Re: [Swprograms] ANNIVERSARY WATCH

[jfiglio1@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Thanks for the update, Ralph.  I've been preoccupied with other things and not as attentive lately to all the blogs/report spots as I'd like to be.  I recall you mentioned your disappointing experiences with DRM previously.  I wonder if part of the problem is the low power being used to transmit.  More power would seem to be one way of overcoming local noise.  Of course, if forced to boost transmitting power, stations lose one (perhaps the most important for them) of the selling points for DRM--dramatically lower power costs.

The other factors you mention--distance from transmitter to receiver and the ambient noise level of the listener's environment--are also disconcerting.  If anything, noise levels are rising, not falling; and, as you correctly point out, if relays in proximity to the listener are critical (some might call that "critical distance"--with apologies to Jonathan), there will need to be quite a build-out of transmitting facilities in key locales.  Add to that the necessity to use satellite relays as feeders and the cost factors rise there too.

This is all just musing, but putting a $900+ receiver on the market that performs (and, more importantly, sounds!) as poorly as initially reported (if indeed it does) seems a dubious way to go.  As Andy Sennitt pointed out elsewhere, there will be improvements and this is only a first pass; but shouldn't the first effort been more than this?  OTOH, if your more expensive and elaborate set-up also had poor results, what chance does a portable receiver have?

As usual, lots of questions; few answers.

John Figliozzi

----- Original Message -----
From: Ralph Brandi <swprograms@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 12:09 pm
Subject: Re: [Swprograms] ANNIVERSARY WATCH

> John Figliozzi said:
> >IMHO, it won't even have a chance unless someone gets some affordable
> >receivers on the market soon.  Yes, the first ones will be pricey but
> >there are some (hint, hint) that will be willing to pay the early
> >premium to have one and then the prices will move downward.
> >
> >But, at this point, there isn't a "real" receiver available.  I 
> did hear
> >a report that MAYAH was beginning to fill orders from 
> distributors for
> >its DRM2010 (US$750+), but have seen no evidence that it's true.
> 
> I have seen evidence that it's true.  Radio Netherlands has 
> received a production run radio for testing.  I also saw something 
> posted that Stig Hartvig Nielsen in Denmark has received one.  
> Jonathan Marks has one (perhaps the Radio Netherlands receiver?) 
> and is planning to bring it with him on a trip to the western U.S. 
> for testing.  So they do indeed appear to be trickling out.
> 
> Initial reports on the radio are not good.  Stig reports very poor 
> reception of DRM signals from the radio.  And Andy Sennitt points 
> out that the speaker in the radio is terrible.  You can read their 
> reports at http://www.wwdxc.de/topnews2.htm.  It's at the bottom 
> of the page.  Jonathan talks about his plans at 
> http://criticaldistance.blogspot.com/2004/06/digitale-radio-
> mondiale-schedule-data.html.
> 
> You'll also notice some critical comments from yrs. truly on DRM 
> in the comments to Jonathan's post.  I had my AOR 7030 Plus 
> modified to be DRM-capable by AOR UK when I had it in the shop for 
> repairs a few months ago.  I have not been impressed by DRM at 
> all, sadly.  The marketing problems they have may be the least of 
> their problems, at least here in the U.S.  Whether affordable 
> receivers come on the market soon or not, DRM may very well fail 
> on its merits.
> -- 
> Ralph Brandi     http://www.brandi.org/
> 
> Shortwave loggings database: http://www.brandi.org/logs/
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