So a few days back all of my analog channels up and vanished leaving me with only the digital channels. I thought perhaps the cable was just screwy with the weather but now it has been a few days. I know in a few years that they have to go all digital but this does not appear to be a step in that direction as the channels I lost are not back in digital form. Any ideas? Cable people are worthless here.

Get the cable monkey servicemen out there. Has the weather changed recently? A year or so back, when ever the weather got extra cold here, we'd lose random channels up and down the dial (yeah, I said dial). Come to find out, the connector in the outdoor magic cable box would expand or contract, depending on the weather. When it contracted, it would lose part of the signal, and then multiples of the frequency all the way up. A quick retermination of the cable and I was back in business.

At any rate, just tell them you need a service call and get someone out there. I know the customer svc people probably don't get it, so just opt for a real technician.

Cancel your cable. That's really the only way to get them to do anything.

And I'm serious -- it's liberating.