This is more a problem of co-channeling than AM itself.
Your post highlights the problem with the Cooma FM TX location being too far north, more infill is needed.
I note the Camerons are keen to turn off every AM site they have in South Australia. Gone would be the booming coverage of 5CC, 5CS, 5RM and 5MU. Every one of these stations are co-channeled yet many communities rely on the strength of the AM signal to reach their area.
Yeah that’s really a great point that goes unnoticed when talking about these FM conversions at times. People on the periphery or even marginally outside a licence area, who for all intents and purposes are part of a station’s audience and rely on that station, will be left out by these changeovers.
It also seems a lot of these WA changeovers seem to be converting FM transmissions with fairly low power (a few hundred watts or not much more). There will be a lot of people who don’t live in these towns but would still listen to these stations who will lose out here. Sure they may not be great in number, but when you’re dealing with small markets anyway the loss of signal for even a few listeners is not a good outcome
Exactly, ACMA have adopted (likely encouraged by CRA) a very strict interpretation. It doesn’t serve the public well, government and radio should both be striving to do so.
5RM is a great example, Lameroo and Pinnaroo do not receive FM 93.1 (Magic) but 5RM’s signal is crystal clear. Same to the north in the sparse pastoral districts/Barrier Highway. Sure, ACMA can direct people to 8SAT but it’s not compelling as local commercials and info where these people far away have a community of interest for shops, services and social matters.
The 200 people as a locality deserving of coverage as mentioned by ACMA in their explanatory notes is a new one to me. Creating a threshold for translators. Gives them a get out clause.
DAB+ metro planning when comparing to analogue coverage had a geographic spread north of 75%.
Also consider that in a low noise/rural environment, the rural grade coverage will stretch a long way with AM. All licence areas for conversion are predominately flat, hence AM coverage is good. FM requires height, this is not possible, nor is the output practical.
Use the Cooma example, it’s a licence area with lots of infill (a few of them govt funded), lots of hills for FM sites to cover the licence area and likely out do the AM coverage for many reasons.
Not the case in the WA and Broken Hill examples. The NW WA sites for conversion are all minnow powered too. Successive owners have chosen budget AM site and plant set ups.
Coverage should be mandated to be no less on FM than existing AM. To accept anything less is to accept a decline in coverage - less services for regional Australia. The vocal and largely autonomous WA Nationals have an opportunity to demand better.
[quote=“crankymedia, post:292, topic:263”]
5RM is a great example, Lameroo and Pinnaroo do not receive FM 93.1 (Magic) but 5RM’s signal is crystal clear. Same to the north in the sparse pastoral districts/Barrier Highway.
[/quote] Same in North West Victoria, I can not pick up 5RM at home due to local interference but once in the car it comes in at listenable quality. It would certainly belt into Mildura like a local station
I agree though the logistics of this could be a challenge without really high power transmitters and/or numerous translators in the regions - neither of which I imagine are overly palatable options for broadcasters in fairly remote areas.
Still, the point stands that in these areas the loss of coverage from the local broadcast media stands to hit even harder than it would in an equivalent metro or larger regional area.
1071/98.3 in Bendigo is 3EL, the letters taken from the old Easy Listening Network. My understanding is that 3CV became the FM licence that is now Star. 3EL was a “new” station with Easy Listening.
Wasn’t’ 3CV licensed to Maryborough, i.e. it was never originally a Bendigo station?
Something like that, and its coverage covered both Ballarat and Bendigo, but its studios used to be in Bendigo and i think was almost a defacto second commercial station in Bendigo.
It still is licensed to Maryborough - but it’s basically the same thing as Bendigo. Maryborough has a 76% overlap with Bendigo, while Bendigo covers 98% of the Maryborough licence area.
Man charged following unauthorised radio transmissions at Victorian airports
This is a joint media release with Airservices Australia and the Australian Communications and Media Authority
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has charged a 19-year-old Rockbank (Victorian) man with serious offences related to the alleged unlawful interference with air traffic control and endangering the safety of aircraft at two Victorian airports.
The arrest follows an AFP-led investigation with the assistance of Airservices Australia, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and Victoria Police.
Between 5 September 2016 and 3 November 2016, there were 16 separate unauthorised radio transmissions at Melbourne Airport and Avalon Airport causing interference with air traffic control.
On 21 November 2016, the AFP arrested a man and subsequently charged him with:
- four counts of endangering the safety of aircraft contrary to Section 25(2)(b) of the Crimes (Aviation) Act 1991 (Cth); and
- one count of interference likely to endanger safety or cause loss or damage contrary to Section 194 of the Radiocommunications Act 1992 (Cth).
