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DRM - Digital Radio Mondiale - Reception in New Zealand
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10:12pm NZDT 
Sat, 21 Nov 2009 

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DRM™ - Digital Radio Mondiale - Reception in New Zealand

This page documents some of the experimenting I have being doing with reception of digital shortwave broadcasts from my home in Wellington, New Zealand. To date I have been able to receive broadcasts from transmitters located in the Netherlands Antilles, Canada, Portugal, the UK, Luxembourg, Morocco, Sri Lanka, Kuwait, Thailand, The Netherlands, Germany, Russia, China, France, Sweden, Norway, Chile, Austria, Spain, New Zealand, Australia, India, Ecuador, Bulgaria & Romania.

About DRM™

For those who don't know much about it Digital Radio Mondiale, DRM™ for short, is a method of broadcasting on AM radio using digital signals rather than analogue - it's like listening to an audio stream on the Internet, but broadcast on medium or shortwave radio rather than via the net.

In addition to potentially crystal-clear reception, DRM™ signals can also carry multimedia information in addition to the audio signal, or to carry multiple program streams on one signal:


Screen capture of multi-media DRM broadcast
(courtesy Michael Dressen, Germany)


Screen capture of DRM broadcast from DW Sines using multiple streams to carry news in four different languages

DRM™ can also send web pages via shortwave:


VT Merlin test website broadcast images
(courtesy Richard Beales, UK)

Amateur radio operators are also using DRM™:


Screen capture of ham radio DRM test broadcast on 3605 kHz
(courtesy Carsten Knütter in Germany)

Screen capture of 1st HamDream intercontinental QSO
PY4BL - HB9TLK 14255 kHz

More information about ham application of DRM visit the HamDream web site.

I have also experimented with transmitting DRM around my house using the DReaM software, which includes a transmitter option, and a Jackson Harbor LF to HF Converter module which converts the sound card IF output up to the HF range. This has a range of only a couple of meters, but I have been able to transmit data and audio from my own LPFM radio station, WorldFM around the house. You can see some screen shots of weather station data being broadcast here.

You can learn more about DRM™ at these web sites:

The DRM logo is a trade mark of Digital Radio Mondiale Association and is used under license. DRM logo ©DRM Association 1998

My Receiving Setup

I am listening from Tawa, a suburb of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. It's a residential area with houses filled with TVs, computers and other noise-generating electronics. My house is no exception!

The receiver I am using is a Yaesu FRG-100/DRM supplied by SAT-Service Schneider in Germany. You can see the range of DRM™ products that they offer on this web page: SAT-Service Schneider DRM page. The FRG-100/DRM is fitted with a 12 kHz IF output and has bandwidth filter changes to receive DRM™ broadcasts. In my receiver I've had the wide AM filter bank used for DRM™ - this results in AM Wide being *really* wide when used for normal AM transmissions.

In December 2004 I also purchased a Digital World Traveller receiver from Coding Technologies. This is a small MW/SW/FM & DRM receiver that is designed for connection to a laptop or PC via USB.

In March 2007 I purchased a Morphy Richards DigitalRadio 27024, primarily for monitoring DAB test transmissions, but it also receives DRM quite well. I wrote a review of this radio for the April 2007 issue of the New Zealand DX Times magazine.

Thanks to RNZI, I have also had the use of a loaned SAT-Service Schneider DRT1 receiver.


Yaesu FRG-100/DRM

Morphy Richards 27024

Digital World Traveller

DRT1


My own DX setup

My antenna is a 30 metre wire in the garden. This feeds my receiver through a JPS (now Timewave) ANC-4 noise reduction unit to help cut down some of the local noise from my PC (though it appears to make little, if any, difference to DRM reception quality).

I have also fitted SAT-Service Schneider DRM IF modules to my AOR AR-7030 and McKay Dymek DR33C receivers. Both perform well, but overall I find I use the Yaesu most.


SAT-Service Schneider DRM Mixer

I'm running the "DRM Software Radio" program on a dual processor 1 GHz Pentium III computer running Windows XP/Pro to decode and listen to the broadcasts.


