All India Radio's special transmission for "Mahalaya 2020"

All India Radio's special transmission for "Mahalaya 2020"

 

Date : 17th September, 2020 (Thursday)

Time : 0350 - 0545 IST, 2220 UTC (16th Sept 2020) to 0015 UTC (17th Sept, 2020)

* some stations have late sign in & may continue past 0100 UTC

All India Radio, Delhi will broadcast the special dawn programme "Mahishasur Mardini" on the ocassion of Mahalaya in following languages  : 

- Hindi/Sanskrit - on its Indraprastha & FM Gold channels. This will be relayed by all FM Gold channels and selected SW & MW stations. 

- Bengali/Sanskrit - at same time on AIR Delhi Rajdhani & FM Rainbow channels and selected SW & MW stations. 

All India Radio, Kolkata will also originate the special Mahalaya programme in Bengali/Sanskrit at same time which will be relayed by selected SW & MW stations .

This programme may also be relayed over concerned DRM channels,YouTube channel AIR Live News 24X7 & DTH.

"Mahishasuramardini" is a special two hour transmission consisting of Sanskrit & Bengali recitation & music orated by Late Shri.Birendra Krishna Bhadra. All India Radio has been broadcasting this program since early 1930's. The sheer nostalgia is what makes the dawn of Mahalaya special as one of the most looked forward to Radio broadcasts. Countdown of Indian festival of Durga Puja starts from the day of Mahalaya. 

Frequencies observed during past years :

SW

 

4810 - Bhopal

4835 - Gangtok (*)

4910 - Jaipur

MW

531 - Jodhpur

549 - Ranchi

603 - Ajmer

621 - Patna A

648 - Indore A

657 - Kolkata A

666 - New Delhi B

675 - Chattarpur

684 - Port Blair

711 - Siliguri

729 - Guwahati A

747 - Lucknow A

756 - Jagdalpur

774 - Shimla

792 - Pune (Pure DRM)

801 - Jabalpur

810 - Rajkot A

819 - New Delhi A

828 - Silchar

846 - Ahmedabad A

891 - Rampur

909 - Gorakhpur

918 - Suratgarh

954 - Nazibabad

981 - Raipur

990 - Jammu

1008 - Kolkata B

1026 - Allahabad A

1044 - Mumbai A

1125 - Tezpur

1179 - Rewa

1242 - Varanasi

1260 - Ambikapur

1296 - Darbhanga

1314 - Bhuj

1386 - Gwalior

1395 - Bikaner

1404 - Gangtok

1458 - Bhagalpur

1530 - Agra

1593 - Bhopal A

Please email your observations & receptions reports to :  spectrum-manager@prasarbharati.gov.in

Or,

Director (Spectrum Management & Synergy)

All India Radio,

Room No. 204

Akashvani Bhawan,

Parliament Street

New Delhi 110001, India

Related :

What is Mahalaya ?

https://www.wbtourismpuja.in/home/mahalaya

Eight Decades Later, the Original Mahalaya Still Unites  

https://thewire.in/society/eight-decades-later-the-original-mahalaya-still-unites-bengalis-in-communion

Come Mahalaya, Birendra Krishna Bhadra's recitation still default choice for All India Radio

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-come-mahalaya-birendra-krishna-bhadra-s-recitation-still-default-choice-for-all-india-radio-2020933

DRM Virtual Event ‘Advanced Radio for All’ – Success at IBC 2020

Under the overarching theme "DRM – Advanced Radio for All" the DRM Consortium planned for a virtual showcase to share with participants the practical advances of DRM in various parts of the world and the recent improvements to the DRM performance, equipment and receivers.

The event hosted by the DRM Consortium brought together specialists from India, Indonesia, UK, Germany, Pakistan, China, Brazil and many more places. A record number of companies/organisations and their specialists, like Ruxandra Obreja, DRM Chairman, Simon Keens - Ampegon (Switzerland), Lindsay Cornell and Nigel Fry - BBC, Tim Whittaker - Cambridge Consultants (UK), Alexander Zink - Fraunhofer IIS (Germany), Haochun Liu - Gospell (China), Rajith Nair - Inntot (India), Philipp Schmid - Nautel (Canada), Ghulam Mujaddid - PBC (Pakistan), Albert Waal - RFmondial (Germany), William Kim - Rf2Digital (South Korea), Frederik Ndolu - RRI (Indonesia), Johannes von Weyssenhoff - Starwaves (Germany) and Consortium representatives Yogendra Pal, Radu Obreja presented the technical, geographic and technical progress made by DRM since IBC 2019.

