so what does the MUX for the Gold Coast look like then?
All the SEQ relays of 10 have an identical mux.
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The on-screen graphics for Spree 15 has now become Spree 17 this morning.
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Just buying a digital tv set-top box. Cheapest plus our old Tube Telly is still, Tubed.
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This is because the company RBA Holdings Pty Ltd (RBAH) that has been caring for, at its own expense, necessary equipment for their transmission says it can no longer afford the maintenance.
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As the ABC points out, they can go onto VAST. That appears the logical next step for these areas.
The regional networks do not generate enough revenue for the capital investment required for only a few hundred people.
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RBAH can eat a big bag of male appendages.
They want reform? They can do a little something in return. Poor diddums if they have to look after public broadcasting equipment. Otherwise, they can all rack off.
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Some can go on to VAST, but this is a bigger issue than it might seem.
What they are talking about are all the smaller infill sites, of which there are probably hundreds of across the country. Yes some may only serve a few hundred people, but it all adds up in viewers.
Across the greater Newcastle/Hunter area, there are 6-7 of these sites (one local to me that I watch), that aggregated together would serve probably in-excess of 10,000 viewers, so you’re going to have a lot of pissed off viewers who can’t get VAST, because they have good reception & have a locally served TX site just that ABC/SBS don’t want to pay to operate.
I can’t blame the Regional Commercial Networks for this, the ABC & SBS have been getting a free ride on these TX sites for years, & the Regional Commercial Networks can’t afford to prop them up & neither should they.
The ABC/SBS have to pay for their own TX’s at the larger translator sites regionally & in metro land where the Nationals don’t pay for their own TX’s at Translator/Infill sites, TX Australia owns all the equipment & holds the ABC/SBS licences, so this area will be the next one to go down this path.
In Sydney TXA owns & operates ABC/SBS services at Kurrajong, Razorback, Vault Hill/Picton & Woronora.
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I wonder if this will affect other parts of the country like here in the Riverland
According to ACMA’s Register of Radiocommunications Licences on RBA Holdings (click on ‘Site Location Map for this Client’ to see a map of RBA Holdings sites), it would only affect the Morgan translator site in your part of the world.
In & around Canberra, there are several TV translators that are owned by RBA Holdings, such as Bungendore & Gunning, who feed its signals off-air from Black Mountain, whilst its Conder translator feed its signals off-air from Tuggeranong Hill. The Captains Flat translator, whilst not owned by RBA, would be affected as well, as its signals are fed off-air from the Bungendore translator.
In that part of the world, the ABC has its own ACT feed, which is not available on VAST, so the only other option to watch it if it’s no longer retransmitted on those sites is via iview, provided they have a good internet connection.
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Why should they shoulder the cost of operating a service for someone who is disinterested in providing assistance in doing so?
I think Morgan is just a relay of the Loxton transmitter. They might have to go back to receiving transmissions from Adelaide as the tall backyard towers are prolific in that town
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For the Morgan translator, the commercial channels’ retransmissions are handled by WIN, whilst ABC & SBS are handled by RBA.
Source: https://web.acma.gov.au/rrl//site_search.site_lookup?pSITE_ID=403817
On the article that I’ve linked above, the Bermagui translator is fed off-air from the Mt Mumbulla transmitter, which includes ABC & SBS.
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I doubt they could get Adelaide reliably though. Maybe about 50% of the time.
Somewhat reliable coverage in that direction seems to stop around Brookfield.
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True. The coverage zone for the Adelaide transmitter barely reaches Morgan, looks to be fairly scattered
… this is fairly typical of the ABC these days … just worry about Ultimo and the rest of the country can go **** itself …
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Is that just a campaign to get ppl to go VAST or sattelite?
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I’ve heard that apparently Optus have successfully tried local insertions, at least for ads, on VAST (no idea how they did it). Maybe they could do that for local content too.
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Optus was trialling the idea during VAST’s inception. I believe the current selection of certified set-top boxes in the market would be incompatible.
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On the topic of ABC transmission and wasting money, tomorrow I’ll be in a town that only broadcasts ABC on terrestrial. Every household got a VAST box in 2012 to get SBS, GWN7, WIN and WDT in digital, yet ABC still insists on broadcasting terrestrial. What a waste!
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