SLBC Converted to Digital

Sri Lanka's terrestrial broadcasting system will be fully converted to digital by 2017, Mass Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has said, the Daily News reports.

He told a briefing in Colombo that the present analogue transmission would come to an end and analogue signals would not be available thereafter.

The minister has appointed a committee look into the technical aspects and evaluation of the digitalisation project. It will be headed by Mass Media and Information Ministry Secretary W B Ganegala.

The converting process would commence next year, the minister said. In line with digital technology, analogue television sets would have to be replaced with digital television sets by 2017, since only digital signals would be transmitted after that.

Because digital technology had the capacity to transmit several channels using a single frequency, obstacles to the expansion of broadcasting facilities could be removed, he said.

Sri Lanka will use the DVB-T2 digital standard. The first region to have the service will be the country's Western Province which includes the capital, Colombo.

Source: Sri Lanka to go digital by 2017 http://bit.ly/eGV0Uj
[Gaviria]
 

SLBC backs digital radio forum in Colombo

SLBC backs digital radio forum in Colombo

 

Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) is supporting pioneering efforts to introduce cutting edge technology that would take radio broadcasting in Asia to the digital era.

The Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) Consortium has announced a DRM+ trial and workshop in Colombo to boost these initiatives.

The consortium is joining forces with the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRC), SLBC and Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle and the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) to run a trial of DRM+ and showcase its benefits.

The SLBC has offered the DRM its full support and the use of one of its low power stations in Colombo for the duraion of the trial.

The two-day DRM+ technical trial planned for tomorrow (November 29) and Tuesday (30) will be followed by a workshop organised together with ABU where the attendees will be invited to observe the results of the DRM+ trial and to learn more about the full DRM standard. The workshop will be held at the World Trade Centre in Colombo from December 1 to 3.

SLBC chairman Hudson Samarasinghe commented: "Being the pioneer broadcaster in Asia, the SLBC considers it a great privilege to be part in hosting this prestigious event. We are very pleased indeed to be part of this move to introduce state-of-the-art technology which will truly take radio broadcasting in Asia to the digital era. The SLBC is proud to continue its pioneering trend, by keeping abreast with this cutting-edge technology which will prove to be the future of radio here in Asia."

DRM Consortium chairman Ruxandra Obreja said: "We are excited about this event and grateful to all our partners in this unique undertaking. We hope it will showcase a simple, single channel, affordable and excellent solution for digitising FM. The trial will add to the valuable data we already have on the capabilities of DRM+. Our workshop will be interactive, practical and hopefully very useful, giving participants a real chance to experience and understand the advantages of DRM+ and DRM30."

Digital Radio Mondiale is the universal, openly standardised digital broadcasting system for all broadcasting frequencies up to 174MHz, including LW, MW, SW, band I and II (FM band).

DRM provides digital sound quality and the ease-of-use that comes from digital radio, combined with a wealth of enhanced features: Surround sound, journaline text information, slideshow and data services.

DRM on short, medium and long wave for broadcasting bands up to 30MHz (called 'DRM 30') provides large coverage areas and low power consumption.

The enhancement of the DRM standard for broadcast frequencies above 30MHz (DRM+) uses the same audio coding, data services, multiplexing and signalling schemes as DRM30 but introduces an additional transmission mode optimised for those brands.

 

http://www.thebottomline.lk/2010/11/28/page27.html

 Via Alokesh Gupta 

 

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Pulikalin Kural - Tamil

FLASH NEWS Pulikalin Kural

0400-0500 IST PM on 17880

0730-0830 IST PM on 6230

1000-1130 IST PM on 13860

Don't miss to listen today

(Jaisakthivel, Via DXLD)

AIR stations heard here during strike

Status of AIR stations heard here during strike on 23rd Nov 2010, 1600-1630 UT:

