WATERLOO - As eastern Iowa television stations make the switch to digital television today, years of planning and preparation are finally coming to a close.

The switch also means months of procrastination will come to an end for some viewers.

At 1 p.m., KWWL in Waterloo will briefly go off the air while the station's analog transmitter is disconnected and the digital transmitter is brought online, said Jarrett Liddicoat, chief engineer at KWWL in Waterloo.

All cable and satellite customers need for the switch is a small dose of patience. Once the transmitter is hooked up and the cable or satellite providers reprogram their receivers, the station will be back on viewers' screens.

For people who are pulling the signal over the air, they need to reprogram their digital receivers because KWWL will also be switching the digital frequency from its current home on UHF channel 55 to VHF channel 7. Switching the digital signal to a lower frequency will mean a stronger, clearer signal for most viewers who receive their television via antenna, Liddicoat said.

"For every channel you go up, it takes more power," he said.

Most converter boxes and television sets with digital receivers will have a built-in menu to set the digital channels. Each one is going to be different, but often the option will be labeled "channel scan" "auto program," said Terry Root, owner of Don's TV Maximum Sight and Sound.

Retailers and broadcasters are already receiving numerous calls from viewers with questions and concerns about the transition and whether they will get to over-the-air digital signal. Questions like that can't be answered until the transition is made, said Brian Shaw, operations manager at Don's TV Maximum Sight and Sound.

"I've been telling people over the last few weeks, let's not do anything radical until the switch is made," Shaw said.

Shaw is glad the long-awaited transition is taking place today as planned instead of pushing it back until June 12, which a bill Congress passed Feb. 5 allows.

"Get it over with now and lets move on," he said. "There's no sense in going through another four months of this."

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration estimates 2,059 households in eastern Iowa - less than 1 percent of the market - are still waiting for government coupons for digital converter boxes. The converters allow older analog televisions to pick up digital television.

A government program distributing coupons for $40 off the $60 converters had been temporarily exhausted of funds in January. Congress passed a delay in the mandatory switch to digital television and allowed for more funding to the coupon program. The delay allows broadcasters to go ahead with today's transition with approval from the Federal Communications Commission.

Liddicoat said publicity from that bill has only added more confusion to the transition.

"I'm sure people are wondering why we're still going," he said.

Shaw said the switch may seem daunting now, but the difference will make it worthwhile for viewers. Each station will be capable of broadcasting multiple signals simultaneously and digital picture quality is superior to analog, he said.

"It's a jump in quality and a jump in quantity," he said.

Liddicoat said broadcasters have done everything they can to prepare viewers for the switch.

"There will always be some people who won't act until they actually need to."

For those people, that time is now.

Contact John Molseed at (319) 291-1418 or john.molseed@wcfcourier.com