Well, this is a first for me - RDS lock on Sea FM from Maryborough on 101.9, with the antenna aiming straight at the adjacent 4ZZZ on 102.1. Tonight’s a good night up here, if you can excuse the disgusting heat and humidity
I’m getting RDS on 103.5 Mix FM tonight here in Brisbane even getting reception on my clock radio
Very strong signals tonight - those RDS catches are quite rare especially with adjacent signals from Mt Coot-tha.
Sea FM on 101.9 has a Alternative Frequency set up with 93.1 SEA at Bundaberg. I was able to get RDS on 93.1 tonight - it was exactly the same station ID number as 101.9 and also had the AF system in place.
Also from Bundaberg
That’s awesome - well done. I believe another Brisbane DXer (who may pop up here and claim this himself) also got RDS reception of 93.1 and 93.9, which is very rare
I got reception (no RDS) of 93.1, 93.9 and 95.5 from Bundy. I thought I had 97.1 as well but I’m now not sure - it’s a low power service and given I didn’t get 94.7, it may just have been noise from 97.3 I heard. Also the Maryborough and some Wide Bay ABCs (99.3 mostly, as the others are co-channeled by strong semi-locals). I even had 96.1 from Gympie troubling JJJ, but it didn’t quite get strong enough to overpower that blowtorch (I get permanent 2/3 bars from Mt Nardi at my place)
97.1 KIX Bundaberg has the same music programming as 92.3 KIX Hervey Bay (which in Brisbane is subject to co-channel interference from Mt Moombil) but with some delay. Unfortunately unlike the other QLD Grant Broadcasters stations, the on-line streaming doesn’t seem to have resumed? That puzzles me somewhat, given the competition (both BIG COUNTRY FM & THE RANGE COUNTRY) are streaming.
A bit of tropo about tonight.
Most notable is a rare appearance by the SW Slopes JJJ 90.7, which is weak.
It’s the only one really receivable due to other stronger stations occupying 88.3, 89.1, 89.9 and VOI blocking 91.5.
A bit of tropo action tonight.
105.5 2EC from Eden has made a rare appearance.
Also in are Canberra FMs.
Good tropo this morning in Stanhope Gardens mainly from the north. Triple J booming in on 96.3 from Middle Brother, as well as all other Middle Brother nationals. Some enhancement from Newcastle with KO in stereo, New and Nur in mono. Not enough enhancement for NX to overpower Vox.
From the north west enhancements from Bathurst and Orange with Brock in clear stereo.
Tamworth JJJ and Mount Dowe ABC classic Fm received on 96.7 on the car radio.
Any interference to Coast fm from Triple J on 96.3 on the Central Coast?
Tropo heading the other way too with Mt Dowe ABC stations very strong into Brisbane plus 2GGG in stereo on 97.5.
Looking at the Hepburn forecast map
there is intense tropo running up and down the NSW coast. Manning River has gone and now been replaced with Mt Moombil Triple J 91.5 and Classic Fm 97.9 . Tamworth nationals are now stronger as there is no competition from Middle Brother. Real fm Mudgee receivable on the car stereo as well as Bateman Bay Nationals. Browns Mountain News radio 89.7 underneath 2RES on the car radio as well. This afternoon should be excellent when the enhancements kick in further.
Tropo has been pretty intense this afternoon from the North Coast. At one stage, Star FM Coffs Harbour (105.5) was at 2 bars strength with the antenna aimed towards NZ. 2WAY Port Macquarie (103.9) also made it in, a first time catch for me, as did 2BOB Taree (104.7). My line of sight to the north is poor, and I’m assuming these community stations use vertical polarisation.
I currently have 103.4 Niu FM Hamilton NZ in at 1-2 bars strength. Palmerston North, Westport and Tongariro National Park (105.4 Ski FM) have also been in at various times, but nothing really strong. NZ FM usually peaks in the evening; the easiest station to receive is 91.4 Concert FM Hamilton. Also keep an eye out for 91.7 Westport and 105.4 Auckland.
Tropofest continues…
Strong signals up and down the coast, from Coffs to Eden for me
Includes a new first time catch for me
106.3 ABC Local Radio Eden
(have previously only received 105.5 2EC from that location).
