We have a Foldaway TV Antenna and wondered if it is suitable for outback Qld travels.
If not, what would you recommend?
Cheers Sol
Cupie said
03:54 AM May 21, 2013
Hi Sol ..
This is a perennial hot topic amongst caravanners.
The answer is dependent on where in Outback Qld you want reception & how much you want to spend and how much you want to lug around with you.
If you are staying in powered sites in relatively large towns then a foldaway may be OK, dependent on type.
I have always used a wind up Wineguard with a Wingman attachment fitted with the advent of digital. It comes with a 'mast head' amplifier & has always been able to get reception where others were getting it too. Occasionally had to turn the mast head to the vertical to match the transmission mode.
There are lots of specialist antennas that others more knowledgeable than I will discuss I'm sure.
eg. A 'new' to the market one that looks like a snowflake .. great for horizontal or vertical signal transmission & maybe not so directional reliant as mine. They use this type 'etched' on the 'circuit boards' of your mobile & similar devices these days.
I'm sure that you will be able to get suitable types at Dick Smiths & Caravan parts places like Camec.
Of course there are those who use satellite dishes & swear by them. I'll leave others to make recommendations on them.
If you do a search of the forum's previous posts on the subject you'll get a swag of info.
allinone said
12:01 AM May 23, 2013
Hi coverage in many parts may be limited to satellite or in some towns limited to ABC or none at all as many analogue transmitters will not be converted by year end-2013 ... sites to visit that may help include (in my order of accuracy and authority):
Maybe a good time to stock up on books, games, cards, batteries for the radio etc
Scotty01 said
07:40 AM May 23, 2013
If you want to be sure of TV coverage in all outback areas the only way you are going to do it is with a Sat dish and decoder ie: VAST. In most cases if you are nearby to a larger town you can get some coverage from DTV but once away from there forget it. read a book.
Sol said
01:23 PM May 23, 2013
G'day Cupie, allinone and Scotty01. Thank you for your replies. Guess ill have to look into it some more. We don't usually take a TV, but being State Of Origin time, just may have to make an exception.
Cheers Sol
Cupie said
04:52 PM May 23, 2013
I can understand the pressure to watch the historic 8 in a row (I've lost count ... I think that it is 8).
Takes me back to all those years of my youth where the great Qld. players (lured to NSW clubs by the pokie money) played for NSW & thrashed us for a decade or so. They even wanted to scrap the interstate series because it wasn't much of a competition & was interfering with their Sydney centric club competition.. Revenge is sweet! as were those years when the Broncos reigned supreme.
I have just gone out & purchased a 2 Terabyte HDD (<$100) so that I can record the digital free to air broadcast . Just plug it into a USB port on the TV .. They're turning off Analogue transmissions to Brissy at the end of May, so my good old VHS recorder won't work without the complication of a Set Top Box ... gave away 2 of them recently.
I have State of Origin VHS tapes (the ones that Qld. win that is) plus lots of Aussie won internationals, going back well into the 1990s. Difficult/painful to convert them to digital though despite buying a range of conversion devices & software.
I'll warm up for the series by replaying the old tapes on the big screen. My favorite games are the ones where Barry Gomersall RIP was officiating. Pity that I am off the grog though.
If all else fails, make sure that you are in a big town/city on game night & try a local club/pub or make friends with a fellow traveler with a satellite dish.
_wombat_ said
05:18 PM May 26, 2013
have a look at this site http://www.satplus.com.au/ the only place to shop for sat tv, very quick delivery.
We have a Foldaway TV Antenna and wondered if it is suitable for outback Qld travels.
If not, what would you recommend?
Cheers Sol
Hi Sol ..
This is a perennial hot topic amongst caravanners.
The answer is dependent on where in Outback Qld you want reception & how much you want to spend and how much you want to lug around with you.
If you are staying in powered sites in relatively large towns then a foldaway may be OK, dependent on type.
I have always used a wind up Wineguard with a Wingman attachment fitted with the advent of digital. It comes with a 'mast head' amplifier & has always been able to get reception where others were getting it too. Occasionally had to turn the mast head to the vertical to match the transmission mode.
There are lots of specialist antennas that others more knowledgeable than I will discuss I'm sure.
eg. A 'new' to the market one that looks like a snowflake .. great for horizontal or vertical signal transmission & maybe not so directional reliant as mine. They use this type 'etched' on the 'circuit boards' of your mobile & similar devices these days.
I'm sure that you will be able to get suitable types at Dick Smiths & Caravan parts places like Camec.
Of course there are those who use satellite dishes & swear by them. I'll leave others to make recommendations on them.
If you do a search of the forum's previous posts on the subject you'll get a swag of info.
Hi coverage in many parts may be limited to satellite or in some towns limited to ABC or none at all as many analogue transmitters will not be converted by year end-2013 ...
sites to visit that may help include (in my order of accuracy and authority):
Maybe a good time to stock up on books, games, cards, batteries for the radio etc
If you want to be sure of TV coverage in all outback areas the only way you are going to do it is with a Sat dish and decoder ie: VAST. In most cases if you are nearby to a larger town you can get some coverage from DTV but once away from there forget it. read a book.
Thank you for your replies. Guess ill have to look into it some more. We don't usually take a TV, but being State Of Origin time, just may have to make an exception.
Cheers Sol
I can understand the pressure to watch the historic 8 in a row (I've lost count ... I think that it is 8).
Takes me back to all those years of my youth where the great Qld. players (lured to NSW clubs by the pokie money) played for NSW & thrashed us for a decade or so. They even wanted to scrap the interstate series because it wasn't much of a competition & was interfering with their Sydney centric club competition.. Revenge is sweet! as were those years when the Broncos reigned supreme.
I have just gone out & purchased a 2 Terabyte HDD (<$100) so that I can record the digital free to air broadcast . Just plug it into a USB port on the TV .. They're turning off Analogue transmissions to Brissy at the end of May, so my good old VHS recorder won't work without the complication of a Set Top Box ... gave away 2 of them recently.
I have State of Origin VHS tapes (the ones that Qld. win that is) plus lots of Aussie won internationals, going back well into the 1990s. Difficult/painful to convert them to digital though despite buying a range of conversion devices & software.
I'll warm up for the series by replaying the old tapes on the big screen. My favorite games are the ones where Barry Gomersall RIP was officiating. Pity that I am off the grog though.
If all else fails, make sure that you are in a big town/city on game night & try a local club/pub or make friends with a fellow traveler with a satellite dish.
have a look at this site http://www.satplus.com.au/ the only place to shop for sat tv, very quick delivery.