If you don't mind pink... emergency radio

[Bobbie Mayer]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=cs_to...7650469-8142309

On special today at Amazon for $30.

[Chester Taje]

I have one, BUT its not pink . I really like them. We used ours all the time in our Trillium and it works very well.

[Bobbie Mayer]

I have one, BUT its not pink . I really like them. We used ours all the time in our Trillium and it works very well.

Glad to hear it. I ordered one for me, and one for my mom who lives where there are frequent power outages. I wished I had one the other day when our power went out. The pink is the Susan B. Komen special and isn't my favorite color, but I can live with it.

Bobbie

[Chester Taje]

Just a side note. We also use it when in back yard at our fire pit or in my little shop where i hide from wife.

[Donna D.]

Bobbie, one thing about being pink it MAY be less likely to walk off the picnic table and if it does you'd spot it walking down the street!

[Bobbie Mayer]

Since they charge $60 for the other colors, this is a real deal. I like the idea of TV band- when the power is out on Whidbey we would still be getting TV signals, and Mom would enjoy being able to turn on the news (though her favorite Wheel of Fortune wouldn't mean much without a picture!) I'll keep it in the trailer but can pull it out on the rare occasion we have a power failure at home.

Bobbie

[Donna D.]

Okay, but is are the TV bands going to be a bust next year when TV's move off analog? I purchased an on sale Sony Walkman a month or so ago that has the TV bands on it, but it also had a big sign stating the TV stations weren't going to work after February ??? 2009.

It still sounds like a good deal at any rate.

[Bobbie Mayer]

Okay, but is are the TV bands going to be a bust next year when TV's move off analog? I purchased an on sale Sony Walkman a month or so ago that has the TV bands on it, but it also had a big sign stating the TV stations weren't going to work after February ??? 2009.

It still sounds like a good deal at any rate.

Oh, you are right. They won't pick up TV after Feb 2009, but that's still a year of TV plus the rest of the radio features will still work. I wonder if new radios will pick up the digital TV signal? My regular TV isn't going to work, either, without spending money on a converter box.

Bobbie

[Jeanne and Steve]

... My regular TV isn't going to work, either, without spending money on a converter box.

Have you already applied for a TV converter box coupon? The US government is issuing a limited number of $40 coupons - to apply for them go to www.dtv2009.gov or call (888) 388-2009

Jeanne

from a recent news article:
If you have an analog TV and get your programming over the air, it's time to apply for a government-issued $40 coupon that will slash your cost for a converter box. You won't need the converter until after Feb. 17, 2009, but the maximum number of coupons being sent out nationwide is 33.5 million. Get yours before they're gone.

* To get a coupon, apply online at www.dtv2009.gov or by calling (888) 388-2009. Coupons are not available at retailers.

* The first coupons are being sent out in late February or early March.

* Coupons expire 90 days after being mailed.

* A maximum of two coupons per household will be issued. Only one coupon can be used per box.

* Approximately 15,000 retail stores will carry the boxes. To find one near you, go to www.dtv2009.gov/VendorSearch.aspx.

* Retail prices for boxes will be about $50 to $70, before coupon discount.

* Coupons can be ordered until March 31, 2009, or until the supply runs out.

[Bobbie Mayer]

Have you already applied for a TV converter box coupon? The US government is issuing a limited number of $40 coupons - to apply for them go to www.dtv2009.gov or call (888) 388-2009

J

* Coupons expire 90 days after being mailed.[/i]

The problem is the expiration in 90 days- the boxes aren't readily available yet, so if you get the coupon too soon it will expire before you can get a good deal on a converter box. It's a Catch-22. If you wait you might not get a coupon, if you get the coupons early you might not get to use it or might pay a lot more.

Bobbie

[Frederick L. Simson]

The problem is the expiration in 90 days- the boxes aren't readily available yet, so if you get the coupon too soon it will expire before you can get a good deal on a converter box. It's a Catch-22. If you wait you might not get a coupon, if you get the coupons early you might not get to use it or might pay a lot more.

Bobbie

I sent away for a coupon for the TV/VCR in the Fiber Stream last month and it has not arrived yet.

[Bobbie Mayer]

I sent away for a coupon for the TV/VCR in the Fiber Stream last month and it has not arrived yet.

I went ahead and ordered mine as I found a converter online at Best Buy so I imagine they are starting to be available. I just think it is crazy to make the coupons good only for 90 days when the change in signal isn't until next year. Plus they do not expect to have enough coupons for everyone, so waiting until closer 'til you need one might mean you do not get a coupon.

Bobbie

[Jeanne and Steve]

A note re. converter boxes:

I just discovered that low-power stations and translators are NOT required to switch to digital broadcasts by Feb. 2009, and most of the digital converter boxes will end up blocking these analog signals. If you're in a rural area and currently get some channels from translators or low-power stations you might want to read this before buying a converter box. Only three of the 37 converter boxes that you can use your $40 coupon on WILL allow these analog stations to pass through the box and be received by your TV (although it sounds like you can modify the others, thereby allowing you to keep getting the analog signals.)

Good luck!

Jeanne

[Donna D.]

Associated Press
Monday, February 18, 2008

The U.S. government will begin mailing $40 coupons Tuesday (19th) to help consumers pay for converters they'll need to keep some older televisions working when TV switches to digital signals next year.

Retailers including Best Buy Co., RadioShack Corp., Wal- Mart Stores Inc. and Circuit City Stores Inc. are ready to apply the coupons toward the $40-to-$70 cost of a converter box, Meredith Baker, an official with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, told U.S. House members last week.

"Their employees are trained; the converter boxes are in their stores," Baker said before the House telecommunications subcommittee.

Traditional analog television sets that use an antenna will need the converter box to continue working after the Feb. 17, 2009, switch.

More than 2.4 million households have requested more than 4.7 million coupons, with an average of 61,000 requests arriving daily, Baker said.

About 5 percent of homes that use antennas won't receive the digital signals of some channels they receive today even with converter boxes, said Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin.