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Terrestrial Television channel frequencies
for Australia and New Zealand
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Print this topicAlong with the digital age, comes a new generation of receiving and recording devices. New digital TVs, projectors, set-top boxes, and DVD recorders to name a few. All of these devices need tuning to receive terrestrial TV signals, and mostly this is performed intelligently by the device (or the installer if you're lucky enough to have someone else install the device and set-it-up for you).
However, there are some devices which refuse to co-operate (for whatever reason cheap, poorly designed, etc.), and require manual tuning of its TV channels. In the author's recent experience (which prompted this topic), one such device (a DVD Recorder) automatically searched for and listed all TV channels into its first available channel positions from 1 to 7 (out of 99 possible places). These channel positions did not correspond with the TV station callsign numbering, and so caused immediate confusion as to which channel was in which position when subsequently attempting to use the device to select a particular TV channel for viewing/recording.
The solution lay in sorting the stored TV channels into their proper positions for logical use. As it turned out, the channels were all in the UHF band, and had recently (2001) been reassigned new station channel numbers by the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA). So the challenge was to identify the channels found by the device, and relocate them into their new positions.
Sounds simple enough, but a brief trip into the bowels of the beast (system menu) revealed that I needed a listing of TV channel frequencies for my area, to complete the task. This proved more difficult than expected, because the further I looked for information, the more confused I became with an overload of conflicting data. I had a devil of a time locating accurate information about the actual frequencies of the channels.
What ensued, became a short self-taught understanding of TV systems, channel designations, the radio frequency (RF) spectrum, and government policies. To assist those who may wander down this same path, I have collated my findings and include them here for your immediate use.
TV channel frequencies listed by country:
Australia
For those that are interested in the subject of TV systems (PAL, NTSC,
SECAM), a little bit of TV history, analog and digital broadcasts, see
the topic 
Understanding TV systems.
Australian TV channel frequencies
Unlike most other countries (which use the B and G type PAL systems for their VHF and UHF bands respectively), Australia uses only the PAL B type system, which means that Australian UHF TV channels use a (PAL-B) 7MHz channel bandwidth (as opposed to the PAL-G system which uses an 8MHz channel bandwidth).
The Phase Alternating Line (PAL) system displays in a 4:3 aspect ratio, using 625 horizontal scan lines at 50Hz interlaced. Every second line is refreshed per cycle—alternating—to present a complete screen (frame) refresh every two (50 Hz) cycles, resulting in a frame rate of 25Hz (frames per second).
The nominal vision (video) carrier frequency is 1.25 MHz above the lower frequency limit of the channel, and is displayed in the table below. To provide room for the video bandwidth of 5MHz, the normal PAL audio carrier is offset from the video carrier frequency by +5.5MHz.
Australian terrestrial analog TV transmissions use the A2 (Zweiton) dual FM mono system (FM-FM) to provide stereo audio. The second FM carrier frequency is offset from the video carrier frequency by +5.742MHz (a further 242.1875kHz above the first). In stereo mode, the normal audio carries stereo-sum (mono—to remain backward compatible with mono receivers), and the secondary carries stereo-right. The receiver needs to be A2 stereo compatible and aware, to decode a stereo-left signal from the mono FM stereo-sum and the mono FM stereo-right.
| Designated Channel | Video Frequency (MHz) | TV Standard | RF Band |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 46.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | I (VHF) |
| 1 | 57.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | I (VHF) |
| 2 | 64.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | I (VHF) |
| 3 | 86.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | II (VHF) |
| 4 | 95.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | II (VHF) |
| 5 | 102.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | II (VHF) |
| 5A | 138.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | III (VHF) |
| 6 | 175.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | III (VHF) |
| 7 | 182.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | III (VHF) |
| 8 | 189.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | III (VHF) |
| 9 | 196.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | III (VHF) |
| 9A | 203.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | III (VHF) |
| 10 | 209.25 or 210.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | III (VHF) |
| 11 | 216.25 or 217.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | III (VHF) |
| 12 | 224.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | III (VHF) |
| 13–27 | Reserved | ||
| 28 | 527.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | IV (UHF) |
| 29 | 534.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | IV (UHF) |
| 30 | 541.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | IV (UHF) |
| 31 | 548.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | IV (UHF) |
| 32 | 555.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | IV (UHF) |
| 33 | 562.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | IV (UHF) |
| 34 | 569.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | IV (UHF) |
| 35 | 576.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | IV (UHF) |
| 36 | 583.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 37 | 590.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 38 | 597.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 39 | 604.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 40 | 611.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 41 | 618.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 42 | 625.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 43 | 632.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 44 | 639.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 45 | 646.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 46 | 653.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 47 | 660.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 48 | 667.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 49 | 674.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 50 | 681.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 51 | 688.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 52 | 695.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 53 | 702.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 54 | 709.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 55 | 716.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 56 | 723.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 57 | 730.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 58 | 737.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 59 | 744.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 60 | 751.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 61 | 758.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 62 | 765.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 63 | 772.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 64 | 779.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 65 | 786.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 66 | 793.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 67 | 800.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 68 | 807.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
| 69 | 814.25 | PAL-B, Analog, FM Stereo | V (UHF) |
Sourced from:
Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA):
Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations 2004.
