Eight FM's Seremban frequency is 88.3MHz, but it is transmitted from Bukit Gun to cover Seremban city only, instead of Gunung Telapak Buruk.
Serious interference will occur if Eight FM 88.3MHz is transmitted from Gunung Telapak Buruk.
The radio signal of Eight FM 88.3MHz goes weak when you tune outside Seremban, even no signal, so you need to switch to 88.1MHz (Gunung Ulu Kali or Gunung Ledang) which is weak signal.
Pedas is located between Senawang and Rembau, it is the last resort of Eight FM 88.3MHz coverage, but its signal is very weak. In Pedas, based on the videos of MML, by comparing between 88.1 and 88.3, it is slightly better to tune Eight FM in Pedas on 88.1MHz, but Eight FM 88.1MHz has self-interference because it uses same frequency in Gunung Ulu Kali and Gunung Ledang.
Based on my overall tuning experience, the signal of Eight FM 88.1MHz is better than 88.3MHz in Pedas, Negeri Sembilan. From Pedas to Simpang Ampat, 88.3 occasionally has Singapore radio station Jia FM signal via tropospheric propagation.
Mersing is the only remote district of Johor state where it cannot receive radio signal from two main transmitters such as Gunung Pulai and Gunung Ledang.
A week ago, I went to Mersing at the first time to perform radio signal monitoring. In Mersing, only Best FM 102.5MHz and 6 RTM radio stations (Radio Klasik FM 90.1MHz, Nasional FM 90.9MHz, Johor FM 92.1MHz, Traxx FM 92.9MHz, Ai FM 89.1MHz and Minnal FM 88.3MHz) are available.
However, I successfully managed to receive few radio stations from Johor Bahru in Mersing, the distance from Gunung Pulai to Mersing is 88km.
1. Sinar FM 87.8MHz
2. Lite FM 94.6MHz
3. MY FM 95.4MHz
4. 988 FM 99.9MHz
5. Bernama Radio FM 107.5MHz
The signals are weak there actually. No signal can be tuned when I'm heading from Mersing to Endau. For Lite FM, when 94.6MHz becomes unavailable, I switched to FM 104.6MHz from Gunung Telapak Buruk.
Lite FM has two frequencies in Johor state, such as FM 94.6MHz from Gunung Pulai and FM 92.2MHz from Gunung Ledang.
FM 94.6MHz Gunung Pulai is for South Johor areas such as Johor Bahru, Kota Tinggi, Pontian, and Kluang, meanwhile FM 92.2MHz Gunung Ledang is for North Johor areas such as Segamat, Tangkak, Muar and Batu Pahat.
In Central Johor areas such as Yong Peng, Seri Medan, Kluang, Ayer Hitam and Parit Sulong, Lite FM 92.2MHz from Gunung Ledang has adjacent channel interference with RTM Johor FM 92.1MHz from Bukit Tinggi. In terms of frequency history, Johor FM 92.1MHz transmission in Bukit Tinggi for East Johor (Mersing district) was earlier than Lite FM 92.2MHz Gunung Ledang.
Johor FM launched 92.1MHz Bukit Tinggi transmitter in 1994, meanwhile Lite FM only launched 92.2MHz Gunung Ledang transmitter in 1997.
When Lite FM 92.2MHz is having interference with Johor FM 92.1MHz in Central Johor, it is highly recommended to tune the frequency to FM 94.6MHz from Gunung Pulai. Yes, I was listening to Lite FM on 94.6MHz when I was Kluang, the signal is clear there.
Other than Kluang, I also attempted tuning Lite FM 94.6MHz in Mersing, the signal was weak, meanwhile 92.2MHz was completely null by Johor FM 92.1MHz there. In addition, when 94.6MHz is weak in Endau while I was driving from Mersing to Tanjung Gemuk, I listened to Lite FM via 104.6MHz from Gunung Telapak Buruk.
Lite FM's tuning frequency in Central Johor is 94.6MHz from Gunung Pulai.
==Videos of tuning Lite FM in Kluang, Mersing and Endau==
As I mentioned previously, Indian listeners can enjoy listening to 3 Tamil radio stations in South Johor, such as Minnal FM, Raaga and Mediacorp Oli 96.8FM.
In Mersing and Endau, there is only 1 Tamil radio station available clearly, it is Minnal FM 88.3MHz from Bukit Tinggi, meanwhile Raaga is very difficult to be tuned there via FM 99.7MHz from Gunung Ledang or FM 103.7MHz Gunung Pulai, but Singapore Oli 96.8FM is partially available in Mersing and Endau.
Here are my videos of receiving Singapore's Tamil radio station, Mediacorp Oli 96.8FM in Mersing and Endau.
