Shallow Southern Ocean/Bass Strait fronts undercutting warm, dry air aloft can produce massive tropo in that part of the world.
I had 107.3 Hobart into Portland, VIC at local strength in March 2016. Video is on a Facebook group which I’ll have to figure out how to extract (maybe @matt86 can help; I think it was his group).
Logged these radio stations in Renmark:
At night on AM, you could try for 567 2BH Broken Hill - it should last the longest after sunrise and be one of the first to appear (may then be swamped by other signals).
585 2WEB from Bourke too.
On short wave, try for 4KZ from Innisfail on 5055kHz
Hill FM Broken Hill on FM 96.5
Today’s scan of the FM band comes from Shoal Bay where between other things like enjoying the unseasonably warm Late April/Early May weather (although it must be said, the trip had been planned for some time before then), I’ll be attempting to provide a few local media updates until Friday when I’m back in Sydney.
Any filling of the gaps would be much appreciated! 
87.6: Riot FM Port Stephens
88.0: Bay FM (airing CSAs from the old RTA rather than the current RMS, and some music which is probably older than even some of the songs 2CH play in Sydney!)
91.5: Triple J Grafton-Kempsey
92.3: ABC Local Radio Coffs Coast
92.7: Sky Sports Radio Port Macquarie
93.9: ?
94.7: ? (Buzzy mono signal)
95.1: ABC NewsRadio Port Stephens
95.5: ABC Mid North Coast
95.9: ABC Newcastle, Port Stephens Translator
96.3: Triple J Mid North Coast
97.1: Radio National Mid North Coast
97.5: 2HD Newcastle, Port Stephens Translator
97.9: ABC Classic FM Grafton-Kempsey
98.1: Power FM Muswellbrook (very weak)
98.3: ABC Radio National, Port Stephens Translator
98.7: ABC Classic Mid North Coast
99.5: Radio National Grafton-Kempsey
99.7: Rhema FM Newcastle
99.9 ?
100.3: 2RE Forster/Tuncurry translator
100.5 2RPH Newcastle
100.7 Triple M Mid North Coast
100.9: Port Stephens FM
101.1: ?
101.3: Sea Central Coast
101.5: Great Lakes FM
101.9: ?
102.1: Triple J Newcastle
102.3: Hit Mid North Coast
102.9: Triple M Newcastle
103.7: 2NUR-FM Newcastle
104.5: Star Central Coast
104.7: 2BOB Taree
105.3: New FM Newcastle
105.7: Sky Sports Radio Taree
106.1: Classic FM Newcastle
106.9: Hit Newcastle
107.3: Max Taree
107.7: 2GO Central Coast
107.9: Radio Dungong
FM reception of Newcastle/Mt Sugarloaf stations is considerably weaker here than it was (and probably still is) over the water at Tea Gardens during my trips there. Quite listenable, but not strong enough to receive RDS.
I’d possibly even go as far as saying the ABC FM stations from Middle Brother and Max 107.3 Taree might have better reception in Shoal Bay than the major Mt Sugarloaf stations. Reception of stations with Port Stephens translators seems fine though.
That would be ABC Newsradio from Mid North Coast (Middle Brother), but it would come in weaker than the other ABC services from there, hence the buzzy mono signal.
Off-Topic, historically, before the Port Stephens TV translator was set-up as a digital-only site back in 2006, plenty of people in the Port Stephens area, particularly around Nelson Bay & Shoal Bay, used to get better TV reception from Middle Brother than from Mt Sugarloaf. However, that meant getting local news bulletins from the Mid North Coast rather than from Newcastle.
4GY is only at 2.3kw due to been on the backup Transmitter which is only a 2.5kw BE… The 10kw BE is currently out of service after been belted by a storm over Christmas
Good post!
My attempts to fill in your gaps.
93.9 Radio National Tamworth
99.9 Radio Rhema Port Macquarie
101.1 Triple J Armidale
101.9 Local Radio Armidale
None of these would be permanent reception in the area, definitely seems like you’ve got some enhancement there!
And areas that are shaded by hills from the south are definitely better suited to Middle Brother than Sugarloaf reception. There are a number of houses along Government Rd at Shoal Bay that had VHF and UHF antennas pointed north at Middle Brother during the analogue era.
Good to know that I picked up some enhancement. It’ll be interesting to see if there’s more tomorrow and particularly on Thursday when it’s expected to be quite warm (mid-high twenties) before the change comes in on Friday for my return home to Sydney.
I think few places in Shoal Bay might still have TV antennas for Middle Brother, certainly there’s a few high masts around anyway.
But of course these days, most set-ups in the area would probably be for the Port Stephens retransmissions of more relevant Newcastle stations.
Here’s an update on my Roselands bandscan from 2016 three years later.
What do you guys think was on 92.7? 1ART or 2BAB maybe?
