Re: [Swprograms] OT: Digital radio down under

[Daniel Say <say@xxxxxx>]

> It will be interesting to watch this mature in Australia.  The stated
> plan is to shut down analog MW / FM in "...the next decade or so..."
> 
> How well with rural Australians be served by digital radio?
> 
> How about people without the financial resources to afford new radios?
>  How will their needs be met?
> 
> I guess I find Australia (and Canada) interesting cases because their
> population densities are so much smaller than in Western Europe, where
> DAB has a stronger toehold, and the USA, where we have this voluntary
> IBOC system which nobody seems to like.
> 
> Population densities, from Wikipedia, in population per square km:
> 
> Belgium 341 (relatively early DAB adopter)
> United Kingdom 246
> Denmark 126 (relatively early DAB adopter)
> USA 31
> Canada 3
> Australia 2.84
> 
> Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA
--
        And the extra power times millions to run
	the computer=radio compared to smaller power
	analogue reception.

        Already we've found than some marginal analogue
	TV in the U.S. can't be received when they change
	to digital.  More on that soon in the U.S. as they
	do full digital.

and you saw MediaNetworks note?
BBC mediumwave DRM tests reveal problems after dark
May 23rd, 2009 - 9:45 UTC by Andy Sennitt 
The BBC.s year-long test of digital mediumwave radio proved a hit during daylight hours but was a serious turn-off for its band of volunteer listeners after sunset.
The trial, held in the south-west of England with a frequency used by BBC Radio Devon and codenamed Project Mayflower, revealed that the area covered by the DRM signal was much bigger than the one covered by analogue AM.
Reception during daylight hours was good and most panellists rated the audio quality as comparable to FM, but not as good as DAB. However, at night there were serious problems with reception, with the signal breaking down entirely in some cases. The BBC said the problem could be solved, but would require it to replan its transmission network or build more powerful transmitters.

http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/bbc-mediumwave-drm-tests-reveal-problems-after-dark

	I know that in Seattle a small card in a 
	TV station failed last year and wiped
	out all experimental digital for that 
	station.  They are much more fragile.
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