That must have been what I received in addition to 97.5, but all far too weak to ID.
Managed a PI decode from 103.5 Orange.
Plus part RDS decodes from the SCA Orange stations.
I think 105.1 Orange also has RT+ according to the Group 3A ODA AID info.
RDS from 95.1 2BS Bathurst was there.
I could hear 99.3 BRock under 99.3 Chatswood with the SDR# CoCh Canceller.
Fairly standard opening last night, though was listening to RPH Newcastle which had quite a steady signal. The echo effect from Kings Cross could be heard whenever Newcastle (the dominant signal) faded. The Rhema God Squad was also in well on 99.7; both of these get out better than New 105.3 which is generally the strongest of the Newcastle commercial FMs here (102.9/106.9 are difficult).
Brief signals from Alive 90.5 but I have had much better here. 2MCR, Alive 90.5, 2GLF and 2RDJ are the most frequently received sub metro signals here. 2RRR had good coverage to the south but I canât get it now due to Captains Flat.
The trough is starting to move through here now hence why there are no signals from the Canberra region. Another round of severe thunderstorms is expected tonight.
2RPH Newcastle shares the Classic FM/Triple J antenna I believe, & thatâs an omni-directional panel array high up on the BAI (Southern Tower), so thatâll throw more signal Southwards than the commercial stations will, who all have side-mount antennas on the North side of the towers.
Rhema 99.7 isnât at Mt Sugarloaf with all the other stations, itâs at a Gencom site further South along the same ridge, it gets out well from there surprisingly, always has, canât really explain why, as youâd think Mt Sugarloaf being higher would be better?
Some people say 102.9 or 106.9 gets out better than 105.3, theory says 105.3 should get out better as it has a 6 bay array which throws signal further out than a 4 bay, which lets more signal go straight down towards the base of the tower or Mountain itâs sitting on, but then 102.9 is higher up the tower than 105.3 & 106.9 is higher again on the adjacent tower than both 105.3 & 102.9, so who should get out the best/furthest is anyoneâs guess.
Yes according to their ACMA licence they are on the BAI (southern tower) antenna height of 134m and 4KW OD. They are double the ERP of the commercials towards Sydney, and approximately double the antenna height too.
Rhema Newcastle gets out very well, often better than the Newcastle commercials. Is the takeoff to the south better than Mt Sugarloaf??? It has been a pain in the ass for 2SSR since it first went to air.
For me it is really hard to work out which of the Newcastle commercial / community stations get out the best to the south due to 2ST / Vox.
If you can null out 2ST there is often a very weak Triple M, underneath, and probably would be the same for Hit 106.9 if Vox was not there.
With my current setup the first Newcastle Commercial / Communities to be receive with Tropo into Sydney are New fm and 2NUR, no CCI. As the signal strengthens Triple M will then dominate 2ST and then finally Hit over Vox.
I also have had the Newcastle commercials very weak and Rhema Newcastle over 2SSR with an RDS decode.
Of the two national fm stations from Mt Sugarloaf Triple J is always the strongest.
New FM has the best signal west and south west; it can often be heard around Mount Lambie and Sunny Corner as well from experience. It was the hardest one to get at Oatley though and even 2NUR was easier. Rhema is a screamer to the north as well, often on a par with 102.1/106.1 into Coffs and Woolgoolga.
I mainly hear 2ST on 102.9 and Vox on 106.9. Vox is fairly weak though but nevertheless I need strong tropo to get NX FM. When 2ST was off air the other week I did manage to hear KO/MMM OK***.
***I always acknowledge heritage callsigns, Triple Phlegm be damned.
You could always say 2KKO or 2XXX as those callsigns are still current.
Keep calling it NX/KO here, at least we know which station youâre talking about! Meanwhile pardon my continual references to the likes of Gold FM and 4GR up hereâŚ
A lot of locals including myself still refer to it as 4GR
90.1 2NBC Narwee (Sydney) is OFF AIR atm.
Pity no tropo or SpE DX about.
There wouldnât be much on 90.1 to DX for anyway⌠2BS Sofala is about it⌠i picked it up in Orange once, but about the only time i remember hearing it
Gets out surprisingly well for its power (100 watts?) It comes up regularly via aircraft scatter and can be strong with tropo enhancement. I have never had 2NBC here.
I am unsure if 2BS/t Blayney 89.3 is still on air as I havenât heard it in ages (used to get it weakly via aircraft scatter).
Its maximum ERP is 250 watts.
Knew I should have consulted the ACMA listâŚonce again, TV_E saves the day! Still, itâs well under 1 kW.
It was on air when I passed through there in 2020⌠I think 2BS kept those FM relays on air even though they were meant to supplement 1503 AM coverage, not 95.1 FM.
Never heard 88.1 2BS out of Burraga though⌠from what I think has been mentioned on here, it hasnât been on air for years.
I have heard it more recently than that; itâs only in the last year or so that I havenât heard a peep. 88.1 Burraga was often logged at Numeralla (and once or twice from Oatley OTT of 2RDJ) but hasnât been on for at least half a decade.
105.5 Oberon was just open carrier the last time I went through; I obviously canât hear that one here.
97.9 ABCRN Goulburn is now on air. Another DX frequency gone.1098 is still on air at this stage.
Itâs taken them a while to get that on air & theyâve left it pretty late, I canât remember exactly, but I heard the AM mast was to be pulled down & the site cleared in February/March, so construction could start on site for whatever it is after 2GN sold it, canât remember what that is now either?
Looks like theyâve switched on a little early. There are planned outages for JJJ 88.7, ABCFM 89.5, ABCRR 90.3 and PNN 99.9 as well over this period.
Signal of 97.9 Goulburn from Bowral is good. No RDS on that service.
I really donât see why they need 5 kW for 97.9 (yes, I checked the LAP). The other ABCs from Goulburn are only 200 watts. The only possible reason would be to provide continuous FM & DAB coverage between Sydney and Canberra. RN on FM is nice but AM is more than adequate for a mostly speech orientated network.
97.9 should have been used by GN FM of course, but that 'orse has bolted.
If it is running the maximum 5 kW, it should be easily receivable in Sydney via tropo. Weaker than Eagle FM perhaps but stronger than TAB 94.3.