DRM 20 kHz Simulcast Field Trials in the Medium Wave Band in Mexico D.F.

This paper presents the results obtained from the first extensive field trials of medium wave DRM (digital radio mondiale) simulcast, which were carried out in Mexico D.F.. The transmitted signal was composed of a 10 kHz bandwidth AM part at 1060 kHz and an adjacent 10 kHz bandwidth DRM part at 1070 kHz broadcasting the same audio contents and with a theoretically calculated back-off ratio of 16 dB at transmission. The results in this paper will be accompanied by a thorough description of the transmission network set up and also with the measurement system and measurement techniques. The data processing techniques are also included to give a meaningful interpretation of the final results. The conclusions of this work have focused on threshold values for AM and DRM correct reception, simulcast time variability, mutual analogue - digital SNR degradation and reception impairment analysis. The overall result of this work is a high reliability of the AM and DRM services in the difficult Medium Wave reception environments of Mexico D.F.