We want to wish you a Happy New Year for 2008.
HCJB Global Voice has just added another digital short wave radio broadcast yesterday. We have been doing a digital broadcast to Germany for several months already. Yesterday we began a transmission in Portuguese to Brazil. The HCJB Global technology Center in Elkhart, IN has developed and provided the equipment so that we can do these broadcasts.
I recently recorded an audio clip that I recorded here in Quito, Ecuador. The broadcast originated in Canada and the program was created by a European broadcaster. The broadcast is in short wave. Usually when you listen to a short wave program you hear lots of static, fading, etc. The quality is generally less desirable than what we are used to on the local AM bands. However, when we jump to digital, the audio quality becomes almost as good as local FM reception. In fact, if you listen carefully, using quality headphones, you can hear the stereo effects in the audio clip.
Digital short wave uses a digital standard called DRM. This is different than HD-radio which many radio stations in the USA are beginning to use. DRM is the only digital radio standard that works in the short wave bands. Many broadcasters around the world are now using DRM technology to broadcast in short wave. DRM allows us to broadcast long distances but with the quality of FM audio. The problems right now is receivers.... there aren't many available in the world just yet. In fact, we only know of 3 DRM receivers in the entire country of Brazil. That's OK... Clarence Jones, founder of HCJB, started his broadcasts back in 1931 with only 6 known receivers in the country. So how might God use this new technology to reach the world with the message of salvation??
Doug
