5
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1978
RADIO STATIONS READY FOR FREQUENCY CHANGE
*****
THE TWO LOCAL RADIO STATIONS ARE ALL SET FOR THE CHANGE OF AM (MEDIUM WAVE) BROADCASTING FREQUENCIES WHICH WILL COME INTO EFFECT ON THE MORNING OF NOVEMBER 23.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE CHANGE HAVE BEEN COMPLETED AND BOTH RTHK AND COMMERCIAL RADIO ARE MAKING REGULAR ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT THE NEW FREQUENCIES THAT THEY WILL BE OPERATING ON.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS AUTHORITY TODAY REITERATED THAT THE CHANGE WHICH AIMS AT IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF AM RECEPTION BY MINIMISING RADIO INTERFERENCE IN ASIA AND EUROPE IS MINIMAL TO HONG KONG.
+THE POSITIONS OF THE NEW FREQUENCIES ARE QUITE CLOSE TO THE EXISTING ONES ON AN AM RADIO RECEIVER'S TUNING DIAL AND THE FIVE CHANNELS ARE IN THE SAME ORDER AS AT PRESENT,+ HE ADDED.
THE NEW FREQUENCIES OF THE FIVE AM CHANNELS ARE RTHK-3 (ENGLISH) 567 KHZ, COMMERCIAL RADIO-2 (CHINESE) 675 KHZ, RTHK-1 (CHINESE) 783 KHZ, COMMERCIAL RADIO-1 (CHINESE) 864 KHZ AND COMMERCIAL RADIO (ENGLISH) 1044 KHZ.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID: THE PLAN TO REALLOCATE AM BROADCASTING FREQUENCIES WAS WORKED OUT AT THE INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS UNION'S CONFERENCE IN 1975 WITH THE AID OF COMPUTERS WHICH ALSO TOOK INTO CONSIDERATION THE FUTURE REQUIREMENTS PUT UP BY EACH MEMBER STATE IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS.
THE REALLOCATION WAS NECESSITATED BY THE LIMITATION ON THE EXTENT OF THE MEDIUM WAVE BAND AND THE HUGE NUMBER OF RADIO STATIONS OPERATING WITHIN IT WHICH IS THE MAIN CAUSE OF INTERFERENCE.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE PLAN AGREED UPON AT THE ITU CONFERENCE WOULD MINIMISE INTERFERENCE AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF RECEPTION
IF EVERY MEMBER STATE REPRESENTED IN IT SWITCHES TO THE NEW ALLOCATED FREQUENCIES ON NOVEMBER 23.
HE SAID THERE ARE AT LEAST 40 STATIONS THROUGHOUT ASIA AND EUROPE USING THE SAME FREQUENCIES AS OURS, AND IF SOME OF THEM DID NOT CHANGE ON THAT DATE WE MIGHT GET SOME INTERFERENCE.
BUT HE EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT THIS COULD BE IRONED OUT IN THE FOLLOWING WEEKS.