Notes on Installing the DTV Converter

I added $30.00 to my government DTV converter grant of $40.00 and bought a converter box and an amplified indoor digital TV antenna. I hooked them up to my old analogue TV set and after several hours of work and mild anguish got the system to work.  In the process I learned a few things that I am sure are obvious to the technically sophisticated but may still be useful news to those like myself who while knowing a lot never know enough.

It is what is known as a concrete event.  Each person collects together particular and specific gadgets that while they seem to be clones of their model sets might be idiosyncratically different  especially after a term of use.  So my Panasonic CT20G7DF (the old TV set)  is without the remote control device. This model has the ability to adjust to select the active channels and ignore all the others. In New York City this gives the channel sequence of 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13. Note that channel 3 is skipped.

The digital TV converter I am using is a Tivax STB-T8. (Please note that the identity of the components of the conversion system is part of its specificity.  That is the only reason I mention company names and numbers.  It is an important part of what I am writing about.  I have no financial interest in these companies  nor do I want to influence you to buy their products. There are plenty of other fish in the pond.)

The wiring connecting up of the three parts (antenna, converter box, old analogue TV) is straight forward.  The manual accompanying the converter has a well organized diagram, and by following that and the written text I was quickly ready to switch on.

This is when it became obvious that channel 3 (on the old TV) was an essential link for passing the digital signals from converter to old TV.  And I couldn’t find a way of turning it on  I couldn’t get the Panasonic back to the manual (not automatic) calling up of channels. The Tivax manual said that channel 4 could be substituted  for 3 but this only lead to confusion for me.

I went the the Panasonic web site and found the manual covering my TV model but not finding what I needed there I  called their customer service number which they graciously provided (I haven’t been able to find a similar number for Tivax) and reached an agent, a young woman in the Philippines, who patiently walked me through changing the old TV’s operation without the remote control. Manipulating the buttons in the front of the set below the screen was the key way in. The agent and I didn’t succeed but after I hung up I somehow found my way through and the sequence of channels available to me went from 1 to 100 without gaps. Most importantly I now had channel 3 on call.

And that was it.  Channel 3 on old TV, and channel 3 on the converter box (there is a switch on the converter box back that moves from 3 to 4 and back).  The two 3s link and through that connect the digital signal passes and throws the DTV image on the screen and the audio through the speaker.

Next important step is pointing the antenna (face forward) at the tower that sends out the TV signals.  A clear line of sight improves reception Where blocks intervene you might not get the signal.  So it is possible that the new system might be functional but still have persistently blank screens. In many cases the strength of the signal may be so low that the image won’t get through even with line of sight established.  Channel 13 (the local address for Public Broadcasting)  reports it will have a weak DTV signal until the whole system turns over to digital  in June of this year.  Until then the only way to be sure of 13 is to use the analogue way. If your old TV is not picking up analogue it is doubtful that DTV will be any more successful.