AM and FM DX

Next year it will be our respective 20 and 30 yr SACS reunions!

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Thanks for the reminder hahaha ill be 36

Somebody at the station must have heard you!?
They’re now playing music tonight after a long lapse of baseband content.

No it doesn’t. Something is significantly wrong with 2ST 102.9 radiated output power.
I’m not going to complain, as it keeps the 102.9 channel available for DX…

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You 2 are only youngsters. I’ll be 50 by then :face_holding_back_tears:

Well, that makes me the old fossil around here… 51 next month, but it’s better than the alternative.

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Some troppo tonight from north up to Rockhampton.

Here is a band scan from last week with antenna directed to the south of Brisbane with some slight enhancement on the night. I haven’t had a chance to list the stations yet but 88.9 is Coraki; 93.5 Port Macquarie. I think 104.3 is 2LM Kyogle. There is some switching between a couple of Breeze stations to try to work out of QLD or NSW on 102.5.

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Great catches!

This station gets out much better to the north than south… I rarely get this here in Newcastle.

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103.1 with ā€˜Too Many Times’ is intriguing. I doubt whether the God Squad at Grafton would play that? This leaves 2WET Kempsey (Tank FM) as the likely one. Unless RN Rocky was playing music.

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From what I’ve heard of Life FM Grafton, it has more of a Hope 103.2 format than a Rhema format, meaning more mainstream contemporary music.

Tank FM struggles to get into Coffs and can only really be heard on the coastal fringes. Coffs Harbour Jetty is about as far north as I’ve heard that.

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Thanks, haven’t listened to it at all. So yes probably 2CVC Grafton. I agree Tank struggles in Korffs 'Arbor.

It’s currently playing Donna Lewis so yes, A/C format.

Except of the frequent times that Rockhampton reception is enhanced for ABC RN, Grafton is a constant signal on 103.1 though very weak at my location.

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A ā€˜heads-up’ to dxers in Sydney region.
90.5 Alive FM is currently off air.

Possibilities of 90.5 Tamworth or 2HD Lake Macquarie reception.

Using the advanced noise reduction software on SDR# I can detect & hear something on 90.5MHz. I could speculate that it might be 2HD.
Flat tropo conditions not helping :disappointed_relieved:
100.1 2HHH still off air.

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90.5 is one of just 2 standard FM frequencies that don’t have any stations on it at 10kw or higher anywhere in Oz. (At least until if 5SE moves to FM). 88.1 is the other.

Which makes DX catches a bit more challenging.

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The underutilisation of some channels between 88-92 MHz is still possibly a legacy of Channel 3. 91.3 is another underused frequency, though you’ve got Lileah TAS at reasonable power on that channel.

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And MAX FM Narrabri as the only station at 10kw (or greater) in Oz on 91.3.

And yes, Channels 4 & 5 didn’t have the same degree of utilisation as 3 did for some reason.

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Some quite decent tropo from Canberra into Sydney this morning.

102.3 Classic fm on the signal peaks just below the stereo freehold.

Of the community stations 91.9 Way fm is being received in noisy stereo.

Mix 106.3 and Hit 104.7 only just getting above the splatter of the locals / semi locals.

Goulburn
Eagle fm quite strong at times, weak 97.9 RN Goulburn.

Here is the current tropo forecast map,
only moderate enhancement between Sydney and Canberra. That is all that is required for me to get a reasonable fm signal of the nationals.
If only we had the same intense inland tropo that we get along the coast between Sydney and Canberra. Canberra could get close to local strength in Western Sydney / Hills district with those big events.

Also 2MBS moving to Artarmon has helped massively with dxing Classic fm Canberra / Orange as 2MBS is weaker than before and does not splatter onto 102.3 / 102.7 like it previously did.

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I can’t find it, but I’m sure someone posted about the poor 102.9 2ST reception into Sydney of late.

I’m down in Sydney for a few nights, and here in the CBD, I’m getting better Music 92.5 reception than 2ST! Highland FM by comparison is harder to compare since 2SER is splattering all over 107.1… I guess that will happen when you have line of sight to a 14kw TX at 1.5 km.

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That would be @Ant5476 & I on more than one occasion.

Yup. Has been the case for a while now & 107.1 provides the best reception of all three. Looking at ACMA specs, makes no sense at all unless tx or antenna system fault or 102.9 running on reduced power etc.

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From memory 107.1 is about 320W.
It is the weakest on my dx setup due to the vertical polarity.

I would estimate the current ERP of 102.9 2ST at around 500W.
I know they have definitely turned down the power as I was able to get a moderate consists
mono signal to stereo signal signal. Now it is just above the noise floor, to weak hissy stereo with enhancement.
92.5 Music fm now comes in stronger than 2ST with Tropo.

I have given up calling 2ST as the receptionist keeps saying everything is fine. ARN must have order them to reduce the ERP to reduce fortuitous reception into Sydney.
Anyway less cochannel for Triple M Newcastle.

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No guarantees but I’ll see if I can get anything out of ARN regarding 102.9 2ST Southern Highlands.

Can someone post some reception data I can put to ARN Tech’s? Enhance on @Ant5476 post?

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