In early 2009, the nation made the big switch from analog to digital transmissions in order to free up airwaves for emergency communications, such as police and fire. This switch also allowed broadcasters to offer more programming with better picture and sound quality, as well as improved wireless services. While some consumers ditched their analog television for more modern television sets, others used digital converters. So the question for those who still have those analog television antennas is what to do with it. There are a couple of options.
Putting Analog TV Antenna to Good Use
If you still have your analog television antenna, whether set-top or rabbit ears, you can still put it to good use. If your television antenna received quality reception with your analog television set, it should be able to do so with the digital one. You will not have to buy a DTV antenna nor an HDTV antenna to receive those signals; that is if your analog television antenna receives both VHF and UHF signals. Some digital channels appear in the UHF band and others on the VHF band.
To find out if your antenna will work after you have connected your converter box to your analog television, or your analog antenna to your digital television, scan the channels. The channel scan should be performed periodically to find out if more digital channels have become available. Unfortunately, if you live in an area that receives transmission interruption because of buildings or trees, you may have to upgrade to a digital antenna.
Think Green
For people who want to toss their analog televisions and antennas, one choice is to recycle instead of throwing it into the local dump. If recycling is what you decide, you should contact your local household hazardous waste collection and recycling program. Some of the programs sponsor recycling events solely for electronics (see Resources section).
Tags: analog television, your analog, your analog television, television antenna, Analog Antenna