MW

720 Chennai A Off Air

738 Hyderabad Off Air

783 Chennai C Off Air

837 Vijayawada Off Air

900 Kadapa Off Air

927 Visakhapatnam Off Air

936 Tiruchi A Off Air

999 Coimbatore Off Air

1017 Chennai B Off Air

1089 Udupi Off Air

1107 Gulbarga Off Air

1161 Tiruvandrum Off Air

1197 Tirunelveli Off Air

1215 Pudducheri Off Air

1278 Madurai Off Air

SW

4920 Chennai Off Air

5010 Tiruvandrum Off Air

External Service

7420 CRI with strong signal instead of AIR Bengali Ext.

24th Nov 2010, 0140-0200 UT

MW

720 Chennai A Off Air

738 Hyderabad Off Air

783 Chennai C Off Air

837 Vijayawada Off Air

900 Kadapa Off Air

927 Visakhapatnam Off Air

936 Tiruchi A Off Air

999 Coimbatore Off Air

1017 Chennai B Off Air

1089 Udupi Off Air

1107 Gulbarga Off Air

1053 Tutucorin On Air, but not in regular programme schedule.

1161 Tiruvandrum Off Air

1197 Tirunelveli Off Air

1215 Pudducheri Off Air

1278 Madurai Off Air

SW

4760 Portblair  Off Air

4800 Hyderabad  Off Air

4820 Kolkatta  Off Air

4840 Mumbai  Off Air

4860 Delhi Kingsway  Off Air

4880 Lucknow  Off Air

4920 Chennai  Off Air

5010 Tiruvandrum  Off Air

External Services on SW

7270 Sinhala with music 222

11740 Sinhala with music 333

11985 CRI in strong instead of AIR Sinhala

FM

100.5 Kodaikanal off Air

101.9 Tiruvandrum off Air

102.1 Tiruchi off Air

102.5 Dharmapuri off Air

103.3 Mdurai off Air

105.6 Tirunelveli Gyanvani off Air

(Jaisakthivel, Tirunelveli, India)

AIR, DD employees on strike

Some of the news stories published in the Indian Newspapers  and in the online portals

 

Voice of dissent:Members of the NFADE protesting in front of Akashvani in Mysore on Tuesday.

AIR, DD employees on strike

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blnus/27231391.htm

AIR, DD operations hit as employees strike work

http://www.newkerala.com/news/world/fullnews-90510.html

AIR, DD operations affected due to strike by technical staff

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/newdelhi/AIR-DD-operations-affected-due-to-strike-by-technical-staff/Article1-630096.aspx

AIR, DD on strike in Karwar

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubli/AIR-DD-on-strike-in-Karwar/articleshow/6977755.cms

Strike hits AIR, DD operations

http://hindu.com/2010/11/24/stories/2010112451880300.htm

AIR, DD services disrupted due to strike by technical staff

http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4611802

AIR, DD operations hit as employees strike work (Lead)

http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20101123/1637051.html

AIR, DD employees on nation-wide strike

http://www.indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/120872/India/air-dd-employees-on-nationwide-strike.html

AIR, DD staff to go on two-day strike next month

http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/air-dd-staff-to-gotwo-day-strike-next-month/111730/on

AIR, DD employees on 2-day strike

http://www.facenfacts.com/NewsDetails/1483/air-dd-employees-on-2-day-strike.htm

AIR, DD operations hit as employees strike

http://www.igovernment.in/site/air-dd-operations-hit-employees-strike-38804

AIR, DD operations hit as employees strike work

http://sify.com/news/air-dd-operations-hit-as-employees-strike-work-news-national-klxuEnhgfbh.html

AIR, DD staff to go on two-day strike next month

http://www.indiandth.in/Thread-%09-AIR-DD-staff-to-go-on-two-day-strike-next-month

World Radio TV Handbook (WRTH) 2011

WRTH team proud to present the 65th edition of the bestselling directory of global broadcasting on LW, MW, SW and FM.

The Features section this year has the history of Radio St Helena, reviews of the latest equipment, an intriguing look back at some classic 80s & 90s receivers, a visit to AFN in the Florida Keys and much more, including our
regular Digital Update.

The remaining pages are, as usual, full of information on:

• National and International broadcasts and broadcasters
• Clandestine and other target broadcasters
• MW and SW frequency listings
• Terrestrial TV by country

• Extensive Reference section

What is WRTH?

World Radio TV Handbook or WRTH is now in its 65th year. It is the most accurate and complete guide to the world of radio on LW, MW, SW and FM, available in any form.

