Went for a look today. My eyes made out only three tension points - not to say there aren’t four. I couldn’t get close enough. Solid looking unit though with red and white paint and a constant pilot light on the top.
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Thanks for looking. The Nearmap flyover is only as recent as 19 Jan 2019.
The first submission in relation to the AM-FM conversions for Bega, Cooma & Goulburn (which consultation for it has closed last Friday), which is by the ABC, has been uploaded.
Interesting to note that the ABC requests an AM-FM conversion for its RN service in Goulburn from 1098 kHz to, wait for it, 97.9 MHz, with an ERP of 5kW. That’s the frequency that 2GN should’ve been allocated to avoid potential co-channeling interference with 2GO in the eastern parts of its licence area during the summer months. 107.7 MHz would’ve been more suitable for a 5kW RN service.
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I bet they’ll get it too. 5 kW is outrageous given that the other Goulburn ABCs are only 200 watts! 107.7 at 200 watts would be OK.
If they do get 5 kW on 97.9, I’d be putting ABCRR on there, moving RN to 90.3. It would be nice to have an FM option for ABC Local Radio in the area. 5 kW is wasted on RN.
Nice to see some of the ABC staff are reading our ramblings 
.
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I guess its because RN is not on FM in the Illawarra. So there are more reception gaps. The Illawarra is too congested to get a high power RN broadcasted from Knights Hill.
Having RN on FM from Goulburn at 5kW ERP would provide a bit of overspill into the Southern Highlands, as well as into parts of Canberra & surrounds, giving those people an option to listen to RN on FM as an alternative to 576AM & 846AM respectively (apart from the DAB+ option in the case of the latter).
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That’s because we can work out these things within our happy forum, a step ahead of those who are paid to know better.
Correct @TV-Expert, 107.7 would’ve been suitable for the ABC’s needs. At least they’ve raised this now, perhaps a swap can still be done.
ABC also would like a translator on FM in Braidwood. Good to also read that the ABC requests 2GN covers reasonable costs for the freq shift. Hopefully more than the cost of an in the Goulburn Post.
ACMA have advised me many times that they welcome submissions outside of those solicited via issues for comment, so it’s not too late to provide your own suggestions on the ABC/2GN swap and you most likely won’t end up on the official list of submitters either.
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Changes to SA radio services: Murray Bridge, Mount Barker and Victor Harbor
Listeners of the commercial radio station 5MU in Murray Bridge, Mount Barker and Victor Harbor may soon be retuning their radios if the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) accepts a proposal by the station to swap from AM to FM transmission.
‘FM radio provides improved audio quality for listeners in regional areas and can be more cost-effective to operate than AM radio,’ said ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin.
‘A number of regional commercial radio stations are seeking to convert their services to FM under an industry-led conversion program,’ said Ms O’Loughlin.
‘The ACMA will facilitate a conversion after taking a number of issues into account. These include availability of suitable spectrum and being satisfied that audiences in regional areas do not lose radio services under that proposal.’
The ACMA is also proposing to plan a new long-term community radio broadcasting service for Mount Barker, which is currently served by temporary community broadcasting services.
‘We now want to hear from the audiences in Murray Bridge, Mount Barker and Victor Harbor about these proposals,’ Ms O’Loughlin said.
Submissions on the proposals are due by 14 June 2019. More information about AM–FM conversion is available here.
If the ACMA decides to approve these conversions, the timing of the FM conversion would be up to the commercial broadcasters.
If the new community service is approved, the ACMA may then proceed to a merit-based allocation of the licence.
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Murray Bridge LAP
- 5MU is proposed to convert to 96.3FM, 20kW from a maximum antenna height of 60m at Koehler Road, Gifford Hill to serve Murray Bridge.
- 5ALX/Alex FM 96.3FM is proposed to change frequencies to 91.5FM to prevent interference from the new 5MU FM service.
- An infill repeater is proposed to broadcast 5MU to Mount Barker on 94.3FM, 1kW from a maximum antenna height of 45m at Old Mount Barker Road, Echunga.
