DX Quiz 2012 results

International Winners

1. William Patalon III, USA – Domestic Broadcasting Survey Sponsor by Danish Short Wave Club International (DSWCI), Denmark.

2. Ed McCrry, USA – Broadcast in English Sponsor by British DX Club (BDXC), England.

3. Dmitry Mezin, Russia – Communication Sponsor by British DX Club (BDXC), England.

4. Rudolf Sonntag, Germany – European Medium Wave Guide (EMWG) Sponsor by Herman Boel, EMWC.

5. Nobuya Kato, Japan – European Medium Wave Guide (EMWG) Sponsor by Herman Boel, EMWC.

6. Matthias Martin, Germany – Dxers Guide One year E-Subscription.

7. Jorge Luis Medina, Venezuela – Dxers Guide One year E-Subscription.

8. Christian Ghibauda, France – Dxers Guide One year E-Subscription.

9. Bjorn Fransson, Sweden – Dxers Guide One year E-Subscription.Indian Winners

Indian Winners 

1. Ganesan.M, Goa – WRTH 2012 Sponsor by WRTH Publishers.

2. Saravana Jothi, Coimbatore – WRTH 2012 Sponsor by Mr. Toshimichi Ohtake (JSWCI)

3. Muralidhar.M, Bangalore – Collection of 20 years WRTH archive CD Sponsor by ADDX, Germany.

4. Sivaraj.K.C, Idappadi, TN – COBY CX CB12 Bands AM/FM/LW/SW Radio Sponsored by Radio Free Asia, USA.

5. Muhammad Shamim.S, Kerala – Long wire Antenna Sponsor by DX Antwerp, Belgium.

6. Ulaganathan.M, Thiruneelagudi,TN - Long wire Antenna Sponsor by DX Antwerp, Belgium.

7. Girish Chadaga, Bangalore - Long wire Antenna Sponsor by DX Antwerp, Belgium.

8. Hirithick.R, Chennai - Long wire Antenna Sponsor by DX Antwerp, Belgium.

9. Karthick.A, Chinnalapatti, TN - Long wire Antenna Sponsor by DX Antwerp, Belgium.

10. Vetrivelraj.S, Idappadi, TN – DW T-shirt + DW Pen Sponsor by DW Radio.

11. Brijesh.E.P, Kerala – DW T-shirt + DW Pen Sponsor by DW Radio.

12. Santhoshraj.S, Idappadi, TN – RTI T-Shirt Sponsor by Radio Taiwan International.

13. Kannan.S, Thirukkannamangai, TN – DW Pendrive Sponsor by DW Radio.

14. Mitul Kansal, Haryana - DW Pendrive Sponsor by DW Radio.

15. Mohammed Ilyas.R, Hubli, KA - DW Pendrive Sponsor by DW Radio.

16. Rajesh Chandwani, Gurgoan, HR – Passport to World Band Radio anniversary edition Sponsor by Japan Premium.

17. Shanmugam.N.T, Thasappagoundanputhur, TN – WRTH Collectors edition Sponsor by Dr.T.Elampooranan, Chennai.

18. Bedanta Das, Assam – DW T-shirt + DW Cards Sponsor by DW Radio.

19. Sekar.P.S, Thalaignayiru, TN – DW kit (Square Puzzle, Bag, Pen) Sponsor by DW Radio.

20. Arun.K, Meenatchipalayam, TN – DW kit (Square Puzzle, Bag, Pen) Sponsor by DW Radio.

21. Shanmugasundaram.S, Madurai – DW kit (Card game, Bag, Pen) Sponsor by DW Radio.

22. Anitha.K, Meenatchipalayam, TN – DW kit (Card game, Bag, Pen) Sponsor by DW Radio.

23. Sivaramakrishnan, Chennai – DW Card game Sponsor by DW Radio.

24. Kumaran.V.S, Cuddalore – DW Card game Sponsor by DW Radio.

25. Hemanth Kumar.B, Chennai – DW Card game Sponsor by DW Radio.

26. Porunai Balu.S, Nellai, TN – DW Square Puzzle Sponsor by DW Radio.

27. Subramaniam.A.M, Neyveli, TN – DW Card game Sponsor by DW Radio.

28. Shanmugam.N, Manachanallur, TN – DW kit (Card game, Pen) Sponsor by DW Radio.

Not fulfill the entry rules (But with good points)

1. Dinesh.T.D, Andra Pradesh.

2. Mohammed Aslam, Uthar Pradesh.

Special QSL receivers.

