Welcome!
Looks like you have the right type of antenna.
Maybe try a different spot on your roof… a couple of metres either way might make all the difference.
Good luck!
Thanks mate! I’m thinking of actually pulling it down and taking it to the local shopping center rooftop carpark to see if I can ever expect reliable reception or it’s just something that will come and go with the right conditions; as it stands I’m 135km from the Tx and I’m barely above sea level, so I don’t have huge expectations!
I’ve been interested in DXing before I knew DXing was a thing other people did though, so even then if I only get the occasional result I won’t be mad!
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If you play around with the My Switch website you’ ll get an idea.
Mt Tassie doesn’t look very promissing for your suburb.
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Thanks mate I’ve actually spent quite some time on there! I’m in a grey area (which I guess is better than a nothing area) but there’s patches of orange around the rooftop carpark I’m planning on testing from, so I figure if it tests good from there, then I know I’m not wasting my money on a mast!
In terms of masthead amps, I’m eyeing off a 35dB Kingray from Radio Parts. Anybody have any experience with these?
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(also I honestly wasn’t expecting much - it was only that the antenna was as cheap as it was that I thought it’d be worth the gamble!)
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Maybe try for Bendigo or Ballarat instead.
Yeah I think Bendigo is my next best bet, though in terms of LOS (not factoring earth curvature) I get much better to the east than the north (Madedon sits smack in the middle!)
I’ll cruise up Southland later and see what I can see from the roof there 
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on Christmas day in 2018, I had received a Laser STB-4000 box and I hooked it up to the main tv that morning and did an auto scan, I received all the main Newcastle channels but I also managed to pick-up Prime7 Taree as well (just the channels, they had no picture)
has anyone else been able to pick up channels from the north before?
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Im in Campbelltown and my Sony TV locks new channels in…over the last 5 years i have both Prime7 Taree and Newcastle now locked in(and all other associated 7 channels)none at this time are watchable.
Its never locked in any Win or NBN(except for Wollongong)
I only have standard antennas on the roof
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That reminds me of a TV at my sisters last house at Adamstown in Newcastle whereby it had Prime7 Taree scanned in despite being hooked up to only a UHF antenna pointed south to the Kotara Water Tower site. Helps that both are vertically polarised. Again no picture just that it had been scanned in.
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my Sony TV automatically locks onto channels as well. Has locked onto a few different stations from Adelaide and Mildura here in Renmark. Relative who lived in Maitland SA had a Sony TV that auto-logged stations from as far away as Bendigo and Ballarat in Victoria
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Must thank you again for your input on TV antennas. The Kingray K-Panel arrived yesterday. I set it up horizontally polarized on the south window of my apartment and I was able to receive clear DVB-T signals from Wollongong. The signal is prone to some minor interference when I am walking around in the room (it is set up in my computer room) but the picture is watchable.
I’m really interested in the picture quality for the programs that are broadcast across both markets, such as live news and sports. At some stage in the coming weeks I will do a comparison between WIN HD and TEN HD and compare the picture quality between both.
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Some good results this morning from my new setup! Since we last spoke, I picked up a Wintal STB off Gumtree for $10 and replaced some of the cabling (RG6 and f-connectors all the way now!)
Spotted good tropo conditions on the map this morning, and got excellent results on both Prime7 Traralgon and 9 Gippsland, Win was in and out but watchable at times.
Very happy with results!
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Hi @picklewizard, The South East Melbourne Area is a fantastic area for Radio and TV area.
I used to live in Cranbourne in the Late 80’s and Early 90’s and use to get Win, Prime and Southern Cross pretty well during the Tropo times and Summer in General.
Moved to Pakenham and use to get Mt Tassie really well.
As you are in Mordy, Do not discount on Ballarat as the TV towers are at Mount Warrenheip which is near Kryal Castle and on the Melbourne Side of Ballarat(When In Crannbourne, I use to get to Ballarat on the CB Radio and amateur bands) and also you have brillant takeoff with the Port Phillip Bay.
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Hey @oz1235 yeah I think you’re right - it’s always been something I’ve wanted to try. Sadly I’m in a bit of a low lying area but it’s relatively flat at least.
I used to listen to cop radio a lot (until 12 months ago or so until it all went digital) which for that area was Tx out of Warrenheip - but I think TV Tx for there is north-east of Ballarat (Lookout Hill?)
In any case I will absolutely be trying to hit all potential high power Tx locations when conditions are right; my neighbours must think I’m a bit odd given I’m forever up on the roof adjusting the antenna!
I actually took myself up to the rooftop of Southland on Saturday and mounted a much smaller antenna on a tripod just to see what was around - I could only manage Mt Tassie but I might give it another shot as I didn’t actually point it towards Ballarat!
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It’s actually north-west of Ballarat.
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That’s not quite right oz1235. The main transmitters for Ballarat TV are a fair way west of the city at a place called Lookout Hill. Halfway to Ararat. So it’s a fair stretch on UHF.
You may be confusing TV with some of the local FM stations which are at Mount Warrenheip. But very directional towards Ballarat and the west. ie not Melbourne.
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Yes I am wrong. I do apologise
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Evening all. Curious if anyone in the Sydney basin has been able to receive digital signals from Central Coast/Newcastle? Going to try aim my UHF antenna North, from my highrise balcony but not sure if I will receive anything. (The suburbs of Carlingford, Epping etc are in the way of line-of-sight hehe).
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Yes, I have received the Newcastle DTV channels at my home near Campbelltown when conditions were favourable for it, which occurs in the warmer months. I’ve received it through my rotatable VHF/UHF antenna.
In normal conditions though, it would be a bit too much to ask to have reliable DTV reception from Newcastle, even from 30 storeys high in Parramatta. It’s also worth noting that the DTV services in Newcastle broadcast on the same frequencies as those from Wollongong. This is evident in the warmer months, in which even the Wollongong signals cause disruption to the local Newcastle signals, even at around the Lake Macquarie area.
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