Yes I do remember TVNZ too, received it a couple of times but it was through our main tv antenna never through rabbits ears.
Analogue VHF was so good for dxing, miss the SpE NZ reception into Sydney.
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TVNZ wasn’t on rabbit ears for me, only ECN-8 was.
Agree, the digital “cliff” makes DXing more difficult, particularly with a reduced band plan (only up to UHF-51 now, and with SFNs everywhere).
It’s hard to believe that in the 1980s, there was just one TV transmitter here in the Newcastle / Lower Hunter region with no translators, now there are 9 digital translators as well!
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Did ABC 5a ever suffer Cochannel from Wollongong in parts of Newcastle?
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Not that I ever noticed, given it was largely the same programs and same polarity, it probably created minimal interference. And that for most people, that the signals were coming from different directions would have helped.
NRN had to change its frequency because of interference from ABRN-6 Richmond/Tweed.
Never knew NRN was on VHF 6 anywhere. Where, in Coffs Harbour?
I know ABDN-1 Taree changed to VHF-6 somewhere in the mid 80s.
- TVQ0 and ABQ2 Brisbane in summer months
- AMV4 Albury
- an unknown NSW ABC TV station on channel 11 (it was Anzac Day 1980 and they showed the Sydney march)
all from Stanhope VIC, received on a portable black and white TV with rabbit ears (between Shepparton and Bendigo)
and when we moved to Shepparton, on one summer morning during ducting I was able to receive ATV10 Melbourne on a local aerial, it was snowy. Also on the home stereo I picked up EON FM, FOX FM and 3RRR Melbourne, 2CHY Coffs Harbour and 3D Radio and 102FM (now Cruise 1323, the FM frequency is now Mix 102.3) in Adelaide.
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NRN Coffs Harbour started on VHF-10 in January '65, but was granted approval in August to change its frequency to 11 following interference from ABRN-6.
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I can understand why ABC 5A was at the lower ERP of 100KW to reduce cochannel with 5A Newcastle. Sydney was basically the mush zone between the two.
Win4 power of 200KW and the height of Knights Hill, no wonder it could be received across Sydney so easily with the right setup.
I knew people who received it quite ok even off the back of their antennas pointing north towards Sydney. They use to watch Win for the cricket.
You could see why Rupert would consider doing an Edge 96.1 and making Win4 an unofficial Sydney station.
I also remember when living in Oatley before 9 started showing full cricket matches there were lots of UHF antennas pointing towards Wollongong now there are very few.
There are lots around Stanhope Gardens we’re I now live as Wollongong tv reception is much stronger then in Oatley where it is marginal at best.
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In Brisbane, I used to have antennas set up for 6 and 8 from Lismore plus 10 from both Darling Downs and Nambour.
During summer channel 1 was often filled with various signals including New Zealand. ABC frequently suffered subtle co-channel from Grafton with TVQ 0 suffering from various stations. The 6/8 signals suffered often from cochannel from Wide Bay even despite using vertical polarity. MVQ 6 was pick up a few times via troppo.
FM was also a good source of signals much the same as now with FM stations. ABNQ 3 Townsville sometimes received - I think it had a large offset from the semi local ABDQ 3 signal. Launceston ABNT 3 would come in strongly and wipe out ABDQ during openings. GTS 4 was also a regular summer visitor identifying as GTS-BKN.
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Does anyone remember the old specs of NBN 3 and AbC 5A Newcastle?
100kW Omni-Directional for both.
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In Melbourne, late 1970s/1980s:
GLV10, but barely watchable, and was never able to receive GLV8
TVNZ1 (Channel 0)
TVQ0 in January 1986 (promos for Neighbours, “coming soon to TV0”)
ABLV4 audio only on FM approx 100 MHz
When I moved over to the inner west of Melbourne in the late '90s, I’d manage to see GLV8 even though it was coming from the opposite side of Melbourne. I had a VHS recording which showed the message scroll that GLV8 was shutting down and moving to UHF, so that would have been around 2000, to accomodate digital TV in Melbourne.
