1. Your TV Antenna Is Pointing In The Wrong Direction
One reason why you may be experiencing reception issues with your TV is because of poor antenna alignment. If your antenna is not pointing in the correct direction the performance will be reduced.
So where should your antenna be pointed? Good question. While there are multi directional antennas, generally an antenna that is used for TV reception will have a directional pattern. What this means is they will receive/transmit more signal in one direction than the other. When they have been installed, they should be pointed toward the transmitter for the TV so that the best possible reception can be provided.
If you do not know where the TV transmitter tower is, you could point your antenna in the same direction as the other antennas on your block. However, this is not a guaranteed solution.
It may seem like TV antenna installation is easy, but it requires expert knowledge and experience with specialised RF equipment. After all, Sydney is a big place, with large hills, mountains, structures, and high rises, as well as many rivers and an expansive coastal area. Luckily for you we have been installing TV antennas in Sydney for nearly 40 years so we know it well. Nu Life TV will come up with the best solution for your circumstances to ensure crystal clear reception.
2. Location Location Location
The television reception problems that you are encountering could be related to the part of Sydney that you are based in. Let’s take a look through some of the most common TV reception issues across different areas of Sydney to help you get a better understanding.
Western Suburbs
Multi-storey buildings are common in this area, and they can block the signal to your TV. This can result in signal strength being a big problem here.
Sydney CBD
A common issue here are the high rise buildings in the area, which can result in the line of the sight to the main transmitter being blocked.
Sutherland Shire
Because of where Sutherland Shire is, there can often be a considerable distance from the main transmitter, causing the signal strength to be reduced.
South West Sydney
A lot of residents in the Macarthur region experience problems because they are situated quite a distance from the main transmitter. This means that signal strength can also be an issue in this area.
South Sydney
The line of sight to the main transmitter can often be blocked because of the buildings in the CBD.
Northern Beaches
Being at a low height and rusting are two of the most common problems experienced in this area.
Hill Shire District
You may have guessed the main problem in Hill Shire District; the hills! This means the location is prone to poor TV reception.
Eastern Suburbs
TV antennas on properties in coastal areas are prone to rust. The ground contours can be another problem.
So, what are you meant to do if you’re experiencing any of the above issues? Do you just have to accept the poor TV reception? You don’t! Nu Life TV have local knowledge required to come up with a solution so you can get great reception no matter where in Sydney you are located.
3. Weather
Bad weather can result in signal quality and strength being reduced. This is especially during periods of heavy rain and wind.
If you already have a low signal, it may drop beneath the “cut off” threshold during these bad weather conditions.
The absolute minimum standard for adequate digital TV reception in Sydney is 45dB, but we would recommend to leave a buffer of at least 5-10dB in case of poor weather or worsening product performance over time. Minimum signal quality should be ~25-30 MER, depending on which brand of spectrum analyser you are using!
4. You Have An Old Analogue Antenna
In Sydney, while analogue antennas still receive the digital signal, they are not designed for digital signals and therefore, do not result in as good reception as digital antennas do. This includes things like poor picture quality and pixilation. It also puts you at greater risk of experiencing issues with your reception during periods of bad weather as we discussed above.
There are many factors at play when choosing an antenna, including quality, brand, filtering, material, gain, design, and frequency. Nu Live TV’s experts will be able to select the best antenna for your requirements.
5. You Don’t Have The Correct Antenna For Your Area
In Sydney, there are a lot of different transmission sites that enable you to watch your favourite television shows. Some are on UHF, whereas others are on VHF.
In some areas, you could have different towers, and your stations could be on different frequencies.
Below, we will reveal the different sort of transmission towers across Sydney, as well as the frequency they use. This information is imperative when ensuring you have the right antenna in place.
Some of the transmission towers across Sydney include the following:
- Wollongong (UHF – Ultra High Frequency)
- Gore Hill / Artarmon (VHF – Very High Frequency)
- Razorback Range (UHF)
- Newcastle (UHF)
- Manly/Mosman (UHF)
- Illawarra (UHF)
- Kurrajong (UHF)
- Kings Cross (UHF)
With Australia being so vast in area and terrain, there is no such thing as one Digital Antenna that will do everything in every place.
VHF antennas will provide coverage of VHF Band 3, from channels 6 to 12. UHF Band 4 and sometimes Band 5 are covered by UHF antennas.
The main difference between the antennas is the size of their elements. VHF demand a bigger antenna element surface to receive longer frequencies.
Nu Life TV have installed thousands of antennas all across Sydney. We have the experience to recommend the right antenna to get you the best results in your area.
6. Obstructions
If you are experiencing TV reception problems, it could be because of an obstruction. Examples include trees, buildings, and hills. Essentially, this means that something is getting in the way of the transmitter.
When a signal leaves the transmitter, it is imperative that it finds the best direct path to your antenna. If there is an obstruction between the transmitter and antenna, this will result in the signal reflecting or bouncing.
When this occurs, your signal could become weak or distorted. This impacts the quality of the signal, which can cause it to break up.
Another common problem is trees! If the signal is going through a tree, this will cause the signal to weaken. Should the wind blow the tree, this can then cause issues to the strength of the signal. This can impact the quality of your television picture more than you may realise.
7. 4G interference
Aside from the different television reception issues that have been mentioned so far, 4G interference could be to blame for the problems you are encountering.
You may be wondering why you have had to get your television re-tuned so shortly after the digital change over. Well, this is because the demand for fast Internet has increased considerably!
Television has had to condense the allocated frequency bands so that this can be accommodated, therefore, enabling for more 4G frequencies.
These new 4G frequencies are within the range of older amplifiers and antennas that have been installed over the years.
You are going to have issues with your digital television signal if you have an older system that does not have any filters to take the new 4G frequencies out. The reason for this is because the 4G could be stronger than your television signal, and your amplifier may over-drive, which can result in signal distortion.
Without an amplifier, the 4G signal could be overpowering the signal for your digital television, pushing over the TV signal and resulting in corruption.
8. Weak Signal
If you live a long distance from your transmitter, you may get a weak signal. You may need an amplifier. The best thing to do is get in touch with a local TV installer, such as Nu Life TV, as they will be able to determine whether an amplifier is going to be sufficient or if something else is going to be required.
9. There May Be An Outage
Sometimes your reception issues can be completely out of your control, it could simply be a case of one of the networks experiencing an outage. Here you will find a list of network specific contact information regards TV reception outages.
10. Cabling
Finally, the type of cable used can affect your signal. The older coax cables that were utilised for analogue television do not have the same sort of screening quality of the new digital cables.
Plus, the attenuation rating of the cable could be greater than new RG6 or RG11 cable. This can cause there to be a drop in signal strength. This often results in the signal to your television being lost, which can cause it to break up.
Another issue with regards to cabling is in terms of length. The longer the cable you run, the more losses in the signal you can experience.
Contact Nu Life TV if you’re having any TV reception issues
If you are having any of the TV reception problems mentioned, or you’re struggling with any other issues with your television, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us for more information.
With over 40 years of experience in the industry, you can be sure that our friendly team can get to the bottom of the issue so that you don’t have to worry about TV reception problems again.
You can reach us on 02 9549 0082. We are always happy to answer any queries you may have, no matter how big or small.
