Digital Transmission Power

[caranheim]

A Radio Shack store manager told me that the OTA digital transmissions that are going on before the February 2009 analog transmission cut-off date are only transmitting on about half power to save energy costs while testing their digital stations. He went on to say once they go to full power next February, it will fix many weak digital over the air problems you may now have using antennas. Is there any truth to that? I tried a new Sony TV with digital and analog reception, and found I could not get as many digital stations as I was getting with a Zenith Converter box on my old TV. I returned the new TV because I felt it had a poor quality tuner. If it were true that the stations are only running on half power now, the new TV would have been OK when the power is increased.

Charles Ranheim

[Ratman]

I'd suggest that it could be true in a few cases/areas. If there was a station that can't be at full power today, they would have needed to file a request with the FCC for approval. But, the majority of digital stations are running at "full power" as far as I know.

If I recall, I think that all digital transmitters were required by the FCC to be a full operating power as of July 2006 (maybe it was 2005?).

Anyway... there's a good possibility that power levels (or reception) will/may change if/when a station(s) in your area moves to its "permanent" frequency assignment (some may move from VHF to UHF or vice versa).

[vacumatic]

Will stations channel designations (like WESH 2 and FOX35, in Orlando, for instance) be irrelevant when the changeover is complete? It sounds like a dumb question.

[Ratman]

Call letters remain the same.

Depending on permanent channel assignments, FOX35 will be known as FOX22 in 2/17/09.