Whats the right antenna for Brisbane bayside residetn

[acderby]

G'day all ... this is my first post so be gentle. I live in Birkdale 4159 (Bayside suburb of Brisbane). I get all channels most of the time although my signal is weak (or so the monitor in my sony TV tells me). I have a Play TV box which seems to need very good signal and I get little in the way of channels out of it. I have a small antenna (with a green boom) that was already installed when I got the house. The cable looked rubbish so I replaced most it with quad shielded cable. It splits into three via a splitter box in the ceiling. I was thinking about getting the biggest VHF/UHF that Bunnings sells but hear they arent the best bang for buck. Any suggestions? I am hearing that the Hills gear are OK! Cheers Adrian

[mtv]

G'day all ... this is my first post so be gentle. I live in Birkdale 4159 (Bayside suburb of Brisbane). I get all channels most of the time although my signal is weak (or so the monitor in my sony TV tells me). I have a Play TV box which seems to need very good signal and I get little in the way of channels out of it. I have a small antenna (with a green boom) that was already installed when I got the house. The cable looked rubbish so I replaced most it with quad shielded cable. It splits into three via a splitter box in the ceiling. I was thinking about getting the biggest VHF/UHF that Bunnings sells but hear they arent the best bang for buck. Any suggestions? I am hearing that the Hills gear are OK! Cheers Adrian

Difficult to make a firm recommendation, without accurate signal measurements, however, you need a Band 3 & 4 antenna, ponted at Mt Cootha (around 27km from Birkdale). It's not just the antenna, but it's mounting location that can be critical for reliable digital reception and you can only find that 'sweet-spot' with a digital field strngth meter/spectrum analyser.

With digital signals, signal 'quality' is more important than signal strength.

I would not recommend buying antennas from Bunnings as they mostly stock Antsig... which are very poorly built and the plastics used deteriorate fairly quickly.

In the Hills range, I'd go for the Spectramax SMX24B4+

Upgrading the coax to RG6 Quadshield is a good move, but you also need to ensure all connections are fully-shielded. eg: using F connectors, especially the splitter, as a lot of the old plastic box splitters don't work too well with digital signals.

One thing you can do is check all connections at the antenna, balun and even in the ceiling & wallplates, as salt-air causes corrosion on antennas/connections and is very common in bayside areas.

Considering your reception is mostly good, perhaps replacing the passive splitter with a powered splitter may be all that's required. A powered splitter compensates for the distribution and insertion loss, however, if signal quality is low at the antenna, an amp won't usually fix it, just give higher signal strength but no improvement in signal quality.

That's why accurate signal measurements are important, so you know what you have and what you need.

Hope this helps.

[gordon_s1942]

Just one other minor suggestion is to look at the mast your using and how long it is as suprisingly Digital doesnt like the antenna 'Blowin' in the Wind'.
MTV has identified your 27ks from the transmitter plus being on the coast with the winds that can and often get rather blustery at times is worth considering just how stable your antenna is to pick up the signal.
I notice quite a few installers are using light tube bracing on a mast where the antenna is more than a metre above the antenna mounting be it a 'J' pole,wall or chimney bracket etc.
With analog you can get away with the antenna near falling of the pole but Digital isnt at all forgiving.