Nick Xenophon calls for ABC to reinstate shortwave broadcast

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matthewn1983
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Nick Xenophon calls for ABC to reinstate shortwave broadcast

Post by matthewn1983 » Tue Jan 31, 2017 2:47 pm

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-3 ... io/8225694

South Australian senator Nick Xenophon says he will introduce legislation to Parliament to force the ABC to reinstate its shortwave radio service, which ended today.

Mr Xenophon said his introduction of legislation next week was not the ideal way to handle the issue, but something had to be done.

"This is a pretty messy way of doing it — putting up a bill — but it will force the ABC management to account," he said.

"If it means part of the solution is trying to squeeze more money out of the Government, then so be it."

Mr Xenophon said he believed the ABC had underestimated the impact of its decision.

"The fact is this will affect thousands of Australians who are in remote areas, but it seems it will affect many tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people who are regular Radio Australia listeners throughout the region," Mr Xenophon told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat program.

"This is an essential service not just for the bush in Australia but for the region. I hope I can get bipartisan support to reverse this decision."

The ABC said shortwave technology was out of date and it would save $1.9 million by cutting the service, which it said would be reinvested in expanding content and services.

The national broadcaster said in a statement there would be a transition program and it "has offered comprehensive advice on how to best access emergency information, ABC News and entertainment".

...more via link at top of thread

news
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Re: Nick Xenophon calls for ABC to reinstate shortwave broad

Post by news » Wed Feb 01, 2017 12:27 am

from the full link

"ABC Radio will continue to broadcast across the Northern Territory on FM and AM bands, via the viewer access satellite television (VAST) service, streaming online and via the smartphone app"

These guys are clueless, streaming online and via smartphone app ? bwahahaha - these guys are in very remote locations with no internet. Sat phones are not cheap either plus the yearly access fees!!

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JAFO
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Re: Nick Xenophon calls for ABC to reinstate shortwave broad

Post by JAFO » Wed Feb 01, 2017 3:00 pm

Many in remote locations are provided with Part Government Funded Satellite phone, TV and Internet connections . . . so can see why the ABC would be moving towards this type of media medium for remote area residents, only mobile reception would suffer, but how popular mobile cover was is a different question.
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news
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Re: Nick Xenophon calls for ABC to reinstate shortwave broad

Post by news » Thu Feb 02, 2017 12:17 am

JAFO wrote:Many in remote locations are provided with Part Government Funded Satellite phone, TV and Internet connections . . . so can see why the ABC would be moving towards this type of media medium for remote area residents, only mobile reception would suffer, but how popular mobile cover was is a different question.
Sorry mate but your taking the piss yea ? have you got any clue what it's like to have no mobile phone coverage only 15 minutes drive outside of a major city in Australia ? We are not cruizing around sydney using 0db gain on glass uhf antennas for the GRN. I can take you to several locations within 15mins drive of the Perth CBD where no mobile carrier receives a signal whatsoever. I'm not talking out in the bush, I'm talking about get out of the airport, drive 15mins and have NO mobile coverage. Start driving 1hour outside of the metro area and then good luck. Several of our vehicles travel across WA, NT and SA and are fitted with a variety of radio systems, Optus and Telstra mobiles plus sat phones. It's utter madness and costs a shitload.

Does the govt expect everyone to drive around with sat dishes on the roof of vehicles or the thousands of sheds where hard working rural people spend a couple hours a day while in transit or on remote sites ? Next week in WA, I'll get a recording from one of our in-vehicle Codan HF radio "receiving" ABC, shocking and mostly useless.

Shortwave performs very very well, that is until people stop giving a crap about the guys in the bush where radio keeps them in touch with what is going on in our fine country

P.S I'll send an email to TRUMP, he seems the only one to do something about his voters.... (Yes I am serious)

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Re: Nick Xenophon calls for ABC to reinstate shortwave broad

Post by Longreach » Thu Feb 02, 2017 6:15 am

Many in remote locations are provided with Part Government Funded Satellite phone, TV and Internet connections . . . so can see why the ABC would be moving towards this type of media medium for remote area residents, only mobile reception would suffer, but how popular mobile cover was is a different question.
That's fine if your at home and you have that luxury using your VAST but what about running along the Stuart highway and the mobile coverage is gone on your phone? I cant drive from one side of my council area to another without the phone losing coverage 5-6 times and I'm less than an hour from the nations capital. The neighbouring shire has vast areas with no phone coverage.
The $1.9 million it cost to run is a pittance compared to how many people used the service and relied on it. We're told that the ABC is your go to when there's a bushfire or flood as its the most reliable, there's even signs up on the sides of the major roads going into Canberra saying to do so. How are these people going to go when something happens out their way, FM is only good for 100km on a good day AM for a bit more but can be subject to interference. Point is the system worked it should have been left alone.

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JAFO
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Re: Nick Xenophon calls for ABC to reinstate shortwave broad

Post by JAFO » Sat Feb 04, 2017 11:07 am

news wrote:
JAFO wrote:Many in remote locations are provided with Part Government Funded Satellite phone, TV and Internet connections . . . so can see why the ABC would be moving towards this type of media medium for remote area residents, only mobile reception would suffer, but how popular mobile cover was is a different question.
Sorry mate but your taking the piss yea ? have you got any clue what it's like to have no mobile phone coverage only 15 minutes drive outside of a major city in Australia ? We are not cruizing around sydney using 0db gain on glass uhf antennas for the GRN. I can take you to several locations within 15mins drive of the Perth CBD where no mobile carrier receives a signal whatsoever. I'm not talking out in the bush, I'm talking about get out of the airport, drive 15mins and have NO mobile coverage. Start driving 1hour outside of the metro area and then good luck. Several of our vehicles travel across WA, NT and SA and are fitted with a variety of radio systems, Optus and Telstra mobiles plus sat phones. It's utter madness and costs a shitload.

Does the govt expect everyone to drive around with sat dishes on the roof of vehicles or the thousands of sheds where hard working rural people spend a couple hours a day while in transit or on remote sites ? Next week in WA, I'll get a recording from one of our in-vehicle Codan HF radio "receiving" ABC, shocking and mostly useless.

Shortwave performs very very well, that is until people stop giving a crap about the guys in the bush where radio keeps them in touch with what is going on in our fine country

P.S I'll send an email to TRUMP, he seems the only one to do something about his voters.... (Yes I am serious)
News or what ever your name is . . . yeah mate I know quiet well what radio reception is like outside major Metro and Regional Centers . . .

All I was conveying, is when the ABC Budget has been slashed as much as it has, the ABC's like many other Government Departments Operational Coast, their hand is forced to look at other way to deliver it's service out into the same remote areas at a a cost effective means . . . and given the wide use of part government funded Satellite services into Remote areas, Yes I can understand why they have taken this approached.

In the 90's I spent hundreds of nights and mornings listening to the ABC News via HF Radio transmissions to get an idea of the coming weather for the day and what is happening around Australia News ways in the days before Mobile Phones, and even today I regularly venture in outer Western NSW areas where there is no Mobile Phone or FM Radio coverage . . . so I have a Sat Phone and HF Radio to Call Triple '000' or the Royal Flying Doctors HF Network to get the assistance I need for my clients . . .

so don't be such a rude prat Mate.

Some of Us Still Venture away from the Coastal Areas of Australia

Not everyone on this Forum sits in Metro Areas listening to the mega dollar radio systems we see around our coastal areas . . . yes some of us still do travel into areas where Mobile Phone or FM Radio coverage doesn't exists.
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