WHAT IS COMMUNITY RADIO - amarc

the technical skills and equipment : what is airwaves, sound, recording, antenna and transmitters,
building technical teams in the station, planning technical developments and skills, procurement, use,
management and maintenance, minor repairs, connecting and structuring a studio, etc.
A list of available resources and training institutions can be found in appendix two of this booklet.
Equipment and technical skills
Procurement of equipment for radio broadcasting can be intimidating, but can be easily demystified.
One needs to ensure that the people assisting you in purchasing the equipment are knowledgeable in
that field and sensitive to the specificity of a community radio project. Important decisions will have to
be made regarding the kind of equipment that has to be purchased. You will have to select amongst a
wide variety of equipment - whether analogue or digital, depending on the budget you have at your
disposal.
There are always pressures from sales people to buy the latest or most sophisticated equipment. One
must know that different options exist and that equipment can be gradually upgraded (this is true for
broadcasting or computer equipment). If you can afford it, invite an independent technician to visit the
site chosen for the station. He or she could help you assess the type of equipment that would best suit
your needs, in terms of the region's topography, climate and access to back-up support and spare parts
from the various equipment companies present in your region.
In order to avoid being at the mercy of suppliers, and having to pay excessive amounts for equipment,
maintenance and repairs, community radio stations must engage in some skills’ development in the
technical field. Without becoming broadcasting engineers, users of the studio and field equipment
should at least know how to properly use and maintain their equipment, as well as be able to attend to
some minor repairs.
The station staff needs to familiarise itself with trends and developments in various technologies and
be able to make proper recommendations when it comes to purchasing or upgrading equipment. This
will also be useful to design internal rules on use and maintenance, to control stocks and monitor the
equipment condition, and to develop a technical training strategy. It will also be important to make
sure that women involved in the community radio are not left out of the activities related to the
development of technical skills and equipment.
The overall broadcasting studio digital system, including the transmitter, costs the equivalent of about
US$90,000 or FF550,000 – in South Africa. However, a low cost possibility exists for a production
studio, called the Digital Edit WorkStation. It is a stand-alone unit and costs the equivalent of about
US$11,500 or FF70,000 – also in South Africa. There is a number of broadcasting equipment suppliers
based in South Africa, which could be approached for quotations on various kind of equipment other
than these.
For a station based out of Southern Africa, it could be cheaper to buy the equipment elsewhere in
Africa, or even in Europe or America, as the equipment available in South Africa is imported from
overseas. It is worth comparing prices.
For more information on the equipment and the suppliers based in Africa, please contact the training
institutions listed in appendix two, or the resource department at NCRF in South Africa, or AMARC
Africa’s office.
Also consult also appendix three of this booklet for more information on equipment.
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What is Community Radio? A Resource Guide
Published by AMARC Africa and Panos Southern Africa in collaboration with IBIS/Interfund and WACC