Very exciting late last night with a number of the very high power ABC stations off air in SEQ. Darling Downs stations on 104.1 (JJJ), 105.7 (RN) and 107.3 (ABC) plus Wide Bay 98.5 (ABC), 99.3 (JJJ), 101.1 (Local) and 100.9 (RN) all off (strangely 97.7 PNN was on).
Was able to get 2MW 104.1 clearly in stereo and a faint 2ZZZ on 100.9 but otherwise nothing else much out of the ordinary.
Very strong Rockhampton tropo for Brisbane members at the moment with 107.9 Hot and ABC stations. Also got a lock on SC10 on ch36.
Getting tropo from all over the place tonight in Sydney. Picking up Tamworth, Goulburn (including the HPONs), Port Stephens, Batemans Bay and Central Tablelands services.
I was up at around Newcastle/Lake Macquarie this afternoon & on the northern shores of Swansea Channel at Blacksmiths, I’ve received the Illawarra FM stations fairly well on my Tecsun, including getting i98 over ABC NewsRadio from Gosford on 98.1. I can also manage to null 97.3 Lake Macquarie FM to get ABC Illawarra if I tilted my radio on a certain angle. I’ve also received a faint signal of 91.7 2ST from Huskisson there, as well as 103.5 ABC South East from Batemans Bay, whilst C91.3 from Campbelltown was coming in quite clear too. 101.1 2LT from the Blue Mountains was also noted as being received fairly well.
It’s worth noting that in that particular location, the Central Coast commercial FM stations were coming in stronger than the Newcastle commercial FM stations, despite the fact that Mt Sugarloaf can be seen from that location!
Back home, it seems that I’ve brought the signals of the Newcastle FM stations with me, because I’m currently getting them loud & clear.
That’s because the Lake Macquarie FM transmitter is down on the other side of the hill from there, & the ABC Illawarra signal will be coming mostly up the coastline. Also a big factor is, despite being licenced for mixed polarisation, Lake Macquarie FM transmit using a vertical antenna array.
If you tilt your antenna to horizontal, you’ll be cutting straight across (at 90 degrees out of phase) the electrical component of the signal (minimum signal strength). 45 degrees sometimes nulls it better, depending on where you are & the reflected signals.
ABC Illawarra uses a mixed polarisation antenna array, so at horizontal, a receive antenna will be getting minimum Lake Macquarie FM signal strength, but still maximum ABC Illawarra.
Yes a mixed polarisation splits the power, but 500W vertical & 500W horizontal, is better than 1kW vertical & minimal horizontal, that’s why just about every commercial station & ABC FM station uses mixed polarisation antennas.
Very few FM receivers have 100% vertical antennas nowadays, cars are mostly at (roughly) 45 degrees or horizontal (on glass antennas), homes are mostly horizontal antennas & portables you’ll rarely see an antenna sitting in a 100% vertical position.
Note: Lake Macquarie FM are only licenced to transmit at 1kW ERP. Even at that distance, 150kW is going to trump 1kW anytime, when tropo brings the bulk of the power further out.
Looking like the Hepburn forecast is suggesting possible reception from NZ into NSW over the weekend.
I am down in Canberra right now, but on the way down, News Radio from the Upper Hunter was interfering with the Triple M signal on the Hume Hey around the Pheasants Nest area (between Campbelltown and the Southern Highlands). This was around 10am yesterday.
I did also get some co-channeling on 102.3 in the same area, between JJJ Central West Slopes and ABC Classic FM Canberra.
Weak 106.1 ABC Classic FM from Newcastle just north of Goulburn too.
This was on a ‘My Link’ car radio in the current VF Commodore Evoke.
Given the almost static warm and sticky pattern at the moment, indicative of high pressure in the Tasman, my antenna is permanently aimed at NZ. So far, nothing heard, but minor troughing over NSW may have stopped the long haul ducts. There were locally severe thunderstorms near Canberra on Thursday.
We’ll see what the weekend brings. I’m heading to Victoria next week including the SW capes (Otway, Nelson), so a bit of Bight tropo would be nice!