It is divided into the following sections

Features - This section is in full colour and contains reviews of receivers and ancillary equipment, articles on topical issues such as digital radio, interviews with broadcasters, reception conditions, colour maps showing the location of SW transmitters, and other topics of interest to Listeners and DXers.

National Radio - This section covers the world's domestic radio services. The listings are by country and include all stations broadcasting on LW, MW and SW, and most stations broadcasting on FM, together with contact details.

International Radio - Full details of all broadcasters transmitting internationally are given in this section and are listed by country. The schedules shown are the 'B' or 'winter' SW frequencies as supplied by the broadcasters and confirmed by monitoring, together with any LW or MW frequencies used. It also contains a sub-section showing Clandestine and Other Target Broadcasters arranged by target country. The 'A' or 'summer' schedules, along with updates to broadcaster details, are available as a pdf download from this website in May each year.

Frequency Lists - This section contains MW frequency lists grouped by frequency within regions, lists of all international and domestic SW broadcasts in frequency order, and international SW broadcasts in English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish, and DRM transmissions shown by UTC.

Television - The TV section has details of the main terrestrial national broadcasters, large regional networks, and some local stations, arranged alphabetically by country.

Reference - This section has tables and listings of: International and Domestic Transmitter sites, Standard Time and Frequency Transmissions, DX Club information, International Organisations, and other essential information.

To see what other people think of WRTH please read the commentsmade about WRTH 2010, or go right ahead and order a copy of WRTH 2011.

Also click the following link for order.

https://secure400.sectorlink.com/wrth/order_new.asp

 

(Jaisakthivel, Ardic DX Club, India)

AIR&DD off air

Chennai, Nov 23: Regional channels of DD in Tamil Nadu including 'Podhigai' and all AIR channels including Chennai A, Chennai B, FM and commercial channels went off air since morning, sources said. As part of their nation-wide strike, Employees of Prasar Bharati affilated to National Federation of Akashvani and Doordarshan Employees (NFADE) here commenced a 48-hour "duty boycott" from today to press for various demands, including repeal of the Prasar Bharati Act. More than 200 employees especially from programming, technical and engineering sections, who began their protest from 9 am, alleged that the "12 years of Prasar Bharati experiment" had "dented" the reputation of All India Radio and Doordarshan, NFADE sources said. Regional channels of DD in Tamil Nadu including 'Podhigai' and all AIR channels including Chennai A, Chennai B, FM and commercial channels went off air since morning, sources said. AIR with 336 broadcasting centres and DD with a network of 60 production centres and 1,404 transmitters served 99.13 and 94 per cent of the country's population,they said. NFADE is an umbrella organisation of 21 service associations of around 40,000 employees working in AIR and DD. (Arunkumar, Deccan Chronicle)

New Digital Radio Mondiale Channel for South Asia

BBC World Service and Deutsche Welle (DW) are launching a new Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) digital radio channel for South Asia. The channel will carry a four hour daily broadcast that includes the best international programmes in English and Hindi from BBC World Service and Deutsche Welle. It will also bring to the audience all the advantages of DRM digital radio including near-FM quality audio, text messages, Journaline and an Electronic Programme Guide (EPG).

This joint initiative between BBC World Service and Deutsche Welle has been launched using two transmitters in the region and will cover much of South Asia. The signal covers the majority of the Indian sub-continent and may reach as far as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and other neighbouring countries. The new transmission starts on 31 October 2010 and will be broadcast from 1400 – 1800 GMT each day. Listeners will find the new programme stream on 13590 and 5845 kHz (SW) and additionally on 1548 kHz (MW) between 1700 – 1800 GMT. Ruxandra Obreja, DRM Chairman, says: "Digital radio is as much about technology as it is about content. Through DRM we hope to increase the digital radio offer to South Asia giving people access to audio and multimedia content, which should in turn convince manufacturers that digital radio brings something new worth investing in."

