You can get Melbourne FM in Eastern Traralgon regularly, and in some parts its quite strong…
Anybody know what allows this to happen?
Best quality signals tend to be from Nova 100 but all the stations can be heard weakily.
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Just plain old line-of-sight, through a few breaks in the mountain ranges.
Yes, Nova and Smooth are the best signals into Gippsland. You used to be able to hear Nova100 on a Walkman (remember them) on the train at Stratford station/over the Avon River bridge. I believe it comes off a different tower on Mt Dandenong from the rest of the Melbourne FMs which just happens to get out better to the east.
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I see. So the Gippsland region is so close to the Melbourne Transmitters that some sort of signal is to be expected just through line-of-sight alone?
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In most locations it is pretty common to be able to receive mid to high power signals from the immediately adjacent areas.
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I didn’t think that the Melbourne Market was immediately adjacent to the Latrobe Valley but hey, they say you learn a new thing everyday.
Definitely isn’t a bad thing being close to a Metropolitan Market.
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Nova & Smooth used to come off the TXA Observatory Rd tower, (old GTV 9 one at the North end of the mountain), but both have now moved to the BAI tower on Eyre Rd, so how’s the reception now?
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That’s interesting RF. When did that happen and why? It was always interesting to compare those two stations to all the others from the BA and TXA sites. They definitely got out better to the east than the others from the old GTV site. It might be my imagination, but Smooth seems to have a lot more multipath issues near the CBD these days.
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Well then my advice re Nova/Smooth might now be invalid - it’s been a while since I was last in Gippsland. But the broader advice still stands that with a bit of effort and the right equipment there’s many places in The Valley that you could receive Melbourne FM
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Not sure on the exact time, but think it was mid to late last year they moved, Q3 - Q4?
Nova Entertainment signed a maintenance contract with BAI about 18 months ago, & as a result of that they moved all their transmitters to the BAI sites. Having said that, I think Melbourne was the only place where Nova/Smooth were at a TXA site, the others were already/always at BAI sites.
The only other FM’s at the old GTV site are community stations, 2 of them I think ,but can’t remember which ones, all other commercial stations ARN & SCA have transmitters at TXA Ornata Rd & BAI Eyre Rd sites.
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3TSC and 3SYN.
Odd that SYN is licenced for 35kW ERP when most of the other Melbourne-wide FMs (including commercials) are licenced for 56kW. Presumably a legacy of ABNT 3 Launceston?
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I suspect not, as the ABNT3 Launceston requirement is long gone, and 91.5 Smooth was affected by this as well, which as you say is now 56kw.
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I tend to agree, even to the northeast along the Hume it seems to be the best
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Still picking up Nova/Smooth in Traralgon even with the move to Eyre Road. Signal strongest in the North East on the Traralgon Maffra Road towards Glengarry. It even comes clear around the new Rise Estate.
Few people in that Estate actually have their rooftop antennas pointing towards Melbourne so that makes it clear that TV is also there to be received.
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Some good inland tropo from Canberra this morning at my location (Stanhope Gardens)
All nationals received in mono, 103.9 News Radio the strongest followed by 102.3 Classic.
98.3 2XX hitting stereo on occasions. Weak 92.7 Art Sound, this is a first time catch for me.
Weak Mix 106.3 received on 106.25 to overcome splatter from KIIS.
Weak Eagle fm just heard above the splatter of Koori. Koori now booms in here after moving to Artarmon.
The Hepburn charts are forecasting inland tropo for the rest of the week, maybe the upcoming rain event has something to do with that.
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Got 3GLR here in Bowral NSW
Also got 7ABCFM Launceston and 3JJJ Latrobe Valley
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Wow they are great catches!
Just got home. All Launceston ABCs are blasting in on just a portable here. 95.1 Gippsland is also good (I’m blocked for the others). Nothing from Hobart or Melbourne.
88.5 Captains Flat is now relaying 666 Canberra…directly off AM!
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Speaking of, interesting that the licence is only valid for just over 7 months based on the ACMA RRL database (link)
It may be that 100.3 Braidwood will relay 666 as well.
Vids of my tropo:
Missed the strongest of 7NT; will see if it comes back later.
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