[cr-india] [dx_india] A 1 KW community station will cost Rs 2 crores to construct”

[Frederick Noronha]

 From the dx-india mailing list. Reposted here... It would be interesting 
to debate the perspective being argued below. Some of the figures seem 
frighteningly high. How does this compare with the situation in other 
countries? FN
FOOTNOTE: Rs 2 crore = Rs 20 million.


A 1 KW community station will cost Rs 2 crores to construct"

K M Paul interviewed by Bandana Mukhopadhyay

All India Radio Chief Engineer K M Paul describes AIR's venture into
consultancy to those setting up radio stations in the country outside
the government network. He estimates what will be required in terms
of investment and technical expertise for a rural community radio
station..

Question: Of late you know there has been some demand, a request to
the ministry of information and broadcasting coming from  NGOs,  to
be given  direct access to transmission. Suppose a small NGO wants to
start a  community radio within a perimeter of let us say 25 km. What
is the minimum transmission strength that they will require?

First you have to decide whether you want to go in for medium wave
transmitter or FM transmitter. For 25 km you can go in for FM also.
The cost, there are so many components. Transmitter cost, building
cost, land cost.

  Question: Let us say they have the building and the  land.   For
technical equipment alone what would be the minimum amount they would
have to invest?

Technical equipment also, let us split the costs. Transmitter, tower,
cable and antennas and power supply equipment ---all these things
together


Question: Would you explain the difference between the transmitter
and the tower?

Transmitter means transmitting equipment. After transmitting signal
is ready, it goes through the cable and gets into the antenna and
gets readied. For FM you need to have tower of appropriate height for
particular coverage, because FM has to be mounted on a height. So the
tower cost comes in. For medium wave you do not require a tower. You
require a mast type of antenna. That is also a costly device. The
transmitter output goes into the mast antenna. Transmitter feeding
system, the power supply system, these are the components of total
cost.

Question: And what will be the minimum transmission strength required—
one kilowatt (KW)? What will that cost?

It will be nearly Rs 2 crores. One kw FM transmitters Bharat
Electronics has just started making. This is the total cost,
including studio equipment. Servicing is a separate contract.

This is for digital equipment?

When you say digital, there are a lot of wrong ideas among the
people. There are two sectors in broadcasting. One is the production
environment, the other is the emission environment. Production means
studio. Studio  part can go digital, production, post production,
everything. But the transmission signal will remain analogue because
people have analogue receivers.  Though digital transmission has
started it is so far not widespread

Supposing a university wanted a station. Can they manage with 1 KW?

If you go over 25 km range  you need 5 KW. The range is a function of
two things. Power of the transmitter and the height of the tower. For
all  power there is an optimum height.

Question: If an NGO imports equipment, who makes it operational?

There are so many consultancy services available now.  We have  also
started one called AIR Resources. This consultancy service is given
to private broadcasters. And in future we want to expand our business
to overseas also. We are offering consultancy in the field of
broadcasting and communication. For making specifications of the
system. System design, installation, testing and commissioning, and
even maintenance of the system.

Anywhere in the country?

Yes anywhere in the country.  No problem. We can do maintenance.

What does that component cost?

That has to be worked out. For example we have done a consultancy for
IGNOU (Indira Gandhi Open University, that we have fixed at Rs 35
lakhs for installation.

Question: Some of the private FM transmitters that have come up, co-
located with AIR transmitters in some places, what has been their
cost?

There are usually putting ten KW transmitters. These will cost more,
nearly  Rs 1.2 crore for transmitter alone. The antenna will cost
another Rs 30 to 40 lakhs. Signal receiving system, studio
transmitter link system, measuring equipment, technical furniture,
air conditioning equipment. With building and site, could come to Rs
5.5 crores. If companies share facilities, it will be less.

Question: What is the baseline technical know-how required for an NGO
to set up and run a small radio station. Not only transmission, but
also production?

For production, a three year diploma in electronic engineering.

And if that is not possible?  If one is talking of say a remote
tribal village in Madhya Pradesh where we want a radio station, and
we can't wait for three years for two persons to get trained? And the
people  available do not have a literacy level of more than class
eight to class ten, on an average. If  they have to make a programme
on their own, will they be able to do it without the support of a
properly trained technical hand?

There are two things. One is operational matters, the other is
technical support in terms of maintenance, in case of systems
failure. Operational things can be done by non-technical people. But
if  the system goes wrong, then he must have acquaintance with the
system properly so that he can lay his hands on what is wrong. That
requires minimum a three years diploma holder. The equivalent of an
engineering assistant in All India Radio. Basically one graduate
engineer you should have.  If the station is in a remote area, one
person should have to be stationed there, unless you have given
maintenance to a consultancy agency..

Is AIR services sufficiently diffused to cover the rural areas all
over the country? Will you deploy your nearest local radio station
personnel?

That depends where you are opening a radio station. We have not taken
any maintenance contract so far, we have just started. We have done
installation consultancy. Our main client so far has been IGNOU
because they have got licence for forty places. In Calcutta Delhi and
Chennai also we have entered into contracts with private parties.
They are taking our tower which is very high.  Delhi is 235 metres.

What height would you need for a one kilowatt transmitter?

Fifty or sixty metres would be good enough. And land required  for
the base would be 10 metres by 10 metres.

Question: Once radio opens up further a lot of technical hands will
be required. There are hardly any organizations in the country who
have providing proper technical training for radio production. You
have a huge training institute under All India Radio. Are you
planning to open it out to the public?

We have a plan. I think we will  be able to take a policy decision
on. We have got a technical training institute and a programme
training institute also. We have got multi-track studios also.

What  is the minimum educational level that would be required for  a
student to come up in production.

As I said, a three year diploma holder in electronics. For production
higher secondary or class ten would do, but should be ITI (industrial
training institute) pass. Better if they are from an ITI, they
understand the system better.

Question: Are you  aware of the portable transmitters used in parts
of South Asia, particularly by militants for  political propaganda.
Like suitcase transmitters. How useful are they .

I have not seen them except one. Their performance is not very good.
They are fifty or 100 watt transmitters with antenna mounted  on the
rooftop. You have to put the antenna at a height  for FM, it gives
coverage on a line of sight basis,  provided adequate power is there.
A fifty watt transmitter can go up to 5 km range. Without the height
the signal will not reach. Whatever height you provide they can
cover a corresponding area.



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