV is cable ready it will be capable of analyzing the digital signal that will be received through the rabbit ears.

Am I wrong about that?

It affects all TV's that are NOT digital and DO NOT have either a Digital Cable box or Satillite Receiver connected to it. If you are receiving a signal with an antena, you will need the box. Hope this helps.

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toughguy Grand Master

toughguy

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Most of the confusion on this issue is the difference between HDTV and digital TV. They are different animals all together. The conversion this Feb. applies only to digital TV. Your old TV antenna and analog TV will not work after the conversion. You do not need to buy a new TV, only a new antenna and digital converter. If you want HDTV you will need a new TV but the old screen size and definition will still be broadcasted after Feb. only it will be digital. One thing to think about is that digital signal from towers will only travel at best 70 miles. Analog will travel much further so in some cases you may have been able to get free antenna TV where you were located you may not get it after Feb.

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LMITOUT Grand Master

LMITOUT

Posted
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Actually your old antenna will work if you're presently watching UHF analog channels. There is no "special" antenna needed to receive digital signals....a UHF band antenna, which if you have an antenna on the roof of your house, most likely has the UHF portion already. I had an old antenna on my house like you see on other people's homes around town, etc and it worked OK but was very rusty and the wires were corroded so I replaced it with a smaller UHF antenna.

A lot of people don't know they can pick up digital/HD broadcasting right now if they'd just plug in their new digital TV's to the old, trusty antenna on the roof or in the attic of their house, granted they are within the transmitting area of a broadcasting tower of course.

That's going to be the problem for those who want to watch TV in fish houses.....proximity to the broadcast tower. As mentioned by toughguy the coverage area is about 70 miles (on relatively flat terrain with little blockage) from the tower. In all reality it'll be a bit less than 70 miles, and sitting on the ice at the lower elevations of the lake level it's going to be tough unless you're fishing pretty close to the tower. I think there are going to be a lot of unhappy fisherman who used to be able to watch TV and now can't. Getting the 12VDC converter box will only be half the battle. Being close enough to the tower to get a signal is going to be the tricky part for a lot of people.

One thing to note about digital channels on the UHF band; after February the current digital channels in the Twin Cities will be remapped again, and FOX9 and KARE11 will be placed on the upper end of the VHF band (back in their channel 9 and 11 positions after the analog channel is vacated from those spots). Currently Fox 9 is on digital channel 26 and KARE is on digital channel 35. those will be changing back to 9 and 11 when the conversion is over next February.

This may pose a problem for those who have a UHF only antenna (like me), but some have speculated that those two channels might still come in on that antenna. Either way, the antenna that's on your roof is most likely a VHF/UHF combo and you're already good to go. If you're planning on purchasing a new antenna for digital TV you should probably go for a combo unit to be sure you're covered.

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LakeDocktor Proficient

LakeDocktor

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Also, any television currently connected to any cable service will not be affected by this transition. Cable companies already have a digital signal being downgraded to an analog signal for customers without a digital receiver (direct coaxial cable). Like was said earlier and I still think that everyone is under confusion, you do not need to go out and purchase a new HDTV or a TV with a digital tuner. The current TV that you are using will suffice, however you will need the converter box to pull any signal from you OTA antenna.

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timjones Community Regular

timjones

Posted
Posted

If you are receiving your signal from a translator tower or a low power small town station you should make sure the converter box you buy has an "Analog Pass through" switch. The towers and low power stations are not required to make the switch to digital in February. Some of the smaller local stations will be making the switch to digital in February but not all( you should call your local station to check). Eventually they will get around to updating the equipment in the towers. If you are currently receiving a signal from a translator tower instead of the station tower and don't have a pass through switch, your probably not going to receive anything through the converter box.

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