We present spectra and emission-line fluxes or ratios for a nearly complete sample of radio-flux-selected active galaxies with z < 0.11. Our spectra extend to 1μm and include the [S iii] λ19069 line which is believed to be able to discriminate between shocks and photoionization. We compare our data with the predictions of photoionization and shock-excitation models and conclude that, whilst photoionization is slightly preferred as the excitation mechanism in the narrow-line regions of such objects, the strength of the [O iii] λ14363 auroral line is too strong to be explained by simple single-phase models.
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Simpson et al. (1996) studied this question.