Monday, July 16, 2007

New KCHIBO KK-S7600 receiver with remote




Someone left following comment on my blog with details
of the new Kchibo KK-S7600 receiver with remote.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "KCHIBO
KK-S500 Digital Receiver":

I'm interested in another Kchibo radio the s7600 which
I have seen details for, but nobody is selling it, as yet.
I can't paste the url here. But the portable is slightly
larger than the s500 and includes a remote.
The s500 is more expensive than the better know Kaito/Degen
1102,03 radios. Whether the performance is superior to those
two portables is questionable and won't be know untill it is
reviewed.
http://bbs.leowood.net/web/leowood/forum/photobook.asp?page=1&name=radiolove&ClassID=0

Pictures courtesy the link mentioned above.

All India Radio,Nagpur enters 60th Year

From dnaindia.com ...............

UNI
Monday, July 16, 2007 10:39 IST
The Nagpur Centre of All India Radio (AIR) plans to
start several new programmes, which would be the
first of their kind in Maharashtra, as it enters
the 60th year of its existence on Monday.
Station Director Dr Chetan P Naik told UNI that
the first day of the jubilee year would be marked
with a special programme to be broadcast from 0900
hrs to 1000 hrs on July 16.
The new programmes include a phone-in show
featuring people’s representatives from Vidarbha,
a tele-quiz, a tele-Antakshari, documentary
features on the tribes in the region and a ‘roaming
microphone’ broadcast. “Other centres in India
already have such programmes, but Nagpur will become
the first among the 21 in Maharashtra to have them,’’
Naik said.
‘Hello Janatantra’ would be a live phone-in programme
featuring ministers in the Union and the State
cabinets, members of Parliament and members of the
legislature, from Vidarbha answering questions from
the audience, he said.
The live tele-quiz would involve listeners calling
in on the telephone and being asked questions by
the host, and winning prizes for correct answers.
There were plans to host an ‘Antakshari’ show, also
live, in which members of the audience could
participate by calling in on the telephone and
singing a song beginning from the last letter of
the one played out from the studio, he said.
“There will be three participants on line at a time.
Each participant will have to sing three songs within
30 seconds to win a prize,’’ Dr Naik said, adding that
later, the winners from each episode would be similarly
featured live in the final part of the show. Dr Naik
said that the centre would produce documentary features
on each of the 16 major tribes in Vidarbha as part of
the diamond jubilee celebrations. Each episode would
highlight the language, culture, social practices
and rituals of a particular tribe, he said.
The roaming microphone programme would take the radio
to the doorstep of the people, and, therefore, had
been aptly titled ‘Radio Aaplya Daari’ or ‘Radio With
You’, he said.

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1110116

AIR VBS services shifted from B'lore to Delhi

All India Radio Vividh Bharati Service(VBS)
programmes has been shifted from 500 kW
transmitter at Bangalore to 250 kW transmitter
at HPT,AIR Khampur (Delhi) w.e.f. 28th May 2007.
on 10330 kHz.
Time slots as foll :
0555-1005 IST(0025-0435 UTC)
1430-1730 IST(0900-1200 UTC)
1815-2310 IST(1235-1740 UTC)

Reception Reports welcome at:
spectrum-manager@air.org.in

Saturday, July 14, 2007

DW DRM to India

Deutsche Welle moved three hours of DRM airtime from
Europe to India after noting that the Indian authorities
intend to convert all MW and SW transmitters in India
to DRM mode. Programming is DW Radio in English.


Schedule details - Via Trincomalee,Srilanka
0200-0259 UTC on 1548
0500-0600 UTC on 12005
0800-0858 UTC on 12070

(Kai Ludwig,Germany via DX Listening Digest,July 10)

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Radio,TV broadcast bill gets cabinet nod in Thailand

As reported in Bangkok Post ..............