10. Dennis Allen, Australia.

11. Terje (Terry) Nielsen, New Zealand.

12. John Wright, Australia.

13. Harold Woering, USA.

14. Simon-Peter Liehr, Germany.

15. Koichi Saito, Japan.

16. Pecolatto Bruno, Italia.

(Jaisakthivel, Ardic DX Club-ADXC, Tirunelveli, India)

FM radio to become tool for education

While FM radio is gaining popularity among the masses ,

State Institute of Education Technology (SIET) is set to cash in on the FM
wave and use it as a learning tool for students in remote areas. The SIET
is set to launch Vidyavani, a project that would broadcast education
modules for school students through FM radio, from August. This facility
will help students in interior areas in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and
Pathanamthitta districts.

More at :
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-17/news/32713187_1_community-radio-fm-radio-broadcast
[Alokesh Gupta]

AIR to host regional folk, music fest on July 23

A feast of regional folk and light music awaits music lovers of Mangalore

in near future. Artistes from different regions will be featuring the
essence of Indian regional folk and light music. .

As a part of Akashvani Regional Folk and Light Music Festival -2012 to be
organised by All India Radio Directorate in different parts of India
simultaneously on July 23 at 6 pm, All India Radio, Mangalore will host
Kannada Light Music, Telugu and Kannada regional folk music programmes in
Ravindra Kala Bhavana, University College, Mangalore.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/265399/air-host-regional-folk-music.html
[Alokesh Gupta]

50th FDXA-SUMMER MEETING RADIO VIA SWR

Finnish DX Association's 50th Annual Summer Meeting will be held at Vuosaari, Helsinki, Finland Aug 3-5, 2012

 

More info at : http://dxkesis50.blogspot.fi/

 

Scandanavian Weekend Radio will have special brodcast during  50th FDXA Summer Meeting on Aug 3-4, 2012

 

Schedule at :   http://www.swradio.net/schedule.htm

 

[Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi]

Now, pay Rs 5 lakh and have your own FM station

In a move to bring FM radio to rural India, the government will consider allowing small towns with population of about 1 lakh to have FM stations with a limited footprint. The cost of frequency for these non-news channels will be just Rs 50 lakh.
The ministry of information and broadcasting plans to auction 839 channels in 249 cities in phase III of the bidding, Union I&B minister Ambika Soni said.

The cities have been divided into four groups — A,B,C and D — according to their population. Cities under category D are the ones with maximum population of one lakh like Ambala in Haryana, Bharuch in Gujarat, Bharatpur in Rajasthan and Bokaro in Jharkhand. To bid for a station in such cities, a sum of just Rs 50 lakh is required as mininum net worth, in addition to the bidding price which starts from a minimum reserve price of Rs 5 lakh. 

"The objective is to bring the creative best in young boys and girls of small towns. Let them have their voice and tell rest of the people. Let them hold their microphones and become radio jockeys of small towns. This is different from community radio," said Soni. To create more channels for individuals hoping to have their own FM station, Soni said she has also forwarded a proposal to the Cabinet to reduce the minimum channel spacing for FM.

"The additional spectrum means we could auction more channels, bids for which could be made as low as the reserve price of Rs 5 lakh," she said. However, for this, an individual must own a company which is registered under the Company's Act, 1956.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Now-pay-Rs-5-lakh-and-have-your-own-FM-station/articleshow/14923191.cms 

