Multi Carrier (Mauritius) Ltd Television Reception Guide 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 proper installation of a terrestrial TV antenna system. General guidelines for better television reception: Locating the relay stations Frequency Bands for Terrestrial Television Broadcasting Choice of TV Antenna Antenna placement and positioning Cabling and distribution Notes on Digital Terrestrial Television Reception Maintenance of antenna system installation Analogue Television Transmission in Mauritius SECAM B/G in the VHF/UHF bands 1. Locating the relay stations The first step in planning a television antenna 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 signals, especially UHF signals travel in straight lines and are obstructed by major obstacles in the landscape such as mountains and tall buildings. Table A below is a guide for locating the appropriate relay station covering your region. Table A : Locating the relay station covering your area Station Intended coverage areas Centre Malherbes Curepipe, Castel, Phoenix, Quatre-Bornes, Belle Rose, Rose-Hill, Beau-Bassin, Reduit, Moka, St- Pierre, Q-Militaire, Vacoas, Floreal, Henrietta, La Marie, Forest-Side, Nouvelle France, Rose-Belle, Plaine-Magnien, Mahebourg and their nearby regions. Corps de Garde Corps de Garde, Ave Berthaud, Palma, Sodnac and their surroundings. North Butte aux Grand Baie, The Vale, Goodlands, Pereybere, Riv du Page 1 of 5
Papayes Rempart, Petit Raffray, Grand Gaube, Trou aux Biches, Fond du Sac and nearby regions. Port Louis Montagne Signaux Citadelle Port Louis, Cassis, Caudan, Marie Reine de la Paix, Belle Village, Coromandel, Pamplemousses, Roche- Bois, Ste Croix, Cite la Cure Citadelle, Valle Pitot, Plaine Verte 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 and nearby regions. Baie du Cap Baie du Cap, Choisy, Maconde Chamarel Chamarel Village West Le Morne Le Morne, La Gaulette, Case Noyale, La Preneuse, la Mivoie, Wolmar and nearby regions. East Motte à Thérèse Pointe du Diable Lallmatie, St Julien Village, Constance, Centre de Flacq, Brisee Verdiere, Mare la Chaux, Camp Ithier, l'aventure, and nearby regions 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 GRSE Bel Air 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 the right type of antenna. Table B shows the range of frequencies used for television broadcasting in Mauritius and Rodrigues. Page 2 of 5
Table B: Frequency Bands for Mauritius and Rodrigues Band Name Channels Channel width Frequency Range I VHF-LOW 2-4 7 MHz 47-68 MHz III VHF-HIGH 5-12 7 MHz 174-230 MHz IV UHF 21-37 8 MHz 470-582 MHz V UHF 38-69 8 MHz 582-862 MHz TV TRANSMISSION - SECAM B/G (ANALOGUE) - DVB-T (DIGITAL) Nº STATIONS MBC 1 MBC 2 MBC 3 DTV MUX 1 DTV MUX 2 DTV MUX 3 CH F (MHz) Watts CH F (MHz) Watts CH F (MHz) Watts CH F (MHz) Watts CH F (MHz) Watts CH F (MHz) Watts 1 Baie du Cap 48 687.25 0010 45 663.25 0010 57 759.25 0010 53 730 010 50 706 025 51 714 50 2 Bel Air 61 791.25 0050 64 815.25 0050 58 767.25 0050 57 762 010 60 786 025 48 690 25 3 Butte aux Papayes 12 224.25 0100 40 623.25 0200 49 695.25 0200 48 690 025 43 650 050 46 674 50 4 Chamarel 41 631.25 0050 51 711.25 0050 54 735.25 0050 55 746 010 40 626 010 57 762 25 5 Citadelle 48 687.25 0010 09 203.25 0010 51 711.25 0010 54 738 010 55 746 025 52 722 25 6 Coromandel 58 767.25 0030 61 791.25 0030 57 762 010 60 786 025 55 746 25 7 Corps de Garde 31 551.25 0020 34 575.25 0020 52 719.25 0020 53 730 010 49 698 010 36 594 25 8 G.R.S.E. 58 767.25 0100 61 791.25 0100 57 762 010 55 746 025 48 690 25 9 Jurançon 09 203.25 0200 32 559.25 0200 29 535.25 0200 30 546 025 34 578 025 35 586 50 10 Le Morne 08 196.25 0100 40V 623.25 0100 49V 695.25 0200 50 706 050 43 650 050 46 674 50 11 Les Mariannes 58 770 010 55 746 010 53 730 25 12 Malherbes 04 62.25 5000 24 495.25 2000 27 519.25 2000 28 530 250 22 482 250 21 474 250 13 Mont Simonet 48 690 025 45 666 025 14 Motte Thérèse 09 203.25 0100 33 567.25 0200 36 591.25 0200 37 602 025 31 554 050 39 618 50 15 Plaine Paul 48 690 025 45 666 025 55 746 25 16 Pointe du Diable 31 551.25 0100 34 575.25 0100 37 599.25 0100 38 610 010 30 546 025 36 594 25 17 Pointe Jerome 12V 224.25 0100 41V 631.25 0100 50V 703.25 0200 51 714 025 42 642 050 44 658 50 18 Riche en Eau 45 663.25 0050 48 687.25 0050 51 711.25 0050 52 722 010 44 658 025 41 634 25 19 Signal Mountain 07 189.25 0200 32 559.25 0200 29 535.25 0200 30 546 025 34 578 050 35 586 50 20 Terre Rouge 59 775.25 0010 62 799.25 0010 56 751.25 0050 57 762 010 60 786 025 58 770 25 RODRIGUES Nº Stations Digital TV CH F (MHz) Watts Radio 1 Citronelle AM MBC 1206 K 1 KW 500 2 Malartic 8 198.50 65 FM MBC 97.3 M W 3 Mont Venus 6 184.5 25 RFI 93.2 M W 500 4 Mont Cheri 6 184.50 25 5 Papayes * 10 212.50 25 6 Sygangue 10 212.50 25 7 Trèfles 10 212.50 50 Page 3 of 5
3. Choice of Antenna Selecting the right type of antenna is an important factor to ensure good quality of television reception. The following factors can influence the choice for an appropriate antenna. Channel frequencies broadcasted by the relay station Signal strength in your area Presence of major obstacles in the path between your antenna and the relay station 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 pointed towards the relay station The antenna should be mounted horizontally for all relay stations except for Le Morne & Pte Jerome where the antenna should be mounted vertically. The antenna should be installed clear of obstacles for example buildings, walls, trees, etc. for good 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. Page 4 of 5
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. Page 5 of 5