(Source : DRM Consortium)

by alokeshgupta@gmail.com (Alokesh Gupta)

RMRC Broadcast about RSD2009 to Japan and Asia on 23. October 2010

The Rhein-Main Radio Club (RMRC) will broadcast a special program in English on Sa Oct 23, at 1300-1400 on 11640 with 100 kW (AM-modulation) from Sitkunai in Lithuania to Japan and Asia. The program will be essentially the same as the English broadcast to North America on Oct 09. The main feature will be audio clips from the Radio St. Helena Day 2009 programs. There will also be information about the RMRC, comments on RSH and RSD by Robert Kipp, and ( we hope) some special comments by Mr. Toshi Ohtake of the Japan ShortWave Club (JSWC). The RMRC wishes listeners everywhere good reception conditions. No return postage is needed for the special RMRC QSL card. There is also an electronic QSL for email reports. The postal address can be found on the club web page at www.RMRC.de . (Kipp, Oct 13). This broadcast is sponsored by Japan SW Club. (Ohtake)

Cancellation of RSD 2010

We at Radio St. Helena are also VERY SAD to have to announce the cancellation of RSD 2010. The problems with the tower holding the 3-element Yagi antenna are such that we simply had no choice. There is no chance to fix the tower in the next six weeks, but RSH is quite confident that we will be able to broadcast a RSD 2011 program next year. At the moment, I am investigating the possibility of setting up a wire antenna as a temporary measure, but I am not at all sure whether we will be able to do that. The technical resources on the VERY REMOTE island of St. Helena are not so good. If anything needs to be ordered from England, then it takes a lot of time and effort. (Robert Kipp via Yimber Gaviria via playdx2003 ml via Roberto Scaglione, Sept 11, shortwave yg via DXLD)

FM Dxing

During the 3rd week of June 2010, I had an opportunity of experiencing sporadic e condition in FM band. Earlier, Noticing various distant FM logs, I tried several times from my hometown Kolkata with available receivers. But strong local FM channels & their image frequencies all over the FM band, prevented me to log any distant FM channels. Then dismantling newly home brewed Quad Loop antenna, shifted to another 100 km north of Kolkata, a place called Taherpur (Coordinates 23.18°N 88.58°E) under Nadia district of West Bengal state. Erected a 20 mtr. longwire targeting southeast & northwest. The very first day Quad miserably failed & later on detected that there was no continuity. Then the magic started with the longwire which later on found performing excellent. I used a tiny Tecsun PL 757A portable receiver. Many of the distant FM stations coming like our local FM channels, specially from Pakistan. As if, I am sitting in a city of Pakistan. Most of the pvt. FM channels of Bangladesh like Radio Foorti, Dhaka, Radio Amar, Radio Today Dhaka, were coming very clear. Most surprisingly received BBC Bengali programme via FM at Comilla, Bangladesh. Many of the stations carrying programme in CIS language, could not be identified. Indeed, it is not so easy to perfectly identify a distant FM channel just crosschecking their frequency in the available gadgets. Because various programme run in the same channel in various city of the same country. Although Indian pvt FM channels could not disturb the band much but some channels from central to northwestern India were available. Many of the Thai & Vietnamese channels remained unidentified. 

 

Below you can listen to some of the audio files recorded with my mobile phone recorder.   

Unidentified Chinese 92.4 MHz @ 0519 21.6.2010

http://tinyurl.com/2veufsu

 

102.6 MHz 0741UTC 21.6.10 AIR DELHI

http://tinyurl.com/2w46ddg

 

FM 93 Pakisatn 93.0 MHz 0417 UTC 21.6.10

http://tinyurl.com/3yj6s8l

 

FM Sunrise Sahiwal Pakistan 96.0 MHz 0701 UTC 21.6.2010

http://tinyurl.com/3yt46zp

 

Local pirate in Bengali

http://tinyurl.com/348jp4n

 

Local Pirate 95.6 MHz 1605 UTC 20.6.10

http://tinyurl.com/38br6zd

 

Local Pirate 96.4 MHz 1558 UTC 20.6.10

http://tinyurl.com/3297d7d

 

Mast FM Lahore Pakistan 103.0 MHz 0352 UTC 21.6.10

http://tinyurl.com/3x5jq2v

 