Congo-Kinshasa: Greenpeace Launches Solar-Powered Radio in Oshwe Community

Oshwe — Hundreds of Oshwe's community members, today witnessed the launch of the first-ever solar-powered radio station in their province; a project supported by Greenpeace. In attendance were national, provincial and territorial authorities who applauded efforts to increase this remote community's access to basic information. The new installation highlights the strong partnership between Greenpeace and Oshwe's population; the result of two years of intensive work in the area. According to Loan Tran Thanh, DRC Country Manager for Greenpeace Africa: "The radio station will now no longer depend on an expensive, noisy, and polluting fuel generator - a perfect example of the renewable energy opportunities that are a solution for communities like this." Along with solar panel installations, the antenna of the radio station has also been raised in order to reach distant villages in a 100km radius. This will give many more forest communities access to the vital news that the radio broadcasts. The Oshwe region is in the middle of the forest of the Bandundu province. It borders the southern part of the Salonga National Park, an important biodiversity hotspot. The population essentially lives off hunting, agriculture, and fishing. Oshwe region covers about 43.000 kmÂ', and like many other parts of the Congo Forest Basin is under threat from unscrupulous international logging companies abetted by governments. "We believe that the Oshwe communities who live in the world's second largest rainforest will finally know what is happening in DRC, and understand the implications of decisions being made in the capital city, Kinshasa, particularly around their resources ," added Tran Thanh. As part of the project, Greenpeace trained 12 young volunteers to ensure the maintenance of the solar installations in the community. "Not only do we know how to install and maintain solar panels, but also have picked up skills that will benefit us and our families," said Poly Boyolo, one of the participants in this training. Over the past few years Greenpeace has reached out to forest communities to explain just how and why they should protect the forest; and understand their rights around the protection of their forests, while suggesting viable and sustainable alternatives to deforestation. "We hope that the DRC's government will see how important the solar-powered radio is in connecting with the forest communities while being an example of possible successful sustainable development projects in previously remote places, without necessarily destroying the World's second lung after the Amazon forest . " concluded Tran Thanh. Contact: Augustine Kasambule, Communications Officer, Greenpeace Africa Irene Wabiwa, Forest Campaigner, Greenpeace Africa (Source : Greenpeace Africa via allAfrica.com) Via K.C.SIVARAJ, EDAPPADI.

Pune University’s own community radio goes global

The University of Pune's (UoP) community radio, Vidyavani, can now be heard

across the globe, as it went online from Saturday. The community radio that
can be heard on www.unipune.ac.in was formally inaugurated by UoP vice
chancellor WN Gade.

More at : http://www.dnaindia.com/pune/report_pune-universitys-own-community-radio-goes-global_1715341

[Alokesh Gupta]

Ham radio to link Ahmedabad students with Sunita Williams

If all goes well for the Gujarat Science City officials, the institute will establish amateur radio contact with International Space Station (ISS) where Indian-American astronautSunita Williams will be stationed for four months. The state students might be able to talk to Williams directly about her experience. The science city officials have initiated communication with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) authorities for the project.

Williams, who is also the commander for expedition 33, along with her two colleagues Yuri Malenchenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency took off for her second space odyssey on Sunday morning with a Russian Soyuz rocket, which blasted off successfully from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz TMA spacecraft is due to dock with the ISS's Zvezda service module at 10.22 am IST on Tuesday.

Ham radio or amateur radio is frequently used for the communication from space to earth and vice versa and in the past, many of the astronauts stationed at ISS have had talks with students narrating their experiences and answering their queries. So far, India has not been part of the movement but the science city officials are hopeful of getting through.

Narottam Sahoo, senior scientist at the science city, said that they are in process of contacting NASA for linking contact with the ISS. "It will be part of global education system where students are made aware about science with hands-on experience. We had a successful demonstration on amateur radio at the science city and are now awaiting the opportunity to talk. The ISS passes above India for 92 minutes everyday. If we got the link with the support of NASA's science outreach programme, it would be a great opportunity for our students to learn," he said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Ham-radio-to-link-Ahmedabad-students-with-Sunita-Williams/articleshow/14972807.cms

[Jose Jacob, VU2JOS]

DRM India Chapter Noticeboard - July 2012

DRM India Chapter Noticeboard - July 2012 is now available at :

http://tinyurl.com/8xl64k6

Main Stories :

- Deputy Director General (AIR) on Commissioning the 1000 kW MW Transmitter
at Rajkot
- AIR to increase coverage of border areas
- Visteon India looking at the future which also includes DRM
- A DRM first: the first Emergency Warning Webinar organised together with
ABU
- Danish Shipping company to pioneer DRM testing
- Why do I need a DRM receiver?
- Why has the DRM system been developed, surely the internet will be the
future of broadcasting?

Do you have any news about DRM in India?
Where have you heard DRM broadcasts?

