DBA site

[duke]

I needed to find out some chnnel frequencys to do a manual scan but the DBA site has gone missing http://www.dba.org.au/

Been gone a few days for me. Any idea where to find channel frequencys for areas?

The DBA site used to have them.

[sub3R]

The ACMA site here: http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_9150 gives quite a bit of detail if you know the area. It doesn?t give the area coverage map like the DBA site does (which I also find to be down).

Items 7, 8 (or the full copy) & General Information may help (they can be downloaded as PDF files).

[prl]

I needed to find out some chnnel frequencys to do a manual scan but the DBA site has gone missing http://www.dba.org.au/

Been gone a few days for me. Any idea where to find channel frequencys for areas?

The DBA site used to have them.

You don't need to know the channel frequencies to do a selective scan. You do need to know the channel numbers.

If you've already done an automatic scan, you can see the channel number if you press LIST, then (BLUE?) All Services, then scroll through the list. The channel number and frequency for each service is shown in the bottom left of the popup menu.

If you really need to look up the channel numbers externally, the ACMA's Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations Book, Chapter 8: Television by Area Served has the information you need.

Look up your location in that chapter, and the Digital TV channels are highlighted in light purple. The channel number is the digit(s) at the end of each station entry in the Callsign,Channel column. For example, in Canberra, the digital channel entries are CTC6, ABC9A, WIN11, CBN12 and SBS 30, the corresponding channel numbers are 6, 9A, 11, 12 and 30, so I have my BW set up to limit its scan to channels 6-30.

Other locations will have different channel assignments; you can't assume the assignments from somewhere else will be the same where you are.

If you really want to know the channel frequencies (for selecting antenna diplexers or filters, for example) the General Information section of the book has that table.

[NPR]

The ACMA site here: http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_9150 gives quite a bit of detail if you know the area. It doesn?t give the area coverage map like the DBA site does (which I also find to be down).

Items 7, 8 (or the full copy) & General Information may help (they can be downloaded as PDF files).

Thanks Dennis for the site. I'll add it to the sticky 'Improve your reception'.

[sub3R]

Yes I find it has some very useful information once you become familiar with it.
Peter?s explanation is quite good ? it?s the same site.

[NPR]

I needed to find out some chnnel frequencys to do a manual scan but the DBA site has gone missing http://www.dba.org.au/

Been gone a few days for me. Any idea where to find channel frequencys for areas?

The DBA site used to have them.

You don't need to know the channel frequencies to do a selective scan. You do need to know the channel numbers.

If you've already done an automatic scan, you can see the channel number if you press LIST, then (BLUE?) All Services, then scroll through the list. The channel number and frequency for each service is shown in the bottom left of the popup menu.

If you really need to look up the channel numbers externally, the ACMA's Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations Book, Chapter 8: Television by Area Served has the information you need.

Look up your location in that chapter, and the Digital TV channels are highlighted in light purple. The channel number is the digit(s) at the end of each station entry in the Callsign,Channel column. For example, in Canberra, the digital channel entries are CTC6, ABC9A, WIN11, CBN12 and SBS 30, the corresponding channel numbers are 6, 9A, 11, 12 and 30, so I have my BW set up to limit its scan to channels 6-30.

Other locations will have different channel assignments; you can't assume the assignments from somewhere else will be the same where you are.

If you really want to know the channel frequencies (for selecting antenna diplexers or filters, for example) the General Information section of the book has that table.

Hi Peter,
I've taken the liberty of incorporating this terrific expplanation of an otherwise complex doco into the 'improving reception thread' under geography.

Cheers

Nick

[duke]

I needed to find out some chnnel frequencys to do a manual scan but the DBA site has gone missing http://www.dba.org.au/

Been gone a few days for me. Any idea where to find channel frequencys for areas?

The DBA site used to have them.

You don't need to know the channel frequencies to do a selective scan. You do need to know the channel numbers.

If you've already done an automatic scan, you can see the channel number if you press LIST, then (BLUE?) All Services, then scroll through the list. The channel number and frequency for each service is shown in the bottom left of the popup menu.

If you really need to look up the channel numbers externally, the ACMA's Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations Book, Chapter 8: Television by Area Served has the information you need.

