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20-01-2010, 03:19
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Birsbane area
Boat: HitchHiker 42ft Sailing Cat
Posts: 23
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TV Antennas - Australia
Have a hubby that loves his TV so with the new digital switch happening and our lack of a decent signal was hoping some of you ausie Guys can give me hand here. so far research has tracked down a Glomex for around $250 but my tv guy says to find a dome with the amplifier included with a particular cable and also chanel selection limited to 6-69. so anyone out there in the no??
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20-01-2010, 05:31
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: St. Augustine, Fl
Boat: Allied Princess, 36-Scallywag
Posts: 693
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The new digital TV signal in the USA is terrible for someone that lives far from the TV station. I have an antenna that is good for 200 miles with an amplifier. The stations are only 55 miles away. These antennas are no longer made. When the sky is clear the signal is clear. When it rains the signal looks like a satellite signal in the rain. The signal breaks up and sometimes the station is lost. I am not impressed with satellite tv either because the same thing happens in a bad rain storm.
John
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20-01-2010, 23:59
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#3
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Sunshine Coast, Qld, Australia
Boat: CyberYacht 43
Posts: 5,174
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To be...
I put in a Shakespeare Antenna with the amplifier. Works well.
Also hooked up my AM/FM radio via a Shakespeare splitter. Works well.
Haven't tried it in really poor areas, but as digital is UHF I'm not expecting miracles.
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21-01-2010, 16:08
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Birsbane area
Boat: HitchHiker 42ft Sailing Cat
Posts: 23
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Thanks for your comments scallywag. Am land based most of the time here in Brisbane Australia and find certain channels really hard to get on the set top digital box we have so thats why i am wary of buying for my boat. The prices i am getting quoted are around $300 with no guarantees. So will keep researching
Kaz
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22-01-2010, 05:52
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#5
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Marine Service Provider
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Wewahitchka, FL
Boat: Westsail 32 - Pamela
Posts: 319
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I would start by getting the least expensive set top antenna for UHF that you can find at the local discount store along with enough coax to hoist it. Take it to the boat and try it.
You probably don't need an amp. Getting an antenna up and out of structures makes a huge difference in the signal with digital reception. Most of the rabbit ear antennas are directional so try to stabilize the antenna while testing and try different orientations.
Take a look at the DIY antenna thread that is active right now. One post is showing how to make a hoop antenna. I think these tend to be more omni directional.
__________________
Bob Stewart
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22-01-2010, 06:01
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 497
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We had a Glomex on the masthead on the last boat, omnidirectional with a signal booster that drew nothing for power. It worked well for analog TV, digital is either there or it's not, there seems to be no middle ground. Digital seems a step backwards in some respects, when it works the picture is great but some picture is better than none.
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22-01-2010, 07:05
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Wherever the boat is!
Boat: Marine Trader 34DC
Posts: 4,619
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Any antennas that will receive UHF will work for over the air digital and HD. Currently in the US all stations are only operating at one half power, never received a good explanation why, which does not improve reception in fringe areas. Having said that, with a Shakespeare antenna and a signal booster, we have recieved broadcasts when the tower was almost 70 miles away. WG
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03-02-2010, 13:05
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Sydney Australia
Posts: 28
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Here in Australia, the best digital antenna I've come across is the "SuperDigi" but it has a price tag of around AUD $900.00. The majority of boaters in Sydney that are serious about their TV use it and swear by it.
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03-02-2010, 13:21
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Birsbane area
Boat: HitchHiker 42ft Sailing Cat
Posts: 23
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Thanks capdiy, I think $900 is abit out of my range. Still using rabbit ears and hating it but haven't been happy with the digital anyway. Where i'm based i can't get 7 at all and when the weather is bad the digital signal is really bad. Not worth watching. Have you heard anything of any other middle of the range antennas? I talked to a TV guy and they tell me the HF option is not good reception. Just having trouble wading through the advertising to try and find something that will work most of the time.
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03-02-2010, 14:29
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Sydney Australia
Posts: 28
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GME Acies set-top box plus antenas works at just under AUD $500.00. Twin antennas like this one and the"SuperDigi" mentioned earlier, appear to be the only ones that pick up a good digital signal.
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03-02-2010, 15:47
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Sydney Australia
Boat: Citation 34' Center Cockpit (Australian design and build)
Posts: 61
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Just out of curiosity,
Would a UHF 2way Ariel pick up any usable signal or is the wavelength wrong for digital tv.
Cheers Mark.
__________________
I used to be undecided but now I'm not so sure.
Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder!
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03-02-2010, 16:01
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Wherever the boat is!
Boat: Marine Trader 34DC
Posts: 4,619
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Not sure about Australia, but in the US there is no such thing as a digital ofrHD TV antenna. Any claims are simply a marketing ploy. For here at least, as I said in a previous post, to pick up our digital signals you need any antenna that receives UHF and since some digital broadcasts are still done in VHF here the ability to pick up UHF and VHF is useful. Our Shakespeare omni directional sitting on a mast 20 feet off the water picks up stations at 60 miles away. It does have the signal booster and I would recommend it if you are trying to get a signal some distance away. Here in the Chesapeake we can pick up all of the Baltimore digital and HD stations with a coat hanger.
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04-02-2010, 13:01
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: adelaide ,australia
Boat: 36ft one off trimiran
Posts: 133
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hi top deck 2 i bought one of those omni directional things with a amplifier through whitworths here in adelaide and when we sailed across the St vincent Gulf (approx 60 ks ) i tried my new u beaut antenna all i got was snow so i connected my bunny ears to 10 m of cable hoisted to the mast head and was rewarded with a clear picture ,this exercise was repeated over that week with the same result having said that on really windy /stormy days the picture did ghost a bit but was still watchable i wish i had tried this before outlaying $200 + dollars for the so-called marine antenna and having spoke to a few people at our local marina everone was of the same opion of these amplified antennas in that they just dont seem to work .....i would ask around at your marina and see what works for other boaties cheers andy
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04-02-2010, 23:19
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Birsbane area
Boat: HitchHiker 42ft Sailing Cat
Posts: 23
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Just had a look at your link for digiatl stations but not sure how I can apply this?
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