Nice to see the automatic RDS DXing from the TEF and FM-DX-Webserver working. Some recent results:
Looks like it logged JJJ Canberra just based on the PI code, since the PS didn’t come in.
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I’m in Oberon for the night. Heading to the upper Blue Mountains tomorrow to try for Braidwood FM. Last gasp of 2BRW on the road from Goulburn is around Porters Retreat, the locality to the south of Black Springs.
105.5 is still carrier only. There’s something on 88.1 too, sounds like it’s transmitting AM buzz from the (now defunct) 1503. So it must have been something else you had on the TEF node
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The 105.5 2BS carrier seems to be intermittent/weak as I just received Coonabarabran in the clear. Might be like 106.5 Cooma which went on and off for years (now permanently kaput).
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Managed to get a sniff of Braidwood FM from Hassans Walls, Lithgow this morning. I caught the telltale jingle of one of our sponsor announcements which was quite lucky; much too weak for video. I suspect it may have been a brief bit of As. Skid Row was strong but the TEF came up trumps in nulling it enough. Also of note from The Walls: 92.1 Lithgow was almost completely obliterated by 2MFM Sydney.
I briefly tried Katoomba (Cahills Lookout) but the weather was too poor to do anything more than a quick check. Nothing from Braidwood there, though once again Skid Row could be nulled enough.
Disappointingly not a sausage from Burragorang Lookout, despite even the 200 w Goulburn stations coming in clearly and also Canberra FM w/RDS. 93.1 Wagga was also clear. I even wondered if we were off air at that point, but all was well once I reached Berrima. I suspect Braidwood is just out of the path of reception down the Burragorang Valley, which obviously favours Goulburn to Wagga. 2UUU/Sky Sports Nowra were received clearly though, the former in a sharp null of Star 104.5. Nothing from Ulladulla on 106.7 which is a similar power to Braidwood FM, only Orange.
Another catch of note was Rox FM Port Macquarie at Dargan (near Bell). All Newcastle FMs+ Great Lakes FM with RDS at this spot. I wanted to see if Rox FM made it in in poor conditions and lo and behold, the TEF did it. I will thank dbrmuz for introducing me to that spot.
Also confirmed 2MG/t Kandos as on air (101.5), received quite well around Wallerawang. 2MG 97.1 was patchy around there also.
Zero tropo today with easterly winds and drizzle.
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FM DX opportunities in S Pacific expanding
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FM DX opportunities from S Pacific expanding
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Auki is on the western side of one of the secondary islands of the Solomons. That means the path to Aus shouldn’t be blocked by high mountains as in Honiara on Guadalcanal. The tallest of the Guadalcanal mountains is actually higher than Mount Kosciuszko, which I didn’t realise until recently.
The million dollar question is what power they’re running at Auki
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I was surprised to see during my travels in the UK just how many houses/terraces had outdoor FM antennas installed alongside the TV antenna. It seemed relatively commonplace over there, perhaps because indoor FM reception was poor?
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I didn’t see a lot of that. But I did see a few vertical VHF Band III antennas presumably for digital radio.
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They could also be leftovers from the days of 405 line VHF TV.
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These circular omnidirectional fm antennas similar to my Matchmaster version are actually quite common across London.
Here is one installed on a unit block in the suburb of Warwick Ave near Paddington. I have also seen one installed on a house near Heathrow Airport from footage of an A380 landing at Heathrow on Facebook.
Also of interest is the number of high gain UHF yagi antennas installed in central London in very high signal areas.
Here is a different model that combines fm and DAB / DAB+ in the one unit that is available for sale in the UK, Matchmaster should do their own version of this one.
When I first visited London I actually stayed in Warwick Avenue London. My memory of indoor fm reception was that it suffered from quite a bit of multipath. I could receive the London translators for the BBC R1 from Croydon on 98.5, and also the high powered SE England site on 98.8. No dxing of any signals outside of London from memory.
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RDS for hit91.9 Bendigo received this afternoon via the Melbourne FM tuner online. Reception is stable at most times. hit93.7 Yea (hit96.9 Shepparton relay) also received on the tuner, but no RDS there.
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It’s been fairly quite lately but Rockhampton ABC’s coming in tonight.
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Some enhanced NNSW reception tonight incl Inverlal at low levels plt Mt Dowe very strong.
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Absolutely nothing here. My first local DXing session since back in Oz. Though has been cool but sunny today.
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