Radio,TV broadcast bill gets cabinet nod in Thailand

PRADIT RUANGDIT
The draft Radio and Television Broadcasting Bill received
the cabinet's endorsement yesterday, paving the way for
better regulation and establishment of local television
and radio operations. Prime Minister's Office Minister
Thirapat Serirangsan said the bill governs the licensing
of all kinds of radio and television operations, whether
through frequency bands, cable or satellite networks.
With all broadcast outlets put under control, the bill
will be a major step forward in reforming the broadcast
industry, he said.
''PTV can ask for a licence before going on air and ASTV
can continue running, but must apply for a licence first,''
Mr Thirapat said. The PTV station, backed by the now-
defunct Thai Rak Thai party, was banned from broadcasting
before it could go on air, while ASTV was given a court
reprieve to continue its broadcast. Both are satellite-
based.
Details of operators' qualifications, content requirements,
income generation, and subscription of satellite and cable
TV channels would be decided later by the National
Broadcasting Commission, Mr Thirapat said.
Under the bill, licences for broadcasting frequencies
would be classified into a public service, community
service, and business-based operation.
To obtain a licence for public service, a broadcaster must
devote 70% of its contents to education, arts and culture,
health, sports and national security issues.
A non-profit organisation or a group of local people can
apply for a licence to operate a community radio or TV
programmes with 70% of its contents produced for the
benefits of their localities.
In the case of business-oriented broadcasting, an operator
must ensure at least 20% of its contents include news,
documentaries and other substantive issues.
The content requirements must be met throughout the
concession term, which is seven years for a radio
station and 15 years for a TV station, said Mr Thirapat.
To operate a local radio or TV station that covers a
total area of no more than three provinces, an operator
must be a juristic person with a strong financial position.
An ethical sub-committee will be set up to ensure quality
programming, the minister said.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/11Jul2007_news13.php

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

A year of record-breaking impact for BBC World Service

The BBC World Service Annual Review for 2006/7,
published on 3rd July, provides information about
its performance during a year of major news
events.

The review highlights:

Independent research which indicates that BBC World
Service's reputation for trust and objectivity is
stronger than that of any other international
broadcaster in virtually all markets surveyed.

An increase in its audience to a record 183
million, a rise of 20 million on the previous
year, giving BBC World Service a third more
listeners than any other international radio
broadcaster. Audiences rose in the Middle East,
the wider Islamic world and Africa.

The availability of BBC World Service on FM in
152 capital cities, up from 150 last year.

A steady growth of online traffic. The BBC's
international news websites attracted a record
763 million page impressions in March 2007,
up from 546 million compared to March 2006.
Around the world there were a record 38.5
million online users in March 2007, up from
32.8 million a year ago.

BBC Global News services - which include BBC
World Service, the BBC World television channel
and BBC international online news sites attracted
a record global weekly audience of over 233 million
during 2006/7.

The Annual Review can be accessed at
www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/us/annual_review/2006/.

