[cr-india] Cost estimates CRS

[Vickram Crishna]

--- sajan venniyoor <venniyoor at rediffmail.com> wrote:

> I would like to be proved wrong, but I think the I&B
> Ministry's cost estimates for a community radio
> station - starting at a modest package of Rs.600,000
> - are probably more realistic than Nomad's
> projections. MIB has not factored in the
> installation and consultancy fees (nor, for that
> matter, has Nomad) - that won't come cheap.

The cost of site visit and mast installation is not
given - indeed, can hardly be expected to be given,
sight unseen - on the page you mention, but this is
pointed out plainly. 

I would just like to point out that setting up such a 
station is not rocket science. Forget Nomad's page,
which is quite informative enough, there are probably
hundreds of sites and enough linked pages around to
help anyone with a little initiative to get started.
If persons like Hemant and Michelle with a completely
non-technical background can learn how to do this,
don't you think that there is enough scope for others
in India?

Yes, consulting doesn't come cheap. Why should it? But
for those who need to save money, a little study in
advance will deliver wonders.

> 
> The equipment lists provided by the Ministry and by
> Nomad are different enough to make comparisons
> rather pointless. (If anything, Nomad's Basic
> configuration is closer to the ABU-UNESCO
> 'Radio-in-a-box', which costs USD 6000, or about
> Rs.265,000).
> 
> What interests me is Nomad's statement
> (www.nomadindia.net/aboutus.htm) that it assembles
> its own transmitters. The cheapest 30 watt
> transmitter I could find at the BES Expo 2007 cost
> 1100 Euros (about Rs.64,000), and that didn't
> include import duties, VAT and god knows what other
> tax the government slaps on broadcast equipment
> (adding 40% to the cost of the equipment, I'm told).
> 
> 
> Is Nomad licensed to assemble FM transmitters? There
> are some issues with that.
> 

Certainly, manufacturing such equipment probably needs
some licensing, and there are probably some issues
with that, but assembling a kit is just that -
assembling a kit. There are enough kit manufacturers
around. 

Of course, it is a shame that there aren't any in
India, but then the babus who have strangled this
branch of electronics in India are hardly concerned
about self-reliance, indigenous technology
development, entrepreneurship or any of the other fine
things that our noble leaders have spoken about since
independence.  

One such babu told our colleague Dr Mehta to his face,
in the office of the Minister for IT&T, that emission
of signals above 1 milliwatt is forbidden under the
rules (we are still waiting, after several years and
two ministers, for a copy of these rules). As we are
fond of relating at public meetings, this puts all
operators of tube lights at severe risk.

> It would be bloody marvellous if we could set up a
> 'high end community radio station' for Rs.600,000,
> especially since the Ministry's high end seems to
> start at Rs.20,00,000. Nevertheless, the
> government's estimates may be closer to the mark,
> but as I said, I would love to be proved wrong.
> 

Well, you will be proven wrong, I am glad to surmise,
but not of course if lots of lollies come pouring in
unrestricted through 'approved' channels and
'approved' vendors. 

Incidentally, a representative of the government
sponsored radio station consulting company told me
(and others in Manipal three years back) that there
were 'no manufacturers' of low power RF equipment in
the world - other than the very reliable and
undoubtedly solid vendors of high-end euqipment used
for high power transmission. 

With such guardians of our balance of trade infesting
the corridors of power, we can be sure that
self-reliance (in manufacturing, consulting and plain
common sense) is still a way off.

> Sajan
> -----
> 
> On Sat, 24 Feb 2007 Michelle Chawla wrote :
> >Hello All,
> >
> >I am writing on behalf of the Nomad India Network.
> Some of you met my colleague, Hemant at the Delhi
> meeting early this February.
> >
> >We have been working on RF technolgies for the last
> few years and have been using it for different
> applications including simultaneous translations.
> >
> >Our website www.nomadindia.net consists of more
> details of our work and realistic cost estimates of
> setting up a CRS.
> >
> >Let us know if you have any queries,
> >
> >Regards,
> >Michelle
> >Hemant
> >_______________________________________________
> >cr-india mailing list
> >cr-india at sarai.net
> >https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/cr-india
> > _______________________________________________
> cr-india mailing list
> cr-india at sarai.net
> https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/cr-india
> 


Vickram


		
___________________________________________________________ 
The all-new Yahoo! Mail goes wherever you go - free your email address from your Internet provider. http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html