{"id":39802,"date":"2019-09-24T20:42:42","date_gmt":"2019-09-25T00:42:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=39802"},"modified":"2019-09-24T20:42:42","modified_gmt":"2019-09-25T00:42:42","slug":"radio-vanuatu-new-shortwave-and-mediumwave-service-through-infrastructure-upgrade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/09\/radio-vanuatu-new-shortwave-and-mediumwave-service-through-infrastructure-upgrade\/","title":{"rendered":"Radio Vanuatu: New shortwave and mediumwave service through infrastructure upgrade"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(Source: Vanuatu Broadcasting & Television Corporation via Peter Marks)<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a><\/h2>\n

RADIO VANUATU CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT WORK BEGINS<\/h2>\n

With the support of the Government of Vanuatu, the Vanuatu Broadcasting & Television
\nCorporation (VBTC) has begun work this month on a 942 million vatu (US$8.1m)
\ninfrastructure upgrade to improve radio and free-to-air television service throughout
\nVanuatu.<\/p>\n

The first phase involves the design, installation and commissioning of a new shortwave (HF)
\nand medium wave (MF) service for Radio Vanuatu, the country\u2019s public radio service. Costing
\nfor phase one will be in excess of 242 million vatu (US$2.2m) and is funded by the
\nGovernment of Vanuatu. Following the improvements to shortwave and medium wave
\nservices, VBTC will also undertake technical work to strengthen the coverage and reliability
\nof its FM services.<\/p>\n

A 10kw MF Nautel transmitter imported out of Canada and a 10kw HF transmitter
\nmanufactured by Hanjin Electronics of South Korea will be installed at VBTC\u2019s major public
\nservice transmission site at Emten Lagoon on Efate. Both transmitters will be commissioned
\nbefore the end of 2019.<\/p>\n

The second phase, beginning early 2020, will reopen Radio Vanuatu\u2019s medium wave radio
\ntransmission facilities at St Michelle in Luganville on the island of Santo. This will provide AM
\nservice to provinces in the top half of Vanuatu at a cost in excess of 300 million vatu
\n(US$2.5m).<\/p>\n

The third phase will expand the national television free-to-air service, Television Blong
\nVanuatu, along with a new digital television service. This final phase will cost an estimated
\n400 million vatu (US$3.5m).<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Charlot Salwai Tabimasmas launched the capital development upgrade at a
\nspecial function attended by cabinet ministers, senior members of the public service,
\nmembers of the diplomatic corps and members of Vanuatu\u2019s business and non-profit
\ncommunities on Friday September 20 in Port Vila before he departed the country to attend
\nthe UN General Assembly in New York.<\/p>\n

In his address, the Prime Ministerspoke atlength about the importance to Vanuatu of having
\na strong national public radio and television broadcasting service and announced assistance
\nfrom Vanuatu\u2019s development partners to help achieve this objective.<\/p>\n

The Government of Australia funded the scoping study for the radio upgrade project and is
\nproviding funding support to implement the strategic reform programme of VBTC which the
\nPrime Minister said is making good progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m also happy to announce that the New Zealand Government is keen to support the
\nsecond stage of the Radio Vanuatu technical infrastructure upgrade while China is
\nconsidering my request to support the upgrade of Television Blong Vanuatu\u2019s technical
\ninfrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile Kordia New Zealand Limited has been awarded the contract to project manage,
\ndesign, install and commission the new radio transmission facilities beginning with the
\nfacilities at Emten Lagoon outside Port Vila.<\/p>\n

VBTC Chief Executive Officer, Francis Herman said that \u201cKordia has extensive experience in
\nthe broadcasting and telecommunications industry in the Pacific, and recently completed a
\nmajor project in Samoa for State-owned Radio 2AP funded by the Australian Government\u201d.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve worked hard with Kordia and a number of other technical experts to investigate the
\nmost efficient and sustainable transmission solution for Vanuatu taking into account the
\ninclement weather, and the need to keep operating costs affordable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The shortwave service, which will be commissioned before the end of this year, will provide
\nnational radio coverage to the 82 islands spread spanning 1,300 kilometres between the
\nmost northern and southern islands.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur role as Vanuatu\u2019s national broadcasting service is centered on helping create an
\ninformed public opinion so our people can contribute more effectively to national
\ndevelopment\u201d, Herman added.<\/p>\n

\u201cVBTC has struggled to remain relevant over the past decade because its technical
\ninfrastructure was obsolete and badly neglected making it challenging for us to provide an
\nefficient, reliable, and responsive national radio and television service.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alongside the infrastructure upgrade, is an extensive programme to strengthen the technical
\ncapacity of Vanuatu\u2019s broadcast technicians along with a long-term maintenance regime to
\nexpand the life of the equipment.<\/p>\n

