What are the best NZ frequencies to try for tropo enhancement?
91.4, 91.6, 91.8, 103.4 are the prime channels. Theyāre from Hamilton, Northland and Auckland. Less frequently, 89.0 Concert from Palmerston North and 91.7 The Hits Westport.
There are only a few tx sites that cross the ditch via tropo. The site needs to be well elevated with a good takeoff towards Australia (west). Mount Te Aroha/Hamilton is the most frequently received being 1000 m ASL and towering over the Waikato Plains. Iāve never received Wellington via tropo (and itās even rare via Es) so Mt Kaukau must have a poor takeoff to the west. It might restrict power in our direction, too.
New Plymouth should be one of the easiest sites to hear due to its westernmost position on the North Island, but the txs are in the lee of Mount Taranaki.
I suspect that Knights Hill is probably the strongest tropo signal into NZ.
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Thanks, I was aware of 91.6 and 91.8, as I received 91.6 last time there was tropo across the ditch. How is general NZ tropo at your location? The best I get of 91.6 More Fm Northland was a weak signal just above the noise floor to noisy stereo. The signal was very unstable.
I have previously received 91.8 More Fm Auckland via tropo but it only just made it above the noise floor. Always better received by skip.
It is quite good that I can receive any NZ tropo as I am over 40km from the coast at Stanhope Gardens.
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Some very good tropo still about tonight, probably the last night for a few days before the cool change arrives tomorrow afternoon.
Got up out of my chair to check my Newcastle nulls for southern reception
Got 2SSR 99.7 in my Rhema null.
Got 2VOX 106.9 in my Hit 106.9 null.
Nothing in my 102.9 Triple M null.
Nothing in my 105.3 NEW FM, but I suspect the Wollongong Kix Country has a significantly weaker signal than 2VOX as Kix is harder to receive in Sydney too (though I can get it at Killcare Heights on the Central Coast).
Canāt seen to find a null for 2NUR 103.7 to try for SKY Sports Nowra.
Nothing to try for on 102.1 or 106.1
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So far tonight it is southern coastal tropo for me too. 102.9 Triple M Newcastle is the only clear frequency. 105.3 Kix Country over New Fm. 106.9 Vox and Hit106.9 fighting it out
94.9 Power fm over Rhema CC.
No Eagle fm.
Enough interference from Newcastle to wipe out my Wollongong tv reception.
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Thereās been some inland tropo into Brisbane today. This morning had GEM FM from Inverell. There was also unid classic music v briefly on 102.3, luckily this returned tonight and could confirm as ABC Classic Canberra. Middle Brother at low levels but otherwise normal reception seems worse than usual.
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Newcastle now dominating with RDS on all Commercials except Hit 106.9.
100.9 Port Stephens fm now being received with RDS
The Hepburn charts are correct in displaying intense to extreme coastal tropo between Wollongong and Newcastle.
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I am getting weak ABC South Coast but not much else other than the considerably stronger than usual Sydney and Wollongong signals.
I was out in Turon Gates near Capertee this afternoon.
Location: https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-33.1439079,149.884472,15z
In normal conditions, you could only get the Lithgow, Bathurst & Orange stations, as well as 98.7 KRR from Kandos, and faint signals of ABC FM services from Mt Cenn-Cruaich (except 107.9 RN, as itās blocked by Move FM). This is because itās located in the valley. Quite surprisingly, I canāt even get the 97.9 Kandos repeater service of Real FM.
At around 4pm this afternoon, through my Tecsun, I managed to get Aircraft Scatter reception of FM stations from Sydney, Illawarra (ABC only), Gosford, Newcastle, Muswellbrook, Narrabri (ie. ABC services from Mt Dowe), Dubbo, Canberra & Griffith.
Earlier in the morning, on my parentsā Forester car radio near my home north of Campbelltown, I got strong tropo signals of Great Lakes FM, as well as ABC Classic FM from both Mt Moombil & Mt Dowe. On my Tecsun, as I was climbing up the Blue Mountains from Penrith to Glenbrook, there was a huge battle on 96.3 between Coast FM Gosford & JJJ Manning River.
