Upgrade TV Broadcasting Aerials 2025 Mt Pitt

This year, there has been disruption to the “Free to Air” TV broadcast for the Norfolk Island community. This has been sometimes related to weather events as stormy conditions impacts on the communication systems. But also, due to upgrades to 21st century digital systems in Australia. This is also similar to when we had our mobile phone network update a couple of years ago.

At our home we also lost Australian TV channels, such as SBS and SBS Viceland, plus a couple of others in July 2023, which was during an electrical storm damaging the aerials up Mt Pitt. When this was repaired the replacement equipment was not powerful enough to cover all of the island.

During recent months there has been issues again with the Norfolk Island television broadcasting system, with many channels from some of the Australian TV “Free to Air” channels missing. Locals watching sports events games have been frustrated with the delays to repair the system. But as we know things do take time to get parts for repairs, and the majority of the issues have now been fixed. But there are other households like my home, that still do not have the channel SBS, etc. Luckily with the advances with internet services many Norfolk Island homes are now able to purchase paid links for satellite systems and watch online pay broadcast or link into online Free TV which are available via the internet.

I reported in October 2021 there were also issues with the TV broadcasting and during that maintenance work, additional satellite transmitting equipment boxes were installed for the broadcasting links for the aerials at the top of Mt Pitt.

I recently called Garry Summerscales who is the tradesman who has been contracted for the maintenance of the TV Aerials and Garry told me that there is still more upgrades to be completed and that I should not need to purchase a booster for our home, and he expects once the equipment arrives and is installed our TV should pick up all the missing TV channels.

Most televisions should reconnect to the missing channels once the work has been completed. Some televisions may need to be re-tuned for the missing channels, just follow your TV instructions to scan for digital channels. As Australia now has digital broadcasting systems, the Norfolk Island aerials have been upgraded so they can link, via satellite to the new systems. As you can imagine a lot has changed in the recent years to communication systems and the Norfolk Island systems were first installed decades ago.

It is interesting reading about the Norfolk Island history about Television broadcasting. In 1986, the community voted to see if they should get TVs on Norfolk Island. The 1986 Norfolk Island television referendum was held on 21 May 1986. Would television as proposed by the Norfolk Island Government be good for Norfolk Island? The vote results were very close with Yes winning by 13 votes.

The results were:

50.67% Yes votes 489

49.33% No votes 476

Mt Pitt is the second to highest peak in Norfolk Island, standing 318 metres above sea level, it is only about 1 metre lower than the highest Norfolk Island peak, Mt Bates. It is situated in the Norfolk Island National Park and the roadway leads from the town, up Grassy Road and then at the intersection of Mission Road and the Norfolk Island National Park Headquarters and Botanical Gardens, turn into Mt Pitt Road, this road heads up the hill through the gates into the National Park up to the summit of the hill. This area has parking, and picnic tables and has a fantastic view of Norfolk Island and the panorama vista out to sea and outer islands of Phillip Island and Nepean Islands towards the South.

Here are a few images I have taken of the Norfolk Island broadcasting TV ariels up the top of Mt Pitt. Thank you, Garry, for your work maintaining the broadcasting systems for the Norfolk Island Community. Happy television watching everyone, I hope you are now enjoying having upgraded “Free to Air” TV channels since the recent upgrades.

Betty Matthews

30 May 2025