The ABA is proposing technical changes the Gold Coast Licence Area Plan to accommodate a higher mast for the new Hot Tomato station and changed sites for the new Gold Coast community stations. The ABA has released an explanatory paper on the changes for public comment by the end of January.
ABA Chairman David Flint explained: “The draft variation follows representations from licensees of community and commercial services on the Gold Coast… Before reaching a final decision the ABA is interested in receiving comments on the proposals to make alternative technical specifications available to the new commercial radio service, Hot Tomato Ltd (Hot Tomato), and three community radio services, Radio Metro Pty Ltd (4MET), Radio Hope Island (4RHI) and Christian Air Broadcasters Ltd (4CAB) in the Gold Coast area.”
When the ABA determined the Gold Coast radio licence area plan in December 2000 it specified that each of the new services in the area would operate at a transmission site on Mount Tambourine.
Hot Tomato, which acquired the new licence in August, has subsequently undertaken negotiations with Transmission Australia (TX Australia) to establish its FM facility at Mount Tambourine, but TX Australia has advised the ABA that the new service cannot be accommodated on the existing FM transmit antenna at 22m, together with the existing radio services. So the ABA is proposing to change the transmit antenna site of the Hot Tomato service to operate from an alternative site at Mount Tambourine and increase the height from 22m to 63m.
Community radio services 4MET, 4RHI and 4CAB were allocated permanent community radio licences in November 2001. The licensees have also requested changes to their technical operating conditions. While 4MET and 4RHI have finalised negotiations to move to an alternative transmit antenna site, 4CAB is still in the process of finalising negotiations, and as a result the ABA has proposed two alternative technical specifications for the service.
The ABA is proposing to change the operating conditions of the three community radio services to operate as follows:
· 4MET to change its transmit antenna site from the nominal site at Mount Tambourine to an alternative site at Lower Beechmont, increase its maximum effective radiated power (ERP) from 10 kW to 25 kW and increase its maximum transmit antenna height from 22 m to 30 m.
· 4RHI to change its maximum transmit antenna site from the nominal site at Mount Tambourine to an alternate site on Mount Tambourine and increase the antenna height from 22 m to 63 m.
· 4CAB to change its maximum transmit antenna from the nominal site at Mount Tambourine to either an alternate site on Mount Tambourine, increase the antenna height from 22 m to 63 and increase its maximum ERP from 10 kW to 25 kW or change its transmit antenna site to the alternate site at Lower Beechmont site, increase the antenna height from 22 m to 30 m and increase its maximum ERP from 10 kW to 25 kW.