Regional Radio (non-SCA)

Oops, have to look again, bad vision, I use text to speech software for many sights.

Thought so as much. About 2002 when I left the mountains from memory they were taking large chunks of 2UE programming, pretty sure they had lawsy on in the morning.

No, not really. I live in a ditch and can’t even pick up most of the Sydney stations, despite the fact I’m only 35 to 40 Km out of the Sydney CBD. This is both AM and FM, hence why I now tune into most stations through the “Tune in” app or just straight out stream them on my PC using Foobar.

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How’s 2LT 101.1 FM at Oberon? I would love to go for a drive there and test it out. But I don’t have any friends there. Haha.

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When traveling from Bathurst back through the Blue Mountains last year, I struggled to any real signal on 2LT 101.1 from Meadow Flat to Marrangaroo on the Great Western Highway, which kind of surprised me given its supposed to be 1kw to the west. It’s coverage to the east, despite being only 40-250 watts oddly enough seems better!

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While on the subject of 2LT, I was talking to the contract tech who looks after 2LT/MoveFM yesterday, & he was saying the Wentworth Falls site used to have ADSL Studio-Transmitter links that were dropping out all the time, he could never keep them on air. They now have an NBN Co. connection with 4G broadband backup, & he reckons they haven’t dropped out for about 2 years now, so any issues there, are because of something else.

He also said that, last week he installed a new Offset Satellite Dish at 2LT, so the link won’t drop out when snow season comes, & they forget to turn the dish heater on.

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I’ve just been talking with the 2LT tech again, about other things, but we got talking about 2LT’s STL.

As I’ve alluded to before, it’s multi hop Microwave to the 900kHz AM site.

He said the landline STL kept getting dug up by roadworks nearby, & by the farmer (who’s property some of it travels through), so it was removed by Telstra years ago, & they had to go microwave links.

First the STL leaves the Lithgow studio & goes up the hill, then to Mt Lambie, then down to the 900kHz TX site at Wallerawang, not what he’d like, & he’s trying to find another way, but NBN Co. have said the only way he can get a connection at Wallerawang is via Satellite, & 2LT doesn’t think that’s suitable.

Apparently the same farmer who used to dig up the landline to site, after they installed the microwave link, decided to plant a pine plantation in the line of the link, & when it snows the snow sitting on the trees reduces the strength of, or blocks the microwave signal from Mt Lambie to the Wallerawang site, so that’s why 2LT’s AM site drops out frequently during winter when it snows.

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Not sure if 2LT is eligible for an FM conversion, but judging by the sound of this, they’d be keen to move to FM I reckon?

2LT are eligible for an FM conversion. They were originally due to be consulted for it during the 1st half of 2018, but then continues to get delayed to the point that it’s being restored to workplan when the station agrees to transmitter specifications. There has been no word since early last year on when 2LT will finally get consulted on for AM-FM conversion, with no mention about it on the latest draft FYSO for 2020-24.

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I wonder what frequency 2LT could use. Pretty congested. 107.1 ? Or that would stuff up highlands FM? It could go down the dial like from 88.3 up to 90.5. not sure if there is anything suitable.

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Wasn’t there a bit of argy-bargy between them and 2BS in regards to overspill into each others’ licence areas? 2BS got inferior specs to B-Rock because of this. I wonder if that’s affecting 2LT as well, limiting the power/coverage they would get on FM

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According to the Consultation Paper for Bathurst re 2BS’ AM-FM conversion, there was an option for 2LT to use 95.1 MHz for its FM conversion, but found it would be better suited for 2BS, due to having lower potential for interference to (and from) other services such as from Sydney, Gosford & Nowra.

Here’s the Consultation Paper from May 2018 for reference:
BathurstLAPVariation_ConsultationPaper_May2018.pdf (735.1 KB)

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Maybe 104.7?

Has the Great Dividing Range for protection to and from Canberra.

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Triple M issue on 104.9 FM I guess. Could they use the “Reservoir Hill” instead of Mount Lambie? To protect Sydney better because of the shadow of Blue Mountains.

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What about 89.5 there is nothing on that except for the low powered Goulburn city national service?

Too close to 89.7, which is used by Sky Sports Radio for its Lithgow service.

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88.9 FM ?

Too close to 89.1 2BLU from Katoomba. Also, 88.9 is used for a low-powered JJJ relay at Cadia Mine Site near Orange

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Yeah not too many options. 88.1 is probably too far down the dial and there is probably a clash as well.

Exactly.

Yep, used by 2BS for its Burraga translator.

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2LT can only go on one of the Canberra spacings but may suffer from splatter from Sydney stations.

Unlikely to go 93.5 because of interference to Goulburn
So options are 92.7, 102.3, 103.9, 104.7, 106.3??

98.3 you have i98 and 2000 which will be at a lower ERP then the Sydney commercial fm’s towards Lithgow so this maybe the best option.

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I have noticed they are more reliable and the audio has improved, however the audio settings on Move fm seem to have loudness on to the max, and the bass is completely overblown. They still cannot get the audio to the same quality as 107.9.

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