Help accessing Vast

[graykat]

Hello,
does anyone know what the rules are with switching between a travellers access on Aurora to residential access on Vast? Is it straightforward?
Or is it easier to switch from a Vast traveller access to Residential access (if you are in a recognised black spot.

Going travelling and when I return home i want to continue to use satellite as I don't have an aerial (have been quoted a $2000 plus without any guarantee of good reception). Vast is not accessible in my residential area till 2013

Any answers greatly appreciated.
Cheers
GK

[Tiny]

AFAIK you can't switch to VAST residential from a Traveller access Aurora card. You would already have to be in a confirmed black spot with special access granted to your residence.

If you get the VAST decoder (there currently is only one available) & apply for Traveller Access online at

You will need to re-apply every six months at no extra cost, can be done 4 weeks prior to expiry of temporary access, untill you are certified as being in a poor or nill reception area when VAST is rolled out in your area.
You can make application for residential six months prior to analog switch off in your area if your address is given the OK by the MySwitch website.

More Info at

Hope that's helpful.

[mtv]

Hello,
does anyone know what the rules are with switching between a travellers access on Aurora to residential access on Vast? Is it straightforward?
Or is it easier to switch from a Vast traveller access to Residential access (if you are in a recognised black spot.

Going travelling and when I return home i want to continue to use satellite as I don't have an aerial (have been quoted a $2000 plus without any guarantee of good reception). Vast is not accessible in my residential area till 2013

Any answers greatly appreciated.
Cheers
GK

You've answered your own question.

Without permanent residential status for Aurora, you won't be eligble for permanent residential access to VAST until the second half of 2013.

If you have permanent residential access to Aurora now, you can get VAST now. (crazy, I know!)

You can get traveller access to VAST now.

[graykat]

Thanks Folks,
That helps clarify things.
Another question? Is a 85 cm dish better, or isn't there much difference between these and a 65 cm dish?

thanks again

[mtv]

Thanks Folks,
That helps clarify things.
Another question? Is a 85 cm dish better, or isn't there much difference between these and a 65 cm dish?

thanks again

Depends on your location, but in most areas that would normally use a 65cm dish for Aurora, I would highly recommend an 85cm for VAST as the signals on the only available VAST decoder at present are not as reliable on a 65cm dish as they are on an 85cm.

I only install 85cm dishes for VAST.

85cm is quite large to transport as a traveller, so maybe a 75cm would be a good compromise of size/performance.

[graykat]

Thanks MTV.
What would be the best satellite finder meter for me to purchase.
I will only be using it from time to to time.
I have read that a compass and a cheap $25 meter can do the job but I don't want to spend hours trying to locate the satellite.
Thanks again for your advice.

[gordon_s1942]

As part of Graycats query, suppose your a Traveller but eventualy you decide to stay home, what happens to the STB if.
A/ your permanent home ISNT in a VAST area, can you sell off to another 'Fellow Traveller' for THEIR use, ie re-register ?
Or B/ you are in a VAST area, can you or how do you now make it 'Permanent' to avoid the 6 monthly reregistrations??
Personaly I wouldnt do the traveler application in B to begin with and even with A, there are other options..............................

Graycat, I have a friend who travels with his Austar and he has it down to a fine art that in less then 10 minutes, he has his dish set up on a tripod, faces North, missus in Van watching while he turns the dish and BINGO !!
He doesnt use the meter any more.
Practise make Perfect.

[badass]

Hello,
does anyone know what the rules are with switching between a travellers access on Aurora to residential access on Vast? Is it straightforward?
Or is it easier to switch from a Vast traveller access to Residential access (if you are in a recognised black spot.

Going travelling and when I return home i want to continue to use satellite as I don't have an aerial (have been quoted a $2000 plus without any guarantee of good reception). Vast is not accessible in my residential area till 2013

Any answers greatly appreciated.
Cheers
GK

Yes


There are four categories of viewers eligible to access Commercial TV on VAST

1.Viewers in the Remote Central & Eastern Australia Licence Area: View Map

2.Current Satellite Viewers outside the Remote Central & Eastern Licence Area: these viewers currently watch satellite television and have special permission (“out of area” approval) for the existing “analogue” Aurora satellite services because they are in a television black spot

3.Viewers in regional and metropolitan areas served by normal terrestrial TV services but who are unable to receive TV after digital switchover. As digital switchover rolls out across Australia, regional and metropolitan viewers who will not be able to receive television after switchover can apply for VAST access 6 months prior to switchover. More information here

4.Travellers: people travelling in caravans or motor homes in Remote Central and Eastern Australia are eligible to apply for temporary access to Commercial TV on VAST.



For more detail go to this site

Cheers Badass

[maxw]

That's what they say on the web site but it's not true. I don't meet any of the criteria listed above and I just qualified automatically for VAST. I have previously applied for Aurora commercial and been refused. I live in a fringe area in Victoria but not in a designated Aurora area nor a remote area. I am also more than 6 months from switchover.

[mtv]

That's what they say on the web site but it's not true. I don't meet any of the criteria listed above and I just qualified automatically for VAST. I have previously applied for Aurora commercial and been refused. I live in a fringe area in Victoria but not in a designated Aurora area nor a remote area. I am also more than 6 months from switchover.

I'd say you were just very lucky for your application to go through.

You say you're in Victoria but more than 6 months away from analogue switchoff?

The remainder of regional Victoria switches off analogue terrestrial on May 5 this year... only a bit over a month away.

The only Victorian area that switches over later than May 5, is Melbourne, which switches over on December 31, 2013.

So to clarify, which town/suburb are you in?

