New FM seems to have a much better signal to the south nowadays; I’m easily picking it up aiming north with minimal tropo.
A bit of tropo (and volatility) around tonight.
- Triple M has faded to nothing at all for 30 seconds or so a couple of times (I could hear a little bit of News Radio instead)
- i98 coming in without any real hint of News Radio underneath it
- ABC Classic 101.9 from the South Coast in stereo on my mini hifi.
94.9 Power is now coming through over Rhema on the mini hifi.
The same is happening at the opposite end down at around Campbelltown, where I’m getting the Newcastle FM stations loud & clear. I’ve also briefly got Canberra FM stations quite clearly as well.
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Faint 2EC 105.9 now on the mini hi fi as well.
I forgot to check earlier, but I’m now getting the ABC FM stations from Port Macquarie/Taree quite clearly.
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A veritable licorice allsorts on the DX front this afternoon and evening:
Tropo: Star/2MC Kempsey quite strong mid afternoon; Mt Moombil ABCs 3 bars around 1800.
E-skip: A strong opening to Otago and Southland from 1900-2000. 105.4 “Oar FM” with RDS.
Aircraft scatter: The Illawarra ABCs went off air for a few minutes around 2100, allowing Griffith through on 97.3 and 98.9. Lake Macquarie FM was also noted on 97.3.
I reckon those grabs over local powerhouses are almost some of the best DX (aside from the super-exotic long range stuff). For instance, I have mentioned it already but getting Es signals from Victoria and Tasmania over the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast stations that normally blast in the other weekend was pretty special. It’s nice to hear something that’s just that bit harder to catch
It’s not super-exotic, but the rarest DX I’ve had would probably be Power FM Bega on 102.5. The Sydney CBD suffered a total blackout- early 2009 I think it was- which booted several stations off air. It also coincided with some moderate enhancement to the South Coast. This is the only time that I’ve caught 2MBS off air, though they must go off for maintenance occasionally in the wee hours. No such luck with the Sydney commercials, who have two transmitters each. Redundancies are an engineer’s wet dream; not so for the DXer.
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Some inland tropo this morning into Norwest Sydney.
New catch 91.1 with some foreign language is this SBS?
90.7 Triple J Sourh West Slopes on the Corolla car stereo.
93.1 Real Fm on both the car stereo and Digitech tuner
Enhanced signal of 93.5 Eagle Fm on car stereo and Digitech tuner
93.9 Rocky on Digitech tuner, Tamworth Radio National cochannel on car stereo
94.7 Triple J Tamworth on car stereo
98.7 ABC Fm Manning River on both radios in stereo
102.3 Triple J - Central West Slopes on both radios
103.7 - 2NUR just above the static
103.9 News Radio CBR on both radios below splatter from 2day fm
105.5 ABC Fm Central West Slopes
Not bad when the Hepburn chart says marginal inland ducting.
That would be 1CMS from Canberra.
That explains why 107.5 from Orange was booming in on the car radio at Heathcote this morning. Es is as dead as a door nail, though, with no skip even at 50 MHz.
Following on from my RDS post, also at Braye Park lookout, there was faint reception from the Upper Namoi ABCs and Mt Moombil ABCs on 96.7/99.1/99.9/100.7 (when 2MC faded out) and 91.5/97.9 respectively whilst I was there earlier this afternoon…
I don’t normally receive those there… I didn’t think to check for 99.5, it probably would have been there too… but I don’t think 90.7/92.3 were there (which are at lower power than the other Mt Moombil stations).
I never realised 90.7 and 92.3 were lower powered than the rest of the Mt Moombil ABCs. I get the News Radio one, but why would local radio be at a lower power there? Must be a co-channel protection issue I presume?
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I reckon it’s to do with Local Radio already being available on AM at 756 for Taree, 684 for Kempsey and 738 for Grafton.
So that 92.3 is then only really intended for Coffs Harbour and 95.5 for Port Macquarie.
I think 92.3 is full powered to the north, though. I think Radiohead/Donkey Kong is right- 92.3 originally (still does?) had a fair bit of local programming for the Coffs Coast.
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It was an expansion station, when ABC received funds for more local radio across Australia some time ago.
Local shift and journos out of Coffs. IDs as ABC Coffs Coast.
Fiona Poole hosts b’fast, Michael Spooner does same in Port Macquarie.
Cam Marshall in Port Macq usually, hosts mornings across both.
ABC Coffs Coast has its own social media presence.
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This explains why ABC Illawarra FM reception is so bad tonight…
http://www.abc.net.au/reception/
I am getting better WAVE FM reception, a bit of i98 trying to break through under News Radio.
Sydney is very good, better than usual, a number of community stations are receivable, but not much else.
Seems like a case of short hop tropo tonight.
Might be of lower power but seems to get out as well as the 3 100kW services.
They are still at reduced power (“QRP”) as of 1245 AEDT. I’m able to null them to 1 bar strength aiming towards the NNW; Wave and i98 are still full strength. Unfortunately, they are still too strong aiming west for Griffith.
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