Community Radio

The original reason was to protect 2MCR (when it was on 100.5 and SWR was on 100.3, back in the 90s). But of course there is now a 400 kHz split between them, so it really isn’t necessary. I don’t think SWR is required to protect Goulburn though I could be mistaken there.

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I thought SWR was still limited to the north east to protect 2HHH since its only 0.2 mhz apart.

The null to the south may not be a technicial one , but to limit overspill into 2GLFs area.

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More on SWR after around 2 weeks of it being on the background at work.

The workday playlist does have a handful of songs that are played a little too often. I haven’t looked at any logs to confirm it but seems like some songs almost get played daily. The gems and lesser played songs do make up for it though. The decade mix is pretty spot on.

Also a big thumbs down for not playing the original version of Big Yellow Taxi, most FM commercial stations play the cover which sucks. There’s no real reason not to play the original.

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Personally I think that is a big thumbs up :+1: for me. I can’t stand either version….Each to their own I guess :slightly_smiling_face:

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Most of these are new releases I think which is fair enough; they thrashed ‘Overpass Graffiti’ when it was new.

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Is it currently Hawkesbury Gold 89.9 that is playing non stop music (no idents) Sat arvo through to noon Sunday?

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Yes it does but it’s just due to the fact it’s side mount on the northern side of the tower and theres not much license area to the south. SWR was licensed (2003) before Goulburn went to air sometime around 05, so it doesn’t affect the spec of the license. The null to the south is most profound to the SSE towards Prestons, Hoxton Park, Glenfield, Minto etc where the back of the array lines up with 2 legs of the tower.

@Radiohead There are no power restrictions to consider with 2HHH as they are in the same direction from HP as the core of SWR’s license area. There was a reshuffle of community frequencies in the late 90s and the then North FM were meant to move to 100.5 to be adjacent to 2MCR and WOW, not 2MCR and SWR. Apparently they wanted to stay on 100.1. Ofcourse that license was eventually issued to 2HHH and later RPH got 100.5

@Petarkco @Laoma can’t turn it up anymore unfortunately, you’ll have to take it up with ACMA :slightly_smiling_face:. But very good to know you guys enjoy listening to it. Reception issues are a common complaint to SWR from people listening outside the area.

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Yeh mate, that’s the one… they haven’t had any station sponsors since the floods… all that was playing thru the last floods when sat lunch time - Sunday came around was non stop music and munros meats wilberforce station sponsors… even had the hide to fire off a few HR sponsors and then went on to deny it… when multiple people had heard it… some people :man_shrugging:

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I do notice this. It isn’t that far away from the tower and reception is not great esp on a portable radio. I wonder if it was 5kw omnidirectional could this have worked for 2ws ? Given SWR’s coverage I think it’s the perfect location for the original 2ws station on FM if it remained a western Sydney station.

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Unfortunately that is the nature of fortuitous reception, by definition. SWR probably has the best overall coverage of any sub metro community station in Sydney; you can thank the great LOS from Horsley Park for that.

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Northside is probably on par with 99.3 FM.

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The original plan for 2WS on FM was from a Western Sydney site (don’t know which one) on 97.7 … but being away from the Artarmon / Gore Hill area meant it would interfere with Channel 9 analogue TV reception, so that didn’t happen.

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2NSB (99.3) actually has pretty good coverage these days; I heard it clearly in Bowral the other week.

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Yeah number one in coverage would be 2NSB 99.3 followed by SWR , number 3 is Alive FM on 90.5 or 88.1 FM 2RDJ or 2NBC fm 90.1 FM. Who is your number 3 for coverage?

Or maybe you disagree with 1. 99. 3 followed by 99.9.

I’d say the northern beaches stations are the weakest or provide the least fortuitous coverage ie, 90.3 FM and 88.7 FM.

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88.7 2MWM from Bilgola Plateau is good up here too north, but poor to the south.

2VTR 89.9 (the original 750 watt TX) was good for me, Eastside Radio 2RES 89.7 is OK here too.

2MCR 100.3 isn’t too bad here either considering though it is the furthest away for me.

2BLU 89.1 Katoomba is OK here as well.

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Was SWR’s reception better or worse when it was coming from Space Probe 7 at Wonderland? @matt86

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The strongest sub metro here (tropo only) is unsurprisingly 2MCR, followed by Alive 90.5. Though it’s harder to get a clean signal from 2MCR now that 100.3 Braidwood is on air…and that peaks off direction because it’s vertically polarised. Unfortunately I can’t get SWR as I have 2x NewsRadios on there (so wouldn’t even work with the co-channel canceller).

I can also hear 2RDJ on occasions and I’ve had 2SSR once or twice. 99.3 and 90.1 are dominated by the Bathurst area stations; 2NSB is possibly vertical to mitigate interference from B-Rock (which is mixed).

2GLF also comes through on 89.3 since it’s a nice clear channel; I rarely hear Blayney there (not even sure it’s on air at the moment).

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It would be good if Northside Radio could get a spot on DAB+, similar to what Eastside have done. It will give them Sydney-wide coverage on DAB+ with better sound quality.

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The strongest for me in order are-

  1. Alive 90.5 I am just outside the licence area

  2. 2SWR - in Licence area but obstructed LOS and vertical polarity

  3. Northside Radio

  4. WOW fm

  5. 2SSR

  6. 2MCR, much stronger then C91.3

  7. 2BLU

  8. 2HHH

  9. 2NBC

  10. 2RRR

  11. 2GLF

No 2RDJ because of Faith fm
No Radio Northern Beaches.

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…the McNair radio ratings, which reveals the station has grown by 20,000 overall listeners per week.

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