Not Quite
The community fm stations have an expiry date on their licences, at present they automatically get renewed unless there is a breach like the case of Hawkesbury Radio. The Federal government shut down community tv to implement their spectrum reform. However this was only to make money to sell of spectrum to the telcos.
Futures restacks will involve commercials tv channels and the Abc and SBS sharing frequencies to allow more spectrum to be sold off to the telcos.
So basically the government will only do something if there is a buck that could be made.
If it was all about providing the best radio / tv experience for the consumer all radio stations would be broadcasting on the fm band in stereo.
All tv stations would be on UHF from 28-69 broadcasting in 4K, and the VHF band 6-13 would be for dab+ broadcasts Australia wide in 128aac.quality.
We can only dream!!!
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Try moving all of the local community stations in Brisbane to a .4 off the mt coottha channel pattern and have them share channels closer with overlap interference rules relaxed, then see what opens up.
There’s room with reshuffling for ALL AM licencees (excepting ABC services) to convert to FM in Brisbane.
Only with a level paying field will AM broadcasters survive.
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DAB has still got Life, accept that!
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Good point, I forgot about Mix 92.7. Also 92.9 Toowoomba would be affected, so 92.5 wouldn’t work.
94.1 and 101.3 are the only frequencies I can think of that would work for 2 Brisbane-wide FM licenses. Of course, 4 sub-metro stations would need to be moved to DAB+ only (99.7, 100.3, 101.1 and 101.5) as well as 101.5 Beaudesert community radio being moved to a new frequency.
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The problem is all the 0.4 frequencies below 98.9 are being used by ABC Northern NSW (98.5, 96.9, 96.1, 95.3, 94.5) and Triple J Gold Coast (97.7).
All the 0.4 frequencies above 102.1 are being used by Darling Downs services and 2 community stations on the Gold Coast (105.7, 107.3) and Sunshine Coast (104.9, 106.5). 104.1 is also being used by Radio 97 translator on the Gold Coast.
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105.7 and 107.3 on the Gold Coast proves the 0.4 spacing between Brisbane and Gold Coast would be fine though. Both are 0.4 from Brisbane stations on both sides. 105.3, 106.1, 106.9 and 107.7
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I think 94.1, 101.3, 99.7 and 100.5 could work with a bit of shuffling. But yes 94.1 is a no brainer.
Also 94.9 if they could move River (in theory anyway).
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99.7 and 100.5 won’t work because you have Rebel FM Gold Coast on 99.4 and Breeze FM Gold Coast on 100.6.
You also have a community station in Byron Bay on 99.9 which may be affected, as you can receive all the Brisbane FM commercial and ABC stations in Byron.
Zinc 96.1 also has a translator covering most of the Sunshine Coast on 100.5.
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That’s where the shuffling around comes in. Rebel and Breeze want more access to Logan City so a condition of that could be to move frequencies.
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David Burton a huge loss from SCA. Still, SCA made the redundancy offer, it’s SCA’s error.
Is David programming/scheduling music for 2CH as he was for EON/Oceania?
Agree, 4AK with a consistent, local format filling the market gap would do superbly well in Toowoomba.
I still want to see FM translators for 4AK and 4GR in Warwick.
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When the ABA planned for the community and commercial station additions and reallocation of Ipswich, it was perhaps 1999/2000.
They planned the entire area from Gympie to Lismore with references to Kingaroy, Toowoomba/Warwick and Grafton RA1.
All long distance co-channel ducting/tropo was considered for FM for markets much further away.
That level of detail is required in 2022 and of a higher standard.
You can’t look at a LAP in isolation, whole region, highly complicated ‘matrix’. All markets will have reallocations most likely. Nothing is in isolation.
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It seems that made that error with a few of there good staff
Last time I spoke with David I believe he said something along the lines of that he is just retired and enjoying life… so I am guessing he is no longer working for them
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Can confirm still no 2GN on 107.7 from Goulburn.
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According to the ACMA FYSO 2021-26: 6 Month Month Progress Report released today, Mudgee (2MG) & Mt Gambier (Triple M) is set to be consulted on for AM-FM conversions during Q1 2022, ie. over the next 6 weeks.
Also, 2GN’s long awaited FM licence has FINALLY being Granted by ACMA: ACMA Register of Radiocommunications Licences (RRL)
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I’d say that would mean 2GN transmitting on FM will start very soon (next few weeks probably), also it’s been discussed before, but looking at the radiation pattern specs on the current licence (not proposed), I think 2GN will interfere with 2GO (Triple M Central Coast), more so than 2GO interferes with 2GN over summer tropo events.
The licence power is very limited towards Gosford, but as I’ve said before & what was holding them up, in theory it’s a very tight pattern, but in practise, they won’t be able to achive those power levels in the pattern of 17.5kW either side of 2kW, so 17kW or there about, heading towards Gosford will overpower 2GO’s 5kW towards Goulburn.
Funny 2GO has a max power of 10kW on the licence in the ACMA database with 5kW towards Goulburn, but I’m sure all Central Coast commercial licences are 16kW max omni-directional, (or were), I wonder if it’s been changed to protect 2GN?
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Possibly, considering that Hit 101.3 (2CFM) & Star 104.5 (2GOS) are still 16kW max omni-directional.
This situation is almost going back to when before Star 104.5 was going to air. It was to have an ERP of 2kW towards the NE (with 16kW max in other directions) to protect 2BOB Taree, which was broadcasting on the same frequency at the time, whilst Sea FM & 2GO transmitted at 16kW max omni-directional. 2BOB eventually agreed to move to 104.7, allowing Star to broadcast at 16kW max omni-directional with the other two commercial stations.
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Triple M Central Coast is the weakest of the main Central Coast commercial fm’s at my location so maybe they have reduced the power. BTW the 1KW 94.3 Sky Sports radio is receivable here with tropo on the car radio.
Triple M will be ok on my stereo as I don’t receive 94.3, but on the car radio there will be co-channel interference and possibly even on the southern facing hills around Berowra, there has been so good inland tropo yesterday and today, with Eagle fm received on my work truck quite well in Berowra with inland tropo.
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That is new up on the ACMA website since I last looked obviously to coincide with 2GN fm conversion. @RFBurns with your local knowledge and familiarity with the sites, has SCA had to install a new array on the tower with this notch towards Goulburn, and turn down their transmitter? 107.7 is the weakest of the Gosford commercials here so they are obviously at a lower power then Hit and Star. I have noticed this for a while now.
Also has an existing fm station ever had their technical specs changed to less favorable specs?
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So does that mean that 963 Triple M Mt Gambier is looking into converting to the FM band?