315 replies to this topic

[beeblebrox]

macaholic, on Aug 1 2008, 11:56 AM, said:

Hi.
Sorry if I missed something here but is there adequate free-to-air digital coverage in Woori Yallock, Vic, 3139?
See maps here and here.
Thanks.

Possibly..    it will depend on the hills and trees around you.  You may get reception from MT Dandenong or from Warburton

[bobsi18]

mtv, on Oct 2 2008, 01:30 AM, said:

bobsi18,

Some tuners perform better than others with poor signals. This may be the case with the different reception results from the two different tuners.

From your description, the problem is definitely poor signal strength and quality.

The problem is most likely that you have an old antenna designed for analogue channels only. The absence of TEN and ABC digital also suggests this as they are on channels 11 and 12 and most older antennas were designed to only receive up to channel 10.

The lack of SBS reception could be because you may not have a UHF antenna, or one which is not suitable for your area.

The first thing I would be checking is the antenna condition and suitability for digital reception, together with the existing coax cable, connections etc.

If your antenna is the problem, using an amp/booster will generally not help.

Selection of antenna/s will depend on how strong the signals are at your location... Pakenham is generally ok for digital reception, so a single combination antenna such as Fracarro LP34F should work ok.

Looong time since I wrote that post, but I just wanted to say thanks for your help, we eventually (only last week!!) got a guy out to instal a new antenna - we now get digital for every channel, and hd for most, absolutely amazing, like having a new tv!  Thanks again

[mtv]

bobsi18, on Dec 24 2008, 11:48 PM, said:

Looong time since I wrote that post, but I just wanted to say thanks for your help, we eventually (only last week!!) got a guy out to instal a new antenna - we now get digital for every channel, and hd for most, absolutely amazing, like having a new tv! Thanks again

A good outcome for you.

Thanks for letting us know how you got on...

Best wishes for Christmas & the New Year.

[WazzoTheMartian]

I don't know where you got your information for your coverage guide but only ABC and SBS are currently transmitting DTV from Mt Clay, Portland. The others have been making promises for years but so far nothing.

[alanh]

WazzoTheMartian,
There is a transmitter link in the first post in this strand.
You will see that Mt Clay not only has ABWV channel 59 (ABC Digital), SBS channel 68, as well as VTV channel 56 (WIN).

So if you have a digital set top box or receiver do an installation scan for stations and you should end up with channels 21, 22, 23,  (ABC1, ABC2, ABC3) 30, 31 (SBS) and 8 (WIN) at least. There will also be 4 radio programs as well. If you have HD you will also get channels 20, 30 and 80. There is no Southern Cross and Prime in digital as yet.

AlanH

[libby]

Hi,
I live just outside Broadford which is well known for reception problems. At the moment we receive our signal from Bendigo. I want to install a digital set top box and have been told that it is best to get one suitable for this area. Is this true? I bought a cheap set top box and found that it would not work on my television. The external antenna is approximately 8 years old. We have a mountain behind the house which blocks any signal from Melbourne.
Libby

[Yamana]

Hi:
    We live in a hamlet called Ashbourne. 3442. It is on the outer limits of the Mt Alexander transmitter.  I have set up a topfield HD set top box, a Kingroy amplifier and a optimax Hills antenna omx 400. I rewired everything to use quad shield and connectors. I'm getting 99% quality on all channels.
I'm getting solid pictures on SBS, PRIME AND WIN analogue and Digital.  ABC and Ten are giving me readings of 83-87% signal level but the pictures jump, can pixillete and roll. I have tuned the Antenna so that I maximise all signal level strengths. What is left to do? and why is it not right?

Thanks

[alanh]

Yamaha,
If you had looked at the first post and gone to the transmitter list you would find that you only need Band 4+ antenna for digital. The Omnimax 400 is a large antenna and a large portion of it is for channels you do not use.

The transmitters are 45 km away at a bearing of 106 degrees to true north.

Replace your antenna with an antenna described in the Band 4, 5 or wideband UHF link in the "Get the best reception" post. Your transmitter is horizontally polarised and not distant.

