Twice a year, during the spring and fall, you may experience some degree of television interference due to a phenomenon known as “sun outages.” During the fall equinox, or September 27 to October 15, it is expected sun outages will occur.
Mahaska Communication Group (MCG) recently put out a press release advising customers of this possibility in our area.
A sun outage is an interruption in satellite signals caused by interference from solar radiation. The interference is caused when the sun is in direct line with a communication satellite and the sun’s radiation overwhelms the satellite signal.
Although this interference will cause an outage, the outage itself will only last up to fifteen (15) minutes at a time. During the outage, you may experience disruptions with picture quality and sound when watching television. Sun outages do not affect internet or phone service.