Source : BBC World Service Publicity

Monday, July 09, 2007

BIG 92.7 FM hits airwaves in Asansol

The launch marks the 23rd Station of the Network and the
second in West Bengal
Kolkata, West Bengal,IND, 2007-07-09 18:09:16
(IndiaPRwire.com)
BIG 92.7 FM, India's No.1 FM Network, today announced
the latest edition to its kitty, with the launch of its
Station in Asansol. The launch of BIG 92.7 FM in the
City marks the launch of the 23rd Station of the network.
In the first phase of its launches, BIG 92.7 FM set up
Stations in the metros of Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai,
Kolkata, Bangalore and Mumbai. The second phase of
launches have taken BIG 92.7 FM to several mini-metros
including Jammu, Srinagar, Aligarh, Jhansi, Bikaner,
Chandigarh, Bareilly, Hissar, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati,
Jalandhar, Goa, Bhopal, Baroda, Rajkot, Kanpur and now
Asansol at the end of which, the total count will be
taken to 45.
With its Hot Adult Contemporary music positioning,
covering favorite tracks from across era's and its
endeavor to create high aspiration and wholesome
entertainment, BIG 92.7 FM has taken aboard several
well-known personalities and has created an exciting
programming mix that ensures relevant and credible
information to their listeners. BIG 92.7 FM promises
not only to entertain but to inform and empower the
listener with utilities that one may take for granted.
The Station has designed utilities such as traffic and
weather updates along with time checks and health tips
to help optimize the listener's time management and
health. Another important programme offering of the
Station is the 'Acknowledgement of local Heroes in
Society'.
BIG 92.7 FM aims to honor the deserving common man who
works relentlessly and voluntarily for the betterment
of society.
Key shows are hosted by personalities like, Koushik,
Rakesh & Pragya in Kolkata, Vrajesh Hirjee in Mumbai,
Ayushmann in Delhi, Dayanand in Bangalore, Mamathi
Chari in Chennai, Krish & Jhansi in Hyderabad and Sachin
in Chandigarh. These celebrities interact with the
listeners in the local language; as they share their
emotions, on a daily basis, adding to the aspirational
appeal of the station. In Asansol, Mithun, Arpan and
Pritha will be entertaining the people of Asansol,
and the adjoining areas of Bengal and Jharkhand which
includes Durgapur, Kulti, Ranigunj, Burnpur,Barakar,
and Dhanbad. The joyride will start early in the
morning with BIG Asansol Express.
To ensure the highest aspirational appeal and connect
with its listeners, BIG 92.7 FM has Abhishek Bachchan
as the Brand Ambassador in East, North and West and
super star Asin for Telegu and the Tamil markets and
for the Kannada market - none other than Upendra.
In a recent survey conducted by Indica Research
Consumer Insights Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore, Hyderabad
and Chandigarh within few months of being launched
in the city, were adjudged the No. 1 Station whereas
Mumbai and Kolkata stations have been adjudged as
No. 2 in their cities, as per the study on various
criteria during the period of February - March 2007.
Apart from thecities surveyed, BIG 92.7 FM enjoys
leadership in all other cities where the Network
has brought in the new wave of private FM and
offering wholesome entertainment to its audiences.
Commenting on the station's entry into Asansol,
Mr. Tarun Katial, Chief Operating Officer, BIG
92.7 FM, said "We have been receiving very
encouraging responses from all the cities that we
have launched in this far. We are very excited
about launching in the city of Asansol and we
want the tunes of BIG 92.7 FM to echo across the
length and the breadth of the country. The
programming mix of the Station has been put
together after much research and understanding of
our listeners requirements. It is our aim to create
content that is relevant, credible and has an
aspirational value to the listeners. We are
completely geared and are eagerly looking forward to
entertaining the city of Asansol. We are sure the
city will welcome us with open arms and will enjoy
the programmes on our Station."
With an aim to touch 200 million listeners, which
is every fifth Indian across the country; every
third urban Indian and every eighth Indian in rural
areas, BIG 92.7 FM is on its way to grab the pulse
of the Indian populace.
With all its offerings put together, BIG 92.7 FM
promises lesser clutter and richer reach by offering
a super combination of wider coverage and better
frequency.
- End -

About BIG 92.7 FM
BIG 92.7 FM is part of Adlabs Films. Ltd. The Station
is poised to create history with it's pan India presence,
spanning across 45 cities, 1000 towns and 50,000 villages
to reach 200 million Indians across the length and
breadth of the country. The company plans to take FM radio
as a medium of entertainment not only to the key metros,
but also to virgin markets that have never before
experienced this medium of entertainment. The Station
promises not only to entertain but to inform and empower
the listener with utilities that one may take for granted.
In addition to the utilities, the Station has a stunning
array of RJ's who will be the voice and personality of
the channel. The RJ's have been selected after a careful
and selective nationwide hunt. With an investment of
Rs. 400 crore dedicated to Transmission Equipment,
Infrastructure and licensing, the proposed network
will be the largest ever. BIG 92.7 FM will bring to
you 24x7 unique entertainment from a highly advanced
and state-of-the-art radio broadcast technology via
transmitters with web based remote management capability,
hot swappable power supply and power amplifier with
controller card redundancy.
BIG 92.7 FM is the next BIG thing on Radio. Big
is beautiful! BIG is better!
And now its here!! BIG 92.7 FM. Suno Sunao, Life Banao!

www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/radio/200707093540.htm

Passion for Transmission

From Deccan Herald ...............

