Miami-Dade County's Office of Emergency Management has this simple advice for how to deal with the digital television switch during hurricane season: Get a radio.
''We're recommending that residents invest in battery-powered radios as opposed to TVs for the simple fact that radios are less expensive and they don't have to go through the learning curve with the TV,'' said Jamie Hernandez, spokesman for the department.
Hernandez said emergency operations officials are concerned that many local residents, because they have cable or satellite television, may not have factored Friday's switch into their hurricane preparation plans.
Traditional battery-powered televisions are likely only configured to receive analog signals. Converter boxes can be used for some portable models, but those will need additional battery packs.
The Federal Communications Commission's Edie Herman said many of the older antennaes with those portable televisions are often difficult to attach to the digital converters.
''It's kind of a jury-rigged thing,'' she said.
A handful of portable TV sets that receive digital signals have been on the market for the past few years, but prices are $110 and up.
Though it won't help you in a power loss, newer-model digital television sets are also able to receive digital transmissions, should cable or satellite service go out.
''There are a lot of terms that refer to digital, like integrated digital television or digital television or HDTV. You can use those right over the air,'' Herman said.
She recommends you get out your instruction booklet now and figure out how to switch off your cable or satellite service and turn on the digital tuner -- usually, it's the same input menu where you would switch to a DVD or sound system, as well.
''I think the most important thing is to be prepared,'' she said. ``It's not like the old days, where if you were far away you would get a fuzzy signal. With digital, you either get a signal or you don't.''
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