News and FAQ'S on Antenna & digital TV, as at March 2009

Happy Wanderer Caravan Accessories is pleased to provide our thoughts below on TV reception.We state that these are our views & opinions after many years of supply of Antenna products to the industry & talking to caravaners. We welcome debate on any of these topics and we are willing to enlarge our comments through the "contact us" section of this web site or by telephone.

NOTE:  BELOW IS DETAILED INFORMATION BUT FOR A BREIF UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO GET MAXIMUM DIDITAL TV RECEPTION SCROLL TO BOTTOM OF THIS SECTION & OPEN OUR CARTOON ADVTERISEMENT.

Question index.

1. Vertical & horizontal signal
2. Van wall connection
3. Set top boxes and digital TV's
4. 2 TV outlets inside van
5. Boosters /amplifiers
6. Tuning TV sets
7. DX2700 antenna trouble shooting
8. Digital TV Roll out (latest Information) & digital testing
9. TV SIGNAL finder.

(1) Why is there vertical & horizontal signal transmission in Australia?

In Australia signal is transmitted in some locations in Vertical polarisation & in other areas Horizontally (almost 50/50 by location). This is to stop signal interference & therefore increases the number of stations that are available & thus makes for better TV coverage. Both UHF & VHF signal can be an is transmitted in Vertical or horizontal. It is therefore critical that you choose an antenna that can be set in vertical mode in vertical signal locations and horizontal mode in horizontal locations. Our TV Station Guide 2008 edition lists the polarisation of all transmitters by location & makes set up of antenna easier.

 Further, there is an antenna that mounts on caravan roofs that can be raised up & down and rotated from inside the caravan. These antennas are less than ideal as they do not account for Australian broadcast conditions. For example, as you move from town to town the polarisation changes from HORIZONTAL to VERTICAL however these antennas cannot be set in vertical mode. We receive many comments from caravaners with these American designed antennas who find they do not get good signal in Vertical signal locations. This is realised when they compare with a neighbor who is set vertically with an antenna such as our products that have simple swing head device attached to change polarisation.

We repeat advice from above. When ordering your new van or buying an antenna, it is critical that you choose an antenna that can be set in vertical mode in vertical signal locations and horizontal mode in horizontal locations. In some rare locations, the one town receives both vertical & horizontal, therefore an option is to set the antenna and it's bars at 45 degrees to compromise. It is best to change antenna polarisation as you change stations but 45 degree may do the job.

We see no sense in having one arm of antenna vertical & the other horizontal as the signal received on the arm set wrong can be badly affected. Our antenna cannot be set one up & one down and this was a deliberate design consideration.Happy Wanderer antenna models are supplied with our registered designed and simple to use "swing head" which can be rotated vertically or horizontally or any angle in between.
 
(2) Is current Caravan & RV coaxial connectors through van wall ready for Digital signal?

The introduction to Digital signal may mean many caravans will have wiring of TV cable installed that is not satisfactory for digital. The Australian standard for digital & satellite is AS1367:2000. This is not an enforceable standard, but anyone connecting TV installation domestically knows that use of screw "F" connectors & use of RG6 or RG59 coaxial cable is is the required standard and is critical. (FOX TEL only use this "F"system)

Most caravan manufacturers are still installing the "PUSH IN" fittings & this more than certainly will have the potential to cause problems when tuning to digital signal through set top boxes. Discuss this when ordering a new van. Certainly, flat ribbon cable should not be used & should be replaced. A report on this subject is available, obtained independently from GME Kingray, who are the manufacturers of our TV Amplifier/Boosters. HW024G model.

We cover briefly below but for more detailed answer see PDF file 31 at bottom of page supplied by The Government of Australia.

We recommend obtaining a set top box as soon as you can. They are now inexpensive, small and very easy to use. What a set top box does is convert DIGITAL signal to ANALOGUE to enable use of existing TV set. When receiving digital signal through a box there is a definite improvement in signal (especially on channel 2 stations that have changed to digital)

We have available a good quality 240 volt/12 volt box for $110 retail. Called a "MINI DIGITAL SET TOP BOX FOR CARAVANS AND BOATS" this box is so small it fits into the palm of your hand. Also, it has a infrared extender that allows you to put box in a cupboard or behind TV out of sight. Another choice is to purchase a TV with in built set top box (tuner).

We have an e-mail on Digital TV roll out and are only to happy to forward on request through our CONTACT US section.

(4) I have 2 TV outlets inside my Caravan. Can this cause problems with powered Antenna's such as DX2700 active?

