Holy crap, another day of Es? I hope the Sun isn’t about to explode with a CME…
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And I missed it again by 30minutes, caught on the ‘dog n bone’…
Extraordinary… 2 consecutive days in March reaching the high end of the FM band.
I’m befuddled.
Congrats to Dani & TVCL.
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Some recordings from today’s Es:
4KIG Townsville:
Kool FM Innisfail:
West FM Charters Towers:
Vision FM Charters Towers (only 50W):
4TTT Townsville:
ABC RN Bowen (only 100W):
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Seems like none of the TEF servers including @tvcl’s can get the Australian GP radio on 98.5 FM.
A bit hard when he’s in the Swans adopted city rather than swanning about near Albert Park 
I’m guessing 99.7 is occupied in the Culture Capital at the moment? 98.5 would get trounced by 3APL Bacchus Marsh.
That’s correct, it’s a crowded frequency, buried beneath Apple FM and UGFM FM, so there’s little chance of hearing it unless you’re in the city.
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A bit surprised they don’t use 97.3 or 97.5 … still unused space there since 3WRB folded (on 97.4).
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Ah sorry, it’s @AustraliaRadio232’s server I meant.
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Still a few years off but ramadan 2029 falls during the same time as the Aus Open. I wonder who will win that 99.7 battle…
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I was coming here to report getting 89.100 Hit Kingaroy 15kW at 153km which is good for my basic omni. But it was logged the day before by the FM list logging too and it’s on your map! Glad it’s working.
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For those of you in and around Sydney, just wondering if you’ve ever received Melbourne or SEQ?
I’ve had Es from SA, TAS, FNQ and NZ, but never SEQ or Melbourne.
With tropo, up to Coffs Harbour is common, and I get Grafton occasionally, but it’s never quite reached across the border into QLD. On the south side, tropo from Wagga/SW Slopes is pretty common, but it doesn’t ever reach beyond that into VIC either.
My Tropo/Es reception map for the past year, with a gap around Brisbane and Melbourne:
Not at all. 3APL’s signal only reaches the outer western suburbs of Melbourne. And the capture effect of FM radio means the stronger signal wins. It’s not a problem.
99.7 is currently vacant in Melbourne.
Picking up Triple G Gunnedah broadcasting on 97.5 and Sky Racing Gunnedah on 95.9 on my NW antenna – a first for me. The ABC services from Upper Namoi are a semi-regular catch – but I haven’t seen the community/commercial stations from there previously. At the same time, 2HD is coming in on the NE antenna.
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I don’t recall getting SEQ during my time in Sydney, but I do remember on New Years Day in 2005 during an intense E’s opening, 104.9 Southern Downs QLD completely overriding Triple M for a few minutes. And this was just on a normal Sony Walkman.
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No, but have had Geelong and Warrnambool here into Newcastle once or twice.
I know the Melbourne commercial FMs are restricted to 2kw towards Sydney (to protect Yarra Ranges stations like Flow FM), perhaps this is partly why?
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Going the other way, Sydney is very rare into Brisbane though I’ve received Classic 92.9 a couple of times. Similarly Canberra area doesn’t often come in.
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In the Southern Highlands back around 2019 or 2020, I had Rebel 90.5 Logan, ABC Gold Coast with cricket on 91.7 and SBS Brisbane on 93.3
More recently, had the Sunshine Coast a couple of times and SENTrack Toowoomba back in January 2025 mixing with Gympie before the opening shifted to the Loyalty Islands in New Caledonia. Toowoomba, Gympie and the Loyalty Islands were all on 91.5
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Do you know if that was Es? Or tropo?
Oh, that’s a pretty severe restriction. Only 3.5% of maximum power towards Sydney.
Looks like the ABC services don’t have the same restriction though, so they should be an easier target.
Nice catches. I haven’t managed any international catches with my new yagi setup yet, unfortunately.
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I think Es as the signals were quite variable and faded up/down pretty quickly, but thought it was unusual for that to come in on that short a distance… for instance, like you have noticed, much more common to get Nth Qld into Sydney than to get SE Qld in Syd.
Some regionals have a very severe restriction like that too… one of the more notable ones… NOW FM Moree, 100kw towards Moree, but only 3kw towards Gunnedah.
And Cairns commercials, 10kw towards Cairns, but 0kw towards Innisfail…
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