Tuesday, June 21, 2016

All India Radio news of interest


Message from All India Radio, SMS Division
As you know, that All India radio is regularly receiving reception reports/ feedback from various listeners residing in India and abroad. In this regard, a feedback form was provided on our website www.allindiaradio.gov.in

Now, All India Radio has created a 'Listeners Corner' section ón its website http://allindiaradio.gov.in where listeners may have several useful information. A special link named Reception Report/ Feedback from Listeners along with mandatory one time Listener Registration  is created to send the feedback online on our services.

We may issue e-QSL. All listeners are requested to send their reports and feedback to: http://pbinfo.air.org.in/feedback/
Link to 'Listener's Corner' http://allindiaradio.gov.in/Information/ListenersCorner/Pages/default.aspx
(Alokesh Gupta, India)

AIR to revive Bangla service - 'Probably one of its kind in the world'
New Delhi, June 20: All India Radio will re-launch its special Bangla service for Bangladesh after a gap of six years, adding a cultural content to the news bulletins that conveyed India's perspective on global affairs.

The service, which began during the Liberation War of 1971, was discontinued in 2010 when the old transmitter in Calcutta broke down.

A strengthened transmitter with a higher capacity has now been installed in Chinsurah following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Dhaka visit last year, Prasar Bharati sources said.

Full story at :
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1160621/jsp/nation/story_92427.jsp#.V2inOGh97IV

AIR Itanagar goes digital
Itanagar, June 14: The All India Radio (AIR) Itanagar is all set to begin a new innings with completely digitalized version, likely from this week with Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) technology.

Aiming at providing better facilities in the world of Radio, AIR, Itanagar has installed DRM transmitter recently and would start functioning regularly after it gets properly tested and monitored. The Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) technology would completely replace the analogue system with better signal and reception quality and other broadcasting facilities to the radio listeners, a press release informed.

The coverage area would also be wider as the station has installed 200 kW capacity replacing its earlier 100 kW analogue system facilitating more people to listen to radio programmes broadcast from AIR, Itanagar including state’s border areas.

Soon after AIR Itanagar starts functioning on DRM technology; AIR Pasighat in East Siang district would also begin to function on this technology within a week with 100 kW capacity.

AIR, Dibrugarh in Assam is already functioning smoothly on DRM technology with 300 kW capacity. At present all total 27 All India Radio stations have installed DRM technology across the country.

Digital Radio Mondiale AM transmitter, manufactured by Nautel, Canada, is a set of digital audio broadcasting technology designed to replace the analogue radio AM broadcasting.

DRM technology has advantage of transmitting four different radio programmes simultaneously on same frequency at a time over analogue system where only a single programme can be transmitted at a time. Listeners would also be able to read the scrolling of text and bulletins in a DRM receiver along with JPEG file.

Though at present DRM receivers are not readily available in the local market, Indian Radio Receiver manufacturer have already launched DRM radio sets and are available in main cities.

Moreover, vehicle manufacturer like Mahindra has already included DRM technology in their car radio sets. Other companies are following it very soon.

Till the period the broadcast from All India Radio would be on simulcast mode (Analogue + Digital), so that listeners can tune in to the analogue mode with the normal receivers available in market, the release added.
Source: http://www.sentinelassam.com/arunachal/story.php?sec=2&subsec=7&id=270817&dtP=2016-06-15&ppr=1
(Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India)

Please note that from last weekend DRM from Bangalore has restarted on 7550  & 11620. It will restart soon on 17895 kHz.
Jose Jacob, VU2JOS
National Institute of Amateur Radio
Hyderabad, India