September 23, 2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Source: Vanuatu Broadcasting & Television Corporation via Peter Marks) RADIO VANUATU CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT WORK BEGINS With the support of the Government of Vanuatu, the Vanuatu Broadcasting & Television Corporation (VBTC) has begun work this month on a 942 million vatu (US$8.1m) infrastructure upgrade to improve radio and free-to-air television service throughout Vanuatu. The first phase […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[960,433,3,43],"tags":[8023,3713,4082,8022,8021],"class_list":["post-39802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-international-broadcasting","category-mediumwave","category-news","category-shortwave-radio","tag-peter-marks","tag-radio-vanuatu","tag-shortwave-radio","tag-vanuatu-broadcasting-television-corporation","tag-vbtc"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-alY","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":40163,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/pacific-beat-vanuatu-invests-in-shortwave-service\/","url_meta":{"origin":39802,"position":0},"title":"Pacific Beat: Vanuatu invests in shortwave service","author":"Thomas","date":"October 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: ABC Pacific Beat via Michael Bird) https:\/\/abcmedia.akamaized.net\/radioaustralia\/radioaustralia\/audio\/201910\/pba-2019-10-07-van-shortwave.mp3 Click here to listen. In the age of social media and internet technology, shortwave may be seen as traditional technology \u2014 but it still plays an important role in reaching far-flung communities, with Vanuatu's public broadcaster now investing millions of dollars to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Tecsun-R-9012-Dial-Switch.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":19724,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/06\/radio-vanuatu-reduces-broadcast-time-due-to-budget\/","url_meta":{"origin":39802,"position":1},"title":"Radio Vanuatu reduces broadcast time due to budget","author":"Thomas","date":"June 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Walker, who noted that Radio Vanuatu has reduced broadcast hours. Friday night, Paul received a rare opening that allowed him to hear\u00a0Vanuatu on both 7260 kHz and 3945 kHz. Paul noted that it's very rare to hear Vanuatu's\u00a075 meter band broadcast from his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Vanuatu-Map","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Vanuatu-Map.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Vanuatu-Map.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Vanuatu-Map.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25045,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/radio-new-zealand-reports-vanuatu-asks-senate-for-reinstatement-of-abc-shortwave\/","url_meta":{"origin":39802,"position":2},"title":"Radio New Zealand reports: Vanuatu asks senate for reinstatement of ABC shortwave","author":"Thomas","date":"April 5, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Radio New Zealand\u00a0via Nigel Holmes) The government of Vanuatu sent a formal submission to the Australian Senate asking for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to resume its shortwave service. [...]In a letter, Vanuatu's prime minister Charlot Salwai said removing the shortwave service to Vanuatu could cost many lives in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Australia-Globe.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Australia-Globe.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Australia-Globe.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Australia-Globe.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18475,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/radio-vanuatu-on-target-for-nationwide-coverage\/","url_meta":{"origin":39802,"position":3},"title":"Radio Vanuatu on target for nationwide coverage under new leadership","author":"Thomas","date":"April 21, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Radio New Zealand via Mike Terry on the WRTH FB Page) The recently appointed chair of the board of the Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation is confident nationwide coverage will be achieved by Radio Vanuatu soon. The new government recently replaced the old board following concerns over the lack\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Vanuatu-Map","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Vanuatu-Map.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Vanuatu-Map.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Vanuatu-Map.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33417,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/08\/vanuatu-asks-australia-to-restore-shortwave-to-the-pacific\/","url_meta":{"origin":39802,"position":4},"title":"Vanuatu asks Australia to restore shortwave to the Pacific","author":"Thomas","date":"August 7, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Asia Pacific Report via Mike Hansgen) Shortwave radio saves lives and foreign aid dollars, says McGarry Vanuatu has appealed to Australia to restore shortwave radio services to the Pacific region, after they were switched off by the ABC in 2017, reports Radio Australia. Prime Minister Charlot Salwai said other\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "International Broadcasting"","block_context":{"text":"International Broadcasting","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/international-broadcasting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Vanuatu-Map.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Vanuatu-Map.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Vanuatu-Map.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12713,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/03\/radio-vanuatu-back-on-air\/","url_meta":{"origin":39802,"position":5},"title":"Radio Vanuatu back on the air","author":"Thomas","date":"March 20, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"My friend and fellow DXer, Rob Wagner, writes: R. Vanuatu has been off the air for ages. It has suddenly come back on in the last hour or so on 7259.95 kHz and 3945 kHz with post-cyclone assistance and information. There is also a report from a visiting R. New\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Radio-Vanuatu","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Radio-Vanuatu.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Radio-Vanuatu.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Radio-Vanuatu.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Radio-Vanuatu.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39802\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}