- A permanent community broadcast service is proposed for Mount Barker on 88.9FM, 500 W omnidirectional, from this aforementioned site.
- The current TCBL is a timeshared service between Hills Radio and Lofty Community Media.
- An infill repeater is proposed to broadcast 5MU to Victor Harbor on 97.1FM, 1kW from a maximum antenna height of 20m at Brown Hill, 6km NNE of Victor Harbor.
- 5EZY/Power FM 99.7FM is also proposed to relocate to this site.
Riverland LAP
- A planned infill repeater for 5RIV/Magic 93.1 in Morgan on 97.1FM is proposed to be reallocated to Denbow Road, Waikerie, 2kW from a maximum antenna height of 30m
- A planned infill repeater for 5LFM/Life FM in Morgan on 96.3FM is proposed to be reallocated to Denbow Road, Waikerie on 88.5FM, 2kW omnidirectional from a maximum antenna height of 30m
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The choice of 94.3 for 5MU-FM for the Adelaide Hills surprises me.
I would have gone for 97.9, and also shifted 5DDD to 93.5 and 5WOW to 88.3 (both of which are outside the scope of the conversation process) to make 94.3/100.7 available for metro/foothills.
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What’s gonna happen to the 1125 Frequency Now? Could a Transmitter Transplant to Adelaide and maybe FiveAA move to the 1125 Frequency to free up 1395?
Why would 5AA need to move?
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plus a station can’t simply move to a frequency due to generated mixing products can interfere with other radio services. Whilst I don’t know the maths you can get interaction between 1125 & 891 for eg. or 729 & 1125.
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Agree, I am certain it would unsettle existing Adel licensees and have them on the phone to whomever is the incoming Comms minister.
AA gets out fine around Adelaide. It’s more the power not the freq. They have good engineers looking after the site and push DAB+ the most of any AM station (which is just a little more than zero of the others!)
5MU will benefit from being on FM especially with the Mt Lofty signals covering their area so well, save for the South Coast where it’s mostly in car listening of them.
Still a shame to lose the AM coverage however of 5MU which has been a mainstay in Adelaide for decades.
Great to see either a quiet word from ACMA or common sense within the Camerons finally prevailed to retain the wonderful coverage of AM 801 5RM.
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Yes, 5MU reception is pretty decent in Adelaide.
Power FM isn’t very strong here either, the Adelaide Hills repeater on 100.3 is slightly better than the 98.7 signal.
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Correct, even with an OD pattern from Gifford Hill (Murray Bridge), the elevation there is 151m, yet Mt Barker summit has an elevation of 488m. So the Gifford Hill site would not reach over the fault into Adelaide well at all.
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1395 has to be apart from Radio TAB on 1539AM, one of the least strongest AM signals in Adelaide, I remember visiting Adelaide in my Dad’s old 1997 Magna a few years ago & you could always hear a slight cracking interference sound driving around Adelaide on 1395, it wasn’t that noticeable on other stations like Cruise 1323 & 972 NewsRadio. I admit the car didn’t have the best antenna, it only use to extend to around half way, but still I expected 5AA’s reception to be a bit better. Haven’t visited Adelaide since 1629 Sen SA started, so next time I visit it will be interesting to see how good 1629’s reception is, driving around Adelaide in my 2014 Ford Focus.
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Not enough people wanting to work in broadcast engineering now days when there is usually more money in IT… Then there is the very few odd People like me who are young and LOVE playing with AM
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Looking at the Federal Register of Legislation, it appears that the FM conversions of 2EC (to replace its main Bega service currently on 765 kHz) & 2XL are now one step closer to getting approved, in which the Variation to Licence Area Plans for Bega & Cooma respectively have been signed off last Friday (24 May).
- Variation to Licence Area Plan - Bega Radio - 2019 (No. 1)
- Variation to Licence Area Plan - Cooma Radio - 2019 (No. 1)
There’s none for Goulburn (2GN) as yet, probably due to the ABC’s submission that they want to convert their local RN service from 1098 kHz to 97.9 MHz.
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Good, I hope that sanity will prevail with the freq swap we discussed. it was a swap?
Great you’re keeping a watch on the Register.
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