Armidale is a bit fortunate in that it isn’t spectrum challenged, thus none of the infills are likely to cause any issues.
BUT…
My main concern is that this sets a precedent… asking for new sites or specs simply because they (allegedly) can’t or won’t pay rent is NOT a good enough reason.
If the ACMA approves this, what’s then to stop other stations from doing the same, which could then create unnecessary spectrum issues?
SRN/BOG should be made to be a good corporate citizen and pay its way just like any other decent business.
You would think spectrum efficiency would be a top priority for the ACMA. Not always the case.
We have have one primary site (2 stations) where a 8dB power increase would serve another 7 urban centres in our licence area with the required suburban (or near suburban) grade of coverage. They won’t do it. ACMA (and other vested interests) would rather we don’t serve them properly, or that we instead establish 10 (5 per station) infill repeaters requiring 10 more FM channels in an already tight spectrum region. Makes no sense to us.
Yes they are, but a broadcaster needs to viably serve its market, and the ACMA had no concerns about those neighbouring markets spilling back our way.
It’s quite selective with the ACMA in our experience. Anyone notice in the recent Tamworth plan variation, the ACMA quietly bumped up the power of 92.9 towards Gunnedah South, up from 10 kW to 20 kW, and gave the new 2TM FM service the same power? The ACMA argued it was needed to provide suburban grade coverage to the one urban centre of Curlewis ( under 700 people), even though it provided suburban grade overspill right over Gunnedah and 40 km beyond to include Boggabri. ACMA stated the option of repeaters in Curlewis was not a viable or spectrum efficient option.
Yet in the 2RE conversion, they retained the redundant 1 kW 100.3 Forester repeater (in a really tight spectrum region), even though Forster is now served by the new high power 88.9 service.
Consistency and spectrum efficiency are not ACMA strong points. And it depends who you are.
Just catching up on this and couldn’t agree more with the sentiments expressed by others regarding the appalling proposal for Armidale.
Reeks entirely of ministers (successive, and of both sides) not wanting to upset media proprietors for fear of potential public backlash, and a government department whose heads are too weak to challenge their flawed decisions. (Let’s just say, I’d be more than sure the lower level technical officers working within ACMA would be fully aware of just how ridiculous this proposal is…)
Effective use of spectrum is absolutely achieved by having fewer, higher powered (but not overpowered) transmitters across the country. One per service per market, with translators only installed where it is impossible to adequately service a part of the area. This proposal flies in the face of that, as did others recently (Nowra comes to mind too).
If the BSA and the department administering it cannot achieve that one key goal of efficient spectrum use, then the Act is no longer fit for purpose and must be rewritten. Fat chance of that happening though…
The overlap between the Gunnedah & Tamworth LAPs is ridiculous and this really highlights it - I doubt many people living out that way would be listening to 2TTT/2TM, rather they’d be listening to 2GGG/2MO.
It also amazes me that the LAPs are still based on 30+ year old census data too
It will be interesting to see how long it takes for these changes to be implemented.
Super Radio Network seem to get such changes in implemented pretty quickly, but with a new main TX site and three new relays, that’s a fair undertaking.
I’ll also be interested to see how well the changes are communicated to the various communities in the licence area, particularly with the in town relays at Armidale.
Another necessity might be a name change for FM100.3.
…
Also can’t be long before 2MG 97.1 goes to air in Mudgee.
That’s true.
I was ‘having a captain cook’ at their studio site with Google Steeetview & noted that there is an existing vertical polarized single dipole (presumed standby transmission antenna) at around 10 meters AGL.
Being familiar with Armidale topography, coverage will certainly be limited…
An extra 5m (to 15m AGL) isn’t much.
Sorry for the delay, im late to respond, but i agree with everyones comments, this is a waste of spectrum, im not opposed to 2AD having translators at these towns where the main signal isnt fantastic, but a better approach to save spectrum, would have had the same frequency reused at each 100 watt translator site (instead of 4 different frequencies).
Also with 2 frequencies covering the region, it would also be easier to market the station, 2AD FM 97.3 and 105.7 (for example), instead of 2AD FM broadcasting on FM freq 1, freq 2, freq 3, freq 4 and freq 5… so easy to remember, haha.
I often think the reason commercial stations go for so many translators on different frequencies is to lock up the fm band and block future competitors, which is the opposite of using spectrum efficiently.
At the moment it seems the strategy is to try and minimise overspill into adjacent areas at the expense of using spectrum efficiently, hence the patchwork quilt of translators being proposed. The fact is locks away frequencies from being used by rivals is another “benefit” too.
Regional radio in this country would be much better served with the principle of trying to use as few frequencies as possible and accepting that there will be some overspill into adjacent areas.