Please email at : mailto:projectoffice%40drm.org

To subscribe to DRM India Chapter Noticeboard please send your request to :
mailto:projectoffice%40drm.org

[Alokesh Gupta,New Delhi]

WRTH A-12 mid-season update

Via WRTH Facebook group

WRTH has released a mid-season update for the Summer/A season broadcasting schedules file (which includes revised and updated schedules plus new stations and frequency changes that have occurred since the beginning of the season). The PDF can be downloaded, free of charge, from www.wrth.com

AWR Press Release: First New Guam Antenna Goes Live

by Shelley Nolan Freesland
AWR Communication Director 

The first phase of Adventist World Radio's major upgrade to its shortwave station on Guam has been completed, and the massive new antenna is on the air.

Earlier this year, AWR began work on a $2.9 million project at the 25-year-old station, in order to improve its broadcasts to numerous countries in Asia. Phase one required the relocation of one of the existing towers, to accommodate the replacement of a low-frequency antenna with a higher-frequency one. The average height of the station's towers is 256 feet, while the average size of its curtain antennas is 236 by 260 feet – approximately the size of two football fields. While this work was going on, AWR's broadcasts from this antenna were shifted to a commercial shortwave station in Sri Lanka for several months, so that listeners could receive uninterrupted service.

"Completing this phase is a huge feat and a major milestone," says AWR president Dowell Chow, "as it now enables us to broadcast over frequencies that will better reach our target audiences in countries such as Indonesia, Nepal, Bangladesh, and more. The pressure was on to keep this installation on schedule, as construction is virtually impossible during Guam's rainy season. I wish to commend all of our engineers and other staff on Guam – Brook Powers, Sammy Gregory, Karl Forshee, Victor Shepherd, and Gordon Garner – as well as our frequency engineer, Claudius Dedio, for the exceptional effort and overtime they have put into the upgrade. Along with project chair/board member Loney Duncan, their years of experience have enabled them to develop innovative solutions to the challenges that inevitably arise in a project of this size and complexity."

Chow continues, "As well, we appreciate the working relationship we have had for many years with TCI International Inc., who custom-designed and manufactured our two new antennas, as well as Communications Technology Broadcasting Ltd., who was contracted to manage the installation and sent a team from South Africa."

TCI vice president Ron Wilensky attests that proceeding from the project quote stage to the first on-air transmission from the new antenna in less than a year "is a formidable achievement in the high-power broadcast world and a testament to the AWR/TCI team."

Work will resume early next year, after the current rainy season has passed and it is possible to begin moving soil and pouring concrete. This second phase – which will be even more labor-intensive – will consist of erecting a new tower and adding a new, high-frequency curtain antenna. When that antenna is operational, AWR will be able to transmit simultaneous broadcasts to China and countries such as North Korea, Myanmar, and Vietnam, reaching listeners in multiple countries during each of their respective peak listening times.

Chow says, "The Guam station has served our needs for 25 years in carrying the gospel to the unreached people of Asia in their own languages. From this tiny island, programs can currently be heard in 34 languages, for 287 hours/week. When this upgrade is completed, we expect that our facility will be in a good position to continue broadcasting for the next 25 years."

_

புதிய சிற்றலை வானொலி

07 ஜூலை 2012 இந்திய நேரம் இரவு 0900 மணி முதல் 1000 மணிவரை சிற்றலை 22 மீட்டர் 12140 அலை எண்களில் மீண்டும் ஒலிக்கத்துவங்கியது ஈழத் தமிழர்களுக்கான வானொலி. கடந்த மாதம் தொடங்கப்பட்ட இந்த ஒலிபரப்பு ஒரு சில காரணங்களால் தடை செய்யப்பட்டது. தடையினைத் தாண்டி மீண்டும் இலங்கை மற்றும் தமிழக நேயர்களுக்காக சனிக்கிழமை முதல் ஒலிக்கத்துவங்கியது என நமது புது தில்லி செய்தியாளர் அலோகேஷ் குப்தா தெரிவித்தார். அந்த ஒலிபரப்பின் ஒலிக்கீற்றினை இந்தத் தொடுப்பினில் கேட்கலாம்.

http://soundcloud.com/alokesh/unid-tamil-12140-1612utc 

இதனையே நமது ஜப்பான் நண்பரும் உறுதிப்படுத்தினார். அவர் பதிவினை இந்தத் தொடுப்பினில் கேட்கலாம்.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?hl=en&v=G18t10xh9KE&gl=US 

