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Tropo- Friend or Foe?


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Personally, i love tropo. It enables me to catch up on the latest local news from the Mid-North Coast (such as whether they're biting up at Myall lakes). It brings in NBN from Newie and their stupid ads. But for all those digital TV viewers watching Gong pictures, Newie stations override in tropo. My view- Tropo is king.

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Myself, I love tropo coming in from the north. I can get Newcastle TV stations, from where I live, on analogue when that occurs, and get to see local ads for Newcastle for a change. I can also get NBN but my parents would get annoyed with a 'not-so-good' picture because I was using the living room TV connected with a VHF antenna towards Artarmon/Gore Hill (my bedroom TV is connected with the UHF antenna towards Wollongong and cannot get NBN). I don't care very much whether I get Digital TV from Wollongong or not, as long as I can get all FTA networks, (except SBS which I don't get and don't watch often) whether it be from Sydney or Wollongong, depending on the conditions.

As for FM stations, I can often get Newcastle FM stations like New FM & NXFM during tropo, though I couldn't (ie. rarely) get KO-FM because 2ST from Bowral is in the way. Its a shame because I really want to listen to KO-FM. :P

I can also get ABC FM stations from Taree during tropo including ABC Local Radio on 95.5, a bit of ABC Radio National on 97.1 (shadowed by Nova & 97.3 ABC) & ABC Classic FM on 98.7. At one warm summer night and morning in January, I got 100.7 2MC-FM (interfered with 2WOW Penrith) and 102.3 Star FM, both from Port Macquarie. A few years ago, I also got FM104.7 & MIX 106.3 from Canberra, and later that same day, I got ABC Radio from Eden on 106.3 and its received in around Campbelltown with only 50W transmitted from 350km away! :blink:

So in summary, yes, tropo is a friend for me. :P

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Beat this, one tropo here in Brisbane, 3BO FM, Star FM Bendigo and Magic FM Renmark, all in crystal clear stereo.

Its quite extraordinary to receive FM stations in crystal clear stereo from that far away. In fact, the distance between Mt Alexander (Star/3BO Bendigo TX) to Brisbane is about 1330km and broadcasting at 60kW on the direction towards Brisbane. I think its probably amazing that 91.9 Star FM wiped out Sea FM from the Sunshine Coast on the same frequency, especially that its only about 100km between Brisbane & the Sunshine Coast.

Magic FM from Renmark is received over 1400km away and broadcasts at only 10kW towards Brisbane!

I forgot to mention that one morning, I got WIN Television from Mt. Gambier in Ballarat in January 2004 while I was on holiday there. At the same place, I got 94.3 Sea FM from Warragul, which broadcasts at only 7kW and is transmitted from about 200km away.

Tropo is an amazing thing. :blink:

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Some years ago.. ok, a lot of years ago, when 10 Melbourne was channel O, I used to sometimes receive Channel O from New Zealand, much better than Melbourne. Interesting mentioning BO/Star from Bendigo Vic as I'm in that area.

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How come when Tropo happens, NBN always seems to wipe out WIN in Wollongong sometimes, but WIN Wollongong never wipes out NBN Newcastle (I know they are on the same frequency)? I'd really like to get a chance to see WIN once.

Satelliteguy

NBN must have the stonger signal

FYI, WIN Digital from Wollongong broadcasts at 250 kW towards Sydney & beyond, while NBN Digital also broadcasts at 250 kW towards Sydney & beyond. However, NBN Digital's Maximum ERP is 500 kW and its maximum signal is beamed (from Mt Sugarloaf) towards the North (Maitland), East (Newcastle) & West (Hunter Valley).

Hope that explains it for you, thesatelliteguy.

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FYI, WIN Digital from Wollongong broadcasts at 250 kW towards Sydney & beyond, while NBN Digital also broadcasts at 250 kW towards Sydney & beyond. However, NBN Digital's Maximum ERP is 500 kW and its maximum signal is beamed (from Mt Sugarloaf) towards the North (Maitland), East (Newcastle) & West (Hunter Valley).

Hope that explains it for you, thesatelliteguy.

It did. Thanks.

Satelliteguy

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I have to say tropo for radio is great, I get to listen to the Wollongong & beyond stations in Newcastle again, used to get the gong all the time, till Power FM 98.1 Muswellbrook & comunity radio Maitland 96.5 came on line. Now news radio on the Central Coast 98.1 regularly stuffs up Power FM.

