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DIY ANTENNA INSTALLS
Do not attempt your own antenna install unless you are sure you can handle it!
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Use your i-phone to improve TV reception
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Also DIY guides for antenna satellites and TV repairs In Your Hand
Selecting Your Antenna
An antenna (or aerial) is a transducer designed to transmit or receive
Electromagnetic waves. In other words, antennas convert electromagnetic
Waves into electrical currents and vice versa.
The antenna and its down lead (cable) are taken for granted by almost
everyone, but they are just as important as the TV and in fact (electronically
speaking) are actually part of it. Many people will happily spend hundreds
of pounds on their television but many are unwilling to spend any more than
is absolutely necessary on their antenna installation.
This is an important point because the difference in gain between a cheap
"Contract" antenna and, say, a Aussie high gain of the same group, can
sometimes be quite small, and will not usually transform a really poor
picture into a perfect one, but it will make some difference, and that difference
particularly with digital signals, could make all the necessary
difference. On the other hand there are big differences in build quality
between many of the antennas available on the market so choose wisely.
We stock and use Electrocraft, Hills and Matchmaster antennas which seem to do
the job well, all Australian made high quality TV Aerials balanced for digital.
The Antennas We Use at TV Antennas Perth
Some Antenna Basics
There are a few different types of antennas for TV reception depending on
your signal area and disttance from transmitters you may need different stuff
Rabbit Ears Or Simple Dipole
Used for indoor antennas, boats and AM reception.Dipole (Rabbit Ears)
These antennas are non directional! These antennas are not very sensitive
generally come with built in amplifiers. They easily pick up reflected signals
giving rise to ghosted images in analog and if it is bad enough will cause
pixellation and sound chirps with digital. NOT RECOMENDED FOR DIGITAL
Yagi -UDA
This Antennas pick up is related to the number and size of its elements
It tends to have more gain in a restricted range of frequencies, It is less likely
to receive lower frequencies from power line interference, car ignitions and
high powered radio transmitters. This is because only the dipole is connected
to the down lead.Yagi Antennas:
Digital Log Antenna
Digital Log Periodic
This antenna has less gain but can maintain it over a wide range of frequencies.
The gain is related to the range of frequencies and the number of dipoles.
Typically Log Periodic TV antennas designed for bands 3-5 cover this range as
a complete coverage from 174 to 820 MHz giving rise to its triangular or “Christmas
Tree” shape. Since there is no TV channels between the top of channel 12 (10)
and the bottom of channel 28 (SBS) this sensitivity is wasted on being sensitive
to two way radio communications operating within this band.
Phased Array Antennas
This type of antenna has better vertical directivity than all the others and it is
typically used for long distance reception and signal paths blocked by terrain and
buildings. Reflected ghosted signals are usually not a problem in these weak signals areas
Our Best Antenna For Digital TV
The digital logarithmic antenna is by far and away the best digital antenna to use for
The reception of digital TV in most of Perth. Its low cost, durable and light weight and
Ideal for subtle antenna installations and caravaners alike
Technically on paper and in the antenna science lab they shouldn’t work as well as they do
I appreciate that they have lots of elements not used and have lower gain than some other
Similar priced digital antennas. But in practice they solve most problems of
Pixilation when the digital signal quality is an issue in 90% of cases
We use the Australian Made Version Of The Faccaro LOG Antenna
Some of the other antennas we use include
Hills Optimax 350 & 450 - Matchmaster DB19 - electrocraft Ec15 & 18
GO TO OUR EBAY SHOP AND SELECT YOU ANTENNA
Perth TV Transmitters
The main TV transmitters for Perth are on the hills down Kalamunda Way. On a
clear day you can see three prongs sticking up in the distance, they are the FM
commercial radio, TVW and ABC/SBS towers. STW and NEW which are on guyed
masts are much more difficult to see.
If you can see this from the roof of your house your signal level should be good, if
you cannot then assume you are in a poorer reception area and may need added
equipment to fully receive all the new digital TV channels.
The main Perth transmitter sites are Bickley, Carmel and Lesmurdie.
There are translators at Bedfordale, Toodjay, Marysville and Lancelin.
Mandurah receives digital TV mainly from Perth but is part of the
regional broadcast network receiving GWN win etc... from the
transmitters from Bunbury. There is also a translator set on
Turner hill, Pinjarra.
