DIGITAL RADIO MONDIALE

(DRM)

B.K. BEHERA, DDG(E),

NABM BHUBANESWAR
 What is DRM?
• DRM(Digital Radio Mondiale) is a digital radio
system suitable for AM Broadcasting bands.

• Digital Radio Mondiale consortium was

formed in 1998.
 Limitation of Analogue AM
• Poor audio quality comparing to TV and FM.

• Poor technical quality to retain the radio

listeners.

• No facilities for additional audio/data services.

 Advantage of AM Bands
• Lower frequency spectrum
• Mode of propagation
• Portability
• Mobile reception with relatively little
impairment caused by the environment
surrounding the receiver and
• The area of coverage
 Aims
• Improve reception quality

• Reliability

• Ease of use

• Ensure the continued use of AM bands.

 Objectives
• A significant improvement in audio quality and
reliability.

• Improved receiver usability and features for

the listener (such as data services).

• Compatibility with current and future

spectrum usage in the bands.
• An assured migration path from analogue to
digital broadcasts.

• Early availability of receivers at the lowest cost

through an open and non-proprietary system
specification.

• Maximum re-use of existing broadcast

infrastructure.
To achieve the objectives, the system has
been designed to allow
• New digital transmissions to co-exist with
current AM broadcast.

• Suitable analogue transmitters to be

modified to switch easily between digital
and analogue broadcast.
• To fit in with existing spectrum
requirements.

• Open and non-proprietary system.

 Frequency allocation
DRM30

• LW(LF band)-148.5 kHz to 283.5 kHz

• MW(MF band)-526.5 kHz to 1605.5 kHz and

525 kHz to 1705 kHz (Region 2)

• SW(HF band)-2.3 MHz to 27 MHz

 DRM+
This includes:

• 47 MHz to 68 MHz (Band I)

• 65.8 MHz to 74 MHz ((OIRT FM band)

• 76 MHz to 90 MHz (Japanese FM band)

• 87.5 MHz to 107.9 MHz (Band II)

 System Architecture
The DRM transmission super frame consists of
three channels:

• Main Service Channel (MSC)

• Fast Access Channel (FAC)

• Service Description Channel (SDC)

 Conceptual DRM Transmission
Block Diagram
Normal
Prot.
Normal/
AUDIO DATA SOURCE [High [High]
STREAM ENCODER(S) Prot.] Protection ENERGY CHANNEL CELL MSC
MULTIPLEXER DISPERSAL ENCODER INTERLEAVER

ONSIGNAL
Normal
Prot.

OFDMCELL MAPPER
DATA PRE-CODER [High PILOT OFDM Modulator
STREAM Prot.] GENERATOR Signal

DRMTRANSMISSI
Generator

FAC ENERGY CHANNEL FAC

PRE-CODER
INFORMATION DISPERSAL ENCODER

SDC PRE-CODER ENERGY CHANNEL SDC

INFORMATION DISPERSAL ENCODER

Flow of Information
MSC
• Contains audio and data
• Maximum four services
• Basic Modulation- either 16 QAM or 64 QAM
or 16 QAM and 64 QAM both together in HM
• EEP- same code rate to whole MSC applied or
• UEP- part one code rate and remainder different
code rate applied
• Interleaving used
• Code rates-1/2,1/3,1/4,1/6,2/3,2/5,3/4,3/5,3/10,
4/5,4/7,4/11,7/8,8/9,8/11
 FAC
• Carries information about
Bandwidth occupancy of the entire signal
Type of modulation used for MSC and SDC
Interleaving depth
No. of services contained within MSC and
Name of services.
• Basic Modulation- 4 QAM
• No interleaving used
• Data contained within 4.5 kHz kernel carrier group
• Code rate- 3/5( for A,B,C,D) and ¼(for E)
 SDC
• Gives information on how to decode MSC.
• How to find alternative sources of the same data
• Basic Modulation- either 4 QAM or 16 QAM
• Interleaving used
• Code rate-1/2( for A ,B,C,D) and1/2 & ¼ (for E)
 DRM Source Encoding
AAC
Encoder

SBR Encoder Mux &

Audio CELP Audio super Channel
Signal (Configuration
Encoder Framing Coding
Dependent)

HVXC
Encoder
 Source Coding
• Advanced Audio coding (AAC)
Bit rate-up to 34 kb/s 9/10 kHz
up to 74 kb/s 18/20 kHz
• Code Excited Linear Prediction (CELP)
Bit rate-up to 8 kb/s

• Harmonic Vector Excitation Coding (HVXC)

Bit rate-up to 2-4 kb/s
 Source Coding
• Spectral Band Replication (SBR)
– Parametric Stereo (PS)
– MPEG surround (MPS)
 Transmission modes
Signal bandwidth related parameters
• Within nominal bandwidths- to satisfy the
current planning situation

• Within half bandwidths- to allow for simulcast

with analogue AM signals;

• Within twice of bandwidths- to provide for larger

transmission capacity
Transmission efficiency related parameters

• Coding rate and constellation parameters,

defining which code rate and constellations
are used to convey data.

