[A-DX] Log: 1080 kHz, AIR Rajkot in DRM, 1520 UT.

[Rémy Friess]

Le 01/11/2016 23:22, Christoph Ratzer a écrit :
> [...]
> Somit hat AIR heute auf 1080 seine DRM Zuhörerzahl 
> sicher kurzfristig verdoppelt.
> [...]

Hallo,

"Kurzfristig verdoppelt" war wohl als Scherz gemeint, aber es könnte auch nahe an der Wahrheit sein.

Es könnte bald aus sein mit dem DRM Unsinn in Indien.

Ich leite folgendes weiter. 

73, Rémy

-------- Message original --------

DNA
November 11, 2016
By Amrita Nayak Dutta

Laying out an action plan for AIR, an IIT-Bombay report says short wave 
and medium wave services have few takers and must be scrapped

AIR should phase out short wave and medium wave services, accessed 
through the once ubiquitous transistors and radio sets, and focus on FM 
instead, recommends an IIT-Bombay report while giving a thumbs down to 
the digital DRM technology that the public broadcaster is pushing.

With most people accessing radio on their mobiles or car stereos, only a 
small fraction of listeners in urban areas use the difficult-to-buy 
transistors and radio sets, says the technical audit report on All India 
Radio's short wave and medium wave services.

Barely 10 per cent of people, mostly the elderly, in urban localities 
listen to short wave or medium wave services, Girish Kumar, professor in 
IIT-B’s electrical engineering department who headed the team conducting 
the audit for AIR’s parent body Prasar Bharati, told DNA.

Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) receivers, pegged by AIR as a technology 
replacement for Soviet-era worn-out short and medium wave transmitters, 
are just too expensive, the report says. Though a DRM transmitter can 
give higher range than others, installing a larger number of FM 
transmitters can help cover the entire country.

However, AIR continues to replace short and medium wave transmitters in 
the country with DRM transmitters even though the technology has few 
takers in India, sources disclosed.

“During the audit, I visited prominent electronic stores of Mumbai to 
buy a transistor. However, no transistor, radio set or even a DRM 
receiver was available there. They are available only in some online 
sites. But some people in rural areas are still using decade-old radio 
sets or handheld transistors," Kumar said.

“That is why our report had strongly recommended shutting down short 
wave and medium wave services for AIR and augment the number of FM 
towers instead.” This would help in rural areas too where mobile phones 
with FM services are increasing.
DRM transmitters, Kumar explained, can offer good range but listeners 
have to buy a receiver that could be as expensive as Rs.15,000. “Why 
would people buy a DRM receiver to listen to radio when they can do the 
same on their mobile phones or their cars?” he asked.

“Even for the newly installed DRM transmitter in Malad, there are barely 
any takers, both because of expensive receivers and lack of awareness 
about it,” he said.

In the 11th Plan, Rs.9.29 billion has been earmarked for AIR to go digital.

The new channel, AIR Maitree, that broadcasts programmes to Bangladesh 
is transmitted through a digital transmitter even though most people in 
Bangladesh avail FM radio services on their phones and hardly use DRM 
receivers. There is no feedback gathering mechanism to check if AIR 
Maitree programmes are being heard in Bangladesh at all, sources admitted.

Audit details:

The audit included field measurements at more than 13,000 locations and 
above 9,000 people surveys. Most people do not have a good medium wave, 
short wave radio receivers and the quality of medium wave reception is 
not as good as FM radio.

In fact, most people interviewed are unaware of AIR’s outdated short 
wave and medium wave services, the report states.
Barring hilly and border areas, medium wave services should be shut in 
metro and all major cities and the number of FM transmitters should be 
increased, it says and suggests important programmes on medium wave and 
short wave services be broadcast via FM radio.

At present, 145 medium wave and 48 short wave transmitters are located 
in 125 cities of India. Being from the Soviet era, most of the equipment 
is now worn out. Non-availability of spare parts has added to the 
problem. As a result, there is poor transmission of signals in most 
parts of the country.

--------------------------------------------------------------