The FCC is peppering the Northland this week with presentations and sound bites on the switch to digital TV.
About five residents braved the arctic temperatures Tuesday to meet with Michael Deemer-White, a consumer information specialist for the FCC, at the Superior Public Library.
"If you don't know something, you go to attend classes," said George Peterson of Superior. He listened to the presentation, asked a few questions, then hooked a digital converter box to a TV and antenna.
The boxes act as a translator, turning digital signals into analog sgnals a TV can recognize. People with digital TVs, cable or satellite TV services do not need the boxes.
Peterson already has a converter box at home that his brother helped him attach.
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"He did most of the work," the Superior man said. "I did most of the watching."
Pairing an analog TV with a converter box is a fairly easy procedure, according to Luann Teige, caregiver coordinator with Senior Connections, which hosted the presentation.
"Basically it's two plugs," Teige said. The antenna plugs into the converter box, which connects to the TV.
But it gets more complicated than that, especially if VCRs and DVD players are thrown into the mix, Deemer-White said. In addition, different models of televisions, antennas and converter boxes mix in different ways. For example, some boxes scan for channels once while others take 10 minutes to scan four different times. One antenna may need to be attached to a wall while another rests on a shelf.
Deemer-White suggested people try using their current antenna with the converter first. Then, if reception is not good, try a new digital antenna. He also stressed the importance of reading the instruction manual.
The training was part of what he called a "whirlwind tour" by FCC personnel which included a session in Hibbing Tuesday and a meeting at 6 p.m. tonight at the Hillside Community Center in Duluth.
"They know there are folks out there who aren't ready," Teige said.
Converter boxes are available at Radio Shack, K-Mart, Target and Wal-Mart in Superior. They range in price from about $45 to $60. They were a hot item in October, according to Alex Williams, a sales associate with Radio Shack. He recalled two dozen a day being sold. With the conversion to digital a month away, sales are slower.
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That doesn't mean the need is gone.
"I think people have been kind of putting it off," Teige said, but "Push has come to shove." Despite the TV ads, news articles and telethons, some TVs will show nothing but snow Feb. 17.
Senior Connections staff members attended Tuesday's training. They plan to share their education with the hundreds of seniors they serve meals to and anyone else who needs a hand with the conversion.
TV reception "is immensely important," Teige said. "A lot of our folks, that's how they get their information." Sometimes, she said, it's their only source for weather, school closings and more.
"We'll help as many people as we can," said agency director Rhoda Nagorsk, and serve as a resource for other interested agencies. Senior Connections also helps people sign up for $40 government coupons to offset the cost of a converter box, although none are currently available. Anyone with coupons they don't plan to use can call Senior Connections at 394-3611 and the agency will see they get to people who need them.
For more information on the digital conversion, look it up online at www.fcc.gov/ .
