Radio Australia for sale

[Fansome]

http://www.sheppnews.com.au/2017/05/11/88161/radio-australia-for-sale

For sale, one large semi-rural 229ha block. Key features include large-scale grazing potential, two irrigation channels and a shortwave antenna that can broadcast to all over the globe.

The former shortwave broadcasting station that for decades sent the Radio Australia broadcast around the world was quietly put on the market a couple of weeks ago.

The site, at 490 Verney Rd in Shepparton’s north, had a significant role in Australia’s wartime history, when it broadcast impartial news across the pacific during World War II to counter propaganda from Axis powers.

For decades the site sent the Radio Australia broadcast of the ABC via shortwave to listeners in the Pacific and across the globe, until the ABC cut funding and the service went offline earlier this year.

A spokesman for BAI Communications, which owns the site, confirmed it intended to sell the unique property.

‘‘The company has initiated a broad expression of interest process to assess potential market interest in the site,’’ the spokesman said. ‘‘The future land use is undetermined and will be subject to council approvals.’’

Commercial real estate company CBRE is handling the potential sale, and an online listing has described the property as a ‘‘significant land banking opportunity’’ in a growth area of Shepparton.

Comment was sought from CBRE on the sale, but The News was told the company could not comment at the request of BAI Communications.

The sale could throw into jeopardy any move to restart shortwave broadcasting, as it is one of the largest facilities of its kind in the country.

South Australian NXT senator Nick Xenophon visited the site earlier in the year, and later introduced a bill to the senate to restart shortwave broadcasting.

The bill was sent to a senate inquiry and was due to report by August.

Former radio engineer at the site Gary Baker has been campaigning for the resumption of shortwave, and was not happy the site was on the market.

‘‘If the ABC has to start broadcasting internationally again this could cost taxpayers millions of dollars, which would be stupid,’’ Mr Baker said.

A sign in front of the property indicates that the closing date for expressions of interest in the property is in June.

[BoomboxDX]

The comments below the article are enlightening. A guy there keeps telling naysayers that the new technologies to replace R Australia's service to the outback are cheap, readily available, and the best way to go.

Right on. Just wire the entire area N and W of Dubbo with cell service or WiFi. Can't see how that wouldn't cost much. I'm sure the facilities would be cheap, and then the electric power to cover the entire area? Even cheaper. 

My guess is their current governments are just going to let them stay in the informational dark.

[Fansome]

What does it cost to run a SWBC station like Radio Australia?

The comments below the article are enlightening. A guy there keeps telling naysayers that the new technologies to replace R Australia's service to the outback are cheap, readily available, and the best way to go.

Right on. Just wire the entire area N and W of Dubbo with cell service or WiFi. Can't see how that wouldn't cost much. I'm sure the facilities would be cheap, and then the electric power to cover the entire area? Even cheaper. 

My guess is their current governments are just going to let them stay in the informational dark.

[Pigmeat]

Careful in what you wish for, Al. Penguins are sometime visitors to South Australia.

[Fansome]

It might be a good acquisition for FanCo. And think of the benefits to Australia of a large Fansome corporate presence, not to mention how it would help the whole DX community hear my voice worldwide, 24/7.

Careful in what you wish for, Al. Penguins are sometime visitors to S, outh Australia.

[Pigmeat]

How true. You should dedicate a segment of transmitters and arrays to be directed at Virginia Beach for the benefit of one of your most loyal and adoring fans.

As you don't know where the other is currently locked up, you should wait on inaugurating that service until he's in a halfway house or dried out. There's no use in wasting electricity on him until he's sprung or in the chair.

[ChrisSmolinski]

It might be a good acquisition for FanCo. And think of the benefits to Australia of a large Fansome corporate presence, not to mention how it would help the whole DX community hear my voice worldwide, 24/7.

Remember what happened when you bought that minority interest in Radio Tirana.

[Josh]

What does it cost to run a SWBC station like Radio Australia?

The comments below the article are enlightening. A guy there keeps telling naysayers that the new technologies to replace R Australia's service to the outback are cheap, readily available, and the best way to go.

Right on. Just wire the entire area N and W of Dubbo with cell service or WiFi. Can't see how that wouldn't cost much. I'm sure the facilities would be cheap, and then the electric power to cover the entire area? Even cheaper. 

My guess is their current governments are just going to let them stay in the informational dark.

A valid question, however is the target audience hard pressed to find batteries for their portable swl sets in the outback, or do they all carry iphones? Some listeners may not have the funds to afford simple diode rectification, let alone 5th gen wifi.

[Pigmeat]

They could load a 500 kW transmitter into the Great Rabbit Fence for transmitting down in the VLF segment. All you would need to do is take off your shoes and walk out in the yard to hear the ABC as clear as a bell inside your noggin. People and animals would become repeaters every time they opened their mouths. The Sydney Opera house? A massive resonator blasting the message throughout the Pacific.

Tesla couldn't come up with a revolutionary idea like that on his best day.

[Josh]

Tesla did Tunguska! ! !

[skeezix]

Buy the station and put Rodney Bingenheimer on to continue the music.

[Fansome]

Hey, not a bad idea! In fact, I could...

Wait a minute, are you making fun of me?!!?

Buy the station and put Rodney Bingenheimer on to continue the music.

[skeezix]

Hey, not a bad idea! In fact, I could...

Wait a minute, are you making fun of me?!!?

Buy the station and put Rodney Bingenheimer on to continue the music.

I'm dead serious.  Alas, I do not have enough $ to buy it, or I would.

And when he was not on the air, I'd bring back the old WRNO or perhaps album rock with WXYG for the other hours.

If "they" are worried about it being outdated, then I'll compromise and upgrade all of the xmtrs to C-QUAM. Not so much a compromise as a personal requirement.

These twerps and their digital crap. Its not resilient, robust, nor cheap.

[Fansome]

I don't know why people keep harping on this. It was an honest mistake. It's time to move on now; let's look to the future.

Remember what happened when you bought that minority interest in Radio Tirana.

[Pigmeat]

Some people just can't let go of the fact that your Mom was Enver Hoxha's girlfriend for a few months in the year before you were born, Al. Lucky that you were born in July so they can't say you were conceived the year before.

These useful fools don't know that post-Revolutionary Albania had installed a calendar in the previous "Western" December, around the time your mother and the President for life broke up, that had only four months, En, Ver, Hox, and Ha. Even in these advanced times babies can't reach full term and survive in just over two months!

Why do they think I give you the business about being older than dirt? Because in a Western twelve month system you were. Since Albania resumed using the Gregorian calendar you've actually been aging at a much slower rate. By the new Albanian calculations combined with the late Hoxonian era conversion factor, you should actually be entering your late teens in a few weeks.

Is their anything Albanian math and statistics can't solve? I think not!

Now to get LeBron James Albanian birth certificate. He should be eligible for the local grade school team this coming fall. With that young tyke coming off the bench, my guess is we're heading for the Tri-County Championship this year. Too bad that Curry kid is still in kindergarten or it would be States for sure. Our Albanian feeder pre-schools have been a blessing in disguise. Thanks for using your Albanian connections to set it up, Al!