261 replies to this topic

[James T Kirk]

Hi Hannah

OK

There not really much on line except for the ABC who have outage advices at  http://www.abc.net.a...on/maintenance/
Unfortunately not a lot of help there.

Stump_1100 has advised WIN has been fine from Bald Knob and I have confirmed with Broadcast Australia that ABC and SBS are OK and also with 7, 9 and 10 Brisbane who confirm that all their services are OK from Bald Knob.

I think you have pretty much answered the questions yourself now in that you know your own aerial is in trouble and that when those not using Austar have trouble it isn't all of them at once.

I am in the TV transmission side of things and I can assure if you lose more than one service at once for an extended period or regularly it is much much more likely to be your end rather than the transmitter end.

I think it's time to get your preferred antenna installer in to fix your place and get the village's administration to do the same.

Note: with such a large number of people affected if you don't have success convincing the administration to act initially, your prefered antenna man can perform some quick tests in the village to give you the evidence needed. Maybe a local antenna installer reading this will send a message to you.

Feel free to call here again if you get stuck.

James

[Wombat2]

Just thought I'd relate my experience - we live 420 meters from the Tinbeerwah tower with uninterupted clear line of sight, yet we were getting signal loss and pixelation on all channels with the worst being 7.  I had installed a new antenna - new mast head amp - removed mast head amp, changed to a phased array antenna - still the same. Got the expert out - he found we had 75dB at the antenna - more than than enough but 52dB at the TV with a drop off in bit rate. Turns out an old 3 way splitter in the line was the main problem - second was the phased array antenna that was made for "screw and clamp" connection. next was the mast head amp - just not helping the situation and finally old air gap cable and a dodgy wall plate.

An hour later he had turned my new antenna around and changed to vertical ( I was using this to pick up any signal from the south) removed the phased array, removed the mast head amp, removed the 3 way splitter and installed new 2 way ( don't use the 3rd point) new wall plate and now have 63dB at the TV. He said we could go better if we went to quad sheild all the way ( I had already installed quad shield down from the roof) but he said that the signal will be changeing next year and the old cable will handle the digital signal a lot better. A passing comment he made was also the Malany Tower and the Nambour Tower are not in sync and there is a delay between them so if you are picking up both siganals your tuner can have a spasm and spit the dummy. - All up $100 well spent

Edited by Wombat2, 12 September 2011 - 07:59 PM.

[mtv]

 Wombat2, on Sep 12 2011, 07:58 PM, said:

Just thought I'd relate my experience - we live 420 meters from the Tinbeerwah tower with uninterupted clear line of sight, yet we were getting signal loss and pixelation on all channels with the worst being 7. I had installed a new antenna - new mast head amp - removed mast head amp, changed to a phased array antenna - still the same. Got the expert out - he found we had 75dB at the antenna - more than than enough but 52dB at the TV with a drop off in bit rate. Turns out an old 3 way splitter in the line was the main problem - second was the phased array antenna that was made for "screw and clamp" connection. next was the mast head amp - just not helping the situation and finally old air gap cable and a dodgy wall plate.

An hour later he had turned my new antenna around and changed to vertical ( I was using this to pick up any signal from the south) removed the phased array, removed the mast head amp, removed the 3 way splitter and installed new 2 way ( don't use the 3rd point) new wall plate and now have 63dB at the TV. He said we could go better if we went to quad sheild all the way ( I had already installed quad shield down from the roof) but he said that the signal will be changeing next year and the old cable will handle the digital signal a lot better. A passing comment he made was also the Malany Tower and the Nambour Tower are not in sync and there is a delay between them so if you are picking up both siganals your tuner can have a spasm and spit the dummy. - All up $100 well spent

I have seen numerous issues with digital signals over air-spaced coax, so I seriously doubt a frequency change will improve your signal issues (I'd guess it's signal quality that's mostly affected) with that cable.

Even on VHF it has high BER.

I'd highly recommend you replace all of that air spaced cable with RG6 Quad, if possible.

[MrCurlyWhirly]

We are having problems with WIN reception in the Montville area.

I posted this a few pages back, now that i have access to my PVR with a more sensitive tuner than the laptop I can confirm that Win is still a blank with 'no signal'. Strange that GEM and Go are loud and clear, only WIN is causing us grief.

[skypig]

Happy New Year everyone.

I've tried searching with no results.

