Fed up with digital TV disaster

Finemore Holiday Park manager Ross Harrison says that the poor TV reception at the park is detrimental to the business.

Max Fleet

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HOUSEHOLDERS fear the permanent digital TV switchover in December will mean the end of good reception, following a litany of problems across the Bundaberg region.

The NewsMail has been inundated with complaints of poor reception from frustrated residents from areas including Avoca, Branyan, Elliott Heads and Burnett Heads.

Elliott Heads mother-of-seven Brenda Biggs made the switch to digital service about 12 months ago.

“In the last couple of weeks it has been constantly dropping out,” she said.

“Some days all we can get is French and Japanese news channels.”

Fed up with the poor signal, Ms Biggs installed a new aerial.

“It made it a bit better, but sometimes we get a blue screen and other times it turns off altogether,” she said.

Ms Biggs fears once the changeover happens, the problem is just going to get worse.

“People are going to be forced to buy a digital TV and there will be a lot more congestion,” she said.

Finemore Holiday Park manager Ross Harrison said the poor digital and analog reception was not helping local tourism, and the caravan park was losing money to dissatisfied tourists.

“People are complaining all year,” he said.

Mr Harrison said he received a booking from a group last week that had left a Burnett Heads caravan park because it did not offer clear reception.

He told the group that Finemore also struggled to get analog reception, but they continued with the booking.

“Then they just didn’t turn up,” he said.

“That happens all the time – after one night of no reception, they just go.”

Desperate to hang on to business, Mr Harrison wrote a letter to Senator John Hogg about his concerns, who then received a response from communications minister Stephen Conroy.

The letter said because the holiday park was located on the banks of the Burnett River, large neighbouring trees may be to blame for the problem.

“There are no trees there that would affect reception,” he said.

“You’re looking at $70,000 to get decent reception at the park. They reckon the reception is fine, but it’s costing the town money.”

Mr Harrison believes not enough has been done to improve reception.

“Anyone who travels has to have a $300 TV aerial, cabling and a booster – the majority of people don’t travel with that,” he said.

The NewsMail contacted Senator Conroy’s office, which confirmed residents may be experiencing difficulties receiving digital TV services from the Mt Goonaneman transmitter, near Biggenden.

A spokeswoman said the Digital Switchover Taskforce was carrying out works on the transmission site.

“These works may result in short periods during which digital services go off air,” she said.

“Once maintenance work on the site is completed, digital services should return to normal.”

She did not say when the work would be completed.

For more information, call the Digital Ready Information Line on 1800 201 013.