Dtv For The Rest Of The N W Coast

[manmantis]

manmantis......

Go to the link in my earlier post and just post randomly to get your number of posts up! Then you'll become a full member and be able to do all these things on the forum. It is a security feature to stop the forum being bombarded with cranks and posting crap on the boards! No one is likely to read thru this, it just helps you out!

Now you should be quite ok up where you are (theoretically), but it also depends on the quality of your wiring/antenna/number of outlets etc. Not all installations can just be "swung around and all will be good"..........

Well, it seems things improve for no reason sometimes...!

For no reason that I can put my finger on, my reception suddenly improved last night. All channels getting through loud & clear from RH....with the strange exception of Southern Cross which breaks up or doesn't come through at all. Can't figure that bit out! There are a few video glitches here & there in WIN HD & ABC HD, but nothing to get me annoyed (as there is no specific HD content to watch as far as I can figure - except some scenery).

I still think my antenna is not up to the job, so might still have top take you up on your offer Electronicman!

[Electronicman]

Well, it seems things improve for no reason sometimes...!

For no reason that I can put my finger on, my reception suddenly improved last night. All channels getting through loud & clear from RH....with the strange exception of Southern Cross which breaks up or doesn't come through at all. Can't figure that bit out! There are a few video glitches here & there in WIN HD & ABC HD, but nothing to get me annoyed (as there is no specific HD content to watch as far as I can figure - except some scenery).

I still think my antenna is not up to the job, so might still have top take you up on your offer Electronicman!

The beauty of doing a site survey is that you know what levels and how many errors a being picked up by your antenna system. Its a pity now signals are better as we now don't have anything to refer back to. I will get there next week as discussed and I will check out your antenna. I have your number and I will give you a call

Regards

[emiller12]

Hey Electronicman, you seem to be fairly experienced with Digital TV in our area. And i was wondering if you have had any experience with digitial signals in the Boat Harbour area?

We have been getting ABC and SBS services, (Persumally from Table Cape) for a while now, but I was wondering if we should be able to pick up the rest of the channels from Round Hill now, or if we will have to wait untill TC starts transmitting WIN and SC and the rest of them.

I have had a bit of a play with moving my antena around a bit to what i thought was the general direction of burnie, but that didnt achieve anything.

What are your thoughts?

Regards,

emiller

[bundy23]

So here's an update on my situation.

I'm in Bay Street, swung aerial around toward round hill, received SCN, TEN & WIN but SCN & TEN were mostly choppy and unwatchable. I'm still able to get ABC and SBS from Table Cape.

As analogue TV was now unwatchable I plugged my aerial straight into my TV (previously routed through my DVD recorder) and all of a sudden my Panasonic Plasma's inbuilt HDTV improved greatly. TEN was still a little choppy at times but SCN was almost always fine.

Picked up a cheap Topfield 5000 PVR from eBay and gave that a go. Sadly the tuner wasn't quite as good as the TVs and quality wasn't perfect.

So then I took advice from another forum and decided to grab an amplifier (http://tinyurl.com/6nsrec) off eBay and use it against it's intended purpose and it's improved the signal to the point where I haven't noticed a single drop out as yet. There's still the occasional pixelation on TEN but for the most part it's perfectly watchable. AND now i'm even picking up TEN from Mt. Barrrow as well.

Anyway, if you're in this part of burnie, you're only renting and you've got $40 to waste i recommend you give it a go...

here's the improvements the amplifier has made:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/bundy...provement-1.jpg

I'm sure if i'd paid someone to come in and do it for me it would be much better but for my situation it's turned out to be a happy workround.

Anyone heard any news on Table Cape?

[ando9185]

Aargh! How do I live without TV? Just moved back to the coast from Slowbart and the TV doesn't work! In Devonport down near Coles Beach and there's an aerial on the roof. Which I believe is facing Mt Barrow, it was 6pm and near darkness when we got here last night and with the weather today I haven't had a chance to go outside again. There are two outlets in the unit, one in the lounge and one in the sunroom and both aren't working and an indoor aerial isn't getting me much either (an extremely bad TNT9 is all I could get). I've tried digital with the toppy and analogue with the TV and can't get either!

Will have to talk to the landlord and see how she had her tv I guess, it could be worse though, at least I have my mac and internet going! Now back to the unpacking!

