and Bendigo.
@BendigoTV Do you think they might remove the old channel 1 array from the BA tower. It must add a fair bit of unnecessary weight and wind loading.
Also, where are the commercial FM stations now broadcasting from? I gather they used to be on the BCV tower, but as theyâre back to full power, I wonder if theyâre now sharing with the SBS and ABC FM array on the BA tower.
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No idea if theyâll bother removing the old ABEV-1 array.
The commercial FM stations have always broadcast from the BA tower. Just at half the ERP as the ABC radio stations on the same array.
News Radio 89.5 is broadcast at lower power on the BA mast on a separate array.
The BCV tower does/did have some microwave relay and two-way comms off it.
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The BCV tower was the one which I was referring to in terms of it most likely getting torn down
or down, depends on a a few factors but easier since itâs broadcast and not two way. That said donât be surprised if it gets a slight power reduction to offset any potential bleed into Melbourne considering the BA tower is higher.
You usually propagate better the lower you go until around Channel 0 (which is 40MHz iirc), below that youâre in HF territory and thatâs completely different, however modulation also changes things slightly.
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They used to have a TV tower on Mt Macedon which was used as a link to get programs live from Melbourne to Bendigo If the tower is 50m higher the signal could get down to as far as Gisborne.
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CW8PX UHF Waveguide Bal Combiners.pdf (172.9 KB)
For anyone that might be interested, above is the spec sheet for the UHF combiners that are used on most high power UHF TV stations including probably Mt Alexander(I have never been there myself) The RFS combiners use waveguide launchers at the tops of the round filter cavities in the photo where each Tx connects using rigid coax line. The round filters sit on top of a waveguide section which is down at the base of the frame and that then runs to a vertical waveguide section which has a 3dB waveguide cross coupler at the top that splits the RF for a upper and lower stack TV antenna. You can see in the photo where the antenna stack feeders connect to the 3dB splitter.
Most sites have a bit of down tilt on the RF pattern and this is achieved by having a sightly different length of feeder to the stacks and usually there is a U link of rigid feeder in the Tx hall where this is adjusted in one feeder.
A dog of a thing to install - comes in bits, weighs a ton and once you get it bolted together you have to sweep every port with a Network Analyser to make sure itâs still in spec. I only ever did one and never want to see one again.
My thoughts are with the BAI crew if they have to install a new one at MT Alexander one day.
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I have seen the original UHF combiner at the BA site in the early 1990s - it wasnât like the one youâve mentioned. My vague memory is of a large horizontal Y-shaped copper waveguide combiner about the size of a car.
Lots of changes at the site since Digital TV started.
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I have only seen those post-aggregation analog UHF combiners in photos - the Y waveguide is usually a 3dB cross coupler so perhaps they were a UHF version of the Commutating FM filter combiners that are common on high power FM sites.
One thing I never saw in my travels was a VHF high power TV combiner - back pre-aggregation, typically you had one station on Band1 into its own antenna and another on Band3 into a dedicated antenna - where there was another Band3 station it was usually on a seperate tower/antenna.
Capital city DTV would now need VHF combiners where all the services are on Band3.
Unfortunately the next big TV project is more likely to be stripping it all out and selling it to Simsmetal than DVB-T2.
Personally I doubt the Commercial site at Mt Alexander will ever be rebuilt
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Just wondering what channels and regional channels actually do proper 5.1 surround on air in 2026
Seems to be very far and between in Tasmania at least from regional broadcasters.
In Tasmania
7Hd carries Dolby digital but never seen it above 2.0
Win nine channels donât think ive seen above 2.0 Dolby digital
ABC channels all seem to be aac/mpeg 2.0
SBS channels seem to be aac/mpeg 2.0
TDT 10 HD seems to be in fake 5.1 Dolby for all content including TVC
Just wondering if this is the same in non regional areas?
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On Friday February 27th 2026 there will be a further changes in Melbourne.
The changes are as follows:
Channel 7 will become HD in MPEG4
Channel 71 will become HD in MPEG4
https://transmission.seven.com.au/hc/en-au/articles/41568650915725-Melbourne-Broadcast-Changes
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At least now Seven in all metropolitan areas will be in MPEG4 now. 
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Hooray! Well done Seven Melbourne. Now if only we can get Nine to follow suit. And especially get rid of those terrible quality MPEG2 duplicate channels.
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Took long enough. Still donât know why they did 7twoHD first.
Probably because 7two skews older so is most likely to have viewers with older equipment which might not be MPEG4 compatible, combined with a demographic which is more likely to ring the station to complain. Itâs also a relatively small portion of Sevenâs overall audience.
So it was a good way to get a real-world sense of how many viewers would be impacted by a complete changeover to MPEG4 while only potentially affecting a small portion of the viewers.
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Thank God. Now can 9 pleaseee follow suit? Their HD channels are hamstrung by SD streams.
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And can the ABC and SBS get rid of the main channel SD duplicates too? Then ABC should be able to convert LCN22 to HD and be fully HD with no SD streams at all.
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I have gone to many older relatives places who are watching the SD version of ABC TV - they grew up with âChannel 2â on analog and are used to using that channel. They get annoyed when I flick it onto channel 20 especially during Antiques Roadshow!
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Agree, I think the ABC and SBS will be the last to go full MPEG 4 / HD as their audience demos are the ones most likely to have older MPEG 2 only equipment. And probably have little appreciation or care for the quality that HD brings.
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Well at least my Panasonic DMR-EX77 DVD recorder still has something it can record off the airâŚ. Now down to ABC, ABC Kids, SBS and NITV.
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oh my TV i can swap LCNs around so â2â points to the HD channel (20)
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