A subtle change to RAW FM’s website & their FM transmissions.
87.6 in Sydney is now listed as ‘Sydney’s North Shore’.
Not sure (no pun intended) when this change occurred, but have noted for several months that I haven’t been hearing 87.6 Raw FM in spots along the coast as I had previously.
During a drive today I confirmed that the transmitter was no longer being heard in the Collaroy region, but in a return leg drive, noted that the transmission is now emanating from St.Ives on 87.6MHz - note to @tvcl & @dxnerd. Transmission is still in mono with no stereo carrier.
87.6 River FM travels quite a distance. I’ve heard their signal in stereo from Kings Cross, Maroubra & up to Mona Vale.
My apologies I’ve got the Sydney RAW FM locations & frequencies mixed up.
I really shouldn’t do late night postings
Okay yes 88.0 Collaroy Plateau on air, but 87.6 Brookvale is off.
87.6 St.Ives on
Is there? I know there was back in the 1990s (I have a 30ish minute recording of it here somewhere) but I remember it going off air before the end of the decade, and the last thing I heard on that frequency in Canberra was a foreign language broadcast. Back in the 90s it was a mix of advertising aimed at tourists and information bordering on infomercials about certain parts of Canberra and what you might see there. My recording contains a segment about Tourist Drive 5 which seemed to mix information about the history of things along that route and commercials for the various cafes and attractions there.
ACMA RRL lists a few 88MHz transmitters in Canberra which all are registered to Get Real Media Pty Ltd which appears to be the parent company of Raw FM, although I can’t receive the signal at my place to check, so I might just have to check on my next drive. The licences were registered in April and I don’t know what, if anything, was on the frequency immediately before them.
When Raw FM was in Canberra previously they were on 87.6 and had a strong signal across pretty much all of Canberra. Nowadays the Seventh Day Adventists have 87.6.
Edit: Had a chance to check. 88.0 is indeed running a tourist information format. Kind of unusual to hear “eighty eight point zero” in their idents when we’re so used to hearing “oh” for the number in radio idents. Interesting that these licences are registered to the parent company of Raw FM but they’re running tourist information instead. A few advertising dollars to be made I guess.
I can’t say who owns this specific license, but I’ll say it doesn’t matter if it’s owned or leased - it’s about control and operation of a license. Otherwise everyone would put their licenses into holding companies and run six licenses in a city.
ARN gets around this in Sydney because The Edge is in a different LAP (Katoomba?).
Probably Narrowcast licenses don’t count towards the 2 station limit?
The licensee for New South Wales-based radio station Magic 87.6 FM has been found in breach of its licence conditions by broadcasting content in contravention of narrowcast service rules.
Magic 87.6 FM holds licences to provide open narrowcasting services in Mudgee, Gulgong and Kandos.
Narrowcasting licences are issued for the purpose of niche broadcasting and must be limited in some way, such as being targeted to special interest groups or being provided for a limited period of time or for a special event.
The ACMA investigation found that Magic 87.6 FM was broadcasting music programming, news and weather bulletins and live hosted programs that would likely appeal to a general audience in the broadcast area.
My SDR spectrum still showing open carriers on 87.8 & 88.0MHz under other stronger stations in Sydney.
I assume these transmissions are emanating from up the mountains?
I bought my trusty old AM Stereo radio on my work trip to Melbourne to check out 3GL, disappointed it’s not in AM Stereo yet, but can say it sounds fantastic in AM Stereo mode on my radio.
Good to know, thanks, though I was hoping they might switch it on at some point.
I have been thinking of dragging my Sony down for my next visit to check it out and record some 3CS with its very wideband audio before it switches off in the future.
2UNE Armidale is still on air on 106.9, but has woeful coverage to the south. There’s nothing from it until you reach almost the city limits. Going east on the Waterfall Way the coverage is better, out to 20-25 km.
I believe it still operates as an HPON (though in 2UNE’s case, that term is very loosely applied). The coverage is more like an LPON. I’m guessing that the tx may be at the Uni itself and the building probably faces east.
Driving through Warwick, it seems they have the full gamut of Godbotherer narrowcasters available, so much so that one (Faith FM) has had to be exiled to the unorthodox frequency of 88.4 - with RDS too. I didn’t listen in detail but I believe all of 87.6, 87.8 and 88.0 were occupied with the same program.
All are licenced so it’s not a pirate job, but just odd that they’ve been given an LPON frequency outside the standard range.
