QSL: SBS PopDesi, Launceston TAS 1611

When I heard Indian pop music on 1611 last September I really didn't know what to believe. The announcement "This is SBS Pop Desi" also let me bewildered, but at least I understood that it was very likely an Australian narrowband station. There was no reference to any MW frequency on their home page. And knowing how confusing and changing (and apparently poorly regulated) the Australian x-band is, I decided to let it rest.

Until a few weeks ago when I saw information that SBS PopDesi was transmitting over one of the former Rete Italia stations in Tasmania. As it were, the station was listed both in MWList and Asiawaves.net as using the Launceston transmitter. The other TAS stations from Rete Italia on 1611, Hobart and Devonport, were closed. Since I was lacking Tasmania in my Aussie log and QSL listing, I decided to send off a report to the station. After a few days, I received a confirmation via Facebook.

"The Outback" is a term defining the remote interior of Australia, and quite possibly one might associate the term with being lax in regulation, laid-back and easy to get lost. I'd call the x-band, or narrowband, the Outback of Australian radio. Stations are apparently changing hands, changing names, closing and opening at a rapid pace. Stations have several transmitters on each frequency (so, which one did you hear?). And the transmitters are offset to their nominal frequencies to an extent I'd assume no in-band station would ever be allowed to be. The band seems to live a life on its own. So, I have more or less given up that segment of the MW band.

But come on! It's Tasmania! A new state for me! And 400 watts travelling 15318 km isn't bad.