Newcastle is the most logical, but I have a hunch Sunshine Coast might be next.
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If so, SEQ is probably likely to go close to running out of DAB+ spectrum, given there are only 8 channels available. (8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D)… with 5 of them already taken up, if Sunshine Coast gets 2 that will only leave one left…
If Toowoomba or Southern Downs ever gets DAB, they will most likely have to co-channel with Gold or Sunshine Coasts.
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I have never asked the question to anyone, but what the reason is why RF channel 10 isn’t used considering there is no DTV on it in SEQLD, but there is on RF CH 8 and that has been used for Gold Coast NDAB
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Gold Coast DAB is on RF Channel 9 (8C, 8D).
RF Channel 8 is QTQ-9.
RF Channel 10 has been set aside for DVB-T2 I think.
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Didn’t factor in that it is within Channel 9 DAB block but 8 of DAB, I was just thinking about the RF number
Ahhhhh silly me that makes more sense
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That’s correct, there’s a spare channel in every block, in the metro areas TV ch. 10 is the spare which is for future or current use as a test channel or one they can shift stations to should DVB-T2 & frequency sharing be implemented.
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And with the way things are going at the 10 Network, one of these days we may (sadly) end up with 2 spare frequencies in each block across the country.
Which may open up 11A, 11B, 11C and 11D for DAB. And as most DAB radios are capable of picking up signals anywhere from 5A to 13.
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Australia is not going to need that spare channel for TV.
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Good to see some new DAB radios in store.
Haven’t seen these models before, they look nice, Philips are generally a good quality brand too.
Having said that, i haven’t been tempted to buy another radio since i got my TEF, and that blows everything else out of the park on FM. DAB performance doesn’t seem to vary much on any of the ones i have and I have a few that are still going well.
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I’ve seen the $379 on in Amazon. I think it is the same one but there is is only $169 - has the same model number 8805. It is listed as a 2020/21 model.
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When listening to ABC News Radio on DAB+ in Brisbane in the car, I’m getting occasional switching to 95.7 FM ABC NEWS from the Gold Coast. It’s happening around the Logan area mostly although happened at the top of the Gateway Bridge yesterday. I don’t mind DAB to FM switching but it doesn’t switch back even though the FM signal quickly fades away. Maybe the PI has been set up correctly on FM but not DAB+ or vice versa?
I’ve switched off DAB/FM linking in my radio settings for now which has solved the issue for now. I have a Volvo C40 with Android Automotive.
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ABC News Radio on DAB+ from Brisbane has a SId of 320B supposedly
ABC News Radio on 95.7MHz FM from Gold Coast has a PI code of 4011
That shouldn’t cause a station switch issue.
That said if it’s happening in the Logan area, your DAB+ signal of ABC News Radio might be dominate from the new Gold Coast ABC DAB+ transmitter.
I have no idea of the SId’s of the ABC DAB+ Gold Coast stations.
I have been trying to procure this info for some weeks.
Can someone in Qld assist in gaining the SId’s of the ABC/SBS DAB+ Gold Coast stations?
I suspect it’s a SId issue with the ABC Gold Coast DAB+ ensemble stations.
@radfan if you can’t get a reply from someone here, try reporting to the ABC Reception Advice line. But sure would be nice to get a GC DAB SId list from someone 
The QIRX software & a RTL-SDR dongle is all one needs to decode & obtain the Gold Coast ABC DAB+ SId info.
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Will also keep an eye on any updates that need reporting at my end aswell
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Are there any updates or news as to whether ABC will be launching DAB trials in Newcastle this year or next?
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No & I can’t see why they would, no one listens to the ABC & without any commercial DAB on air in Newcastle to back it up & which can’t see happening with the current state of SCA’s funds & Carallis won’t spend anything on his AM/FM stations, it’d be stupid & a waste of money.
Besides the DAB transmission contract with BAI has just been renewed & as part of that renewal, the ABC DAB transmitters in the Metro Capitals are to be replaced, for which you’re probably looking at 5-10 million dollars maybe more, with new transmitters & associated installation costs, so unless you want to start forking out more of your tax dollars to fund the ABC, I can’t see them having the money to needlessly fund new DAB installs in areas they currently don’t have, especially considering they don’t support the use of DAB, they’d rather DRM/DRM+ which will probably never happen anyway, & the fact they want to move away from broadcast transmissions & into streaming online.
If the commercial stations didn’t install DAB on the Gold Coast, the ABC wouldn’t have gone there either.
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He did have a DAB+ TX kicking around at Tweed Heads during my time working for them
There was talk about possibly trying to get a DAB licence here in Toowoomba and put it to air
But guess something stopped it as it never happened
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Just a guess, money & knowledge how to do it.
DAB isn’t cheap to install & it’s much more technical to get audio to the transmitter than AM & FM.
Having a DAB transmitter isn’t anything like having a FM transmitter siting around, anyone can broadcast something on FM reasonably simply & cheaply, DAB is in an entirely different league.
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Yeah I know mate, not sure what happened, might have to ask the question next time I am speaking with someone from the network
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Aren’t they launching Launceston?
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Not really, it’s just a technical trial, I don’t know the full details & probably couldn’t share them here if I did due to confidentiality, but it’s probably just so they can test what they can get away with in the metro areas regarding number of services, signal parameters, reception quality around less than ideal topography?
Launceston was probably the easiest & cheapest place to get the licence & set it up.
The ABC still pays CRA for rebroadcasting it at all the infills around the metro areas, if they could make their main sites more robust they mightn’t need as many or any infills which will cut costs.
CRA could do the same, but they’d have to drop a lot of stations &/or audio bit rates to use much stronger error correction, but they want to fit more stations in a mux, not less.
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