On Fri 5 Jan, 91.7 from Mt Barrow along with King Island services, Scottsdale FM, Devonport FM & Burnie FM all were receivable from the Bellarine Peninsula with reception improving as the afternoon and evening wore on. Could not decode RDS from 91.7 either stationary at Queenscliff or mobile towards Mt Duneed. Coverage was good on the West Gate at night. At Queenscliff, Devonport Sea FM RDS was decoded. No Launceston FM.
AM is a given, so I don’t bother to mention the Tas AM services which are always present on the mainland.
The best spot for Tasmanian reception is at Portsea Ocean Beach. I received an excellent signal from 7DBS Wynyard (106.1 MHz) in early June 2017 under typically gloomy, wintry Southern Ocean conditions.
Cape Liptrap (South Gippsland, near Tarwin Lower) yielded perfect reception of 7SEA Devonport and good reception of 7SBS Hobart, again under cold wintry maritime stratus. I would love to go back during summer tropo conditions.
In the car tonight in Newcastle, received Armidale stations, ABCs plus SKY Sports 104.3.
Closer to home with more elevation, HIT and Triple M from Kempsey and even Coffs Harbour was received with RDS, along with Port Macquarie.
This has been the longest continuous tropo event I’ve seen for a few years now, been going 4 days straight so far, Tropo forecast suggests a bit more to come still this week, maybe not as good as the last few days though.
This has been the longest continuous tropo event I’ve seen for a few years now, been going 4 days straight so > far, Tropo forecast suggests a bit more to come still this week, maybe not as good as the last few days though.
Indeed I couldn’t agree more. What’s more I’m amazed at just how accurate the Hepburn tropo forecast maps have been for the tropo VHF dx experienced over the past 4 days. I was looking at at the maps earlier today & was wondering if someone north of Sydney might hear the Armidale stations & here you are reporting reception of Armidale. Great stuff.
Still looking ‘interesting’ with the developing tropo duct between NSW & NZ for the rest of the week.
Yeah, DXing for TV has become difficult and disappointing with the twin evils of the analogue switch off and the 2014 restack (resulting in the shut down of UHF 52-69).
There’s just so few frequencies to check on now, as all but VHF 10, UHF 29, 34, 45, 49-51 are permanently occupied here.
It would be great to be able to DX for digital radio here, Canberra is a faint hope, never received it here (just south of Newcastle) yet, perhaps maybe with an increase in power now that the trial has finished it will be achievable here one day.
The Hepburn maps are derived from the synoptic weather charts; Bill Hepburn is a meteorologist by training. Coastal tropo in NSW is caused by cooler, denser maritime air overriding a warm to hot airmass which is what we’ve seen this week.
Some local enhancement to the North, South West and North West around this afternoon with all ABC Mt Alexander stations coming in quite good as well as 3PVR from South Morang coming in with 3WYN which is enhanced.
Currently receiving community radio stations from Canberra (91.1, 91.9 and 92.7, but not 98.3 due to RN from Port Stephens), all are weak. but better than the ABC stations on 102.3 and 103.9 which are barely audible. No sign of Hit104.7 or Mix106.3).
Wollongong very good, but nothing else much to report so far tonight.
Canberra Nationals also received here at Stanhope Gardens but only News Radio and ABC Classic Fm. News Radio on 103.9 is the strongest. Suprisingly no Eagle Fm.
As I have put up a new antenna system on my roof I have rotated the Matchmaster Omni Fm antenna so it is now facing south v North.
What amazes me with this antenna it has a bit of forward gain. Where there is a gap at the front the antenna (the folded dipole) the gain is reduced. By rotating the antenna around so the back of the antenna is facing the signal I get a stronger signal.
I now can get Power Fm again over Rhema, but very distorted. Central Coast Community and Newcastle Fm is not as good as before, however I still can receive ABC Classic fm from Middle Brother on 98.7