Bunny ears have RF connector.
I have these 2 adaptors, the gold tip one came with the TEF radio.
4 Likes
Lots of enhancement tonight. Middle Brother strong with some low level inland stuff from New England as well. Rockhampton ABCs from the north as well.
4 Likes
Not as good here as last night.
Tropo here was mostly coastal, Wollongong to Coffs Harbour was stronger than last night, but everything else was weaker. Had Kempsey commercials 105.1 and 106.7 as the main highlight there.
Of the other southern/inland areas that were still received tonight, only 2BS from Bathurst, Real FM Mudgee, ABCs from Canobolas, most Canberra and Batemans Bay stations, CW Slopes 102.3, 106.3 and 107.1, Tamworth 91.7 and 93.9, Armidale 101.9, plus SW Slopes ABCs on 88.3 and 89.9 could be heard (Coffs was blocking the others). All were weaker than last night. No Mt Dowe or Bega/Eden stations tonight though.
Oh and i don’t know how long its been on but heard a foreign language SE HPON on 107.9 with the Sydney enhancement tonight.
4 Likes
That would be per ACMA RRF:
Bankstown and Surrounding Areas Community Radio Inc. since 9th March. I noted it yesterday. (Arabic)
And from March 26th - April 10th on 107.9: ALBAYAN (Arabic)
3 Likes
Yep, these narrowcast stations pop up on air throughout Ramadan.
4 Likes
What frequency do they use in Melbourne for those kinds of things?
Just 99.7?
2 Likes
In Sydney for a couple of nights, I have a 15th Floor east facing room near Hyde Park that has a partial Harbour view.
In my room with the TEF and rabbit ears, currently getting
All Coffs Harbour ABCs
All Taree ABCs incl Triple J over Coast FM Gosford.
Port Macquarie 92.7, 100.7 and 102.3 in stereo but no RDS
Weak Great Lakes FM 101.5
Triple M Newcastle fighting with 2ST (105.3 and 106.9 was Wollongong, both in stereo, partial RDS on 2VOX).
Batemans Bay 101.9 and 103.5
Weak Classic Orange 102.7 (not bad in an east facing room).
Most Sydney community stations are being received well too, plus 92.5 ABC Gosford, which I’ve found hard to get in Sydney.
The hotel has a 23rd floor open air rooftop pool deck, open till 11pm, has great city views, looking forward to some night time DXing after sunset 
6 Likes
Sounds relaxing
The new W Hotel has a beautiful rooftop pool at Darling Harbour. Northwest probable best direction for DX, but looking straight into the Gore Hill/Artarmon transmitters from there.
2 Likes
Nice. Will be interesting to see what you can receive from that high up.
3 Likes
I’ve stayed there before too, that was before i got the TEF, though their 29th floor deck is blocked to the south by the upper 2 floors. This one is more 360 and not as exposed to Artarmon and Gore Hill.
The Park Regis is another inexpensive CBD hotel with an open air rooftop deck too.
3 Likes
They’re also broadcasting the same (Arabic) content on 1701kHz AM, and possess a couple of other out-of-band AM licences.
Other times of the year, 99.7 might be used for events such as New Year’s Eve, Australian Open, Grand Prix, etc.
Due to the frequency already in use this year, the Grand Prix will be transmitting on 98.5 FM, sharing the same frequency as the Bacchus Marsh community radio station, 55km away.
3 Likes
Thanks! With 3WRB gone, they could also use 97.3 or 97.5 for now.
3 Likes
They could, and I don’t see why the ACMA would be reluctant to do so.
97.5 would be my choice, and is basically the only truly quiet frequency, with the nearest transmitter over 230km out of town.
As a side note, the Melbourne-wide licences also include Bacchus Marsh within their coverage area.
3 Likes
Some good catches from 23 floors up in the Sydney CBD on the pool deck.
Just with the 70cm whip aerial as the chairs were low and there were plants in the way, not really enough room for proper DXing.
