Well it is still long distance TV, just not terrestrial reception as the topic was intended for.
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There was a time in the 80s and 90s when the Colac AM station 3CS covered Geelong, even had a sales office/newsroom there. And saying âGeelongâs only local AMâ! That was after 3GL moved to FM as K Rock. I remember down in Geelong 3CS can be received clearly. Also, Geelong (and Melton/Bacchus Marsh) local ads are often seen in the Ballarat TV area even though it doesnât cover Geelong itself. There is a youtube channel âAdelaideCrowsRDaBestâ which have examples of this (he receives Ballarat TV from Mount Gambier, SA via Mt Dundas).
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Also in Colac, lots of CA16 antennas to receive Melbourne TV, most dating back to pre-aggregation era, lower lying areas had tall masts, while higher elevated suburbs such as Elliminyt the Melbourne channels boom in like locals and the CA16s are at roof level. I remember a letter in the Age Green Guide written by someone in Elliminyt complaining about GTV9 showing âThrilseekersâ during the lunch break of the test cricket in 1985 (ABC TV covered test cricket in regional areas and BTV6 didnât show âThrillseekersâ at the lunch break of one day matches).
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Well if Geelong ads are being seen on the stations then I think the Ballarat TV channels should also be added alongside the current Melbourne offerings via the Tower Montpellier Service Basin transmitter at Highton. This would allow Geelong residents receiving signals from this tower to get both sets of commercial TV stations, to give viewers a choice - whether they want to watch television from Melbourne - or television from Ballarat. After all, Ballarat is an hour away from Geelong, and so too is Melbourne. Heck, even Power FM (103.1) and 3BA (102.3) from Ballarat can be well received in some areas of Geelong, and in elevated areas of Highton itâs super clear to the point where you could almost pass it off as a local signal. This is providing you have a very good FM antenna on your radio.
If this addition of the Ballarat channels ever happened, this is what your channel list would look like in the Geelong area (via the Highton transmitter). This is an extensive list of channels - a nice long list of them. If Iâve missed any channels in this list, please let me know and Iâll add it here.
001 10 HD
002 ABC TV
003 SBS ONE
005 10 Ballarat
006 7 Ballarat
007 7 Melbourne
008 9 Ballarat
009 Channel 9 Melbourne
010 10
011 10 Peach Comedy
012 10 BOLD Drama
013 Nickelodeon
015 10 HD
016 you.tv
017 gecko
020 ABCTV HD
021 ABC TV
022 ABC Kids/ABC Family
023 ABC Entertains
024 ABC NEWS
025 ABC MELBOURNE
026 ABC RN
027 ABC Classic
028 triple j
029 triple j Unearthed
030 SBS ONE HD
031 SBS VICELAND HD
032 SBS World Movies
033 SBS Food
034 NITV HD
035 SBS WorldWatch
036 NITV
044 C31
050 10HD Ballarat
051 10 Ballarat
052 10 Peach Comedy
053 10 BOLD Drama
054 Nickelodeon
055 SBN International
056 Sky News Regional
058 you.tv
060 7HD Ballarat
061 7 Ballarat
062 7TWO Ballarat
064 7mateHD Ballarat
065 7Bravo Ballarat
066 7flix Ballarat
067 TVSN
068 RACING.COM
070 7HD Melbourne
071 7 Melbourne
072 7TWO Melbourne
074 7mateHD Melbourne
075 7Bravo Melbourne
076 7flix Melbourne
077 TVSN
078 RACING.COM
080 9HD Ballarat
081 9Gem Ballarat
082 9Go! Ballarat
083 9Life Ballarat
085 GOLD
090 9HD Melbourne
091 Channel 9 Melbourne
092 9Gem Melbourne
093 9Go! Melbourne
094 9Life Melbourne
095 9GemHD Melbourne
096 9Rush Melbourne
097 Extra
099 9Go!HD Melbourne
200 Double J
201 ABC Jazz
202 ABC KIDS Listen
203 ABC Country
204 ABC NewsRadio
301 SBS Radio 1
302 SBS Radio 2
303 SBS Radio 3
304 SBS Arabic24
305 SBS PopDesi
306 SBS Chill
307 SBS PopAsia
ADVANTAGES OF THE BALLARAT TV CHANNELS:
- 7NEWS Western Victoria (Noodle updates hourly)
- WIN News Western Victoria (Noodle updates hourly + 5:30pm bulletin)
- 10 News First Western Victoria (Noodle updates hourly)
- 3-day weather forecast for Western VIC via 7 (map includes Geelong)
- Local advertisements catering for Western VIC/Melbourne/Geelong
BTW, are there any Geelong TV ads being seen on Ballarat TV today?
