View Full Version : Does DRM have a future?
RichD790
29-01-2011, 06:04
..............and another quote from 2007
"The BBC World Service shortwave audience has grown by nearly 7 million since 2006 (a 7% increase). In addition, nearly 10 million has been added to the global estimate from surveys in places not previously included.
58% of the BBC’s radio audiences – 107 million people – listen to BBC World Service on shortwave."
I wish DRM had really taken off 5 years ago then they really could have had a big slice of these listeners.
Roy Sandgren
29-01-2011, 12:17
It's not BBC only on shortwave. Lot of english service from lot of SW-stations round the world.Even lot on mediumwave from Cyprus.
www.hfradio.org/swbc
If you read the entire BBC World Service Press Office article, you'll find that the reason is the demand to save money because of the current economical situation in Britain. BBC states in the bulletin that these measures are not fully in the interest of BBC themselves.
When I was in Japan last December and half January I noticed the decrease in "western" short-wave broadcasting. All I was able to hear (in, for me, understandable languages, in AM) was one BBC station, a few ABC from Australia and and a couple of RNZI from New Zealand.
In the 49 m band China occupied 9 channels, DPRK (North Korea) blocked 3 channels with jammers - to block KBS (South Korea).
In the 41 m band China occupied 15 channels and IBB/VOA one - with another Chinese on top.
Even worse odds for the 31 m band: 33 Chinese(sounding) channels at all times. One of these may also have been IBB/VOA and probably one from DPRK.
The "winner" was the 25 m band with 36 channels in Chinese. :eek:
Plus a Vietnamese with a sweep jammer in the background, Australia, New Zealand, Horrible hum AM in unrecognizable language (DPRK?), South Korea with K-pop in Spanish to South America and a hum-ridden signal with very low modulation.
11 Chinese channels in the 13 MHz band. And a Radio Australia channel.
In the 19 m band I was "blessed" with 25 Chinese channels.
Radio Australia and BBC in English was all I could get in English language. Actually this was the only BBC I heard in AM at all. The rest consisted of Russian, IBB/VO in Vietnamese(?) from Tinian, Japan in Japanese, a strong Russian probably IBB from the Philippines, a weak english pop music TX, NHK Japan in Japanese, Vatican Radio in English from the Philippines,
"HCA" sounds like a religious broadcast in chinese, IBB "Radio Free Asia" in Mandarin with a strong co-channel Chinese TX on top, FBS signing off (Marpi, Saipan), strong AM in un-understandable language (Philipin), a strong utility like RTTY (received in LSB), IBB propaganda in Lao from Tinjan.
In the 16 m band there were 15 Chinese transmitters blaring in Chinese (as all Chinese TX's) plus some 6 or 7 unidentified stations.
And finally 1 (one) Chinese in the 13 m band plus two IBB/VOA in Chinese and an Australian station.
Summing up:
ABC, RNZI and BBC. All the other frequencies were of no interest at all. China's motto seems to be: "If you can't beat them, jam them (with a Chinese broadcaster).
Seems like the future of short wave is: Wall-to-wall Chinese transmitters !!
Roy Sandgren
29-01-2011, 14:02
Check out www.hfradio.org/swbc and you click on english service, lot of stations currently in English service. not Chineese only.
If you read the entire BBC World Service Press Office article, you'll find that the reason is the demand to save money
... and Deutsche Welle in anticipatory obedience is doing the same:
http://www.matthewsworkbench.com/deutsche-welle-plans-cutbacks/
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1612979.php/Tighter-focus-cuts-ordered-at-German-broadcaster-Deutsche-Welle
more resources on Deutsche Welle homepage, but in German only.
Shortwave will be a thing of the past by 2013 as far as I understand this.
and remember: BBC and Deutsche Welle have been the main forces behind DRM
Check out www.hfradio.org/swbc
This does not provide a feature to select by target area, and Terje did speak of the listening location of Japan especially.
click on english service, lot of stations currently in English service. not Chineese only.
Hi Roy, that list is completely outdated. (And there are entries between 7.1-7.2 MHz, which are exclusively allocated to Amateur Radio!)
And, yes I especially wanted to point out what you can hear on SW in Japan if you are unfortunate enough not to have access to an Internet connection.... :rolleyes:
Roy Sandgren
29-01-2011, 15:36
I mean that there are more stations than BBC on shortwave in English and add lot of other languages too.
