Sun Outages

Twice a year, you may experience some degree of television interference due to “sun outages.” Such outages are caused by a phenomenon called a “solar satellite interference.” These brief outages occur when the sun passes directly behind satellites transmitting cable signals. When the sun is aligned with a satellite, solar radiation, an energy the sun is emitting, interferes with the satellite’s signal and thus causes a brief signal outage.

Sun outages occur every year, in fall and spring, and last approximately about a week each time. This fall, sun outages are expected between October 5 through October 11. The exact time and duration will vary from channel to channel. This is due to channels being received off different satellites in the arc. Each satellite is affected at a different time as the sun moves across the satellite arc. The approximate times for signal loss will be between 10:00am to 5:30pm ET and will last for approximately five to fifteen minutes depending on the size of the dish.

During the sun outage, you may experience a pixelated picture, picture freezes, or audio distortions for a brief period of time.

The sun outage happens only during the day between 10:00am and 5:30pm ET (no sun, no interference) and is brief, lasting for approximately five to fifteen minutes depending on the size of the dish.

Solar satellite interference is out of the control of service providers. We apologize for any disruption and assure you this is a temporary phenomenon. The best course of action is patience as your signal gets back to normal typically within five to fifteen minutes.