At McDonald’s near the RSPCA at Weston I can get Eagle crystal clear, though it drops out as you head east along Cotter Rd. I have picked it up in other low areas of Canberra but it is very random.
2 Likes
yeah you lose a lot of stations there. Braidwood FM, ABC local radio 97.3 FM, probably traces of Sydney FM. I’d imagine 2ST 102.9 & 91.7 would die too. I didn’t try extensively XL FM in the main parts of Canberra extensively. During Easter When I went to hills to the south east back in NSW (towards Captains Flat) it did fight a bit with The Edge 96.1 FM but was the dominant station.
1 Like
Has 2AD AM 1134 converted to FM yet? If so, when?
1 Like
There’s no FM licence issued for them on ACMA’s Register of Radiocommunications Licences as yet. Same goes for 2GF & 2RE.
4 Likes
Thanks @TV-Expert. SE Qld reception on 1134 has been a very dominant 3CS Colac whenever I’ve tuned by recently, normally 2AD is the regular.
Would the lower power of the OD set up with the DA array dismantled make a difference?
@gordo92 when was the second mast decommissioned? And how? Detonation? Failed on its own?
1 Like
Cattle rubbed up against one of the guy wires, guy wires buckle gave way and the tower fell over.
6 Likes
That’s odd, I though the whole TX site would have been fenced off to protect from unauthorised access including animals?
Usually just the base of the towers.
You’d have to think that if a cow could take out the guy wore that it was really just waiting to fail and could have in the next strong wind.
1 Like
I love it, so country that happening. A trouble for the station of course. What is the current ERP out of the single mast?
1 Like
Power for a single mast should be 2kW max. If any normally 5kW DA stations have to go OD, the max power allowed is 2kW, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Bill is pushing the 5kW out OD.
There would be some places where the 5kW OD would be stronger than when it was DA, but other spots would be weaker than when it was DA, even though the TX power is still 5kW.
In an AM DA array, all masts take full 5kW transmit output power all the time, but the way the masts are phased with each other (both physically & electrically), depends on whether the 2 (or more) signals add or subtract from each other to create stronger or weaker signal strengths in certain directions.
4 Likes
The consultation paper for the above includes a proposal to amend the antenna radiation pattern for 2GN’s FM service.
2 Likes
Ridiculously complex antenna pattern for 2GN. And interference with Gosford, well over 200 km away and separated by mountains? Please. Now 1.5 kW in that direction. A bit over the top.
2 Likes
I’m guessing it must be achievable from an engineering perspective to have the antennas send it out like that. @RFBurns can probably shed some light on this issue.
It would be. But at a price!
Yeah, a little ridiculous especially since Nowra has 2UUU on the same Frequency as Star 104.5 Gosford despite the two services being closer to each other than 2GN and 2GO would be.
Here in Bowral, 2GO and Star (along with Hit 101.3) are permanent signals (the latter if 2UUU is nulled out) In my opinion 2GN should be at least 5kW to that direction.
1 Like
Actually, 2GN would transmit an ERP of 17.5kW towards the Southern Highlands (it was previously 8.75kW), whilst the sector (35-50°) in which the ERP is only 2kW doesn’t go through the more populated parts of the region.
3 Likes
Well, for Southern Highlands residents. People would have another choice for listening on the FM Band than 2ST/Wollongong/Sydney/Canberra stations. Again it depends on the part of the area the person is receiving the service from.
Also a fun fact, 2GN was originally based in Moss Vale as 2MV around 1930-31 before moving to Goulburn the following year.
6 Likes
And since then, the Southern Highlands wouldn’t have a local voice on commercial radio until 2ST set-up their AM translator there in October 1979, broadcasting on 1215 kHz before converting to FM on 102.9 MHz in 1999.
4 Likes
There are some very complex antenna patterns in the US so the engineering is indeed possible. But 107.7 is a poor choice for 2GN as we have discussed before.
2 Likes
Yes 107.7 is a very poor choice for 2GN, we now know why the conversion has dragged on for so long.
97.9 for RN??? This frequency should have been allocated for the 2GN conversion in the first place at 40KW with maybe a slight restriction to protect Valley Fm Forbes.
RN Goulburn should be allocated 107.7 at 5KW.
Where is the consistency with the licensing of the National services in Goulburn??? Why is RN getting 5KW when News Radio, Triple J, and ABC local radio only get 200W, and 2KY 1KW. Shouldn’t they all get 5KW???
2 Likes