If you are ordering a new caravan or RV & you want 2 outlets ask for "satellite splitters" ("F" screw) and ask that "ALL PORTS PASS POWER". Alternatively, if all ports do not pass power then the power pass goes upward to the Antenna. This will ensure good quality antennas that need boosted signal to the head pass power in the right direction. These splitters are only a few dollars dearer but worth every extra cost & ensure highest quality signal without reducing the signal because of the splitting. If you already have a 2 outlet system and you intend to purchase our DX2700 Active Zone antenna then above information will possibly help you.

(5) Amplifier/boosters, are they needed?

If you are traveling extensively you will most likely need a booster. The best for all types of antenna is a "MASTHEAD" type. Because of the small run of cable in a Caravan (4 meters generally) it is not necessary to have connected on the mast. We recommend they be set up inside the van, as this has been confirmed & tested by our supplier. A good reason to do it this way is because it is very simple & quick to by pass booster in strong signal locations.

Having signal too strong can cause poor quality signal. This is also the reason why we selected 24 DB gain model as opposed to 34DB gain. Again, our supplier advised on this product selection for caravan use. Also 34DB gain model is very complicated in the motherboard & more prone to damage in a traveling application. The 34 DB gain is good for something like a motel with long cable runs & many TV's in line. Our booster model HW024G is wired up to use inside van with both push in plugs & "F"screw plugs.

Simply throw away the push in adapter if you have screw plugs & there is a 12 volt model available. The HW024g model is optimised for both digital and analogue TV signal amplification.

Read more about our Masthead Amplifier/Booster (MHW24G)

(6) Tell me about Tuning TV bands when on the move to locations within Australia?

At home we have our TV's tuned & pre-set but as one travels to many locations in a caravan it is neccessary to tune your TV set at each new location to obtain signal from the 57 channels in use now in Australia. Most modern TV sets have automatic tuners but if your tv set only has manual tuning it may not be easy at first but once it has been done a few times it is usually less of a problem. Professional members of TV repair shops can pre-tune your manually tuned TV set for you then you will only need to select the appropriate channel from you remote control. If buying a new set for travel always pay extra & obtain an AUTOMATICALLY TUNED set.

Remember to study the TUNING section of your TV set guide book. Also, fine tuning may be needed as sometime an exact lock on a channel may not be achieved. Once again, the TV set guide book covers fine tuning. Fine tuning will clear up the sound & make picture clearer but most of the time Automatic tuners lock on to channel 100% accurately, but be aware of the fine tuning function.

We recommend tuning take place with antenna in boost mode (if you have a boosted system) & with antenna properly set to VERTICAL or HORIZONTAL mode & pointing at station to best lock onto signal. Our TV station guide book assists greatly with this procedure.

We have 5 bands in Australia. Band 1 (channels 0 to 2) , Band 2 (channels 3 to 5) and band 3 (channels 5a to 12) are all VHF.

Band 4 (channels 28 to 35) and band 5 (channels 36 to 69) are UHF.

The antenna rods on the DX2700 Active 1 antenna do not need to be extended for the UHF bands 4 and 5.

With digital signal introduction, in most cases, transmission will be about the same frequency (channel number) as it is presently in analogue. A major plus is channel 2 will be taken out of band 1 to higher band & we feel improve this situation. Any problems currently with channel 2 stations will be a thing of the past.

(7) I have a problem with my DX2700 Active 1 antenna & how do I do initial test before contacting you?

The 1st thing we wish you to establish is if there is 12 volt power getting up the cable to the antenna head from EPS33 or 35 power supply box.

Fully set up antenna & power supply box, put in boost mode so both red & green lights are on, then unscrew co ax cable at antenna head then using a multi meter or a cheap fuse test light meter check for 12 volt power existence.( test light meters are available from hardware stores at about $5 to $10) Check same at each co ax connection working back to EPS-35 power box. This process of elimination will reveal where power is being lost. Mostly, from experience, it is at the van connection points or internal wiring of van but in rare occasion it could be faulty connectors supplied with antenna.

Also check that copper coaxial inner core is protruding out at each join to make a good & connected female /male fit. Sometimes the copper core withdraws backward into black cable thus loosing connection. The antenna must have power to the head to work. If power is lost at van fixture then replace same or use using female / female connector we supply thus by passing van.

If red & green lights go out when you turn them on then EPS-35 unit is detecting a short circuit in the wiring (normally it is van wiring that causes short circuit)

Above is advice for initial check but please contact us if you feel this is outside your expertise as we will spend the time to get you active with product. From our experience, van wiring can cause much of the problem.

Lastly, are you tuning your set as per Question (6) above?

(8) What is latest on Digital TV roll out by the Australian Government

The  "Word"  document (28 ) below advises on the situation as at January 2009. Our products are DIGITAL READY & we will brand accordingly once stickers are available. Our brochures state DIGITAL READY now. Scroll to bottom of page for this word document.