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When did the FM service begin officially? Thu 13 December 0745 when they had their ceremonial launch?
Radioinfo article quotes Ron saying itād be mid January.
Nothing like saving some electricity.
If the mast is not being repurposed for another station, eg. HPON, next question is, when is the demolition day?
The quickest shut down in recent times was that of AM 1359 4WKās Toowoomba translator. Once the FM was on air, the AM didnāt last much longer and the demolition/detonation happened very soon after. Finally a buyer for the land was found soon after. Bill had it on the market for quite some time prior to the plan going through.
That along with Nova and all of the Lofty + Grenfell St services were heard in Brisbane in the great E skip of Nov 2016 and again in late Jan 2018 around Coffs Harbour.
Let the SA Grant techs know, Shane DeCean and Andrew Williss. All love a long catch
Thereād be a FB page for that, Iām sure theyād be red hot with activity, you know what the am hams are like.
Yes, where are the NZ DXāers and why arenāt they here? Would be interesting to know. 'Gong techs would also be able to confirm. What of Brown Mt to beam east into Bega and coastal valleys? One of the most curious TX site intentions around what they were trying to achieve with FM and ATV there.
Unusual for the Camerons not have theirs cranking.
Oh no, imagine those further west at Penrith Plaza or wherever it is that itās been mentioned use Knights Hill as their source?
PSFM is it?
I know it well. Enjoying the worldās second largest canyon?
Stop in Rylstone and marvel at this great set up:
Is it a Band II for WIN-4?
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Looking at the orientation of the hotel and antenna on Street View, it looks like itās pointed at Newcastle for NBN 3, not Wollongong for WIN.
Rylstone is considerably closer to Newcastle.
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I think they get the TV signals from Kurrajong Heights these days since the translator was switched on in 2013.
People in Western Sydney getting better signals from Knights Hill than from Artarmon/Gore Hill/Willoughby was more of an analogue-era thing before the DTV translators were set up in Kurrajong Heights, Razorback & Picton.
I didnāt go into the canyon, but I did see it from Castlereagh Highway. It is quite a spectacular sight. 
I only went out for the day & was back home last night.
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Yeah I went on a farm stay there about 8 years ago. Great spot to DX. The place we stayed at does not seem to exist now.
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Thereās some fleeting Es DX around at the moment.
Es cloud over Canberra atm.
Caught brief 93.9 7ABCFM Hobart.
& new for me; 96.7 3JJJ Latrobe Valley.
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Big opening into Brisbane this morning with strong signals from across Tasmania and Victoria many with RDS and overpowering near-local stations. Many Gold Coast stations were wiped out.
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mega Es here all day with rare catches like 2CHY Coffs Harbour & Red FM/Spirit FM from Port Hedland WA. Band was saturated at times & 3 or 4 states coming in at once!
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YT links to reception
91.7 Port Hedland WA - https://youtu.be/7GlbcQSnMhM
94.1 Port Hedland WA - https://youtu.be/L9ZRrafPfYg
91.0 pirate FM station - https://youtu.be/QTANgnrm5aA
2CHY-FM - https://youtu.be/xhAPwLzBoKA
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I noticed that in Geelong the other day, New Years Day I think it was. I had good enough signal to decode RDS on Chilli, but unfortunately 89.3 is blocked by Hot Country down there (on a side note, anyone who has the ability to get that abomination of a station shifted or better yet removed from the airwaves will have my undying and eternal admiration 
)
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I was driving through Central/Northern NSW today and noted some very strong signals, primarily from Hobart. I also managed some good signal from SE SA and even an RDS lock on 96.1 in the car. Pity I didnāt know about the prize on offer for Magic 93.1 reception until just now, or I would have tried that harder 
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Mustāve been really booming in then. Last time I picked up Northern Tassie was on Boxing Day, and I couldnāt get 7EXX underneath spill from 3TSC (and the KIX Country HPON in Geelong wiped out all chances of 7LAA)
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