 

Vatican Radio to end most SW services to Europe and Americas

The Vatican Radio Director General, Father Federico Lombardi advised a press conference on June 12 2012 that the Vatican Radio has decided that shortwave and mediumwave transmissions to most of Europe and the Americas from the Santa Maria di Galeria centre will be terminated as from 1 July 2012,  and he called for a "new chapter in the history of Vatican Radio" evolving "from shortwaves to new communications strategies". The report also mentioned the reduction means downsizing of about 50% of the centre's transmission time to allow Vatican Radio to restructure it "according to more innovative technological criteria". The full message may be viewed, in English, at http://portale.italradio.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2468 [Bob Padula Via K.C.Sivaraj]

 

New AIR stations commissioned recently

The following are the new AIR Relay stations that was commissioned recently.

 
1.Khetikhan, Uttarakhand, 100.1 MHz, 100 watts
2.Manali, Himachal Pradesh  100.1 MHz 100 watts
3.Mangaladevi Fort, Jammu & Kashmir, 100.1 MHz, 100 watts
4.Okhimath, Uttarakhand, 100.1 MHz, 100 watts
5.Tanakpur, Uttarakhand, 100.1 MHz, 100 watts
 
Source: http://allindiaradio.gov.in/
 
[Jose Jacob, VU2JOS]

RCI's Sackville transmitters will be sold

Martin Marcotte, director of CBC Transmission, said he's now looking to sell the New Brunswick towers and land. He said he's focussing on selling

the site to other shortwave broadcasters or wind farm companies.

 

More at :

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2012/06/26/nb-rci-transmission-ends.html

 

[Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi]

__._,_.___

Radio expansion: I&B Ministry getting technical study done

The I and B Ministry is getting a technical study done to determine whether it can auction more channels during the Phase III radio expansion after recent TRAI recommendations on channel spacing have suggested better utilisation of spectrum. 

The ministry has asked Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd (BECIL) to study whether it would be technically feasible to auction more channels within the available radio spectrum for the Phase III expansion of FM radio, officials told PTI. 

It had earlier asked TRAI to examine the issue of minimum channel spacing for radio. Minimum channel spacing is the frequency separation between the adjacent channels which determines faithful reception of individual channels at the listener's radio receiver set. 

After examining the matter, TRAI had opined that the minimum channel spacing could be reduced from the present 800 KHz to 400 KHz. The telecom regulator had also said that with advances in radio communication, the need for this would lead to better utilisation of the radio spectrum. 

The officials said that if less spectrum space is required to separate channels, it would automatically mean that more radio channels can be carried in the same spectrum. 

"If there is additional spectrum we could auction more channels, but to determine how many and if should this be done in Phase III or would there be a Phase IV for that, we need to examine the issue further for which we have asked BECIL to conduct a study," a senior official said. 

The official said that while BECIL would report its findings to the ministry, a final decision would only be taken after permission from the Cabinet. 

Phase III expansion of FM Radio Broadcasting Services is to pave way for introduction of new channels in 294 cities having population of one lakh and above. (The Economic Times 04/07)

Border areas to have 33 FM radio channels in Phase III

The government is to allow bidders in Jammu and Kashmir, the North-eastern states and the Island territories to bid for FM Radio channels in Phase III even above the national limit on ownership of channels of 15 per cent per entity.

15  FM stations will be set up in border areas of Jammu and Kashmir and 18 in the border areas of the seven states of North-east.

This is being done to encourage bidding for channels in these areas, Information & Broadcasting Ministry sources told Radioandmusic.com

FM broadcasters in Jammu and Kashmir, North-eastern states and the island territories will be required to pay half the rate of annual license fee for an initial period of three years from the date from which the license fee becomes payable and the permission period of 15 years begins.

The concessional fee had also been revised for FM channels already existing in these territories with effect of the issuance of the Guidelines of the third phase of FM Radio expansion in the country in July 2011.

Apart from the fee relaxation, it is proposed that Prasar Bharati infrastructure would be made available at half the lease rentals for similar categories cities in these areas. FM Phase III expansion in the northeast, includes 31 in the seven states of the northeast, six in Jammu and Kashmir and nine in the island territories: three each in Daman and Diu, Lakshdweep, and Andaman and Nicobar.

(radioandmusic.com)