Kedah FM 90.5MHz Bukit Palong has co-channel interference with Radio Thailand Songkhla FM 90.5MHz in Kedah, Malaysia

 

When you tune to RTM Kedah FM in Kedah, Penang and North Perak, it is FM 97.5MHz from Gunung Jerai which is main transmitter for the station, meanwhile FM 90.5MHz Bukit Palong is secondary frequency for the station to cover Baling and Pengkalan Hulu, also can be tuned in Betong, Thailand.

In most of Kedah areas except Baling and Sungai Petani, when I tune to Kedah FM on 90.5MHz, I can hear co-channel interference between Kedah FM and Radio Thailand Songkhla on same frequency, especially Alor Setar and Kuala Kedah.

In Penang, RTM Kedah FM 90.5MHz is having co-channel interference from Hot FM 90.5MHz Bukit Larut, but both stations claim that Penang is not their broadcast coverage actually. So, the co-channel interference of FM 90.5MHz is common.

According to the video, Kedah FM 90.5MHz Bukit Palong is having serious co-channel interference from Radio Thailand Songkhla FM 90.5MHz in Alor Setar and Kuala Kedah.

Kedah FM Bukit Palong FM 90.5MHz TX power is 1kW, meanwhile Radio Thailand Songkhla FM 90.5MHz is 10kW.

Some of people suggest to change Kedah FM 90.5MHz Bukit Palong frequency to avoid interference from Thailand. In my opinion, there is not necessary to change frequency due to the reasons following below.

1. Kedah FM 90.5MHz Bukit Palong targets only Baling, and Pengkalan Hulu. It could be listened in Betong, Thailand too. Alor Setar and Kuala Kedah are not its broadcast areas, however the listeners already tune to Kedah FM loudly and clearly on 97.5MHz from Gunung Jerai there.

2. Radio Thailand Songkhla FM 90.5MHz targets only Songkhla district, Thailand. It could be listened in North Kedah and Perlis via overspill transmission. Alor Setar is not its target location.

Apart from Alor Setar, I was used to receive FM 90.5MHz at Penang Hill top peak, it had three channels were interfering each other.

In terms of history, the use of frequency FM 90.5MHz by Radio Thailand Songkhla was much earlier than Kedah FM 90.5MHz in Bukit Palong, later Hot FM used 90.5MHz in Bukit Larut for Taiping, Perak.

==History of FM 90.5MHz in northern region==
* Radio Thailand Songkhla: 1981 (originally it was FM 97.0MHz in 1968)
* RTM Kedah FM Bukit Palong: 1995
* Hot FM Bukit Larut: 2011