DRM to Celebrate Indian Platform Activity with Workshop in New Delhi

India is one of the leading countries in introducing DRM through an ambitious roll-out plan spearheaded by the public broadcaster, All India Radio (AIR). The progress has been good but the successful take-up of Digital Radio for the millions of radio listening Indians will depend on: affordable receivers, sufficient digital broadcasts, effective marketing and good content.

With the endorsement of AIR, the DRM Consortium launched an "Indian DRM Chapter" (Platform) in February 2011. Its focus is to support the digital roll-out in India.

The Platform, which meets virtually every month in order to exchange information and share in the latest development, is to hold a DRM Workshop at the LaLit Hotel in New Delhi on November 22 offer an opportunity to all interested parties and stakeholders to hear how the DRM transmissions in India have been progressing, to get the latest DRM news from all over the world and receive an update on the All India Radio digital roll-out.

Mr Yogendra Pal, the Honorary Chair of the India Platform is looking forward to this meeting of the India Platform: "The meeting of the Indian Platform members is long overdue. Though we share information virtually all the time there is no better way to get the latest information and contribute to the successful introduction of DRM in India, than meeting face to face."

Ruxandra Obreja, DRM Consortium Chair, is keen that this event should be open and welcoming to anyone interested: "DRM needs to go beyond the transmission sites and excite radio manufacturers, content-makers and listeners now. As you know, the DRM India Platform is open to membership from other broadcasters, digital chip, module and receiver manufacturers, transmission companies, distributors and retailers. On the 22nd we will all meet and take the project forward."

For more information on the event on November 22nd please write to : projectoffice@drm.org

About DRM

 

Dgital Radio Mondiale TM (DRM) is the universal, openly standardised digital broadcasting system for all broadcasting frequencies below and above 30 MHz, including LW, MW, SW, band I, II (FM band) and band III. DRM provides digital sound quality and the ease-of-use that comes from digital radio, combined with a wealth of enhanced features: Surround Sound, Journaline text information, Slideshow, EPG, and data services. DRM on short, medium and long wave for broadcasting bands up to 30 MHz (called 'DRM30') provides large coverage areas and low power consumption. The enhancement of the DRM standard for broadcast frequencies above 30 MHz ('DRM+') uses the same audio coding, data services, multiplexing and signalling schemes as DRM30 but introduces an additional transmission mode optimized for those bands.

(Press Release)

In 5 minutes from now .....Radio United to mark 90 years of the BBC

Blur frontman Damon Albarn has prepared a special composition to be
broadcast simultaneously on all BBC Radio stations this afternoon to
celebrate 90 years of BBC broadcasting.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9678178/Damon-Albarn-broadcast-to-mark-90-years-of-the-BBC.html

AWR now on FM band in India

Historic First Radio Program Aired in India

 

November 13, 2012 11:30

 

by Shelley Nolan Freesland

AWR Communication Director

 

Today [November 12, 2012], a Seventh-day Adventist program was broadcast for the first time on FM radio in India. The program was produced by Adventist World Radio (AWR) in the Telugu language, and was aired on a station in Hyderabad, India. The name of the program is Avennel, which means The Dawn in Telugu.

 

Adventist World Radio has just signed a contract with a broadcast agency for an initial series of 11 Telugu programs. Additional broadcasts in Hindi and English will follow in other large cities, such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Pune, Delhi, and others, as resources permit.

 

Hyderabad – known as India's "cyber capital" – is a city of more than nine million people and has the largest Muslim population in India. After China, India is the second most-populated country in the world.

 

"This is a very significant step to reach the large cities in India, which comes after two years of intensive work negotiating with related agencies and preparing the programs," says AWR president Dowell Chow. "Thanks to God and our faithful supporters, we are now blessed to be able to witness the opening of a new window of opportunity to reach the people of India with the gospel of salvation."

 

This first program went on the air at 5:30 p.m. local time in Hyderabad. AWR currently broadcasts programs for Indian listeners in 13 languages, through shortwave radio, on demand, and podcasts.

 

(AWR)

Jose Jacon via dx_india yg ...

According to info received from AWR office, Pune, India the schedule of the new AWR broadcast via All India Radio, Hyderabad is as follows:

Vividh Bharathi, All India Radio, Hyderabad 102.8 MHz 10 kW
Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday : 5.30 pm IST (1200 UTC)
Telugu language.
 

