DRM India Chapter Noticeboard Dec 2013

DRM India Chapter Noticeboard Dec 2013 edition is available at :

http://tinyurl.com/oz4wpuf

Main stories :

- Hot off the Press!! - Frontier Silicon to deliver multi-standard chip

- India - National Disaster Management Authority Workshop in Gujarat Features DRM

- Summary - DRM Webinar November 18th 2013 

- New Commercial DRM station - United Arab Emirates

- Broadcast Engineering Society (BES) India Conference and Exhibition 2014

- Good news for DRM in Asia!

- SOUTH AFRICA - Screen Africa Interviews DRM Marketing Director

- DRM Consortium Supports Important 2014 Digital Radio Broadcasting in Africa Conference

- RFmondial integrates Fraunhofer DRM MultimediaPlayer technology for India's digital radio programme

- Starting to build a Radio Receiver

- DRM Enterprise Award - Apply now!

  

Back issues of newsletters are available at :

http://www.drm.org/?page_id=320

Swedish DX Federation special transmission

The Swedish DX Federation will have three broadcasts on mediumwave and shortwave in early 2014 as follows:

Sunday 5 January at 1800-1900 UTC on 1485 kHz (Radio Merkurs, Latvia)

Saturday 11 January at 1200-1300 UTC on 7265 kHz (Hamburger Lokalradio)

Sunday 9 February at 1800-1900 UTC on 1485 kHz (Radio Merkurs)

Saturday 15 February at 1200-1300 UTC on 7265 kHz (Hamburger Lokalradio)

Sunday 9 March at 1800-1900 UTC on 1485 kHz (Radio Merkurs)

Saturday 15 March at 1200-1300 UTC on 7265 kHz (Hamburger Lokalradio)

 

The programmes will be produced and presented by Ronny Forslund and they will be mainly in Swedish. In addition to DX News and details about the Swedish DX scene there will be lots of nice music.

Christer Brunström

(Via Tom Taylor)

DRM General Assembly to be held at BBC in London

The General Assembly (GA) of the DRM Consortium is scheduled to take place on March 26th and 27th 2014 at the BBC Headquarters in central London, the New Broadcasting House.

Under the title "DRM in Action" the Consortium would like to make this the most inclusive event in its history, a moment to consider the benefits of DRM and its progress, an affirmation of the power of

digital radio.

The first day of the GA (March 26th) will be open to all DRM members and invited guests from the UK and abroad. It will be a day to celebrate the power of radio. The morning will be devoted to informative presentations on the extra benefits of digital radio; the impact of radio and insights into markets around the world, in particular India and Brazil.

In the afternoon, all delegates will be able to have a "hands–on" experience of DRM and digital radio. It will be an ideal opportunity to network with fellow professionals from across the globe and to see

how the new technology can offer choice of content and benefit audiences. The event will be hosted in the iconic Radio Theatre of the BBC.

To register for the General Assembly events on the 26th March please contact projectoffice@drm.org Events held on the 27th March are dedicated to DRM Consortium members only.

--

DRM Consortium

Postal Box 360

1218 Grand-Saconnex, Geneva

Switzerland

E-Mail: pressoffice@drm.org

Site for DRM: www.drm.org

 

(Press Release)

Digital radio in UK to get £21m investment

More money is to be invested in digital radio as the industry gears up to switch off FM transmitters within the next few years. Communications Minister Ed Vaizey said up to £21m will come from the BBC, government and commercial radio. It will be used to increase digital radio coverage so more homes can receive DAB signals.

More at :  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25398968

NBTC insists digital radio trials will commence in 2014

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) will prioritise digital radio next year after this month's digital-TV auction. The NBTC's master plan stipulates the broadcasting regulator must begin a process of digital transition for radio within four years of its establishment.

More at :

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/385005/nbtc-insists-digital-radio-trials-will-commence-in-2014

Sudan: Radio Dabanga - the Voice of Truth Amidst a Sea of UN Mendacity

On Friday evening, December 13, 2013, Radio Dabanga celebrated its fifth anniversary of reporting on Darfur from The Netherlands. It was, inevitably, a somber event--and not simply because of the grim, often unspeakably cruel news that Radio Dabanga daily reports from all corners of Darfur.