Power FM Islamabad 99.0 MHz 0728 UTC 21.6.2010

http://tinyurl.com/3xvztmf

 

Punjab University FM Lahore 0.1 kW 104.6 MHz 0824 UTC 21.6.10

http://tinyurl.com/36derh6

 

Pyinsawadi FM Burma 88.0 MHz 0501 UTC

http://tinyurl.com/2u9ynto

 

R News Network Pakistan 99.0 MHz 0300 UTC 21.6.10

http://tinyurl.com/38z55ql

 

Radio Today Bangladesh 89.6 MHz 0537 UTC 21.6.2010

http://tinyurl.com/33v65sa

 

Sichuan R China 91.3 MHz 0400 UTC 21.6.10

http://tinyurl.com/33akpts

 

Unidentified 90.1 MHz

http://tinyurl.com/32bozyr

 

Unidentified stn 97.8 MHz 0430 UTC 21.6.2010

http://tinyurl.com/33kdzp4

 

Unidentified 101.3 MHz Presumably Tibetan

http://tinyurl.com/2vnskkq

 

Unidentified Bengali 100 MHz  0323UTC 21.6.10

http://tinyurl.com/3ygg7ya

 

Unidentified Chinese stn 21.6.2010

http://tinyurl.com/33ab6vm

 

Unidentified Chinese stn 92.4 MHz @ 0519 21.6.2010

http://tinyurl.com/2veufsu

 

Unidentified Chinese stn 96.0 MHz  0539 UTC

http://tinyurl.com/367jwg3

 

Unidentified Indian station

http://tinyurl.com/2vgjqvp

 

Unidentified Kazakh or Uighur language 92.2 MHz 0800 21.6.10

http://tinyurl.com/32dfhme

 

Unidentified Turkish language on 93.2 MHz 0418 UTC 20.6.2010

http://tinyurl.com/38x545t

 

Unidentified Uighur language programme

http://tinyurl.com/2w6l9xg

 

But coming back in Kolkata tried several times but nothing fruitful so far. Quad Loop antenna was also erected perfectly. Definitely this was the first experience of sporadic e. Next one will must be a planned FM dxpedition.   

 

(Swopan Chakroborty)

70 years of the BBC Burmese Service

On Over To You this week we take a look at the work of the Burmese Service.

2 September will be their seventieth anniversary and, let's face it, covering Burma is no easy task.

The military junta who rule the country do not allow the BBC any access and the recent history of the country has been extremely turbulent; from the monks protests of 2007, to the cyclone which devastated the country in the same year, to the forthcoming elections due later on in 2010, Burma is a country which is rarely far from the news agenda.

And this is without even mentioning the continuing house arrest of Aung San Su Kyi, a woman who in spite of all of the odds, remains firmly in the public eye. How can a station with no access to its beat possibly continue for so long?

Also on the programme, how many of you speak the language of finance? A listener contacted us concerned that terms like "Quantitative Easing" conceal what he would describe as the far simpler "Printing Money."

Is there a danger that the language of finance could conceal more than it reveals? 

Sometimes getting facts out of Burma seems a lot simpler than doing the same with the world of finance.

I do hope you manage to listen. Rajan Datar will be back from his holidays next week. 

Tazeen Ahmad is this week's presenter of Over To You

Over To You is your chance to have your say about the BBC World Service and its programmes. It airs at 00:40, 03:40 and 12:40 every Sunday (GMT).

• Listen to previous episodes of Over To You
• Subscribe to the podcast
• Send the team your feedback by email (overtoyou@bbc.co.uk), telephone (44 144 960 9000), SMS (447786 202006)
• Source: BBC WS

Hamfest India 2010 HF Contest

The 19th Hamfest of India is to be held at Pollachi in Tamilnadu
during November 13-14, 2010. On this occasion, the Organizing
Committee of Hamfest India 2010 has the pleasure in inviting all VU
Hams to participate in the HF Contest whose details are as follows:

Phone Contest:

Start Date & Time: Saturday October 2, 2010, 0600 Hrs IST
End Date & Time:  Sunday October 3, 2010, 1800 Hrs IST

CW Contest:

Start Date & Time: Saturday October 9, 2010, 0600 Hrs IST
End Date & Time:  Sunday October 10, 2010, 1800 Hrs IST

Bands:  7 & 14 MHz.

