Digital Radio in Europe

Deutsche Welle & the BBC launched a joint English service in December 2008 that is broadcast 18 hours per day to Europe from transmitters in Austria, Portugal, Norway and the UK.

 

 

BR-B5akt, DLF, DLR,Oldiestar and WDR are still using DRM.

 

Deutsche Welle, the Voice of Germany operates 24 hours a day in German and English on Digital Radio Mondiale short-wave, mainly to Europe. The Service is now in German and English seven days a week. The service has been transmitted on as many as 5 frequencies from Sines & Wertachtal using mainly modified Telefunken S4001/3 transmitters that are linear enough to be converted for Digital Radio Mondiale use. DW has always been a big supporter of Digital Radio Mondiale and introduced a 24 hour Digital Radio Mondiale only service in 2006. DW plans to eventually convert all short-wave transmissions to Digital Radio Mondiale.

DW current transmissions are usually in Parametric Stereo using AAC encoding and many have a multimedia data stream. At times DW has broadcast a true multiplex with 2 audio channels and a data service usually using CELP encoding. Many DW transmissions have a Journaline service that carries news and programming information.

DW had access to up to 9 Digital Radio Mondiale transmitters at Julich, Wertachtal, Sines and Trincomalee but moved most of its DRM services to UK and Austrian transmitters in January 2007. Deutsche Welle currently uses Sines, Moosbrunn & Woofferton for its DRM transmitter network.

 

 

Bayischer Rundfunk converted its Telefunken transmitter to Digital Radio Mondiale use in 2005 and now relays the BR5 news actuality service from 0400 to 2205 UTC. The transmitter power was increased to 50 kW from the initial 10 kW, which provided a much better signal in Europe. The transmission is in stereo for part of the broadcast day. BR added a Journaline service in early 2008.

 

DLR operates the long wave Digital Radio Mondiale transmitter from Zehelendorf near Berlin on 177 kHz. The power output is 150 kW, limiting coverage to Germany itself. The Digital Radio Mondiale output has been reduced to three hours overnight probably until Digital Radio Mondiale receivers hit the market. There is another DLR transmitter on 729 kHz from Putbus that is on air 24 hours a day but only has a power of 1 kW.

 

DLF operates a 10 kW service on 855 kHz that just covers the Berlin area. DLF has ordered replacement transmitters for its other outlets so watch out for developments on 549, 756 and 1269 kHz.. The longwave transmitters on 153 kHz and 207 kHz and the medium wave transmitter on1422 kHz have been updated to be DRM capable.

 

WDR is broadcasting from Langenberg on 1593 kHz medium wave, 24 hours a day in a long term test with a 20 kW transmitter that runs at 10 kW for most of the time.

 

OldieStar Radio is now using 1575 kHz for regular DRM broadcasts using 20 kW between 0800 and 1400, 100 kW between 2200 and 0400.Outside these times services from the Voice of Russia are transmitted in analogue. This DRM service stopped in mid-2009.

 

OldieStar has operated an experimental SFN network in Berlin for some time on 1485 kHz with just 1 kW.