Heat stressing Digital TV

[gordon_s1942]

These last few days even where I am up on the Central Tablelands of NSW have shown that Digital TV is subject to the heat phenomona where distance or obstructions occur between transmitter and antenna.
I am surprised that the translators themselves havent 'crashed' due to heat which shows that instead of just an old tin garden shed as I have seen at some locations, they have well insulated and A/C them too.
One 'shed' at a repeater location actually had a 'Belly Rope' arounds its middle to keep it together and inside they had used those cheap blue plastic tarps pushed into the gaps between the walls and roof to hopefully keep the equipment dry.
Ohh, and it had old short star pegs driven at each corner to stop it blowing away and a piece of fence wire wrapped around the wooden 40 foot mast that was attatched Bush style to anchor the shed as well.
I notice most disruptions are about an hour or so after sunrise and about 2 hours before sunset.
The disruptions vary from a few pixels to minor screen freezes.
On Friday however 3 of the 4 available channels showed No Signal.
I didnt check to see if they were running or if it was just a heat loss.
The old analog channels were churning along as usual.

[mildew]

These last few days even where I am up on the Central Tablelands of NSW have shown that Digital TV is subject to the heat phenomona where distance or obstructions occur between transmitter and antenna.
I am surprised that the translators themselves havent 'crashed' due to heat which shows that instead of just an old tin garden shed as I have seen at some locations, they have well insulated and A/C them too.
One 'shed' at a repeater location actually had a 'Belly Rope' arounds its middle to keep it together and inside they had used those cheap blue plastic tarps pushed into the gaps between the walls and roof to hopefully keep the equipment dry.
Ohh, and it had old short star pegs driven at each corner to stop it blowing away and a piece of fence wire wrapped around the wooden 40 foot mast that was attatched Bush style to anchor the shed as well.
I notice most disruptions are about an hour or so after sunrise and about 2 hours before sunset.
The disruptions vary from a few pixels to minor screen freezes.
On Friday however 3 of the 4 available channels showed No Signal.
I didnt check to see if they were running or if it was just a heat loss.
The old analog channels were churning along as usual.

And here was me thinking it was the SDB overheating that was causing it or worse still it was about to die. I am in WA and we have had a lot of hot humid weather of late. Every night after dark my TV starts to pixilate badly with regular digital channel freezes. Like you analogue ain't a problem. Very frustrating at times and enough to wonder whether it was worth going digital just yet.

[ol' boy]

We have been having some very strange weather here in south west Vic.
Strong Northerlys with clear skys kill the signal from Melbourne where i live.

But an easterly with a big fog roll like we had Monady and yesterday saw me being able to tune into Digital channels from Gippsland as well as Melbourne.

Could get Prime, 10 SC, and many others...... of course they are only going to be around while atmospherics allow it.

Brings you back to the old Ham and CB Radio days and a bit of good old skip

[gordon_s1942]

Maybe we will have to start studying the ionosphere charts again.

Like that old song that says, Everything Old is New Again !!