Error correction: Brisbane
What level of error correction is used for digital radio in Brisbane?
Does it differ from licensee to licensee, multiplex to multiplex?
I find 9B is the most robust, 9A closely followed, but 9C noticeably struggles more - more dropouts on 612 ABC.
Thanks in advance
ACMA will probably allocate Central Coast and Illawarra on the same frequency block. Would this affectively prevent overspill by creating a mush zone over Sydney and cancelling each other out?
What would they do for Newcastle, put them on the same block as Sydney and prevent Sydney Dab+ reception on the Central Coast and when tropo occurs cause mass interference in Sydney and Newcastle.
Katoomba- should they just combine the Sydney / Katoomba and Campbelltown Dab+ licences and allow C91.3 onto the Sydney multiplex, and provide extra repeaters in the Campbelltown licence area to fill black spots.
Same goes with Nowra / Wollongong, are there enough frequencies for each licence area or just let Power and 2ST onto a combined Illawarra multiplex.
What level of error correction is used for digital radio in Brisbane?
If you have a usb dab stick you can download a player which can tell you the error correction each station usesā¦
In the example Fun superdigi is running on 4A. The reception is impacted. Level 4 does not have as complete error correction when compared to level 3. But it allows the operator to transmit more bits. ABC in Brisbane should be level 3.
There are other variables too. 9C is for the ABC and the govt. did not pay to have their repeaters active. So the repeaters are at very low power (9C), to avoid interference from 9A and 9B.
Theoretically each station could be different but all the Brisbane stations seem to use 3A. The ABC 9C signal has always been at a lower strength for me.
This has the potential to be contentious - Iād imagine that the incumbent broadcasters will be hesitant to allow non-licence holders in the market to broadcast.
That said, unless ACMA are willing to release more digital-only licences you potentially dont need multiples of frequency allocations in markets with one or two commercial providers a few narrow/community stations and the ABC/SBS
Quotes from the discussion papers - seems that the priority is for incumbent broadcasters
- The incumbent broadcast licensees are provided with a one-off opportunity to form a joint venture company and obtain a DMRT licence over the counter, rather than proceeding to auction.
- A foundation DRMT licence provides the incumbent commercial radio broadcasting licensees each with a standard access entitlement to capacity on the multiplex. It provides that designated community radio broadcasting licences have a collective right to a certain multiplex capacity, as nominated by a digital radio community representative company.
" one-off offer to incumbent broadcast licensees to apply for a licence through a joint venture company. "
"In regional Australia, the number of standard access entitlements (that is, the number of commercial radio broadcasting licences) does not exceed four in any licence area. "
āallot the frequency block 9D for use by the licensee of the Gold Coast RA1 foundation DRMT category 1 licenceā.
Putting Sydney and Newcastle on the same 9A/B/C channels wouldnāt work, as I am in the Newcastle region, and I get Sydney DAB+ 24/7ā¦ A number of suburbs would be affected full time, even more of them when ducting occurs.
Even Wollongong would clash with Newcastle frequently during summer.
Only option I can see is something like that Wollongong gets Blocks 8A and 8B, Newcastle 8C and 8D, Central Coast only gets 9D (with commercials and community plus 92.5 ABC). Central Coast would need to rely on Newcastle or Sydney multiplexes for the national ABC and SBS stations.
That makes it interesting for single commercial owner licence areas, particularly where that owner has multiple licence areas where this occurs (you can probably think of the one Iām hinting at). Acquiring the licence then rollout of the relevant infrastructure will make it an expensive exercise.
My bold prediction - single owner commercial markets will be last to roll out (regardless of market size)
There was an idea to merge adjacent licence areas, eg maybe Bathurst and Orange, Lithgow and Katoomba. That would have spread the cost between more stations, but that obviously didnāt get a look in.
That could work - but in a market like Tamworth, Gunnedah, Armidale, Moree (maybe) - its all one owner
Time to open some of these markets upā¦
Itās simple - assign them spectrum and give them three years to commence a service or there is an open auction for the digital spectrum in that radio market.
Thatās sort of how it works now. The licence plan is published and the licensees must start broadcasting on the first day.
āIn addition, a foundation category 1 or 2 DRMT licence must commence on the digital start-up day for the designated BSA radio area concernedā
With DAB being Vertical polarisation, and Brisbane TV Horizontal, itās likely they thought a null north to protect DTV wasnāt needed.
It was a different story with wide bay TV and Brisbane DAB as they were/are vertical transmissions.
Stereo 10 is back again on 4TAB - 2 this Christmas.
4IP is up and running on 4TAB 1 digital in Brisbane and can also be heard on the 4TAB analogue stations. I can receive it on a regional TAB station in Queensland, not sure what other states take the feed. Note that similar to last year there is an occasional 10-O-8 7EX ident 
Stereo 10 is on 4TAB 2.
The 2 streams seem to have playlists appropriate to their history with 4IP playing older songs.
Thanks for that!
Is 4TAB 2 available to stream online, do you know?
No - wish I did.
Had it been Christnas Eve, I couldāve organised an informal stream, have access to a digital radio and internet connection within the coverage area.
Preferring 4TAB (the analogue network feed) with the 4IP content.
What is the technical reason digital radio has vertical polarity rather than mixed polarity as found with FM?
Mixed polarity would be best for reception, especially when on the move?
Iām not sure. I wasnāt involved in DAB planning when it was initially rolled out. Sorry.
