The End of AM Shortwave?

[W1UJR]

Hybrid radios set for take-off
By Chris McWhinnie and Ian Piper
BBC Monitoring, in Amsterdam

DRM radio set
DRM radio sets should be available by Christmas
Radio listeners are soon to be offered a new type of radio which can play and record both digital and conventional radio.

The new generation of such radio sets was demonstrated in Amsterdam at the IBC, International Broadcasting Convention, by the Digital Radio Mondiale, (DRM), consortium.

They were first unveiled last week at a Berlin consumer electronics show.

Peter Senger, DRM chairman and chief of Germany's international radio station Deutsche Welle, said that it is the first digital radio which can receive the main European radio systems: DAB, DRM, AM, FM/RDS and short wave.

DRM is intended to replace long wave, medium wave and short wave broadcasts with a more reliable and higher-quality service for an audience which has largely moved to FM. AM is perceived as low quality because of interference and low fidelity.

The sample radio sets are the product of collaboration between the DRM consortium, Texas Instruments and RadioScape.

More programmes

What started as discussions between international broadcasters is now almost ready for the general public.

"We have been pregnant for seven years and have now given birth", said John Sykes, the BBC World Service's digital radio project director.

   
DRM radio set
This technology allows better radio, over greater distances, in better quality
Anton Hierhager, Texas Instruments

Future looking 'rosy' for radio
Currently, 40 European broadcasters send more than 500 hours of programming daily using the system.

The choice is limited but ever-increasing: Radio Luxembourg has just relaunched an English service using DRM.

The BBC World Service also started a DRM radio service for Europe and even Deutsche Welle has committed to the phasing-out out of conventional short wave in favour of DRM.

There are opportunities for more stations. World Radio Network, which packages radio programmes from abroad is to trial a London-wide DRM service and regional services for Europe beamed from Bulgaria.

"London will provide a rigorous test environment," said its managing director, Gary Edgerton. "If it works in London it will work anywhere."

He envisaged specialised niche services which present AM and FM do not provide.

Going on sale

International commercial and public service broadcasters are frustrated that they cannot reach many listeners reliably across borders. DRM could help them.

"This technology allows better radio, over greater distances, in better quality", said Anton Hierhager, business development manager digital radio for Texas Instruments.

At the same time that popular commercial stations and respected public broadcasters are increasing the availability of DRM content. DRM-capable radios products are heading for the shops for Christmas 2005, DRM chief Peter Senger said.

The radios will first be made by Morphy Richards, Roberts Radio and Sangean.

There is no official price tag but it is thought that the early models will cost in the region of about 250 euros (£169). The designs are varied and not unlike DAB sets already on sale.

IBC takes place in Amsterdam from 8 to 13 September.

[W3LSN]

I'm not so sure that DRM is the end of anything, or something to be feared.  Rather, it should be embraced as the beginning of something new, a logical next step in the progression of radio technology. From what I've read in the trade press the quality is astounding and you wouldn't know that you were listening to shortwave. There is no selective fading, noise, or phase distortion.

As someone who owns and enjoys operating at least eight boat anchor receivers, I don't think I'll ever be lacking something to tune to. There are tens of millions of analog SW radios out there, and many of the countries that rely on shortwave broadcasts have listeners who are not in a position to upgrade their radios any time soon. I don't think we'll see AM shortwave fade away for a very long time to come. I also think we'll see hybrid mode stations get established that support legacy radios. It reminds me of all the gloom and doom spread when the ITU resolved to convert all shortwave stations to SSB sometime in the 1980's. We all know that didn't happen.

73, Jim
WA2AJM/3

DRM is intended to replace long wave, medium wave and short wave broadcasts with a more reliable and higher-quality service for an audience which has largely moved to FM. AM is perceived as low quality because of interference and low fidelity.


   

[k4kyv]

And from what I have read on the subject it beats the hell out of IBOC, that garbage technology they are trying to foist on the AM band in the US.

Nevertheless DRM does have QRM issues.  Just listen any evening between 3990 and 4000 kc/s.  The entire 10 kc/s is covered with what sounds like white noise.  That's the Deutsche-Welle DRM shortwave transmitter.  They used to broadcast analogue on 3995, causing substantially less QRM then.  Now, we have effectively lost the top 10 kc/s of 75 during the evening hours.

All it would take to wipe out 40 altogether would be to have a DRM station every 10 kc/s.

I would like to hear what DRM sounds like on a proper receiver, if its really what it's hyped up to be..

Wonder if amateur experimentation with the mode would be feasible.

[wavebourn]

Anyway, it is not a big deal to plug a DRM processor into a boatanchor receiver, I guess.

[W3LSN]

Amateur experimentation is theoretically possible, but would fall victim to the bandwidth police below 30 mc. The DRM consortium is pushing to extend DRM technology into the VHF band, so it's possible some work could be done up there. Unlike IBOC which requires a license from Ibiquity, DRM is open standard.

73, Jim
WA2AJM/3

Wonder if amateur experimentation with the mode would be feasible.

[Sam KS2AM]

Wonder if amateur experimentation with the mode would be feasible.

Not only feasible but its being done with a <3kc implementation that can be used for audio and data.  If you search for "Hamdream" or "WinDRM" you will find plenty of info on this mode such as:

HamDream overview
http://www.qslnet.de/member/hb9tlk/hamdream_setup.htm

WinDRM download
http://n1su.us/windrm/download.html



And some suggested frequencies for WinDRM
http://n1su.us/windrm_online.html

You can always use the last link here to explain unidentified QRM around the 40 meter AM calling frequency.      Doesn't really matter if its DRM or not, your friends will still be impressed with your knowledge of digital modes.
 


Sam  /  KS2AM

[k4kyv]

Unlike IBOC which requires a license from Ibiquity, DRM is open standard.

I wouldn't think the licensing requrement would apply in the case of amateur experimentation, but I doubt if many hams would be interested in putting IBOC on the air in the ham bands to begin with.

As for DRM, there is no FCC rule that requires us to keep it within the SSB bandwidth.  Wonder what kind of fidelity one could get with 6 kHz bandwidth.   Deutsche-Welle uses 10 kHz bandwidth.  Anyone know what kind of audio fidelity they are able to get with that?