Often referred to as the northernmost point in Europe, Nordkapp (North Cape) on the island of Magerøya in northern Norway is just 1 307 miles from the North Pole at its most northerly tip.
Now a major tourist destination that welcomes some 200,000 visitors every year, the area nevertheless remains sparsely populated.
Thus radio is a vital means of communication throughout the region, especially for those in the most remote locations.
Systems contracting company Jørgen Lien Elektronikk AS recently installed a PYKO audio over IP network from Digigram to link a number of radio stations across the Nordkapp region, and a transmitter site.
PYKO devices can convert analog or digital audio sources to high-quality MP3 or PCM IP streams (PYKO-in) or play such streams from the network or from locally stored MP3 files (PYKO-out).
In this instance the network consisted of four independent local radio stations and one transmitter site. A PYKO-In device was located at Radio DSF, the main local radio station in Karasjok. From here, common news is broadcast out to the other radio stations, although programs will be shared when necessary.
Radio Nordkapp in Honningsvåg; Radio GLR in Kautokeino; and Radio Nye Varanger in Vadsø, have all been installed with a PYKO-In. DSF also has a transmitter site in Tana. The exception is Radio Nye Varanger which also has a PYKO-In device in order to be able to broadcast live or transmit news items from the local council meetings which are held in Varanger.
According to Egil Eide, product manager at Benum, Digigram’s Norwegian distributor, “Radio DSF is one of the strongest radio constellations in northern Norway. It is a Christian radio station which broadcasts in two languages, (Sami and Norwegian) across central Finnmark, which is the largest and least populated area of Norway.”
“They needed a more modern and reliable solution to their broadcasting needs without spending a fortune. Digigram’s PYKO devices with their ultra-simple Audio Manager software which enables easy network management from a central point was an ideal solution.”