Check out the exact TV transmitter need using our i-phone GPS APP
It tells you exactly where your antenna should be pointing
Use Our Iphone APP To Point You Further
Perth Main TV Coverage Map
The main Perth transmitter sites are Bickley, Carmel and Lesmurdie
Roleystone TV Coverage
TV Reception In Rolystone Requires UHF Antennas
For More Info See Following Links
See AlanH Postings On DTV For More Info HERE
http://www.broadcastaustralia.com.au/
TV Transmitter Locations Perth
sbs.com.au/transmissions/index.php?pid=1&sid=7
Where To Position The Antenna
Shrubs and trees, building and hills in the direct path of your antenna may
weaken the incoming signal and cause reception problems. If you cannot see
the transmitting station, experiment by pointing the antenna in different directions.
You may receive a stronger signal reflected off obstacles.
Generally always go on top the roof as high as you can go
And the bigger the pole and the antenna the better
Antennas work much better without a roof in the way of the transmissions but antennas can
still work reasonably well in lofts provided your signal strength is reasonable or, preferably,
good. In medium or poor signal areas we do not recommend antennas in lofts, but some
people have no choice as there may be planning restrictions on outside antennas or access
problems. Bearing in mind the loss in signal caused by the roof it may be
advisable to go for a slightly higher gain antenna than normally recommended for an
(outside) antenna in your location.
There is no such thing as a in-roof antenna, there is only an antenna built
to go outside which may work in a loft if the signal level in your
area is sufficient. That said, some antennas are more suitable for loft
installations than others.
Remember always go on top the roof as high as you can go
And the bigger the pole and the antenna the better
Use Good Cable And Spliiters Down To The TV
What is a "High Gain" Antenna?
High Gain is obviously a relative term but generally speaking an antenna
with 18 elements (or more) is considered to be so. However element count
is a bit of a contentious issue, and I`d take most manufacturers element counts
with a large pinch of salt..... Basically (all other things being equal) the more
elements an antenna has, and the longer the antenna is, the narrower the acceptance
angle the more gain it will have.
Remember that a decent antenna installation should last 10 to 20 years or more
and at the end of the day what is the cost of a good quality antenna install
compared to the cost of the average TV, or your sanity when your digital picture
keeps freezing? ! ?
We Only Use Australian Made Antennas A lot Of Our Competitors Dont
Ours Have 25% More Metal Making Them Stronger to Last Longer
Where you are in relation to the Perth transmitters generally determines
what gain of antenna you will need
Top 5 Tips For Pointing Your Antenna
If You Cannot See The Hills To Aim At, Look At At Least Three Of
The Neighbors Houses And Average Out The Correct Orientation
If You Cannot See Other Antennas You Could Just Play The Game Of
Twisting The Antenna While Shouting Down To The Wife For
Directions
If You Are Out Bush Or Somewhere Or With A Caravan
Antenna USE THE TV ANTENNAS PERTH I-PHONE APPLICATION
IPHONE APP FOR ANTENNA POINTING
Point The Antenna With The Smaller Arms Toward The Transmitters
If You Have Done Every Thing Right And TV Still Does Not Work
If you are sure everything has been done properly and you are still getting
problems then a booster/amplifier may be the only away to go.
There are more misconceptions about amplifiers than
any other area in this trade. The crucial point to understand is the difference
between signal strength and signal quality.
The only way to improve signal quality is at the antenna, either by changing its
location/direction or by using a higher gain antenna. If one has a good quality
signal but it is of small amplitude (hence the term amplifier) then an appropriate
amp (particularly a Mast head amp) can work wonders for picture quality. On the
other hand if the signal is of poor quality and one adds an amplifier it will give no
improvement all you will get is a large poor quality signal, as opposed to a small
poor quality signal! The best example of a poor quality signal is ghosting, but a
low "signal to noise ratio" can also give symptoms of low gain (i.e. A grainy picture)
or digital picture break-up. The noise referred to is background rf (radio frequency)
noise which is around us all the time.
Still Got TV Problems ?
If a booster does not solve your problem and you are still getting pixilation and digital
skipping of the picture the only options left are:
Try a different antenna something different pick-up or with higher gain
Try the large Hills Spectromax - Try an antenna more specific only to the channels you
want to receive (Digital LOG antenna) as you may be getting impulse noise from
the unneeded bigger elements on the antenna which are no longer needed for digital.
Higher, higher, higher
The Higher the better or relocate the antenna to a different position on the roof.