1. Mersing (120km from Bukit Batok)
2. Endau (146km from Bukit Batok)
By comparing the Tamil radio stations signal in Mersing and Endau, Minnal FM 88.3MHz is the clearest as it is transmitted from Bukit Tinggi, but Mediacorp Oli 96.8FM from Singapore is slightly stronger than Raaga (regardless 99.7 or 103.7).
Mediacorp Oli 96.8FM has adjacent channel interference with Sinar FM 96.9MHz from Gunung Telapak Buruk in Endau, Johor, Malaysia, meanwhile it has co-channel interference with RTM Pahang FM 96.8MHz from Tioman Island in between Endau and Mersing such as Gunung Arong, Kampung Mawar and Kampung Tengla.
To all Indian listeners in Endau and Mersing, Mediacorp Oli 96.8FM is another alternative Tamil radio station there after Minnal FM.
Mersing is located in East Johor of Malaysia. This town is unlike other Johor towns, it is remote area of Gunung Ledang and Gunung Pulai radio coverage, meanwhile the listeners in Mersing can only tune to RTM radio stations where are transmitted from Bukit Tinggi.
Mersing is same as Muar and Segamat where Singapore radio stations are difficult to be received there.
I went to Mersing yesterday, and attempted to receive Singapore radio stations there. It was very difficult to receive the signal by using TECSUN PL-380 or PL-310ET radio receivers, but I successfully received some Singapore radio stations in another site of Mersing town by using car radio.
All Singapore radio stations that I tuned in Mersing town are operated by Mediacorp, transmitted from Bukit Batok and the receiving distance is 120km.
I randomly selected some Singapore radio stations in Mersing by following below:
1. Symphony 92.4FM
2. CNA 93.8FM
3. Warna 94.2FM
4. Class 95FM
5. Capital 95.8FM
6. Oli 96.8FM
7. Love 97.2FM
8. 987FM
Videos were recorded near Kompleks Niaga Penghulu Mohd Aris where it is located next to Mersing River.
No interference was detected when I tuned these Singapore radio stations in Mersing, except Capital 95.8FM which has co-channel interference with Fly FM 95.8MHz from Gunung Ulu Kali.
In other side, Pahang FM is using 96.8MHz in Tioman Island which is same frequency with Singapore Oli 96.8FM, the co-channel interference between Pahang FM 96.8MHz and Oli 96.8FM happens in Kampung Tenglu, Tanjung Resang and Gunung Arong.
Between June 2023 and January 2024, I went to Kuala Rompin and Endau separately for radio DXing activity. During my journey, I was listening to my favorite radio station, Lite FM.
Yes, Lite FM is still available in Kuala Rompin and Endau by tuning the frequency to FM 104.6MHz which is Seremban frequency, transmitted from Gunung Telapak Buruk.
During radio DXing convoy, I never missed to record my favorite radio station Lite FM's signal in these two locations.
1. Kuala Rompin, Pahang (158km)
2. Endau, Johor (173km)
Videos were filmed in the town. For Endau, Lite FM 104.6MHz is only available in the town, no signal in Gunung Arong site when heading to Mersing.
In Endau, FM 94.6MHz Gunung Pulai and FM 105.7MHz Gunung Ulu Kali signal were extremely weak, meanwhile FM 92.2MHz is fully null by Johor FM 92.1MHz in Kuala Rompin and Endau.
Prior to 2024 countdown yesterday, I paid a visit to Tanjung Gemuk for second round of radio DXing, Pahang FM was my priority there.
Tanjung Gemuk is a small town of Kuala Rompin where it is located in Pahang state, but next to Johor border. In Kuala Rompin, Pahang FM tuning frequency is 91.9MHz, transmitted from TM Kuala Rompin at 0.25kW transmitter power, however Pahang FM signal was very weak when I reached Tanjung Gemuk.
I tried to tune 3 frequencies of Pahang FM in Tanjung Gemuk, Pahang such as 91.9MHz Kuala Rompin, 107.5MHz Gunung Ulu Kali and 95.5MHz Bukit Sulai, none of them are clear actually. It was difficult to tune them in Tanjung Gemuk.
Pahang FM 96.8MHz Tioman Island signal is interfered by Sinar FM 96.9MHz from Gunung Telapak Buruk in Tanjung Gemuk.
To reach Tanjung Gemuk clearly, RTM Pahang FM can increase the transmitter power of Kuala Rompin transmitter to 1kW, but it is not suitable to increase transmitter power on 91.9MHz because it can interfere RTM Johor FM 92.1MHz coverage in Endau. In my opinion, Pahang FM can let go its Kuala Rompin frequency 91.9MHz to Nasional FM, meanwhile Pahang FM can use 107.5MHz (same frequency with Gunung Ulu Kali) in Kuala Rompin with 1kW transmitter power, so it can reach until Endau, Johor clearly.
