256 replies to this topic

[M'bozo]

BigBadBaz, on Mar 13 2008, 09:22 PM, said:

BTW I am high on hill in West Ulverstone with line of sight to Heazlewoods Hill and get signal from Mount Barrow which is as good as signal from ULV even with antenna pointed at ULV, all levels same from Barrow. (including WIN) Go figure

I figured it when measuring from Upper Maud St today. Should have worked it out before. All channels same level, different cBERs. If your boxes are giving a combined level/quality reading, this is most likely the cause. I'd already alluded to this elsewhere, but forgot what I had posted.

[Jarrod 179]

Been having nothing but problems with my digital reception lately.  I live in Somerset, and previously I have had few problems picking up reception from Mt Barrow (unless the weather is bad   ).  Now, however, I have tried re-tuning my digital receiver, and I have lost most of my channels.  The only channels that I can get reliably are ABC and WIN.  I have lost SCT all together, and TDT only works when it feels like it.  Can anyone recommend who I could contact to come and test my antenna and re-position it if needed?  TV antennas and reception unfortunately aren't my area of expertise.

Thanks, Jarrod.

[M'bozo]

Jarrod,

Send a message to electronicman (who started this topic).

He covers your area & should be able to help out.

Marc.

[dave.b]

Anyone got any fresh rumors about digital in burnie/wynyard ?

[Harry C]

dave.b, on Apr 7 2008, 07:05 PM, said:

Anyone got any fresh rumors about digital in burnie/wynyard ?

Do we really want yet more rumours?  We've been getting that for the last four years.  I thought it would be good to personally get in touch with the management of the TV stations themselves and request a few explanations.  I have managed to do that only a few times (see my previous posts) and last terse reply I got from the general manager of one of the commercial networks was "TRY READING A BOOK"!  

That says it all really.  It tells you what they think of the general public and how much they care about keeping us informed.

For what it's worth, the last thing I heard (from a major Burnie electrical retailer) was something about waiting for another transmission tower to be moved on Round Hill.  It supposedly needs moving a few feet to one side but now there is an issue over a change of ownership of the tower itself.  This will supposedly happen in June/July this year.  Movement of the tower will increase the effectiveness of the transmission by something like 8%, meaning that for the moment, the rest of the 92% have to go without.  Personally, I don't know why they cant at least give the 92% a start on digital transmission now?

I think I'll take the advice of the arrogant manager of the commercial network I mentioned.  I'll go read a book.

regards,

Harry Calderbank

[Electronicman]

Harry - I would also regard the movement of a tower on Round Hill just that - another unfounded Rumor!  

Firstly - there are now only three towers up there after the aggregation of local services some 10 - 15 years ago. There is the Transend/Hydro communications tower and control microwave links (very unlikely to be moved), Telstra tower with communications and TV Broadcasting services (another very unlikely tower to be moved) and the council owned tower with all other local communication services (taxi's, ambulance, N W repeater Assoc, local two-way's etc) and the latest to be erected at great costs to the municipality (so another highly unlikely tower to be moved!)

Secondly - the costs associated with moving any of these towers would be astronomical to say the least! Then there is the logistics of moving all of the services on any one of these towers, a nightmare even contemplating it.

All this for a mere 8% improvement of effectiveness - I REALLY don't think so!

The whole fiasco is, as you are now aware, just pure slackness on the part of the Broadcasters! The two broadcasters (they own the three stations) don't give a damn when they start in this part of the state, as they now cover more than 90% of the state's population and persist on feeding the few thousand of the remaining people just pure utter CRAP! These broadcasters should bear the full wrath of the ACMA if they had the guts!  

[lizclinton]

This one has to go straight to the "Pool room" what are they smoking at Win & Southern X? As I understand it the problem has more to do with getting a feed to Roundhill and nothing to do with moving the towers around. I guess they are waiting for Optus to get a DVN link up to the hill. Though if they do decide to move the towers about  let me know because it would be worth the three hour drive up just to watch

[HillsTas]

Moving the tower....what a load of bollocks!!!

I rang the ACMA the other day and they rang the commercial channels to get a date of testing for Round hill and they said testing will "most likely" begin in June/July when the licences are granted by ACMA. I have been keeping my customers informed of the goings on and they oo are sick of "rumours" so now I tell them nothing, mainly because if what is promised does not happen, I am the one who looks silly.

