No TV at all?

  • Thread starter Hercules Smackbottom
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Hercules Smackbottom

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I live in valley surrounded by hills. Line of sight to the main transmitting facility is
just about impossible, so without help, from somewhere, we just don't have TV.
Help is in the form of four VHF-UHF translators on a nearby hill. In their present
state, these translators are “classic” analogue. Most homes need a UHF antenna
to take advantage of these. Performance is fairly good, particularly on ABC and
SBS.

So, along comes digital. Analogue transmitters are banned, but the translators only
work with signals from analogue transmitters. Overnight, television disappears from
“Sleepy Hollows” all over rural Australia. Does anyone know if there are plans to replace
these translators with something digital? Or are we forced to pay for satellite TV,
or what?

Waiting with interest...
 
"Hercules Smackbottom" <wanker@myrealbox.com> wrote in message
news:1103_1111821410@Loud_Belch...
I live in valley surrounded by hills. Line of sight to the main
transmitting facility is
just about impossible, so without help, from somewhere, we just don't have
TV.
Help is in the form of four VHF-UHF translators on a nearby hill. In their
present
state, these translators are classic analogue. Most homes need a UHF
antenna
to take advantage of these. Performance is fairly good, particularly on
ABC and
SBS.

So, along comes digital. Analogue transmitters are banned, but the
translators only
work with signals from analogue transmitters. Overnight, television
disappears from
Sleepy Hollows all over rural Australia. Does anyone know if there are
plans to replace
these translators with something digital? Or are we forced to pay for
satellite TV,
or what?

Waiting with interest...

What about free-to-air satellite? The packages seem to be quite reasonable
these days, and you get a couple of commercial channels, and about 4
discrete time zones of ABC & SBS. Once you've paid for the smart-card
(approx $80), you dont pay any ongoing charges.

Most of remote Australia have had satellite dishes for television for over
12 years; no alternative to get tv. If there's a group of you, you can set
up a satellite downlink at the point on the hill where your translator
currently is. Many towns in outback australia did this setup a number of
years ago to give everyone television.

The set-top box and the dishes are usually the same as Austar Satellite
(come off the same satellite), but its got a different polarization of the
feed horn in the dish.

I'd be astounded you cant set up satellite TV for under a grand all up for a
personal home system. Could be a lot less if you hunt around. I've seen a
few packages for as low as ~$650 some time last year. Probably a few more
grand if you were re-distributing, but a lot of people have already done
what you talk about with satellite, which is pretty much the same quality as
a set-top box(if not re-bradcasting).

Cheers,

Rod.......Out Back
 
Digital translators are already being deployed.
 
"Hercules Smackbottom"
I live in valley surrounded by hills. Line of sight to the main
transmitting facility is
just about impossible, so without help, from somewhere, we just don't have
TV.
Help is in the form of four VHF-UHF translators on a nearby hill. In their
present
state, these translators are "classic" analogue. Most homes need a UHF
antenna
to take advantage of these. Performance is fairly good, particularly on
ABC and
SBS.

So, along comes digital. Analogue transmitters are banned,
but the translators only
work with signals from analogue transmitters.

** Very simple matter to supply a STB type decoder to the translator site
and use the video and audio it produces to drive the existing transmitter
there.


Overnight, television disappears from
"Sleepy Hollows" all over rural Australia.

** Did Henny Penny tell you the sky was falling in too ????


Does anyone know if there are plans to replace
these translators with something digital?

** No need to replace them - normal analogue TV transmitters are used now
to broadcast digitally encoded signals. Only minor modifications would be
needed to a translator site to go digital.




............. Phil
 
"Hercules Smackbottom" <wanker@myrealbox.com> wrote in message
news:1103_1111821410@Loud_Belch...
I live in valley surrounded by hills. Line of sight to the main
transmitting facility is
just about impossible, so without help, from somewhere, we just don't have
TV.
Help is in the form of four VHF-UHF translators on a nearby hill. In their
present
state, these translators are "classic" analogue. Most homes need a UHF
antenna
to take advantage of these. Performance is fairly good, particularly on
ABC and
SBS.

So, along comes digital. Analogue transmitters are banned, but the
translators only
work with signals from analogue transmitters. Overnight, television
disappears from
"Sleepy Hollows" all over rural Australia.
Does it ??? Is there any site where analogue translaters have been turned
off but digital hasnt appeared ?

I know there is no way you can add any new ones, but they didnt turn any off
??


If there is, the hitch may be that the thing has to be turned off to allow
the transmission of digital at the main transmitter, but the digital
hardware is not ready to go (backlog on supply of equipment due to need
for repeaters all over the world ... no one is going to build a large
assembly line for them !)