If an amplifier is required you need one which is UHF only Masthead Amplifier Survey

AlanH

[mtv]

alanh, on Jan 12 2009, 05:55 PM, said:

If you had looked at the first post and gone to the transmitter list you would find that you only need Band 4+ antenna for digital.

Incorrect.... Mt Alexander digital signals are across bands 4 and 5, with the highest channel being 54 (WIN) so you require a wideband UHF antenna.

alanh, on Jan 12 2009, 05:55 PM, said:

The transmitters are 45 km away at a bearing of 106 degrees to true north.

This is also incorrect... distance is approx correct, however my calculations place the bearing from Ashbourne to Mt Alexander around 345 degrees.

Yamana,

The Hills OMX 400 is designed for use in metropolitan areas and is not suitable for receeption of (some) digital signals from Mt Alexander.

The OMX 400 is designed for UHF channels up to channel 40. Mt Alexander channels are SBS 28, Prime 31, ABC 48, SC10 51, WIN 54. It is also designed to receive band 1 & 2 signals, which is not required for digital channels anywhere in Australia.. basically, it's an antenna designed for analogue reception in metropolitan areas.

A phased array wideband UHF antenna (eg: Fracarro PU4A) is my recommendation.

[alanh]

MTV,
I must be having a bad day. I plotted the path from the opposite end and recalculated the angle incorrectly. It should be 344 degrees to true north. You are also correct about WB UHF, I can't read my own tables!
I am quite happy about a phased array because I couldn't find the centre of the village of Ashbourne. The path is almost unblocked escept for the immediate surrounds.

AlanH

[jrickta]

WazzoTheMartian, on Jan 2 2009, 08:46 PM, said:

I don't know where you got your information for your coverage guide but only ABC and SBS are currently transmitting DTV from Mt Clay, Portland. The others have been making promises for years but so far nothing.

Mt clay have the digital transmitter for WIN installed. It is waiting to be switched on as Mt Clay has to Upgrade it's power to 3 phase first, as it is already near its maximum current loading.
They were awaiting approval from the government, but i understand now that it has been approved.
If you contact Peter from PR ELECTRONICS in Portland, he does maintanence on the mt clay site for broadcast australia, he would have more accurate information regarding what is happening with the site.

Cheers

[Yamana]

alanh, on Jan 12 2009, 07:57 PM, said:

MTV,
I must be having a bad day. I plotted the path from the opposite end and recalculated the angle incorrectly. It should be 344 degrees to true north. You are also correct about WB UHF, I can't read my own tables!
I am quite happy about a phased array because I couldn't find the centre of the village of Ashbourne. The path is almost unblocked escept for the immediate surrounds.

AlanH

Hi Alan and Col:
                        Thank you for your responses. Unfortunately the local TV Antenna person a while back had advised and sold my father the Hills antenna. It was not until I started to search for answers that I have found your forum. Great news though in that I brought the advised Fracarro antenna new off ebay for $70 and installed it today. It works great and has solved our problems. I found that I still needed the booster and then I found that my digital picture rolled over with a thick blackline. I turned off the topfield H.D box antenna boster function that apperently sends a 5v charge to the antenna. That fixed my problem and it is probably worth noting for reference as other may have the same problem.
The set up works great and all channels work excelently. The previous antenna also had a problem with the electric fence, that problem has now also been removed.

Keep up the great work.

Regards
Geoff

[mtv]

Thanks for the update Geoff.... a good outcome.

The 5V out function on some receivers is used for some small amps in Europe.

I've never seen them in Australia..... You are correct, it should always be turned off.

The majority of receivers have it turned off by default.

The electric fence interference is a perfect example of using an antenna that is designed to receive bands 1 & 2.

Happy viewing  

[KAP]

Hi,

Just found this forum. I have recently moved from Metro Melbourne to Mansfield 3722, so as u can imagine the lack of channels and quality hasn't gone down to well.

Does anyone know when digital will be transmitted to this area, apart from ABC and SBS? We have a direct eye site with the PAPS which is the transmitter.

