Re: [IRCA] DRM in Germany

[Andrea Lawendel <lawendel@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 24/set/05, at 20:34, Richard Toebe wrote:

>
>
> As someone who DXed 51 countries on LW/MW on my last 3 week trip  
> over there, I have mixed feelings about it.  DRM does not seem to  
> be interested in a hybrid mode, so interference may be less over  
> there.  My receptions of DRM stations' hash on MW didn't slop as  
> badly as HD Radio does here.
>


Interesting thread. My feeling are not that mixed. Frankly, if DRM  
takes up on MW I already know I'll have to give up TA DX completely.  
It's true DRM tests so far seem to be less sloppy on nearby channels,  
but please consider much of that is low to medium power. Don't forget  
we've got some 100s kilowatters here. I'm not sure how a digital RAI  
Radiouno on 900 kHz would sound on, say, 930. Rumors have it the  
former Radiodue trasmitter on 693 (now shut off) will be back with  
DRM tests, but that should've started last January...


> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Chris Black
>
>
> So it looks like their acceptance of this technology is ahead of us.

It's actually far less accepted. HD radio is a small commercial  
reality in the US already, but here in Southern Europe nobody,  
literally, has ever heard about digital terrestrial radio. Younger  
generations don't even know about medium waves, nothing exists  
outside the FM space. Digital radio means DAB in UK and partially in  
Germany. When I read about European broadcaster trying to breath new  
life into local MW with what? DRM?  words simply fail me.

Richard is right about DRM radios having been presented at Berlin's  
IFA, but it's about the third "launch" in three years. Market for DAB  
radio (which needs much wider bandwidth in the VHF or L-Band  
frequencies) is just starting to thrive, with several models. It  
works nice, DAB I mean, so nice that Finland has just decided to drop  
it and Germany is considering ending its longtime tests. Italy has  
just regulated on how to give out licenses for DAB. Nobody asked for  
them, yet; we have some tests ongoing, covering a meager 30% of our  
geography (in theory), with a total of 20 programs or so. If you're  
lucky, you would find a few DAB car radios and a single portable  
model sold by Sangean in perhaps five shops in the whole country. So  
long, DAB, I'm afraid.

But DRM? You got hundreds of radio channel when you hook up to  
digital satellite, many radio channels will be hosted on new digital  
terrestrial tv "ensembles". And don't forget cellular penetration  
averages 80-90% in many European countries: new standards like DVB-H  
(H for handheld) and other, coming from South Korea for instance,  
mean that we're sooner getting digital radio in our handheld phones  
than on "out-by-next-Christmas-we-promise" DRM radios. The argument  
for DRM is mainly driven by the broadcast equipment industry, but  
here in Europe small local stations are not so common, outside Spain  
or UK. Local FM stations have longtime been syndacated in nation-wide  
networks and I sincerely doubt they'll be ready to invest in new  
equipment to upgrade their huge infrastructures to digital (DAB or  
DRM, which has been proposed for FM frequencies too). Not with a  
market which wouldn't be able to listen to their programs and ads.  
Local stations on MW are even scarcer and national or regional  
broadcaster are simply closing down their LW/MW, analogue or digital.

I know I'm biased, but analogue radio serves us very well here on FM,  
while MW is something only very old grown-ups remember, DVB (or IP,  
for that matter)-derived digital radio content could find its way  
more easily to digital set top boxes and handhelds. Mass production  
of DRM sets could take much too long. DRM tests, in the meantime, is  
a huge pain in the back for our hobby and IBOC is gradually eroding  
our potential TA targets. Not funny but c'est la vie.

73s
Andy
Milan, Italy
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