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Another advantage of the Ballarat TV channels:
- Sky News Regional and SBN
and I doubt C31 would be available at Highton transmitter, C31 only has one translator and thatâs at Como serving the inner eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
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Ok 
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Itâs free! So better than not having it at all.
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They actually have 2 translators. One at Como (as you said), and another at Highton. C31 is indeed available on the Highton transmitter, although the channel can drop out at times, as it is a community TV station. The public and commercial (Melbourne) broadcasters are still in tact. This is a photo of the C31 signal from the Highton translator.
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Perhaps we should start a petition to get the Ballarat TV channels added to the Highton translator? That would mean having both Melbourne and Ballarat TV offerings in the Geelong area without having to use 2 antennas on your roof for 2 seperate sets of channels. Makes so much sense.
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That is the main Mt Dandenong signal - there is no Highton retransmitter.
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Given that Geelong isnât in the Ballarat/Western Vic TV licence area, and the only reason to have antennas pointing towards Ballarat is a historical anomaly⌠no, it doesnât make any sense.
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I am receiving the Tower Montpellier Service Basin (Highton) signals, and it carries C31. The antenna is aimed at Highton. And this is the tower on Scenic Road. Thank you.
It does not. You are receiving the Mt Dandenong service. The QPSK transmission parameters means the signal is significantly stronger than the other services from that site - and thus can be received in many situations where you donât receive the other Melbourne services.
Hereâs the register of services from the Highton site. The 5 TX Australia services are the repeaters of the Melbourne commercial/national broadcasters.
Here are the services MGV/C31 operate:
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Well then thatâs bizarre if Iâm receiving C31 from Mount Dandenong and the antenna is aimed at Highton. I knew South Yarra had a C31 translator, but all this time I thought C31 had one in Geelong as well, since C31 covers both Melbourne and Geelong. Thanks very much.
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And to top it all off, The Twelve Apostles (situated along the Great Ocean Road) is the current background image of WIN News Western Victoriaâs Facebook page.
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I remember staying in a motel in Geelong back in 1999/2000; the info book said that Geelong âcan receive the Melbourne TV stations, and in some locations Channel 6â. I didnât know where this mysterious Ch. 6 was located at the time.
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That would be more likely the Safety Beach repeaters on the other side of the bay. My brother when he moved to Torquay in the late 1990s couldnât receive ABC on Channel 2 from Melbourne (a lot of people in Geelong had reception problems with it apparently) so he got a clearer picture (although not perfect) from ABC on a UHF channel and I presume it was Safety Beach. Although during ducting in Summer the Gippsland/Latrobe Valley transmitters (Mt Tassie) can be receiveable along the surf coast. Came in handy when the test cricket from the MCG was on and GTV9 did not cover it until 3.40pm.
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My parents used to have a holiday home in Apollo Bay. Fortuitously able to receive Melb TV (including Digital) quite reliably since the signal was over the flat sea, with regular reception of Gippsland via ducting, and often Nthn Tasmania as well.
The local UHF translator which carried Ballarat TV had major co-channel issues from Tasmania at times, especially ABC TV. Melb ABC Digital TV a useful fallback.
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I call the stretch of open water between the Surf Coast and Gippsland (Cape Liptrap) the âGulf Of Melbourneâ. I think I logged Apolloâs low powered 95.9 Mixx FM repeater from Liptrap quite clearly- and that was in June.
Did you ever manage ABKT11 (King Island) from AB? The King Island FMs are permanent from the Marriners Lookout
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