AM To FM Conversions

Burnie RA1
7BU - 558AM ➤ 100.9FM. New infill transmitters at Burnie City & Stanley (107.3FM).
7SEA - New infill transmitters at Burnie City (95.3FM), Smithton (95.3FM) & Stanley (105.7FM)

Unallocated ABC/SBS - 101.1FM ➤ 93.7FM, 99.3FM ➤ 92.9FM
7ABCRR - 102.5FM ➤ 92.1FM

Devonport RA1
7AD - 900AM ➤ 98.9FM. New infill transmitter at Barrington Valley (94.9FM).

Queenstown RA1
7XS - 837AM ➤ 92.1FM.
7AUS - 92.1FM ➤ 95.3FM.

Scottsdale RA1
7SD - New infill transmitters at Scottsdale (95.7FM), St Helens (92.1FM) and St Marys (105.1FM).
7RGS - New infill transmitters at St Helens (90.5FM) and St Marys (103.5FM)

Other changes
Hobart RA1
New unallocated HPON: 104.3FM

Northern Midlands RA1
Unallocated community: 95.7FM ➤ 97.5FM

Is this true? I’ve seen brief mentions of ‘Aus FM’ online before, but nothing to confirm its existence as anything more than a 7XS simulcast

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Reading the LAP for the AM-FM conversions for Tasmania that has just been released, let’s see how right I am with what FM frequencies I predicted for commercial AM stations to convert to.

:+1:

:-1:

98.9 is the frequency proposed for 7AD, but it’s still within the same frequency spacing, so I was on the right track.

:+1:

So I got 2 out of 3 predictions correct. As Meatloaf says, “cause 2 out of 3 ain’t bad”. :sunglasses:

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DAB is not going to succeed it’s already superseded by internet streaming. It’ll be more common in cars than DAB ever will be. FM will continue, not sure there’s going to be much of a future of AM outside big cities into the future.

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“But sir, our mast is rusting past the point of restoration and we don’t want to spend the money on AM infrastructure so we have to turn it off”.

When 4TO’s mast had suffered from underinvestment, it too was closed and demolished.

This for Scottsdale must be a licence condition.

As for the Bass Strait islands, fortuitous reception of Tasmanian commercial stations will most likely end. Camerons should be providing out of area translators there.

Reminder: we have until end of Friday to provide feedback on the Bathurst disaster. Compromised main frequency, lack of comparable specs from the one site for two equal licences and wasteful clogging of spectrum keeping translators running as well as ongoing op-ex costs for the licensee, whomever that may be.

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You can kiss goodbye to ABCFM Illawarra reception in the NE corner of TAS. 7SD-FM will most likely be on air by the time I get down there again.

At least with the new St Marys repeaters we will have a few more Es targets in Sydney since nearly all Tassie FM occupies either Sydney or Illawarra channels. The new HPON for Hobart is an oddball: why not 104.1? There was also a mooted HPON for 94.9 MHz at one point (has this been revoked, or replaced in favour of 104.3)? This is also good for Sydney DXers.

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Well done, @TV-Expert !

It’s a wonder why the likes of Ladbrokes don’t offer betting markets on the proposed frequencies :grinning:
They do for almost everything else.
You’d be rich.

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Turns out that 7AD has been allocated 94.9 for its proposed Barrington Valley infill transmitter.

94.9 was ‘unsuitable’ and thus replaced by 104.3

Time will tell but I’m not convinced. I think DAB is gaining some momentum. I hear it all the time in shops. I don’t hear streaming. Streaming is fiddly and I for one hate the data use.

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And streaming can still suffer from buffering.

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shops aren’t cars. cars are where most people listen to radio who don’t post here.

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DAB should have been standard in all cars from 2010/2011.

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The car is where I listen to the most radio too. I have DAB in the car and there’s no way I’d be bothered fiddling around with streaming in the car, chewing up data and phone battery when I can just flick through DAB stations so easily, for free. It’s just my preference but I suspect many like me find it more convenient when driving. Not to mention the drop outs and buffering that still occur during streaming.

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Is that part of the license area for Flow FM?

I’ll certainly miss being able to easily listen to Tasmanian radio once the AM stations go off air. I suppose 7SD is something at least.

Still don’t get why HPONs keep being allocated - we should be shutting them down not allowing more. They waste frequencies that could be put to better use with either commercial or community radio - rather than narrowcast networks pumping in country music or gospel.

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Flinders Island is in the Scottsdale licence area, hence why Grant wants to keep 7SD on AM, on top of having it on FM. King Island is not in any commercial radio licence areas, but I believe they would still be able to receive commercial AM stations from Melbourne, Warragul, Colac & Scottsdale.

7AD & 7BU’s music format, at its present AM form, has a bit of a ‘classic hits’ format unlike most other commercial radio stations in Tasmania, playing plenty of 70s music with some 60s thrown in. I think if/when it converts to FM, it would probably shift its music format more towards that of LAFM/7SD, ie. more 80s to now, to make the stations more “FM friendly”.

I tend to agree. This would’ve been a good opportunity for Hobart to gain a 4th commercial radio station. After all, Townsville, Cairns, Mackay & Rockhampton, which all have smaller population than Hobart’s, does have 4 commercial radio stations.

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A number of shops in the Geelong area stream music, I’ve even heard the free Spotify being streamed at a golf club

I’m not sure what shops you guys are visiting but I hear the free spotify ads EVERYWHERE (even in places where they should be paying for a streaming service, like restaurants). I’d argue that streaming is as commonly found as radio these days in public.

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Shops are workplaces and many workplaces (well beyond shops) would tune into a low clutter station. You’d be surprised what station research. The in depth research that Paul Thompson commissioned in the best era of Nova shocked even some of his most experienced leaders (Gary Roberts excepted of course).

Even if it was the “5G” cell by cell streaming that has been mooted by one or two here, there inherent design of broadcast over data networks means the audience is paying to listen to the station. It is a rort that disadvantages broadcasters and their audiences.

There are some great stations not in my area I’d love to listen to but can’t be bothered to with the streaming problems.

Don’t think the remote broadcasters are allocated for Tasmania anywhere.

Hillbilly radio ended long ago on 7SD, we don’t need it back via Flow.

Until they close the AM service due to running down the investment in AM infrastructure.

It’s not due to a lack of staff. Sandles knows AM sticks and many of his techs have had long experience with them. Janet is the focus of this, loosen the purse string just a tad and invest in your future keeping wide coverage TX sites open.

How’s the economy? Could it really support another station? Just for Janet and SCA to have two apiece? No thanks. Hobart and so much of Tas is propped up by public service and disproportionate Commonwealth funding. Where else would you have four lane freeway so far from cap cities between small cities of a few ten of thousands or the ABC seven nights a week with local TV news for a market less than the size of Newcastle let alone the Gold Coast.

Very interesting to know why when licence areas were formally defined in the mid/late 80’s, 7BU didn’t request King Island be included.

You are correct, King Island enjoys great daytime reception of all that you mentioned plus W’bool, Hamilton, Mt Gambier and at night, the beam of most Adelaide stations will reach in well. I really must demand that @dxnerd take a holiday there and report back for us. We’ll do a whip around after tax time.

Unless we’re sales reps for a product over ‘everything’ (like ‘everything’ Sydney), we all have a certain selection of business we frequent. The shops you visit have streaming, the shops others of us visit may have radio on.

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It’s on the to do list; it’s fairly expensive to get there for what it is, though. I will probably visit Norfolk Island first.

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Does Geelong receive DAB though?