Category: Single Operator

Exchange: RST plus Serial numbers.

The contest is open to and among VU Hams only. Contacts with Dx hams
by VU hams are invalid.

The same station can be contacted once per band.

Points: Each QSO carries one point.

Multiplier: 10 Point for each station contacted from Pollachi,
irrespective of bands.

Total Score: No.of QSO points x No. of Multipliers

Log: Entries to reach on or before Wednesday, 25 October 2010 by post
/ courier to:

Hamfest India 2010 HF Contest

c/o Mr.S.Vijayan, VU2WDP
2 / 140 Raju Nagar,
Chinnampalayam, Pollachi - 642 001
Tamilnadu

Or by email to

hamfestindia2010@gmail.com with the subject line "HFI 2010 Phone
Contest" or HFI 2010 CW Contest"

 A Committee shall evaluate the entries received.  The decision of the
Judges will be final and
binding in declaring the results & contest winners.

All those who send their logs will be given "Participation Certificate".

The Contest Winners will be awarded Mementos & Certificates during the
HFI-2010 function.

73

S.Vijayan, VU2WDP
General Convener

Hamfest India 2010

(Via vuhams yg)

Radio St.Helena Day 2010

Radio St. Helena Day 2010 : Date,Times and Targets

-------------------------------------------------------------

RSD 2010 will be on 11092.5 kHz USB, Saturday, 9th October 2010

=======================================

Target Region Times (UTC ) Beam Heading

=========== ============== ==========

EUROPE 1900 - 2030 UTC 10 degrees

INDIA 2030 - 2130 UTC 70 degrees

JAPAN 2130 - 2300 UTC 50 degrees

North America 2300 - 0030 UTC 310 degrees

Gary Walters, Station Manager of Radio St. Helena, has just confirmed the above information,and, as usual, Derek Richards will operate the RSD shortwave transmitting facility. There will be a special email-address exclusively for the evening of RSD 2010. As soon as Gary sets up this special email account, will be published.

The RSD 2010 QSL cards are being sponsored by the Danish ShortWave Club International. Reception reports for RSD 2010 should be sent with sufficient return postage to RSH using thespecial Airmail address via Ascension and the United Kingdom -- exactly the same procedureas for the RSD 2009 reception reports. ALL mail to RSH should use this procedure. ALL 266 QSLs for RSD 2009 have been mailed and should now be arriving around the world.

The sunspot minimum between sunspot cycles 23 and 24 is the longest in history -- much to the dismay of shortwave listeners everywhere. This minimum has lasted since 2007 and is still ongoing. There are not very many sunspots to "help" propagation, and there is no real sign of significant change. The UTC-times for broadcasting to the various target area have been very carefully selected to to have the very best chance of good reception in each area. Also, we need to have the RSD broadcasts one after the other.After RSD 2009, it was decided to change the times somewhat and to move RSD from November to October (as was the case back in the late 1990's -- Thanks, John). RSH hopes that everyone around the world has excellent reception conditions during RSD 2010 and is looking forward to your emails and also, if possible, to your telephone calls.

Gary Walters , Station Manager of Radio St. Helena via Robert Kipp

(Jaisakthivel, Ardic DX Club, India via dx_india yg http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dx_india/)

To get a QSL from Radio St. Helena, you must send a written and verifiable reception report by AIRMAIL and include sufficient return postage (3 IRC's). Email-reports will be not be verified. Recordings will not be returned. In EURO-countries, please send a 5-Euro banknote. Otherwise, please send 3 or more US dollar banknotes to cover the required return postage.

