By Feb. 17, all full-power television stations in America will begin broadcasting exclusively in the digital format.

Most Americans will not be affected, including those using cable, satellite or other pay-TV services.

However, people who watch television over the air and who depend on rabbit ears and other antennas will see nothing but static unless they upgrade their equipment.

Most commercial stations across the country currently broadcast both analog and digital signals.

But tomorrow, five commercial broadcast stations in Wilmington, N.C., are scheduled to become the nation's first to permanently switch to all-digital signals to test the government-mandated transition. At noon, the broadcasters there will shut off their analog TV signals and broadcast only in digital.

Here's what you need to know to prepare for the transition:

Q:I receive television over the air using an antenna. How do I know whether I have a digital-ready TV?

A. If the set was built before 1998, it does not have a digital tuner.

If you bought a large-screen projection TV between 1998 and 2004, it might have a digital tuner, or it might not. If you bought a set after 2004, it probably has a digital tuner, but that is not certain.

If you have an owner's manual, it will say whether the TV has a digital tuner.

If you don't have the manual but you do have a computer, you can look up the set's model number on the manufacturer's Web site.

If you can't do that, you will have to examine the set itself. If it has an input connection labeled "digital input" or "ATSC," you won't have to do anything to your set.

Q:I checked my set and it is not digital ready. What can I do to continue watching TV?

A. You have three options:

Q:Do I still need to use my rabbit ears antenna or do I need to buy a DTV antenna?

A. If you use a digital-to-analog converter box, you will still need an antenna to receive DTV signals.

You should be able to receive digital television signals with your existing antenna.

You should not need to purchase a DTV antenna or an HDTV antenna to receive DTV or HDTV signals, the Federal Communications Commission said.

If, after you have installed your converter box, you are having reception problems using your existing antenna, you might want to contact your local broadcaster or the retail store where you purchased the converter box.

Troubleshooting advice can be found at www.antennaweb.org, where you can type in your address and ZIP code to determine what kind of antenna will work.

Or you can get advice from the FCC at www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/dtvantennas.html.

Q:What is a digital converter box, and how do I get one?

A. A digital television converter box takes the digital signal that will be sent out over the airwaves and turns it into an image that can be read by an analog set.

Converter boxes are available at more than 11,000 stores across the country, including all of the major electronics and appliance chains and most of the smaller mom-and-pop stores.

Q:Will people who have an older analog set and receive their signal over the air have to pay for these converter boxes? Haven't we heard something about a coupon?

A. Congress has approved spending $1.5 billion to help people pay for converter boxes through the distribution of coupons.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, a government agency, will send up to two $40 coupons to each household that asks for them.

Each coupon is good for one converter box - that is, they can't be combined to pay $80 toward a single box.

The coupons can be used for any of 137 officially sanctioned converter boxes, although other converter boxes also are for sale. One brand, the Echostar TR-40, costs $39.99, and can therefore be paid for entirely by a coupon. Other boxes are more expensive.

The coupons are good for 90 days after they are sent to each household. They cannot be redeemed after 90 days, and if the 90 days elapse, new coupons will not be issued.

The coupons expire after 90 days even if nearby stores are all out of converter boxes. Once all the printed coupons have been distributed, no more will be issued.

Q:How do I apply for the coupons? And does everyone qualify?

A. Coupons will be sent to anyone who requests them, for as long as the supply lasts.

You can apply by calling (888) 388-2009. Or you can request one online at www.dtv2009.gov or by U.S. mail at P.O. Box 2000, Portland, Ore. 97208.

Remember, coupons are needed only by people who now receive television over the air for free on an older set that is not capable of receiving a digital signal.

The call center is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but you might have to wait to get a response.

Q:I have the coupons, but I'm having trouble finding the converter boxes. What can I do?

A. Keep looking.

Americans have been using coupons to buy the boxes at a rate of 109,000 a day, which is straining some retailers' ability to keep the shelves stocked.

If local stores don't have them, some national retailers will accept coupons online.

Q:What if I live in a nursing home, an RV park or a mobile home village? Am I in trouble?

A. Nursing homes, RV parks and mobile home villages are technically considered an official household, meaning that they qualify for only two coupons total, no matter how many people actually live there.

The same goes for people who receive their mail at a post office box.

People in these situations will have to pay full price for a converter box.

Q:Why is this digital transformation taking place?

A. The simple answer is that the digital technology is more efficient and digital picture quality and sound are superior to analog.

Because a digital signal can be broadcast over a much smaller bandwidth than analog, digital broadcasts will free up space on the spectrum for more channels and for improved communications for emergency services.

Q:How many people receive over-the-air transmissions on older sets and will need to get a converter box or make a change?

A. Estimates vary, from 13 million American households, according to the Consumer Electronics Association and Nielsen Media Research, to 19.6 million households, according to the National Association of Broadcasters.

In addition, a significant number of other households receive over-the-air transmissions from some TV sets in their homes but have cable, satellite or a pay service on others.

These households will need to upgrade their service on the over-the-air sets or will be unable to use them to watch television. The TVs can still be used for video games, DVD players and the like.

People who receive only over-the-air transmissions are most likely to be senior citizens, black, Hispanic, Asian, poor, rural or disabled, Nielsen said.

Q:Is digital reception always superior to analog?

A. Not always.

Most people who currently receive an analog signal will notice an improvement.

However, people who live on the far reaches of a station's signal might not receive that station at all - the digital signal does not travel as far as an analog one. A man living in the Northern Neck, for instance, bought a converter box, but couldn't get a digital signal from any Richmond TV stations.

Digital signals are more susceptible to interference from hills, trees, buildings and bad weather.

The problems will be noted only by people who receive the signal over the air.

Q:I bought a battery-powered portable television to use in case of an emergency. Will I be able to use it after the changeover?

A. No.

If you must have a portable TV, at least one company is making battery-powered digital TVs.

Radio Shack sells one with a 7-inch screen for $199.99. Other companies, such as LCDDigital, sell portable televisions that can be used with a converter box.

However, battery-powered radios will be unaffected.

Q:Does the change affect every single television station in America?

A. Just the high-power stations, which are all of the big commercial ones.

However, there are hundreds of low-power stations, too, that do not have to switch to digital.

In Richmond, those low-power stations include WXOB-LP (independent religious broadcasting, analog channel 17), W39CO (religious broadcasting affiliated with the Trinity Broadcasting Network, analog channel 39), WZTD-LP (Spanish-language, affiliated with Telemundo, analog channel 45), WRID-LP (religious broadcasting affiliated with Daystar Television Network, analog channel 48).

If you wish to continue watching these stations and digital TV stations, you will have to buy a converter box that allows the analog signals to pass through to the TV set.

About 13 converter-box models with pass-through capabilities are currently available in stores, although many more such models are manufactured but are not currently available.

Q:Do I need to get a set-top box from the cable company to receive a digital signal?

A. Cable customers who have TV sets connected to cable will continue to receive broadcast channels without interruption after the broadcast digital transition.

A Comcast spokeswoman said the broadcast digital transition will have no impact on customers, no matter what level of service they subscribe to from Comcast.

Contact Daniel Neman at (804) 649-6408 or dneman@timesdispatch.com.