Yes it is normally has RT. Thanks for raising. It has been fixed.
3 Likes
And if your car radio supports Long PS, or you have v2.10RC3 or newer on your TEF - Gloucester had LPS added today.
4 Likes
Nice, thanks.
If you have a Win Laptop, pc to USB C cable, and arenât in a hurry, itâs pretty easy (takes 5 minutes) to flash the blue (v5 hw) TEFâs to V2.10RC5 - which fully supports LPS.
3 Likes
Thanks yes, I should have updated my TEF firmware beforehand⌠Wasnât expecting to see LPS down here just yet.
3 Likes
There wasnât till today lol. It could be the most southern Aus tx with it.
Would be interested to hear of any other Aus stations transmitting LPS (or RDS2).
Finding even some radios over 10 years old are decoding LPS. Most replace their short PS display with LPS, a few older ones require pressing a info button. Many FM/DAB potable radios display it. A good thing.
6 Likes
Hi AJ1, is there any chance of Rebel and/or Breeze being broadcast on DAB in Brisbane in the medium to long term (3-5 years)?
1 Like
Not likely but possible. On Tamborine Mountain (which used to be exclusively in our commercial radio license area) GC DAB got built 15 metres away and we couldnât get an allocation on it. DAB licensing is a mess in some regional markets.
Sadly DRM+ (as a dual standard with DAB+) didnât get up 10+ years ago in this country. Bit late now, but that would have been interesting and on air in some markets like ours today.
Though you never know what the future brings. 
7 Likes
I brought this up with you the other day but wonder if maybe HD radio could fill the void.
2 Likes
Maybe too late for either. What would be the benefit in HD AM/FM band radio over DRM/DRM+ (other than receiver availability)?
I get there arenât many DRM/DRM+ radios and that is a killer issue, but there werenât many in the early days of DAB either. Had Aus mandated dual radio standards (AM/FM/DRM/DRM+/DAB+) 15-20 years ago (which we lobbied for), and then India (AIR) got on board with DRM, it would likely be quite a different & better outcome in regional Australia today.
DRM+/DAB+ combo chip sets already exist. DRM+ fits neatly in the FM transmission mask, supports xHE-AAC, itâs an open standard, can operate in more bands, is in multiple countries, and there is no HD licencing/technology/royalty fee to pay the developer - ever. Itâs cheaper and better for the broadcaster and listener than HD. Nautel manufacture the transmitters. DRM/DRM+ all the way.
DAB+ is ok for large densely populated markets with lots of services. But DRM+ allows regional FM broadcasters to largely use their existing infrastructure, each at their own sites. No complex holding companies & management. Itâs spectrum efficient and well suited to situations where you donât need the larger carrying capacity of DAB+, but desire to viably match the existing wider FM coverage area without the cost & hassle of additional repeaters.
Take Moree for example. A single DRM+ transmitter at Kaputar can carry a few stations in similar bandwidth as a single FM service, with a transmission power of 5-10 kW (i.e. only 10-20% of Now FM 98.3 Kaputar) and largely match the 98.3 coverage that reaches most of their vast licence area. It could use Band I, II or III.
Compare that to CRA/ACMAâs plan for DAB in Moree. Eight DAB transmitters required, all with tiny non-contiguous coverage between them, geographically reaching less than 10% of their market, falling well short of the wide FM coverage. While chewing bandwidth & power running DAB multiplexes that are majority empty.
You can see why regional DAB hasnât happened at scale. Not much long term forethought from government/ACMA, and too much pandering to CRA.
A lost opportunity.
7 Likes
Absolutely. I couldnât agree more. Well documented & said @AJ1 .
I was looking with bemusement the other day at the huge expanse of DAB+ SIdâs CRA allocated for regional Australia some time ago (with so little remaining room for RDS PI codes). I canât see the widespread rollout of DAB+ in the less densely populated areas. The $ margins just arenât there in regional radio for the commercials & the greater transmission expenses for community radio doesnât make it attractive either.
Wow. Thatâs very encouraging & makes your trails worthwhile.
3 Likes
Some interesting points made there regarding DRM/DRM+.
