I’ve posted before about TVfool.com which can help you locate the proper location and orientation for your antenna. It’s one of the best tools I’ve found thus far for trying to compare analog to digital ranges from OTA sources.
While taking a look around the web today, I came across the FCC’s own mapping tool to help consumers figure out what signals they’ll be able to receive after the transition. By entering your address and zip code, the site will show you what stations you’re served by and the signal strength at your home. While not as detailed as the TVfool site, you do get some good info such as signal strength.
As you can see, you also get a map showing the location of the transmitters and channel number information. The channel listings are color coded to show the strength of signal. As you can see (and as we’ve discussed on Entertainment 2.0) I’m boned.
Another great feature is a signal map showing the difference in coverage between the analog and digital signals from a source. There can be quite a difference in the way the signal travels and while you won’t get a detailed reason, you’ll at least get an idea of how that signal is changing in the coming days.
The reasons for such differences are beyond my ability to explain and the scope of this article. Suffice to say, they can be signifigant and this map gives you a pretty good idea as to how you could be affected.
Knowing whether or not you need to make the switch to cable or satellite is going to become important on June 12th. Be prepared and get all the information you can.
Let us know in the comments how you’re going to be affected by the switch. I’m curious to see who else has to keep paying for cable even there there’s free HDTV out there for us.
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