Just once and it stays on. Here’s the video for those who want to help me ID stations:
And Part 2:
With a quick AM bandscan up to 1701 kHz thrown in too.
With the cooler weather, finally I’ve heard some more AM signals indoors.
666 PREMIERE Noumea - fair (5 am)
837 RNZ National NZ Far North - poor - music parallel to stream*
909 CNR 6 Quanzhou - poor - barely audible over heavy electrical interference (11 pm)
1089 CNR 6 Fuzhou - fair (11 pm)
Not unusual, but heard for the first time indoors with portable radios at home this year. I use the Sangean PR-D8 portable barefoot running on battery power. Whilst these large Sangean radios have a weakness in selectivity (no DSP), the sensitivity increase (huge internal loopstick) over my Si4734 radio more than compensates. *The 2kW SFN (Whangarei & Kaitaia) is probably there permanently of course, but for some reason I’ve never checked 837 kHz before!
Thanks for those Blaupunkt videos, TVCL. I’m also convinced from watching that it is a SHARX model you are using.
I’m noticing conditions vary considerably daily but driving using the car radio over the last few weeks 909 & 1089 China can be absolutely crystal clear by 2 am. Even satisfactory to listen to at 9 pm sometimes (within the BCC perimeter) on the open road. As mentioned in the Car Radios thread, I use a Blaupunkt SHARX model with an embedded active vertical window antenna.
Dusted off the Degen DE1121 (link below, aka KA1121) with window antenna for shortwave. Heard for the first time on a portable:
3945 VBTC Vanuatu Port Vila - poor (11 pm & 4 am)
5020 SIBC Honiara - strong (6 pm)
7260 VBTC Vanuatu Port Vila - very poor (4 am)
7540 VOA Deewa Kuwait - poor - with ‘VOA Deewa’ ID after interview (4 am)
VBTC was playing the Chilli Pepper’s ‘Scar Tissue’ at one point. The 7260 service seems to only be receivable after 4 am - once the 100 kW PBS Xinjiang Chinese service dominating the frequency signs off? The SIBC 9545 service has not been heard yet, it’s on the ‘to do’ list.
http://www.goodluckbuy.com/degen-de1121-fm-sw-mw-lw-ssb-dual-conversion-radio-mp3-player.html
I’m just an occasional shortwave listener, but I am interested in hearing how others fare listening indoors with budget shortwave receivers. What signals do you regularly hear? The Si4734 radios can apparently be sensitive on shortwave when used well away from AM powerhouses according to the Monitoring Times.
Sadly, I recently noticed this year that Paul VK7FPGB has abandoned his involvement in the Ultralight mediumwave & shortwave hobby. Paul was one of the most interesting young Ultralight radio bloggers & scenic photographers, based in Launceston. His blog is archived.
https://web.archive.org/web/20150816172900/http://ultralightdxing.blogspot.com
Most recently, Paul used the Tecsun PL-360 ($61) which is based on the Si4735 chip to receive WA & NZ AM stations during winter. One can directly plug in any antenna for LW, AM or SW reception into this rig. This includes an inductive indoor ferrite rod antenna ($52) or an outdoor longwire antenna.
1 Like
My initial Roselands bandscan was done on facing north on the top level of the car park. I decided to return and see what I could get facing south. I was able to catch these additional stations:
107.5 2OCB (Orange)
105.5 SBS Radio (Canberra)
104.7 hit1047 (Canberra)
103.9 ABC NewsRadio (Canberra)
103.5 Station playing country countdown (2:15pm on Saturday) | Edit: Appears to be Rhema (Orange)
102.3 ABC Classic FM (Canberra)
101.9 Fading between ABC Classic FM (Batemans Bay) and Triple J (Central Tablelands)
101.5 Triple J (Canberra)
94.3 Sky Racing (Goulburn)
91.1 1CMS (Canberra)
I think this is the first time I managed to receive 8 versions of ABC Classic FM at the same location (92.9, 95.7, 96.7, 98.7, 101.9, 102.3, 102.7 and 106.1).
Well done on those, Roselands is local to me, though I’ve never done a proper bandscan from there. Your results from the southern facing wing are comparable to what I receive ~10 km south with a Yagi.
I mentioned earlier that about the possibility of using the Si4734 radios for shortwave listening. Well, that is certainly not an option for me. Shortwave is absolutely unusable on my Tecsun PL-300WT, with bleedthrough across all SW bands from AM stations including 4KQ which is one of the weakest AM signals here!!!