Briz31
I'm in Warana. Have perfect reception with my antanea aimed at Bald Knob (line of sight). I seem to get Brisbane transmissions perfectly as well (35 TV channels total with duplicates - eg 7 Dig, 7SC, 7two....)
No Briz31.
My next door neighbour is in the same boat, but watches Briz31 from his friends place. Friends place is very nearby, but lower and slightly North (further from BN and Bald Knob)
It doesn't make sense to me, that he can watch it there, but not here.

Any suggsetions?

Simon

[James T Kirk]

 skypig, on 10 January 2012 - 08:46 PM, said:

Happy New Year everyone.

I've tried searching with no results.

Briz31
I'm in Warana. Have perfect reception with my antanea aimed at Bald Knob (line of sight). I seem to get Brisbane transmissions perfectly as well (35 TV channels total with duplicates - eg 7 Dig, 7SC, 7two....)
No Briz31.
My next door neighbour is in the same boat, but watches Briz31 from his friends place. Friends place is very nearby, but lower and slightly North (further from BN and Bald Knob)
It doesn't make sense to me, that he can watch it there, but not here.

Any suggsetions?

Simon

Simon
Briz 31 is not transmitted from Bald Knob but Brisbane commercial channels are.
If you want to receive Briz 31 you will need an antenna that is directed to receive Brisbane's Mt Coot-tha transmissions.
James

[alanh]

Simon,
If you are looking for channel 31 it is no longer on air
If you are looking for digital channel 44 and cannot get it?
You currently need an antenna designed for channel 38 which is pointed at Mt Cootha-tha only. The power of this transmitter is only 15 kW where as the Mt Cootha-tha SBS transmitter is 200 kW. The signal strength in your area for the stronger SBS signal varies between nil to medium. This means that an expensive antenna system will be required for continuous reliable reception.

Keep the following in mind
All Community TV stations are on temporary licences. The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy is yet to decide what happens at the end of 2013. The possible options are available;

• Replace the SBS channel 34 with a community station signal.
  
• Close in the Brisbane case channel 38 and install a new channel 10 transmitter to carry the community signal. (TVQ (TEN Network Brisbane) uses channel 11 for digital transmission of One, Ten, Eleven.) This option retains the logical channel number of 44.

If the transmission channel changes from channel 38 to 10 on the Mt Cootha-tha will require a different antenna and possibly masthead amplfier.

Channel 38 requires a high gain band 4+ Yagi-Uda, but for channel 10 a Band 3 antenna is required.
For more information on antennas seethe first post in this strand.

AlanH

[skypig]

Thank you both for the info.

I tried Channel 38 Band 4 (599.5 MHz) as per the website. (zero signal)

I'm perplexed as to why it's available at a nearby, (but lower, more shielded) residence. They don't seem to have any special antennas, but I'm not sure. Would it be available as part of Austar? - THAT would explain things (and embarrass me).

Simon

[James T Kirk]

 skypig, on 11 January 2012 - 03:19 PM, said:

Thank you both for the info.

I tried Channel 38 Band 4 (599.5 MHz) as per the website. (zero signal)

I'm perplexed as to why it's available at a nearby, (but lower, more shielded) residence. They don't seem to have any special antennas, but I'm not sure. Would it be available as part of Austar? - THAT would explain things (and embarrass me).

Simon

Hi Simon
Don't worry about embarrassment, AlanH has cornered that market with making the simple complicated and very often wrong as he has done above but I'll sort that later.
Check out if your Briz31 friend has an antenna pointing S-SW, if he has he is making an effort to receive Brisbane's Mt Coot-tha direct. Now if you find this is so check if your antenna is pointing W-SW if so this confirms you are looking at Bald Knob. The difference in bearing between these two sites from Warana is about 60 degrees and your antenna will not receive much signal from Brisbane at all unless it is turned towards Brisbane. There is a compromise, you will have so much signal from Bald Knob at Warana you may be able to point your antenna at Brisbane and still get Bald Knob too, it's suck and see though. Now in case you are concerned about AlanH mentioning SBS's 200kW and Briz31's 15kW comment and the inference you are less likely to pick Briz31 up as a result, don't place any creedence on that comment at all, the Briz31 signal is special and quite different to what SBS uses and does not need the same power to achieve the same coverage, in essence I have considerable confidence that if SBS from Brisbane reaches you, Bris31 will also.

