Abc Radio Coverage In Northern Tasmania

[alanh]

All,

I am trying to find out how successful the conversion of the ABC in Northern Tasmania from AM to FM has been.

I would assume the orange area could be picked up by a portable receiver virtually anywhere.

The blue area should be atleast car radio.

Are many using either FM antennas or their old ABC analog TV antennas (channel 3) for FM?

7NT Mt Barrow

Repeaters

King Island

Lileah

Burnie

East Devonport

Weldborough

From the ABC maps the 7FG and the ABC Radio National transmitter in the same area are nearly identical for strong signals.

7FG Fingal AM

Radio National St Helens

Thanks

AlanH

[Electronicman]

Alan

I do not listen to NT but I know many (including my parents) do and all are having much trouble receiving it on FM!

It is not as good as ABC engineers envisaged! From Devonport and west, portable radio reception is very poor with a lot of listeners are angry with the ABC for converting from AM. This can be seen by the many letters to the editor in the local paper when it first occured but has been quiet in the last 3-4 months.

I think vehicle reception is no problem, but portable is.

I have had about 2 enquiries a week about installing external FM antenna but most listeners are of the older generation and are listening to the ABC on portable radio/cassette units which have no external antenna connection!

Most people got rid of their old VHF TV antennas when aggregation occured in northern tassie in about '93 and many are now used as garden stakes. Maybe they should have kept them for the ABC conversion 13 years later!

I'll stand corrected, but I think the repeaters you refer to are not for 7NT but for ABC regional radio or radio national. 7NT moved its AM transmitter from Kelso, at the mouth of the Tamar River, where it had excellent coverage of the entire Northern Tasmania to Mount Barrow and I am 98% sure there are no repeaters for this.

I will have a listen to these repeaters and confirm this for you if you wish!

[alanh]

Electronicman,

Thanks for your reply

It is quite possible that the repeaters are on ABC Radio Regional, that is not an immediate concern.

Do you think the orange and blue colouring matches my assumption about the type of radios. Would you say that if it is blue you must use an external antenna particularly if the roof is metal?

AlanH

[chriswoo]

G'day AlanH and Electronicman.

May i offer an alternate view,

I belive that the AM/FM conversion has been very successful, from a technical point of view.

The consumer education process has been a less.

One of MY main complaints of ABC Northern TAS is that they brand themselves (in some of their promo's) as 91.7 ABC Northern Tasmanian.

If you live in the NE or Midlands area of Tassie thats correct, but at Burnie your local TX is 102.5.

Educating People on their local TX's must have been a bit of a non-event. (I am assuming this from the talk back callers to Tim Cox's Morning show, after the 711 switch off).

With 711 (as Electronicman alluded to) you could basically gain good coverage all the way across the coast, with 91.7 my travels have shown that devonport is about it.

Thats where i tune to the local TX on 100.5, The ABC has a local TX network across the coast that retransmit 91.7, using a feed from Mt. Barrows 91.7 signal. An off-air set up i think it is called...

So of course you get the 91.7 callsign.....Not your local TX freq.

The ABC must educate thier consumers better to the services in their area's. If your in Devonport use the Devonport Freq, Burnie use the burnie freq.....etc.

The Repaeters you list ALL carry ABC North TAS except the St. Helens, that AM TX carries Radio National. Interestingly enough, it has the FM and TV antenna's mounted to it.

In Tassie the Two Regional radio services are 936 Hobart, which has a repeater at Orford on the lower east coast. 7NT (or ABC NORTH TAS) has the rest of the TX licenced as 7ABCRR. The west coast also takes 7NT programming on the ABCRR network.

The Fingal TX carries 7NT programming, BUT i think that are is now also covered buy an FM site near St. Mary's.

Hope that all makes sense.....

Chriswoo

[ando9185]

Travelling between Hobart and Devonport regularly, I have found the switchover from AM to FM as a massive improvement. I have only tried it on a car radio and the only place where I have issues is around Deloraine/Elizabeth Town.

I used to have a fair chunk of the trip where I couldn't receive either 936 ABC Hobart or ABC Northern Tasmania, now I can switch over just outside Bridgewater and pick up ABC North Tas all the way to Devonport, so the coverage has extended much further south.

I haven't noticed any problems on portable receivers in Devonport, but I did notice that from about Ulverstone westwards I started having problems with reception.