M V Gopalaswamy set up India's first private radio station
in Mysore, Mala Kumar reports.
The first Radio Sangeet Sammelan on All India Radio was
held in 1957. Over 20 years before that a professor of
psychology was trying to get his then nine-year-old son
to sing something into the microphone to inaugurate the
professor's private radio station in Mysore.
The boy forgot his lines and started crying. That
particular sammelan may not have taken off but Professor
M V Gopalaswamy nurtured his passion for radio
transmission and achieved something immortal - he set up
India's first private radio station, in Mysore.
He is recognised as the first person to have used the work
'Akashvani' for a radio transmission. Akashvani was adopted
as the official name of All India Radio in 1957, exactly 50
years ago.
The professor was caught by the romance of airwaves when he
came across an unused 50 watt transmitter.
Prof Gopalaswamy set to work on it and in September 1935,
his room in 'Vithala Vihar' in Mysore's Vontikoppal area
became a radio station. He called the station 'Akashvani'.
He invited singers to come to his house and in return for
music rendered the artistes were sent off with tambula and
respect.
Gopalaswamy, then serving under the Maharaja of Mysore,
also invited his brother-in-law to give a talk on radio.
The young man used this opportunity to vent his discontent
against the Maharaja. So levid was the professor that he
threw the relative out of the house! And it took six-months
of conciliatary efforts on the part of the family to get
the speaker back into the house.
Gopalaswamy soon imported a 250-watt transmitter.The
station continued with support from the public and the
Mysore Municipality till it was taken over by the Mysore
State in 1941.
The enterprising Dr Gopalaswamy had also established the
department of Psychology at the University of Mysore in
1924 after obtaining his Ph D in London under psychologist
Dr Charles Spearman. The department is recognised as
being the second oldest department of psychology in the
country.
"During the early years of radio transmission in Mysore
the station had fixed loudspeakers outside the building.
People sitting in the park nearby would run across to
the station and request that a particular music be
played.
The very next minute, the air would be filled with the
requested piece of music," recounts retired AIR Station
Director Dr Jyotsna Kamat.
"According to family lore, my uncle used to sit across
the station and listen to the music being played. His
favourite song was the Tamil hit 'Meen Pudippoma'.
He used to keep requesting the station to play this
song!" says media person Bharathi Ghanshyam, grand
daughter of Gopalaswamy.
It is debatable whether this is what Mahatma Gandhi
meant when he called All India Radio 'A medium of
unparalleled immediacy, intimacy and power'! Known
for its emphasis on reliability, credibility and
clear aim to educate and entertain, AIR remained
a popular mass medium until television wooed away
its audience. But with the advent of FM channels,
radio has regained its popularity.
Says radio jockey-cum-model Pavithra Ghanshyam,
"the corridors of Akashvani in Mysore intimidated
and awed me. Radio is a fantastic medium.
On my shows I get calls from city slickers as well
as from people calling themselves Balehannu
Puttuswamy! Somewhere in my mind, the fact that my
great grandfather Gopalaswamy was a pioneer in the
field of radio has always drawn me to the media.
Radio is not what it was in his time, as there is
a constant need to reinvent," says the young RJ.
AIR has grown. Today it has a network of 223
broadcasting centres with 143 medium frequency
(MW), 54 high frequency (SW) and 161 FM transmitters.
Even as the reach, range and style of mass media
changes every day, channels and one word continues
to instill a sense of continuity and patriotism -
'Ye hai Akashvani...' The beauty is that the word
for 'voice from the air' is the same in almost
all Indian languages.

http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Jul82007/finearts2007070711530.asp

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Himalaya's DRM2009 receiver is out



"drmdab" reported in the DRM software radio forum that the
Himalaya's DRM receiver "DRM2009" is out for sale, I had a
chance to preview this receiver during the ABU AIR DRM meet
here at Delhi.

