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"Macleay Valley Community FM Radio Station Incorporated, to use our official name, was spawned at a public meeting held in 1992. From this meeting emerged a dedicated team that forged forward towards the ultimate goal of obtaining a Community Broadcasting license for the Macleay Valley.
"The next five years leading up to our first test transmission in March 1997 meant a lot of hard work and dedication for the tireless volunteers who had to sell the idea of the valley's own radio station to the community, and raise much needed money to finance the proposal.
"And there was a mountain of government red tape and paperwork, naturally!
"A series of test transmissions over the next two years proved fruitful when the station was granted a Community Broadcasting license in 1999.
"Although licensed as 2WET, the station is known locally as Tank FM because the studio complex is housed in a disused concrete water reservoir, some 40 feet in diameter, in Rudder Park, overlooking the Macleay River and the township of Kempsey on the mid north coast of New South Wales.
"Kempsey is a rural town located on the magnificent Macleay River, around halfway between Sydney and Brisbane."
TECHNICAL STUFF
"Tank FM Radio broadcasts from a disused water reservoir located at East Kempsey, at an elevation of about 35m ASL.
"At present there is only a single on-air studio which is fitted out with equipment typically found in a radio station. Two CD players, two MiniDisc players and a Digital Delivery Network (DDN) computer. The latter is used to capture program from the CBAA satellite receiver for delayed playback. It is also used for storage and playback of sponsorship announcements and, station promos and Community Service Announcements (CSA's).
"Being a 24/7 based station, Tank FM also relies on our TDN, or Tank Digital Network. This computer based service provides the station music, news and sponsorship automation facilities that is used regularly throughout each day.
"The broadcast console is an Elan Kestrel 16, a truly professional piece of equipment manufactured in Australia. It is "talk-back" capable and this facility is slowly being made operational through ongoing training and testing.
"Separate from the studio is a small equipment room that houses such items as our Breakaway Broadcaster server. This is a computer based seven band compressor, limiter, stereo generator and RDS insertion package and also handles our Internet Streaming facilities. It also contains a UHF Studio/Transmitter Link (STL) transmitter, satellite receiver for CRN and BBC World News, off-air receiver, studio monitor amplifier, tieline OB audio link and sundry other bits and pieces that are all conveniently located securely and out of sight.
"The multiplexed signal from the studio complex is transmitted to the main transmitter site at Greenhill, about 5km to the west of Kempsey.
"The Greenhill transmitter site, at an elevation of 30m ASL, is the location of a large, steel water reservoir upon which is mounted, at a height of 30m AGL, our main transmitting antenna, as well as our UHF STL receiving antenna. The antenna is an dipole array with a gain of 3dB and this antenna is shared with 2KY Racing Radio, a commercial sports service. The signal is transmitted with vertical polarisation (polarity).See picture here. Tank's main antenna is at the top far left in the photo.
"The STL and FM transmission equipment is all of RVR (Italy) manufacture and comprises the UHF STL receiver and a FM exciter/transmitter running at 500 watts. The antenna gain of 3dB (2x) effectively gives us an Effective Radiated Power (ERP) of our licensed output of 1000 watts.
"We currently are in the process of submitting an application with the licensing authority with a view to relocating our main transmission site to Mt Yarrahapinni, about 25km NE of Kempsey, to improve our coverage area both up river and down around the South West Rocks, Belmore, Hat Head and Crescent Head regions.
Receiving Tank Radio's FM Service
"Compared with some community radio stations that are fortunate enough to be able to transmit from a very high location, Tank FM is currently disadvantaged.
"The location of a broadcasting transmitter is determined by the licensing authority, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and it was this organisation which selected the location of Tank Radio's main transmitter at Greenhill.
"Given that we must transmit from a less than ideal location, and given that, compared with our commercial broadcasting cousins who are permitted to run ten or twenty thousand watts, some listeners may have difficulty receiving the one thousand watt signal from Tank FM.
"The effective range of an FM broadcasting station is affected by four primary factors:
1. the height of the transmitting antenna above sea level
2. the transmitter power level in watts
3. the nature of the receiving antenna - is it indoors or outdoors, is it a special FM band antenna, is it's polarisation correct
4. the nature of the terrain between the transmitter and the receiver - is it flat, hilly, mountainous.
"Since the first two items are dictated by the ACMA, and the fourth by Mother Nature, the only factor over which you, the listener, has any control is the receiving antenna.
"Just as television signals are affected by hills, trees and house walls, so too are FM radio signals. And just as you need an outdoor antenna for television reception, particularly in fringe areas, an outdoor antenna for FM radio can be the difference between receiving Tank FM properly, and a weak, noisy signal - or no signal at all!
"Most electronics outlets, and many appliance retailers and electrical wholesalers sell suitable antennas and associated hardware, that can be installed quite easily by the home handy person.
"In selecting an antenna for FM radio the most important parameter is that it is made specifically for the FM band. Some outlets will sell "do everything" antennas that are supposed to work for both television and FM radio. Most of them are a waste of money. They are at best a poor compromise and often cost considerably more than a dedicated FM band antenna.
"When erecting an antenna for the reception of Tank FM, the elements (rods) of the antenna need to be vertical, and the antenna needs to be aimed in the direction of Greenhill."