After reading a newspaper report from Bundaberg, Qld, it appears that work is being carried out on the transmission tower for this area. The digital transmission could be poor or non-existing. Check this link to the actual newspaper article.

http://www.news-mail.com.au/story/2011/06/08/bundy-fed-up-with-digital-tv-disaster-reception/

The reason for this article is to ask travellers to have patience with their antenna system; make sure that you have the best equipment – RG6 quad-shield cable, “F” connectors (screw-on) on the ends, a good brand TV, a good antenna that will pick up VHF and UHF reception.

Safe Travelling and enjoy what TV reception you can get.

One of the easiest ways to find out how the TV transmission is being sent is to look at the TV antennas of the houses in the area or the antennas on the permanent cabins in the park. Not only do these TV antennas tell the story about the Horizontal or Vertical reception but also they show whether the TV reception is hard to pick up in the park. If the TV antennas are VERY high, you can be sure that the TV picture you may get is going to be very ‘hit and miss’ – maybe some places in the park will get OK reception while others will get next to nothing.

Some of the towns where you will encounter the VERTICAL polarisation of TV reception are:-

DENILIQUIN, NSW; PORT NEILL, SA; EILDON, VIC; EAGLEHAWK NECK, TAS; GLEN INNES, NSW; PORT CAMPBELL, VIC; RAVENSHOE, QLD; ST MARYS, TAS.

just to name a few.

The old analogue signal was a very ‘forgiving’ transmission – ‘near enough was good enough’. If you were close enough to the vertically polarised transmitter, a horizontal antenna would get the reception OK. Of course, the further you went from the transmitter, the worse the reception became.

With digital reception, you either get it or you don’t. Close to the transmitter, it may pixellate (break into squares). On moving away from the transmitter, the picture will drop out entirely.

The Saturn Antenna is gaining popularity with the discerning traveller because it has 2 aerials inside the shell – one on the horizontal and one on the vertical. For those with the roof-mounted antenna (Winegard, Antenna Tec, Signal Commander) that winds up from inside, there is a conversion kit for the Saturn Antenna that can fit into the mechanism on the roof. Then the Saturn Antenna can be wound up from inside.

Travellers, these days, are demanding the ‘best antenna on the market’. The Saturn TV Antenna turns the Winegard antenna into a usable caravan antenna.

Wendy Davey found out the truth about the Saturn versus the Winegard when she stayed in Port Neill (80km from Port Lincoln, SA).

From: Darren Wendy Davey [mailto:scuzz12@bigpond.com]
Sent: Thu 17/03/2011 3:36 PM
To: Saturn Antennas Sales
Subject:

We recently purchased a saturn antenna at Adelaide Caravan & Camping show. One of our aims at the show was to fix out tv problem. We have been staying in our caravan at Port Neill which is 80 km north of Port Lincoln S.A. Since the recent change to digital only tv we were not able to receive ANY channels using our winegard antenna.
We are pleased to now be able to watch tv with all of the available channels that are available to this area.
Thank you for your product.
Shortly we will be returning to Darwin where I work in reception at Lee Point Village Resort. I will be recommending your antenna to guests so you may like to forward some brochures when I arrive there. Happy to be able to help other caravaners who may experience similar problems with tv viewing.

At Port Neill, the TV reception is transmitted VERTICALLY and DIGITAL ONLY. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A FILE ABOUT THE SATURN CARAVAN ANTENNA WITH THE CONVERSION KIT.

ADVANTAGES???

1. Saturn Antenna has a more powerful amplifier (34dB) compared to the Winegard (19.5dB).

2. Saturn Antenna picks up the VERTICAL reception AS WELL AS the horizontal – Winegard is horizontal ONLY. With analogue, ‘near enough is good enough’. But with digital – perfect or nothing!!

Be part of the AUSTRALIAN REVOLUTION – change your American Winegard antenna for an AUSTRALIAN SATURN ANTENNA!!

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW.

…….That the SATURN ANTENNA is the ONLY travellers antenna that is made in a fringe TV reception area. ALL other antennas are made in the CITY or OVERSEAS.

How do these manufacturers/importers know if their antenna will work on the edge of a TV reception area? SATURN ANTENNAS KNOWS because each Saturn Antenna is made and tested 120kms from the transmitter.

BE PART OF THE AUSTRALIAN REVOLUTION -

BUY AUSTRALIAN MADE FOR AUSTRALIAN CONDITIONS!!

