How TV reaches Perth homes
The main site
ACMA says the Perth licence area is mainly served by high-power transmitters at Bickley and Carmel, in the hills east of the city.
Repeaters for the gaps
Lower-power repeaters, including Perth City, Perth Coastal at Scarborough, Mandurah, Roleystone and Two Rocks, cover pockets the main site struggles to reach.
The CBD and the foothills
The Perth City repeater was set up because high-rise buildings block the main site in the CBD. It's also predicted to serve parts of the foothills shielded by the terrain right under the main tower.
Mandurah
Mandurah sits where the Perth and regional WA licence areas overlap, so its repeater carries 8 TV services.
What ACMA found on Perth roofs
In March and April 2022, ACMA had surveyors look at antennas around Perth's repeater areas. Many homes still pointed at the main site, even where a local repeater was predicted to be stronger, partly because the antennas went up before the repeaters existed. Where terrain blocks the hills, in places like Roleystone, homes pointed at the local repeater instead.
Height followed line of sight. With a clear view and not too far from the main site, antennas sat at roof height, nominally 5 m. Otherwise they went up to 10 m above the ground, with masthead amplifiers to boost the signal.
So if you've moved into an older home and the picture is patchy, ask the installer which site suits your street before you replace anything.
Antenna down near the power line?
If a storm has brought an antenna, mast or cable down on or near the line into your house, keep everyone well back and don't try to reach it. Western Power says to treat fallen lines as live and stay at least 8 metres away. Call it on 13 13 51, and the SES on 132 500 for storm damage to the house.
Where an electrician comes in
In WA, work on TV and radio equipment is exempt from electrical licensing, but the power supply circuits feeding it above 50 volts AC aren't. An antenna installer can aim and cable your antenna, while a power point behind a wall-mounted TV, or anything at the switchboard, needs a licensed electrical contractor and comes with an Electrical Safety Certificate.
Perth's storms are hard on masts. Ex-cyclone Alby gave the city a 130 km/h gust in 1978, and the March 2010 hailstorm hit from the northern coastal suburbs to south Perth. If a mast has started to lean, judge it from the ground, stay off the roof, and have an installer refix it before the next big blow.
Questions for a Perth antenna installer
- Which site should my street point at, the main transmitters or a local repeater?
- Does my spot need a taller mast or a masthead amplifier?
- How will the mast be fixed so it rides out a winter storm?
- Who's doing the power point behind the TV, and what's their EC number?
- Will every TV point be tested and labelled?
If it were our lounge room
We'd retune the TV first, then ask the installer to confirm which site the antenna should face before buying anything new. If the TV is going on the wall, we'd have a licensed electrician fit the power point behind it in the same visit, with the antenna cable coming to a plate beside it.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.