As the permanent switchover to digital television gets ever closer, there is growing concern about the effect it will have on grey nomads … particularly as they head out to more remote areas.
For many long-term travellers, the importance of being able to catch up with the news or a favourite show cannot be overstated. TV brings a sense of familiarity and as sense of home to even the most out-of-the-way location.
However, uncertainty rules as the end of analogue nears.
Even people in well populated areas such as Queensland’s Bundaberg region say poor reception is a huge issue. Those who have switched to digital there, ahead of the official December analogue switch-off date, say the service constantly drops out, or available channels are severely restricted.
At the centrally located Finemore Holiday Park, poor digital and analogue reception is apparently not helping local tourism, and the caravan park says it is losing money to dissatisfied tourists.
“People are complaining all year,” park manager Ross Harrison told the Bundaberg NewsMail.
Mr Harrison said he received a booking from a group recently 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 even analogue 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.
Senator Conroy’s office told the Bundaberg newspaper that some in the area 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.”
It is not clear when that will be however.
