Does Your RV Need a Digital TV Converter Box?
By Alan Wiener
I’m still confused about the digital TV thing. Our 2006 RV is cable and internet ready, but if we are not at a campground do we need a converter to pick up TV signals after Feb?
ANSWER
Thanks for your question. There is a lot of confusion about the change to Digital broadcast TV scheduled to take place on February 17, 2009.
If you do not have a TV with a digital tuner, you will not be able to receive any stations when using an antenna, all you will get is snow.
If you are at a campground with cable TV, you will be able to receive TV, whether your TV has a digital tuner or an analog tuner.
Since your RV is a 2006 model, there is a pretty good chance that you will need a converter box for each TV in your RV to watch TV using an antenna.
The government required that all TVs sold after March 1, 2007, had to have digital tuners. The TVs in your RV were manufactured before that.
You say that your RV is “cable and internet ready”. Unfortunately that does not mean that it is Digital TV ready. It simply means that the cable and wiring to hook up your TV and computer were pre-wired in when they constructed the unit.
The first thing I would do is find the owner’s manual for your TV/TVs. The manual will tell you specifically if it has a digital tuner. If you do not see anything in the manual about a digital tuner, then you will need a converter box.
If you are still not sure, try to find the model number of your TV (this is sometimes hard in an RV because the TVs are usually built into a cabinet). Once you find the model number, go to the TV Manufacturers website and look up the specifications for your TV. If the Specs do not mention “digital tuner” then, you will need a converter box.
Digital Converter boxes can cost as little as $40.00 to well over $100.00 (depending on the extra bells and whistles the box comes with).
The boxes are available at electronic stores, WalMarts, K-Marts etc.
Now, here is the GOOD NEWS. There is a government funded program to help offset the cost of purchasing a converter box for TVs without digital tuners.
This program is called the “TV Converter Box Coupon Program”. When you go to their website you fill out a simple form and you can receive up to two coupons valued at $40.00 each towards the purchase of a converter box.
These coupons look like credit cards and are accepted at places such as Best Buy, etc. Here is the catch; these coupons are only good for 90 days after the date they were mailed to you. There is a limit of 2 coupons per household.
The last I heard, the demand for these coupons was so great, that there was a chance that they would run out of them by the middle of January, unless they received more funding from the government.
The government website to get the coupons is www.dtv2009.gov. Hopefully we have cleared up any confusion you might have.
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