Broadcasting in Hyderabad started as a tiny one watt station that a postal official established at his home in Chirag Ali Lane in Hyderabad back in the year 1933 on MW. Presently, a commercial building viz. Raghav Ratna Tower stands there. It was taken over by the Nizam government on 3 February 1935 and upgraded to 5 kW in 1939. It operated on 730 kHz with the callsign VUV identifying as Deccan Radio. When the kingdom refused to join the Indian Union and instead maintained direct ties with Britain, the station began anti India broadcasts identifying itself as �The External Service of the Indian State of Hyderabad�. The princely state became part of India on September 17, 1948 following a police action. On April 1, 1950 the Indian government took over the station and it became part of All India Radio.
The studioes and offices are in a three storey building located at Saifabad just opposite the State Secretariat in the city. The different channels originating from here are 1) A Primary Channel. 2) B Yuv Vani (Youth programs). 3) C Vividh Bharati (Entertainment Channel) 4) Raithu Vani (Farmer�s Voice). There are 4 transmission studioes, 2 music studioes, 2 talk studios, 1 Drama Studio and 4 dubbing and editing rooms etc. Most of the studio equipment is of Keltron. There is facility for live phone in programs and for up linking of programs to Satellites. The downlink frequency of AIR Hyderabad�s program is via the S Band Channel of INSAT 3 C (S1 Transponder) on 2556.750 MHz. In the control room an ICF 7600G receiver is there with notes on BBC frequencies of 6195 and 15310 kHz nearby for calibration of time.
The transmitters of AIR Hyderabad are located at 2 places as follows:
I. HPT (High Power Transmitter) Site is at Hayat Nagar, about 21 kms away from the studioes. 2x100 kW BEL HMB 140 738 kHz (A Channel)
Here two transmitters made by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) at Bangalore with valves in the finals are running in parallel with a combined power of 200 kW on 738 kHz. It came on air on 3 June 1998 and was inaugurated on 17 June 1998. The Serial No. of Transmitter 1 is 34 and that of Transmitter 2 is 33. There is switching facility so that either both transmitters can be run in parallel or if needed one transmitter can be used with the other one in standby mode. They are using water as well as air cooling systems. There are big blowers on the first floor of the transmitter building. These transmitters replaced a NEC MB 113 transmitter of 50 kW which was in operation there from 1966 on 740 kHz. From 23 November 1978, it changed to the present 738 kHz. This old transmitter is still there but in unusable condition. Prior to the 50 kW transmitters, on December 1, 1957 a new 5 kW MW transmitter was installed here.
The Studio to Transmitter Link is via UHF on 1689 MHz using STL 01 Meltron. There is standby telephone link also and a Sangean ATS 818CS digital receiver.
The present antenna is a self radiating mast 180 Meters tall and is made by Racal Delta Canada, Type A-0167 (Serial No.144). From the transmitter to the mast, a 16 wire feeder is used. Just before the transmitters are switched on, a siren is sounded. Once it is switched on, it takes about two minutes for the transmitter to come on full power. Before the transmitter is switched on, a siren is put on as warning for anyone near the antennas. Unfortunately lot of birds don�t heed to the warnings and has become victims of RF energy.
Most of the programs are carried in parallel by the SW transmitter in Telugu with relays of National programs from Delhi in Hindi, English etc. received via Satellite. This transmitter covers most parts of the state.
In the first half of 2003, an old 1 kW NEC MB 122 a transmitter was shifted to this site from the LPT site to be used as a standby for the main 200 kW transmitter. However, before the installation was completed, it was taken back to the LPT site again to be used for �Raithu Vani� broadcasts.