New Zealand TV channel frequencies
In New Zealand, the terrestrial TV VHF channels use the PAL-B type 7Mhz channel bandwidth, and the UHF channels use the PAL-G type 8MHz channel bandwidth.
The Phase Alternating Line (PAL) system displays in a 4:3 aspect ratio, using 625 horizontal scan lines at 50Hz interlaced. Every second line is refreshed per cycle—alternating—to present a complete screen (frame) refresh every two (50 Hz) cycles, resulting in a frame rate of 25Hz (frames per second).
The nominal vision (video) carrier frequency is 1.25 MHz above the lower frequency limit of the channel, and is displayed in the table below. To provide room for the video bandwidth of 5MHz, the normal PAL audio carrier is offset from the video carrier frequency by +5.5MHz.
New Zealand terrestrial analog TV transmissions use NICAM (Near Instantaneous Companded Audio Multiplex) which adds a 728k digital modulated audio carrier (offset from the video carrier frequency by +5.85MHz) which is secondary (and quite independent) to the normal PAL audio carrier.
NICAM can be used to carry one or two audio tracks as either a single stereo track or as two separate mono tracks. This permits multiple languages or dialogs in simultaneous transmissions. It could alternatively be used to carry data like subtitle text. In stereo mode, the secondary signal carries a digital datastream of encoded stereo sound. The receiver needs to be NICAM compatible and aware to make use of this additional functionality.
| Designated Channel | Video Frequency (MHz) | TV Standard | RF Band |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45.25 | PAL-B, Analog, NICAM | I (VHF) |
| 2 | 55.25 | PAL-B, Analog, NICAM | I (VHF) |
| 3 | 62.25 | PAL-B, Analog, NICAM | I (VHF) |
| 4 | 175.25 | PAL-B, Analog, NICAM | III (VHF) |
| 5 | 182.25 | PAL-B, Analog, NICAM | III (VHF) |
| 6 | 189.25 | PAL-B, Analog, NICAM | III (VHF) |
| 7 | 196.25 | PAL-B, Analog, NICAM | III (VHF) |
| 8 | 203.25 | PAL-B, Analog, NICAM | III (VHF) |
| 9 | 210.25 | PAL-B, Analog, NICAM | III (VHF) |
| 10 | 217.25 | PAL-B, Analog, NICAM | III (VHF) |
| 11 | 224.25 | PAL-B, Analog, NICAM | III (VHF) |
| 12–24 | Reserved | ||
| 25 | 503.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | IV (UHF) |
| 26 | 511.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | IV (UHF) |
| 27 | 519.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | IV (UHF) |
| 28 | 527.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | IV (UHF) |
| 29 | 535.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | IV (UHF) |
| 30 | 543.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | IV (UHF) |
| 31 | 551.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | IV (UHF) |
| 32 | 559.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | IV (UHF) |
| 33 | 567.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | IV (UHF) |
| 34 | 575.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | IV (UHF) |
| 35 | 583.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 36 | 591.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 37 | 599.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 38 | 607.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 39 | 615.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 40 | 623.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 41 | 631.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 42 | 639.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 43 | 647.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 44 | 655.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 45 | 663.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 46 | 671.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 47 | 679.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 48 | 687.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 49 | 695.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 50 | 703.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 51 | 711.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 52 | 719.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 53 | 727.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 54 | 735.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 55 | 743.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 56 | 751.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 57 | 759.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 58 | 767.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 59 | 775.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 60 | 783.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 61 | 791.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
| 62 | 799.25 | PAL-G, Analog, NICAM | V (UHF) |
Sourced from:
[New Zealand] Ministry of Economic
Development Report: Digital Television Dec 2001.
See Also
Understanding TV systems |
Lotech Solutions' Tips, Tricks,
and Procedures
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