Last piece of advice, don't go to the first post in this strand.

James

[skypig]

Thanks James

Alan H has been helpful previously and I appreciate the help/effort from all.

I couldn't put a seperate antenna up, aimed at Mt Cootha and use a splitter in reverse (combiner)? Maybe the 2 inputs would cause problems? Obviously I could duplicate the entire antenna/cableing, but unplugging one (Bald Knob) and plugging the other (Mt Cootha) in sounds unapealling.

Edited by skypig, 13 January 2012 - 11:20 AM.

[James T Kirk]

 skypig, on 13 January 2012 - 11:16 AM, said:

Thanks James

Alan H has been helpful previously and I appreciate the help/effort from all.

I couldn't put a seperate antenna up, aimed at Mt Cootha and use a splitter in reverse (combiner)? Maybe the 2 inputs would cause problems? Obviously I could duplicate the entire antenna/cableing, but unplugging one (Bald Knob) and plugging the other (Mt Cootha) in sounds unapealling.

A most appropriate response Skypig in relation to AlanH.
I should not be so cynical and critical.
Somehow he brings out the worst in me

[tropo]

I have been in Maleny for 8 years. I get Brisbane channels best and sunny coast from Bald Knob ok a lot of the time.  My reception from Brisbane via the VHF antenna has been deteriorating for a while and I think it is the antenna that needs replacing.  It is old and there is a lot of corroded bolts etc.  I am trying to figure out which antenna I need to get and am confused by the fact that the colours used in the DBDE’s “My Switch” map are different to the ones described in the “H3 Antenna Selection” ie. There is no “Dark Pink”, “Light pink” etc.  My house is in a light green area of the current map so which VHF antenna do I need to get
Thanks for any advice
Hans

[nbound]

To know for sure you need to get the signals measured at your location (myswitch is more of a guide). Number of outlets and any distribution amps will also come into play. At a rough guess a mid-sized yagi will probably do the job.

[alanh]

Hans,
Do not buy an H3 antenna.
All of the transmitters below are at Bald Knob
SBS channel 36, TNQ (TEN Qld) 47, ABQ 62, STQ (7 Qld) 65, RTQ (WIN) 68 are  currently on air Sunshine Coast programming
BTQ (Seven) channel 53, TVQ (Ten) channel 47, QTQ (Nine) channel 59.  ABQ, SBS coming soon. Brisbane programs.

The antenna group you need is on the link H5 and point it at Bald Knob. Remove any VHF antenna.

Note that after the middle of next year, the transmitter channels will change because channel 52 - 69 are being sold to the mobile phone industry.

The green area on the digitalready site is coming from Bald Knob, unless you select an alternative transmitter Brisbane. Around the town of Melany there is no green signal strengths from Brisbane. Maybe your Brisbane reception is coming from Bald Knob?

AlanH

[James T Kirk]

 tropo, on 22 May 2012 - 04:42 PM, said:

I have been in Maleny for 8 years. I get Brisbane channels best and sunny coast from Bald Knob ok a lot of the time.  My reception from Brisbane via the VHF antenna has been deteriorating for a while and I think it is the antenna that needs replacing.  It is old and there is a lot of corroded bolts etc.  I am trying to figure out which antenna I need to get and am confused by the fact that the colours used in the DBDE’s “My Switch” map are different to the ones described in the “H3 Antenna Selection” ie. There is no “Dark Pink”, “Light pink” etc.  My house is in a light green area of the current map so which VHF antenna do I need to get
Thanks for any advice
Hans

Hello Hans
I can understand your confusion, AlanH is a master poster not a master of the subject matter and the best advice is to avoid reading his posts, he causes no end of trouble and offers poor advice with no local knowledge whatsoever. He is based in W.A.
He should stop discussing foolish descriptions such as H3 or V3 etc as it only confuses when he waffles on.

Sadly AlanH's particular advice to you is completely wrong. You don't want to install a new Band V UHF antenna and find in a year or two you need to replace it again. You were on the right track yourself in wanting to replace your VHF Brisbane antenna with another. Brisbane signals into Maleny are normally quite good and in a couple of years time when all the channel changes happen you won't have to do a thing and in fact it is better than that because SBS will be received on your Brisbane VHF antenna for the first time.
If you ask your dealer for a Band III VHF antenna that covers channels 6-12 and designed for fringe reception you should have plenty of signal to enable you to split it to several outlets in the house.