For TV though I'm starting to dislike it, while we still have analogue to back up to it's fine, but I dread the time when Digital TV is the only option. I have problems with the Sydney Digital signals coming in too strong & overloading the tuner, either corrupting the signal causing pixelation & dropouts or losing the channels completly, also the Illawarra channels come in so strong that they corrupt the local Newcastle channels to the point where the STB doesn't know what part of the data stream it should be decoding, so I loose the channels altogether.

I have been watching Digital TV from Sydney since 2002 & Newcastle since it started, & have to say that during tropo, I can loose the channels for hours - days at a time, though the record for lost local channels (Newcastle) is 4.5 days (consecutive). :blink:

I live to the South East of Mt Sugarloaf, so my antenna is facing away from the Illawarra, I also receive the local channels so strong that they are attenuated by 24dB.

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Beat this, one tropo here in Brisbane, 3BO FM, Star FM Bendigo and Magic FM Renmark, all in crystal clear stereo. (quote)

That aint tropo, that's sporadic E. What was the nature of the signal? Did it wave in and out or remain constant for a while? If the former, then sporadic E. If the latter, then really strong tropo. I've got Sporadic E (signals bouncing off the ionosphere like shortwave) from New Zealand from Sydney. Stations heard include More FM Auckland and The Rock from Napier. The distances are 2200 km to Auckland and about 2500 km to Napier. Also, in Shepparton Victoria, i got Sea FM 100.7 Townsville and 4 MK 101.9 Mackay in sporadic e.

Sporadic E differs from tropo in that it bounces FM signals off the ionosphere (many hundreds of K's above the earth's surface) via rare 'clouds'. This allows for FM signals to propogate 1000's of kilometres. Tropo, on the other hand, bounces off the troposphere where most weather is located, and it only reaches about 40 km above the earth. Hence, the FM signals in tropo are more constant but less spectacular. Tropo occurs in periods of calm weather in summer, and is caused by temperature inversions in smog etc. Both tropo and sporadic e occur most commonly in the summer months. So, in short, Renmark/Bendigo from Brisbane is most likely to occur via Sporadic E.

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I have received Star FM (102.3) and 2MC (100.7) from Port Maquarie in Bowral - Southern Highlands without any trace of 102.3 Canberra or WOW on 100.7 from St Marys. This was in January 04. On the same day I also got Rheema Newcastle over the top of 2SSR on 99.7.

Also only a few nights ago I got KO FM here in Western Sydney without any trace of 2ST.

A few weeks back I got Max FM 107.3 here belting over the top of 2SER.

Recently I got WS from Sydney up North of Kempsy, with the advantage of a mountain of course :blink:

Thats All for me.

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Also only a few nights ago I got KO FM here in Western Sydney without any trace of 2ST.

Whereabouts in Western Sydney do you live matt86?

In Campbelltown, a few nights ago, during tropo from Newcastle, 2ST often overpowers KO-FM, however one night in January, KO-FM overpowered 2ST. Even so, its very rare in my location to receive KO-FM over 2ST, even during tropo. :blink:

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Whereabouts in Western Sydney do you live matt86?

Blacktown. I have a good view to the West and a reasonable view to the North while slightly shaded to the south and east. Good for receiving, it helps block some of the sydney high power. I usually get 2ST quite well on 102.9.

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Beat this, one tropo here in Brisbane, 3BO FM, Star FM Bendigo and Magic FM Renmark, all in crystal clear stereo. (quote)

That aint tropo, that's sporadic E. What was the nature of the signal? Did it wave in and out or remain constant for a while? If the former, then sporadic E. If the latter, then really strong tropo. I've got Sporadic E (signals bouncing off the ionosphere like shortwave) from New Zealand from Sydney. Stations heard include More FM Auckland and The Rock from Napier. The distances are 2200 km to Auckland and about 2500 km to Napier. Also, in Shepparton Victoria, i got Sea FM 100.7 Townsville and 4 MK 101.9 Mackay in sporadic e.