On a positive note, conditions have improved enormously with 666 PREMIERE Noumea absolutely belting in this morning obliterating 4CC - which of course is usually exceptionally strong from dusk 'til dawn every day. This morning was the first time this year I’ve heard 666 indoors on the Tecsun (which unfortunately has a very noticeable difference in mediumwave sensitivity compared to the Sangean). No sign of 729 PREMIERE Popoméou on any portable. As always, portable reception is always ‘barefoot’ (stock internal antennas only).
Unfortunately, these nine Classic FMs are generally audible each night during summer on the drive out of the Brisbane CBD via the Clem Jones Tunnel on the M3 (aka the Pacific Motorway which becomes the M1 at Rochedale):
88.5, 88.7, 93.7, 95.3, 97.9, 98.5, 101.7, 106.1 & 107.3 MHz.
To be fair, 95.3 & 97.9 are from NSW. But people wonder why there are no frequencies left for community or commercial entities on the FM band. 
1 Like
You have to wonder why ABC stations in Coffs Harbour have to be so strong they prevent co-channel stations as far away as Wide Bay in Queensland! Rebel FM to the south of Brisbane has to be on an even frequency of 99.4 to avoid Coffs.
News Radio is probably the biggest waste of FM frequencies however. Just look at the latest Mid North Coast ratings and try to justify the expense, power output, electricity use etc of a station with an 0.8% rating in an 8-station market. News Radio would be a perfect candidate for the AM band. If not a SFN should be considered to free up frequencies.
1 Like
Interesting that recently while fiddling with the dial late at night, Picking up long distance stations. 2DU Dubbo, 2QN Echuca, 3SR Shepperton just a few off the top of my head. The thing is, it’s not so much I was picking them up but how clear it was coming through.
A few more examples where the ABC seems to be the king of the FM jungle:
-
96.1 The Heat (Gympie & Noosa) was not receivable in summer at Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast due to the omnipresent beauty of 2JJJ Mt Nardi (100 kW). The broadcast specs were changed for 96.1 & a translator given on 100.5 MHz for Tewantin. Caloundra is not within the license area but obviously the signal should have been receivable there given the proximity to Noosa.
-
Star 106.9 (Ipswich) was purportedly not clear west of Brisbane due to interference from 106.5 (80 kW) & 107.3 (100 kW) ABC services in the Downs. The frequency was changed to 94.9 & specs changed including the construction of a new tower. I can’t be 100% certain about those details but I can remember that a rooftop antenna was necessary to receive Star 106.9 on the northside at a reasonable level (Star 106.9 played songs the Brisbane incumbents would not). The interference was mentioned in the ACMA submissions by Star 106.9 FM.
-
More recently, RF Burns has mentioned that the 100 kW Taree signal is affecting coverage of 96.3 Coast FM.
I thought the change from 106.9 to 94.9 was because Star 106.9 suffered inteference from the high powered 96kw ABCs off Mt Cootha which are at 0.8 MHz either side?
1 Like
That is another possibility. My best guess if that was the case then NOVA 106.9 (which now occupies the old Star Ipswich frequency right on Mt Coot-tha) would be in the same boat now, with potentially worse impact. NOVA 106.9 is free of interference of course. If anything it’s 97 3 FM (whose audio inexplicably continues to suffer from noticeable artifacts that weren’t there weeks ago) that has traditionally been the weakest of the Mt Coot-tha commercials.
Most tuners even back in that era when 280 & 230 kHz bandwidth ceramic IF filters were commonplace (versus 180 & 150 kHz more recently) should have coped with strong signals 800 kHz away. I don’t personally recall interference from 106.1 4ABCFM affecting the Star 106.9 signal in the Brisbane northside where the weak signal was receivable with quality portable equipment, but I welcome feedback from those in other areas who may remember.
A careful daytime check on the weekend revealed that my Tecsun radio has images from 792 4ABCRN or 612 ABC Brisbane on the following frequencies: 648, 729, 828, 900, 972, 1080 & 1260 kHz.
Considering that the Bald Hill radiator (Main AM Mast Broadcast Australia Site, Kluver St) is over six kilometres away, it’s surprising that this receiver performs so poorly in the presence of strong signals. (I’ve now looked these frequencies up to ascertain they are not DX - actual weak broadcasts. I believe that 729 is not likely to be Adelaide RN, as it would be half an hour behind). Non-DSP portable radios fare much better here, although I know they all have problems with reception of local Murwillumbah station Radio 97 on 972 kHz even at night time.