[I am not a duck]

Which house mate? (or at least a rough address)

I may know its history

Then again, the plug-pak for the masthead, if it has one, may be all that's needed.

Edited September 1, 2008 by M'bozo

[ando9185]

West Eugene Street, been playing a little more as I find more cables in boxes, I've got SC digital with an amplifier plugged into an amplifier but nothing else! Looks like we'll be heading to the folks place to watch telly for a while!

[ando9185]

Good diagnosis Marc, just tried a plug pack and what a surprise, all 5 broadcasts in all their digital glory! Now to return dad's plug pack and get my own. Thanks mate.

[I am not a duck]

All is good then, guessing it's first unit of the first group and lessor's initials are MD.

Reception is from Mt Barrow, passable analogue, OK digital area.

Needs to be a PSK08, 17.5vac or equivalent, if I've got the right unit

Edited September 1, 2008 by M'bozo

[Electronicman]

Hey Electronicman, you seem to be fairly experienced with Digital TV in our area. And i was wondering if you have had any experience with digitial signals in the Boat Harbour area?

We have been getting ABC and SBS services, (Persumally from Table Cape) for a while now, but I was wondering if we should be able to pick up the rest of the channels from Round Hill now, or if we will have to wait untill TC starts transmitting WIN and SC and the rest of them.

I have had a bit of a play with moving my antena around a bit to what i thought was the general direction of burnie, but that didnt achieve anything.

What are your thoughts?

Regards,

emiller

Hi emiller

Sorry for the delay in reply - been a bit out of touch for the past couple of weeks.

You say Boat Harbour area - where exactly? Boat Harbour Beach or up on the Highway? If you are on the beach - you have no hope until Table Cape starts up. If you're on the highway, most houses between Killynought and the beach turnoff should be able to receive Round Hill.

If you like to PM me (when you get 5 posts up here, I can come and do a site survey and better inform you. You need five posts to enable you to fully utilise the forum and they can be made at the above forum, just follow the instructions at the start of the thread.

And manmantis - I am sure your problems lay with the Media PC set-up. At the flylead that feeds your Media PC, my meter shows that you have very adequate digital signal and a very minimal BER measurement. And this measurement is after all of the loses in the splitter and cable! I did set up a set top box on your antenna and it did not miss a beat for ALL Burnie channels. Hopefully with the settings that I left with your wife were of assistance in setting up the media centre PC - something of which I have very limited experience with. And I am still organising your cat 5 cabling quote!

bundy23 - I do stock those boosters and sell for a comparable price and you wouldn't had the wait or uncertainty of buying off the 'net, they're ideal when you need that little bit extra! But you would've had fun learning about digital TV I guess!

Edited September 9, 2008 by Electronicman

[emiller12]

Hi emiller

Sorry for the delay in reply - been a bit out of touch for the past couple of weeks.

You say Boat Harbour area - where exactly? Boat Harbour Beach or up on the Highway? If you are on the beach - you have no hope until Table Cape starts up. If you're on the highway, most houses between Killynought and the beach turnoff should be able to receive Round Hill.

If you like to PM me (when you get 5 posts up here, I can come and do a site survey and better inform you. You need five posts to enable you to fully utilise the forum and they can be made at the above forum, just follow the instructions at the start of the thread.

And manmantis - I am sure your problems lay with the Media PC set-up. At the flylead that feeds your Media PC, my meter shows that you have very adequate digital signal and a very minimal BER measurement. And this measurement is after all of the loses in the splitter and cable! I did set up a set top box on your antenna and it did not miss a beat for ALL Burnie channels. Hopefully with the settings that I left with your wife were of assistance in setting up the media centre PC - something of which I have very limited experience with. And I am still organising your cat 5 cabling quote!

bundy23 - I do stock those boosters and sell for a comparable price and you wouldn't had the wait or uncertainty of buying off the 'net, they're ideal when you need that little bit extra! But you would've had fun learning about digital TV I guess!

Thanks for the reply, i have sent you a PM to set up a site survey.

[Electronicman]

Thanks for the reply, i have sent you a PM to set up a site survey.

I have done digital reception from Mt Barrow on that road - was a brilliant signal at this particular house so I anticipate no problems at your place.

I have sent you a PM with further details.

Talk with you soon.

Cheers

[m_7581]

Could anyone shed some light into when the Table Cape transmitter will be up and running (Is in this century out of the question ).

