[HCDX] SPECIAL QSLS FROM "RADIO MELBOURNE"

["Bob Padula" <bobpadula@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

To all members and associates:

SPECIAL QSLS FROM "RADIO MELBOURNE 1629AM"

I am pleased to advise that the Electronic DX Press, in association with the
Australian Mediumwave Club and the Australian Shortwave Club, has established a
non-commercial agreement with the manager of "Radio Promos Australia"
for assistance with administrative, technical, studio, programming and
correspondence functions.

"Radio Promos Australia" is based here in Melbourne, and owns 40
medium-frequency narrowcast licences throughout Australia, some of which have
been sub-leased to local organisations, including "Rete Radio - the Italian
Radio in Australia".

The key station is in Melbourne, known as "RADIO MELBOURNE 1629AM". It is part
of the "Radio Promos and Radio Salsa Australian Network", operating 24-hrs,
every day of the year, on 1629 kHz from a 400 Watt narrowband transmitter
located in the western coastal suburb of Williamstown.

The term "narrowband" signifies a maximum spectrum bandwidth of 6 kHz (3 kHz
sidebands), using DSB AM, as distinct from other in-band services permitted to
use the wider 9 kHz bandwidth.

Programming is generally "music spanning seven decades", in English, except
0700-0800 UTC when Vietnamese is carried. Spanish music is presented from
0800-1000 UTC. Planning is underway for the introduction of Macedonian and
Chinese language programming.

There are no commercial messages.

The station is licensed as a "narrowcast" service, being of "limited appeal",
serving the city of Melbourne and surrounding areas. No other station is
permitted to operate on 1629 kHz unless it is at least 160 km distant. Its
official allocated callsign is VMS264; a callsign of "3MM" shown in some lists
is quite incorrect and may be deleted.

The 1629 kHz frequency is shared with other narrowcast stations:

Rete Italia - Adelaide, SA (400 Watts)
Rete Italia - Shepparton, VIC (400 Watts)
Rete Italia - Brisbane, QLD (400 Watts)
Hospital Radio Network - Newcastle, NSW (100 Watts)

The manager has invited us to assist in determining day and night signal
coverage, and has authorised us to promote the service across the hobby
community worldwide. We have also been appointed on a continuing basis to
receive DX reports directly and to issue official "RADIO MELBOURNE 1629AM" QSLs
on behalf of the manager. These QSLs feature a picture of the station's antenna
installations. Reports may be sent via E-mail or postal mail - return postage
should be enclosed with postal mailed reports. E-mailed reports will be QSLd
over the Internet.

IF YOU PUBLISH ANY LISTS OF AUSTRALIAN MF BROADCASTERS, WOULD YOU KINDLY INCLUDE
THE POSTAL AND E-MAIL ADDRESSES GIVEN BELOW FOR DX REPORTS AND QSLS. THANK YOU!

Despite the relatively lower power, it is known that the station is heard rather
well, out to at least 200 km during the day, and at night, anything's possible
via skywave propagation! The approximate primary daytime service area is all of
the Melbourne Central Business district, most of the Melbourne suburbs, Port
Phillip Bay, south to Torquay and Rosebud, east to Box Hill, southeast to
Dandenong, southwest to Geelong, and west to Ballan and Ballarat.

The antenna is a top-loaded vertical radiator, about 20 metres above sea level,
located right on the Williamstown foreshore.

Please visit this special Website for a signal coverage map and other details!

http://members.tripod.com/~bpadula/salsa.html

We have also been invited to run our own un-rehearsed talk-back radio/DX/SWL
show on "RADIO MELBOURNE 1629AM" - this will depend on reaction from the hobby
community over the coming weeks. If we do that, remember that we have a six
second delay to screen out "inappropriate" comments!

We would appreciate any publicity you can give to the special QSL offer, and we
look forward to reception reports from DX listeners anywhere! Reports would need
to include sufficient detail to establish authenticity - the texts of
announcements would be ideal, as no formal record is maintained of actual
musical tracks or titles broadcast.

Note that no official QSLs have EVER been issued for reception of "RADIO
MELBOURNE 1629AM"! Who will get the first? !!!

Best regards from everyone at "MELBOURNE RADIO 1629AM"!

MELBOURNE RADIO 1629AM
Attention: Bob Padula
404 Mont Albert Road
Surrey Hills
Victoria 3127
Australia
Tel/FAX: +61 3 9898 2906
bobpadula@xxxxxxxxxxx


* Footnote: An incorrect listing of this station has been published in some
lists, as "Mars Media", with an address in NSW and a "call-sign" as "3MM".
Please disregard and delete those details.

























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