General TV History

That’s probably the video i was referring to :wink:

I gather they would have found room in the schedules for some of those programs, much like SC Ten in Tasmania did - perhaps dropping lower rating channel Ten progams for the likes of 60 Minutes, A Country Practice, Wheel Of Fortune and Home And Away and later Blue Heelers, All Saints and Sunrise

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was A Current Affair the program being advertised?

Good Morning Australia (with KAK).

I assumed it was in readiness for the WIN re-branding, my mistake

Apparently it was quite a sh*tstorm in that period leading up to aggregation as DDQ (as Star) playout for Darling Downs and planned for Sunshine Coast was being done out of Coffs Harbour at sister station NRTV (RTQ at Rockhampton was doing playout for Rockhampton, Townsville, Cairns and Mackay markets)

So it was quite an upheaval to change that all over to WIN branding and a 9 network feed at barely a week’s notice over Christmas. NRTV was still to handle DDQ playout post-WIN takeover pending handover of the function to RTQ in Rockhampton. I guess Rockhampton had to make considerable changes there to suddenly inherit 2 new markets

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A clip of Vision TV

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For a Period in the Late 1980’s And Early 1990’s, People living in Victoria with a Good Signal could pick up Vision TV.

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At one point DDQ10-4-5a, NEN/ECN9-8 and NRN/RTN11-8 were trying to form a super-regional station to place themselves better to negotiate programming under Great Eastland Television (note there are still cook books with the GET logo on it floating around NSW and QLD) - so it might have been part of a strategy to increase its power - supplying a superior signal and from posts on here, others may have sought the same quality equipment eg people in Tasmania receiving Victorian signals and vice-versa. DDQ (aka Vision TV) might have been preparing to go it alone given Win’s ownership or if they had to join with QTV - noting the geographical restrictions that ITQ8 had and lower levels of income stream. With RTQ already owned by TWT, it was always a possibility that DDQ could have been without a QLD regional partner.

That sort of reception occurs through ducting in the atmosphere so that especially low frequency (low channel number) stations can be received at extremely long distances. However, the reception is unpredictable and unstable plus only lasts for short periods so isn’t suitable for regular TV viewing. Prior to the switch in frequency it was TVQ that was received. Also common was the ABMN 0 signal from Wagga. Also received over long distances were various stations on channel 1 and 2 plus New Zealand stations with low channel numbers.

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Although not a low number and a substantial distance less, when I lived at Goondiwindi, we could pick up 9-8 Television really good back in 1986

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Helps that Darling Downs TV owned TVQ at the time…

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Vision TV station ID, 1988.
courtesy: ShitfoundonVHS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdzcHwTkD30

The changeover to 10 went well in Brisbane. With a new transmitter from a slightly higher tower and a frequency less prone to interference the quality of the new signal was excellent. I’m not sure how well it went on the Downs though with a change to a frequency that few would have had a suitable antenna for (in contrast to Brisbane where the majority of VHF antennas were standard metro designed for 0,2,7,9,10).

There were several occasions in the early weeks when the Darling Downs station was on reduced power as well.

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I assume this problem was fixed?

Given the crawler, I’d say the periods of reduced power reflected some planned work on the transmitter tower; possibly adjustments to the directionality of some of the elements to alter radiation pattern; but that’s just a guess.

I’m sure some viewers in the Darling Downs would have had to buy new Band I antennas (not sure if the ABC transmitted on Band I from Mt Mowbullan at the time) to receive the new Channel 0. And then a couple of years later another new antenna (UHF) to receive QTV, SBS and Sunshine 7.

So DDQ had no interference problems with their new frequency?

ABC transmitted on Band II from Mt Mowbullan, which its frequency was VHF 3.

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Also, ABDQ 3 changed to UHF not long after (IIRC Dec 1988 or early 1989) to free up the FM band.