Translated from 4RGC
There’s now a bit of a standard recommendation from CRA, but changing existing PI codes plays havoc on people’s saved presets, so we generally just leave them alone…
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That is increadable considering Hit106.9 use to have studios in Charlestown.
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I know! I am about 3 blocks from their old studios.
RDS on Hit106.9 has now returned, 2VOX has disappeared for now, but a high chance it will return on the next few days.
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Any more on this?
There was a website up temporarily but it seems to have been removed. I did see a spreadsheet but don’t have it handy.
IIRC it was based on states and frequencies… ie a station in Qld on 102.9 would be 4029 and additional stations on the same freq would go 402A 402B etc
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A first for me with the tropo fest currently happening in NSW
Pulse 94.1 Wollongong RDS (over the top of Today’s Country Gosford).
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2MCR Cambelltown 100.3 seams to have a very powerful RDS subcarrier signal (57kHz), can decode its RDS text with a static signal. This composite signal pic shows why.
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Just to add to that… the system was designed to stop hard linking of PI to DAB service numbers…
The system makes no sense as it use decimal numbers as Hex numbers … and as such some of these PI codes do not translate to value K or W callsigns which can cause some radios to tune away from them.
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Unless they are frequency based presets.
I’ve never came across a radio that bases it’s presets on PI codes.
My favourite usage of that is SBS Radio in Melbourne decoding as WSBS.
Coming up as 845C but when converted it will show WSBS. And also stuck on SBS Radio Overnights on my RDS Spy output.
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If you put 845C into a US RDS decoder it will output WSBS on the radio.
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Ah, fixed.
It can cause stations to tune off the preset if the PI code is changed. We have done this in a couple of areas and had complaints from people in cars where the preset was made with an old PI code and it would detune or Switch to another station…
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As seen today from 105.9 Port Augusta with a PI of FFFF - a default setting perhaps?
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100% confirmed … experienced this myself… If you dont believe it then id suggest you go get a job at a radio station and on the first day change the PI code and see if it leads to a career changing experience 
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I’m sure . Of course if the correct PI was set correctly (uniquely) in the first instance there wouldn’t be the potential issues later.
Is there an overseeing body in Australia re register & allocation of PI codes. Seams to be a haphazard approach insitu atm in Australia.
I’m guessing CRA assists the commercial radio broadcasters, or others except SBS/ABC?
There’s no PI code standard set in Australia, nor any overseeing body to register/enforce it, it’s use whatever you want & hope it’s not the same as someone else nearby. It doesn’t even have to match the international RDS standard.
I use the international (European) RDS standard for the first two numbers, & then usually use the first two letters of the station licence callsign, (after looking at other stations around to see if they are using it).
For example, CoastFM Gosford (NSW Central Coast), licence callsign 2CCCFM. I use PI Code 10CC.
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The station to keep you company on your dreadlock holiday, Coast FM.
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