On Wednesday June 29, Australian public broadcaster ABC and network operator BAI hosted a demonstration of Digital Radio Mondiale digital radio in AM and FM. The trials took place in Wangaratta in the state of Victoria.
According to the DRM consortium, the demonstration was the culmination of almost two years of COVID-impacted work to assess the performance of the DRM services on VHF and MF bands.
The organization reports that senior representatives from the public, commercial and community stations, the regulator and interested parties (ABC, SBS, CBAA, ARN, ACMA, TAB and ACE Radio) traveled to the regional sites to see the facility and to experience the audio quality available through the DRM signals on both the MF (AM) band from Wangaratta MF and the VHF (FM) band from Mount Baranduda.
Attendees also visited the MF site at Wangaratta where a simulcast of the AM and DRM services was operating and were able to see the transmission equipment. In addition, two vehicles were set up with receivers for stationary listening and demonstrations of the emergency warning capabilities to “wake-up” the radios at the local Rovers Football club carpark.
Finally, participants were able to take part in drive tests to hear DRM audio quality on the move as well as the standard’s ability to switch between AM, FM and the two DRM signals.
DRM says that feedback from the delegates was universally positive.