Prince Edward Island DXpedition 2012

Howe Bay, Prince Edward Island, Canada (46°19'N 62°22'W)
October 28 - November 2, 2012

http://www.bamlog.com/howebaydx.htm

BBC DRM 5845 kHz

2012-11-04 1456 Z 0 h 39 m 28N/77E 5845 kHz #BBCWorldService_DRM #DR111 21.0 dB avg SNR 99.8% audio #drmlog 

Digital Radio Mondiale

Australia, India ink broadcasting partnership pact

New Delhi, Nov.8 (ANI): The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and India's Public Broadcaster, Prasar Bharati, will help to build a much stronger people-to-people and media partnership between our two countries', said Australian Minister for the Arts and Regional Development Simon Crean following a meeting today with Jawhar Sircar, the CEO of Prasar Bharati.

Read more at :

http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/11/08/281-Australia-India-ink-broadcasting-partnership-pact.html

KBC 9450 kHz special test of digital text

The Mighty KBC will test to the USA on Sunday 11 November 2012 at 0000 - 0200 UTC on 9450 kHz !

Please join the Mighty KBC for a test of a digital text sent via a shortwave broadcast transmitter. This will take place during the next transmission to North America, Sunday 0000-0200 UTC, at approximately 0130 and just before the end of the broadcast at 0200.

All you need is a basic shortwave receiver (no SSB mode is necessary), and a basic personal computer. Using a patch cord, you will feed the radio out of the earphone jack (or line out) of your radio into the microphone jack of your PC. If you don't have a patch cord, you can try placing the speaker of your radio close to the built-in microphone of a laptop PC.

You will also need software. There are several freeware or shareware programs used by the amateur radio community that decode digital text modes. One is FLDIGI, available from http://www.w1hkj.com .

After installing FLDIGI, pull down the Configure menu, then click Sound Card, and select the soundcard your PC is using. You might also have to adjust your audio settings. In Windows 7, left click twice on the speaker icon in the lower right of PC display, then click Options, then click Properties, then click Recording, then click the input that works. Other operating systems will have different procedures. A good way to test your audio settings is to try to decode the radio amateurs using the PSK31 mode on 14070 kHz.

For the test digital text transmissions on Sunday, The Mighty KBC will be using the QPSK125 mode. On your software, your cursor should be centered on 1500 Hertz, where you will see the "waterfall" of the QPSK125 signal. You can decode the transmission while you receive it, or record the transmission and decode from the recording. The latter will give you more opportunities to perfect the technique.

The test to be transmitted will be a formatted html file. Copy it from <html> to (and including) </html>, and paste it to a text editor (such as Notepad in Windows). Save the file, using any file name, with the suffix .htm or .html. Then open the file in any web browser. If all goes well, this might be the first time you receive a shortwave radio broadcast in color !

In the future, an app will be developed to make this process simpler!

(KBC Mailing List)

Internet killed the shortwave star: Radio Canada shuts down Sackville, NB, broadcaster

The high-powered shortwave transmitters used to broadcast CBC's international radio service (RCI) to the world have been permanently shut down due to a "world wide decline in shortwave use."

More at :

http://o.canada.com/2012/11/07/shortwave/

Is ITU Really Threatening the Internet?

Food for thought .....

http://newsclick.in/india/itu-really-threatening-internet

Radio Free Asia upgrades automated reception report system

Radio Free Asia (RFA) is ready to launch a new automated reception report system ! For years DXers have been able to submit reception reports to RFA at: www.techweb.rfa.org and receive a QSL card in the mail.

In a few days RFA will relaunch the site with system upgrades including:

- an easier-to-navigate interface

- DXer registration

- option to submit anonymous reception reports

Background

The Q-code was developed and instituted in 1912 in order to facilitate communication between maritime radio operators of different nationalities. It is for this reason that the Q-prefix has been excluded from call-signs. Shortwave radio listeners, or DXers, direct their "QSL" request (Can you verify transmission?) to radio stations around the world they happened to have monitored. "D" in DX is for distance and the "X" refers to the unknown. DXers are hobbyists who enjoy DXing or trying to pick up radio stations from a distance.

