How do the narrowband stations around 151 and 152 MHz fit into this story? They broadcast in FM but only 25 kHz bandwidth.
Here one of the Brisbane ones VNG290 - 50w Voice of Charit Mount Coot-tha on 152.050
https://web.acma.gov.au/rrl/assignment_search.lookup?pEFL_ID=646636
But are these niche listeners a large enough market to justify the cost of a DRM rollout and wouldnât they be better and more easily served by a streaming model?
Or we may need to seriously look at reshuffling the FM band
For many of the niche services, their target audiences are not going to be that technologically savvy, or in many cases, a once off investment in a radio would be more viable than recurring costs of streaming.
Radio streaming is near free once you have internet - but I think the largest proportions of people without the internet are precisely the people relying on these narrowcast stations, particularly those who donât speak English at home.
Thereâs also a degree of authenticity that people will always chase with broadcasting. That someone can just tune around a dial and find your broadcast, without needing to seek you out on a website or app. I think lots of people will want to broadcast radio, simply to prove they can.
While you do make some salient points one thing I have noticed especially with ethnic minorities so I canât apply this arguement to other niche demographics, is that they tend to be the opposite and quite cutting edge when it comes to technology especially when it comes to receiving TV and radio from their homelands. One only need to witness the numerous satellite dishes attached to apartment units or the Pinoy shops advertising those TFC streaming boxes. My GF streams Mirchi FM from Fiji on Bose SoundTouch speakers throughout her house for instance.
While I appreicate some of the older generations of new arrivals to our great land would have utlised shortwave transmissions or indeed even the current crop of narrowcasters like Rete Italia, I get the feeling that the current generation wonât use such technologies.
Internet radios with potentially a sim card slot might work, have radio operators have an arrangement with a telco to have a cheap plan just for radio.
Anyway, the design of the current internet radio range are clunky and finding a station can be challenging.
Arenât they! I have both Sangean and Pure Digital Internet Radios and the user interface on them is painful. Have long since abandonded using them for streaming (use them only for DAB now) for the Sonos platform. Smart speakers while a hell of a lot better than an Internet Radio interface can still be a bit toublesome at times (e.g. Hey Google, play RAW FM) but at least a station can still be chosen via their accompanying app.
I ask google to play SWRFM, it never understands. I spell it out. It is easier to switch on a radio if I have one in that room.
@Laoma I use TuneIn personally - it works if you say âHey Google, play SWR Triple 9 FM on TuneInâ - There also may be an App coming purely for community stations (being developed by the CBAA) in the near future. Which will hopefully work with smart speakers etc etcâŚ
What would be a great feature is searching community radio programmes by genre. This would require each participating community radio station to tag each of their programmes with the appropriate genre; listeners could then be fed a list of currently airing programmes by genre when they start the app. I think most shows would gain additional listenership this way.
Iâm not sure if youâre in contact with the people developing the app?
Wasnât this done a while back (An App for community radio), canât remember the name though, and there was also the App Beetroot Radio for community radio (http://beetroot.fm/) though could never work out how to get listed on thereâŚ
Was at Kiama on Saturday. Cam confirm Rete Italia was on air on 89.3.
Anyone else getting distorted audio from 91.6 FM Sydney - Islamic temp. narrowcast station broadcasting from the Sydney CBD? In stereo.
Looks to be some multipath more than usual for this frequency & location.
Transmission commenced today & on air for the next 30 days.
Sounds OK where I am.
Last time a TCBL was on 91.6, there was also a pirate on 91.8.
ANRA, the Australian Narrowcast Radio Association, are seeking licence fee relief due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ACMA says it doesnât have the authority to wave fees.
https://radioinfo.com.au/news/narrowcasters-under-financial-pressure-during-pandemic-want-fee-relief
Triple M Brisbane have two 100 W FM narrowcast licences from 1 to 26 September 2020.
89.1 - roof of Southbank Apartments
95.3 - roof of Barracks Shopping Centre - SCA studios
I wonder what SCA will be doing with them?
https://web.acma.gov.au/rrl/licence_search.licence_lookup?pLICENCE_NO=11006368/1
https://web.acma.gov.au/rrl/licence_search.licence_lookup?pLICENCE_NO=11006358/1
At a guess - would have been for Riverfire or other Brisbane Festival celebrations which are now cancelled.
Animal noises? 
Yes - at least 95.3 has been the frequency set aside in the past for Riverfire.
Thanks. Just a retransmission of 104.5 or is it a special Riverfire broadcast?