Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor David Iurescia, who shares a promising update from Radio New Zealand International:
Papua New Guinea’s national broadcaster, NBC, has announced plans to reintroduce shortwave radio as part of a strategy to achieve full nationwide coverage by 2030. This move recognizes shortwave’s vital role in reaching remote and rural communities across PNG’s rugged terrain—areas where internet and FM signals remain unreliable or nonexistent. Read the full article on RNZ’s website: PNG’s national broadcaster moves to reintroduce shortwave radio for nationwide coverage by 2030.
As a former Station Manager of Radio Kerema, Radio Morobe and Radio Bougainville, all Department of Information and Extension Services (DIES) stations broadcasting on shortwave in PNG to local audiences in several different languages, I am delighted to see that the NBC has returned to the successful shortwave radio model of the 1970s to reach its audiences.
Good news to enthusiastic DX-ing fans around the world. At a time when large international radio stations are shutting off their shortwave broadcasts citing financial constraints, it is but gratifying to hear about PNG’s upcoming plans.
Warm regards to all radio listeners,
Jayanta Chakrabarty
New Delhi, India
Radio New Zealand and the Chinese also broadcast to PNG, Alas Radio Australia stopped i 2019.
PNG is the ideal location for HF DRM. Many potential listeners not only have no internet and some also don’t have electricity.
Not only do you get excellent sound, you also get Emergency Warnings for volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, cyclones and searches in jungles and large oceans. This can include maps and detailed instructions. Many potential listeners not only have no internet and some also don’t have electricity.
DRM have demonstrated education by radio using text images as well speech.
:Broadcasting in DRM is cheaper to transmit tan AM
You don’t get an “excellent sound”, all you get is highly compressed and distorted digital sound, worse than a phone call. DRM offers bitrates worse than early 90s dialup – HF DRM cannot even deliver 30 kbps. As for the emergency warnings, there are no receivers that support this functionality – this is something that exists only on paper. The PNG’s intent is clear, it is to deliver the signal to the people that need it, therefore they are going something that exists, works and is readily available (analogue AM) instead of failed DRM that you can’t get any actual receiver for.
Brilliant
Great news I listened as a kid with my Lafayette explorer-Air receiver.