Onkel Senger Wants YOU!

Our esteemed colleague and DRM enthusiast, Peter Senger wants you to help him get a new run of DR111 receivers manufactured. In addition he is pushing for an initial order of the upcoming DR212 also from CDNSE. This is really exciting news and I hope he can get the needed takers to have these receivers into mass production soon! Viva la DRM revolución! More information here and here.

New DRM receiver from CDNSE in 2014?

According to postings from Peter Senger, there will be a new DRM portable available, likely in 2014. The Newstar people (CDNSE) plan to release the DR212. Once again, Mr. Senger is looking for people to pre-order to get the price down.

Here is a PDF of specifications. I have written to CDNSE to see if we can get further details. It is a good looking radio with features similar to the DR111. I'm guessing this unit is their response to the tender from AIR.

Thanks to Alokesh for the heads-up!

UPDATE 20140211: Rafael notes that "DR212 will only get produced if NewStar wins the AIR 800 receivers tender."

Another Newstar DR111 Review

George Ross, Frequency Manager at KTWR on Guam contributed a review of the Newstar DR111 to the DRM Consortium website. You can read it here. In conclusion he states "I would recommend the DR-111 as a viable receiver.” My sentiments exactly! Check out the Newstar DR111 on the CDNSE website.

Newstar DR111 Firmware Upgrade (version 790)

CDNSE has released new firmware version 790 for the DR111. Highlights include: 

• Supports DRM recording and playback
• Supports DRM reception logging
• Supports DRM expert display mode
• Improved volume control
• Improved AM tuning (no more muting!)
• Improved AGC (better DSP tracking)

The new firmware improves the usability and performance of the receiver. I love the ability to log, record and monitor DRM reception statistics. I'm Tweeting reception reports @drmna_info.

Although not an "official" modification, I have added an external rechargeable battery via a strip of Velcro to the back of the radio. I have gotten about 14 hours of operation with this setup. The switching circuitry in the battery pack seems to interfere a bit with FM reception, but not enough to worry about.

As I have stated before, the DR111 works very well as a standalone DRM receiver. The analog reception is greatly improved with this firmware release. Join the Newstar DR111 Yahoo group for more information and ongoing discussion.

Newstar DR111 Firmware upgrade on the way!

DRM-Log Plotter output from the Newstar DR111

I have had the privilege of playing with some new DR111 firmware and I say it is GREAT!
Improvements include:

• DRM logging support [ability to use the DRM-Log Plotter software from Terje]
• AM tuning without radio muting
• DRM audio recording [length limited only by SD card size]
• Backlight timer setting [always on, always off, various]
• AGC/DSP improvements to reduce audio pumping during weak signal reception.

As soon as the Firmware gets official distribution, I'll offer more info. I'd like to say that Newstar has been very responsive to our suggestions and the radio gets stronger by the day!

Newstar DR111 Tech Spec Olympics!

Longtime DRM supporter and friend Terje has posted his gorgeous bench-top tests of the DR111. Check out the charts, charts and more charts. Wow, great work! I think you will find that most specs point to the fact that the Newstar DR111 is a fine performer! As you can see by the bottom of his page, he isn't done yet!

Another Newstar DR111 Review

Our longtime DRMNA colleague Brendan dives headfirst into the DR111:  

I received my DR111 on May 21st, via Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - which is not the shortest route between Cheng Du and Arizona! The package had seen a lot of miles, but it was completely intact and that is what matters most. Arriving at home, I carefully unboxed it and found everything that was supposed to be there was indeed there. I immediately plugged it in, deciphered the controls (who needs a manual? ;) ), and quickly had REE on the air. Since then, I've been enjoying listening to all the DRM I can get here. I am using an outside dipole for nearly everything, and reception has been excellent. Using my RX320D and PC in a side-by-side check, the two radios are about equal in sensitivity and DRM decoding ability, so if I got it before, I can get it now.

Adil Mina's NASB-USADRM 2012 presentation slides

Please review Mr. Mina's NASB-USADRM 2012 PowerPoint presentation. Mr. Mina of Continental Electronics, wants us to consider ways we can support receiver and chipset manufacturers. I've got an idea... We can help support CDNSE's effort to produce economical DRM standalone receivers!

Alokesh goes crazy over the Newstar DR111!

Check out our colleague Alokesh Gupta's YouTube feed. That boy is going crazy with the Newstar DR111! "Go, Alokesh. Go!" Alokesh does a great job posting informative worldwide (with exclusives from his native India) broadcasting info on his blog Radioactivity! Watch and listen to him receive analogue, DRM, Journaline feeds and so much more. Woo Hoo! Who knew I'd (we'd) get so excited over a working DRM stand-alone receiver! Go, Newstar. Go!