Over 100 participants from all continents and countries as far apart as Australia, Romania, Brazil, India, Germany, and Indonesia took part and addressed questions to the organisers. The highlights of the event included details on DRM progress in places like India (more DRM MW transmitters announced), Indonesia (successful use of DRM for FM transmitters also for emergency warning), Pakistan (announced as a DRM country with a comprehensive implementation rollout) South Africa (with a new digitisation policy also mandating DRM) and Brazil.

DRM-compatible receivers were a main topic of the presentation. Gospell and Inntot companies promoted a variety of receivers and solutions for standalone and car. Starwaves highlighted the Tuk-Tuk receiver and launched its new receiver W293BT demonstrating excellent DRM in shortwave reception. RF2digital showcased their multi-standard SDR option. Other information came from Cambridge Consultants regarding new developments on low-cost, low-energy receivers and from Avion.

Presenters from RFmondial, Nautel and Starwaves demonstrated the way in which DRM can be the most efficient standard in broadcasting up to 18 DRM channels within 600
kHz on one frequency, from one single FM digital transmitter and antenna. One presentation that attracted a lot of interest was the use DRM for emergency warning and especially education (both in receivers and for public signage).

Ruxandra Obreja, the Consortium Chairman, says that: "this was a unique and rich event which demonstrated the commitment of our members and of all those convinced of the DRM superiority and efficiency. The recent great improvements and receiver developments of the only all-band digital radio standard, even in these challenging times, demonstrates that DRM is even more attractive now when some its extra features and possibilities like delivering education and emergency warning come to the fore. These are extra benefits while DRM can deliver full country coverage with increased energy savings and spectrum efficiency."

After Java, DRM for FM Tested in Jakarta - August 2020 !

DRM and Emergency Warning Tested Successfully on FM in Jakarta – Indonesia

The Indonesian Communications Ministry (Kominfo) and the public broadcaster, Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI), have continued testing DRM FM - started in July in Pelabuhan Ratu, West Java. The excellent audio results recorded in Jakarta doubled by no interference from DRM to existing FM stations and the good functioning of the Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF).

In Jakarta DRM was transmitted in the frequencies of 92.6 MHz and 93 MHz. To check the potential interference with flight frequencies, DRM was transmitted on 107.9 MHz but no spurious DRM was noted within the flight frequencies (108-137 MHz).

The measurement results conclusively showed that there is no interference between DRM radio and the existing FM radio stations placed at 200 kHz distance, at 92.4 MHz, 92.8 MHz, and 93.2 MHz. The DRM audio quality was excellent.

The results of the emergency warning functionality (EWF) test showed that EWF functioned properly. The delay between the activation of the emergency button and the reception on the receiving device was of about 38 seconds, but this can be still optimised to go down to 10 seconds.

The two sets of trials conducted in West Java and Jakarta proved that the field test results are consistent with ITU-R Recommendation BS.1114 and BS.1660. In this case it is possible to implement DRM digital radio in VHF Band II (FM radio band)  side by side (co-existence) with analog FM radio using a 200 kHz frequency space from the existing FM radio broadcaster. In addition, for full pure DRM implementation the frequency space can be of 100 kHz between DRM radio broadcasters.

The general conclusion of the Indonesian tests is  that DRM on the FM frequency bands can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the spectrum usage, thus improving the quality and coverage of radio broadcast services used for information, emergency warnings or entertainment.

DRM receivers are expected to be available in the form of car head units, portable receivers, USB dongles, and as embedded modules in smartphones. One of the Ministry Officials (the Director General of SDPPI) will further liaise with the local manufacturing industry and automotive industry in order to  get availability of dual-mode analog-digital (AM/FM/DRM) broadcast radio receiver devices.

https://www.postel.go.id/berita-uji-coba-radio-digital-teknologi-drm-kembali-dievaluasi-27-4924

All India Radio's Vividh Bharati service on shortwave 9380 kHz off air

Vividh Bharati transmission of All India Radio on shortwave 9380 kHz via Aligarh 250 kW transmitter has been taken off air from Friday 4 Sept 2020. The entertainment channel Vividh Bharati (translated roughly as Indian variety) is still available on many AIR stations on FM & MW and also on Live Streaming, DTH, DRM etc. 

It seems it is for the very first time that the Vividh Bharati is not on SW after it began in 1957 to meet the competition offered by Radio Ceylon (Now SLBC). For some time AIR stations in Chennai, Guwahati, Mumbai and New Delhi even transmitted on a single SW channel (10330 kHz) with Vividh Bharti Service. From New Delhi also on SW 6100 kHz there used to be Vividh Bharati Service in AM/DRM a few years back. In 2003, the service was transferred to a single 500 kW-transmitter at Bengaluru.