Sporadic E differs from tropo in that it bounces FM signals off the ionosphere (many hundreds of K's above the earth's surface) via rare 'clouds'. This allows for FM signals to propogate 1000's of kilometres. Tropo, on the other hand, bounces off the troposphere where most weather is located, and it only reaches about 40 km above the earth. Hence, the FM signals in tropo are more constant but less spectacular. Tropo occurs in periods of calm weather in summer, and is caused by temperature inversions in smog etc. Both tropo and sporadic e occur most commonly in the summer months. So, in short, Renmark/Bendigo from Brisbane is most likely to occur via Sporadic E.

For your Sporadic E reception do you use an outdoor aerial ? I never get anything like that. The FM band is too crowded in the city esp when you are up high and see those high power sydney towers. There are so many community stations too crowding the dial from 99.1 to 100.9 and also from 87.6 to 90.5 FM....

I think i need to drive to the country to get that or be behind a mountain to block sydney reception . I have got Canberra from sydney once that my record.... That Manning River one comes in too. Not sure which is further.

Ahhhh listing to c91.3 classic collection tonight. Its great. No tropo for that station even though I'm listening illegally (Outside the lic area) ! :blink:

I have posted this before...

http://www.geocities.com/toddemslie/Aust_T...nce_records.htm

Have a look.

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If you had an FM transmitter on the moon could it get to here ? Or no atmosphere for the waves to get to us?

FM frequencies should be high enough. How far is the moon? Radio Waves don't need an atmosphere to travel through as they can travel through a vacuum. For space radiocommunications, the higher the frequency, the better as it goes straight through the Ionosphere. Low frequecies get bounced back.

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If you had an FM transmitter on the moon could it get to here ? Or no atmosphere for the waves to get to us?

FM frequencies should be high enough. How far is the moon? Radio Waves don't need an atmosphere to travel through as they can travel through a vacuum. For space radiocommunications, the higher the frequency, the better as it goes straight through the Ionosphere. Low frequecies get bounced back.

It would be interesting if they transmitted say a FM radio station there how strong the signal would be! WOuld be interesting if they picked a sydney freq as an FM freq and we had a full moon.. Which would be strongest if it was in the right position... Not sure how far the moon is away from earth?

I was on a plane once and being a bad person :blink: and listening to WS FM up to the queensland border around about. We didn't crash, they ask you to not listen to radio equipment on a plane but I was so tempted being a radio person. Is it a big crime to listen to the radio in a plane?

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It would be interesting if they transmitted say a FM radio station there how strong the signal would be! WOuld be interesting if they picked a sydney freq as an FM freq and we had a full moon.. Which would be strongest if it was in the right position... Not sure how far the moon is away from earth?

Don't forget if you were on the moon you are in line of sight of literally thousands on FM radio stations on Earth. I doubt you would be able to receive any single station up there clearly, depending on the signal strength they would co-channel each other. I can't say really though, I have never been to the moon :blink:

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I was on a plane once and being a bad person :blink: and listening to WS FM up to the queensland border around about.  We didn't crash, they ask you to not listen to radio  equipment on a plane but I was so tempted being a radio person. Is it a big crime to listen to the radio in a plane?

Normal AM/FM radios are fine to use on board aircraft, although they tell you not to use them when the plane is ascending or descending. I've picked up Sydney and Melbourne FM at the same time at 30,000 feet and listened to NZ halfway across the Tasman at the same height. Hot 91 on the Sunshine Coast in QLD was able to be picked up all the way to just south of Tamworth in the air.

--

Mechsta

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I was on a plane once and being a bad person  and listening to WS FM up to the queensland border around about. We didn't crash, they ask you to not listen to radio equipment on a plane but I was so tempted being a radio person. Is it a big crime to listen to the radio in a plane?

I've done the same thing several years ago. On a trip from Sydney to the Gold Coast and ofcourse I had the trusty walkman to test radio services on the plane (would have liked to test using a car radio, but for obvious reasons....). I found that everything worked really well, the problem was always local services you were flying over. Example, 104.1 worked virtually until Coffs Harbour when it finally got taken over by CHY Coffs Harbour etc. I found even low power services (community stations) worked rather well for their type. Most worked until you get too close to other services on the same frequency. The only station that didn't have anything on the same freq. from memory was 101.7 (it was still 2WS then BTW) which didn't really cut in and out, just got gradually weaker and weaker until eventually the noise floor rose above the audio. We were almost at QLD by that stage, and that was only on a walkman. Like I said, would have liked to try a car radio up there.

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