I don't have any specific URLs, but look for news stories on the
storm(s) of last two week(s) in CO and KS. I've not looked to see what
sort of coverage the Denver Post gave to the second storm that mostly
bypassed them after the Christmas week bullet on the airport, but would
be a start. Wichita Eagle, Hutchinson, (KS) News, Garden City and
Dodge City, KS, Lamar and LaJunta (CO) are possibilities. We take the
Wichita paper and they've had some coverage, but certainly not on the
details of the livestock operations although do mention numbers and
general problems. Not had the newest High Plains Journal, a weekly ag
paper to see what their coverage is, but their site is at www.hpj.com
and might be of some interest anyway.


If I were you, I would check on what your local stations plans are for
DTV (digital television conversion). The current NTSC analog/hybrid
TV system as we know it is scheduled for shutdown on Feb. 17, 2009
(This does not necessarily apply to translators, but it does apply to
full power stations). You could be making a big investment for
nothing. You will also need to buy a new tv or a DTV signal
convertor.

Over the air reception of terrrestrial DTV signals is possible. You
may need a different antenna though and the TV stations new digital
transmitters may not be located at the same site as their current
transmitters. Every locality will be somewhat different.

Here is a link for more info:

http://www.dtv.gov/DTV_booklet.pdf

Note that DTV does not necessarily mean HDTV (High Definition
Television). The stations are allocated the channel and the
bandwidth. It's up to them how they decide to use it.

Just my opinion here... With all of these changes coming in the next
two years, the satellite dish doesn't sound like a bad option.

You say you can't get a clear shot of the southern sky. Are there
mountains in Wichita? The look angle is pretty high and unless you
have trees everywhere on your property, it should be possible in most
situations to get a clear shot at the satellite.

Beachcomber