Read more at :    http://allafrica.com/stories/201312160773.html

Unscheduled txn of Channel Africa ?

15th Dec 2013 (Sun)  - At 1505 UTC noted unscheduled txn of Channel Africa in Swahili on 17770 kHz....Nelson Mandela Special ?

At 1600 UTC French transmission on 15235 kHz.

 

 

 

New DRM transmitter coming up in UAE

UAE

First digital Malayalam radio Pravasi Bharathi 810 AM to transmit from Abu Dhabi from May 2014

Pravasi Bharathi 810 AM, claiming to be the first fully digital radio station using the DRM standard, will operate from its headquarters in Abu Dhabi.

http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/new-malayalam-radio-to-be-launched-soon-2013-12-15-1.531402

As per further info from station they are planning AM/DRM simulcast using a 200 kW Nautel transmitter. Also their website is coming up at http://www.pravasibharathi.com/

Related news :

Malayalam digital radio to hit airwaves
The world’s first Malayalam digital radio will soon be available on UAE airwaves.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/inside.asp?xfile=/data/community/2013/December/community_December12.xml&section=community

Meanwhile there has been some good news from Asia for DRM....

Bangladesh

10 kW transmitter at Bangladesh Betar, Barisal station has been replaced by a new DRM compatible 20 kW transmitter TRAM20 by Transradio. The complete system, transmitter and antenna is fully DRM compatible and they are using TRANSRADIO DRM modulator DMOD3. The new transmitter is already on air & according to a station engineer DRM tests are expected soon.

Mynamar

Daniel Carcopo who works with Harris Broadcast has posted pic on facebook of new 100 kW MW DRM transmitter Harris 3DX100 installed at Mynamar which is being tested on AM/DRM mode.

Harris 3DX 100 Specs :

http://harrisbroadcast.com/products/transmission/radio-transmitters-consoles/am-transmitters/flexiva-3dx- 

SAQ Transmission on Christmas Eve, 24th Dec, 2013

There will be a transmission with the Alexanderson 200 kW alternator on VLF 17.2 kHz from Grimeton Radio/SAQ on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24th, 2013. The message transmission will take place at 08:00 UTC. The transmitter will be tuned up from around 07:30 UTC. There will be no activity on amateur radio frequencies with the call SK6SAQ this time.The radio station is open to visitors.

  

QSL-reports are kindly received:

  

- E-mail to: info@alexander.n.se

- or via: SM bureau 

- or direct by mail to: Alexander - Grimeton Veteranradios Vaenner, Radiostationen, Grimeton 72

 

S-432 98 GRIMETON

S    W    E    D    E    N

 

Also read our web site: www.alexander.n.se

  

(Lars Kalland, SM6NM)

In Nepal, radios go beyond conventional purpose

In Nepal, history of radio dates back to the Rana era. Media researchers believe that the Nepali people might have started to listen to radio when broadcasting began in India in 1923. However, until 1946, possession of radio was illegal in Nepal. In July that year, then Prime Minister Padma Shamsher Rana declared that the people could possess radio sets from then onward. Two years later, the Rana government established Nepal´s first broadcasting company, which unfortunately did not last long.

 

More at :

 

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=66125

President Vladimir Putin issues decree to reorganize Voice of Russia

President Vladimir Putin issues decree to reorganize Voice of Russia, RIA Novosti to Rossia Segodnya news wire

President Vladimir Putin has ordered the merger of the RIA Novosti news agency and the Voice of Russia broadcasting company to set up Rossia Segodnya (Russia Today) international news agency. The reorganization aims to ensure cost-effectiveness of the agencies, the head of the presidential administration Sergei Ivanov said.

 

More at :   http://tinyurl.com/kg5xgk7

 

Related :

 

Voice of Russia absorbed by nascent Rossia Segodnya newswire

  

As of today, The Voice of Russia radio company has officially ceased to exist in its previous capacity and will merge with several other state-run news agencies to emerge as Rossia Segodnya, a Russia-based international news service.

