What’s the Best Antenna for Free TV?

What’s the Best Antenna for Free TV You Ask?

Well, That’s Certainly Not an Easy Question to Answer!

But, Why Isn’t it an Easy Question?

Answering this question isn’t straightforward, as it depends on your location in Australia and which broadcast tower you’re receiving your Free-to-Air (FTA) signal from.

FTA TV in Australia is transmitted via either VHF (Very High Frequency) or UHF (Ultra High Frequency), and the antennas designed for these signals differ.

• VHF covers Band III, which includes channels 6-12.
• UHF spans both Band IV and V, covering channels 28-51.

Choosing the right antenna will depend on whether the broadcast in your area uses VHF, UHF, or both.

Let’s take Metro Melbourne as a case study.

90% of Metro Melbourne is covered by the broadcast tower at Mount Dandenong which transmits Digital TV through VHF.

However the other 10% of Metro Melbourne are covered by a number of other smaller broadcast towers, such as the Bourke St Tower and Upwey.

The Bourke St tower covers many inner city suburbs such as Yarraville and North Melbourne where the signal from Mount Dandenong is blocked by the large high rises in the city. The Bourke St tower transmits in UHF and therefore for these inner city suburbs a VHF antenna is unsuitable for Digital TV Reception.

In areas such as Upwey and parts of Ferntree Gully there is no line of sight to the Mount Dandenong tower (despite it’s proximity) and they therefore need to obtain their Digital TV Signal from another of 3 towers situated in Upwey, Ferntree Gully and Selby.

Another issue that we can come across is distance from the nearest broadcast tower – the further away you are – the higher gain antenna you’ll need often used in conjunction with a Booster or in technical terms a Masthead Amplifier.

However those living within a closer proximity to the broadcast tower can have issues as well with the signal coming in too hot. These communities will quite often need an attenuator to lower their signal levels to prevent pixilation and TV reception issues.

So in short – what is the best TV Antenna for Free TV? Well there isn’t one specific Antenna it’s entirely dependent on which broadcast tower you are receiving your Free To Air TV signal from and also the distance you are from that broadcast tower.

What if You’re Not Living in Melbourne? Check Out the Links Below to Find the Best Free-to-air Antenna for Your Area:

• Brisbane & the Gold Coast
• Hobart & Greater Hobart
• Sydney & Greater Sydney
• Canberra
• Adelaide

If you are having issues with your Free To Air TV reception, or are looking at getting a new Free To Air TV Antenna installed why not give your local Jim’s Antennas techexpert a call on 131 546 or book online 24/7 – after all they are the experts in Free To Air TV in your area.