Our van is just over 6 months old and has a digital antenna, and we are finding that once you get out of major city areas that we struggle to get TV reception. Have bought a satellite dish, but that's an awful lot of hassle for 'one night stands'. Has anyone else had problems (?) with digital antennas outside of city areas eg. we are at Sth Grafton and can't get reception, yet a couple of others in the park with Wingard aerials appear to have TV reception.
Rockster said
05:56 PM Aug 4, 2014
Have you got internal LED lights on at the time. We have found that they cause interference if the TV signal is weak so try turning lights off!!
-- Edited by Rockster on Monday 4th of August 2014 05:57:34 PM
in transit said
08:27 PM Aug 4, 2014
I don't want to insult you, but you are doing a channel scan at each new location aren't you?
If your antenna is directional, have a look at the direction that the van park manager has his antenna pointing and do the same. If the antenna is omni-directional, its ability to pick up distant or weak channels will be limited. Another point is that metropolitan transmitters are often more powerful than regional ones. Does your antenna have an amplifier? It might be on the antenna or on the wall behind the TV, plugged into power. Check that it is warm. If you are parked where vegetation interferes with your line of sight to the transmitter, digital signals will be corrupted in wet and/or windy weather. With digital there is only a very fine line between a perfect signal and no signal. I hope one or more of the above might help.
Incidentally a TV antenna is a TV antenna. A digital prefix is a marketing exercise. You choose an antenna for the frequencies you wish to receive (+price, + size etc)
Good luck.
valiant81 said
09:33 PM Aug 4, 2014
Hi Pejay;
Stick with the satilight dish and the set up, yes it is a pain in the rear. But it does get easyer the more you set up. The old addage, practice make perfect, and you will find that it does get easyer as time goes by.
I have had the Vast set up for my caravan for the last 3 years and have a few problems ( bloody trees ) and also look at the site before setting up camp, just so we can have the news or the odd programe on television.
$169 and your setup problems are solved, as already been said check your position before you setup, if in a caravan park ask for a site where you can use your dish, they know which sites can or cannot use a dish
Wombat 280 said
08:58 AM Aug 5, 2014
I spend about five minutes on setting up the TV and if that fails it's the news from ABC Radio or DVD's Not worth the agro as there is bugger all on TV worth watching unless your into "B" Grade movies and re-runs of the Brady Bunch.
_wombat_ said
09:00 AM Aug 5, 2014
Wombat 280 wrote:
I spend about five minutes on setting up the TV and if that fails it's the news from ABC Radio or DVD's Not worth the agro as there is bugger all on TV worth watching unless your into "B" Grade movies and re-runs of the Brady Bunch.
100% correct, nothing worth watching, oh maybe the news and then that is not all that good anyway.
Legendts said
12:29 PM Aug 5, 2014
Pejay, is it one of those Jax antennae? I have heard very poor reports on them. We have a Wineguard and can generally get reception in most places. I don't have the extension on ours either.
Edit: Excellent advice from In Transit too.
-- Edited by Legendts on Tuesday 5th of August 2014 12:31:52 PM
Pejay I love you. I am having exactly the same problem. I was in Inverell over the weekend, all the caravans around me had reception, me nothing. I got the television fella from across the road to come and have a look and he could not find a signal either. He then told me that the CP did have a couple of dead spots and I was probably in one of them. Either that or I need a new transmitter.
In Guyra tonight and have nothing once again. It is very frustrating. So will see what happens as I move further North and into some of the larger centres.
The TV guy did tell me that people are having more success with the new bow tie type anntennas, so might be the way to go.
And yes I tune the tele each time I stop and as I muck around with the antenna. Last time I had tele was a fortnight ago in Tamworth and had all channels. Since then have been out in the sticks so to speak.
_wombat_ said
08:04 PM Aug 5, 2014
shekon wrote:
Pejay I love you. I am having exactly the same problem. I was in Inverell over the weekend, all the caravans around me had reception, me nothing. I got the television fella from across the road to come and have a look and he could not find a signal either. He then told me that the CP did have a couple of dead spots and I was probably in one of them. Either that or I need a new transmitter. In Guyra tonight and have nothing once again. It is very frustrating. So will see what happens as I move further North and into some of the larger centres.
