Is there an existing station running on 1629AM?
ABC News Radio. During Grandstand on Sunday, Ned Hall (himself the ABC’s main soccer commentator) told listeners in Newcastle to tune to News Radio instead of ABC Newcastle.
The licence is now owned by Crocmedia, as of today!!
https://web.acma.gov.au/rrl/assignment_search.lookup?pEFL_ID=4045159
https://web.acma.gov.au/rrl/licence_search.licence_lookup?pLICENCE_NO=1401679/2
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Anyone in Adelaide able to comment on how good the 1629 signal is or was?
Seems very strange to be trying to do local Adelaide content on an off band station - haven’t they lost enough money in the market already?
Its going to be low power so might not even cover all of Adelaide, DAB would be a good idea as well if possible
do normal radios get 1629?
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They’d have to lease that spectrum I’d have thought: not sure what parties would be willing / have any space spare?
Given Food Network/Viceland - I wonder if they could convince SBS to carry SEN in their DAB allocation outside Melbourne?
My fairly non-normal AM/FM/SW/LW receiver caps out at 1620. I think my car radio only gets to 1611.
Mine only goes to 1602
Some car radios do go higher but not many, I have been in a Toyota Camry? Taxi with Radio Haanji which is an Indian station on 1674AM
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Thanks @littlegezzybear for your effort in sharing the details.
This is an off band licence. A NAS. Narrowcast.
Licence is 400 watt max with 10km radius. Theoretical. Can be less at night due to congestion of skywave, can be more in the day with a quality TX site.
The existing site using the Gumnut Nominees site is on top of the Conga Foods building, so not ideal.
It’s a blink and you’ll miss it scenario, I’ve driven by en route to Clare and Barossa Valleys and it looks like a two way antenna often seen on industrial buildings.
Nearmap images date back to Oct 2009 and the antenna has been there for every fly over since.
Transmission distances
Adelaide is a compact city and seemingly has less EMF than other capitals, the limited power of commercials AA and Cruise are easily received in the CBD and other high noise areas, this may do ok.
I hope Hutchy is spending money on infrastructure but I doubt it.
10km roughly reaches as far south as West Beach on the coast, Goodwood, Kensington Park, Tranmere in the east; not quite to Modbury/Tea Tree Plaza (end of O-Bahn), Para Hills, Parafield and to the north, Bolivar.
To reach Seacliff which is the end of the ‘original’ settled area of Adel, it’s 20km from the site. End of the rail line in Seaford, the fast growing Onka region is 40km south of the site.
Off band freqs, which is best:
Obviously 1611 is the closest to the broadcast band. Many Sony radios don’t reach it.
1620/1629 often do appear on radios, then nothing until the few that tune to 1701.
Commercial on narrowcast:
The other question is how Hutchy can run commercial programming on a narrowcast licence?
Will he argue the low ratings in Melb are limited appeal enough? Have to considering they must’ve done their due diligence on it. Or have they?
Web audience
Hutchy claims 40 000 SA people tune to the SEN Melb webstream.
He also claims they’re 10% of the online audience.
He wants us to believe 400 000, yes, two fifths of a million listen to SEN online.
In what time period? For how long? Weekly/daily/monthly?
Rubbery stuff don’t you think?
Digital prospects
Not good.
The lack of second Cat 1 licence in Adel means the current one is highly congested.
Radio TAB have long wanted to get their program simulcast on digital but ARN, Nova and SCA won’t lease any of the scant allocations they already have, save for existing national deals that ARN has.
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How come Aussie and KOOOL have Disappeared from DAB+ without warning?
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Adelaide already has an Italian Language Station on 531, Radio Italiana and they broadcast Local Content in that Language.
Would Crocmedia be able to apply for a non-BSB commercial radio licence for Adelaide?
Well that’s shit.
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I thought s.40 licences were dead and buried save for the incumbents - 4KZ uses them in North Queensland, and I believe Rebel has a few around Wide Bay but unsure as to whether they’re being used
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So no one can apply for a new licence then?
I stand corrected - there’s an application form on ACMA’s website
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