Channel 38 signal disruption nearly over

Tag: Switching Transformer

People who watch channel 38 using “rabbit ears” should be able to watch the local TV station again soon after a nearly two-week disruption.

WFXW-TV 38 suffered a transformer failure about two weeks ago, said Duane Lammers, general manager of WTWO-TV 2, which operates channel 38 under various service agreements. The station’s analogue over-the-air transmissions have been off the air ever since.

People watching channel 38 digitally on cable or satellite still have been able watch WFXW, Lammers said. “Thankfully, we’re broadcasting on digital, which is serving most, if not all, of our homes,” he said.

The transformer failure caused a chain reaction that ended with the failure of a 6-foot, approximately 1,000-pound klystron tube, which was “basically fried,” Lammers said. “You can’t broadcast [in analogue] without at least one of those,” he said.

A replacement transformer should arrive at the station soon and Lammers said he hopes channel 38 is broadcasting over-the-air again as early as Thursday. Finding the necessary analogue replacement parts has been difficult since all American broadcast stations are switching to full digital broadcasts in February, Lammers said. “It’s just almost impossible to find parts,” he said.

Lammers said he does not know how many WFXW viewers have been affected by the failure. “We always apologize for any kind of disruption, but I think it’s been fairly minimal,” he said. “We want to be able to serve every home.”

Nationwide, about 14 percent of American households watch exclusively over-the-air TV broadcasts, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

In February, all American TV broadcasts will switch to digital format, meaning owners of analogue sets will require converter boxes to watch television in digital format over the air on their old set.