Domestic radio stations that can be heard from Adelaide during daylight hours.

The day readings (except where indicated) were originally taken at 13:00 on 17-Feb-2004 (GMT+1030) using a Grundig Yacht Boy 400, indoors, and are typical of what can be heard during local daylight hours on any day. The day readings were most recently reconfirmed on 30-Dec-2005.

Link: Domestic radio stations that can be heard from Canberra.

The next update to this page will be a clean-up involving a replacement of the location links below with Google Earth placemarks and the addition of links to each station website, as seen on the Canberra page.

MF/AM
Listened: 520kHz-1710kHz
Broadcast: 120 x 9kHz channels 531kHz-1602kHz
Narrowcast: 13 x 9kHz channels 522kHz, 1611kHz-1710kHz

^ Tx Power information from the Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations Book (RTBSB) published by the Australian Media and Communications Authority (ACMA). Stations, including those in the extended band (1611kHz-1710kHz) are also listed in the ACMA Register of Radiocommunication Licences.

* A directional antenna is used by the broadcaster. The number quoted is in the direction of maximum gain. No details of the directional radiation pattern or orientation is given in the RTBSB.

It seems during the day anything over 500km away cannot be heard at all. The RTBSB lists some very powerful stations available just beyond that distance, but none are heard. Also, it is interesting that the 2BH signal is more steady and clearly heard than the other very faint stations, despite it having a low transmit power and being almost the furthest away. One reason could be that groundwaves travel further at lower frequencies. 2BH transmits 500W on 567kHz. 3ML transmits 2kW on 1467kHz. 2BH is 130km further but sounds a lot better. The stations with paths mostly over water also perform well for their power and distance, especially 5LN.

The receiver has selectivity issues with the powerful local stations. With the receiver in DX (high sensitivity) mode there is splatter in the adjacent channels of 5RN, 5AN, 5PB, 5DN and 5AA limiting observability of neighbouring distant stations.

Of course, night reception pulls in many more MF stations (an additional 40+) from across Australia. Often two distant stations (or more) are heard on the same channel and one can only be discriminated by steering the antenna or waiting for the other station(s) to fade.

VHF/FM
Listened: 87.50MHz-108.00MHz
Broadcast: 88.00MHz-108.00MHz
Narrowcast: 87.50MHz-88.00MHz

Note: Red rows are night readings, taken at 23:00 on 17-Feb-2004 - an unusually good night for long distance reception on VHF (with a clear, still summer evening and a high pressure system - the right conditions for tropospheric ducting. They are not uncommon and yield strong Wirrabara (The Bluff) TV DX BTW.)

= Retransmissions targetting Adelaide foothills listeners in the primary transmission shadow.

+ This matches Tumby Bay or Roxby Downs, which are 240km and 500km away respectively. Tumby Bay is the likely one.

* Which ABC transmitter is it? Perhaps Wudinna.

Useful Links: SA Community Radio Stations here and here.

Domestic HF^*/AM
2300kHz-2495kHz, 3200kHz-3400kHz, 3950kHz-4000kHz, 4750kHz-4995kHz, 5005kHz-5060kHz

* Technically 2300kHz-2495kHz is within the MF band.

National (ABC) stations

The ABC has a domestic shortwave service, with transmitters in the Northern Territory. It provides ABC Local Radio on the following frequencies to remote and outback regions, including the Kimberley (remote North West).

Note: Red rows are night readings.

* Received indoors, using the built in 800mm telescopic antenna.

Another set of frequencies are held: 3230kHz (VL8A), 3315kHz (VL8T), 3370kHz (VL8K). It would seem that the ABC switches frequencies to suit environmental conditions (sunspots and seasons etc), keeping three more in reserve, just in case. So we should expect the day and night frequencies table to change from time to time.

Privately-operated stations

It could be argued that this section doesn't belong on this web page as none of the following stations can be heard. But domestic HF is an unusual class of broadcasting these days and the following makes for an interesting watch-list.

Information from the ACMA Register of Radiocommunication Licences shows that at least three such broadcasters exist. Some websites claim that these domestic HF broadcast licenses may have been bought just as a low-cost path into digital radio:

"If you own a broadcast licence in Australia when digital radio is introduced, you'll automatically be granted a licence to broadcast Australia-wide in digital. That's a lot of data and new services, potentially lucrative, which will come on stream. You'll have much the same rights whether you've spent $25 million at auction for a metropolitan FM licence, or, a few hundred bucks for a Domestic HF Licence." -- New Zealand DX Times, November 2002.

I've since spoken with the operator of Station X (the primary subject of the above quote). The circumstantial and speculative reasoning in the DX Times article was way off. A grab for digital was not contemplated.

No station is transmitting on this frequency yet. I will update the site if one does.

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Page modified: 2007-04-20 08:22:15 Z. Page served: 2013-05-18 09:10:06 Z.