"DRM Software Radio" Main Screen

Schedules

Current DRM Transmission Schedule

Recent Reception Results
Here are some examples of what I have been able to receive recently here in Wellington, New Zealand. Feed of latest logs: 

DRM™ Reception at Wellington, New Zealand
Date
(year/month/day)
Time
UTC
Frequency
kHz
Broadcast Details Screen/Graph Audio
(ogg)
Solar Indices
SF/A/K
Log File
2009/11/02 08:32 13810 BBC World Service/DW Radio joint service to Europe, 90kW from Sines, Portugal. 4 & 1/2 hours of generally good decoding of 17.8k AAC+ mono programming from both BBC & DW, along with Journaline news service from both broadcasters. Ogg 72/2/1 view
2009/11/02 08:00 9780 REE Spain, 100kW to Europe. 17.4k AAC+ mono in Spanish, but too poor for decoding. Ogg 72/2/1 view
2009/11/02 07:22 17755 TDPradio techo dance music, 125kW beamed to Asia from Darwin, Australia. Just 10 seconds decodable. Ogg 72/2/0 view
2009/11/02 06:29 6020 Radio Romania International, 90kW to Europe from Galbeni. 20.9k AAC+ stereo English service signing on, but no decoding possible.   72/2/0 view
2009/11/02 05:58 6100 Radio Romania International, 90kW to Europe from Galbeni. 20.9k AAC+ stereo French service signing on, but only the odd word decodable. Ogg 72/2/0 view
2009/10/22 09:10 13810 DW Radio/BBC WS via Sines, Portugal, with some reasonable decoding of 17.8k AAC+ mono audio. Ogg 71/2/3 view
2009/10/22 05:00 17525 Faint signs of DW Radio via Sri Lanka. No decoding.   71/2/3 view
2009/09/11 04:24 9400 BNR Digital Bulgarian National Radio. Friday only relay of Program Horizont in Bulgarian, 14.7k AAC mono audio. Ogg 69/2/1 view
2009/08/29 21:40 15280 HCJB Quito, Ecuador, transmitting to Europe. Some decoding of AAC+ 14.7k mono German audio possible. Ogg 68/3/1 view
2009/08/28 04:18 9400 BNR Digital Bulgarian National Radio. Friday only relay of Program Horizont in Bulgarian, 14.7k AAC mono audio. Ogg 68/5/1 view
2009/08/21 04:00 9400 BNR Digital Bulgarian National Radio. Friday only relay of Program Horizont in Bulgarian, 14.7k AAC mono audio. Ogg 68/13/3  
2009/06/25 21:33 15280 HCJB Quito, Ecuador, transmitting to Europe. No decoding possible.   68/6/2 view
2009/06/25 02:45 11675 Radio Kuwait (MOI - Ministry of Information) 11.6k AAC mono audio in Arabic. Just the odd bit decodable. Ogg 67/18/3 view
2009/06/24 23:15 9755 Vatican Radio transmitting to North America. Signal detected but too weak for any decoding.   67/18/4 view
2009/05/20 12:35 9445 Voice of Russia, in Russian, broadcasting to India from Irkutsk transmitter site with 15kW. Bad adjacent channel interference here means very little decoding of 13k AAC+ mono audio is possible. Ogg 74/4/0 view
2009/05/17 05:59 9780 REE Spain. Good decoding of 17.4k AAC+ mono programme to Europe in Spanish for an hour before fading. Ogg 74/4/1 view
2009/04/26 08:30 11580 FEBC testing to China/Japan via KFBS Saipan. Weak signs of DRM, but no id or decoding possible.   69/2/0 view
2009/04/26 07:21 9780 REE Spain. Some decoding of 17.4k AAC+ mono programme to Europe in Spanish. Ogg 69/2/0 view
view
2009/04/26 02:41 9500 BNR Digital, Sofia, Bulgaria. Transmission to North America, but blocked by Iran on 9495kHz most of the time. 21.9k AAC+ mono audio, just a few audio blips decoded. Ogg 69/2/0 view
2009/04/22 22:41 17640 CVC Chile, test broadcast for NAB conference in Las Vegas. 18k AAC+ stereo programming, but too poor for anydecoding.   71/4/2 view
2009/04/21 21:28 15280 HCJB, Quito, Ecuador, broadcasting in German to Europe with only 4kW power. Some decoding of 14.7k AAC+ mono possible. Ogg 71/5/1 view
2009/04/21 00:29 17545 TDF Montsinery, French Guiana, test broadcast for NAB conference in Las Vegas. 14.5k AAC mono RFI programming, decoding good at times, 150kW. Ogg 70/5/1 view
2009/04/20 02:38 9500 BNR Digital, Sofia, Bulgaria. Transmission to North America, but blocked by Iran on 9495kHz most of the time. 21.9k AAC+ mono audio.   70/4/2 view
2009/04/19 09:00 11650 FEBC testing to Asia via KFBS Saipan. Signs of tests using 5kHz b/w DRM, 8.8k audio, but no decoding possible.   70/8/2 view
view
view
2009/04/19 08:40 9780 REE Spain. Some decoding of 17.4k AAC+ mono programme to Europe in Spanish. Ogg   view
2009/04/19 04:05 3995 BBC/DW via Sines, Portugal. Observed daily, but not decodable. 16.8k AAC+ stereo audio.     view
2009/04/18 23:16 17545 TDF Montsinery, French Guiana, test broadcast for NAB conference in Las Vegas. 14.5k AAC mono RFI programming, decoding rate gradually improving. Ogg   view
2009/04/18 22:08 17545 TDF Montsinery, French Guiana, test broadcast for NAB conference in Las Vegas. 14.5k AAC mono RFI programming, some decoding possible. Ogg 70/8/2 view
2009/04/18 21:08 15280 HCJB, Quito, Ecuador, broadcasting in German to Europe with only 4kW power. Some good decoding of 14.7k AAC+ mono audio at times considering the low power and target area. Ogg 70/8/2 view
2009/04/05 07:02 9545 BBC/DW joint DRM service for Europe via Sines, Portugal. Some broken decoding of 16.8k AAC+ stereo DW audio. Ogg 70/1/1 view
2009/04/05 06:39 9780 REE Spain. Some decoding of 17.4k AAC+ mono programme to Europe in Spanish. Ogg 70/1/1 view
2009/04/05 06:25 11900 BNR Digital, Sofia, Bulgaria. Some bits decodable from 21.9k AAC mono audio. Ogg 70/1/1 view
2009/04/04 08:58 11995 RDPI Portugal, 80kW via Sines. Suffers major interference from their own AM mode transmission on 12000kHz using 300kW to South America. 18.3k AAC+ mono audio in Portuguese. Ogg 70/2/0 view
2009/04/04 07:14 9545 BBC/DW joint DRM service for Europe via Sines, Portugal. Some broken decoding of 16.8k AAC+ mono DW audio. Ogg 70/2/0 view
2009/04/04 07:03 9780 REE Spain. Some decoding of 17.4k AAC+ mono programme to Europe in Spanish. Ogg 70/2/0 view
2009/04/04 04:30 3995 BBC/DW via Sines, Portugal. Observed daily, but not decodable. 16.8k AAC+ mono audio.   70/2/0 view
      This is what a digital signal sounds like on an ordinary radio in narrow AM mode.   Real mp3    