Roy Sandgren
29-01-2011, 15:43
But the production of small SW pocket radios is increasing, more than 300.000 monthly now. Many countries are in dictatorships and the people don't trust the domestic radio and internet can be blocked.
mvs sarma
30-01-2011, 16:29
But the production of small SW pocket radios is increasing, more than 300.000 monthly now. Many countries are in dictatorships and the people don't trust the domestic radio and internet can be blocked.
Perhaps Radio can also be blocked. Some nations are doing it as of now.
FritzWue
30-01-2011, 16:55
But the production of small SW pocket radios is increasing, more than 300.000 monthly now.
Apropos:
What is the minimum power needed to decode DRM in portable radios?
I think DRM decoding out of batteries still is a general problem.
mitajohn
17-02-2011, 10:45
Hi all,
Some activity for DRM+ in UK. Read this: http://www.drm.org/uploads/files/DRM+%20UK%20press%20releasevFinal.pdf
mvs sarma
17-02-2011, 15:14
Hi all,
Some activity for DRM+ in UK. Read this: http://www.drm.org/uploads/files/DRM+%20UK%20press%20releasevFinal.pdf
Remote power line metering, using digital communication on open wire lines, creates doubts regarding interference blocking reception of DRM.
This is becoming more a universal phenomenon and there is no effort from the wireless planing and coordination wings of the concerned governments.
Standard has been published
http://news.google.de/news/url?sa=t&ct2=de%2F0_0_s_2_0_t&ct3=MAA4AEgCUABgAWoCZGU&usg=AFQjCNESsfCje9TohRZrIRBzdYFUliDZCQ&cid=8797656878311&ei=GmJdTYj6Dtqv_QaCiY3eAg&rt=SEARCH&vm=STANDARD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.radioworld.com%2Farticle%2F11 3336
Controversy
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/february2011/emc_society_withdraws.htm
An initial report on the Edinburgh DRM+ trial has been posted to the Web, summarised here with a link to the full presentation:
http://radiomagonline.com/digital_radio/ebu-notes-uk-drm-0302/
RichD790
12-04-2011, 12:52
The following text is from the BBCWS web, so I suppose I have to be thankful for the "token" four hours of WS we get daily in Europe (maybe "token" is a bit harsh, token 35 minutes is what we get from RTL) although I would prefer a schedule change on saturdays and sundays to take in Sportsworld instead.
The last sentence doesn't sound so good
"BBC World Service has collaborated with DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) and the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle on the development of digital short and long wave media, and transmissions launched in 2009. Currently, BBC World Service programming is carried on DRM frequencies for Europe between 0400 and 0800 GMT daily. Special receivers are required. Please note that funding for this service is not guaranteed beyond 2011".
...Please note that funding for this service is not guaranteed beyond 2011".
To be fair I don't blame them. After 10 years of spending money on DRM transmissions, to a miniscule audience that is seeing no growth, it makes no business sense to continue.
The only hope of survival is with the advent of large scale DRM broadcasting in Asia that will spur the manufacture of suitable low cost receivers.
Roy Sandgren
13-04-2011, 13:36
Best solution is to run an am station and relay the service on SW in DRM to get listners outside the normal am areas.
RichD790
14-04-2011, 13:51
To be fair I don't blame them. After 10 years of spending money on DRM transmissions, to a miniscule audience that is seeing no growth, it makes no business sense to continue.
The only hope of survival is with the advent of large scale DRM broadcasting in Asia that will spur the manufacture of suitable low cost receivers.
I hope it happens AF4MP, it's going to take time though. I suppose in a perfect world DRM capable World Radios should have been made available the same time that cutbacks in SW transmissions really started (2002?) as a natural progression onto the new format. I note that Roberts have taken the BBC World Service logo off their world travel analogue radio range although it does say "perfect for listening to the world service"; outside Europe that is.