 

More at :  http://tinyurl.com/n9tannv

BBC to open news bureau in Burma

The BBC will open a news bureau in Burma, also known as Myanmar, BBC Director of Global News Peter Horrocks announced today.

The announcement comes after the BBC, along with three other international broadcasters, received official permission to open a news bureau from the Myanmar Ministry of Information.

The BBC aims to open its bureau next year. It will also house reporters from the BBC Burmese service.

Peter Horrocks says: "Burma has long been a byword for media repression and censorship but within the last year there has been rapid and welcome change, with BBC global news services being allowed to broadcast trusted impartial news on radio, television and mobile. 

Opening a BBC bureau in Burma/Myanmar is another highly significant milestone and an encouraging sign that the country is moving towards media freedom.

"The BBC will continue to stand by its principles of impartial, balanced journalism, reporting events in Burma without fear or favour. The BBC's charity BBC Media Action will continue its work to help train the next generation of Burmese journalists."

(BBC Press Release)

Beethoven and numbers on Korean shortwave

Dec 9 (Reuters) - As a scratchy rendition of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No 8 fades into a sea of shortwave radio static, a robotic female voice starts speaking in Korean. "Number 1913, number 1913, incoming message," the voice says, before reading out seemingly random sets of numbers.

Read the intersting Reuters story at  :

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/08/korea-north-spies-idUSL4N0JK0GM20131208

Bangladesh Betar, Barisal testing its new 20 kW DRM compatible MW transmitter

Test transmission was first noted by Pradip Kundu of Tripura on 7th Dec at around 1300 UTC playing non-stop Bengali songs by Lata Mangeshkar & Sandhya Mukherjee leading to the assumption that it was an AIR outlet. Non-stop test transmission continued next day, however they were observed playing Bengali folk songs by Habib & Runa Laila both folk singers from Bangladesh as noted by Sudipta Ghosh, Kolkata.

 

Spoke to the engineer at Bangladesh Betar, Barisal who was kind enough to take my midnight call at 1 am & discuss about the new Transradio TRAM20, 1 x 20 kW transmitter, test transmission will continue on 8th Dec and will be back to regular programming on 9th Dec. The complete system, transmitter and antenna is fully DRM compatible, they are using TRANSRADIO DRM modulator DMOD3.

 

Links :

Transradio MW Txers
http://www.transradio.de/index.php/en/tram-en/am/trampremiumclassic

Transradio DMOD3
http://www.transradio.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52&lang=en&Itemid=29

Tender for replacement of existing 10 kW MW transmitter was announced during Aug 2012 ...

 

http://www.cptu.gov.bd/ShowDetailTender.aspx?ADID=29372 

Voice of Russia Hindi service organises two day conference in New Delhi

 

 

"Voice of Russia" jointly with Embassy of the Russian Federation in India & RCSC has organized two day 8th All India Conference of the Listeners' Clubs of the Radio Station "Voice of Russia", devoted to Russian-Indian Relations.

Voice of Russia Hindi listeners conference will be held for two days - December 7th (Saturday) & 8th (Sunday), 2013.

7th Dec, 2013 (Saturday) - 5.00 pm Inauguration

- H.E. Mr Alexander M. KADAKIN Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of India will address the guests.

- Declaration of results of the Voice of Russia competition.

- Names of the winners will be announced & prizes distributed.

- Delegates from Voice of Russia will address the conference.

- Performance by the Russian folk dance ensemble "Raduga (Rainbow)" from Voronezh.

8th Dec 2013 (Sunday), 11.00 am

The second day of the conference is dedicated to Voice of Russia listeners. Voice of Russia delegates will listen to their audience, like to know their reaction on programs, websites & will also hear to criticisms and desires.

During the conference gifts & prizes will be given to active listeners & club members.

All radio listeners and friends of Russia's club members from South Asian countries are invited for the conference.

Venue :

Russian Cultural centre

Embassy of Russia Cultural Department

24 Ferozeshah Road, New Delhi 110001

tel. (+95) 011 23329102 (03)

e-mail: culture@del2.vsnl.net; delhi@rcsc.org.in; india-06@mail.ru

 

(Walking distance from Mandi House Metro Station)