The TV guy did tell me that people are having more success with the new bow tie type anntennas, so might be the way to go.
And yes I tune the tele each time I stop and as I muck around with the antenna. Last time I had tele was a fortnight ago in Tamworth and had all channels. Since then have been out in the sticks so to speak.
there is not a lot on tv these days but it is handy to have, your best option is to go sat tv, real easy to setup after you have been shown a few time, but do NOT buy from a mob called iTech World IMHO.
Pejay said
04:48 PM Aug 7, 2014
Thank you guys for all the info - now here's a laugh, we were to be on a 'premium site' here at Umina (which would have come with a cable for TV) but as they are doing reno's in that section, we were put in a normal powered site (no probs, and cheaper), but no cable, so they advised us to bring 'the dish' with us. However, whilst having a go to set up the TV (not normally one of my jobs) and Pete was outside setting up, hee, hee, guess who got 39 channels WITHOUT 'the dish'?? But as you say, not much on the box of late - ah well, them's the breaks!
Hi,
Our van is just over 6 months old and has a digital antenna, and we are finding that once you get out of major city areas that we struggle to get TV reception. Have bought a satellite dish, but that's an awful lot of hassle for 'one night stands'. Has anyone else had problems (?) with digital antennas outside of city areas eg. we are at Sth Grafton and can't get reception, yet a couple of others in the park with Wingard aerials appear to have TV reception.
Have you got internal LED lights on at the time. We have found that they cause interference if the TV signal is weak so try turning lights off!!
-- Edited by Rockster on Monday 4th of August 2014 05:57:34 PM
If your antenna is directional, have a look at the direction that the van park manager has his antenna pointing and do the same. If the antenna is omni-directional, its ability to pick up distant or weak channels will be limited. Another point is that metropolitan transmitters are often more powerful than regional ones. Does your antenna have an amplifier? It might be on the antenna or on the wall behind the TV, plugged into power. Check that it is warm. If you are parked where vegetation interferes with your line of sight to the transmitter, digital signals will be corrupted in wet and/or windy weather. With digital there is only a very fine line between a perfect signal and no signal. I hope one or more of the above might help.
Incidentally a TV antenna is a TV antenna. A digital prefix is a marketing exercise. You choose an antenna for the frequencies you wish to receive (+price, + size etc)
Good luck.
Hi Pejay;
Stick with the satilight dish and the set up, yes it is a pain in the rear. But it does get easyer the more you set up. The old addage, practice make perfect, and you will find that it does get easyer as time goes by.
I have had the Vast set up for my caravan for the last 3 years and have a few problems ( bloody trees ) and also look at the site before setting up camp, just so we can have the news or the odd programe on television.
you may need a Satlink WS-6933 from http://www.accessantennas.com.au/perth-discount/satellite-products/satellite-alignment-tools/
$169 and your setup problems are solved, as already been said check your position before you setup, if in a caravan park ask for a site where you can use your dish, they know which sites can or cannot use a dish
100% correct, nothing worth watching, oh maybe the news and then that is not all that good anyway.
Pejay, is it one of those Jax antennae? I have heard very poor reports on them. We have a Wineguard and can generally get reception in most places. I don't have the extension on ours either.
Edit: Excellent advice from In Transit too.
-- Edited by Legendts on Tuesday 5th of August 2014 12:31:52 PM
If you are near to Perth go to this shop http://www.accessantennas.com.au
In Guyra tonight and have nothing once again. It is very frustrating. So will see what happens as I move further North and into some of the larger centres.
The TV guy did tell me that people are having more success with the new bow tie type anntennas, so might be the way to go.
And yes I tune the tele each time I stop and as I muck around with the antenna. Last time I had tele was a fortnight ago in Tamworth and had all channels. Since then have been out in the sticks so to speak.
there is not a lot on tv these days but it is handy to have, your best option is to go sat tv, real easy to setup after you have been shown a few time, but do NOT buy from a mob called iTech World IMHO.
I bet you let Pete know.
