Message From MediaCom Cable

This morning when I turned on my digital cable box, the message light was on. So I go to the message center and read the message. It said that from october 7th - 10th there might be interuptions in service due to the suns energy interupting the cable signal. Are they talking about solar flares??
And if so, dont solar flares happen all the time and arent alot of things interupted quite often by solar flares?? I have never seen this message in all the years that I have had cable and was wondering if anyone else thinks its odd. Is there going to be an unusually large flare or what??
Or are "THEY" trying to cover up media coverage that might happen on these days?? what do you guys think???

I could see where it might affect your cable if it was satllite based, or if you live at high elevation.

Most channels are delivered to regional cable operators via satellite, but once it's down off the sat, the rest of it is delivers through coax. They might be expecting some disruption of the sats on those dates, but I have heard nothing of the sort. (I work for a cable company)

If they are planning a disruption of service due to work they are doing, it's rather poor taste to play it of as solar storms.

There's always solar weather but every once in a while the sun erupts with some really intense activity much higher than normal. It is impossible to absolutely predict when a solar flare will occur. Scientists however can make short-term predictions on when strong solar activity is "likely" to happen. The satalites orbiting the earth monitor xrays and report that data back to the ground. Scientists read the up to the minute xray reports and issue warnings about storms or bursts based on that xray data. Satalites are always messed up and services are disrupted when the Earth's atmosphere is hit by the stronger than normal x-ray and gamma waves.

There are three categories of solar flares:
1. C-class flares are small with few noticeable consequences here on Earth.
2. M-class flares are medium-sized; they generally cause brief radio blackouts that affect Earth's polar regions. Minor radiation storms sometimes follow an M-class flare.
3. X-class flares are big; they are major events that can trigger planet-wide radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms.

Here are some websites that monitor solar flares:

www.n3kl.org...
www.sec.noaa.gov...
spaceweather.com...

What is a solar flare?
hesperia.gsfc.nasa.gov...


[edit on 2-10-2004 by zerotime]

well here in new zealand i have sky digital

most of the time in summer i get channel cannot be recieved due to the suns enteruption or some crap

its pretty nnatural to happen just the suns possintion

don't be alarmed

I don't know. I might worry about this:

Unless the cable company knows something that www.spaceweather.com... doesnt know. Yesterday the site had said all the flares had stopped almost abruptly compared to the really big ones that a had been around. There are two small spots now, can cause flares, kinda small.

NOT THE BORG!!!!! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! ASSIMILATION IMMENENT!!! NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

[edit on 2-10-2004 by shoafy]

Sun outages are a part of normal satellite operations, which occur in the Spring (February-March) and Fall (October) of each year. Sun outages take place when orbital positions are such that the satellite and the sun are in one line. The solar interference will take place approximately between October 4 and October 14. The exact time and duration will vary from channel to channel but anyone receiving TV feed from these satelites is going to be effected. The approximate times for signal loss will be between 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM (east coast)and last for approximately 10 to 45 minutes. The earth station then receives signals from both, but the more powerful sun subdues the desired cable signal causing partial or complete loss of satellite signal.