I can recommend the Ned Neale Lookout at Sandy Point- it’s great for Tassie but I also had Brown Mountain (Bega) strong from there.
I can also recommend Mount Nicoll between Foster and Fish Creek. I didn’t have time to do the walk up to the summit but the results from there would be spectacular. Devonport is like a local signal even at its base. Next time.
Most of the Melbourne stations are at least weakly received around Stratford. Smooth and Nova have a lot more oomph and I’ve received them as far east as Marlo before. By Stratford, Smooth/Nova (and JJJ, Classic, SBS) are listenable for the non DXer.
Bit of tropospheric FM DX around atm.
Canberra (eg 106.3 & 98.3)
Dubbo: 2ZOO 92.7 & a little of 2DBO fighting it out with Eagle FM.
Central Western Slopes: 102.3 2JJJ, 106.3 2PNN
Also had 103.5 Orange with RDS.
Bathurst: 92.3, 96.7, 97.5
Cootamundra: 2JJJ 90.7, 2PNN 91.5
Young 93.9 Roccy FM
I decided to do an AM and FM DX from home earlier this afternoon, just for the sake of it. Here is what I managed to receive on my car radio:
Illawarra,NSW FM Bandscan Sunday, 17th February 2019 - 13:32pm AEDT
87.6 - Oldies FM
87.8 - Faith FM
88.0 - *Unknown (still haven’t been able to work out where this signal is coming from)
90.9 - ABCNewsRadio (Wollongong)
91.3 - C91.3 (Macarthur)
91.7 - 2ST (Shoalhaven Heads)
92.1 - 2MFM (Chester Hill)
92.5 - Youth FM (Bowral)
92.7 - Bay & Basin FM (Sussex Inlet)
92.9 - ABC Classic FM (Sydney)
93.7 - Koori Radio (Redfern)
94.1 - Pulse FM (Wollongong)
94.5 - FBi Radio (Sydney)
94.9 - Power FM (Nowra)
95.3 - Smooth FM (Sydney)
95.7 - ABC Classic FM (Wollongong)
96.1 - The Edge (I can receive The Edge better than the Sydney commercial stations)
96.5 - Wave FM (Wollongong)
96.9 - Nova FM (Sydney)
97.3 - ABC Illawarra (Wollongong)
97.7 - SBS Radio (Sydney)
98.1 - i98fm (Wollongong)
98.5 - 2OOO FM (Burwood)
98.9 - Triple J (Wollongong)
99.3 - (The signal was really faint; it was either B-Rock Bathurst or 2NSB Chatswood).
100.3 - 2MCR (Campbelltown)
101.1 - Hot Country (Nowra)
101.7 - WSFM (Sydney)
102.5 - FineMusic (Sydney)
102.9 - 2ST (the signal was stronger on the 91.7 MHz frequency)
103.2 - Hope FM (Sydney)
103.7 - 2KY (Wollongong)
104.1 - 2DayFM (Sydney)
104.5 - 2UUU (Nowra)
104.9 - Triple M (Sydney)
105.3 - Hot Country (Wollongong)
105.7 - Triple J (Sydney)
106.5 - KIIS FM (Sydney)
106.9 - VOX FM (Wollongong)
107.1 - Highland FM (Bowral)
107.3 - 2SER (Sydney)
107.7 - 2GO (Very faint signal, though I have been able to receive it reasonably well before)
107.9 - Move FM (Lithgow)
AM Bandscan 13:59pm AEDT
549 - ABC Central West (Orange)
576 - Radio National (Sydney)
603 - Radio National (Wollongong)
630 - ABC NewsRadio (Sydney)
666 - ABC Radio (Canberra)
702 - ABC Sydney
801 - Niche Radio Network (Gosford)
846 - Radio National (Canberra)
873 - 2GB (Sydney)
954 - 2UE (Sydney)
999 - 2ST [Reception poor]
1017 - Sky Sports Radio (Sydney)
1026 - [Not sure about this. I think it may have been splatter from another signal]
1044 - [Again, not too sure]
1107 - SBS Radio (Sydney)
1143 - 2HD (Newcastle)
1170 - Magic 2CH (Sydney)
1224 - RPH Print Radio (Sydney)
1269 - 2SM (Sydney)
1314 - 2KY (Wollongong)
1431 - Radio National (Wollongong)
1485 - 2EA / SBS (Wollongong)
1539 - Niche Radio Network (Sydney)
1575 - Rete Italia (Wollongong)
Your splatter on 1026 and 1044 is from your SBS Wollongong station on 1035.
That’s interesting that you’ve listed 2GO, but not SEA FM, also from Gosford, as my experience is that 101.3 has a better signal to the south than 107.7 (and I find the opposite up here in Newcastle).
I thought they might have been SBS Radio from Wollongong, but I wasn’t entirely sure as I wasn’t able to receive the station on 1035.
I’ve always found it difficult to receive SEA FM, even during favourable conditions. Sometimes I can receive the signal when I am driving down neighbouring streets, but the signal suffers from a lot of static and it isn’t reliable enough to listen to. 2GO, on the other hand, can actually be reasonably strong at times and I can receive the station all-year round.
*2UE is currently under the “Macquarie Sports Radio” brand, prior to that it was “Talking Lifestyle” between September 2016 & April 2018.
*2KY has been “Sky Sports Radio” for about a decade now.
*2CH hasn’t had any “Magic” in the branding for almost two years, currently the station goes under the “Classic Hits 2CH” brand after recently being “Easy Classics 2CH” between March 2017 and the relaunch on Monday.
*“RPH Print Radio” is actually branded on-air as 2RPH.
Could the reason be for Sea fm lower signal strength is that it is on a lower tower? ACMA has it’s maximum antenna height at 69m, whereas the others are at 80m according to the LAP?
I also know that the Sea Fm tower has the highest elevation on the ridge, so would that equal the 11m difference, and have all the commercial fm’s broadcast antennas theoretically at the same height?
The ABCs plus Wave and i98 are all over 50db. Power is 37db and Pulse is 33db, breaking through Central Coast community stations in their weaker signal spots.
But I could not get 2VOX in my Hit 106.9 null. You could tell there was something under it, but not enough to break through. I suspect changes have been made to the Hit106.9 or perhaps 2VOX in the last month or so, as i would have expected to get it. I hope it comes back!
2ST was still there in my Triple M Newcastle null though (peak 32db).
South Coast ABCs also received at 15db, Canberra is weaker at about 7db, clear mono, but not stereo.
I don’t have the time now, but if someone checks Google Earth & can confirm the ground heights suggested are correct, then yes all antennas would be roughly the same height, but that’s where the theory ends. (I think that Star 104.5 may be on slightly higher ground that SEA though?).
It’s most likely to be the way the signal is thrown out from the tower with the different antenna arrays.
2GO has a 3 bay full wavelength spaced antenna, SEA has a 6 bay half wavelength spaced antenna & Star has a 4 bay full wavelength spaced antenna.
All have different radiation pattern specifications, so will throw the signal differently, some will land it closer in to the tower, some will throw it further out away from the tower, also a minor thing for the difference in radiation pattern will be, that the SEA antenna is mixed polarization but in a Vertical/Horizontal configuration like a +, but both the 2GO & Star antennas are mixed polarization but in a 45 degree either side of perpendicular configuration like a x.
Receive signal strength (at a distance), will reflect this, depending upon how you have your receive antenna set, which could be 3dB or more difference?