Live Stream: http://prasarbharati.gov.in/playersource.php?channel=1 

On Alexa : https://www.amazon.in/All-India-Radio-Vividh-Bharati/dp/B07CGQYGY2

Website : https://www.vividhbharti.org/

(Via Jose Jacob, VU2JOS)

DRM Virtual Event ‘Advanced Radio for All’ at IBC 2020

DRM Virtual Event 'Advanced Radio for All' at IBC 2020

Under the overarching theme "DRM – Advanced Radio for All" the DRM Consortium has planned for a virtual showcase to share with participants the practical advances of DRM in various parts of the world and the recent improvements to the DRM performance, equipment and receivers.

Planned for September 9th (1000-1200 UTC) this special IBC  event hosted by the DRM Consortium will bring together specialists and practitioners from India, Indonesia, UK, Germany, Pakistan, China, Brazil and many more places to present to you DRM implementation and innovation as well as working and available receivers. The two-hour event will be a mixture of live presentations, videos, questions and answers, both immersive and exciting.

Ruxandra Obreja, the Consortium Chairman, hopes that: "this will be a unique event which will stand out in the sea of current virtual webinars and meetings. The interest and practical roll out of the only all-band digital radio standard, even in these challenging times, demonstrates that DRM is even more attractive now as it digitally future-proofs for all broadcasters large or small. DRM is offering more news and entertainment programme choice to all listeners, as well as the increasingly necessary access to education and emergency warnings, while ensuring full country coverage with increased energy savings and spectrum efficiency."

Some of the companies participating are: Ampegon, BBC, Encompass Digital Media, Fraunhofer IIS, Gospell, Inntot, PBC, RFmondial, RRI, Starwaves.

REGISTER HERE FOR THE DRM SHOWCASE :

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIvc-GvrTsrH9dJzzE0s-otxv0TrfcqHw8V  

KTWR Special DRM Broadcast week September 6-11 for Indian listeners

Listen to DRM tests everyday this week !

This is your chance to try out your DRM reception capabilities.

KTWR will be conducting daily test DRM broadcasts and each day we will be testing different DRM modes of transmission.

This broadcast will be on 15200 kHz in the 19 meter band directed toward listeners in India.

KTWR looks forward to receiving your feedback and hope that you enjoy these programs.

Please contact with your location and SNR and reception details by emailing ktwrdrm@twr.org

KTWR DRM Receiver Test Broadcast Schedule September 6 - 11, 2020

TIME UTC    Sept 6   16 QAM SBR Change  - Data service: Mot web

1027-1041       S1 English TX7 AAC B/16QAM No SBR Mono PL0, - English Metadata S2 MOTweb

1041-1057       S1 English TX7 AAC B/16QAM SBR Mono PL1, - English Metadata S2 MOTweb

TIME UTC    Sept 7   64QAM/ SBR Change,  No SBR PL1 to SBR PL2 - Data service:  Slides

1027-1041       S1 English TX7 AAC B/64QAM No SBR Mono PL1, - English Metadata S2 Slides

1041-1057       S1 English TX7 AAC B/64QAM SBR Mono PL2, - English Metadata S2 Slides

TIME UTC    Sept 8    Param Stereo PL0 – low bit rate, high protection - No Data Service

1027-1057       S1 English TX7 AAC B/64QAM Param Stereo PL0 – English Metadata

TIME UTC    Sept 9   Dual Language & UTF-8 Text, protection High/Low - No Data Service

1027-1057        S1 Tamil TX7 AAC B/64QAM No SBR Mono PL0 - Tamil Metadata

                         S2 English TX7 AAC B/64QAM No SBR Mono PL0 - English Metadata

1041-1057        S1 Tamil TX7 AAC B/64QAM No SBR Mono PL1 - Tamil Metadata

                         S2 English TX7 AAC B/64QAM No SBR Mono PL1 - English Metadata

                      

TIME UTC    Sept 10   QAM change 16 to 64 - Data service: Journaline

1027-1041    S1 English TX7 AAC B/16QAM No SBR Mono PL0, - English Metadata S2 Journaline

1041-1057    S1 English TX7 AAC B/64QAM SBR Mono PL2, - English Metadata S2 Journaline

TIME UTC    Sept 11  Param Stereo PL1 – high bit rate, low protection - No Data Service

1027-1057       S1 English TX7 AAC B/64QAM Param Stereo PL1 – English Metadata

(Source : http://ktwrdrm.blogspot.com/)