Board members sought for local TV district

At least three board members are needed to fill the recently consolidated Thompson Falls, Trout Creek, Noxon and Heron TV districts. The district is now known as the Western Sanders County TV District and is requesting applications to fill vacancies due to retirement.

One requirement for applicants is they must reside in the Thompson Falls, Trout Creek, or Noxon/Heron area. The Belknap/Whitepine and Blue Slide areas already have board representation. If interested in applying for a board position, contact Bill Meadows by emailing: [email protected]

Responsibilities of board members include equipment and tower maintenance, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations, budget considerations, and reassignment of frequencies due to auctioning current frequencies by FCC or potential loss of service at Pat’s Knob, Lolo NF Lookout.

According to Meadows, the district has been experiencing signal loss and a technician has been trying to locate the problem source. The TV board asks for viewing public to contact them at 827-4100 with times and locations of service interruption to help them resolve the issue. Meadows also stated this is a good number to contact if anyone needs advice on receiving equipment.

Getting good reception in Sanders County all depends on the type of antenna and placement. In Thompson Falls, antennas must be able to receive channels 2-36. Trout Creek and Heron antennas should have the ability to receive channels 2-13 (VHF). Meadows stated that rabbit ears or flat wall-mounted models usually are not sufficient for good TV reception.

But just how does that signal get to your house?

Now that signals are digital, Missoula stations broadcast to Thompson Falls through Point Six (North of Missoula), then to Blacktail Mountain (South of Kalispell), to Pat’s Knob (SW Plains), to Burlington Northern (BN) #1 Tower (Weeksville), to BN #2 Tower (SE Thompson Falls), to Clark’s Peak (Thompson Falls), then to Green Mountain (North Trout Creek).

Spokane stations are received off satellite in Thompson Falls and then sent via UHF channel 19 to Clark’s Peak for rebroadcast. These stations provide 18 channels for viewers, including some in high definition (HD).

All these locations include transmitting and receiving capabilities. They also include air conditioning and power supply units; if there is a glitch with any of these, one or more signals can be affected. With winter upon us, it is important to note that weather conditions can cause interference at any one of these locations.