More info at : http://www.himalaya.com.hk/

Description

- DRM/DAB
- AM(LW/MW/KW)/UKW(RDS)
- photographs with SD map (likewise MP3 playback supports direct
and programmed DAB- and DRM photographs)
- simple break/rendition characteristic supports DAB and DRM
photographs on the memory
- EPG for DAB service
- 40 stations storable (10 for each mode), two waking times and
a dozen programmable attitudes for digital broadcast (DAB and
DRM)
- external antenna input, digital exit, similar exit (headphone)
- two loudspeakers
- battery operation (duration dependent on battery capacity)
- USB connection

Can be bought online for 249 Euro plus shipping from :
http://www.t-online-shop.de/tonline/product.do?action=getProductDetail&product=32771

OR from : http://www.charly-hardt.de/drm.html

KCHIBO KK-S500 Digital Receiver

KCHIBO KK-S500 DIGITAL DUAL CONVERSION / SYNCHRONOUS
DETECTION SHORTWAVE / FM STEREO / MW RADIO



Ebay seller "Liypn" has listed a new Kchibo KK-S500 Digital
Receiver,details as following :
FM : 76 -108 MHz
MW : 520 - 1620 KHz. (9 or 10 KHz. steps)
SW : 1620 - 29999 KHz.
This radio is New In Box, 100% Brand New from the manufacturer
in China,NOT Used, NOT Refurbished.
Super large LCD display with digital display of frequency and
the pointing dial simultaneously
1000 Stations Memory Presets (200 each for MW & SW, 600 for FM)
(Will not lose memory even without battery inside radio)
Direct input of frequency, knob tuning, pre-set memory and
scanning tuning methods are supported.
Dual conversion and synchronous detection on SW bands, very
sensitive and good selectivity!
Excellent sound quality, loud and clear!
FM Stereo Listening by earphone.
Automatic turn on of radio by setting the timers.
With headphone socket, for private stereo FM listening!
Dimensions: 5.9 x 3.5 x 1.4 inches / 150 x 90 x 35 mm.
Battery: Uses 3 AA size 1.5V. battery.
The package that you are bidding comes with the radio, a velvet
cloth radio bag, stereo earphone, 3 x rechargeable Ni-MH
batteries, AC adapter (220V)and wire antenna.
Manual in ENGLISH in pdf format will be provided FOR FREE
SIX MONTHS MANUFACTURER WARRANTY FROM DATE OF
SHIPMENT
Labels on this radio are in Chinese
Will ship to anywhere in the word by Air Mail Parcel Post
with insurance(7 to 10 days delivery).

Copy & paste this link on your browser to view the listing :
http://tinyurl.com/2htcvf

Thomson in Indian DRM Trial

7.06.2007
Thomson Broadcast & Multimedia supplied the transmission
technology for a recent Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM)
demonstration in Delhi, India.The full-bandwidth 18 kHz
DRM medium-wave trial took place as part of a DRM simulcast
technology showcase sponsored by public-service broadcaster
All India Radio, the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union and the
DRM consortium."This is quite a significant event," said
Sharad Sadhu, head of transmission technology and spectrum
at the ABU. "Radio broadcasters in the Asia-Pacific uniquely
use 18 kHz-wide channels in the medium wave, and using DRM
in the full channel will enable them to provide a very high
quality stereo service to listeners."
The trials demonstrated DRM digital radio transmissions in
the medium wave band using Single Channel Simulcast (SCS)
and Multi-Channel Simulcast (MCS)technologies. It also
demonstrated local DRM radio transmissions in the 26 MHz
band, Near Vertical Incidence transmissions and DRM
shortwave radio transmissions.
For the trials, Thomson provided a DRM-ready 100 kW TMW
2100D medium-wave transmitter and a digital front-end
including the Thomson Stratus DRM modulator and the
Cirrus DRM multiplexer. Thomson is a founding member of
the DRM consortium.

http://www.rwonline.com/pages/s.0101/t.7029.html

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

2nd Medium Wave Summer Contest

----- Original Message -----
From:
Sent: Tuesday, July 03, 2007 12:58 PM
Subject: 2nd Medium Wave Summer Contest