Look up your location in that chapter, and the Digital TV channels are highlighted in light purple. The channel number is the digit(s) at the end of each station entry in the Callsign,Channel column. For example, in Canberra, the digital channel entries are CTC6, ABC9A, WIN11, CBN12 and SBS 30, the corresponding channel numbers are 6, 9A, 11, 12 and 30, so I have my BW set up to limit its scan to channels 6-30.

Other locations will have different channel assignments; you can't assume the assignments from somewhere else will be the same where you are.

If you really want to know the channel frequencies (for selecting antenna diplexers or filters, for example) the General Information section of the book has that table.

I'm lost lol

Sometimes a manual scan is the only way my STB finds certain channels.

I can't figure off that site what the frequencys for each individual channel is. I'm looking for Lismore and Gold Coast channels.

I wish the DBA site ould come back.

[prl]

I'm lost lol

Sometimes a manual scan is the only way my STB finds certain channels.

I can't figure off that site what the frequencys for each individual channel is. I'm looking for Lismore and Gold Coast channels.

I wish the DBA site ould come back.

Look at Chapter 8 of the ACMA TV book. Search for Lismore in the page in your browser. In the Lismore and Lismore East entries there are no digital channels listed (digital channels are highlighted in light purple). Stop looking there.

Search for the Gold Coast entry. There are two. Gold Coast, and Gold Coast Southern Hinterland (perhaps that's what you thought was Lismore?).

The Gold Coast transmitters are on channels 36, 43, 53, 56, 59, 62, 65 and 68. The channel numbers are the digits at the end of the callsign for each channel in the Callsign, Chnl column. E.g. SBS36 means "SBS on channel 36". The frequency in megahertz is in (surprise) the Frequency (MHz) column. SMS36's frequency is 585.625MHz. All the Gold Coast transmitters have directional antennas (DA in the Pattern column), I'd guess one pointing north from the transmitter site and one south, so you may not be able to pick them all up, or you may have better reception on one channel from the same broadcaster as from the other channel.

The Gold Coast Southern Hinterland channels are the same channel numbers as the Gold Coast ones. They're also directional antennas, though I'm less sure what direction they'd be pointing.

It's unclear why you need to know the frequencies for what you are trying to so (i.e. scan individual channels on the Beyonwiz). The Service Scan screen only asks for channel number. The Channel number pretty much determines the frequency, though small offsets (+/-0.125MHz) from the nominal channel frequency are permitted. If you were asking about a diplexer, antenna filter or antenna amp/distributer I'd understand, but I don't see how knowing the frequency helps with the scan, unless you know more about RF than you appear to. But if you did, I'd expect that you'd find the ACMA document relatively easy to read.

[DaveR]

I needed to find out some chnnel frequencys to do a manual scan but the DBA site has gone missing http://www.dba.org.au/

Been gone a few days for me. Any idea where to find channel frequencys for areas?

The DBA site used to have them.

The Government closed down DBA, but now has a lot of good info available here: http://www.dbcde.gov.au/

[IanSav]

Hi Dave,

The Government closed down DBA, but now has a lot of good info available here: http://www.dbcde.gov.au/

Why was DBA closed down? Is there any more information about this?

Regards,
Ian.

[DaveR]

I believe the Liberal government's Digital Australia body ran the DTV website. I can't remember which news site I found the info on, but here's some info I posted on another forum.

New Analogue Switch off date confirmed
As suggested in earlier reports, the election of a new government in Australia has brought about some changes in the countries Digital Switchover Strategy (DSO).
The body responsible for leading the switchover, Digital Australia, has been disbanded and its tasks transferred to the department of Broadband Communications and the Digital Economy. A new analogue switchover date has also been confirmed as occurring by the end of 2013, with the largest cities set to begin digital-only transmission during December 2009.
Digital TV penetration is now estimated as 30% of the population
Source: The Australian
Item added: 27th December 2007

Election may bring changes
The election of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) this November is expected to bring a few changes in the media sector. One of these is reported to be a firm date for the Australian analogue switch off, which is now expected to be set at 31st December 2013.
Another expected change is that the activities of ?Digital Australia?, which was set up to help push the digital transition, will be taken over by the Department of Communications.
Source: Rapid TV News
Item added: 27th November 2007

[IanSav]

Hi Dave,

Ta!

Regards,
Ian.