Lost FOX TV signal

[dahdahdahdancer.livejournal.com]

I'm addicted to the Sarah Connor Chronicles (Monday at 8:00) on FOX 25. Mysteriously, the FOX signal vanished a few days ago (I get snow, just snow), although other stations come through as always. I still use rabbit ears (hey, it's cheaper than cable or satellite and I'm on a budget). Time is running out - the SC Chronicles are on tomorrow night! Has anyone else lost the FOX 25 signal?

Comments

[kalimba21.livejournal.com]

A few days ago, all the stations were supposed to test their digital signal and turn off the analog one, just briefly. Since then, fox25 has been out - perhaps they are unaware that they didn't turn their analog back on? Industry people don't realize that there are still people like us with rabbit ears.

Just a heads up, in addition to the converter box, you will not receive many channels without a powered antenna on top of your tv, at the very least. I paid $20 for the antenna. Seems that I cannot get all the channels without re-adjusting the antenna for a few of them, which is a pain.

A nice feature is that there are 4 different working channels on channel 44, so a few more good options. Also, channel 7 has a 2nd channel with local weather all the time. There are a few more extras channels on 68 too but not that exciting.

This conversion is something that was slated to happen several other times in the past 10 years. It was always postponed b/c publicity was bad. So they're really trying to get the word out this time.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

hee!

i used to live with three cats, and yeah, totally. or if something ball or bug like appears - i.e., we had a projector and we were watching one of those planet earth things, and there was a sweeping view of space, and the moon, which was a tiny white dot. hilarity ensued.

[zmgmeister.livejournal.com]

I'm sure they can see a fluorescent light bulb, but it might be more flickery to them ( at least the conventional type; the little "energy saver" ones flicker at a much higher frequency ).

The illusion in question is called "persistence of vision", where human eyes don't register things that happen in less than 1/30th of a second. This figure may be different for other species, and dogs might very well see the picture being "painted" on the CRT. Just like that line you see if you try to take a picture of a TV.

However, I don't know how dogs feel about LCD or plasma.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

also, for the record if my younger dog sees another dog on tv, or an unfamiliar animal, she totally barks at it under her breath. so they can see it, but they generally could care less.

[ron_newman]

Wow, that's pretty serious FAIL. You'd think they would have gotten a ton of complaining phone calls by now.

[zmgmeister.livejournal.com]

I don't know if an amplified antenna helps in the city. Not to mention we have a lot of other signals in the city, like paging and cellular sites that will be more of a nuisance when you add an amplifier. You do want though something high and directional; I have one of those double bow-ties they used to sell at Radio Shack.

I do like the extra channels like PBS World and that 7.2 weather station. It was more exciting a couple years back though when we had The Tube and Deutsche Welle. On the other hand I agree the extra channels on 68 don't do much for me, unless I really want to see Veggie Tales at 1 AM.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

In order for a dog not to see a television, though, the persistence "timing" would have to be *dramatically* different from that of humans. Consider that even at half the normal refresh rate, a television will still appear to produce a picture, it will just be very irritating to look at.

Also, CFL bulbs still flicker at the usual 60 Hz since they are powered by the same mains power as other fluorescent bulbs, but their phosphorescent coating allows them to maintain some glow during the low part of the cycle thereby making the flicker a little less apparent.

[zmgmeister.livejournal.com]

Any chance this is LCD or plasma? Those screens work differently, and I haven't heard anything on the "why don't dogs watch tv question" since before they came out.

[zmgmeister.livejournal.com]

Well of course they can see it, but it probably looks like a whole lot of nonsense to them. Kind of like the "Picasso porn" from back in the days of analog scrambling.

I believe the CFL bulbs have electronics that creates a higher frequency ( probably required b/c the small tube ). On the box there is usually a disclaimer like "this product may interfere with radios, etc"

[kalimba21.livejournal.com]

Well, we only got 2 channels with our old antenna.
Maybe it depends on what floor you're on, and which way your windows face.
I haven't noticed any problem with cellular and paging interference.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Actually. My friend works for the PBS station out in Western Mass whose antenna is on Mt. Tom, and they switched over back in Octoberish--because no one can get up to that antenna once the snow starts. They had a special permission though.

[kpht.livejournal.com]

http://www.somethingawful.com/flash/shmorky/babby.swf

[unsi-sempai.livejournal.com]

Someone on the Fox 25 boards claims that an antenna blew down recently (http://community.myfoxboston.com/boards/topic.aspx?topic_id=153726). I have no idea how accurate this information is, though.

[kpht.livejournal.com]

they can't frigth back?

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

i think it was fox that was advertising they would be "testing" a few days ago. I was home when they did it, and a banner came up on my screen that said my TV is ready for the conversion. When i changed it to fox not on my HD tuner, the banner said it was not ready. Maybe they are still testing?

[zmgmeister.livejournal.com]

UHF is really sensitive to antenna height and placement. On digital you wouldn't know if you had interference vs. a weak signal, because you wouldn't see "herringbone" vs. "snow" in the picture.

But if you tried the other way and the amplified one worked best, then it looks like you've found the right setup for you.

[zmgmeister.livejournal.com]

I think you win this thread.

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

I found the same issue. When I first got my digital box, I couldn't pick up Fox at all. I have a newer antenna and it works better, but not always.

If you lost FOX...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

That can only be good for your brain.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

yes, actually. but the small one mentioned earlier that i was watching the dog show on the other weekend is not. but maybe a dog barked that time or something, can't recall.

[bobobb.livejournal.com]

You might try going to hulu.com if you don't get your signal back to see your shows. I only watch tv online, as I'm never around or interested in watching things during the regular primetime. They have other Fox shows, so perhaps you chronicles will be there too?

[horizon-radar.livejournal.com]

I remember when watching House this Tuesday with a digital tuner they said something about reducing the power on their analogue signal in order to increase the power to the digital one.

[pzykotic.livejournal.com]

This is the reason you can't get the signal anymore, they significantly reduced the power of their analog broadcast to do more digital testing

[ron_newman]

I don't even know what's on regular analog 68 anymore. Once upon a time it was the Red Sox station, but after the Fox and UPN and WB networks started, 68 was the station left out.

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

Mine could not have been interested less. They didn't perk up when they heard the birds chirping. I thought it was pretty zen myself and would watch it on occasion. It's called Video Cat Nip.