What is the Best TV Antenna For Melbourne?

90% of Metro Melbourne is covered by the Mount Dandenong broadcast tower which transmits digital TV through a VHF signal. While the other 10% of Metro Melbourne is covered by several smaller broadcast towers such as the Bourke St tower and the Upwey transmitter.

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 city high rises. The Bourke St tower transmits in UHF and therefore for within 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). Homes in these areas must therefore obtain a Digital TV Signal from one of 3 towers situated in Upwey, Ferntree Gully and Selby (the best tower to receive a signal from will depend on the specific location of the home).

Another issue that we often come across is the distance of a property from the nearest broadcast tower – the further away you are – the higher gain antenna you’ll need. A high gain antenna is also often used in conjunction with a booster also known as a Masthead Amplifier (in technical terms).

Those living within close proximity to a broadcast tower can also experience issues such as the signal coming in too hot. These communities will often require an attenuator to lower their signal levels in order 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.