Newstar DR111 Firmware - significant improvements

After installing some experimental firmware from CDNSE,
I wanted to offer my report...

DRM audio bandwidth- 
Considerable improvement. RNZI sounds as good as it does in DReaM software. Disco Palace sounds great too with improved stereo image. Any audio shortcomings now are the result of the smaller size of the unit and speakers. I consider this fix to completely solve the bandwidth and stereo issues I originally noted as a disappointment.

Quick Newstar DR111 update via drmrx.org

I posted this to the drmrx.org list yesterday. Just my current opinion and thinking on the DR111...
In a nutshell, ORDER ONE!

Please join the Newstar DR111 Yahoo Group

I've created a new Yahoo group to discuss the CDNSE Newstar DR111. All enthusiasts please join us there!

Mobile power for the Newstar DR111

I took an LM140K (5 volt regulator) and two 4 D-cell battery holders and built a mobile power source. I also used an 102" steel whip on my car and had great decode of Disco Palace. What fun!

Enjoying RNZI on the CDNSE Newstar DR111

Another video of me enjoying the Newstar DR111...

CDNSE Newstar DR111 Review (part 4)

Here is a nice picture of Allen at the Continental NAB 2012 booth holding the Newstar DR111. More DRM NAB photos here.

On the right side is the 1/8th inch, 50 Ohm antenna connection. As you know from my previous review post, I have tried the DE31 Active antenna and a cheap reel antenna with great success

Next on my list of things to try was my Select-a-tenna. I have two models, one with an external 8th inch jack and one without. I connected the one with the jack via a short cable to the DR111 and began to play with MW. I tried 1070 KNX in Los Angeles and 810 KGO in San Francisco (I'm located in the state of Oregon).

CDNSE Newstar DR111 Review (part 3)

In addition to testing the DR111 using my outdoor ham radio vertical, I have been trying it with other antenna options. Clearly even a modest increase in antenna size can make the difference between no audio and full capture/decode.

First I tried a Grundig reel antenna stretched within a room inside the house. REE on 9630 kHz came to life and I had an hour plus of nearly perfect copy. Later after having switched to RNZI on 17675 kHz I noticed intermittent dropouts.
I then deployed the Degen DE31 active window loop.

CDNSE Newstar DR111 Review (part 2)

Saturday, I had my first opportunity to listen to Disco Palace from Montsinery on 17875 kHz.
I started out on the front porch of the house with the whip. I got the ID but no audio. I went back in the house and connected up the ham radio vertical. Immediately I got audio with only minor dropouts.



Right away I noticed minimal if any stereo effect on the Newstar. I did a comparison on the Pappradio into DReaM. There was noticeable difference between both delivered audio frequencies and stereo separation. The Newstar audio seems quite compressed, both through the speakers and headphone jack. I must say, this has been the biggest surprise and disappointment so far. That to say that although very listenable, DReaM software delivers twice the fidelity the Newstar does. Here are 2 samples, recorded the same way (via analogue cable) into Audacity. They are both 5 second, stereo WAV files. Listen to the Newstar audio sample. Listen to the DReaM audio sample.

Answers from Allen Liang of CDNSE Newstar

I asked Allen Liang a few additional questions regarding the CDNSE Newstar DR111 and here are his answers:

Is there any way to look at SNR or rx stats of a DRM station?
No, we did not include SNR display since it is less useful for the average user. Users can review the status by pressing INFO key while listening to the DRM.

Is there any way to adjust the aggressiveness of the DSP for AM?
You can adjust AM bandwidth by Press and Hold CLOCK key while listening to AM, then yes up or down to adjust.

Will firmware upgrade be available via the USB or SD?
Yes, you can upgrade the receiver by USB or SD.

CDNSE Newstar DR111 Review (part 1)

I am really enjoying the CDNSE Newstar DR111. The physical measurements are roughly 11" x 5" x 4". The unit is made of a fairly hard but light plastic construction. Buttons have an audible click when pressed. The LCD display 2.5 x .75 inches and back light with a bright green. The light times out after an interval and is reactivated by any button press. The whip antenna is 42 inches and pulls very smoothly. This is a table radio, operating on 5V DC from a wall wart. No battery compartment.

Anecdotaly, the unit is quite sensitive. RNZI evenings at 17675kHz and 13730kHz can be received various places within my house with only the internal whip. REE at 9630kHz using an external ham vertical antenna was similar copy on Pappradio (with a slight edge given to the Pappradio.)

The CDNSE Newstar DR111 Receiver

I have a new toy! I have had it for 24 hours, but only had a couple of hours of play time so far. I promise to write up more soon. In the meantime, here is a cruise around it while listening to RNZI.