A linjesender (English: "line transmitter") was a low-power

longwave In radio, longwave, long wave or long-wave, and commonly abbreviated LW, refers to parts of the radio spectrum with wavelengths longer than what was originally called the medium-wave broadcasting band. The term is historic, dating from the e ...

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the ...

system used for broadcasting in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. It consisted of a power line communication system, which fed the radio programme on a frequency in the longwave broadcasting range into domestic powerlines. The last linjesender in Norway was closed in 1987 although the Swiss counterpart survived another ten years.

Features

The typical powers used by linjesenders were between 250 watts and 2 kW. Most systems used frequencies in the

band or in between the LW and MW band although some used medium wave or frequencies below the standard LW band which required special receivers. Wired broadcasting had several advantages over conventional broadcasting: # Less susceptible to interference # Potentially greater number of programmes (as overcrowding on the frequency bands was less of a problem) # Potentially greater audio quality as wired transmissions were not subject to the same restrictions on bandwidth as terrestrial AM broadcasts. # In a mountainous country like Switzerland it was difficult to obtain satisfactory national coverage with conventional transmitters, particularly in the 1930s when transmissions were typically less powerful than today. On the other hand there were practical and economic difficulties in extending such services to remote or thinly populated regions. Wired broadcasting could also be used by governments as a tool of

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

through promoting ownership of wire-only receivers which could not receive foreign stations.

Similar systems

Similar systems were used in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, where it was called " Drahtfunk" ("wire radio") and in Switzerland, where it was called " Telefonrundspruch" ("telephone broadcast"), both of these systems used domestic

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

lines. In some countries occupied by Germany during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

these systems entirely replaced conventional broadcasting. In the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

all standard receivers were confiscated and replaced with wire-only sets (Draadomroep) as these could receive local and German broadcasts but not enemy stations such as the BBC. Wire broadcast systems were also deployed in parts of the

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

. In the 1930s some towns in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

used wire broadcasting experimentally either over dedicated cables (sometimes as

baseband In telecommunications and signal processing, baseband is the range of frequencies occupied by a signal that has not been modulated to higher frequencies. Baseband signals typically originate from transducers, converting some other variable int ...

audio) or through power lines. However as the coverage of conventional broadcast stations improved the popularity of these "radio relay" or "rediffusion" systems waned and local councils were often hostile to their installation.

USSR/Russian Federation

In the former

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, cable radio was popular and Radio Rossii is reported to have had as many as forty million listeners. Initially the system had one channel that was transmitted as direct audio. The wires and plugs for the system were the same as for standard power wires and plugs which could cause receivers to burn out by attaching to mains socket. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, all RF receivers were confiscated, but cable radio continued operating and, in particular, was used to transmit warnings of aerial bombing. The 1960s saw an enhancement with the addition of two additional channels, using AM on carrier frequencies of 78 and 120 kHz. The installation of this system became mandatory for all new buildings. The system, along with usual broadcasting, was created to inform people of emergencies. Today, cable radio outlets are installed in all new homes, but many people don't use them or even uninstall the socket and wires inside their units. However, they continue to pay the mandatory fee (as of 2019, the price in Moscow is approx. 1.56 EUR per month). These payments can be avoided, but due to bureaucratic procedure it is rarely used. There were similar systems in other Soviet republics, such as

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

* http://www.wabweb.net/radio/radio/lw2.htm * https://web.archive.org/web/20060524151218/http://nrhf.no/nrhf-sendere-AM.html Radio in Norway Telecommunications equipment

Features

Similar systems

USSR/Russian Federation

See also

References

External links