Saying that, I can guarantee to you all that all channels will be broadcast from Round Hill before the next elections!!!! (Just dont quote me on it     )

[Rogan1980]

Someone at work mentioned that it was in the paper that they were going to be broadcasting from table cape... so I dutifully logged on here and there's no mention of it... did the bloke imagine it? I thought Round hill had to be up and going cause TC is basically reflecting it or am I confused?

[Electronicman]

It just goes to show Rogan1980 that you can not believe everything you read in the paper. Your workmate was correct - the Advocate did report that DTV was being broadcast along the coast from Devonport, Wynyard and Penguin but the Wynyard entry was a typo - it should have read Ulverstone! (But for a quick moment I also had my hopes up when I read it!)

You are also correct with part two of your post - Round Hill has to go first, cause Table Cape will get its feed from Round Hill, not reflect it as you put it!  

The paper should have printed a retraction/errata for that piece as I reckon that I have had 100's of people either ring me or stop me in the street asking me if it was true if Digital/TDT was now coming from the Cape and after answering "no" I was then hit with with the question - "Do you know when it will?" and I give the same answer as Hills Antennas and McBozzo - it'll happen when it happens so don't hold your breath  

And as I said in the earlier post - the commercial broadcasters do give a flying @#$% about this part of Tassie - they have already covered 90 - 95% of this state's population, so why worry about the 45,000 viewers from Burnie and westward!

[HillsTas]

Electronicman, on Apr 25 2008, 01:37 AM, said:

And as I said in the earlier post - the commercial broadcasters do give a flying @#$% about this part of Tassie - they have already covered 90 - 95% of this state's population, so why worry about the 45,000 viewers from Burnie and westward!

An Interesting Factoid I was told a while back. When the government committedt to providing 90 - 95% of the population with full DTV, the actually counted the population of Launceston twice as they have Juliana St and Mt Barrow servicing Launceston, ditto with Mt Wellington and Government Hill and White Rock. So technically speaking, the percentage of people in TAS who have DTV is probably FAR LOWER than 90%. This is just heresay though, we have never seen and probably will never see the real figures.

[lizclinton]

Hills Antennas, on Apr 28 2008, 09:07 AM, said:

An Interesting Factoid I was told a while back. When the government committedt to providing 90 - 95% of the population with full DTV, the actually counted the population of Launceston twice as they have Juliana St and Mt Barrow servicing Launceston, ditto with Mt Wellington and Government Hill and White Rock. So technically speaking, the percentage of people in TAS who have DTV is probably FAR LOWER than 90%. This is just heresay though, we have never seen and probably will never see the real figures.

I guess thats what you would call a "head count"

[Electronicman]

Hills Antennas, on Apr 28 2008, 09:07 AM, said:

An Interesting Factoid I was told a while back. When the government committedt to providing 90 - 95% of the population with full DTV, the actually counted the population of Launceston twice as they have Juliana St and Mt Barrow servicing Launceston, ditto with Mt Wellington and Government Hill and White Rock. So technically speaking, the percentage of people in TAS who have DTV is probably FAR LOWER than 90%. This is just heresay though, we have never seen and probably will never see the real figures.

It wouldn't be lower. If these were counted twice, Tassie's population would total 850k (assuming 170k for Launie and 180k for Hobart!). Those who don't have DTV would be 45000, which was an over estimate. more likely 20k for Burnie, 12k for Waratah/Wynyard, 5k for Circular head and 3k for the West Coast and without factoring in the Bass Strait Islands (40k/490k total population) and excluding this above anomaly, it would make it currently 92% coverage. Add the above double counts and that would make 98% coverage .........................


We're not likely to get DTV in this part of the state any time soon!


...................(oh how I'd love to be proved totally wrong! )

Edited by Electronicman, 28 April 2008 - 09:53 PM.

[lizclinton]

Electronicman, on Apr 28 2008, 09:52 PM, said:

It wouldn't be lower. If these were counted twice, Tassie's population would total 850k (assuming 170k for Launie and 180k for Hobart!).

