Digital Reception
Having some issues with your digital TV reception?
Here are some handy tips and tricks, that may help you find a solution.
Shorten your cables
Cable length affects signal strength. Ensure that the length of an antenna cable is as short as possible
from the antenna to the receiver (TV, STB, etc).
Check the quality of your cables
How old is the cabling system? If it has been around longer than 5 – 10 years it will probably not be good enough for digital
reception and may even have deteriorated with age. Ensure that the replacement cable is a good quality quad shielded
coaxial cable (L4264 to L4274, W 2087, W 2987) RG6 instead of cheap RG56 dual shield.
Check with your neighbours
If your neighbours' reception is as bad as yours, you may band together to work out why or complain to whoever is willing to
listen. However, if you find that some have good reception, you may do a bit of comparison between their setup and yours and
find out what the trick is to getting good reception in your area. Look in particular at the direction of their antenna, type of
antenna, cabling and tuner in their digital TV setup. Unless you know where the television transmitting towers are located, we
would suggest the use of an L1500 TV antenna direction finder. It will at least get you and your neighbours to know one
another.
Retune your stations
If you have a bad signal, there is always a risk that re-tuning (re-scanning/auto-tuning) may result in losing some of your
existing channels especially if they are fringe (weak) channels to begin with. However, stick with it. You may have to perform
several re-tuning (re-scanning), especially whenever there is a change to the antenna, the cabling (length, type, fittings, etc) or
any other adjustments made to the system – including a repositioning of the cable. With new stations being added all the time
in the current digital rollout, it is worth doing a new scan every few weeks or so.
What about your antenna?
If you are still using an older analog antenna, you may need to update it to an antenna that has been designed to perform
better with digital television. The addition of an amplifier to an old and inadequate antenna system may only increase
reception problems.
One method to tell whether you should update is to check the signal strength of channels 6, 8 10 and 11. If channels 10 or 11 are much worse than 6 or 8, a new antenna may be worth looking into including changing to quad shield cabling. The best results can only really be achieved using an outdoor antenna with quad shield cabling and 'F' type connectors. Indoor antennas are only a compromise and can never really provide the best. Note: the signal strength is given in most STBs these days when you are channel surfing: look for the signal bars or dots.
Ask an expert
If you live in a shared accommodation, there may not be much you can do to the existing setup – especially if you are renting.
However, if you are in a strata or a house, it may be worth calling in an expert. Antenna and TV signal technicians can advise
you on your antenna type and signal strength, suggest solutions and tune your TV to different masts than you currently own.
If the Dick Smith Mobile Techxpert service is unavailable in your area, check with the Australian Federal Government Digital TV Ready Commission for an endorsed installer.