James

[M'bozo]

And if your dealer doesn't know what you are after (and some have no idea when it comes to antennas), you could be looking for something like this.

(Image here, courtesy of Hills antennas)

Of course, as nbound has noted:

To know for sure you need to get the signals measured at your location

[alanh]

James,
My switch website does not agree with you, the Brisbane signals around Melany are weak look at the map where as the signals from Bald Knob are strong. Why is there a translator on Bald Knob carrying Brisbane TV signals? The TV stations have found that VHF is not sufficiently reliable.

As for the digital restack
As of December last year the Sunshine Coast North will move to channels 46 - 51 which is well within the range of a band 5 Yagi-Uda. ABQ is on channel 49 and SBS on channel 50
Sunshine Coast South which is also receivable in Melany will move to channels channels 34 - 39 with ABQ on channel 34 and SBS on channel 35.

So a Band 5 Yagi-Uda installed now will still give reception of the Sunshine Coast programs and Brisbane program.
A fringe area Band 3 antenna costs a lot more than a band 5 antenna. It is also much easier to mount and point towards Bald Knob instead of South to Mt Coot-tha.

Remember that the digital Switchover site recommends Bald Knob and does not recommend Mt Coot-tha.

AlanH

[tropo]

Thank you all for the replies,  I think I will go for a Hills DY10 antenna or something very similar.  It is the same as what a friend who lives 400m away is using.  and James, the Myswitch map would be correct if we chopped down all the trees in line of sight to Bald Knob but since the major group of trees are in the Mary Cairncross Sceneic Reserve I don't think that is an option.

Anyone got a suggestion for the best place to buy an antenna?  I haven't called them yet but Jaycar and Dick Smith don't seem to have much to choise from.

[James T Kirk]

 alanh, on 23 May 2012 - 01:01 AM, said:

James,
My switch website does not agree with you, the Brisbane signals around Melany are weak look at the map where as the signals from Bald Knob are strong. Why is there a translator on Bald Knob carrying Brisbane TV signals? The TV stations have found that VHF is not sufficiently reliable.

As for the digital restack
As of December last year the Sunshine Coast North will move to channels 46 - 51 which is well within the range of a band 5 Yagi-Uda. ABQ is on channel 49 and SBS on channel 50
Sunshine Coast South which is also receivable in Melany will move to channels channels 34 - 39 with ABQ on channel 34 and SBS on channel 35.

So a Band 5 Yagi-Uda installed now will still give reception of the Sunshine Coast programs and Brisbane program.
A fringe area Band 3 antenna costs a lot more than a band 5 antenna. It is also much easier to mount and point towards Bald Knob instead of South to Mt Coot-tha.

Remember that the digital Switchover site recommends Bald Knob and does not recommend Mt Coot-tha.

AlanH

Dear Readers

Here is another classic example of why AlanH , the master poster but no master of the subject matter should be ignored especially when he asks ridiculous questions that highlight he has no insight into the subject at all, he is witless Googler.

Maleny (note for the reader unlike AlanH, I spell this lovely town's name correctly) is line of sight to Mt Coot-tha and it does by first hand knowledge receive Brisbane very well. I will not answer AlanH questions on why the southern facing transmitters are at Bald Knob but suffice to say it is not for any reasons he is aware of or mentioned here.

AlanH has stupidly suggested again that Hans puts in a Band V UHF antenna to pick up Bald Knob. Nothing has changed at Bald Knob yet and the north and south restack of channels will not happen until late 2013 or early 2014. There are no guarantees ABC and SBS will be on the Bald Knob southern beam any time soon.

Hans wants his TV to work well now, it is logical to choose a solution that is an immediate and long term solution, go VHF Brisbane.

AlanH may have difficulty in deciding which end of the antenna points to the transmitters however be in no doubt that Band III VHF antennas are very easy to point of course and in Hans' situation will deliver excellent results.

James

[James T Kirk]

 tropo, on 23 May 2012 - 08:33 AM, said:

Thank you all for the replies,  I think I will go for a Hills DY10 antenna or something very similar.  It is the same as what a friend who lives 400m away is using.  and James, the Myswitch map would be correct if we chopped down all the trees in line of sight to Bald Knob but since the major group of trees are in the Mary Cairncross Sceneic Reserve I don't think that is an option.

