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Over-the-air TV watchers are all ears regarding antennas

I’m one of those folks without cable, satellite or Internet TV. I use the old rabbit ears antenna, which actually gets PBS, CBS and FOX plus some Spanish stations. In the last year, things have gone haywire. CBS shows up on FOX, PBS disappears or nothing is on. Usually after a few days or weeks, things return to normal. I’m not a huge TV person, but I enjoy the occasional crime show and watching our esteemed but unpredictable Broncos. This is just plain irritating, and I figured if anyone could explain what’s happening it would be you. Any suggestions? – Sandy Burke

When you say, “this is plain irritating,” does this refer to watching the Broncos? Many would concur.

Sorry. Action Line couldn’t resist that one.

In any case, asking Action Line to troubleshoot TV outages is like calling tech support to report problems with your Netscape 3.0 browser that uses AOL dial-up.

That’s because Action Line is also not of the television ilk.

Oh sure, there’s a TV upstairs in Mrs. Action Line’s studio. But it’s plugged into a DVD player.

At the Action Line household, flat screens are found on windows and they keep out bugs in summertime.

The boxy TV is a regrettable if not ridiculous antique – a square, incredibly heavy analog Toshiba purchased in the late ‘90s.

Not only did over-the-air analog broadcasting end a long time ago, Toshiba quit the U.S. television market altogether.

And the remote? The batteries died years ago, probably from loneliness. It might still be in the drawer. We’ll have to see if it’s still there one of these days.

Anyway, you can tell that television is Item 67 on Action Line’s Top 10 List of Important Things to Worry About.

Which has nothing to do with fixing your TV situation, so let’s see what can be done.

Action Line contacted an over-the-air TV specialist.

He didn’t want to be named for fear of being inundated with calls from rabbit ears antenna owners seeking technical assistance.

Let’s call our guy “Philo T. Farnsworth.” If you don’t remember your history, Philo was a pivotal figure in the invention of television.

Philo advised anyone with over-the-air TV to consider using an outdoor antenna. “It will provide much better reception,” he said.

Mr. Farnsworth cautioned against buying antennas at Walmart. “They are inadequate for around here,” he said. Good ones can be found at online MCM Electronics for around 25 bucks, Philo added.

In addition, consider that your rabbit ears antennas were designed for analog VHF signals. Today’s over-the-air TV broadcasts are digital, which is UHF, Philo pointed out. That might explain your erratic reception.

Regardless of being indoor or outdoor, your antenna should face Smelter Mountain.

See all those towers on Smelter? That’s where your TV signals come from.

If you have an outdoor antenna, Philo suggested inspecting the cable and connections. “Rust can get inside,” he said. Also, consider getting a signal booster.

If you change the setup on your TV, be sure to use the antenna setting rather than cable setting and rescan the channels.

“A lot of people are cord-cutting because of cost,” Philo added.

The average TV bill in America is $87 per month, according to a Bloomberg report that showed 1.1 million households ditched pay TV in 2014 and the first half of 2015.

Of course, the other option is to give up on 20th century technology altogether. Forget the antenna and embrace online media delivery such as Hulu, Sling or the like.

But that will require spending some coin. Not much, but it’s not free like over-the-air television.

And maybe someday there will be free over-the-air TV from Denver, at which time we can tune into important news about traffic, gangs, pit bulls and meth labs 400 miles away in Denver instead of important news about traffic, gangs, pit bulls and meth labs 200 miles away in Albuquerque.

Obviously, there’s a big difference between the two.

Email questions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. You can request anonymity if you ever used a pair of pliers to change TV channels after the knob broke.



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