tamago_otoko Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Hey kids, Have a bit of an issue which made me think I should blow the dust off this old account and ask you seasoned experts. I now live in Brisbane and have recently moved into a townhouse in Indooroopilly, not far from the shopping centre. I've started noticing some reception issues, mostly at night and/or during wet weather which prevents me receiving Seven, Nine or SBS and their various subchannels (VHF 6,7&8 - others seem fine). A brief background: the house was constructed around the turn of the (21st) century, and it has a VHF/UHF combo antenna that was common of the era. Yes I know it picks up bands 1&2 when it shouldn't, but given my location it really shouldn't matter. Mt Coot-tha belts in on any other device receiving any other signal from there (pretty common for this side of town). Worth noting is that a previous owner had a Foxtel dish installed - I wonder if that has meant the antenna or distribution has been mucked with? Any tips (except the obvious rattling off of facts that anyone who looked at myswitch or knows a tv antenna could determine) would be greatly appreciated. I may end up needing someone with the right knowledge and gear to come out and have a look at the setup. Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanh Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 The first question is; Is the antenna feeding the other townhouses as well so is there a distribution amplifier in the roof space? The band 1 reception may be picking up interference from the shopping centre. Is there any corrosion on the antenna. Is the shopping centre building between your antenna and Mt Cooth-tha? By the end of the year there will be no community TV leaving all reception in Band 3 ie channels 6 - 12 so an antenna for just those channels will be much more sensitive than the type you use now. The antenna installer must have a digital field strength meter to measure your signals. Alanh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamago_otoko Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 The townhouses all have individual TV antennas (all of a similar build to mine), so my antenna serves only the two internal points within our house (living room and bedroom). No amplifier seems to be connected, which is good as you'd be daft to run an amp when you're this close to the TX. The shopping centre is at 90 degrees to the antenna direction and a good couple of hundred metres away, so I'd suggest interference is not likely the main issue Interestingly, I did some experimenting myself today and found that the signal from the bedroom plug is far better than the living room plug, which is the one where my reported issues are. In the bedroom the signal seems perfect, I even got a lock on a couple of Gold Coast (Mt Tamborine) UHF stations off the back of the antenna with the TV plugged in there. I also plugged the portable radio in to test the FM signals as well and found the same thing - the bedroom plug gets Gold Coast and Sunny Coast FM stations clearly (even with RDS), but I can barely hear them using the living room plug. This would suggest that my problems are likely to with the distribution of the signal internally within the house, right? If so, I might need the services of someone more qualified to have a look at the cabling etc. Does anyone here service my part of town? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanh Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 Before you spend money, it may be that your receiver is overloaded. Go to an electronics store and buy an attenuator and plug it between the wall socket in the living room. Some retailers have generous returns policies. Alanh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLXXX Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 (edited) Interestingly, I did some experimenting myself today and found that the signal from the bedroom plug is far better than the living room plug, which is the one where my reported issues are. In the bedroom the signal seems perfect, I even got a lock on a couple of Gold Coast (Mt Tamborine) UHF stations off the back of the antenna with the TV plugged in there. I also plugged the portable radio in to test the FM signals as well and found the same thing - the bedroom plug gets Gold Coast and Sunny Coast FM stations clearly (even with RDS), but I can barely hear them using the living room plug. This would suggest that my problems are likely to with the distribution of the signal internally within the house, right? Yes, I would think that likely. Before you spend money, it may be that your receiver is overloaded. Go to an electronics store and buy an attenuator and plug it between the wall socket in the living room. Some retailers have generous returns policies. Alanh, is your suggestion a good fit for the facts as supplied by tamago_otoko? Which receiver are you referring to: the TV set or the FM radio? Why would both of these rather different receivers provide good results when connected to the bedroom socket, and not when connected to the living room socket? Edited January 14, 2015 by MLXXX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazzy2Heads Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 hi tamago If there are no issues at the other tv outlet and you say the reception is better at that one it would seem the antenna is ok. I would check the flylead and walloutlet . Take the wallplate off the wall and check the cable connection behind for loose or corroded connections or shielding strands shorting the connection if it is an old saddle and clamp type.Also try the flylead from the good tv room or a new one, a lot of signal grief is caused by poor quality and/or excessivley? long flyleads. The man with the Digital meter will be able to see quickly whats going on and terminate your cables with "F" connectors etc if they are not already. cheers and happy new year Tazzy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamago_otoko Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Hey team, Just thought I might update you on my issues. I did seek professional help (no not that kind) from Antenna Fella in Kenmore, who was kind enough to visit on a Saturday to accommodate my schedule. He checked the wall plates etc, but it turns out it was a corroded splitter in the roof giving us grief. So while we were getting ~70dB signal strength (can't remember the quality measurements) in the bedroom, we were only getting 30-35dB in the living room, which was causing our issues. So, a $10 part (with F-connectors rather than the old saddle and screw rubbish) and 20 minutes of investigating/fixing later, and we have had perfect reception since. No need for any additional in-line appliances or new antennas, the old combo one does just fine Anyway, just thought I'd provide a follow-up on my story - proves the importance of all components of the signal distribution system working well. Thanks for all the assistance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLXXX Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Tamago, thanks for the update. Glad things worked out well for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLXXX Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 It's been a while since I watched FTA news. I caught some of the 7 news bulletin tonight first on Foxtel where it was very poor and next when I switched to FTA here in Brisbane where it was still poor. For those who monitor such matters, has there been a drop in the bitrate for the "main" 7 SD channel? I saw very prominent encoding artefacts, suggesting bitrate starvation, worse than I recall from say a year ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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