Reason I'm asking for those in the know, is I've just moved into a house in Richardson Cres in Burnie - pretty much on the top side of the hill, north side of Tracey St. There's certainly no direct line of sight to Round Hill, but then again I could pick it up from my previous address in East Ridgley. Is it just a matter of turning the antenna around? Will my existing antenna be sufficient?

Cheers!

[BigE72]

Could anyone shed some light into when the Table Cape transmitter will be up and running (Is in this century out of the question ).

Reason I'm asking for those in the know, is I've just moved into a house in Richardson Cres in Burnie - pretty much on the top side of the hill, north side of Tracey St. There's certainly no direct line of sight to Round Hill, but then again I could pick it up from my previous address in East Ridgley. Is it just a matter of turning the antenna around? Will my existing antenna be sufficient?

Cheers!

The Commercial stations won't commit to any delivery time for digital on Table Cape, but it isn't expected til next year. I'm just around the corner in Grandview, but have line of sight to Round Hill, and can pick up on rabbit ears most of the time. So a bit of play with your antenna may be all you need.

[BigE72]

Also, for those more technically minded, I've been talking to a bloke at Wynyard who says his reception drops out in bad weather. I would've thought the reception would be better, or is digital different to the old analogue signal where better weather meant more interference from other signals?

[m_7581]

Okay, I finally got a reply, via email, from the ACMA.

"The commercial broadcasters have advised ACMA that at this stage they expect to implement the digital television service at Table Cape around June 2009"

If all the infrastructure is in place on TC as people say, then surely its not a funding issue?

[I am not a duck]

"The commercial broadcasters have advised ACMA that at this stage they expect to implement the digital television service at Table Cape around June 2009"

I wouldn't get too excited - since the latest pronouncement from the government is Tasmania will switch analogue off sometime between 1 January - 30 June 2013.

What incentive exists for it to happen earlier, I ask myself quietly.

[manmantis]

Not sure if anyone's still watching this thread...but just on the off chance!

I've been getting all the free-to-air dtv channels from Round Hill since last year. 2-3 days ago TDT vanished & despite rescans hasn't reappeared. I thought it was my equipment, but 2 other mates have now reported the same problem.

Any ideas out there as to what has happened?

Cheers!

[lizclinton]

See the "TDT Round Hill AWOL" thread.

[dave.b]

Will i ever get all the digital channels here in Somerset.

so pissed of that its taking so long.

[ianh1503559812]

Hi

Anybody on the NW coast having trouble receiving Ten from Mt Barrow.

Mine was OK till a few weeks ago now breaks up, other channels OK.

Ian

[Berocca]

Has anyone heard any updates / rumours regarding the commercial broadcasters starting transmissions from Tablecape?

Okay, I finally got a reply, via email, from the ACMA.

"The commercial broadcasters have advised ACMA that at this stage they expect to implement the digital television service at Table Cape around June 2009"

If all the infrastructure is in place on TC as people say, then surely its not a funding issue?

[Alista]

Has anyone heard any updates / rumours regarding the commercial broadcasters starting transmissions from Tablecape?

Check the TDT Round Hill Awol thread there's a bit about it on there latest comments today.

[ckent]

What's the situation on the west coast currently? I saw the Burnie Advocate just said nobody can get SBS in Strahan and Zeehan ... is that analogue AND digital??

CK.

[Alista]

What's the situation on the west coast currently? I saw the Burnie Advocate just said nobody can get SBS in Strahan and Zeehan ... is that analogue AND digital??

CK.

Yeah analog and digital but SBS are going to be testing the Queenstown/Zeehan service in December but don't hold your breath! There is other ways around the problem like you can get FTA of ABC and SBS on Optus D1 un-encripted for 5 different time zones so you don't need a smart card to get it. There is also Optus Aurora on C1 but that is encripted so you need a smart card from Optus but it only offeres ABC1 and SBS ONE so the D1 is a better choice as it offers all digital multi channels and it's not scrambled. Also SBS is available on Austar aswell.

EDIT: There are also a lot of other regional areas around tasmania that SBS doesn't have transmitters and there are a lot of councils with self-help stations to re-broadcast which is a shame that SBS didn't deliver services to smaller towns when other stations did.

Edited July 9, 2009 by Alista