Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Mike, who notes this brief announcement from Radio Taiwan International:
“Starting from March 29th, RTI will terminate its transmission to Europe on 3965 KHz and to Africa on 11975 KHZ following the end of cooperation between RTI and RFI. Listeners in the two continents are encouraged to listen to our [programs] online.”
(Photo: Ampegon)
While countries like Canada are preparing to tear down their state-of-the-art transmission site, Taiwan appears to be investing in theirs.
Thanks to Andrea Borgnino for sharing a press release from the Swiss manufacturer, Ampegon, who has been contracted by RTI to upgrade two shortwave radio transmission sites in Taiwan.
Ampegon will “manufacture, install and commission a total of ten 300 kW DRM shortwave transmitters and twelve rigid dipole broadcast antennas HR2/2/0.3 securing low and efficient maintenance works.” Ampegon boasts that this is “the world’s biggest SW modernization project.”
Ampegon’s continues in their press release:
The transmitters are manufactured in Turgi, Switzerland while the antennas are designed in and delivered from Schifferstadt, Germany. At the first site near Taipeh four transmitters and two antennas will be installed, at the second site six transmitters and ten antennas. The new infrastructure is partially on air since May 2013 with two most modern transmitters and antennas and planned to be completed in several steps until autumn 2014.
Chi-Ming Wang, Director Engineering at RTI, is extremely satisfied with Ampegon as partner for the project: “Ampegon is very experienced and has delivered shortwave transmitters for us thirty years ago that still work to our full satisfaction. Ampegon offers a complete solution approach including transmitters, antennas, control systems and DRM integration. In addition Ampegon provides the best price/performance ratio”.
Significant benefit for the customer is a reduction in energy consumption by replacing the old equipment which leads to operation at higher efficiency rates. Savings in other operational costs are reached by a fully automated transmitter based on StationMaster Plus control system and because of a decrease in the amount of spare parts due to the market leading technology selected.
The challenges of this project are short delivery periods and the management of local logistics including building and feeder line modifications, while keeping existing old transmitters and antennas on air.
This is the largest contract for Ampegon since execution of the name change in November 2012. It means a significant factory load through 2014 for the locations Turgi and Schifferstadt. The project highlights that AM / DRM radio broadcasting keeps its important role in Asia and other areas of the world.
Tel. +41 58 710 44 00
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Radio Taiwan International is obviously not pulling out of shortwave. Neither is neighboring China Radio International.
Note that RTI is not the only Taiwan-based broadcaster investing in shortwave radio; PCJ International has recently completed a series of test broadcasts from their new (still under construction) transmitting station.
Update: This article, from the Epoch Times, is somewhat misleading: it appears that RTI is not actually being silenced; rather, they’re merely removing sites that are retired and redundant. See post comments for more info.
(Source: Epoch Times)
Media freedom in Taiwan is again under attack by political forces from mainland China, resulting in a sudden decision by Radio Taiwan International (RTI) to dismantle two of its substations. Among RTI’s customers who will lose their contracts are Sound of Hope Radio and Radio Free Asia, which have played an important role in broadcasting uncensored news to the mainland.
Earlier this month, RTI’s largest customer, Sound of Hope Radio (SOH), received a notice that the Huwei substation in Yunlin County will be dismantled beginning June 1. The eight radio antennas pointing towards China will be removed ahead of schedule, and the broadcasting business will also stop at the end of May.
Tainan, another RTI substation in Tianma, will also be dismantled in a few months’ time, according to an insider.
[…]According to insider information, RTI high-level executives visited mainland China at the end of February. Soon after, RTI announced its intention to take down the two substations.
Following the removal of the substations, RTI will terminate all its rebroadcasting customers and also stop its own shortwave broadcasting, and develop a mobile platform and Internet broadcasting instead, the insider said.
Zeng (Allen) Yong, President of SOH, told The Epoch Times he had rushed to Taiwan as he was very concerned about RTI’s move to terminate its main customers in the name of consolidating substations and eventually ending shortwave broadcasting into China–a matter of great concern to the Communist Party, which censors media in the mainland.[…]