Sun Outages- Fall of 2017

POSTED BY TWILSON

What you need to know about sun outages.

Twice a year, during the spring and fall, you may experience some degree of television interference due to a phenomenon known as “sun outages.” This Q&A will help you understand what they are and how they will affect you.

What is a sun outage?

A sun outage is an interruption in satellite signals caused by interference from solar radiation. The interference is caused when the sun is in direct line with a communication satellite and the sun’s radiation overwhelms the satellite signal.

How long do they last?

Interruption in TV service due to sun outages can last up to a few minuets per day.

How do they affect watching TV?

During this time, you may experience interference with picture quality and sound when watching television. Sun outages do not affect internet.

When do they affect watching TV?

For our area, this will occur starting around 1:30 PM and end around 4:45 PM. Each satellite is impacted  for several minutes a day and different video feeds are impacted at different times due to satellite placement in the Arc. This fall the Sun Outages will begin around 10/03/2017 and end on 10/13/2017.