I didn't want to hijack the other message regarding the converter boxes, so I started a new one.

Cynic - I asked my local affiliate about the "full power" issue a while back. I don't get a great signal with the coverter boxes (well - I don't get ANY signal on the coverter boxes with rabbit ears!!) and I had heard about the stations not broadcasting in full power. I am about 2 hours away from where the signals are broadcast.

I got a good answer from the engineer. I had to read it more than once, lol! But I am confident that you have a better grasp of the lingo.

I do have a good UHF rooftop antenna - but I am hopefull that when they do switch over in February, that I may be able to get a signal with my rabbit earred TV.

I also asked about the "extra" channels, and if they would be broadcast over Dish Network. They will not be. I can only get those with the converter box or on a newer HD ready TV (which I now have!!!) I really like the extra channels, especially the 2 additional PBS channels that I get on the HD set. One is called PBS CREATE. I am not sure if cable broadcasts these additional channels, but regular satellite does not. I also get weather channels from my local NBC and CBS which are really nice to have.

This is from KCCI, Des Moines IA

It's actually not an issue with signal strength, but rather many stations are using *different* channels at this time for broadcasting digital, than they will be after 2/17/09.

For instance, we are presently broadcasting our digital signal on UHF channel 31, because our VHF channel 8 is still tied up being an analog transmitter until next February.

A digital receiver will already call our digital channels by their "virtual" names of "8-1" and "8-2", once the receiver initially discovers the signal on channel 31.

But, our signal won't be on "real" channel 8 until next February.

Channels 5, 11, and 13 in Des Moines are doing similarly with temporary UHF channels, and plans to move their digital signals down onto their traditional VHF channels next February. Other stations are going to stay on their present digital UHF channels, and are effectively already done with the digital transistion, except they still haven't shut off their analog transmitters.

But even though our UHF channel is temporary, we are still broadcasting it at full strength. It's legally maxed-out at a level that is intended to replicate the coverage area of analog channel 8. BUT, receiving our digital signal just as well as analog depends on having home UHF reception that's just as good as VHF reception. Admittedly, for many homes, this is not the case. Some people have VHF-only TV antennas. Sometimes, the little "UHF loop" on their indoor rabbit ears don't pick up as well as the longer VHF aerials.

In my opinion, the best kind of antenna is still the good-old-fashioned rooftop-style VHF/UHF antenna. But, even if you have one of those, old antenna wire or old signal splitters may be preventing the higher-frequency UHF channels from carrying down to the TV set as well as the VHF signals do. And, finally, UHF sometimes doesn't do as good of a job of holding up over long distances and penetrating natural or man-made obstructions as VHF signals do.

Therefore, even though we are transmitting digital at "full power", there are a number of reasons that some viewers may not receive the digital as well as analog, most of them related to poor UHF reception. Some people may experience improved digital reception after 2/17/09, if they haven't already taken steps to improve UHF reception by that time.