Yes, it probably would have been a different story if both DAB+ and DRM+ were rolled out simultaneously in 2009 but CRA and ABC put all their eggs in the DAB+ basket, which has been a boon for the 11 markets (including Launceston) in which it currently operates but not so for the smaller regional markets, which has resulted in a digital divide between the bigger markets and smaller regional ones.
DAB will most likely never be rolled out to the small markets like Moree, with maybe a few exceptions in the case of Mandurah for example, but DAB should definitely be rolled out to the regional markets with populations of over 200k and even 100k, if the fed govt. chipped in with the infrastructure costs.
Maybe if the ABC starts then the commercials and community radio will follow, as is the case with Launceston.
DAB has been a huge success considering the number of services available in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide with the muxes nearly being full to capacity now with Priceline and NovaNation launching recently on Nineâs spectrum.
If a 3rd Category 1 mux was built it would give an opportunity for independents to lease spectrum off the major players, and would also give Community radio more spectrum for some of the suburban stations.
2 Likes
It was crystal clear back when DAB+ was chosen, we had been given only half the pieces to the Aus digital broadcast radio puzzle. DRM/DRM+ sat there as a great option that was largely ignored, and hardly anyone wanted to discuss. We tried. DAB+ was chosen mainly to meet the immediate wishes of CRA and the metros, and apparently little else mattered.
Ironically, regional and suburban DRM could have happened without government subsidy.
Itâs the cheapest most cost effective way for broadcasters to provide a handful of extra digital broadcast services from their existing AM/FM sites. The DRM/DRM+ boat has long since sailed, the receivers and listeners arenât there today, and itâs likely too late to build it to the scale required to entrench it as a successful replacement AM/FM technology - even if the government got behind it now, which still seems unlikely. With the advances in mobile internet technology in recent years, we needed a healthy and extensive DRM regional eco system in place by now.
I think we could still see DRM & DRM+ progress and successful in a more limited way here, but it wonât be what it could of been. The ABC Vic trials were interesting.
We are not the only country that arguably took a questionable path. The US seemingly didnât learn from their handling of AM Stereo and a number of regional broadcasters, not surprisingly, balked at the initial high licensing/entry cost to HD radio, which arguably stalled itâs potential, coupled with various technical challenges the system had.
The Aus decision to go DAB+ for the metros was ok, but should of simultaneously locked in DRM/DRM+ as an option for the regionals & suburbans, then mandated dual standard radios or incentivised manufacturers to deliver. If there were as many DRM capable radios out there today as DAB, there would be a lot more regional broadcasters willing to invest in digital transmission today.
My opinion is in the minority, but I think radio did itself a disservice not taking the DRM/DRM+ opportunity. We may never know.
7 Likes
You are spot on AJ1 regarding DRM/DRM+
I reckon the battle of the future of radio isnt over yet and i dont see internet delivered streaming media being the goto for all Australians, mobile internet struggles in many parts of regional and remote communities, not to mention you need to pay for it/have a subscription, where good old Radio is free and just works. The success of radio in part is because its technically simple, well much simpler than say Audio over IP. A lot of folks are technophobic and/or just lazy, so Radio is the perfect medium, cheap, easy and accessible everywhere you are.
7 Likes
Seems to me that one positive that DAB+ has over the other forms of digital broadcasting suggested is that it puts AM stations on an equal footing with FM. HD radio and DRM on AM donât seem to be as good options for AM broadcasters.
1 Like
Fair point. DRM is suited to match or better the big rural footprints some rural AM stations have.
DRM+ can work in Band III alongside DAB+. Gov could always give AM stations Band III spectrum for DRM+ instead of DAB+, if that was the preferred option to give capacity & audio quality parity.
Radios that support both DAB+ & DRM+ can tune/scan both modes together, the user doesnât notice much difference.
2 Likes
Come on mate, you canât talk common sense with the ACMA and the government, if it is a stupid idea then it is whatâs going to happen 
2 Likes
So is the idea to convince the ACMA its a stupid idea then it gets done? Hahaha
2 Likes
Parex, you know it is. CRA and other protectionist dinosaurs have been bleating on in this way for decades.
3 Likes
Whoâs the MD of Rebel FM?
Whoever it is, they know what theyâre doing!!
Iâve heard King Crimson, Red & Pantera \m/
Mixed up with some classic rock crowd pleasers makes for a pleasant listen - puts the Triple M metros to shame, hands down!
8 Likes