I stayed in a hotel overnight in Mt Gambier in August 2013 and it received the Victorian stations and just the local WIN.
2 Likes
7 Adelaide tried its hardest to come in this morning in Renmark but too weak to decode, next to nothing (tiny blob of purple, lowest value) on the tropo charts. Thinking weather conditions were causing some slight enhancement this morning
2 Likes
I bought this antenna on the weekend.
https://www.jaycar.com.au/uhf-phased-array-tv-antenna/p/LT3147
Was curious to see how a phased array UHF handles SFNs where I am given the amount of co-channelled UHF stations there are, as I believe phased arrays are better at rejecting secondary signals, at least where the primary signal is vertical, as in the case of most nearby signals are.
In non tropo conditions it works superbly, with next to no pixelation from the Central Coast. Though tonight, with a bit of tropo, I lost the main Central Coast Wyong/Bouddi signals that are on vertical polarity, but by moving the antenna a bit (indoors) and changing it to horizontal, they returned (probably now getting Gosford, with a bit of SW Sydney mixed in, as 7, 9, 10 was slightly better than Prime7 and 9NBN). No WIN though as they donāt transmit from Gosford (or Bouddi).
I could even get Sydney VHF on the UHF antenna too for a while, VHF 12 was the best of course.
On the Newcastle UHF frequencies, couldnāt get it to get either Newcastle or Wollongong, but no surprise there.
1 Like
Thought this morning wouldāve been good for some tropo, barely a no service and even the radio signals were sketchy
2 Likes
First official DX since early January in Renmark. Few pixels broke out across the screen but managed to snag the EPG for Adelaide
3 Likes
Do people around your location who have properly installed UHF antennas have issues with Newcastle tv during tropo, or are most antennas facing the Central Coaat translators?
2 Likes
Most people do have their antennas pointed at Sugarloaf. Not sure how widespread the Wollongong issue is here in reality, but the issue has been acknowledged on MySwitch.
Labor did promise to install a repeater for Charlestown in the lead up to the last election.
My issue is excaberbated being 6 floors up, compared to other houses at ground level.
4 Likes
Good evening. Iām 30 odd floors above the ground in Parramatta with an East-facing apartment with line-of-sight to the main TV transmitters in Sydney. Do you think it would be possible for me to receive Wollongong TV if I bought a separate antenna? At present I am using the one on the roof via the wall socket, but they use a masthead amplifier which filters everything else out - LOL.
3 Likes
Iāve managed to get Wollongong TV from Chatswood 20 floors up with a pair of rabbit ears, though on the south side of the building.
You would probably need to put your antenna on the balcony or as close to the window as possible to get the line of sight youād need.
3 Likes
Another good way on whether you can get Wollongong TV at your place is to check how well you can get the Wollongong/Illawarra FM stations at your place. The frequencies to try out are 90.9, 95.7, 96.5, 97.3, 98.1 & 98.9.
5 Likes
Thank You both for your response. This is very exciting as I can receive all of those Wollongong stations (and in quite good quality, too). If I was to buy an antenna to receive Wollongong TV channels, what is the best antenna? Would it be a directional Yagi UHF or one of those flat panel UHF antennas from Kingray?
2 Likes
The flat panel / phased array would be my choice - much more compact if not a rooftop installation. I have this one from Jaycar and am very happy with it. Itās less than $50 and very light too.
2 Likes
Thatās a combined VHF / UHF and FM antenna. A UHF only one will give better reception for the channels you want from Wollongong
4 Likes
Personally, I think you are better off with a UHF only antennaā¦
The VHF elements of the design may compromise your UHF receptionā¦
4 Likes
I use a Digitek 01BUWX20L which I purchased from Bitek it has up to 15db gain across 28-51.
I found it worked better then the flat panel phased array antennas for both Kurrajong Heights and Wollongong at my location at Stanhope Gardens.
When would you use a phased array over a high gain yaggi? I understand yaggi have a bit more gain.
2 Likes
My understanding is that phased arrays can deal with SFN signals better.
2 Likes
I wonder if they would cope better with the Newcastle co-channel interference issue?
2 Likes
Hi guys, Iāve joined this forum after finding this thread, it looks like I might have found my people!
Just picked up a high-gain Yagi (this guy here, which was pretty cheap: https://au.element14.com/stellar-labs/30-2370/long-range-uhf-hdtv-91-element/dp/280188402) and chucked it up a couple m above my roof in Mordialloc and pointed towards Mt Tassie in the hope Iād get something.
Surprisingly I got decent Channel 9 straight up, but lost it later that morning; looking at tropo maps from that morning I think I just got lucky to have tried it when I did!
Since then Iāve spotted Prime 7 briefly too, but not watchable.
Anyway thought Iād say hi, share my experiences and keen to hear from anyone else around my way that might have tried it too!
7 Likes