MUMBAI: The Indian DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) Chapter headed by national broadcaster AIR (All India Radio) will hold a meeting with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to discuss the most effective ways to utilize AIR’s nationwide infrastructure of digital transmitters during emergencies and disasters via text messages.
DRM will follow its meeting with NDMA with demonstration of how its systems work in the near future and its efficacy during disasters when traditional medium of radio comes into play.
“The biggest advantage of digital transmitter is that you can use it for disaster management. If an individual is listening to any radio station via digital receivers during a disaster then the receiver will automatically switch to AIR. This digital technology will help listeners to receive alerts in text format along with the ongoing audio transmission,” DRM Consortium honorary Chairman Yogendra Pal told Radioandmusic.com.
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Currently, AIR has 148 medium wave transmitters of different range. By the Planning Commission’s decision, both DD (Doordarshan) and AIR should be digitalised by 2017. Under the 11th Five Year Plan, 72 transmitters with high power should be digitised. This alone will help AIR to cover 70 per cent of the Indian population.
Most of the high power transmitters are being replaced. In 148 transmissions, there are three 1000 kw transmitters out of which two have been replaced; all the 11 transmitters of 300 kw have been replaced. In 217 kw transmitters there are around 17 transmitters out of which 12 have been replaced. Out of 26, 100 kw transmitters 18 replaced have been replaced.