There seems to be a paucity of DX on either waveband. Little tropo on FM, despite the improved conditions Tuesday night. On AM, Noumea continues to be permanent reception every morning on the Sangean PR-D8 portable radio although the French were quite weak this morning.
Re: 106.9.
I think the main reason the change to 94.9 was made was to better accommodate the band plans from Brisbane and Darling Downs areas. 106.9 was a better frequency to fit a Brisbane LAP station rather than an adjacent area one. With the overlap between Star 106.9 and the Darling Downs LAP, it was located just 400kHz away from high power ABCFM on 107.3 and would have violated their 800 separation “rule”.
There was interference to 106.9 from 106.1 and 107.7 on lower end radios due to the difference in signal strengths. That doesn’t happen with Nova because it transmits from Mt Coot-tha and there is not much difference in signal strength for radios in the coverage area.
1 Like
Back in 2001, according to Star FM personnel the problem was caused by 106.1 & 107.7 MHz which may have resulted in no reception of the weak Star 106.9 broadcast for listeners who (presumably) used radios exhibiting poor dynamic range. Apparently, reception inside buildings & vehicular reception in Ipswich was poor relative to the Brisbane stations.
An independent community radio engineer agreed that ‘4JJJ and the ABC on top of Mount Coot-tha have primarily been responsible’ for the interference. He said ‘we have a totally overengineered situation in relation to ABC FM broadcasting power outputs’.
However, according to rival operators Rebel FM the coverage or interference problems for Star 106.9 may have been overstated. A representative said '‘with the best radio in the world you can get Star FM everywhere in their licence area. Our problem was much larger than theirs was’.
The full transcript of the 2001 federal standing committee meeting summarized above can be read below. (For those interested in the history of SE QLD radio, the report is worth downloading. It even contains a brief discussion of the fallout in Ipswich from 4IP’s transformation, especially on pages 56-57).
Around 2000, my recollection is that indoor reception of Star 106.9 in Brisbane’s south-west suburbs was that the signal was clear on a component stereo system with the wire dipole. However, the signal was not as strong as the Brisbane commercials, but would one not ordinarily expect it to be!
The actual ERP of Star 106.9 at The Knobby was 16 kW, with a restriction of 1.6 kW towards Brisbane & the maximum antenna height of 30m. (Sure, 1.6 kW sounds harsh but it was enough to permit indoor reception on Japanese-made boomboxes in Brisbane north of the river).
In contrast, Star 106.9 faced only two commercial FM competitors (that is, 4MMM & B105) in 2000. These Brisbane stations were allocated an ERP of 12 kW & a maximum antenna height of 95m.
1 Like
In Sydney is 96.1 FM suffering because of smooth and nova? In the western Sydney suburbs there are definitely parts that don’t get as good coverage as the Sydney stations.
In the culburra I know wave fm and I98 has poor reception even if there is LOS with the transmitter because of ABC fine music and ABC local radio. I understand the power southwards is much lower but if they turned off the ABC power houses I am sure those Wollongong stations would have better reception on the basic clock radio. This would in spots up high towards the mouth of the crookhaven river.
I think that if anything, fortuitous reception of 95.7 and 96.5 from the Illawarra would potentially affect reception of The Edge 96.1FM in Sydney moreso than Smooth 95.3 or Nova 96.9.
1 Like
There aren’t any alternative frequencies for 96.1 to go. … They are pretty much stuck there.
I would think Western Sydney is far enough away from Knights Hill for interference to 96.1 to not be an issue.
1 Like
I agree.
Both Nova and Smooth are a safe 0.8mHz away from The Edge. If interference from Nova or Smooth was really a major issue for The Edge, I think we probably would’ve heard about it or noticed it years ago!
I don’t live in Sydney, so I cannot confirm for sure, but I’d imagine that coverage of 96.1 Edge FM would possibly be affected by overspill of 95.7 ABC Classic and 96.5 Wave FM in some areas; FM stations from Wollongong / Illawarra, as well as Smooth FM and possibly Nova FM (even though it broadcasts on 96.9). Some of the Illawarra FM stations can overspill in the Sydney licence area quite strongly. I remember that I was able to receive i98fm (in as good of quality as it is in the Illawarra) in Windsor about two years ago!
Just as a side note, I can actually receive 96.1 Edge FM in my location better than some of the main Sydney FM stations!