India’s national broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) has placed an order for the supply of two 1000 kilowatt DRM capable medium wave transmitters. These will replace old analogue transmitters of the same capacity at Chinsurah (West Bengal) and Rajkot (Gujrat), with state-of-the-art solid state transmitters.

The new transmitters can be operated in analogue, in simulcast, or in DRM mode alone, with automatic change-over between these three operational modes. The transmitters will provide coverage to very large areas in the Indian sub-continent as well to the West, North, East and Southeast Asia.

The purchase was revealed at the Broadcast Engineering Society India’s conference in New Delhi, attended by exhibitors and participants from all over the world. The need for cheaper digital radio sets and content innovation was highlighted by speakers during the event.

All India Radio has chosen DRM as the technology for converting its 40 transmitter analog network to digital. AIR is already broadcasting in DRM from one of its high-power shortwave transmitters located at Khampur near Delhi that covers an area of approximately 800 kilometre radius, but few radios in the country can receive the digital signals yet.