Radio Data System (RDS)

Looks like 97.7 2SBSFM SYD is also missing their RDS signal.

UPDATE: A check 24hrs later & their RDS encoder has been reactivated :slight_smile:

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2ST as of today have supposedly changed their PI code to 202A for 102.9 Bowral.
Hopefully that reduces some car radio issues between 102.9 2ST Bowral & 102.9 Triple M Newcastle.

Can anyone in reception range confirm the PI code change?
And difference that makes to car radio travel during commute in the Sydney/Central Coast area listening on 102.9FM.

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I’ve only noticed issues in elevated areas with a better LOS to the south (in normal conditions) but may be more pronounced with enhancement.

Marie Boyle Lookout at Killcare Heights and on the M1 just near the Gosford interchange are two spots where 2ST dominates on 102.9.

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Some more success in getting stations to be standards compliant. Alive905 (2CCR) has now changed their PI code.

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Great. It helps when stations receive ā€˜multiple’ MediaSpy users requesting
fixes & changes. Team effort on this one. I see they changed PI code to the suggested: 2905
Thanks for confirming :slight_smile: More happier drivers/listeners.

Attempted to contact 2BLU via email this week re their PI code, but their email mailbox was full :frowning:

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Stations added to the Google RDS sheet. A few metro and regional stations from WA, not much to report any where north of Perth though. Doing some driving next month so I’ll scan the band as I go.

NT on the list now. Up there last year and a few stations I remember added. I’m sure Darwin had more than the 2 commercial RDS stations, cant remember.

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Thanks for that.

I had a look it last night, looks pretty good.

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We noticed that 4CIM’s PSN (98.7) displays ā€˜0000’. We also noticed RDS from 96.7 ā€˜Black Star’ Atherton Tablelands (PSN=ā€˜BSTAR967’)

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Confirmed with monitoring that the above PI change has occurred.
Updated the change in the RDS list.

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Looks like WSFM is sending out the wrong time, it’s an hour ahead.

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Who knows, it may have been like that since Daylight Savings ended in April.

It’s possible. I rang them up some time back & asked them to set the WS-FM RDS Clock Time correctly. The receptionist was very helpful & was fixed quickly.

Would someone else like to do it this time?

Surely the ARN techs can schedule the RDS (CT) time change for their FM stations twice a year?
Sometimes third party operators are involved with maintaining RDS data & encoders & this
is where fixes can take a bit longer - still, this shouldn’t be a regular issue…

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I don’t find the time on RDS text to be particularly useful as it either takes several button presses on a radio to view it, or the radio will only take the time from DAB or needs to be set manually.

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Some DAB+ radios I have come with an option of where to set the time source from. I choose DAB+ only as I know it’s reliable to within the second usually.

Time over RDS has not been reliable when I’ve tried it.

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Noted the following signal on the MPX spectrum on the 107.9MHz 2ICE Move FM signal with
my SDR.

The signal peak appeared to be a separate baseband signal on the ā€œAncillary Communications Serviceā€ (ACS) 67kHz subcarrier band. I suspected data, but thought I’d investigate.

I used two copies of SDR#. I tuned first SDR# prog. to 107.9MHz & feed the audio out to VB Cable.
Opened the next copy of SDR# inputed the audio from VB Cable & set source IQ from sound card & tuned in LSB or USB of signal centred on 67.65kHz. Sure enough a data signal, but also a lot of main baseband signal splash from Move FM program.

Not sure of the data signal’s purpose. Maybe some kind of monitoring & feed. Anyone know?
I haven’t seen this signal used by other broadcasters here, but I believe in the 80’s or 90’s FM broadcasters used ACS for distribution of program feeds. Redundant now of course with the Internet.

I can’t seam to open the IQ bandwidth in SDR# further than around 80kHz, so that prevents inspection or listening to any 92kHz subcarriers - if any still around these days?

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Not sure what you’re seeing here & not sure if it’s just some sort of interference or fault with the MPX encode?

Does MoveFM have RDS on 107.9, because if they do there’s something wrong with it’s encode onto the baseband signal, there should be 2 peaks of equal (or very close) level, at the 57kHz spot, but there’s only 1, with a much lower 1 just above the noise floor on the Left hand side.

Also those 2 spikes at around the 108.0MHz are unusual & interesting.

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No Move FM doesn’t have RDS. Yes would most likely see the two peaks on 57kHz if it did.
I know I posted in the RDS forum & I wasn’t implying anything RDS related, just that RDS & ACS are both subcarriers & it appears(?) as if there’s a AM subcarrier on 67kHz offset from the main carrier frequency.

Don’t worry about those 2 spikes around 108MHz. It’s either generated internally within the SDR or a form of local noise, I can’t remember to be honest.

I often see multiples of 19kHz peaks with most FM stereo station MPX spectrum.

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Given what you’ve just said, & other MPX plots you’ve posted in the past, I’m thinking you might need to look at getting a new (better) SDR, this one might be faulty?

If you often see multiples of the 19kHz pilot in MPX spectrums, how do you know you’re not seeing multiples of the Stereo subcarriers in the 67.65kHz zone?

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No the SDR is fine. Most strong signal (& low multipath) FM stereo stations MPX data show modulated peaks out at 76kHz & modulated peaks around 95kHz. Some FM stereo stations have a fixed amplitude peak at 92kHz, I might need to investigate this…
I see same results with a cheapo 8bit RTL SDR dongle, but S/N ratio lower as is the dynamic range.
See pics below:

I haven’t used another PC or soundcard to determine if these have an effect on my MPX results. If others in Sydney with an SDR can view the MPX output of the likes of 2ICE / 2MBS, I should be able to determine what is normal or what is unique to my QTH & receiver setup.

I think it’s the multiples of the modulated L-R signal that I see rather than 19kHz stereo pilot, except at 92kHz with some stations.
The 67.65kHz zone is designation subcarrier region that can be used for data.
See: DirectBand - Wikipedia

The 2ICE MPX waveform at 67.65kHz seams to match the above explanation reference. Also the waveform looks different to L-R modulated signal & I ā€œlistenedā€ to the audio at 67.65kHz - it was data. It sounds like low baudrate modems from the 90’s.
Others from the Lithgow, Blue MT’s & Sydney region with a PC based SDR could check it out. Happy to be proved wrong. In fact the post was also a call to see if others observe the same thing with 2ICE. Just not sure if many in this forum in Sydney use a SDR & can confirm.

BTW re the 104.9MHz spectrum noise issue, must be a local QRM neighbour problem, sometimes off for few days or so & back on for weeks.

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I was down at Killcare Heights earlier today, Alive 90.5 doesn’t seem to have its RDS running at the moment.