Antenna problems on the caravan

Submitted: Monday, Dec 02, 2013 at 12:15

ThreadID: 105346 Views:1959 Replies:5 FollowUps:7

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Member - Boo Boo (NSW)

The last 2 weekends have been spent in Tumut and Finley. Both nice places by the way.

However, we experienced poor reception on the TV. Now like a lot of people I don't read the instructions.

What I do is look at other peoples antenna's, or keep turning it until something comes up.

A bit hit and miss.

A bit of research on the net showed lots of things that can help, like signal finders and boosters.

Nearly bought a finder til I came across a post on another site that mention that most later model led TV's came with the ability to find the strongest signal.

I had a little think, then went into the menu. There it was, a few headings down from the auto tune was a heading called signal strength info, other brands might call it antenna adjustments or something similar.

No more guess work. Had a play with it and it shows strength and quality of reception

Hopefully this might help others who only read the instructions as a last resort. lol

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Reply By: Member - Boo Boo (NSW) - Monday, Dec 02, 2013 at 12:18

Monday, Dec 02, 2013 at 12:18

I just went into the above mentioned post again and it was written by our very own PeterD the retired electronics expert.

Thankyou Peter.

AnswerID: 522463

Follow Up By: Member - bbuzz (NSW) - Monday, Dec 02, 2013 at 12:30

Monday, Dec 02, 2013 at 12:30

You still need to look at the cabins or other users to fine tune the antenna!
Then again, with this marvelous digital signal we now have, TV reception is a no go, no matter what you do.

The analog may have been a bit snowy at times but you could a signal nearly anywhere.

bill

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Follow Up By: Member - Rod N (QLD) - Monday, Dec 02, 2013 at 12:44

Monday, Dec 02, 2013 at 12:44

You are right there. That is why I have a VAST satellite TV system. It easy to set up and get perfect pictures on all channels anywhere.

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Follow Up By: Member - Boo Boo (NSW) - Monday, Dec 02, 2013 at 15:55

Monday, Dec 02, 2013 at 15:55

Good point bill.

Looking at the cabins will get it close to the mark.

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Reply By: Herbal - Monday, Dec 02, 2013 at 12:27

Monday, Dec 02, 2013 at 12:27

Speaking of which... I heard something on the radio the other day about TV stations. Several will be switching their analogue OFF completely in a few days. I think they said 9/12/2013.

What this means, is that anyone that has used the auto tune might be watching analogue and not know it. So if you suddenly loose some channels, you will need to run the auto tune to find the digital signals... To find out how to do that, read the instruction ;)

AnswerID: 522465

Follow Up By: Member - Rod N (QLD) - Monday, Dec 02, 2013 at 12:40

Monday, Dec 02, 2013 at 12:40

Most areas have already switched off analogue. Sydney on 3 Dec and Melbourne and remote eastern Australia on 10 Dec, which will complete the analogue switch off for all of Australia.
The website is
Analogue Switch Off

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Reply By: Member - Ian F (WA) - Monday, Dec 02, 2013 at 15:31

Monday, Dec 02, 2013 at 15:31

Hi BooBoo,
In the WikiCamps app they have a satellite finder that you can use with an iPhone/iPad.
It is an excellent app for any camping info.
regards Ian

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AnswerID: 522477

Follow Up By: Member - Rod N (QLD) - Monday, Dec 02, 2013 at 17:17

Monday, Dec 02, 2013 at 17:17

And WikiCamps can be used on Android devices as well.

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Follow Up By: Gronk - Tuesday, Dec 03, 2013 at 18:32

Tuesday, Dec 03, 2013 at 18:32

But not windows phones yet !!!!

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Reply By: GUJim - Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 at 11:56

Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 at 11:56

Had this issue many times while touring our great country. Looking at aerials on cabins is usually a good guide as these have (mostly) been professionally installed.
However on our last trip I utilized information from this (http://ozdigitaltv.com/) site as it is up to date and provides a wealth of information. Not only transmitting mast location but also polarity. Polarity (horizontal or vertical) is very important to know as it makes all the difference between no reception and full reception.
As an aside, during 2014 there will be a consolidation of TV transmitter frequencies and polarity across Australia which will remove the need for cross-polarity aerials where currently used and simplify the types of aerials required. May also require retuning of sets once implemented. Travelers will still need to have a VHF/UHF combo aerial with adjustable polarity to cater for the variations around Australia.
Hope this helps.
Jim.

AnswerID: 522548

Follow Up By: Member - Rod N (QLD) - Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 at 12:47

Wednesday, Dec 04, 2013 at 12:47

The government Myswitch site allows you to enter an address and get all the details of nearby transmitters.

It also provide all the details for set up of the VAST satellite TV dish.

There is also an app for smart phones which gives the same details.

FollowupID: 803635