ofuros wrote:Local ABC radio stations broadcast weather reports & alerts during the day on the AM frequency. Just need to know the frequency, have a small radio & decent reception . . .
http://www.abc.net.au/reception/freq/ . . .
Re ABC broadcasts of weather forecasts. In rural and regional areas they are on Local Radio FM frequencies as well as AM frequencies. The FM stations are listed in ofuros’s link to ABC reception.
But as well as frequencies, you will need to know the specific times of day when the most comprehensive forecasts can be heard. That’s because while weather reports conclude every news bulletin, these are just one-day forecasts concentrating on capital cities with very limited information about the remainder of the state.
So in regional areas of Victoria, the Local Radio stations (e.g. 594 AM) have two reports from a BoM senior forecaster each day, Monday to Friday. The cross is usually for at least five minutes and will probably give at least a five-day forecast. There’s one at 12:35 in the Country Hour program. As each state has its own version of the Country Hour, I assume they all have a similar format. Again in Victoria, there is a five or more minute forecast from the BoM at 17:35 in the Drive program. I’m not sure about other states but I think I’ve heard reports at about that time in SA and NSW.
In addition, Local Radio regional breakfast and morning programs in Vic, SA and NSW (presumably other states and territories as well, but I haven’t visited them) also have input from the BoM at various times, but these are normally rather briefer and less comprehensive segments and may be just two-day outlooks. Best time to tune in for these is immediately before or after some news bulletins on the hour or half hour during breakfast.
At night, the time-slots for reports from the BoM vary. Recently in Victoria it’s been just before 22:00 and has also included a report from WA! Presumably this pathetic practice is to save precious funds by not employing a local announcer in WA. I haven’t bothered tuning in for a while as the focus is on the capital city and it’s rushed.
I think the ABC should be doing a better job of presenting weather information than they achieve at present, but if you compare what they’re doing to what’s available on commercial channels, then the ABC wins hands down. The main weakness from the point of view of people who are active during daylight hours (e.g. bushwalkers) is that reports from BoM at night (I recall hearing them at about 20:30 in SA) are nearly always less useful than the daytime ones. Which is specially annoying given that nocturnal reception in remote locations is much better than daytime reception. No regional forecasts at any time on weekends is also a problem. Breakfast reports often include useless trivial banter instigated by the oh-so-jolly presenter, limiting the amount of time available for information. Nevertheless, even with these hindrances I still think its worth carrying a small radio on all bushwalking trips. I’ve successfully changed my plans on a few occasions based on hearing forecasts. Radio might be old technology but one rechargeable AA battery will keep going for lots of trips!
It would be good if people from other states could provide details of when crosses to the BoM occur and also comment on the usefulness of what they hear. I’m particularly interested in any feedback because I’ve been meaning to write to the ABC for a while to ask if they could improve the way they present regional weather forecasts, so now that I’m thinking more about the issue, I’ll pursue it with them and hope to get a response.
Finally, I should mention that ABC regional stations seem to reliably broadcast warnings about significant fires and floods.