Your antenna may be in an area of convergence radio waves thus cancelling out
the TV signal. Or the antenna may simply be not getting the signal due to large
trees, powerlines or other buildings in the line of site.
Remember that too much signal can cause the pictures & sound to break up just as
much as too little signal. So make sure your not right next to the transmitter
AlsoTry and keep the antenna as far as possible away from TVs, computers and
other electrical appliances and fluorescent lights including the compact types.
Environmental Instability
Does your picture consistently breaks up after 6pm -7pm but is ok during the day?
You may be experiencing tropospheric propagation.
Radio Signals used for digital TV travel in a straight line So if you could use a telescope
on the top of your roof and see the top of the transmitter mast this is called
"line of sight" and gives the strongest signal if you don’t have line of sight from your
antenna on the roof to the tv transmitters then the signal is not as good. radio waves
are similar to light so If you imagine the TV transmitter on the Hill to be very powerful
light source, you would still expect to see the light even though there is not a straight
line between your eyes and the light source. This is because light will reflect and refract
and follow the curvature of the earth. if the signals are travelling over 100 km or over
substantial body of water, the temperature changes in the atmosphere, varies the density
of the air. This causes the signals to bend either towards the earth or away from it. This
is why some long distance reception occurs near cold fronts and at the end of summer days
on the coast.
Troposphere ducting of TV
signals is relatively common and can affect your reception during the summer and autumn
months, especially if your not in line of sight and down by the beach somewhere its caused by a
change in the refractive index of the atmosphere at the Boundary between air
masses of different temperatures and humidity.
Use Our Iphone APP To Point You Further
Out of area reception?
Out-of-area reception is where home owners in places of poor or no reception
of the local free-to-air Perth commercial television services, can have access to
2 commercial satellite television stations via install of a satellite dish and decoder
box connected. Permission can be given by the ACMA to the commercial satellite
television licensees to provide services to a household within a normal commercial
terrestrial licence area.
No permission is required to gain access to the ABC and SBS television services
via satellite. You can gain access to ABC & SBS satellite services by
telephone: 1300 301 681.
For residents of Western Australia only:
(Send ACMA B58 forms to GWN and WIN - do not send forms to the ACMA)
Golden West Network Pty Ltd (GWN Television)
PO Box 112
BUNBURY WA 6231
Phone: (08) 9721 4466
Fax: (08) 9792 2932
Website: www.gwn.com.au
Use Our Iphone APP To Point You Further
Useful External DIY Antenna Guides
If you are brave enough to go crawling on and in the roof trying to install
your own antenna I would check out the following links as they provide
some good background knowledge for the DIY inclined person.
If you want we can supply you with some good Australian made products and some tips
Good luck and if you mess it up... I’m sure your Mrs will be giving us a call real soon
Links
Http://Www.Tvantenna.Com.Au/Antenna_Installation_Guide.Htm
Http://My.Integritynet.Com.Au/Purdic/Antennas-Rules.Htm
A.T.V (Down The Rabbit Hole)
ONLINE TV RECEPTION RESOURCES
It is an really good English site and one of the most comprehensive around for going down the rabbit hole
in terms of antennas and DIY However England Antenna groups do not apply to Australia .
The channel Numbers do not match our channel numbers. We also do not use any
frequencies between 470 - 519 MHz and not above 820 MHz. We have band 4, band 4+
and Band 5 and the least sensitive UHF wideband. There are other differences so read with
care but if you have an interest in TV it will keep you going for hours
If You Get Stuck With Your Install Dont Hesitate To Seek Some Advice
or download our IPHONE APP To Get You Going
End Note:
Seriously though unless you have a basic grasp of radio science and cables it can be
Tricky to install your own antenna for the sake of usually $199 i can come to your house and
Put up a good australian made tv antenna on your roof no drama’s and no fuss. I have all
The special testing equipment and correct mounting hardware and it will only take me
30minutes to an hour.
Diy is fun and good luck to you but sometimes it’s the save a dollar mentality which
Can cost a lot in the long run, live chat to me now for advice or to book a visit.. Or at
Least use my i-phone app to help you with tips and tricks and the correct way to point
Your antenna
Final Note:
Take Care On Roofs - Use Your Judgment - Wear The Right Shoes
Don’t Step On The Middle Of The Tiles - Plug All Cracks And Holes That May Leak
Use The Right Connectors And Don’t Bend Or Stretch The Cable To Much Oh And
Don’t Forget To Retune And Rescan The Tv When Your Finished
Good Luck - Andy
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