Also below, is a large PDF file on answering many "frequently asked questions" on Digital TV roll out.  It is interesting to note there is little mention on TV ANTENNA'S.   What is said is that if you receive good signal now then you will receive good signal in digital.   We also add that the signal received through SET TOP BOX or built in TUNER is Clearer & without interference.  It's amazing in fact.

Digital test report conducted by us.

On the weekend of 7th March, The Tourist Park at Kirton Point, Port Lincoln, conducted a "Outdoor Living Expo 2009" & we attended to assist the PORT LINCOLN CARAVAN CENTER . We were aware that this delightful Caravan park is unique in that the site does not have line of sight to the local TV transmitter. This offered a great testing opportunity for our "DX2700 Active Zone" antenna. The weather was overcast & windy during testing & we were centrally located in the park.

On asking around we found signal received was weak but watchable on most antenna in the park. About 50% of antenna were pointing north to Tumby Bay which is a VERTICAL signal. Local Port Lincoln signal was from the West & HORIZONTAL. All wind up type antenna we noticed were pointing West.

When we tested the DX2700 product on Analogue we had a strong signal & near perfect signal when pointed north to TUMBY BAY in VERTICAL mode. This is signal coming over water for 50 km & line of sight. We then pointed DX2700 to PORT LINCOLN in HORIZONTAL mode and a weaker watchable snowy picture was received. The wind up antenna could not be set VERTICAL & these units could not receive perfect signal & probably reason none were pointed north.

At about 4 pm the perfect signal received on DX2700 was affected on 2 of the 4 stations tuned & on checking other units in the park we deduced that atmospheric conditions & cloud was causing the picture to be reduced in quality.

We then did a DIGITAL test using the DX2700 to compare quality of signal versus ANALOGUE. From PORT LINCOLN only 2 stations tuned in & picture was great with no lines or sound interference. The lack of line of sight was reason for not tuning all stations & this would be same on all antenna types. Certainly the best result in this scenario was the DX2700 product with other antenna not recieving signal at all or a weaker picture. .

We then pointed antenna in VERTICAL mode to TUMBY BAY & we received all stations being transmitted in digital with brilliant clarity & sound quality. We had 12 stations, all be it that some we duplicated but ABC & SBS had 2 different programs. The atmospheric conditions had no bad affect with digital signal received on DX2700 product

We add comment that the above best result was achieved on test van after we bypassed van using our HW019 "F" screw van wall replacement unit as the test caravan had the "push in" van wall connector that was fairly old & corroded & affected Digital signal. See (2) above.

Conclusion. TV lovers will get great joy in upgrading to DIGITAL on their analogue sets (see 3 above) & that selection of a high quality antenna with built in booster & ability to be set both HORIZONTALLY & VERTICALLY is a must have.

(9)  TV SIGNAL FINDER.

A further test was conducted on a new product. From overseas, we had obtained a hand held small signal tester unit. This is attached to antenna lead at point lead goes into TV for powered and boosted TV antennas or before lead is plugged into the outside of caravan for non powered antennas.

This unit has a scale of WEAK to STRONG with LED lights coming on as the stronger signal is found. You simply swing antenna 360 degree & in horizontal & vertical mode & find the best strongest reading.

IT WORKED EXTREMELY WELL.  In seconds we found best signal & set antenna appropriately.

Because it finds best signal direction before tuning your TV set is a must have to save time. 

Price is $66.00 inc. GST. (+$4.00 for posting)

Below is a photo of the TV signal finder - for a full brochure go to "OTHER PRODUCTS" section for a PDF brochure file in TV SIGNAL FINDER section.

TV & SATELLITE SIGNAL FINDER

If you are planning to use a satellite dish, we now have available a TV & SATELLITE professional signal finder.  Whilst only UHF on TV this is not a problem in that UHF and VHF are transmitted from same tower in nearly all country locations so best direction can be found using the UHF plug in.  

Price is $94.00 inc. GST (+$4.00 for posting)

Go to "OTHER PRODUCTS" section for PDF file brochure on TV & SAT finder, or scroll to bottom of this page for a photo.

Files Available

 41_Half_Page_Cartoon_Ad_Final.pdf
Cartoon advertisement

 39_HW_Sat_&_TV_pic.pdf
Photo of PRO TV & Satellite signal finder

 31_General_information_on_digital_TV_0509.pdf
This large PDF file supplied by the Australian Government Answers may questions on Digital TV. Long document but well worth the read.

 28_Digital_TV_roll_out_information.doc
Word document on Rollout of digital TV.