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There have been discussions on DRM and DAB on this site including a friendly exchange between StJohn & I about DRM, reference https://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/commenting-digital-radio
At the moment, regional stations are transitioning to FM as 2BS did in 2018.
There is a similar proposal for 2AD to convert its transmission method from AM to FM, reference https://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/proposed-changes-armidale-radio-frequencies. The change of 2AD's conversion from AM to FM is the initiative of the broadcaster, not the ACMA, reference, pages 9 and 10 https://acma.gov.au/theACMA/-/media/D786FF4E7051491EBE9D15A2267ADA95.ashx and the decision to permit 2AD to broadcast in the FM (mode) is determined by the ACMA.
Note that despite the current availability of DAB+ as a transmission method, it is not being taken up by the regional broadcasters.
FM receivers are ubiquitous, and it appears that there is no interest by the regional broadcasters to transmit in DAB+ let alone DRM where there are no receivers in the marketplace as noted above.
To mandate all radio stations transmit DAB+ or even DRM, would require a transition period of eight years where both analogue and digital services would be simulcast as happened when digital tv was mandated in 1998 and implemented in 2001, reference https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1011/11rp07. In this case, the digital/analogue simulcast continued for 12 years.
During the mandated digital tv transition which was "...costly on both sides" allowance was made for those who could not afford to transition to digital tv that the government would subsidise the cost of set top boxes for pensioners. Mind you, set top boxes have gone down in price from $1000 in 2001 to as low as between $35 and $60 and could be purchased from BigW, kmart and Target.
So if digital transmission is legislatively mandated, consideration is needed for those on low incomes to be able to afford to listen to broadcasts in digital, whether DAB+ and/or DRM.
In the matter of a failed promotion of AM stereo, AM stereo in 1985 failed because of "lack of receivers". Yes there were stereo AM receivers, but "lack" in this context was "lack" of quality of receivers with the same narrow bandwidth as mono receivers. The AM stereo promotion was like "flogging" a two channel telephone quality transmission "horse".
Thank you,
Anthony from history is exciting to learn from of Belfield
This contribution from Aaron Jowitt, of Rebel FM.
Rebel Connect is a CRA member. We were not consulted on the CRA submission and disagree with the CRA position on DRM. We have long held the view that DRM and DRM+ needs to be openly considered for commercial radio in regional and rural Australia.
Where we need to cover a lot of territory, the only realistic and commercially viable option to match an AM footprint is DRM, and we can match an FM footprint with DRM+. Efficiently achievable with a fraction of the transmitter power of the analog services, typically sharing the broadcasters existing analog sites and infrastructure, without incurring DAB+ joint venture overhead costs.
DAB+ typically can't match high power AM or FM service coverage without a network of costly SFN infills, that won't be viable in lightly populated areas. Listeners in some outer areas served now by FM may therefore never get commercial DAB+.
DAB+ in some eastern mainland regional markets is further hampered by the lack of government allocated DAB spectrum, creating significant predicted pockets of co-channel interference, despite the excellent planning efforts and extensive modeling by ACMA engineers. There will be many inter-town rural and highway coverage black spot areas occurring as a result of DAB+ transmission power restrictions and site location restrictions imposed to avoid further co-channel interference.
The interference could be alleviated by amalgamating select commercial radio markets, but unfortunately while CRA won't entertain that option, it substantially compounds the spectrum shortage problem.
Consequently numerous regional markets are proposed by the ACMA to have 8+ DAB transmitters that will cover under half the area of an existing single high power elevated FM site. In comparison, just one DRM+ transmitter could better the FM coverage from the existing FM site, so it doesn't make sense that DRM is not viable.
DAB+ is good solution for metro markets, and perhaps a dozen of the most densely populated regional markets. Beyond that, particularly in solus or duopoly commercial radio markets, DRM/DRM+ quickly stacks up as the far better and more efficient broadcast option.
There are two key surmountable DRM/DRM+ road blocks in Australia;
1. Government & ACMA need to commit to planning DRM/DRM+ on a market by market basis, and consider it for narrowcast and metro suburban radio as a potential alternative to small scale DAB+. CRA is the only sector body arguing DRM/DRM+ is not viable. Importantly, the CRA position is not unanimous across its member base. Some CRA members are concerned the current DAB+ path will hamper or even kill their digital broadcast future. There are CRA members willing to do DRM/DRM+ right now if the government adopts it as standard and mandates multi standard receivers.
2. The current lack of receivers. No receivers equals little point broadcasting. Everyday that DAB+ only radios are sold, the harder it gets. India, a market of a billion people, has sold millions of DRM/DRM+ radio's and key manufacturers are starting to ship multi-standard chips. New car radios are increasingly SDR based, where the cost of adding the DRM/DRM+ code base to a DAB+ radio is negligible. Government mandating of dual standard DRM/DRM+/DAB+ in all new digital radio sets is essential and needs to be implemented ASAP.
We don't believe DRM/DRM+ is a magic solution, but the current DAB+ only path is likely to fail in a number of small and mid size regional markets, where broadcasters are facing extensive coverage black spots, expensive SFN in-fill requirements and have co-channel interference issues to contend with. In comparison, DRM/DRM+ looks brilliant.
We have a narrowing window of opportunity for the industry and government to come together to make DRM/DRM+ an integral part of an Australia wide digital broadcast solution. It can still be done.
Aaron Jowitt, Group Engineer, Rebel FM & The Breeze