Communities should ensure that any equipment purchased complies with Australian Standard and installed by a qualified broadcast technician. ACMA has a list of accredited persons which includes broadcast consultants and engineers.
The ABA has developed technical requirements for basic and professional Self-help systems. These cover the needs of most communities. Detailed technical specifications of these systems are available from ACMA.
The BASIC system (Category A) is low powered and is suitable for small communities with houses located close together. Basic Self-help transmitters will usually cover an area less than 8km in radius. For services received off-air, Self-help rebroadcast installations may consist of a high gain receiving antenna, transposer and transmit antenna. For satellite derived services, a satellite receiving dish, receiver decoder, transmitter and transmit antenna will be needed.
PROFESSIONAL systems (Category B) are higher powered with transmitters designed to cover areas up to 20 km in radius. Because of their higher power, these systems must be planned in greater detail and need to meet more rigorous technical standards.
CABLE systems may vary from a simple diplexer and splitter serving a few households to sophisticated networks involving channel converters, antenna and trunk amplifiers, depending on the community's requirement.
For each of these systems a reliable electricity supply must be provided to the site. Mains power is usually preferred, however in remote areas storage batteries may be used, but they must be housed safely and given adequate maintenance.
