Indian Wells Valley TV Booster, Inc.
P.O. Box 562
Ridgecrest, CA 92556-0562
760-375-0233
November 15, 2007
see our web site: iwvtvbooster.org
Dear Friends and Supporters of TV Booster:
Another eventful year just passed during which the TV Booster has been doing its part midway through the nation's transition to digital TV broadcasting. Thanks for your support of the Booster, for using our broadcast signals, and for your patience with the signal outages associated with our reception at Laurel Mountain of LA's digital TV stations. Many of those stations are using low-powered temporary digital transmitters while waiting for the end of their digital transition now projected to be 17 February 2009. To improve the situation, we have begun constructing an array of large receiving antennas on Laurel Mountain to improve reception from Mt. Wilson. When completed early next year, the drop-out problem should be eliminated.
We now have five digital TV stations on Laurel Mountain, soon to be seven, and then eight soon after the New Year. Laurel Mountain will be digital-only and "B" Mountain will be analog-only, eight stations on each. Details on the Booster's digital TV transition are appended to this letter.
Everyone will get an opportunity to apply for coupons worth $40 each when redeemed with the purchase of selected digital-to-analog TV converter boxes that will be appearing in stores around Thanksgiving. These converter boxes enable older TV sets to use digital TV signals; they are expected to cost about $60, so the out-of-pocket cost will be about $20. A computer on-line coupon application procedure will be available in January. A campaign publicizing the coupon program is expected before year-end. The number of these coupons will be limited, so they won't last long. More details on converter boxes can be found in the appendix.
The Booster's has good quality classical music service. We perfected the signal we got from K-Mozart, but sadly that lasted only a couple of years. When that FM station replaced classical music with country-western music, we had to find a replacement. We quickly got one in Las Vegas station KCNV (Classical Nevada) by picking up its digital FM signal, which is fortunate, since we cannot receive its analog signal; there is a local FM station only a mile from Laurel Mountain on the same channel. We found a way to get the digital signal and convert it back to an analog signal before re-broadcasting locally. There have been a number of hiccups associated with availability of the digital FM signal, some happening at the originating station in Nevada, and some in our own equipment locally. We are working to make this new classical music service more reliable.
To accomodate those waiting for prices to drop before getting a digital TV set, we will keep operating "B" Mountain stations, putting out analog signals from there just as the Booster began in the 1960's. To continue using old-style analog signals, you should have a combo VHF/UHF antenna pointing at "B" Mt.
Please donate to the TV Booster, helping this all-volunteer group to keep broadcasting. We mail this letter only once each year to get the lowest bulk-mailing rate available to us. So, if you have already sent us a donation, we thank you for your support. Your donations are essential and are very much appreciated.
Ronald Cole
President
Please put name/address on the other side of this coupon if it has no label. If labelled, mark corrections if needed. Send it and your contribution to IWV TV Booster, PO Box 562, Ridgecrest, CA 93556-0562. To save postage, we don't mail receipts unless requested. Note that contributions are not tax-deductible.