These reception reports are valuable to radio stations as they assist in evaluating transmission signal strength and quality. Radio stations usually reply by mailing a "QSL Card". The QSL card acknowledges the receipt of the report and confirms the details of the transmission. 

To make the best of changing propagation conditions, RFA rotates frequencies during the summer and winter seasons to maintain the best possible coverage. As a shortwave broadcaster, Reception Reports are

important to RFA in helping determine the best frequencies to use in order to reach our target audience.

RFA is a private, nonprofit corporation that broadcasts news and information to listeners in Asian countries where full, accurate, and timely news reports are unavailable. Created by Congress in 1994 and incorporated in 1996, RFA currently broadcasts in Burmese, Cantonese, Khmer, Korean to North Korea, Lao, Mandarin, the Wu dialect, Vietnamese, Tibetan (Uke, Amdo, and Kham), and Uyghur. RFA strives for

accuracy, balance, and fairness in its editorial content. As a 'surrogate' broadcaster, RFA provides news and commentary specific to each of its target countries, acting as the free press these countries lack. RFA broadcasts only in local languages and dialects, and most of its broadcasts comprise news of specific local interest. More information about Radio Free Asia, including our current broadcast frequency schedule, is available at www.rfa.org/english/about/frequencies.html.

You also have the option of using the Microsoft Tag from your smartphone. The free mobile app for your smartphone is available at http://gettag.mobi.

Reception reports are also accepted by email at qsl@rfa.org, and for anyone without Internet access, reception reports can be mailed at:

Reception Reports

Radio Free Asia

2025 M. Street NW, Suite 300

Washington DC 20036

United States of America

(A.J.Janitschek, RFA)

Man creates software to send computer data through the radio

Imagine getting email and data over the radio. A 22-year-old has developed a software that lets one do just that. Radio reaches every corner of India. Small transistors are cheap and easily available. Vinny Lohan has found a way to send computer data over normal radio waves. He believes that the idea could get all India online in a jiffy.

More at :

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/man-creates-software-to-send-computer-data-through-the-radio/303946-11.html

Nepal’s Radio Boom: Too Many Stations?

When it comes to the penetration of FM radio stations, Nepal is one of the most successful countries in the world,” said Santosh Devkota. He is managing director of Cool Tool Digital Media Pvt. Ltd. (DigiMed), an FM radio consultancy/training firm located in Kathmandu.

More at :
http://www.radioworld.com/article/nepal%E2%80%99s-radio-boom-too-many-stations/216195

BBC Hindi launches Global India on ETV

BBC World Service and ETV Network have announced the launch of the BBC Hindi TV programme, Global India, on five channels of ETV, India's leading regional network across the country's Hindi-speaking states.

From Friday 2 November, the BBC's brand-new TV programme in Hindi will air weekly at prime time on ETV Bihar / Jharkhand, ETV Uttar Pradesh / Uttrakhand, ETV Rajasthan, ETV Madhya Pradesh / Chhattisgarh and ETV Urdu.

With BBC Hindi's Rupa Jha as its lead presenter, Global India is a weekly 30-minute magazine-style show which brings alive the best of the BBC journalism from across the world, focusing on news and

developments that resonate with the Indian audience. Ranging from hard news to human-interest stories, culture and technology, the show aims to connect with millions of Hindi-speaking audiences through the expansive reach of ETV channels.

ETV Network, a leader in India's Hindi regional belt, especially with channels across ETV HSM as well as ETV Urdu, has been reaching out to viewers from urban to semi-urban and rural areas. Being an essential part of the viewer's daily TV experience, the network will form the perfect partner for BBC Hindi to engage with a much larger audience base in India.

Rupa Jha says: "I am thrilled to front our new TV programme. Showcasing the best of BBC journalism, Global India will deliver original BBC stories as they are lived by our journalists across the world. After years of being part of the BBC Hindi radio and online team, I am really looking forward to the excitement of connecting with our audiences on TV."

BBC Hindi has been a household name in India, known and respected for its objective and comprehensive reporting – on radio, online and via mobile phones. Commenting on the service's move to TV broadcasting, BBC World Service Head of Journalism, Nikki Clarke, says: "This is a great development for the BBC in India, showing our commitment to our Hindi-speaking audiences. With this expansion on television, BBC Hindi builds on the strength of the BBC as a news brand in India. The editorial thrust of Global India reflects the strong interest in stories from around the world that are important for India and are brought alive by the BBC's world-renowned newsgathering operation.''