• OFDM symbol parameters, defining the

structure of the OFDM symbols to be used
as a function of the propagation conditions.
 Robustness Modes
Typical propagation conditions
• Gaussian channels with
minor fading ( mode-A )
• Time and frequency selective
channels, with longer delay
spread ( mode-B )
• As robustness mode B, but
with higher Doppler Spread
( mode-C )
Typical uses
• Ground-wave local, regional
in LW/MW bands. SW 26 MHz
band local line-of-sight.
• Sky-wave international and
national coverage in MW and
SW bands.
• Sky-wave needing higher
robustness for international
coverage in SW bands
 Robustness Modes
Typical propagation conditions
• As robustness mode B, but
with sever delay and
Doppler spread( mode-D )
• Time and frequency
selective channels (mode-E)
Typical uses
• Sky-wave needing highest
robustness particularly NVIS
for national coverage in SW
bands
• VHF bands I and band II
(DRM+)
9 kHz MCS SIMULCAST
9 kHz wide DSB
analogue transmission 4.5 kHz kernel
carrier group

9 kHz analogue
single with 9 kHz 4.5 kHz
DRM signal above carrier group

9kHz analogue
single with 9 kHz
DRM signal below
Analogue
DSB 9 kHz
9 kHz analogue
single with 4.5 kHz
DRM signal below

fR
Note : Relative levels of DSB and DRM signals
9 kHz 9 kHz are not shown to scale
 Advantages
• Significant improvement in audio quality.
• FM-like audio quality of International Services
on SW/MW
• Enhance audio quality of National and local
services on MW/LW
• Service reliability
• Easier tuning
• No change in existing listening habits.
• Enhanced programme options, such as value-
added data services.
• Simulcast of DRM service along with its analog
AM.
• Single frequency network operation is
possible.
• Automatic frequency switching between the
same or similar programmes from the same
broadcasters.
 Block Diagram of RIZ OR 10 SD 10kW DRM
Transmitter
LINE
POWER
RF DRIVE

+24V
LOW VOLTAGE MAIN
POWER SUPPLIES +12V POWER SUPPLIES
-12V
OUTPUT NETWORK
EXTERNAL
RF & PDM
CLOCK MODULES RF
POWER SAMPLE
EXTERNAL SUPPLY
MAIN POWER
AM & DRM
SUPPLY SAMPLE
AUDIO

EXTERNAL RF
CLOCK FREQUENCY RF RF

DISTRIBUTION
SYNTHESIZER PDM AM/DRM SWITCH BUFFER

COMBINER
OUTPUT
PDM MONITOR
AUDIO
RF
MODULES

AF EXCITER PDM
BUFFER

SEQUENTIAL
REMOTE CONTROL

FRONT PANEL
 PDM
a Square b c e f PDM
75 KHz Wave Integrator Summing Threshold Pulse Output
Osc. Generator Circuit Amplifier Amplifier Signal

Audio
I/P

a
Sine wave

b
Square wave

c
Triangular wave

d
Audio I / P

e
Sum of Audio +
Triangular wave Threshold

f
Pulse width
modulated output
Signal
9 Phase sampling
 9 Phase PDM
• 9 phase PDM, each separated by 40 degrees
• These outputs determine power output and modulation levels
• Three of these phases 120 degree apart is fed to one PDM module
• Next 3 phases to adjacent module and so on
• Each phase PDM makes samples at 300kHZ
• Hence a total of 9X300k = 2.7 million samples/sec

PDM
Sampler 2
40 PDM module 1
PDM
1
PDM module 2 Combiner Filter

9 PDM module n
8
 Poly Phase PDM

Cartesian to
Magnitude
Poly phase PDM
polar Generation
Digital
Complex signal PDM
Phase
RF drive
RF Synthesiser
drive generation
PAs

To suppress harmonics Reduce

distortion Higher switching
frequency
H-bridge Full-wave Class D Amplifier
VDD (DC + Audio)

T1 T3

SDD04S60

SDD04S60
P1

D1
P1 S1 S1

D3
TR1

TR3
RF drive RF drive
S2 S2
P2 P2
RF OUTPUT

T2 T4
SDD04S60

SDD04S60
S1 P1
D2

D4
P1 S1

TR4
TR2

RF drive RF drive
S2 S2
P2 P2