Radio Data System (RDS)

[tamago_otoko]

A little quirk I noticed driving the Great Ocean Road today, it appears there is an error with the AF coding on Mixx FM Colac’s translators. When tuned to 92.7 Lorne or 95.9 Apollo Bay, when the signal dropped out (which is not uncommon on this winding road) the radio would shift frequency to the totally unrelated religious program on 96.3 from Geelong.

Mixx Colac’s main signal is 106.3, so something makes me think 96.3 is broadcasting the same code as 106.3 and the radio is mistakenly shifting to the wrong frequency? Can anyone with the gear here check the Pi codes to be sure?

[ozbark]

@tamago_otoko

A little quirk I noticed driving the Great Ocean Road today, it appears there is an error with the AF coding on Mixx FM Colac’s translators. When tuned to 92.7 Lorne or 95.9 Apollo Bay, when the signal dropped out (which is not uncommon on this winding road) the radio would shift frequency to the totally unrelated religious program on 96.3 from Geelong.

Tamago, can I suggest you look at & edit any new entries or changes to the RDS list here:

Australian RDS List

It’s likely there are entries that most of us are unaware of.
There’s state entries & a sorted PI list worksheets there for all to use/reference.

I was looking & couldn’t see any RDS entries for Colac & it’s translators/relays.
Maybe you could add some Tassie entries too?

Re obtaining PI codes & investigating RDS AF anomalies with FM stations etc you might want to consider buying a cheap SDR dongle & if you use a Android phone or tablet download the SDR Touch app - it offers SDR software with RDS. Add a small portable antenna & you can have a cheap mobile FM station RDS monitoring system.

[ozbark]

Was peering @ the Victorian RDS spreadsheet & noted an odd entry for 105.3 Triple J Swan Hill added last month according to update date against entry.

Is this a real RDS entry?
Has an odd PI code entry of: 63271

Australian RDS List

PI codes are in HEX (a 16 bit number).
So number can’t be higher than FFFF.
Who added this entry?
It looks sus.

[tamago_otoko]

Yeah good idea. I don’t have access to my PC so might just list the additions I know of here for now:

• 106.3 Colac, 92.7 Lorne and 95.9 Apollo Bay all have RDS as ‘Mixx FM’
• 94.5 Warrnambool comes up as ‘3YBFM’ and has artist/song information

[crankymedia]

@ozbark

Add a small portable antenna & you can have a cheap mobile FM station RDS monitoring system.

Connecting the portable antenna via the headphone jack?

@ozbark

Who added this entry?
It looks sus.

Is there tracking available to see who edited the document?

[ozbark]

@crankymedia

Add a small portable antenna & you can have a cheap mobile FM station RDS monitoring system.

Connecting the portable antenna via the headphone jack?

Actually connecting the antenna to the SDR dongle antenna input. Think of them like a DTV dongle. USB connector one end & the antenna input on the other. A simple telescopic whip or folded dipole could suffice, but other more elaborate setups like camera tripods & collapsible small FM yagis could be used

ozbark:

Who added this entry?
It looks sus.

Is there tracking available to see who edited the document?

Someone has now kindly deleted the entry.

[tvcl]

Interesting PS on the TCBL on 89.9 tonight showing “2SER-FM”…

[ozbark]

Youth Radio 92.5 Moss Vale (Bowral), NSW now has RDS.

Appears to be using Dynamic PS; music FM 92.5FM
Has two RT messages, No PTY, but using the same PI code as 2SER of FFFF.
I think that’s 4 different Australian FM stations lazily using FFFF as a PI code.

Hopefully 89.9 Hawksbury Gold didn’t just join that ranks (re previous post & PI code of FFFF??)

Youth Radio also has a new website (thanks to RDS RT) - http://www.musicfm.com.au/

[tx42]

They are using Stereo Tool for RDS and processing… How do they sound?

[ozbark]

Seamed good last night as I recall. I was focused on trying to piece together the RDS Text at the time

This morning the station’s reception is much weaker, mixed with static

[tvcl]

Accidentally posted this in the wrong thread earlier, but the RDS on the 89.9 TCBL now showing “DB64-FM”:

[ozbark]

@tvcl

Accidentally posted this in the wrong thread earlier, but the RDS on the 89.9 TCBL now showing “DB64-FM”:

Is this another one (or two) TCBLs experimenting with RDS atm on 89.9 from the Hawksbury region?
I thought only ‘Hawksbury Gold’ was using RDS & they are (or were) only scheduled for broadcasting from Sat midday to Mon noon.
‘Hawksbury Radio’ is on air atm.

[tvcl]

@ozbark

‘Hawksbury Radio’ is on air atm.

Not sure who was on, but this was captured late last night (Wednesday).

[oRiCLe]

Thanks for noticing that, it actually got updated after this post was seen and it is now set to 2925

[ozbark]

@tvcl

Not sure who was on, but this was captured late last night (Wednesday).

Harmony FM is scheduled from midnight Tue to midnight Wed each week, so maybe them. One to keep an eye on next week re RDS…

[Radiohead]

It might be the model number of the TX and had reset itself?

As I recall Radio 97 had WAVEART text displayed on its RDS on the 103.5 relay at Mullumbimby, being the model of that TX as a factory default setting.

Edit: Found answer as explained by @gordo92 in the Community Radio thread.

[djpower]

I think it is false but I will check tonight.
Does any regional Triple J have RDS?

[tx42]

Only in areas with DAB+

[dxer2_2000]

not that I know of. Some Triple Js did have RDS back in 2000. Outlets such as Griffith (96.5) Coonabarabran (102.3) & Orange (101.9) had RDS. Both Coonie & Orange displayed “PS1 RDS” & Griffith “Rad Nat”

[Radiohead]

Never knew that!

RDS has never been a thing in regional areas for the Aunty as far as I knew.

RDS didn’t start to become more common until 2007 or thereabouts in metro areas to my recollection, so for the ABC have used it in isolation that far back and not now seems very odd to my way of thinking.