ALERT: Sun Outages on Cable TV: October 3- October 12

What are Sun Outages?

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

When do sun outages happen, and how long do they last?

Sun outages occur every year, in Fall and Spring, and last approximately a week each time. The approximate times for signal loss will be between 11:00 am and 6:00 pm and last only a brief time – from seconds up to 15 minutes.

What kind of outage/interference can I expect?

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

How can I tell if it’s caused by a sun outage or something’s wrong with my cable?

The sun outage happens only during the day between 11 am and 6 pm (no sun, no interference) and is brief, lasting for a few minutes—from 5 minutes up to 45 minutes.

What should I do during a sun outage?

Red River Communication apologizes for any inconvenience a sun outage may cause. However, solar satellite interference is out of our control. Please be patient, and everything will get back to normal. If you have questions about sun outages, please contact our customer experience team at 701-553-8309.