There’s nothing worse than sitting down to watch your favourite show and discovering the reception on your TV isn’t working properly or worse, not at all. Not everyone has the luxury or the internet speed to enjoy streaming services like Netflix and Stan so making sure you have a quality antenna reception on your TV is important to many people. 

If you’re finding your favourite movies or TV shows are being ruined by glitchy signals, bad sound or just no signal at all, there are a few things you can do to help get a better signal in the Rockhampton area before you call in the professionals. 

Know where the signal towers are in Rockhampton

If you live in Rockhampton there are a few dead spots that are known to have bad TV reception. If you live in one of these spots, you will no doubt already know it because you will have a dodgy signal on your tele – but there are things you can do about it. 

The first thing you will want to know is where the signal towers are located around Rockhampton. This will help you to hopefully get your antenna in the right position on your roof.

There are three signal towers in our area. There is a tower in Frenchville, another to the north of Yeppoon on Meikleville Hill and two at Mount Hopeful. Understanding where these towers are in relation to your home will help you decide the most direct line of sight to the tower from your home. 

Check your antenna

This may seem pretty straight forward but it’s amazing how many people don’t do this. The first port of call when you have antenna issues is to check your TV antenna for any potential issues. Birds nests, possums breaking parts off, rats chewing through cords, rust, wind – you name it, we’ve seen it. 

There are loads of reasons why your antenna might not be working properly and before you call a professional company like us to come out and fix it, make sure it’s not something you might be able to fix yourself (like simply reconnecting the cable if it’s become unattached).

Antenna Positioning

The placement and positioning of your antenna is of utmost importance. The more clearer the ‘line of sight’ to the closest signal tower is, the better your reception is going to be. If, for example, you have a great big building in the way (like if you live in the shadow of the Rockhampton Hospital or you’re at the bottom of a range) there’s a good chance your signal is going to be interrupted and you’re going to get a bad picture on your TV. 

Take a look at the map above and see where your closest signal tower is, then make sure your antenna has the best line of sight to this tower on your roof.

Get High

Sometimes, the higher the better. Often people will simply attach their antenna to the guttering or near the side of the roof. This may be easier to install from a ladder but may impact on the ability of your antenna to pick up the best signal. Using an antenna mast can sometimes give you the extra height needed to pick up the signal that gives you clear reception. 

Look out for new constructions

If you’ve had pretty good reception for a while but suddenly find it’s going a little wonky, it’s not always because your antenna needs replacing. Get up on your roof and take a look around the area where your antenna is located. 

Are there any new buildings that have gone up around the area? Has your neighbour installed a flagpole or perhaps that new patio or carport you’ve just had built is impacting on your signal strength? It’s also worth noting if there are any mobile phone towers close by that might be interfering with the signal reaching your TV antenna. 

Make sure you have the right type of antenna

It seems easy, right? Head down to your local warehouse hardware store, grab an antenna off the shelf (or buy one cheap online) install it yourself and sit back to enjoy your favourite show. This isn’t always the case. 

Not all antennas (particularly those made for overseas markets) will work with Australian signals. If you’re buying one that’s been made in Australia for Australian conditions, it’s likely that will be fine but sometimes there are weird quirks and issues to different products that can take some time to figure out. 

If you’ve done all these things and you’re STILL not getting a clear reception on your television, it might be time to call in the professionals. Call us today on (07) 4927 4037 and we can come out to conduct a test and find out what the issue is, then give you some options as to how it can be fixed.