According to history of the ststaion:
https://hope1032.com.au/about-us/history/
The frequency was later moved to 103.2 due to interference with ABC FM on 92.9.
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If it was due to interference with a TV station, one difference to Brisbane is the location of the transmitters. In Sydney the TV/FM towers are in the middle of residential areas and if the TV and FM station are not on the same tower it would be conceivable that some residences might get an overload of an FM signal on their TV due to close proximity to the FM transmitter. However, in Brisbane, all the transmitters are well away from residences and itâs more likely for the FM and TV signals to be received at similar strengths. Just my thoughts - not technically based though 
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103.5 according to that article was the original frequency. I was under the impression that 103.3 couldnt be used because it was interfering with one of the Band 3 VHF TV channels.
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So that wasnât Hawkesbury Gold? Is this a new station? If it is a new entity using the name â89.9 Hawkesburyâ they connot as thatâs the rebranded name for Starter on FM on Thursdays. http://899fm.com.au
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So who is occupying 89.9 over the course of a week these days? As an outside observer, it seems to be a combination of various operators constantly changing?
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So currently:
Sun 12a - Mon 12a: Pulse FM
Mon 12a - Tue 12a: WHCR FM
Tue 12a - Wed 12a: Vibe FM (WHCR)
Wed 12a - Thu 12a: Harmony FM
Thu 12a - Fri 12a: 89.9 Hawkesbury (Formally Starter FM)
Fri 12a - Sat 12a: Hawkesbury Radio
Sat 12a - Sun 12a: Unknown (Formally Hawkesbury Gold but they lost there BSL)
89.9 Hawkesbury which is my station is working now with Hawkesbury Radio with programming shared across both times. Hawkesbury Gold does not work with Hawkesbury Radio anymore.
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so is this like a test broadcast arrangement, with the ultimate aim that one station will eventually get a full time licence, or is this deemed to be an ongoing setup for 89.9?
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Yeah test broadcasting for now, until ACMA put up a full license, then each of the operators can then apply for the license.
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This is just a reference to frequency & location, not a station name as programming was wall to wall music, no idents.
As to who (was) transmitting the (suggestive) hint was:
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And that was back in the analogue TV days. They could change it back to 103.3 now.
Except now for RAM FM Goulburn.
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Itâs far enough away to not be a problem.
Given that there is talk of interference between Triple M Gosford and GNFM both on 107.7, there is a chance that there could be interference issues with Hope if they were to move to 103.3. Given that it has been on 103.2 for over four decades now without any issues, there wouldnât be any need to change it.
But also TEN10 and the much lower powered CTC10 in Goulburn happily coexisted for nearly five decades.
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Well, not really. Weâre talking about a 200 watt community station broadcasting from the middle of town. In an area where the Sydney FMs are virtually non existent. In any case, the local station would overwhelm any trace of Hope 103.2/103.3.
2GBN is a 35kW station broadcasting from a mountain.
This is an issue with allocation of frequencies in this country on FM. Way too much concern about re-using frequencies, forgetting that fortuitous reception outside of the service area is irrelevant. Plus forgetting the capture effect on FM receivers. Other countries get away with allocating the same frequency over shorter distances (depending on terrain/ERP etc) far better than we do.
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The oldies format they run (and this is something 4MBS run themselves) is called Silver Memories (https://silvermemories.com.au/), which is a service squarely aimed at aged care homes and the like (it used to be 1920s-50s very originally, but itâs 40s-70s now⌠for probably obvious reasons).
Meant to be a nostalgia service for those living with dementia and social isolation - itâs as much therapy as it is entertainment, and the research behind it is interesting to say the least (right down to things like⌠I remember a report that pointed to them playing old-school âbeautiful/light musicâ in the early morning around 3-4am, as they find thatâs when many wake up and feel really agitated from their ails). Been going for 15 years now, probably not a bad effort for a classical community station.
I thought the subcarrier service for it was gone now, as these days itâs properly commercialised - they do new installations via satellite (which they hook into a channel on an aged care centreâs TV system), and sell a tablet app for those still at home - specifically tablet, as that is likely seen as easier for those with motor and vision issues as they age. Certainly though, no more selling special subcarrier-capable radios that were fixed to 4MBSâ frequency, like they used to.
Maybe they still havenât got all the homes to agree to the satellite installation yet if theyâre still broadcasting it on sideband⌠but particularly also, individuals who may have bought/been given one of the subcarrier-capable radios to listen at home, and may not be capable of using a tablet. If itâs not costing them much, removing the subcarrier would be a bit of a touchy subject. It -would- remove any sponsorship/advertising restrictions that applied to the stream I guess (if any apply for subcarriers of community stations), but for a service like Silver Memories you wouldnât want to commercialise it further with that many ads/sponsors anyway? Thatâs probably why itâs been made a paid app to pay for itself rather than being free-to-air and streamed on, say, DAB+, I guess.
Incidentally, I think the Canberra MBS equivalent, ArtSound FM, did a trial of that type of service there, being sent via IP streaming - but it is now a two-hour morning block on their main FM service (the block now called âSenior Memoriesâ), probably because 4MBSâ Silver Memories is now effectively national as itâs no longer bound by its Brisbane FM signal - thus making ArtSoundâs somewhat smaller service redundant in a way.
Info on the Vietnamese subcarrier is scarce, but it appears it had been leased for a while too⌠the MBS Qld annual report for 2015/16 [not on their site, but a Google search brings it up] mentions a âVietnamese Australian Broadcasting Corporationâ which had gone bust in that year, affecting their income from leasing it out. Sounds like a new group (or a reconstitution of the same group) has continued that lease since then.
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I think there would still be a problem with CCI with Hope being moved to 103.3. With moderate inland tropo Sydney fm gets into central Goulburn on my car radio, and would be enough to cause interference with GCR and possibly overpower it with more intense tropo.
Inland tropo extends the high powered Sydney fm stations right up to Lake George. If Hope was to move to 103.3 either GCR would have to change frequencies, or Hope would have to go on very low power towards Goulburn 7.5KW to protect that service.
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Interesting. But intense tropo happens rarely and cannot be taken into account. Otherwise every station would have to have a clear channel for 500 kilometres or more!
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Strong tropo happens often enough between the Southern Tablelands and Sydney, though. Remember Australia is (usually) the land of endless high pressure, and inland tropo ducts can occur year round whenever a high sticks around for a few days.
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Enjoying the music so far, but it seems it was just automated music didnât hear you for the first 26 mins.
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Binjang in Wellington NSW are now streaming:
https://23163.live.streamtheworld.com/2BJGAAC.aac
One of my favourite stations that Iâve come across on my travels.
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