One of the highlights at the recent DRM General Assembly has been the announcements of the availability of the complete Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) CML Micro and Cambridge Consultants module DRM1000 that will enable consumer radio manufacturers to provide communities with low-cost, low-power DRM radio designs which should connect them directly to the digital age.

As quoted in Electronics Weekly (CML shipping complete broadcast/receive DRM module (electronicsweekly.com), “The DRM1000 is the smallest, lowest cost, and lowest power DRM receiver in the market, consuming 80% less power than other commercially available DRM receivers. It is a world-class product that will make DRM capable radios available to all,” says CML’ Matthew Phillips,  “the module will help portable radio suppliers design and build cost-effective DRM radios that are optimised for extended battery life. It will democratise DRM radio for nations rolling out a new digital broadcast network; making it fully accessible with no digital cost/power performance penalty.”

DRM can deliver digital content in all radio frequencies as DRM can be a solution for local, regional, national and international coverage, densely populated cities and towns and remote, rural areas. DRM can seamlessly use existing LF/MF/HF and VHF radio frequency spectrum alongside current analogue services.

The company is selling the DRM1000 with the DE9180 evaluation and prototyping kit. This will give a chance for a proper evaluation of the module which can be a cost-effective way of introducing DRM capable radios with excellent end-user performance. The idea is to offer a complete module that can be used for manufacture locally in emerging markets in a standard mass-production electronics facility. The module has all hardware and software (including all IP and patent licenses, so no need to pay additional software licenses or royalty fees) required to quickly realise a dual mode (digital and analogue) DRM-capable receiver.