Melbourne, 1990s:
VIC TV 43 from Gippsland
Prime 46 from Gippsland
in Goulburn Valley, 1980s:
TVQ0 once only but very patchy.
BCV8 and ABEV1 not crystal clear but usually watchable
AMV4 maybe once or twice only, very patchy, just with an indoor aerial
HSV7 only on one morning, it had faded out by midday.
in Aireys Inlet, mid 1980s
TNT9 interfering with GTV9 just with an indoor aerial but depending in which direction it was pointed you got one channel or the other
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I’m too young to have memories of my own (being born 2 years post-aggregation), but through pestering Dad I’ve got a couple of his memories.
My grandfather was reportedly one of the first adopters of TV in Albury back in December 1961 (when GMV6 started out of Shepparton), two years before Albury had it’s own TV station. According to Dad, he ran a coaxial cable 40 metres down the backyard where he had found a ‘sweet spot’ with a permanent stable signal (and the antenna would stay in that spot until aggregation 30 years later). Funnily enough, in the same backyard a few years ago by pure accident I found that exact same spot where Shepparton FM stations were coming in at near local signal strengths. This is actually a bit of an oddity given this house is on the wrong side of nearby hill to the direction of Mt Major.
Apparently pre-aggregation in Albury, aside from the ABC and AMV4, most people could get GMV6 to some degree on a good antenna, on the other hand very few could get a signal of RVN2 to the north (despite valiant attempts given RVN had live VFL when AMV did not on Saturday afternoons for many years). Best DX recorded by Dad was late one night finding TVQ0 coming in from Brisbane back in the early 80s.
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GMV6 being on the" right" (east) side of Shepparton (for Albury), whereas RVN2 was on the “wrong” (north east) side of Wagga made a big difference.
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GMV6 was very aware of its presence in the loungerooms of Albury viewers and would often send its local presenters to Albury for promotional appearances. GMV also gained interest from Albury viewers by inviting performers from the Albury region to appear on its own variety and children’s programs.
Before AMV4’s arrival, The Border Morning Mail newspaper published TV listings for GMV6, ABGV3 and RVN2 for those in Albury that could get those channels.
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Again I’m a bit young for the pre-aggregation days but the pre-aggregation channels still made appearances (just with aggregated programming). In Geelong we’d often get CCI on Channel 9 from TNT Launceston on those warm summer evenings. Prior to analogue shutting down I confirmed reception of the following:
DDQ/RTQ0 Darling Downs
NEN0 Tamworth City
ABSQ1 Southern Downs
ABQ2 Brisbane (as heavy CCI to ABV2 Melbourne)
And I noted TVNZ1 on Aus Channel 0 a few times as well, even had it booming in on a UHF antenna pointing the wrong way once.
Of course, down in Geelong there were the pubs and venues that had the old Band 3 antennas on high masts (and later UHF antennas) for BTV6 Ballarat reception. Ballarat TV was to us like what Wollongong TV was to Sydneysiders, a way to get around Channel 9 not showing the local cricket during the summer months, but given it transmitted from 60km west of Ballarat itself (which is already 80km northwest of Geelong) it was a real challenge getting reception of it across most of town.
There are still some of those aerials remaining (in varying degrees of condition and likely seldom if ever used), I think I’ve posted some images here before.
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I live just east of Geelong and we can almost always pick up Prime7 from Ballarat. We can often get WIN/9 but it’s pretty rare that SCA 10 comes through. Interesting given that they all come from the same site. Fairly good considering we are 150km away according to Google Earth. The Ballarat channels are our back ups should the Melbourne signals start playing up. It’s easier to switch to Ballarat (if we can pick them up) then retune to the Highton transmitter. We do have ABC on Channel 359 but I can’t remember if that’s from Highton or Lookout Hill. Channel 2, 20 etc is from Mount Dandenong.
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Note the newsreader is Shane Dannatt (Shane Fankhauser) who ended up reading news internationally.
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