Radio St. Helena

P.O. Box 93

Jamestown, St. Helena

STHL 1ZZ

South Atlantic Ocean

via AIRMAIL

via United Kingdom & Ascension

by Alokesh Gupta

The Long and Interesting Road of All India Radio Hyderbad

Part 1

Some time ago, Jose Jacob VU2JOS, at the National Institute of Amateur Radio in Hyderabad India, sent us a batch of detailed information about the radio station located in his city of employment, Hyderabad Deccan. We have compiled our Station Profile on All India Radio Hyderabad this week with the usage of his information, together with additional research information taken from various other historical sources.
The city of Hyderabad itself has a very long and interesting history. According to the local story, the fourteen year old Sultan of Golconda fell in love with a beautiful village girl, Bhagmati. He later married her, and he also established a new village-city nearby, which he named Bhagynagar in her honor. "Bhagynagar" would mean "Bhagy Village". When Bhagmati became queen, she took a new name Hyder Mahal, and so the village of Bhagynagar was renamed Hyderabad. "Hyderabad" would mean "Hyder City".
The now large and illustrious city of Hyderabad traces its earliest origins to the year 1589 under the reign of Shah Muhammad, the Sultan of Golconda. The best known landmark in Hyderabad would have to be the Char Minar, a roadway building consisting of four joined minarets. This ornate structure was built in 1591, and it is still standing proudly today, more than four hundred years later.
In pre-federation days, the princely state of Hyderabad was the largest princely state in all of India. Back in those times, Hyderabad flew its own flag, issued its own currency and postage stamps, and it operated an airline, a railway system, and its own radio station.
At the time when India obtained independence from England in 1947, Hyderabad opted to become an independent country within the British Empire. However, a year later, under Operation Polo, Hyderabad was incorporated into the new nation of India. The state boundaries for Hyderabad were re-drawn, with various language areas carved off and added to the adjoining states where the same language was spoken.
However, the new Indian state of Andhra Pradesh as it was named, with the state capital Hyderabad, is still a huge territory, and it is the 4th largest state in India. The state language, Telugu, is the 3rd largest language in India. The nation of India recognizes 22 languages as official languages.
We go back to the very beginning of wireless in Hyderabad, and we find ourselves looking at the admittedly sparse information about the early communication station in the area. This original station, established somewhere around the year 1919, was located, not in Hyderabad itself, but rather in the nearby twin city, Secunderabad.
Station VWX was a spark wireless station established and operated by the Indian government for communication with other early spark wireless stations in British India. A report in an Australian radio magazine published in 1924 states that station VWX, along with eight other wireless stations throughout British India, was to be placed "in care of maintenance parties, which will keep the stations in running order and ready for service on six hours notice."
However, in spite of the fact that this historic wireless station was to be downgraded, available information would suggest that just the opposite took place. During the following year, 1925, a new spark station was installed and the station was given a new callsign, VWT.
And what happened subsequently to wireless station VWT? We just don't know. There is no known additional information. We can only guess that when the era of valve or tube transmitters came into vogue, then the station must have been closed.
The first known radio broadcasting station in Hyderabad was a very small one watt unit constructed in 1933 by a postal official and installed in his own home on Chirag Ali Lane. As was the custom in those days, this transmitter was used at times with the broadcast of what we would call radio programming. The coverage area, with just one watt, would have been very small indeed.
During the following year, the Nizam of Hyderabad initiated the development of a radio broadcasting station which was inaugurated on February 3, 1935. This station became known as Deccan Radio.
On May 1, 1939, the foundation stone was laid for a substantial radio broadcasting station, and soon afterwards the new 5 kW facility was inaugurated on 730 kHz. This station was allocated the Indian callsign VUV, though some radio magazines at the time incorrectly listed the callsign as VUH. As time went by, this station was taken over by the Indian government and absorbed into the AIR nation wide radio network.
As often happened in the region in those days, a shortwave transmitter was installed with the mediumwave station. The best available information would suggest that this was an 800 watt unit and that it was inaugurated on December 1, 1948. This station is listed in two consecutive editions of the World Radio Handbook, 1949 & 1950, and it is shown as operating on 3335 & 6210 kHz. However, there are no known loggings of this small and somewhat temporary shortwave station.
OK, now that's as far as we can go in our story of radio broadcasting in Hyderabad, India, in this edition of Wavescan. We plan to present Part 2 in the story of Radio Broadcasting in Hyderabad here in Wavescan in two weeks time. So, you will want to keep listening for the concluding information in this fascinating story.
(AWR Wavescan # 77 via Adrian Peterson)