Page 52 - Flathead Beacon // 11.27.13

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NOVEMBER 27, 2013 | 51

COMMUNITY BIGFORK

Channeling the Swan

Then in 2008, a kind of miracle hap-
By DAVID VALE
pened. The miracle, called digital broad-
It would seem that I’ve been looking casting, allowed a lot more information
further than necessary for my TV signal. to be passed along the channels. Each of
There’s this satellite about 22,000 miles the channels, it turned out, was capable
away, zipping around in what’s called a of passing enough information for high-
geosynchronous orbit,
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that gives me my sig- Fresh Baked Bread • Breakfast & Lunch
Fresh Ingredients from Local Farmers
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nal. And since satellites MAKE YOUR AAA HELPS
aren’t cheap, neither is Soups, Sandwiches, Paninis, Wraps, Salads, D I SNEYDREAM S
my signal. But, as I re- Quiches, Cookies, Pastries & Pies, Espresso
MAKE YOUR
cently learned, maybe Grillers, Scratch-Made Pizza
COME TRUE. DISNEY DREAMS
I’ve been looking too Fresh Wild Huckleberry Pies, Pancakes, COME TRUE.
far.
Wales and Smoothies
With AAA Vacations®
I dropped in on Bill
packages, you can create
Jaynes the other day.
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LAKESIDE LOCATION NOW OPEN!
Bill is the chairman of
the Disney dream vacation your taste and your budget FULL BREAKFAST MENU
board that oversees the that its your family, while enjoying great
quasi-governmental
your taste and your budget savings and beneits DINNERS (SCRATCH-MADE ARTISAN PIZZA)
Swan Hill TV District,
while enjoying great along the way! Located in the newly remodeled Lakeside Town Center at 306 Stoner Loop Road, one block west of Sliters Ace Hardware
a local organization
savings and beneits
that provides over-
along the way! ©Disney GS2013-9500 Grateful Bread
the-air TV service to
Bill Jaynes in the clubhouse. PHOTO BY DAVID VALE
Amanda SAtgedvednGso, eAsAHAeTreravel Agent ©Disney GS2013-9500
residents of the north-
(406) 758-6987
8111 Hwy 35 306 Stoner Loop
ern Swan Valley. The
BIGFORK LAKESIDE Agded Goes Here
district has an antenna array on top of (Next to Harvest Foods)
(Lakeside Town Center)
deinition, fast moving video (yes, both 135 Hutton Ranch Rd
Swan Hill, a location with a clear view 10am-4pm Mon–Fri Open Tues-Sun for Breakfast, the deinition and the speed matter). But
in several directions, and from there it 837-BAKE
Lunch & Dinner, 8am-7pm
each of the channels was, as an alterna-
receives and re-broadcasts TV signals to 844-BAKE
tive, capable of holding several lesser
valley residents who, for reasons of ge- quality (but still very good) subchan-
ography, might otherwise be unable to nels. Bill credits former chairman Rus- “ALL our breads are made in-house from scratch.”

receive them.
sell Pickett with aggressively pursuing
Bill, justiiably proud of Swan Hill grants to upgrade the equipment to sup-
TV, showed me the channel lineup as port digital broadcasting. Anyway, when
I sat in his living room. The onscreen the dust settled, Swan Hill TV found it-
guide looked pretty similar to the one on self with six channels, each of which it
my digital tuner that’s connected to my could split four ways. It currently pro-
satellite dish. Obviously, it was some- vides 24 subchannels of programming
what shorter, but not all that short. By
to folks in its service area. (To compen-
the time we’d run through it, I got the sate the costs of new digital equipment
same reaction I get when I scroll through and 50 years of inlation, the annual as-
mine: All those channels and I can’t de- sessment was raised to $20.)
cide what to watch.
Unfortunately, I live on the wrong
According to the website (www. side of the hill. As part of the license EVENTS
SwanHillTV.net), the District started the district has from the FCC to broad-
out in 1959 as a club with the modest cast its signals, it is required to broad- MONTANA’S CHRISTMAS VILLAGE
Holiday Members Show/ Bigfork Museum
goal of redirecting the NBC signal from cast them according to precise specii-
Kalispell to the homes on the east side cations – speciications that include the Wednesday, November 27 - Saturday, January 11
of Swan Hill. The original clubhouse direction, the spread, the wattage, and
looked like an item from one of these even the height from which the broad- 525 Electric Avenue
“Redneck” cartoons. You know, a shack cast originates. If you happen to reside
that looks like an outhouse with a big an- in the directions those antennae point, he Nutcracker Ballet
tenna on top of it. The caption would be, you’re in luck. I, unfortunately, do not.
“Redneck Home Theater.”
The good news is that the district is not Friday, November 29 - Sunday, December 1

But it didn’t keep that look for long. alone in its eforts to bring free TV to 2pm&8pmFri.&Sat., 4pmonSunday
The Swan Hill TV District was formed the area. A quick look at its website will Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts
in 1961 and began to receive funds from show that a parallel group, Blacktail TV
Flathead County generated by an as- District, does similar work from loca- Annual Bigfork Chamber Banquet
sessment on the residents it potentially tions in Polson, Big Arm, Lakeside and
served. For almost 50 years, the assess- Whiteish. Although the programming Wednesday, December 4
ment was $5 per residence per year. In is somewhat diferent, I should be able to
6pm and Dinner at 7pm, BruMar Estate
addition to acquiring land and equip- receive signals from Blacktail TV at my
ment, the district began to acquire home in Woods Bay.
Annual Magical Holiday Parade
channels. Channels are licensed by the So, regardless of which side of Swan
Federal Communications Commission Hill you live on, you may want to look Saturday, December 7, 6pm
(FCC), and there aren’t very many of into the oferings of one of these (almost)
them. But prior to the proliferation of free TV services. The Swan Hill TV web-
mobile devices, they were easier to get site explains it all. But, if it’s not clear, For times & details, visit or call: the Chamber:
and the district managed to snag six of call the District at 751-5155.
www.bigfork.org • 837-5888
them.