[maxw]

I am about half way between Melbourne and Bendigo. I have never been able to receive terrestrial TV properly. After a mast-head amp and a tall antenna tower I got snowy FTA on some channels (some Melbourne, some Bendigo, some not at all), but digitial is unwatchable on most channels most of the time. I eventually applied for Aurora and got ABC/SBS but was refused commercial Aurora. If I lived in Blackwood down the road I would have been in an official blackspot, but that didn't help me any. I now pay for Austar, but that still doesn't get me commercial FTA.

I applied for VAST yesterday and didn't expect much (having read the conditions above on their website), and to my surprise it came right out and told me (after typing in my address) that I was eligible because I was in an area of poor reception - can't remember the exact words, but it wasn't because I was in a "Blackspot", it wasn't because I was in a "remote area", and it wasn't because my local transmitter is being turned off, and it wasn't because I am travelling. Perhaps I am regarded as being in the Bendigo zone, and outside their range. That could explain it, but why then was I refused Aurora?

Anyway, I'm very happy. Will be ordering a STB tomorrow. Pity it's a crappy STB but after 10 years of living here with no commercial FTA at all, it's a step forward!

Cheers.

[viewer]

Nice to hear of a winner...well done, you will not regret having VAST

[mtv]

I am about half way between Melbourne and Bendigo. I have never been able to receive terrestrial TV properly. After a mast-head amp and a tall antenna tower I got snowy FTA on some channels (some Melbourne, some Bendigo, some not at all), but digitial is unwatchable on most channels most of the time. I eventually applied for Aurora and got ABC/SBS but was refused commercial Aurora. If I lived in Blackwood down the road I would have been in an official blackspot, but that didn't help me any. I now pay for Austar, but that still doesn't get me commercial FTA.

I applied for VAST yesterday and didn't expect much (having read the conditions above on their website), and to my surprise it came right out and told me (after typing in my address) that I was eligible because I was in an area of poor reception - can't remember the exact words, but it wasn't because I was in a "Blackspot", it wasn't because I was in a "remote area", and it wasn't because my local transmitter is being turned off, and it wasn't because I am travelling. Perhaps I am regarded as being in the Bendigo zone, and outside their range. That could explain it, but why then was I refused Aurora?

Anyway, I'm very happy. Will be ordering a STB tomorrow. Pity it's a crappy STB but after 10 years of living here with no commercial FTA at all, it's a step forward!

Cheers.

Well, that answers the reason why, you are in an area which has been designated as one of poor terrestrial digital reception, following an AMCA area signal measurement survey.

As you're not in the Melbourne area, you ARE in regional Victoria, therefore the official analogue switchoff date for your area is May 5, this year.

That and the signal survey would be the likely reasons you were granted access to VAST.

I don't know why you were denied access to Aurora if you just made the application, but if it was a while ago, did you have an antenna installer submbit signal measurements on the B58 form?

Perhaps you applied for Aurora prior to ACMA conducting signal measurements in your area and determining it's a poor-signal location.

Regardless, it's a good outcome for you.... reliable digital reception.

[maxw]

Well, that answers the reason why, you are in an area which has been designated as one of poor terrestrial digital reception, following an AMCA area signal measurement survey.

As you're not in the Melbourne area, you ARE in regional Victoria, therefore the official analogue switchoff date for your area is May 5, this year.

That and the signal survey would be the likely reasons you were granted access to VAST.

Makes sense.

I don't know why you were denied access to Aurora if you just made the application, but if it was a while ago, did you have an antenna installer submbit signal measurements on the B58 form?

No, he didn't do that it the time (and we didn't know to ask). By the time we established that option, we had heard that DTV-T was around the corner, waited for it to arrive, paid for a high quality STB and that didn't work properly, got sick and throwing good money after bad and decided to subscribe to Austar, and so we never got around to paying a guy to come back and do measurements. Only recently we have become irritated at missing out on commercial DTV-T and have been waiting for the VAST option to arrive. The lure of several good commercial channels instead of just 2... Recently heard it had arrived so we applied!

Perhaps you applied for Aurora prior to ACMA conducting signal measurements in your area and determining it's a poor-signal location.

Regardless, it's a good outcome for you.... reliable digital reception.

Maybe the ACMA have conducted signal measurements since then and redefinded the area. It was a few years ago.

Yes, great outcome. Cheers and thanks.

[mtv]

maxw,

From what you've described, at the time you applied for Aurora, your antenna installer was required to provide detailed signal measurements at a minimum height of 12m and submit the results on the ACMA B58 form.

If your antenna installer didn't submit that supporting information and/or it didn't meet the criteria, ACMA would not grant access to the commercial channels.

Over the past year, ACMA has been conducting digital terrestrial field strength and signal quality tests across Australia, to assist determining which areas have sufficient digital terrestrial signals.

It appears your area has now been re-classified and no-longer requires B58 documentation to support applications for Aurora or VAST... great news for people in your area.

Unfortunately, for those who are still designated as being in good terrestrial signal areas, but who are in 'blackspots' or pockets of poor reception within those supposedly 'good' signal areas, the B58 requirements are still in place for both Aurora and VAST applications.

Here's the B58 form so you can see the crap some viewers & installers have to go through to qualify for 'special permission' to receive Aurora/VAST commercial channels.

[gordon_s1942]

This is why I posted that advise for members to check the Myswitch site regularly because there are changes being made regarding the local reception options.
Last night I checked the town of Oberon, NSW which has a Council Installed translator and found its going to be fully upgraded to the full digital suite in line with the changeover to commence in Jan 2012.