Present schedule: (Timings in Indian Standard Time)
Morning : 5.55 am -1015 am (Mon 1045 am , Sat, Sun 1030 am)
Noon : 11.40 am -3.00/3.05 pm (Sun 11.00 am to 11.14 pm)
Evening/Night : 5.00 pm -11.14 pm IST
II. LPT (Low Power Transmitter) Site is at L.B.Nagar about 16 kms away from the studioes.
There are two complexes in this site. In the main complex there are 2 Medium Wave transmitters and a Short Wave Transmitter as follows:
1) Harris DX20 20 kW 1377 kHz (B Channel)
This transmitter made is USA which came on air on 19 October 2001 was commissioned on January 1, 2002 to replace the aging 10 kW transmitter. It can be operated at 5, 10 or 20 kW. It covers a radius of 150 kms. On this channel there are several programs in Urdu to cater to the Muslim population. Yuv Vani (Youth) programs are also broadcast on this channel as well as educational programs in English and some programs in Marathi and Kannada. Sports commentaries are usually relayed on this channel. I was once interviewed in their Yuv Vani program about my Dxing. Long back, there was a regular weekly DX program in English broadcast by the Hyderabad B Yuv Vani channel in the evening. At first it used the old Triatic antenna but from early 2004 they have started using a new self radiating mast.
Present schedule: (Timings in Indian Standard Time)
Morning : 5.55 am TueThu,Sat/6.30 am-9.45 am
Afternoon : 1.30 pm (Sun 1.00 pm) � 3.00 pm
Evening/Night : 5.30 pm � 11.00 pm
2) BEL HMB 104 10 kW 1377 kHz Standby Transmitter (B Channel)
This transmitter made by Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) at Bangalore was installed around 1969 (?) as Yuv Vani channel and used to operate on 1220 kHz up to 22 November 1978 which was then changed to the present 1377 kHz. The Serial No. of the transmitter is 6. This old transmitter is now used as a standby transmitter for the B Channel since 1 January 2002 when the new Harris DX 20 was commissioned. Its antenna is a Triatic.
3) BEL HHB 144 50 kW 4800, 7140 kHz. (A & B Channels)
This SW transmitter of 50 kW and built by BEL was noted testing on 3295, 4990, 7290 & 9705 from 1992. It was commissioned on 2 June 1993 and inaugurated on 24 July 1994. They use dipole antennas. This transmitter mainly carries the A channel and occasionally the B channel programs and covers the whole of the state and neighboring states.
Present Schedule: (Timings in UTC)
4800 kHz : 0025-0215 1130(Sun 1140)-1744 UTC
7140 kHz : 0225-0445 (Mon 0515; Sat, Sun 0500); 0610-0930/0935 (Sun 0530-1130)
This 50 kW transmitter replaced the AWA BTH 10 transmitter of 10 kW made by Amalgamated Wireless (Australia) Limited. It was donated by Australia under the Colombo Plan and was inaugurated on July 16, 1958. This old transmitter also used to operate on 3355, 6120 & 9720 kHz in early days besides the other SW frequencies currently in use. It was used as a standby transmitter since the new BEL 50 kW transmitter was commissioned in 1993. This transmitter was removed and in its exact place the Harris DX 20 transmitter was setup in 2001. When this old transmitter was scrapped, I was lucky (or unlucky) to see it being made into pieces at a local junk yard. I took an AIR name plate, Australian name plate and a crystal as souvenirs.
Telling about SW, I could come across some references to Low Power SW transmissions from Hyderabad in 1947/49 on 3335 and 6170 kHz but does not have any more details. The Indian Government operated a communication Land station at Secunderabad with the callsign VWX.
The second complex which is very close to the main one consists of 2 transmitters is used for Vivdh Bharathi Service as follows:
1) BEL HVB 164A 2x3 kW 102.8 MHz (Vividh Bharati)
This FM transmitter consists of 2 nos. of 3 kW transmitters running in parallel with a combined power of 6 kW on 102.8 MHz in the VHF FM Band in stereo mode. It was commissioned on 1 May 1991. The Exciters of the transmitters is made by Rhode & Schwartz of Germany (Model SU 115) and the Power Amplifiers (Sl.No.82 & 83 made in 1989) are 4 modules of 1500 watts each made by BEL. Its antenna is 6 nos. of Dipole directors, pole mounted type. It covers 60 km radius. The Stereo studio was inaugurated on 7 January 1999. The Studio to Transmitter Link is via UHF 1440 MHz.