WET WEATHER AND CABLES: But for those of us that have had our travels disturbed by the wet weather, have you considered what effect the wet weather can have on your TV reception? For good TV reception, every component of the TV system has a bearing on the quality of the picture. In the wet weather the ends of the cable must be protected from moisture. For an antenna that has an amplifier, moisture on the ends of the cable is disastrous.

PROBLEM: If moisture gets into the connector, the power supply inside the caravan has a safety device inside it that stops power going up the cable. Without power to the amplifier, the antenna doesn’t work.

SOLUTION: Using electrical tape or self-amalgamating tape, you can confidently waterproof the plug that attaches the cable to the antenna. We, at Saturn Antennas, always include self-amalgamating tape with every antenna. Ensure that it is used to waterproof the connection for a trouble-free viewing.

The points to consider can be broken down into these categories:-

• VHF and UHF
• Horizontal and vertical
• Amplifier
• Storage
• Mounting
• Cost

VHF and UHF

The first thing you need to consider is the type of reception that you are going to encounter while travelling in Australia. Without getting too technical, TV transmission comes on two types of frequency – VHF and UHF. The VHF frequency is the predominant frequency used in each of the capital cities. The best antenna for these frequencies is a very big antenna. Some of the broad-ranging transmitters like Canberra, Coonabarabran, Bundaberg/Maryborough also transmit on VHF because it travels long distances better than the UHF frequencies.

Generally, the smaller towns that have their own repeaters use UHF. The best antenna for UHF is a much smaller antenna. Whether we are discussing analogue OR digital, the considerations are still the same. There will still be VHF and UHF when Australia goes all digital.

VERTICAL and HORIZONTAL

Then to confuse the traveller even more is the fact that TV reception is transmitted on the vertical and on the horizontal. Most of the broad coverage transmitters in country areas have vertically polarised TV reception because it travels further with less break up of reception. Another reason for the use of reception on the vertical is so that it won’t clash with reception from another transmitter that is reasonably close e.g., the Noosa transmitter has UHF frequency vertically polarised so that it doesn’t clash with the Sunshine Coast UHF horizontally polarised reception. ‘But wait, there is more’. Some transmitters use both vertical AND horizontal – Orange, Shepparton, Port Macquarie and more. As you can see, there is much to consider if you want to research the topic thoroughly.

AMPLIFIERS

Many caravan parks are situated low down beside the sea/creek/dam and have shady trees. TV reception is challenged by hills, buildings, trees and distance. To overcome these challenges it is possible to add an amplifier (booster). Some antennas have the amplifier built-in. And here is another decision point – to boost or not to boost. So for the caravanner that wants the best antenna maybe these quick facts will help with the research.

QUICK FACTS

1. 45% of reception is vertically polarised – nearly half of these use horizontal polarisation AS WELL.
2. 87% of reception is UHF.
3. Most caravan parks are in areas where you need an amplifier.

DECISION TIME

If you have stuck with the reading so far, congratulations on your committment to researching the topic thoroughly. Here is a checklist for you to use when considering a number of antennas that will meet your needs. Before you fill in the checklist, answer these questions:-

• Is it vitally important that you watch your favourite programs?
• Or do you want just the news and weather and maybe something else?
• Do you go to the same place each year? (Do your research on what antenna suits that place)
• Or do you go to many different places?
• Do you want the cheapest?
• Or do you want one that gives value for money?

Hope this has given you food for thought when considering which antenna you will purchase for your travels.

The transmission and reception of TV signals is affected by many variables. Atmospheric moisture, solar activity, physical obstructions such as mountains and buildings, and time of day will all have an effect on the signal transmission and deterioration of signal reception.

 TV transmission is sent on two types of frequency – VHF and UHF. The VHF, low band frequency, is often used in country areas to send TV signal to a large area. The UHF transmission is used mainly in ‘local’ (one town) areas. How far the transmission is sent depends on the power of the transmitter (eg, the Canberra transmission is sent 130kms but the Barcaldine, Qld, transmitter sends it 11kms).

UHF transmission and reception can change as the atmosphere warms and cools throughout the day. The main advantage of UHF transmission is the physically short wave that is produced by the high frequency. The UHF antenna is stubby and short. The major disadvantage of UHF is its limited broadcast range and reception, often referred to as line-of-sight between the TV station’s transmission antenna and customer’s reception antenna, as opposed to VHF’s very long broadcast range and reception which is less restricted by line-of-sight.

Now what does that mean to the traveller? It means that to get the best reception, your antenna needs to have both a UHF antenna (small) as well as a VHF antenna (large).

QUICK FACTS       

* All capital cities have VHF reception needing a big antenna.

* Nearly 90% of transmission in Australia comes on the UHF frequency.