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If anyone wants to know the official callsign registered at the ACMA, there is an Excel spreadsheet containing the transmitter's registered call sign.
Here are some examples of radio stations who don't use the transmitter's registered call sign:
Melbourne - examples
ABC774, registered as 3LO
SEN 927, registered as 3UZ
SEN 1116,registered as 3AK
Magic1278, registered as 3EE
Sydney - examples
RN, 2RN formerly registered as 2FC
ABC702, registered as 2BL
SkySportsRadio, registered as 2KY
SEN1170, registered as 2CH
Smooth, registered as 2PTV
Nova, registered as 2SYD
WSFM, registered as 2UUS
Hope103.2, registered as 2CBA
KIIS106.5 (formerly MIX106.5, formerly 2UW), registered as 2WFM
Source: https://www.acma.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-02/BroadcastTransmitterAccess.zip
Thank you,
Anthony of researching Belfield
Callsigns are a unique identifier for each broadcasting licence. They are used for identifying individual broadcasting licences in the regulatory system where many individual broadcasting licences may share a common on air brand name.
There is no requirement for stations to mention their call signs on air anymore, ACMA is usually smart enough to work out which individual licence a complainant is talking about.
Dear Mr St John,
Two points:
(1) I agree with you that the spreadsheet should show more information such as network and locality. "Brand" names rather than call sign don't give an indication of the locality of the branded station. For example MMM, Mix and Hit.
(2) Where you said "...The ABC no longer calls their capital city stations by ABC and frequency, instead they are called ABC and the region name..." On Sydney's 2BL, where the programs are for Sydney-only, the presenters say, "...this is ABC702..." BUT for RN, the presenters never mention the frequency, but say "...you're on RN and you're listening to program name..."
A hint of the source of the program material is when the presenter announces the SMS number for listeners' feedback. The last three digits of the SMS number represent the AM frequency. For example, A program sourced from Sydney's RN asks listeners to SMS -------576, Sydney's Metropolitan asks listeners to SMS ------702 while a program sourced from Melbourne's Metropolitan asks listeners to SMS ---------774.
A final remark, when it comes to DAB+ stations, I agree that frequency is irrelevant. For example on DAB+'s main display or scrolling text, 2GB identifies itself as 2GB 873 and WSFM identifies itself as KIIS 106.5, not Channel 9B on 204.640MHz with ID 0x11D0 and Channel 9B on 204.640MHz with ID 0x1181 respectively.
On the other hand the DAB+ versions of the AM or FM stations are easily recognised by their brand/callsign and frequency rather than its frequency and ID. You don't say, "This is 2GB broadcasting on 873kHz and on DAB+ on 204.640MHz with ID 0x11D0 in hexadecimal or 4560 decimal." There is still an association between the legacy AM or FM band with the DAB+.
Similarly, the commercial TV stations the DVB versions Seven, Nine and Ten are referred by its legacy VHF frequency bands, 7, 9 and 10 and their respective logical channel numbers. Press 7 or 9 or 10 on the remote and you'll get their SD channel.
Thus the DVB frequencies for Seven, Nine and Ten are on VHF channels 6, 8, and 11 respectively. IT is the particular network's logical channel number that refers to its legacy VHF band.
SBS broadcasts on VHF channel 7, which was formerly the Seven Network's band when it was broadcasting in analogue. SBS's main program has a logical channel number 30 which is not based on its former UHF channel 28.
Thank you,
Anthony of exciting Belfield
https://www.acma.gov.au/list-transmitters-licence-broadcast contains a link to an Excel spreadsheet. The link above is for a database which requires a database program to read. Such a program is not present on the cheapest version of office.
There is generally 3 AM transmitters often from different broadcasters per frequency across Australia and in the FM band there are many more transmitters per channel.
In radio now there is lots of networking as well as translators/repeaters. A call sign should reflect a unique program source. For example ABC local radio has 58 regional studios, which transmitter is connected to which studio. This is particularly important in the country during emergencies where some studios are staffed continuously during an emergency only. If you listen to the wrong transmitter you could miss out on vital information.
Instead of the spreadsheet showing commercial or national, it should replace this with the network name eg. ABC Region name or commercial broadcaster network name eg. Southern Cross/Ausstereo
With the advent of smart speakers the advantage of call signs make each studio name unique. Since the internet is world wide, and particularly Australia wide, most want the local studio of a network. For example how many broadcasters worldwide call their stations "Hits"!
Anthony, The ABC no longer calls their capital city stations by ABC and frequency, instead they are called ABC and the region name.
Many stations use the their frequency as identification, however with digital radio this is irrelevant. All Australian broadcasts are between 195 - 209 MHz and there are up to around 20 programs per channel.
They should either use a call sign or a name which does not include a frequency including simulcasts with AM/FM. For those who do not have a digital radio, the radio scans the channels and produces an alphabetical list of programs. No mention of frequency unless you go to the info screen.
Lastly using names can be a problem such as MIX which in all capital cities except Perth it is owned by ARN but the Perth station (6MIX) is owned by Southern Cross/Austereo and its on air name has always been "MIX 94.5"
DAB+ station identifiers probably include frequencies because most people listen to a station across a range of platforms. AM and FM radio is likely still the most common so it's worthwhile to continue to associate the primary analog frequency with the station name.
Callsigns are assigned to broadcast licences, not transmitters. A broadcast licence may have several transmitters associated with it to provide coverage across the licenced area. Individual transmitters are licenced under apparatus licences, and the apparatus licences for each individual transmitter are associated with the broadcasting licence identified with a traditional call sign.
Anthony,
The ABC does lots of networking which is one of the reasons why they no longer use frequencies. Programs can come from anywhere on the network.
In addition you use the example of ABC Sydney has a translator in Gosford on 92.5 FM. https://www.abc.net.au/radio/centralcoast/ which is very low power. With the exception of Breakfast the program is purely ABC Sydney. There is of course ABC Illawarra which is on the high powered 97.3 FM.
Prior to FM, AM stations had to use their call signs. When FM started the call signs became longer by a letter and the requirement was dropped. So listeners could find the station on the dial, broadcasters started using frequencies as an identification. This becomes a problem because as coverage areas get bigger the need for translators increases and these must be on another frequency to prevent interference.
As with the new stand alone digital stations, the list should not include the frequencies as they are wrong. We have been transmitting DAB+ since 2009 and we are still without a plan to switch off the inefficient AM and FM transmitters in capital cities.