Customer Advice
Television Reception Guide (download in pdf format)
The following is intended to be an informative guide to terrestrial television reception. It is highly recommended that you contact an antenna professional for the installation of a terrestrial antenna system.
General guidelines for a better television reception:
1. Locating the relay stations
The first step in planning a terrestrial television installation is to find out the location of the transmitting station intended for your area. MCML has a national network of stations that covers all the populated regions of the island. Television signal, especially UHF signals travel in straight lines and are obstructed by major bodies in the landscape such as mountains and large buildings. For this reason MCML has installed a network of relay stations that fill these gaps. Kindly make use of Table A on page 3 to locate the relay station covering your region.
Table A : Locating the relay station in your area
Stations |
Intended coverage areas |
Centre |
Malherbes |
Curepipe, Castel, Phoenix, Belle Rose, R-Hill, B-Bassin, Reduit, Q-Militaire, Vacoas, F-Side, R-Belle, P-Magnien etc. |
|
Corps de Garde |
Corps de Garde, Ave Berthaud, Palma, Sodnac |
|
|
|
North |
Butte aux Papayes |
Grand Baie,The Vale, Goodlands, Pereybere, Riv du Rempart, Petit Raffray, Grand Gaube, Trou aux Biches, Fond du Sac etc. |
|
|
|
Port Louis |
Montagne Signaux |
Port Louis, Cassis, Caudan, Marie Reinne de la Paix, Belle Village, Coromandel, Pamplemousses, Roche- Bois, Ste Croix, Cite la Cure |
|
Citadelle |
Citadelle, Valle Pitot, Plaine Vertes |
|
Coromandel |
Pailles, Les Guibies |
|
Terre Rouge |
Terre Rouge, Vallee des Pretres, Arsenal, Carreaux Lalo |
|
|
|
South |
Jurançon |
Surinam, Chemin Grenier, St Felix, Riv Des Anguilles, Riambel, Bel Ombre, Souillac etc. |
|
Baie du Cap |
Baie du Cap, Choisy, Maconde |
|
Chamarel |
Chamarel Village |
|
|
|
West |
Le Morne |
Le Morne, La Gaulette, Case Noyale, La Preneuse, la MivoieWolmar etc |
|
|
|
East |
Motte à Thérèse |
Lallmatie, St Julien Village, Constance, Centre de Flacq, Brisee Mare la Chaux Verdiere, Camp Ithier, l'Aventure, etc |
|
Pointe du Diable |
Quatre Soeurs, Deux freres, Bambous Virieux |
|
Pointe Jérome |
Pte Jerome, Pte d'Esny, Bois des Amourettes, Quatre Soeurs, Deux Freres |
|
Riche en Eau |
Riche en Eau, St Hurbert, St Hilaire |
|
Bel Air Rivière Séche |
Bel Air |
|
GRSE |
GRSE, Beau Champ |
2. Frequency Bands for Terrestrial Television broadcasting
The next step is to determine the radio frequency band that is used by your relay station for broadcasting. The band of frequencies used by your station will be an important factor to choose an appropriate antenna. For example Signal Mountain Station transmits exclusively in Bands III, IV and V. Table C shows the range of frequency that is used for television broadcasting in Mauritius and Rodrigues.
Table B : Frequency Bands for Television Broadcasting in Mauritius
Band |
Name |
Channels |
Channel width |
Frequency Range |
Television Standard |
I |
VHF-LOW |
2-4 |
7 MHz |
47 - 68 MHz |
SECAM B |
III |
VHF-HIGH |
5-12 |
7 MHz |
174 - 230 MHz |
SECAM B |
IV |
UHF |
21-37 |
8 MHz |
470 - 582 MHz |
SECAM G |
V |
UHF |
38-69 |
8 MHz |
582 - 862 MHz |
SECAM G |
3. Choice of Antenna
Selecting the right antenna is an important step to ensure a sound quality of television reception. The following factors can influence the choice for an appropriate antenna.
- Channel frequencies broadcast by the relay station
- Signal strength in your area
- Presence of major obstacles in the path to the relay station
- Height of the antenna above ground
- Interference from TV signal (ghosting due to the presence of a hill or tall building)
- Interference from other sources
Some examples:
i. Malherbes station transmits MBC 1 on Band I, MBC 2 on Band III and MBC 3 on Band IV. Two separate antennas may be required in some regions especially were the signal level is low. The first antenna for receiving MBC 1( Band I four element yagi antenna) and the second one (a log periodic antenna)for MBC 2 and MBC3 respectively.
ii. Butte aux Papayes transmits MBC1 on Band III, MBC2 and MBC3 on Band V. A single log periodic antenna is sufficient.
iii. If the signal strength is weak, you may add a narrowband booster (mast amplifier) to increase the signal strength.
4. Antenna placement and positioning
Once the antenna has been chosen, it should be placed in a location where maximum signal strength is obtained.
- The antenna must be directed in the general direction of the relay station
- The antenna should be mounted with the elements horizontal to suit horizontally polarised transmission (most stations) and vertical to suit vertically polarised transmissions (Le Morne & Pt Jerome)
- Obstacles (walls, trees etc) in front or near the antenna influence its receptive capability.
- It is good practice to probe several heights on the stand-off pole for best reception.
- Multiple antennas should not be stacked on a single stand-off pole close to each other. Maintain a distance of at least 50 cm between them.
5. Cabling and distribution
A low loss coaxial cable (impedance of 75 ohms) is recommended for distributing the signal to the receiver. For distributing the signal to more than one television set, a splitter may be used, however a distribution amplifier may be required if the received signal is low.
6. Note on Digital Terrestrial Television Reception
Digital terrestrial television eliminates most of the reception problems of analogue broadcast television such as snowy pictures and ghosting. However like all digital systems, if the signal received is near the minimum threshold, you may get frequent interruptions or no reception at all. To ensure a stable reception, make sure that your antenna system receives a good quality signal comfortably above the minimum level as indicated by the set top box.
7. Maintenance of installation
The antenna installation must be inspected from time to time to detect signs of corrosion or damage. Bad weather conditions, like rain and strong winds can decrease the lifetime of the antenna and cabling.