BBC World Service Head of Business Development - Asia Pacific, Indu Shekhar Sinha, adds: "There have been huge changes in the way Hindi-speaking audiences consume our content, and as we work to adjust our distribution footprint to better serve them, the launch of Global India signals the fact that BBC Hindi is expanding in India's media market. We are excited to be partnering with the ETV network to bring this dynamic new programme to millions of viewers."

Commenting on the partnership with BBC Hindi, a spokesperson from ETV Network says: "ETV is an integral part of the regional audiences across the country, providing them with rich infotainment across languages. For years, ETV HSM channels and ETV Urdu have penetrated across the length and breadth of the country to provide a perfect blend of reach and viewers' loyalty. Global India, created by BBC Hindi, will be a unique proposition for viewers of the ETV network across India, as it will share new, fresh and relevant content, further strengthening our commitment as a responsible news brand in the country. The content we offer through our range of channels is extremely attractive and relevant to our audiences. The ETV news bureau provides fast and reliable news to its viewers, and with BBC Hindi bringing in their international expertise through Global India, it will add further variety to the existing content of ETV. This new programme will also give our viewers an opportunity to meet Indians spread across the world."

Global India will be broadcast every Friday on five channels of the ETV network at 8pm on ETV Bihar / Jharkhand and ETV Uttar Pradesh / Uttrakhand; and at 6pm on ETV Rajasthan, ETV Madhya Pradesh / Chhattisgarh and ETV Urdu. It will be repeated on Saturdays at 8.30pm on ETV Urdu, and at 9.30pm on all the other channels. It will be repeated on Sundays at 11.30am in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar at 9.30am in Rajasthan and at 1pm on ETV Urdu.

 

(BBC Press Release)

Article on AIR Guwahati

Excellent article on AIR Guwahati, thanks to Rupam Sarma for the link .....

Aakashbani Guwahati : Nibha Rani Rai

http://enajori.com/this-is-all-india-radio-guwahati-nibha-rani-rai/

Follow the links at the bottom of the article for 3 more articles on
AIR in Assamese.

Hurricane Sandy Fails to Stop VOA Broadcasts

Pounding rain and 80 mile an hour winds from Hurricane Sandy shut down U.S.government offices and Washington, D.C. public transportation Monday and Tuesday, but it didn't stop VOA journalists, technicians and support personnel from delivering news around the world in 43 languages.

"We had people sleep on couches around the building, and one used a cot, but the cots are not very comfortable," English Branch Chief Terry Wing says. "Some folks came in early on Monday, some stayed late, a couple are still here, I think some are going on 30 hours or more."

VOA Director David Ensor says every show aired on schedule. "It was extraordinary, hundreds of programs went out, we never missed a beat." Ensor says many language services provided constant updates to network affiliate stations around the world.

Executive Editor Steve Redisch says, "The Spanish Branch did more than 50 live shots to affiliates in Latin America and had a reporter on the New Jersey beach. The Russian Service was on with their affiliate, and the Indonesian Service filed for 20 radio and TV affiliates." Redisch says those are just some examples of what went on during the storm.

Newsroom Deputy Managing Editor David Jones, who spent the night at a nearby hotel, says it was all hands on deck. "People were great. We had TV and radio packages on the weather, and our political reporter did a story on how the hurricane affected the campaign, but most of our coverage was international -- the fighting in Syria, Secretary of State [Hillary] Clinton's trip to the Balkans, the Ukrainian Election, and there was something on South African politics," Jones says.

Executive Editor Redisch says there was a lot of resourcefulness. The French-to-Africa Service found a French speaking meteorologist at the National Weather Service, and the Mandarin Service TV show was anchored by an alternate who borrowed clothes so she could host the program.

While VOA journalists were hunkered down in Washington, videographer Daniela Schrier managed to capture something that nobody else had, footage of flood waters rushing through streets of Lower Manhattan Monday night. Schrier, who was trapped in her apartment in New York's East Village, managed to upload the video to Washington just before she lost power.

(VOA Press Release)