Thanks
Kieren

[alanh]

Kieren,
It will have to have digital by 1 January – 30 June 2011.
If you want to find out when I suggest you contact the Southern Cross, Prime and WIN in Shepparton or Melbourne.

AlanH

[brewster]

jrickta, on Jan 12 2009, 08:40 PM, said:

Mt clay have the digital transmitter for WIN installed. It is waiting to be switched on as Mt Clay has to Upgrade it's power to 3 phase first, as it is already near its maximum current loading.
They were awaiting approval from the government, but i understand now that it has been approved.
If you contact Peter from PR ELECTRONICS in Portland, he does maintanence on the mt clay site for broadcast australia, he would have more accurate information regarding what is happening with the site.

Cheers

Hey there,

I've just done a rescan and picked up Seven, Nine & Ten (plus ABC & SBS which we have had for sometime).
That was yesterday, did another scan tonight and they are still available.

Does anyone know if this is just testing or have we got permanent availability for Portland. Yipeeeee if we have.  

Reception does dropout (scrambled service) fairly frequently but i put that down to my old antenna at this stage.

Can someone else in the MtClay/Portland area test their reception for digital and let us know what their reception is like?

Regards, brewster.
Portland.

[RMBear]

In Bolwarra and reception is sitting around 60-70% but we are in a real blackspot area here anyway. Prior to digital we had to have a booster installed to get anything really, and ven that was dodgy at best. Switching booster off we lose signal, but so far have had very good coverage. Will se how it goes the next couple of days/weeks.

AFAIK this is permanent availability - rec'd an email from someone I know @ Prime a couple of weeks back.

Cheers,

RMB.

Edited by RMBear, 05 February 2009 - 06:34 PM.

[jrickta]

If you contact Peter Richter from PR Electronics, he is the first in maintainer for the mt clay site. He is also my father! He said he comissioned (or Switched the Tx on) Channel Ten Last night or night before cannot remember now. The Digital Transmitters for WIN, TEN and PRIME are operating at a lower output power as mt clay needs to upgrade the electrical power to allow for the extra transmitters. They need 3 phase at the site! This is why Mt Clay haven't had all the digital channels for years as the site overloads now on a hot day when all the air cons switch on!
So to Cater for this they have (FINALLY for Portland Viewers) lowered the power of the analogue Tx's to allow the Digital Tx's to operate, hence drawing less current (or use less electrical power ).

Peter can give you further detail, I think he is going to advertise something in the local paper there shortly.
If you have problems receiving the digital channels, read these forums as plenty of information from the years of knowledge and experienced installers and engineers that post here.

And don't rely on Signal Strength and Quality readings from idtv's and STB's as these are not True Digital Measurements. They vary from each brand and model of IDTV or STB significantly. Measurements need to be made from Professional Field Strength Meters Capable of reading DCP, cBER, pBER and MER! Contact your local antenna installer (like Peter Richter!) as he will be able to advise on what you need in order to receive reliable DVB-T!

EDIT: Signal esp UHF can vary rather significantly from different locations on your roof. Hence Signal can differ from different locations around certain areas, in town and rural. Lots of things come into the equation like multipath reflections, Objects within reception path, Interference from Electrical Appliances and Ignition Sources (Impulse Noise) Insufficient Signal Strength and Losses thru Distribution Systems due to poor cabling and impedence matching, can cause your digital TV reception to Drop out or cutt off completely. So this is why you need to contact a local antenna installer who uses a digital field strength meter to advise you what to do with your system. As people have existing systems 10-15 yrs old (Portland Area) many people need to upgrade their antenna systems as receiving digital tv is entirely different to analogue tv. Hope this helps

Edited by jrickta, 05 February 2009 - 07:27 PM.

[WazzoTheMartian]

At Last!
Finally we have commercial DTV from Mt Clay:
    "Yes he's out! Caught behind!"
I guess they were just waiting for me to get a decent STB. ;-)

Reception is fine here in Portland, we now have Prime, Win and Southern Cross (as well as ABC and SBS) although:
Southern Cross and Win only have pretty landscape demo transmission on their HD channels.
We also have the Western Vic/Ballarat form of these channels and Prime have 3 SD channels (although they are all broadcasting the same stuff).