The man is scheduled to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates Court this afternoon.
The AFP’s head of Crime Operations, acting Assistant Commissioner Chris Sheehan said this arrest demonstrates how law enforcement takes the safety of the airline industry very seriously.
“The current security measures in place for the airline industry are robust, and the traveling public should be reassured we are treating this matter appropriately,” acting Assistant Commissioner Chris Sheehan said.
“These incidents were thoroughly investigated by the AFP with the technical support of Airservices and the ACMA.
“The offences this 19-year-old man faces carry a maximum penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment.”
“The AFP also acknowledges the close working relationship with Qantas and Virgin Australia Group and the assistance provided particularly during the early stages of the investigation,” he said.
Airservices said there is no current threat to the safety and security of the travelling public as a result of these alleged radio transmissions in Victoria.
“Airservices worked closely with the AFP throughout this investigation to ensure the safety and security of the travelling public,” Airservices Southern Operations Manager Steven Clarke said.
“Airservices has appropriate procedures, processes and systems in place to ensure the safety of aviation operations at Melbourne and Avalon airports, and across the country and for the travelling public,” Mr Clarke said.
The ACMA uses a range of technologies and techniques to investigate and locate the sources of unauthorized or interfering transmissions across the radio frequency spectrum.
The ACMA reminds members of the public that making unauthorised transmissions may constitute a serious offence under the Radiocommunications Act 1992 (Cth).
From video of arrest
When he is released he should come up to Sydney and broadcast a rock station that plays 30 minute blocks of non-stop rock with no sport shows and without a bogan cultural identity.
He would be doing us a favour. We would crowdsource his legal fees.
Does anyone know the story behind the gaps in the .8MHz spacing in Melbourne - a look through would suggest that 88.3, 89.1, 97.1 and 97.9 seem to have just local low powered community stations, when they are on frequencies that in theory would support having a high powered Melbourne station on them.
It’s the same with Sydney
eg. 88.9 89.7, 90.5, 99.3 and 100.1
Not sure about a story behind it as such, just the government decided that multiple low powered suburban community stations would add more diversity than a just few high powered ones in their place.
Because they are low powered, nearby stations can be placed on adjacent frequencies without appearing to cause issues,
Through careful planning, you could easily condense the sub-metro community stations below 95 MHz - I once mocked this up, wonder if I have the file somewhere
Good luck trying to find reason in ACMA frequency allocations especially around metro areas. 
I would say that part of it was the early use of the FM band being for TV transmission. So the high powers were preferably placed at the higher frequencies (Channel 5) and low power FM were allocated frequencies that would not interfere with TV channels. From memory the adjacent markets to Melbourne would have been ABNT3 and ABLV4.
I dare say there’s an element of truth in this. I’m pretty sure the reason why 91.5 was never issued for FM radio in Melbourne related to its potential to interfere with the audio of ABNT3. Though I guess this can’t explain why EON FM was given 92.3 in the early days
It’d be a huge exercise, but there would be a good argument for a full restack of FM radio frequencies, particularly around the congested metro areas near Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. It would eliminate some of the awful doubling-up of frequencies that causes problems whenever summer comes around
Brisbane sub metro community stations are spaced 99.7, 100.3, 101.1.
The latter two are adjacent markets, easily heard in each.
There’s also 101.5 Caboolture with its site out Woodford way, long way from Logan on 101.1. Pre Nambour FM, it used to be on 91.5.
100+ km away, Beaudesert is on 101.5 too.
Further out again, Boonah is on 100.1, no problem with 100.3 out there either in high spots where they can both be heard.
Here’s the SA ones:
Yorke Peninsula & beyond:
Correct, DMG actually had the winning auction bid for 91.5 the first time around but as the huge ERP of ABNT3 was not cleared, when it came time to ordering the antenna etc, Steve Adler and co reminded ACMA who switched it to 100.3 for Nova. By the time 91.5 was auctioned, again to DMG, ABNT3 had been cleared.
which worked well for all concerned. Nova was right next to Mix and Fox and The Pulse which had 100.3 got the high powered 94.7.
I’d agree there would be a good case to replan the FMs in the eastern capitals. South East Qld in particular is a mess of overlapping centres from Noosa to the NSW border. IMHO they also need to find space for another commercial FM licence for Brisbane and Perth. Brisbane has almost 2.5 million people and only 4 commercial FM stations. Perth is approaching 2 million people. These two markets are under-served. At least Brisbane has some good overspill from River 94.9. There’s plenty of room just bad planning - e.g. it’s absurd a multicultural talk station like 4EB is on a high powered FM channel 98.1