87.6 - Voice of Islam (LPON)
87.8 - Radio Austral (LPON)
88.0 - Vintage FM (LPON)
88.1 - 2RDJ (Burwood)
88.3 - 2UUS (Camden)
88.5 - 2RRR (Ryde)
88.7 - 2MWM (Manly North)
88.9 - 2RSR (Inner Sydney)
89.1 - 2BLU (Katoomba)
89.3 - 2GLF (Liverpool)
89.5
89.7 - 2RSR (Waverley)
89.9 - TCBL (Windsor)
90.1 - 2NBC (Narwee)
90.3 - 2MWM (Manly South)
90.5 - 2CCR (Parramatta)
90.7
90.9 - 2PNN (Illawarra)
91.1
91.3 - 2MAC (Campbelltown)
91.5
91.7
91.9
92.1 - 2MFM (Sydney)
92.3 - 2MCE (Bathurst)
92.5 - 2WYR (Moss Vale)
92.7 - Not sure
92.9 - 2ABCFM (Sydney)
93.1
93.3 - 2SNR (Gosford)
93.5 - 2SNO (Goulburn)
93.7 - 2LND (Sydney)
93.9
94.1 - 2LIV (Wollongong/Nowra)
94.3
94.5 - 2FBI (Sydney)
94.7
94.9 - 2GCB (Gosford)
95.1 - 2BS (Bathurst)
95.3 - 2PTV (Sydney)
95.5
95.7 - 2ABCFM (Illawarra)
95.9
96.1 - 2ONE (Katoomba)
96.3 - 2CCC (Gosford)
96.5 - 2UUL (Wollongong)
96.7
96.9 - 2SYD (Sydney)
97.1 - 2ABCRN (Manning River)
97.3 - 2ILA (Illawarra)
97.5
97.7 - 2SBSFM (Sydney)
97.9
98.1 - 2WIN (Wollongong)
98.3
98.5 - 2OOO (Sydney)
98.7
98.9 - 2JJJ (Illawarra)
99.1 - 2UUS (Richmond)
99.3 - 2NSB (Chatswood)
99.5 - 2ICE (Katoomba)
99.7 - 2SSR (Sutherland)
99.9 - 2SWR (Blacktown)
100.1 - 2HHH (Hornsby)
100.3 - 2MCR (Campbelltown)
100.5 - 2RPH (Inner Sydney)
100.7 - 2WOW (Penrith)
100.9 - 2BCR (Bankstown)
101.1 - 2LT (Katoomba)
101.3 - 2CFM (Gosford)
101.5 - 2JJJ (Canberra)
101.7 - 2UUS (Sydney)
101.9 - 2JJJ (Central Tablelands)
102.1 - 2JJJ (Newcastle)
102.3 - 2ABCFM (Canberra)
102.5 - 2MBS (Sydney)
102.7 - 2ABCFM (Central Tablelands)
102.9 - 2ST (Bowral)
103.2 - 2CBA (Sydney)
103.5 - 2CCB (Orange)
103.7
103.9 - 2PB (Canberra)
104.1 - 2DAY (Sydney)
104.3 - 2ABCRN (Central Tablelands)
104.5 - 2GOS (Gosford)
104.7 - 2ROC (Canberra)
104.9 - 2MMM (Sydney)
105.1 - 2OAG (Orange)
105.3 - HPON (Wollongong)
105.5 - 2SBSFM (Canberra)
105.7 - 2JJJ (Sydney)
105.9 - 2GZF (Orange)
106.1 - 2ABCFM (Newcastle)
106.3
106.5 - 2WFM (Sydney)
106.7 - HPON (Orange)
106.9 - 2VOX (Wollongong)
107.1 - 2WKT (Bowral)
107.3 - 2SER (Sydney)
107.5 - 2OCW (Orange)
107.7 - 2GGO (Gosford)
107.9 - 2ICE (Lithgow)
Great bandscan. Probably some slight enhancement to Canberra and Orange.
I’d say 92.7 was Zoo FM Dubbo given the strength of Orange. If it was 2BAB, 91.7 2ST should have been in. It’s unlikely to be Artsound playing that 1927 song***, and you should have had 1WAY (91.9) and 2XX (98.3) in with it. I generally need strong reception of 104.7 for Artsound to show up.
Zoo FM can be received via aircraft scatter quite regularly, even in non tropo conditions.
***Though Artsound have surprised me recently by playing the occasional pop track.
Thanks, Dxnerd. I did another band scan tonight just driving around and positively identified 92.7 as Zoo FM Dubbo. Also got Real FM on 93.1 and Hit 93.5 Dubbo fighting it out with Eagle FM.
Two more additions to the list of Shoal Bay DXing during my final full day here before returning home to Sydney - the 105.1 & 106.7 Kempsey signals of Hit & Triple M Mid North Coast respectively.
Obviously far more exciting to receive from a distance perspective rather than a content one (the exact same feed(s) go to air on 102.3/105.1 and 100.7/106.7, right?)!
Indeed. I have received those signals at my home near Campbelltown through my DX setup via coastal tropo, which in the case of Triple M Mid North Coast, was the only way to receive the station, due to 100.7 being blocked by WOW Penrith.
If only (S)Hit was still Rox FM.
Or even Star FM when it was owned by DMG, circa 1999-2004.
I still have fond memories of 'The Coast’s Music Leader", they had great music and were mostly live and local, even at night for the first year or two.
To answer @SydneyCityTV 's question re feeds, yes Hit (and Triple M) are the same on both frequencies pretty much ever since the networking began in May 2000.
Before that, STAR/ROX had separate ID sweepers on 102.3 and 105.1 that would mention only that frequency and their own “Streetbeat” community announcements on each.
2MC FM has always been the same on air on all three frequencies though.
Rox was local at night the whole time it had that name?
Those stations used to earn a truckload prior to the networking. Still impressive but lost their lustre with locals.
I don’t think so.
I remember from about 1997 ? it took “The Nightzone” with Phil Lentz from SKY Radio (run by 2UE)
Picked these up on my car radio this morning in Renmark S.A (car is a '04 Toyota Camry with an OEM radio). Some signals had a some static but you could hear what was on the stations, some were heavily dominated by static.
The Eta Aquarids meteor shower was pretty good this morning. Here is a YT montage of this morning’s activity via 98.5 Mhz.