Tuesday was supposed to be the deadline for the digital television switch. Instead many stations, including 5NEWS, are continuing to broadcast their analog signal through June 12th, to give viewers more time to get ready.
Ron Sloan of Cameron, Oklahoma, prefers to use his "rabbit ear" antenna, just like many people living in remote areas of Oklahoma and Arkansas. But when he heard about the digital TV switch, he knew he'd have to make some changes.
"We know that we were going to go to an outside antenna but when I started asking questions no one had any answers," he said Tuesday, inside Wise Wholesale Electronics in Fort Smith.
"That's probably one of the main questions we get is how well their existing antenna will work for what they're going to have to deal with," says Time Grimes, the office manager for Wise.
Grimes says more people have been coming in with questions about their antenna setup, saying they've been getting weak digital signals, if they get one at all.
"Sometimes they're going to have to rotate or position their current antenna, or they don't have a UHF antenna and they probably need to purchase one to get the new HD UHF signals," he says.
Grimes also recommends a website, www.AntennaWeb.org, that he says will help you find figure out just what kind of antenna you may need.
Ron says he's interested in the omni-directional antennas, that don't have to be pointed in a certain direction.
"You also have to have the ability to rotate it instead of running outside and spinning the pole, you know, and hollering back inside to somebody and saying 'You see it yet?'"
KFSM TV will continue broadcasting its signal in both digital and analog formats until June 12, and will then switch to all digital broadcasting. The new transmitter is located in Winslow, Ark., so people with directional antennas may have to adjust theirs to receive the signal clearly.
Ron Sloan of Cameron, Oklahoma, prefers to use his "rabbit ear" antenna, just like many people living in remote areas of Oklahoma and Arkansas. But when he heard about the digital TV switch, he knew he'd have to make some changes.
"We know that we were going to go to an outside antenna but when I started asking questions no one had any answers," he said Tuesday, inside Wise Wholesale Electronics in Fort Smith.
"That's probably one of the main questions we get is how well their existing antenna will work for what they're going to have to deal with," says Time Grimes, the office manager for Wise.
Grimes says more people have been coming in with questions about their antenna setup, saying they've been getting weak digital signals, if they get one at all.
"Sometimes they're going to have to rotate or position their current antenna, or they don't have a UHF antenna and they probably need to purchase one to get the new HD UHF signals," he says.
Grimes also recommends a website, www.AntennaWeb.org, that he says will help you find figure out just what kind of antenna you may need.
Ron says he's interested in the omni-directional antennas, that don't have to be pointed in a certain direction.
"You also have to have the ability to rotate it instead of running outside and spinning the pole, you know, and hollering back inside to somebody and saying 'You see it yet?'"
KFSM TV will continue broadcasting its signal in both digital and analog formats until June 12, and will then switch to all digital broadcasting. The new transmitter is located in Winslow, Ark., so people with directional antennas may have to adjust theirs to receive the signal clearly.