Thanks Peter!

Edited by WazzoTheMartian, 06 February 2009 - 06:40 PM.

[AlbyZ]

Gents,

   I have now had as close to perfect reception as I could have hoped for, living in Tyaak (3658) and receiving my signal from Bendigo.  This is my setup, in summary consists of a UHF 21-69 Phased Array (Horizontal Polarisation), MHU34F (shielded) Amplifier and a shielded passive splitter, using RG6 and F-Connectors everywhere.

  The problem I am having is that an electric fence unit is causing picture breakup everytime it zaps.  If I turn the unit off, the picture returns to being perfect.  I have already moved the unit 100 meters away, made sure its grounded well (3 x 1 meter earth stakes, 5 meters apart.  On even goes into moist soil where a water trough leaks onto the ground.  I made sure all fence connections are secure (using bolt on connectors) and the fence doesn't short out anywhere.

I have even resorted to using Ferrite cores around the TV/Media Center/Antenna connectors (Not sure how effective they would be since the RG6 quadshield would prevent the RFI from penetrating the shield. so really I would be only effective on the power cables.  The thing is that if I play CD/DVD or Hardrive media, there is no breakup, which is why I suspect the antenna is picking up the signal.

Is there a way to put a filter (I've heard of low pass, etc filters) to help with the situation?  how would I go about measuring where the signal is present (ie/  I have a Oscilloscope, could I measure it with that to give me a meanful answer to gauge what type of filter would be effective?

I have also heard of a product which has its own antenna, picks up the RFI, and injects the opposite signal into the line to remove the RFI spike.  Are these options?

Thanks,

Albert

[alanh]

Albert,
There is 2 possibilities
1. Arcing on the fence itself. Go out at night and look for arcing.
2. Fast voltage rise time. This is controlled by the way the electric fence controller produces the very short high voltage spike. You may need to try a different model and or brand.
I would suggest you put the ferrite cores on the wire coming out of the fence controller to the fence. Do not put it in the earth wire. If there is too much inductance the fence may not be effective as a barrier.

You can't do much more with the antenna system.

AlanH

[Professor Tournesol]

we've bought a house in Eurobin 3739, in the ovens Valley. The local digital transmitters are close by as the crow flies (Mt Porepukah) but obscured by valley hills. Our aerial has been recently installed (looks newish and is a digital aerial) but picks up signals reflected off the cliff face of Mt Buffalo (other side of Ovens Valley). We'll get a local antenna installer to have a look but is this the best we can hope for? We have disrupted reception of SBS and ABC1 & 2, poor WIN and SC and just a pixelated mess of the 3 Prime channels with no sound at all.

[morgz]

Is it possible to get melbourne stations in ballarat? or is it only rare? i live on the outskirts of ballarat 3352 and want melbourne channels

[mtv]

morgz, on Apr 4 2009, 09:55 AM, said:

Is it possible to get melbourne stations in ballarat? or is it only rare? i live on the outskirts of ballarat 3352 and want melbourne channels

There are 60 places with the postcode of 3352, so you need to be specific with your location.

Many areas around Ballarat can receive Melbourne signals, depending on location, antennas, amps etc.

A site test performed by a competent antenna technician with a digital field strength meter/spectrum analyser will be able to determine what the likelihood of success for you will be.

[mtv]

Professor Tournesol, on Apr 3 2009, 02:45 PM, said:

we've bought a house in Eurobin 3739, in the ovens Valley. The local digital transmitters are close by as the crow flies (Mt Porepukah) but obscured by valley hills. Our aerial has been recently installed (looks newish and is a digital aerial) but picks up signals reflected off the cliff face of Mt Buffalo (other side of Ovens Valley). We'll get a local antenna installer to have a look but is this the best we can hope for? We have disrupted reception of SBS and ABC1 & 2, poor WIN and SC and just a pixelated mess of the 3 Prime channels with no sound at all.

Michael,

Your area is quite a mixed bag for reception.

If your local antenna tech has a digital meter/spectrum analyser which displays the reflected signals, that will help greatly to locate the best mounting place for the antenna.