Earlier results can be found on these pages:

Reception in Europe

The BBC is running a DRM trial on mediumwave 855 kHz from BBC Radio Devon in Plymouth. Thanks go to Frank G0GSR for providing this recording of their test loop

Carsten Knütter from Germany has kindly allowed me to host these recordings of early test transmissions from RTL, Luxembourg, on 6095 kHz:

RTL_3_209.mp3 (1.220.023 Byte, 20,9kbps)
RTL_5_209.mp3 (862.041 Byte, 20,9kbps)
RTL_6_145.mp3 (991.818 Byte, 14,5kbps)
RTL_6_209.mp3 (1.005.609 Byte, 20,9kbps)
RTL_7_209.mp3 (1.704.020 Byte, 20,9kbps).
RTL_6_247.mp3 (998.713 Byte, 24,7kbps).
stereo_347.mp3 (2.383.621 Byte, 34,7kbps).

Chinese tests to Europe

These brief recordings are from CRI 27.4 kbps stereo tests to Europe, recorded by listeners in Europe.

easyfm.mp3
cri_274stereo.mp3

If you have any comments about this page, or DRM™ reception, please feel free to email me.

chris.www@owdjim.gen.nz (or chris@digitalradio.co.nz)


In This Section 

Recent Reception 
2009 Reception 
2008 Reception 
2007 Reception 
2006 Reception 
2005 Reception 
2004 Reception 
2003 Reception 
Reception Highlights 
All Reception Results 
DRM Schedule 
DRM on RNZI Mailbox 
RNZI DRM 
RNZI DRM Recordings 
DRM data images 
Tests on 657 kHz 

Other Links 

Digital Radio DR 
RNZI 
VT Merlin 
ABU DRM Page 
DW DRM Schedules 
IBC paper on DRM 
HamDream 
DRM in Germany 
HFCC Projects Page 
DRM Forums 


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