The Collie community station has since converted to FM about a couple of years ago, on 101.3.
There are currently a number of aspirant community stations broadcasting in SW WA, including 103.7 in Bunbury & 102.1 in Donnybrook. 96.5 in Harvey now has a full-time licence.
All except Bunbury should be. They probably want to keep the extended coverage that AM gives them in most areas.
Triple M in Wagga, Griffith & Mt Gambier are also not on the schedule to convert to FM, even though they’re eligible for it, for pretty much the same reasons as for its WA stations. And yet, most of the Super Radio Network’s AM stations, which are predominantly talk stations, are on the schedule to convert to FM! 
But then 2BH opted to stay on AM after all that.
Kind of makes me wonder why they were on the schedule in the first place.
I’ve always thought that too mate. Do you know the reason behind that?
A number of conversions have are to be made in the Remote Western Australian license area
| Location | Service | Former frequency | New frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exmouth | Red FM | 747 kHz AM | 102.9 MHz FM |
| Paraburdoo | Spirit Radio | 765 kHz AM | 94.1 MHz FM |
| Tom Price | Red FM | 747 kHz AM | 96.1 MHz FM |
Spirit 1260 Karratha is also scheduled to convert to 102.5 FM.
It was stated in the ACMA documents that the proposed FM specs didn’t meet the needs of Bill et al, huge loss of fortitutious coverage to outlying communities and loss of highway coverage so they rightly pulled the pin.
Looking at their stations closer together, there’s no market really where the AM covers beyond the FM reach of the s.39’s, so they should all convert.
Which is an incorrect assumption as the 2kW OD patterns of those sites were never upgraded to 5kW DA or OD sites and considering the propagation characteristics of most markets in regional WA, most should take the FM conversion route, 6SE excepted.
Perhaps Steve Adler and team could advocate DRM to keep on AM and provide reach to those sites they don’t wish to convert. Wishful thinking, however a great solution.
I asked a CRA lady about DRM some years back and she said that they had a hard enough time getting manufacturers to put DAB+ into cars and Home tuners for Australia so trying to get two standards happening was an even more unachievable task
Time has moved on, rights to designs etc have expired or will do soon enough, therefore the prices should be coming down. Manufacturing costs for radio equipment is also at more economical than ever level.
Considering there is a grand total of 5 DRM receivers manufactured and sold globally (not to mention all the links for the websites to these manufacturers on said site are all dead so it’s hard to say if any of these receivers are even still available for sale) , I don’t think the adoption of the technology will go anywhere anytime soon.
My understanding is that the only country with actual mainstream operational DRM (as distinct from trials or LW broadcasting) is India, however I am not sure of its success to date (am guessing limited). Others on here many know more
With a market that size, it potentially could achieve some critical mass for more manufacturers, however it would be need to be a lower cost per unit compared to most new technologies when introduced into the EU/US (such as DAB / HD Radio) given income levels in India. That would appear about the only way for DRM to go anywhere anytime soon.
Spirit Radio in Karratha has converted to FM yesterday.
Thanks @TV-Expert, with FM conversion comes a huge reduction in ‘driving coverage’.
You will no longer be able to receive the station from a distance at night driving in/out nor even to around the licence area boundary in the daytime.
ACMA’s methodology is all about population rather than coverage for those moving through licence areas.
CRA’s motivation is all about saving money going FM, less op ex and never mind the coverage.
We criticise Bill Caralis and his Super Radio Network when it’s needed, however, a good decision made by the Caralis’s and Alan Bone to not end AM transmission of 2BH.
Agreed, although my vehicle’s AM receiver is next to useless on weak signals due to electrical interference…
For the record, here are all the pending conversions that have been currently earmarked by ACMA:
NSW
SA
TAS
VIC
WA
102.9? Would probably see them scrapping their repeaters that Edge FM (3NNN) doesn’t have - 99.1 Mount Buffalo and 90.1 Myrtleford
Yes - thanks for the edit - other Lismore stations can be received in the Breeze service area. First thought was 88.1 (and stuff the narrow banders). I wonder if 100.1 would be OK -closest high power co-channel is ABC Wide Bay and it is 0.8MHz away from 2ZZZ.
102.9 could be a problem, due to ABC Local Radio using the frequency in Alexandra & Tumbarumba.
My prediction for each market:
Burnie = 100.9
Devonport = 94.9
Scottsdale = 95.7
100.1 is used by 4RIM Boonah.
Yeah, I did remember that one!
I just thought of an easier solution for 2LF as well: 106.7, which would require moving TAB Orange from 106.7 MHz to 1350 kHz. There’s nothing in Wagga city on 106.7 either.
There’s one problem with that proposed frequency for 2TM: it’s being used by 2MAX Narrabri, which is transmitted out of Mt Dowe.
Ah yes, forgot about 2MAX which is the odd one out off Dowe, using the Sydney channels. A frequency swap with TAB on 90.5 MHz would be the best option for 2TM. There might be some issues with ABCRN Tenterfield but given the terrain between the two, probably not (Tamworth FM weakens dramatically after Guyra).