Just the same, enjoy the post about TDF DRM and that breathtaking photo of the TDF site at:
http://drmna.bcdx.org/wp/?p=765#more-765
Deutsche Welle will shut down Sines and Trincomalee
http://www.radioeins.de/programm/sendungen/medienmagazin/radio_news/radionews_2011_05_08.html
(German only)
Hi my friends
It is time to say goodbye to Sines DW station. Goodby to our joobs and our efforts to make the DRM the future of shortwave. Next November 1, Sines will be close, and employees will be more a dozen numbers in addition to the 750,000 portuguese unemployed.
Goodbye and thanks for your help to promove the DRM.
:(
73 fromn Sines
Carlos Mourato
The truth is there
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6529299,00.html
Carlos, I was shocked when I heard the news. The decision to close the Sines transmitter makes me very sad as I was able to visit the station some years ago and met the people who made the well transmission-quality possible and kept everything running (actually I am not sure if I even met you for a short moment...!). I will never forget the tx-station in Sines, a very special day in my DXing-"career" and an impressive experience.
Regarding your words you supported DRM: I think you did the best you could (and still can). If we want to find the reasons for why DRM is at the position where it is in Europe currently, we have to look somewhere else, but not at Profunk / DW-Sines.
Carlos, there is still some time left until Nov 1st, but I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your regular updates here on the forum from inside the DW-relay and you and the other employees for the good services.
For everyone who does not know the station or hasn't seen any pictures of it: This (http://www.dxaktuell.de/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/sines-gross.jpg) is the building and one of the turnable antennas. I took this photo during my visit.
I remember the station-manager smiling and telling me that they have a little carriage with a tank full of water which they could use for putting out small fires on the location (this was a year with many forest fires, I saw one on my travel away from Sines). Now Sines-tx-station will eliminated - but not by a forest fire...
Hi Carlos and all,
Very sad news indeed. BBC in DRM from Sines was a relatively easy catch in Japan last December. Sitting there without Internet, Sines brought me some of the world news which NHK and the other Japanese "Super News" :rolleyes: TV stations could not provide. What will the future of Short Wave become? In-house PLC? Oh what a vision. The manufacturers of these pests won't even notch out the BC bands; perhaps they know the future of Short Wave better than anybody else on this planet... :confused: :confused:
Hi my friends
It is time to say goodbye to Sines DW station.
This makes me so sad.
After all the work I also did on DRM before I retired, it has amounted to nothing.
I am certain that DRM does have a future :-)
Frank
After all the work I also did on DRM before I retired, it has amounted to nothing.
No. All the work done on DRM has made this new digital modulation system a technical success. We are now waiting for the next phase which is the successful commercial implementation.
No. All the work done on DRM has made this new digital modulation system a technical success. We are now waiting for the next phase which is the successful commercial implementation.
And we all know from experience that just because a system is technically superior doesn't guarantee its commercial success :-(
We are now waiting for the next phase which is the successful commercial implementation.
... for eight years or so.
This will not come - at least not in "developed" countries, see also:
http://www.drmrx.org/forum/showpost.php?p=58314&postcount=191
This will not come - at least not in "developed" countries
See my post #267 in this thread.
Roy Sandgren
22-05-2011, 13:22
Smartest idea is to relay your mediumwave station in DRM on shortwave, just to get better coverage.
FritzWue
29-05-2011, 19:18
More bad news:
http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/rdp-to-suspend-shortwave-transmissions-from-1-june
Roy Sandgren
30-05-2011, 07:13
Even Radio Sweden ended the SW service and demolished the 9 antennas and sold out the 3 x 500kW's to Radio netherland. Did any of you tuned into Radio Nord revial last weekend?? It was on 1512 and 603 KHz and on 41-and 31-m band.
Yes, I did. But unfortunatly I did not have the time to try all the frequencies. I was able to receive their transmission on 1512 kHz on their first transmission some weeks ago, by the way. I am not sure if I heard them on 603 kHz this time. SW reception was not so easy like when they were on 6060 kHz all the time.
RichD790
23-08-2011, 13:48
"DRM’s presence at this year’s IBC aims to give participants a hands-on experience of the full DRM offering.
DRM will be holding events over 3 days - 10th, 11th and 12th of September presenting the latest developments for DRM30 and DRM+, together with practical demonstrations to “show you how” to utilise DRM and finally showcasing brand new receiver options soon to be available to consumers from Chengdu, MSWAY, Keti, Frontier Silicon and Uniwave."
Hope these new receiver options can give everything a much needed push.
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