[chriswoo]

Ando9185, do you use the repeaters across the coast?

eg, 100.5 in the Port, or did you even know that it was there??

I am also up and down Highway 1 quite a bit, and in my magna work car the FM conversion has upgraded coverage for me also. As Ando9185 mentioned there used to be a dead spot for ABC coverage about the kempton/oatlands general area....now it's spot on....

Now all I have to do get is Telstra to fix the 3G/Next G mobile coverage near Symmonds Plains......mmmm

[ando9185]

I've known about the 100.5 in Devonport for a few years, but I've never used it because I've always had great coverage with the main transmitter. I've found that the repeater isn't as good for coverage once you get past Latrobe and heading back down south so with such a small coverage area I haven't seen the need to use it. I do agree that it needs more advertising for the people having problems.

[Forever]

Hey I'm from St Helens.. I can't start any topics, what's the go with that?

As for ABC radio on FM. We get it here no problem, but I don't listen to

the radio. I only like to listen to my own music and not have to go by

some one elses programming.

[The Master]

Hey I'm from St Helens.. I can't start any topics, what's the go with that?

As for ABC radio on FM. We get it here no problem, but I don't listen to

the radio. I only like to listen to my own music and not have to go by

some one elses programming.

You have to have 10 posts to start a new topic it's to stop spammers

[dkint3]

I've known about the 100.5 in Devonport for a few years, but I've never used it because I've always had great coverage with the main transmitter.

I'd say that this is why the ABC is getting complaints from elder listeners about the supposed 'lack' of 7NT coverage...

Listeners have obviously never been aware that a local repeater was operating - either that or they couldn't be bothered re-tuning their radio because they had good coverage on 711 and have since forgotten.

The ABC does has a habit of not promoting the fact that local repeaters exist for the main frequency.

1233 ABC Newcastle has a repeater on 95.7 for Port Stephens listeners - this freq is never mentioned during broadcasts.

Ditto 702 ABC Sydney, who have a repeater at Gosford on 92.5.

92.5 does however, have a morning show of its' own, so listeners in the Gosford are more likely to know/listen to 92.5, and the ABC is more likely to promote it given the local content. This is the only timeslot when 92.5 is identified however.

[Presley Anne]

Will 936 ABC Hobart or ABC Northern Tas be streaming online any time soon?

[ando9185]

I've heard it mentioned a couple of times before on the radio here but I think we're a fair way down the queue for it. Probably going to be the last of the capitals excluding Darwin.

I listened to some of their web streaming the other week with the Pura Cup cricket coverage and that was really good. I enjoyed their full coverage of the game that week and thought it was great support for Tasmania.

[alanh]

All,

Thanks for your responses on ABC FM coverage. I'll now use this information to try and improve coverage in another part of Australia.

AlanH

[Electronicman]

As a final note Burnie 102.5 does come in loud and strong. Could pick it up on FM radio in mobile phone along with 91.7 (albeit slightly quieter reception)!

I will certainly be informing customers to retune to 102.5 instead of the 91.7!

Had one customer who inquired about an external antenna for ABC earlier this week. He only had a single wire connected to the antenna socket of his stereo and reception was fading/poor etc. I went to the stereo to inform him to retune to 102.5 as this would be a better quality signal, but on checking the tuning dial, it was only calibrated from 79 to 100MHz! The stereo looked to be only about 20-30 years old but would not tune past 100 MHz. The room was double brick with cathederal ceiling so he decided to not worry about installing the external antenna. Rats

[alanh]

Electronicman,

79 to 100MHz is the Japanese FM band!

Perhaps you could have got an install by selling the other ABC networks of Radio National, ABC Classic FM, JJJ and Newsradio. They only come from Mt Barrow only!

AlanH

[Electronicman]

Electronicman,

79 to 100MHz is the Japanese FM band!

Perhaps you could have got an install by selling the other ABC networks of Radio National, ABC Classic FM, JJJ and Newsradio. They only come from Mt Barrow only!

AlanH

Interesting AlanH!

He did not want the install as the construction of the lounge room was difficult although possible - cathedral ceilings, double brick walls etc! I figure he has plans to upgrade his receiver soon as he did with his TV to LCD! He'll get me back when needed as he has done previously and given me various jobs! He was a seachange and migrated here from NSW a few years back!