Brazil is set to resume testing of HD Radio and Digital Radio Mondiale.
The technical committee of an advisory board on digital radio to Brazil’s Communications Ministry has defined the parameters for the new tests, reports Radio World’s Spanish-language sister publication, Radio World América Latina.
We’ve reported Brazil has tested the systems before, but officials were unhappy with the results because the test parameters made it so the resulting data couldn’t easily give an apples-to-apples comparison.
Observers will be looking at signal robustness and coverage for both digital radio technologies. The trials will include shortwave, AM and FM, reports Carlos Eduardo Behrensdorf, who adds the shortwave and AM testing will use DRM technology while both high- and low-power FM testing will use HD Radio.
Brazil Communications Co. will conduct the DRM shortwave trials in Brasilia. No broadcaster has been chosen yet for the HD Radio FM trials, which will occur in Brazil’s capital city of Sao Paulo.
We’ve reported that before Brazil decides on a digital radio standard, or standards, it must first decide whether to migrate AM stations to the FM band by moving those AMs to TV Channels 5 and 6. Those channels will be vacated as Brazilian TV broadcasters transition to digital.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has now approved that migration, reports Radio World América Latina. The Ministry of Communications hopes to have a migration plan formed within 60 days.