Does anyone know if there are plans to replace
these translators with something digital?

Sure.

www.aba.gov.au and www.aca.gov.au and www.dba.org.au for more info.
ABA,ACA and tv stations install some, local councils and community groups
have installed others,
some paid for by black spot funding, others paid for by the local community
somehow.


Or are we forced to pay for satellite TV,
or what?
www.optus.com.au sells the optus aurora free to air satellite tv service
access card. You do have to pay for the satellite equipment, but its a once
of cost... Can be trouble if they say you cant get it because the area you
live in isnt allowed to get aurora .... the local tv stations dont want to
lose viewers to the aurora service...so the aurora service is not licensed
for use in many areas that the ground tv stations claim to cover...
 
where?? - is there a listing somewhere? Us mugs in parts of greater western
area of Sydney have to put up with installing large masts and hi-gain
antennas to suck signals out of Nth Sydney or Wollongong. Go figure why we
haven't had translators before.... probably a few votes in it as well but
the dopey pollies can't see that.


"Hercules Smackbottom" <wanker@myrealbox.com> wrote in message
news:1103_1111823235@Loud_Belch...
Digital translators are already being deployed.
 
Junee has a digital repeater

David

Hercules Smackbottom wrote:

I live in valley surrounded by hills. Line of sight to the main transmitting facility is
just about impossible, so without help, from somewhere, we just don't have TV.
Help is in the form of four VHF-UHF translators on a nearby hill. In their present
state, these translators are “classic” analogue. Most homes need a UHF antenna
to take advantage of these. Performance is fairly good, particularly on ABC and
SBS.

So, along comes digital. Analogue transmitters are banned, but the translators only
work with signals from analogue transmitters. Overnight, television disappears from
“Sleepy Hollows” all over rural Australia. Does anyone know if there are plans to replace
these translators with something digital? Or are we forced to pay for satellite TV,
or what?

Waiting with interest...
 
On Sat, 26 Mar 2005 10:01:30 GMT, "Dave" <djm2749@yahoo.com.au> wrote:
where?? - is there a listing somewhere? Us mugs in parts of greater western
area of Sydney have to put up with installing large masts and hi-gain
antennas to suck signals out of Nth Sydney or Wollongong. Go figure why we
haven't had translators before.... probably a few votes in it as well but
the dopey pollies can't see that.

This web site tells all... many digital translators either operating or under test.

http://www.dba.org.au/newsletter/IBaugsep02-full.asp

Click on “reception news”

The ATA were were quick to install analog translators in our area
Given the nature of our topography, they do a pretty good job.
Here’s hoping the same thing goes for digital.
 
Hercules Smackbottom wrote:
Passive repeaters? Simply mount an aerial on the hill pointing at the
tower, and couple it to another one pointing down the hill to you.
No amplification needed, this is a standard solution that gets used
a bit in the country.
 
On Mon, 28 Mar 2005 09:29:10 +1000, Clifford Heath <no@spam.please> wrote:
Hercules Smackbottom wrote:
or what?

Passive repeaters? Simply mount an aerial on the hill pointing at the
tower, and couple it to another one pointing down the hill to you.
No amplification needed, this is a standard solution that gets used
a bit in the country.
Yes! I have a site all picked out, but abandoned the idea when the
four analog translators came into service. At this stage I have no
permission to use the site but it shouldn't be too much trouble.

I don't know about you, but people say I'm dreaming when I mention
passive repeaters, couldn't possibly work! I've successfully installed
about four of them over the years, all in the USA.
 
On Mon, 28 Mar 2005 00:34:13 GMT, Hercules Smackbottom <wanker@myrealbox.com> wrote:

On Mon, 28 Mar 2005 09:29:10 +1000, Clifford Heath <no@spam.please> wrote:
Hercules Smackbottom wrote:
or what?

Passive repeaters? Simply mount an aerial on the hill pointing at the
tower, and couple it to another one pointing down the hill to you.
No amplification needed, this is a standard solution that gets used
a bit in the country.

Yes! I have a site all picked out, but abandoned the idea when the
four analog translators came into service. At this stage I have no
permission to use the site but it shouldn't be too much trouble.

I don't know about you, but people say I'm dreaming when I mention
passive repeaters, couldn't possibly work! I've successfully installed
about four of them over the years, all in the USA.
That's because they aren't aware of how it is achieved. Any antenna
that can be used as a receiver can also be used as a transmitting antenna.
The only cost is in the antenna, and a bit of coax. Plus labour to install it.
 

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