Hi friends,

Between 15 and 31 July the German "Wellenforum"
(www.wellenforum.de) holds its second Medium
Wave Summer Contest. The purpose of the Contest is to
offer a broad spectrum of MW receptions during Summertime.
The Contest manager is Friedhelm Wittlieb (wietti).
Participation and conditions are simple.
The participation takes place online. All medium wave
enthusiasts can participate.
Every MW log is given a value, each heard station
gets one single value.
There is no minimum required listening time. Fairness
is regarded as something obvious.
Every station from the logger's country gets 10 points,
every station from the logger's continent gets 20 points,
and stations from other contintents than the logger's get
30 points.
At the end of the Contest there will be a general overview
of the stations heard. Every participant will get a
participation confirmation (certificate).

The logs can be sent via e-mail to contest@wellenforum.de
up to 10 August 2007. Annexes are not required. The mail
should be configured as follows:
Frequency-Date-Time-Station-Language-Programme detail-SIO
e.g..:

531-15.07-21.00-Radio Musigwälle-Deutsch-Musik-444

Please make use of the hyphen as this enables us to
put the logs later on in a table format. The times
should be indicated in UTV.
Enjoy yourself browsing the medium wave band!

73, Friedehelm
--
********
QTH: Lünen / NRW (near Dortmund)
Grundig Satellit 700 with regenerative loop antenna
member of the addx and medium wave circle uk
www.wittlieb-online.de
www.wellenforum.de

Monday, July 02, 2007

All India Radio in Arunachal Pradesh

Monitoring notes from Gautam Sharma in Assam.
-----------------------
According to latest Frequency Guide from All
India Radio, AIR Itanagar skd via shortwave
i.e. for A07 is as follows:

0025UTC to 0400UTC on 4990kHz
0700 UTC to 0900UTC on 6150kHz
1000UTC to 1630UTC on 4990kHz

And also there are medium wave stations of
AIR located at :
Itanagar (675 kHz)
Tezu (1332 kHz)
Tawang (1521 kHz)
Pasighat (1602 kHz)
Zero (1602 kHz).
There may be other AIR Radio Stations but not sure
about it. And believe there is no FM Radio Station
of AIR at present in Itanagar etc.But Postiv Radio
a division of North East Television has obtained
license to start a Privale FM Radio Station in
Itanagar along with Guwahati, Shillong & Agartala.
Already, its Guwahati Radio Station i.e. Radio Hoo
Laa Laa on 91.9 MHz has already started its operation.

A few days back, I heard & received fair signal of
AIR Itanagar on 4990kHz during 1130 UTC (approx.)
onwards during my monitoring & it was free from
any interference. But from the weekend, I couldn't
trace the signal of AIR Itanagar on 4990kHz. There
was no other Radio Station operating on that
frequency as per my monitoring. However, for 6150
kHz I didn't find trace of AIR Itanagar from 0700
UTC to 0900UTC till today.AIR-Itanagar on 675 kHz
on medium wave is audible during evening & night
here.
Alokesh, this is just a preliminary report. I'll
send you more report on AIR Itanagar via shortwave
etc on the basis of further monitoring soon.
JUST FOR YOUR INFO, ON THE WEEKEND I FOUND ON
SEVERAL FREQUENCIES ON FM BAND STRONG SIGNAL
OF CHINESE RADIO STATIONS AGAIN. SO, PERHAPS THEY
ARE NOW TARGETTING NOW FM BAND AFTER SHORTWAVE
& MEDIUM WAVE PLUS TELEVISION WAVE IN ARUNACHAL
PRADESH!!!!!!!

NE TV Reports also about Chinese Jamming of AIR
& Doordarshan in Arunachal:
North East Television also reported last week
about reported Chinese Jamming of AIR & Doordarshan
in Arunachal Pradesh in their News Bulletin. And
while a High Level Doordrashan Official declined
to comment on reported Jammings etc from Chinese
side stating that he was not authorised to talk
on that. But he stated that most of transmitters's
power are weak etc etc and they have sent already
proposal etc to higher authority to strengthen &
improve the transmissions etc.The report also
mentioned that NE TV have got license to start a
FM Radio Station in Itanagar.

73 & 55
GK