Out of town catches were
89.5 2ABC Goulburn weak
90.7 2PNN Coffs Harbour weak - this afternoon was better
90.9 2PNN Wollongong strong
91.1 1CMS Canberra weak stereo
91.5 2JJJ Coffs Harbour weak stereo
91.7 2ST Nowra barely audible against 91.6 SE HPON
91.9 1WAY Canberra weak stereo
92.3 2MCE Bathurst weak stereo
92.5 2BL Gosford fair
92.7 2BAB St George’s Basin
93.1 2GEE Mudgee very weak
93.3 2SNR Gosford stereo with RDS
93.5 2SNO Goulburn stereo with RDS
94.1 2LIV Wollongong good stereo with RDS
94.3 SKY Racing Goulburn fair
94.7 2PNN Taree weak
94.9 2WSK Nowra stereo RDS
95.1 2BS Bathurst stereo RDS
95.5 2MRR Taree fair
95.7 2ABC Wollongong strong
95.9 2JJJ Bathurst very weak
96.1 2ONE Katoomba strong
96.3 2CCC Gosford stereo with RDS
96.5 2UUL Wollongong good stereo with RDS
96.7 2ABC Upper Namoi weak (heard classical music)
97.1 2ABCRN Taree fair
97.3 2ILA Wollongong strong
97.5 2ABC Bathurst very weak
97.9 2ABC Coffs Harbour weak stereo and also 2ABCRN Goulburn fair
98,1 2WIN Wollongong strong
98.3 2PNN Bathurst
98.7 2ABC Taree fair no stereo
98.9 2JJJ Wollongong strong
101.1 2LT Katoomba fair stereo
101.3 2CFM Gosford good stereo with RDS
101.5 2JJJ Canberra fair
101.9 2ABC Batemans Bay and 2JJJ Orange - both fair stereo
102.1 2JJJ Newcastle fair stereo
102.3 2ABC Canberra and 2JJJ CW Slopes - fair mono for both
102.7 2ABC Orange good stereo
102.9 2ST Bowral stereo with RDS
103.5 2BA Batemans Bay fair
103.7 SKY Racing Nowra fair
103.9 2PNN Canberra fair
104.3 2SBCRN Orange good
104.5 2GOS Gosford good with RDS
104.7 2ROC Canberra mono
105.1 2OAG Orange partial RDS fair stereo
105.3 HPON Wollongong fair stereo
105.5 2SBS Canberra fair scratchy stereo
105.9 2GZF Orange RDS fair stereo
106.1 2ABC Newcastle fair stereo
106.3 1MIX Canberra and 2PNN CW Slopes scratchy mono
106.7 SKY Racing Orange RDS
106.9 2VOX Wollongong fair stereo with RDS
107.1 2WKT Bowral fair stereo with RDS
107.5 2OCW Orange fair stereo
107.7 2GGO Gosford good with RDS
107…9 2ICE Lithgow fair in a null of SE HPON.
DX location shot
10 Likes
In terms of the “other half of the antenna”/ground, have you tried attaching a 70cm wire to the chassis? Does simply holding the radio make a difference? Or none of it really makes a difference?
3 Likes
Yes. A long whip would have brought in even better results.
Orange & Bathurst are booming in tonight.
I’m pulling in RDS from all 5 of the Orange RDS stations.
103.5 Orange however seems to have some kind of transmission problem, maybe intermittent over modulation & decoding the RDS from them worse than what would be expected.
Goulburn 93.5 & 94.3, there, but not at RDS level.
Bathurst 200W ABC stations, such as 97.5 2ABCFM are in.
2 Likes
I think it does make a difference when I hold the radio with a finger on one of the metal screws on the back, it seems to see me as an an extension of the antenna? I must have the hair/head for it, hence my name!
That’s how I usually do my DXing. Haven’t tried a wire, but I’ll give it at go!
3 Likes
Yes, I need a longer whip for these occasions, one that is retractable so i can fit it in a suitcase.
3 Likes
I think this wikipedia animated image people use is a simple but beautiful explanation of a dipole. In this case, the telescopic antenna is one half, and your body making contact with the ground connection is the other half, just like a 70cm wire connected to ground/negative hanging down will be the other half.
I suppose the reason they chose 70cm for antenna length is it’s more or less in the middle of the FM band. Techincally, extending it to 80cm should improve reception for the lower end of the band, around 90MHz, and likewise, around 65cm for the top end of the band.
Of course, it doesn’t have to be perfect, as you’re only receiving, not transmitting, but it could possibly improve reception… and part of DX’ing is trail and error.
5 Likes
These are available from Ali Express in retractable max 1.2 & 1.4m lengths.
Now pulling in 100.1 Life FM Bathurst thanks to SDR#'s Co-Ch Canceller & with another 5dB of improved reception & clearer signal activating the MPX Fuzz feature.
Nice when these DX tools help with DX.
Able to do that same with 100.9 Sky Sports Radio over 100.9 Connect FM.
Just barely able to hear Bathurst under 99.3 2NSB with SDR# co-channel canceller at times.
94.1 2CR Portland, in a rare event overriding the coastal stations; Todays Country & Pulse.
UPDATE: 2316hrs LT. Bathurst & Orange signals now much weaker.
4 Likes