Photo: DRM Consortium
Many thanks to a number of SWLing Post contributors who share the following news from the DRM Consortium:
Brazil prepares for domestic DRM transmissions to Amazonia (DRM Consortium)
DRM broadcasts from a locally produced transmitter will be originated for the first time in Latin America, as Brazil will officially start digital (DRM) shortwave transmissions through The National Radio of the Amazon towards the vast area of the northern Amazon region, mainly inhabited by indigenous populations.
In another first, Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC), the public broadcaster, placed the order for the high-powered transmitter with a local manufacturer, the BT Transmitters company from Porto Alegre. BT Transmitters signed a contract with EBC for the production of a 100 kW transmitter in the DRM digital system.
The equipment will be used on the 11,780 kHz frequency in the 25-meter band, which is one of the shortwave channels used by Rádio Nacional da Amazônia since 1977.
The purchase for R$3.5 million is the result of an auction held in August 2020, in which other equipment for EBC’s public radio broadcasts is planned to be acquired.
At the end of last year, Nacional da Amazônia carried out tests with the DRM technology using a transmitter of 2.5 kW with the digital power of just 1 kW. EBC demonstrated then, for the first time in the country, the use of multi-programming and the transmission of interactive multimedia applications.
Despite this low power of the transmitter supplied by BT Transmitters, recordings were reported from different regions of the country and even from North America and Europe (Radiolab – Começam transmissões de rádio digital DRM em onda curta no Brasil).
The results of the tests were published last month by the DRM Consortium.
The DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) standard provides power savings of up to 80% in electricity consumption, a sound quality equal or superior to FM, as well as allowing images and other data to be sent to the radio receiver.
DRM is a worldwide consortium, and more information can be found at www.drm.org.
This story was also noted in Radio World:
DRM Shortwave Will Serve Amazon Region (Radio World)
National Radio of the Amazon orders a 100 kW BT transmitter
National Radio of the Amazon plans to use DRM shortwave transmissions to serve indigenous populations in the northern Amazon region, according to the Digital Radio Mondiale Consortium.
Public broadcaster Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC) ordered a 100 kW BT transmitter to broadcast in DRM at 11,780 kHz in the 25-meter band, a shortwave channel used by Rádio Nacional da Amazônia.
The purchase, valued at about $650,000 USD, was the result of an auction held a year ago for purchase of equipment for EBC public radio broadcasts.
This is believed to be the first domestic DRM installation on a locally produced transmitter in Latin America.
Prof. Plínio Ricardo Ganime Alves, a pioneer of Brazilian Digital Radio, passed away on January 28th 2022 in Brasilia. He was titular professor at the Electric Engineering Department of the University of Brasília and Head of the antenna lab of the university for more than 30 years as he had been part of the Technology Faculty of the University since 1979. Prof Plínio was deeply involved and led the first Brazilian DRM HF transmissions, started in 2020 in partnership with the public Brazilian broadcaster, EBC, and the government.
His passing is a great loss to his family, students, engineers and academics he helped and mentored over the years, to the whole Brazilian broadcast community and the DRM friends everywhere. His DRM project will continue in Brazil and thus best honour his memory.
At least he has seen the letting of a contract for a high powered DRM HF service to the Amazon which will probably be received over a much greater area. A pity he won’t be at the commissioning ceremony. Rest in Peace.
How can old analogue radios be retrofitted to receive DRM? I don’t have any interest in modern devices or buying new. I want to keep my old vintage equipment.
So I’m hoping this (DRM decoding) is something Alex could include in a software update for the Belrig Belka DX.
You can use DREAM or SoDiRa with the I/Q output of the Belka to decode DRM.
This frequency, 11780kHz is listened across the country, not only in the Amazon jungle. I’d like to know whether they’re going to dedicate some of the time to DRM or the population that makes up their target audience will turn on the radio and listen to noise instead. I tuned the frequency RNA employed to test DRM here in southern Brasil using DREAM and an sdr receiver and the signal was strong enough to produce very good audio.
Please read the whole article. The transmitter has been ordered. It has not been build yet. You are receiving the 1 kW signal not the new one of 100 times the power.
Hm. So, they will broadcast a DRM signal into the Amazon jungle. Any DRM receivers available for the people linving there?
Exactly. And this frequency is very popular across the country, not only in the Amazon jungle. I’d like to know whether they’re going to dedicate some of the time to DRM or the population will turn on the radio and listen to noise instead. I tuned the frequency RNA used to test DRM here in southern Brasil using DREAM and an sdr receiver and the signal was strong enough to produce very good audio.
I agree? Who have a DRM receiver? And in general, what it the total number of DRM listener in the world?
600 million people in India have a high signal strength signal covering them use 35 high power DRM transmitters. The maximum transmitter power is one million Watts.
There is over 3 million cars with DRM fitted at no extra cost for a start. China and India manufacture portable radios but have not been releasing numbers. It is also difficult to get real numbers of HD radios in North America as well.
http://rx.linkfanel.net/ shows the location of kiwiSDR receivers nearly all receive DRM. They are all on the internet where you can remotely tune them.
Note: the receiver needs to include the latest, most efficient audio compression system called xHE-AAC to listen to these new transmissions.
Available receivers are https://www.drm.org/products-2/
Yes, but there aren’t receivers for the poorest people of the planet… It is difficult to buy one if the weekly wave is very low… An old SW radio, maybe used, can be used for decades. Who listen DRM in the poorest villages of the world where an AM shorwave received is a source of info for all people?
The 1 kW signal has been received in North America in the past, so when the 100 kW signal starts, try and receive it. There are SDR receivers with DRM decoding.