Also DAB penetration in cars is much more than AM stereo albeit it did take about 10 years, AM stereo was only available in a few new cars at the time. I think Ford Fairlaine / LTDs had AM stereo but not sure if any others.
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Yes, Ford Fairmont & Fairmont Ghias, Laser Ghia and Telstar Ghias from 1987-1990 did… This was the head unit they used. I think they were AWA brand.
Holden had them in the Calais and Statemans only for about the same period. Both Eurovox units. This one below from the VN series, I’ve got a VL pic on my PC that I can post later.
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07 54 511 is/was a Maroochydore exchange prefix
I dont know what the comp number was for 4NA/4SS… maybe somebody will remember?
They still retain 0754 438444 which they still have but are trying to fade out .
its what they call a “remote exchange number” and was brought over from Nambour and as such costs around $1000 a month.
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An aircheck of 2GB from June 1991.
Source: TRV
In those days, 2GB was only getting around 6% audience share, whilst 2UE was getting around 13%.
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It’s amazing how I remember the jingles and the show. I am old.
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There’s $12 000/year they could easily save. Why keep it for so long?
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Money Talks with David Koch, hey…I wonder if he’s since gone onto bigger and better things? 
Sorry, couldn’t resist! 
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Great post, and all valid points. I guess the thing us outsiders find hard to reconcile is what expense there would be if the investment was already made in simply keeping it running? As you say, you’ve already spent the 20,000 1985 dollars, not to mention the other equipment and investment such as stereo links to the transmitter, so the CapEx is largely already done? Is there a significant OpEx component to maintaining stereo that would not otherwise be there (aside from issues such as failing parts etc)?
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Well yes the capital was spend - in 1985 in which the typical life span of most of that gear is now well and truly up and has most likely been replaced, so current replacement is what I was talking about, now say you had to buy a new transmitter, the only real supported AM/MF transmitter to buy today is the Nautel NX series in which AM Stereo is an option which I’d expect to be between 3-6K, I’m sure rfburns will back me up with this… Commercial stations budgets are very tight and that 3 or 6 grand would go a long way to buying a spare parts kit, paying for internal RF plumbing or even the electrical installation, I do agree it’s sad but in the real world what is the return on investment for the very small amount of receivers?
The other thing is the condition of the antenna systems will they still meet spec for the bandwidth required ? Most probably not… and once last thing to remember is… when AM Stereo was introduced there was a thing called the Australian Broadcasting Control Board and you had to meet spec and they conducted yearly inspections on everything including cart machines, tape machines, OB amps, consoles etc… it was a different time I know but that’s why AM stereo sounded the way it did, you legally had to because Maintainance was done.
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Hence why AM masts are failing and licensees are begging to convert to FM. Whatever will they do once they’ve squeezed all the savings out of FM.
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Happy Birthday to B105 / HIT105 / 4BBB for the 26th of Feb.
Because I like sharing… Here is a picture of B105’s old overgrown STL repeater site taken in 2014 at Ascot/Hamilton just down from Bartleys hill
Somebody feel free to do a drive past and see if its still there!
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Howcome they needed Bartley’s Hill? I would have thought Campbell St would have had sufficed for line of sight?
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I wasnt there but @tvradiotech was and might be able to correct me
But knowing that area in the day id say the CBD and Local buildings made LOS quite marginal
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The FM conversion of 4BK to B105 happened just a day after QFM (now River) in Ipswich had been launched.
As mentioned on the Grant Broadcasters thread, River celebrated its 30th birthday today by doing the “Top 90 of 1990” countdown, as well as catching up with former talents from the QFM & Star 106.9 days.
I’ve shared the following before somewhere (most likely this thread), but given the current occasion, here’s a radio documentary from 2010 (when QFM/Star/River celebrated its 20th birthday) about the history of Ipswich radio.
Credit: ‘voltare2amstereo’
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If your keen for a Star 106.9 fix try this
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Haddo and Helena carried on into the River 949 transformation too. Great breakfast show.
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It was actually Haddo, Helena and Tone
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And at the same time the B105 launched FM 104.1 became FM 104.5
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Yep, well it was as of August last year
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At the time code - FM104 changes frequency, Q106.9 and B105 opening day + 4BK message.
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