Random Radio

Has anyone ever encountered ‘Roadworks Radio’ (or even just these signs) anywhere in the wild?

An approved official traffic sign here in Queensland. I’m just wondering where they use it, and why?

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Maybe for trucks when it’s a long stretch of roadworks? Like if there was no traffic management along the whole route and they needed to say to pull over because a road train was coming through or something? No idea otherwise.

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I’ve never seen it used but my guess would be the Bruce Highway - that whole highway seems like a roadworks zone sometimes.

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The things you encounter as a traffic engineer.

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Wonder what a Roadworks Radio playlist would look like?

Road To Nowhere - Talking Heads
Cars - Gary Human
Backstreet Pick Up - The Angels
Pink Cadillac - Natalie Cole
Stop! - Sam Brown
Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac

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Overkill / Men At Work (not working) :slight_smile:

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Greg! The Stop Sign!! - TISM
I Saw The Sign - Ace of Base
Crosstown Traffic - Jimi Hendrix

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Not forgetting this classic:

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Chris Rea - Road to Hell.

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Sailor - Traffic Jam

Got to have a song by The Cars - Drive

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Red Light - Duke Dumont

Don’t Pay The Ferry Man - Chris De Burgh

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No, but on a similar topic - it appears NSW are now allowing roadside signage promoting the ABC as the emergency broadcaster, the one installed near my place promotes ABC’s FM frequency rather than their AM frequency.

The sign isnt in the TfNSW sign database yet though

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I noticed a new sign near Williamsdale (south of Canberra) that directs people to tune to 666 & 810 AM for emergency information. No mention of 1602 Cooma. 810 only really comes in once you get past Cooma heading down towards the coast.

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Covered a few weeks ago here.

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I wonder if that was deliberate since 1602 coverage is fairly limited?

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Probably nowhere yet, it’s only been added to their traffic sign manual officially last month, search for TC2356 in the linked list of amendments.

Obviously they’re looking at setting up LPONs in certain places for this, if they’re mentioning FM 88 as the likely example. Hard to know what it’d be used for but I wouldn’t be surprised if @Brianc68 is right and they are planning it for more of the Bruce Highway upgrades due down the track.

The only other mention of a Roadworks Radio on Google goes back to a NSW state parliament question-on-notice paper in 1994 (!) and I have no idea about that.

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Yeah, December 2021 it was approved. And if TMR added it to their official TC signs, it will have been requested by someone for a particular use. Most likely a project or one of the TMR regions doing works where they feel it would be beneficial.

I guess from a licencing perspective having an LPON to cover a short section of roadwork (say where contraflow arrangements are in place) might be fairly straightforward, providing there aren’t others in the area already. Not sure who they are going to have broadcasting on it - will it just be the traffic controller standing there with a handheld radio telling them how long they have to wait? I’d love to record some audio if it was…

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Apparently in the 90s (and perhaps even earlier) there were ‘talking sign’ LPON like operations for homes for sale and at car dealerships etc. They basically delivered an automated sales pitch for the homes and cars on offer. Does anyone remember tuning into one?

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Faith FM appears to have brought up most of 88FM in NSW. I think usually the same frequency of tourist radio.

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Yep and I bet a good majority of them are not even on air…
The monopoly by the religious groups needs to be stopped

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