Digital TV and the oak tree

Next year at this time, analog-only television sets will no longer be able to receive over-the-air signals as the country switches to all=digital broadcasts.

This article raises an interesting problem for us at the camp. Our TV antenna, thanks to Huck's ingenuity and agility, is nestled high in the branches of an oak tree. You would know that the antenna is there unless you first notice the wire going up the side of the tree; even then, you can barely see it. We'll find out in the spring of 2009, when the leaves return, whether we'll be able to pick up the digital signal through the foliage. Whether we get a new TV or just add the converter to our existing, ancient set, the digital signal is on or off, not snowy like a weakened analog signal.

A step forward, eh?