Adding a transmitter in Bukit Tinggi or gap filler transmitter in Tanjung Gemuk is not necessary.
==Suggestion to improve Pahang FM coverage in Tanjung Gemuk==
1. Increasing the transmitter power from 0.25kW to 1kW in TM Kuala Rompin, but Pahang FM has to change frequency, proposed frequency is 107.5MHz, meanwhile 91.9MHz can be taken over by Nasional FM.
2. Improving the transmission line of Pahang FM 91.9MHz Kuala Rompin transmitter (either increasing the transmitter power or improve the antenna system). Although Pahang FM 91.9MHz has 200kHz frequency separation with Johor FM 92.1MHz, by reaching coverage in Tanjung Gemuk via FM 91.9MHz, the interference is under control because Tanjung Gemuk is status quo location of Pahang FM 91.9MHz and Johor FM 92.1MHz.
Same situation in Kajang, Selangor where is a status quo location of Kuala Lumpur Tower and Gunung Telapak Buruk radio stations which have 200kHz separation.
==Suggestion of Pahang FM Kuala Rompin frequencies==
91.9MHz: Nasional FM (0.25kW)
107.5MHz: Pahang FM (1kW)
I will express my suggestion and make a radio reception report to RTM regarding Pahang FM radio reception in Tanjung Gemuk.
In conjunction with Christmas long weekend, I go to few places in Selangor today, such as Bestari Jaya (formerly known as Batang Berjuntai) and Bandar Puncak Alam for another series of FM radio DXing.
As I could receive THR Raaga FM 102.1MHz from Bukit Larut (Taiping) in Kuala Selangor and Tanjong Karang, hence it becomes my target when comes to Bestari Jaya and Puncak Alam.
Yes, Raaga FM 102.1MHz Bukit Larut transmitter signal is receivable in Bestari Jaya and Puncak Alam, however interference noise of RTM Pahang FM 102.2MHz from Fraser's Hill (for Raub) can be detected in these two locations when I tune Raaga on FM 102.1MHz, meanwhile signal is even weaker in Ijok.
Note: No signal to tune Raaga FM 102.1MHz in Kapar, Selangor.
In terms of receiving distance, it is 192km from Bukit Larut to Bandar Puncak Alam, meanwhile from Bukit Larut to Bestari Jaya, the distance is 177km.
Therefore, Raaga FM 102.1MHz from Bukit Larut becomes the furthest radio station tuned in Bandar Puncak Alam and Bestari Jaya, Selangor.
Transmitter power of Raaga FM 102.1MHz is only 0.5kW, however it is the most powerful radio station from Taiping in terms of signal propagation.
In December 2023, my radio DX friend, Shafik1995 received many Peninsular Malaysia radio stations via Sporadic E propagation in Bintulu, Sarawak. Here are the videos of receiving Peninsular Malaysia radio stations signal in Bintulu by transmitter sites.
==Gunung Ulu Kali, Pahang (1251km)==
==Kuala Lumpur Tower (1260km)==
==Gunung Telapak Buruk, Negeri Sembilan (1220km)==
==Gunung Ledang, Johor (1163km)==
==Gunung Kledang, Ipoh, Perak (1345km)==
==Gunung Jerai, Kedah (1429km)==
==Bukit Penara, Penang (1439km)==
==Bukit Palong, Baling, Kedah (1372km)==
==Bukit Pelindung, Kuantan, Pahang (1078km)==
==RTM Minnal FM 91.9MHz Bukit Istana, Jerantut (1190km)==
==RTM Nasional FM 96.5MHz Sedili, Johor (1003km)==
==IKIM FM 89.8MHz Bukit Panau, Kelantan (1241km)==
Radio Kayan is a RTM Sarawak radio station broadcast in Kayan language (not related to Myanmar's Kayan), it broadcasts 6 hours a day from 12pm to 6pm, but it is only available in Kuching on FM 106.1MHz and Serian on FM 101.7MHz under Wai FM Bidayuh, as well as RTM Klik/Radio Kayan Miri FM Facebook page.
In Miri, as there is 1 hour broadcast of Talidio Kenyah Miri FM from 5pm to 6pm, so Radio Kayan is only given 2 hours slot on Miri FM's frequencies, same as Wai FM SW 11665kHz, MYTV CH710 and Astro CH871.
Here are the exact broadcast hours of Radio Kayan by following different platforms
1. Facebook LIVE, Wai FM Bidayuh/Kayan on FM 106.1MHz in Kuching and FM 101.7MHz in Serian
* Daily 12pm to 6pm
2. Miri FM 95.7MHz/98.0MHz/95.1MHz, Astro CH871 and MYTV CH710