This FM transmitter carries the popular Vividh Bharti entertainment programs. Lot the programs are relayed via satellite from Mumbai in Hindi. There are several programs in Telegu also originating from the studioes as well as many sponsored programs.
A 10 kW FM transmitter is being installed in the AIR studio complex which will replace these 2x3 kW transmitters in the near future. Another 10 kW FM transmitter has also been sanctioned for this station.
Present Schedule : (Timings in Indian Standard Time)
Transmission I : 5.55 am to 5.30 pm
Transmission II : 6.15 pm to 11.10 pm
2) NEC MB 122A 1 kW 1170 kHz. (Raithu Vani, Vivdh Bharti)
This transmitter made by Nippon Electric Company of Japan was used for Vividh Bharti programs from the main complex from 24 March 1963 to 31 March 1997. Till 23 Nov 1978 it was operating on 1380 kHz which then changed to 1170 kHz. The commercial broadcasting service via Vividh Bharati was started from here in March 1971. When the FM transmitter came on the air in 1991, there were announcements that this MW transmission was to be taken off the air in favour of FM frequency there were lot of protests from listeners who did not have FM band and so this MW continued up to 1997. It was in standby mode till 2003, when this transmitter was shifted to the HPT site to be used as a standby for the main 200 kW transmitter. Before the installation was over it was taken back to the original LPT site again to be given on lease. It was noted testing for a long time on 12 July 2003 from its present location.
This transmitter was recommissoned on 24 November 2003 from the present location and is leased to National Institute of Agriculture Extension Management (MANAGE) for �Raithu Vani� (Farmer�s Voice) broadcasts. It was for the first time in India that such lease was given on MW by AIR. Currently these programs are broadcast for a total of 1 hour only in 3 segments in the morning, noon and evening but it will be extended later. The studioes for Ryothu Vani is in the first floor of the Studio complex. From morning till noon Vividh Bharati programs are broadcast now as filler by this transmitter now in parallel to the FM transmitter. The present antenna is of umbrella type.
Current schedule: (Timings in Indian Standard Time)
Vividh Bharti: 5.55 am -6.30 am, 6.40am - 12.50 pm
Raithu Vani : 6.30 am- 6.40 am, 12.50pm to 1.00 pm, 6.25 pm to 7.05 pm
There are emergency studioes at both the transmitting locations.
Being the state capital, its programs are relayed often by all the other 11 stations of AIR in the state. From April 1, 1994 the A channel programs are also broadcast via satellite which is called Sky Radio.
AP is often prone to Cyclones. Almost every year there are cyclone warnings and this station operates round the clock then on MW & SW to provide the latest information.
The office of the Civil Construction Wing of AIR is also located in the studio complex. There is also a Regional Staff training Institute of AIR in Hyderabad.
In the past AIR Hyderabad used to issue QSL cards which had the picture of the famous Charminar and I got several of them in my collection. Now a days QSLs for AIR Hyderabad is issued by the AIR HQ is Delhi for reports from foreign listeners.
The facilities of AIR are restricted areas and no photography is allowed. There are several security people with guns at these sites.
The postal address of the station is All India Radio, Rockland, Saifabad, Hyderabad 500004, Andhra Pradesh. The email address is: [email protected] & [email protected] The telephone nos are: 91-40-23232073-23232080. The fax nos. are 91-40-23232239 & 2323428.
There were proposals to start some private commercial broadcasts in Hyderabad also like done in other parts of the country. However, it did not materialise as the broadcasters withdrew from their attempt. Only Gyan Vani, the Educational FM Radio Channel of India run by Indira Gandhi National Open University is setting up an FM station in Hyderabad. The frequency of 107.6 MHz has been allotted to them. It is learnt that National Institute of Agriculture Extension Management has applied for an FM Community Radio station in Hyderabad.