—Photo by Bill Diodato/Getty Images

With just weeks to go before the nation was scheduled to switch to all-digital television, the House voted today to delay the transition to June 12. The bill, which was approved by the Senate Jan. 26, now goes to the president for his signature.

By delaying the transition date, originally set for Feb. 17, Congress has given viewers more time to prepare for the shift and to access government coupons that subsidize the cost of converter boxes necessary to allow analog sets to work. Despite the 16-week pushback, the bill allows broadcasters to switch to digital programming starting Feb. 17, and already many have.

Without the transition delay, millions of people, mostly low-income and older viewers, could have lost some programming. Earlier this month, the TV converter box coupon program ran out of money for the $40 vouchers, resulting in a waiting list that now approaches 3 million.

But even those viewers who have already bought and connected a converter box are finding that they have reception problems, either because they have the wrong antenna or because it is pointed in the wrong direction.

Joyce Powell, a 73-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., could watch television just fine—until she bought a converter box and new indoor antenna in preparation for the DTV switch. Now, she can’t get her local stations in Washington. “My apartment faces Baltimore,” she says, “which is 45 miles away.”

Like others, Powell was following the advice given over the past year to the nearly 20 million Americans who watch television via older analog sets whose signals come through an outside antenna or rabbit ears: Get a converter box. But little, if nothing, was mentioned about antennas, and now it is turning out that many consumers will have to upgrade those as well.

Need a new antenna?

“If you’re sure you connected your converter box correctly and still have trouble receiving, it’s likely because of your antenna type,” says Linda Yun of the National Association of Broadcasters, which operates the DTVAnswers website.

Over-the-air antennas include the VHF (very high frequency), traditionally used for channels 2 through 13; UHF (ultrahigh frequency), for channels 14 through 51; and a combination type that receives both bands.

Most channels that are digital use UHF, so if you have a traditional VHF type, you’ll need a new antenna. The cost ranges from $10 for an indoor unit to $300, including installation, for an outdoor one. You may want to consider the combination VHF/UHF that handles both bands.

Before changing the position of your antenna or buying a new one, remember that current reception problems could be temporary. Many stations already broadcasting in digital are operating at reduced power levels and will go to full strength after the transition. “It may be best to wait until the DTV switch takes effect before you buy a new one,” Yun says.

Cable concerns

The confusion over the switch to digital is also affecting cable subscribers, who were told they didn’t need to do anything to continue receiving the same list of channels. But many have discovered that the list of stations is shrinking as cable companies switch channels to all-digital signals—a move that is separate from the government-mandated DTV switch.

For example, the cable company RCN is moving all of its channels to a digital tier, requiring customers to rent a special digital box in order to get service. In some locations, Comcast has already moved some channels, such as AMC, TCM, Style and others, from its “basic” tier to a digital package.

Joel Kelsey of Consumers Union, publishers of Consumer Reports, says that cable companies have used “deceptive” timing to take advantage of confusion in the marketplace.

“For over a year, cable customers have been seeing commercials about the DTV transition and told to do nothing, that nothing will change,” Kelsey says. “However, more and more consumers are noticing a reduction in the number of expanded basic channels that they receive through their cable subscription. These consumers do not receive a reduced bill for receiving reduced service. Rather, they are told they need to rent a more expensive digital set-top box to get these channels back.”

Sid Kirchheimer is the author of Scam-Proof Your Life (AARP Books/Sterling).