Just to set the record straight if you doubled Hobarts population you would end up with nearly 400k (195800 at 1996 census) about double that of Launceston.

Edited by lizclinton, 30 April 2008 - 09:53 AM.

[Electronicman]

lizclinton, on Apr 30 2008, 09:45 AM, said:

Just to set the record straight if you doubled Hobarts population you would end up with nearly 400k (195800 at 1996 census) about double that of Launceston.

C'mon Clinton ........ stop adding more population down South! At this rate they'll be removing the DTV from this area and there will still be over 95% population coverage!!!!!   

[lizclinton]

Electronicman, on Apr 30 2008, 11:40 AM, said:

C'mon Clinton ........ stop adding more population down South! At this rate they'll be removing the DTV from this area and there will still be over 95% population coverage!!!!!   

Cant let you Northerners start fudging the figures. You will have all the money spent up there then.

[Electronicman]

..............And anyhow, how come they gave you a permit to pass and live beyond the Oatland gates?????

Being an ex coaster you should be happy if we fudge the figures.............

[Electronicman]

And getting back on topic.............

I was told by a customer yesterday (who works at the Waratah/Wynyard municipal offices) that the final application for broadcasting permits(?) from the commercial broadcasters were submitted about two months ago to the council   ........... so we COULD be on track for a June/July start to this area   {for what that's worth!}

[lizclinton]

Electronicman, on May 1 2008, 01:58 PM, said:

..............And anyhow, how come they gave you a permit to pass and live beyond the Oatland gates?????

Being an ex coaster you should be happy if we fudge the figures.............

argh my little secret is out   I gave my northern citizenship up nearly ten years ago now. Wow how time flies eh.

[M'bozo]

WIN Ulverstone (Heazlewoods Hill) is breaking up badly. Was doing it 4 weeks ago before I had another long service leave break. Thought it might be fixed when I returned.

Rang WIN today and was informed they had had 3 complaints, 1 yesterday, 2 today.

Wonder if they read this forum in Woollongong?

Obviously explains the slow rollout in the NW, no one's interested.

Or they just don't care

[BigBadBaz]

M'bozo, on May 1 2008, 09:18 PM, said:

WIN Ulverstone (Heazlewoods Hill) is breaking up badly. Was doing it 4 weeks ago before I had another long service leave break. Thought it might be fixed when I returned.

Rang WIN today and was informed they had had 3 complaints, 1 yesterday, 2 today.

Wonder if they read this forum in Woollongong?

Obviously explains the slow rollout in the NW, no one's interested.

Or they just don't care

WIN Ulverstone has not been right since startup, see my previous posts in this thread. Has never improved.

[M'bozo]

Well perhaps if someone was told about it the issue would be resolved.

Seems to be OK today

[Nicko180178]

I can't seem to start my own topic so i thought i'd ask a question here... Is digital able to be picked up in the Smithton area yet? My parents live there and i'd like to buy them a set top box but i don't know if it will be a waste of time...

[Electronicman]

Nicko180178, on May 11 2008, 09:26 AM, said:

I can't seem to start my own topic so i thought i'd ask a question here... Is digital able to be picked up in the Smithton area yet? My parents live there and i'd like to buy them a set top box but i don't know if it will be a waste of time...

Nicko - Unless your parents are avid ABC and/or SBS viewers, I would not bother.  ABC and SBS are being transmitted in the Smithton area but none of the commercial channels are as yet.  No one knows when this is likely to commence, so don't even ask the question.  

Burnie/Wynyard's initial start-up date was supposed to be August '05 and as yet there is still no confirmed start-up date.  Circular Head's initial start-up was supposed to be December '07, so who knows when it'll start there - it wouldn't surprise me if it was 2012/2015????  

Having said that - some parts of Stanley are able to receive from Mt Barrow!


The reason you cannot start your own topic is explained here Read this post

I hope this helps you decide  

Edited by Electronicman, 11 May 2008 - 07:40 PM.

[M'bozo]

I'll add to that: I have picked up Mt Barrow digital signals at the comms site located at Carnac Court in Smithton when there on an unrelated matter some 3 years ago.

It is all a matter of height. At that distance, the signals would be subject to reception difficulties caused by the propogation of unwanted transmissions from the mainland at various times of the year