Anyone got a suggestion for the best place to buy an antenna?  I haven't called them yet but Jaycar and Dick Smith don't seem to have much to choise from.

Hans if you get to go shopping in Brisbane, Nationwide Antennas at Newstead have some quite good Band III Channels 6-12 VHF "Signalmax" series antennas, there's a couple to choose from. I bought a batch of these recently and found they achieved their specifications.
Of course an internet search will reveal Hills, Fraccaro and others supply excellent choices.
Jaycar and Dick Smith may not be my first choice for purchasing antennas.

James

[nbound]

 tropo, on 23 May 2012 - 08:33 AM, said:

the Myswitch map would be correct if we chopped down all the trees in line of sight to Bald Knob but since the major group of trees are in the Mary Cairncross Sceneic Reserve I don't think that is an option.

And this is exactly why we dont trust digitalready as law; there are many many things, forestation included, that are not considered in the signal maps.

Edited by nbound, 23 May 2012 - 01:11 PM.

[tropo]

I got a Hills DY10 from a local electrical store and I have just installed it.  My ABC reception is perfect, at least at the momment and the old antenna can be retired.  I am happy.
Thanks for all the help people.
Cheers

[alanh]

James,
The reception of all these signals are available both sides of the digital restack on a band 5 antenna. ABC and SBS from the northern coverage area is stronger anyway.

Secondly the transmitter is only 7 km away there is no terrain blocking the signal and the signal does not pass through the reserve.

You recommend a transmitter 79 km away and is not line of sight to the township. It is the last few km which is affected. Yes the signal has to go through the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve as well. The Myswitch website says that the signal is variable. Under these conditions I would agree with them.

So we don't know if a much smaller less expensive band 5 Yagi-Uda would have done the job, and what happens when it rains to the Brisbane signal.

This is the second time you have recommended expensive fringe area installations. The Kooralbyn residents have an a set of analog translators and will now be getting a digital set, all because the signal is so poor.

Alanh

[tropo]

 alanh, on 23 May 2012 - 07:50 PM, said:

Secondly the transmitter is only 7 km away there is no terrain blocking the signal and the signal does not pass through the reserve.

Alanh, I beg to differ.  If you look at this map and draw lines radiating towards Maleny for the Blad Knob tower you will see that a good deal of the township is possibily affected.  Many of the trees in the reserve are 100 meters high or more.  Also, the township is generally hilly so some houses are in valleys and others on high ground.  I am on relatively high ground but the trees are still in line of sight to the tower and do affect the signal.  As I mentioned earlier, I get Bald Knob & Brisbane but Brisbane is the stronger, even more so now with the new antenna.

[James T Kirk]

 alanh, on 23 May 2012 - 07:50 PM, said:

James,
The reception of all these signals are available both sides of the digital restack on a band 5 antenna. ABC and SBS from the northern coverage area is stronger anyway.

Secondly the transmitter is only 7 km away there is no terrain blocking the signal and the signal does not pass through the reserve.

You recommend a transmitter 79 km away and is not line of sight to the township. It is the last few km which is affected. Yes the signal has to go through the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve as well. The Myswitch website says that the signal is variable. Under these conditions I would agree with them.

So we don't know if a much smaller less expensive band 5 Yagi-Uda would have done the job, and what happens when it rains to the Brisbane signal.

This is the second time you have recommended expensive fringe area installations. The Kooralbyn residents have an a set of analog translators and will now be getting a digital set, all because the signal is so poor.

Alanh

Hello Readers

Sorry, yet again AlanH underlines that he is a master poster, not a master of the subject matter.
The Brisbane signal will get to Maleny very well hail rain or shine. Since AlanH is so entrenched in what he can misinterpret from the internet he has forgotten the most basic thing, what does the customer want, the customer wants Brisbane programming and so when you have a strong Brisbane signal it is there to be used.

AlanH likes going off at inexplicable unrelated tangents, here's one he prepared earlier
"The Kooralbyn residents have an a set of analog translators and will now be getting a digital set, all because the signal is so poor."
I invite the reader to see where Kooralbyn is relative to Maleny, simply silly stuff.

Remember, AlanH is a master poster, not a master of the subject matter.

James

Edited by James T Kirk, 24 May 2012 - 09:42 AM.