Sun Outages
Sun outages may be affecting your TV service.
What are Sun Outages?
Twice a year, you may experience some degree of television interference due to “sun outages.” Such outages are caused by a phenomenon called a “solar satellite interference.” These brief outages occur when the sun passes directly behind satellites transmitting cable signals. When the sun is aligned with a satellite, solar radiation, an energy the sun is emitting, interferes with the satellite’s signal and thus causes a brief signal outage.
When do sun outages happen and how long they last?
Sun outages occur every year, in Fall and Spring, and last approximately about a week each time. This Spring, sun outages are expected between February 29 through March 8. The exact time and duration will vary from channel to channel. This is due to channels being received off different satellites in the arc. Each satellite is affected at a different time as the sun moves across the satellite arc. The approximate times for signal loss will be between 10:00am and 5:30pm ET and will last for approximately five to fifteen minutes depending on the size of the dish.
What kind of outage/interference can I expect?
During the sun outage, you may experience a pixelated picture, picture freezes, or audio distortions for a brief period of time.
How can I tell if it’s caused by a sun outage or something’s wrong with my cable?
The sun outage happens only during the day between 10:00am and 5:30pm ET (no sun, no interference) and is brief, lasting for approximately five to fifteen minutes depending on the size of the dish.
What should I do during a sun outage?
Wave apologizes for any inconvenience a sun outage may cause. However, solar satellite interference is out of our control. Please be patient and everything will get back to normal. If you have question about sun outages, please contact Astound.
