Geomagnetic storm briefly affects TDM broadcasts

A geomagnetic storm interrupted a TDM broadcast in the early hours of yesterday, freezing the broadcast for around 30 minutes.

A geomagnetic storm is a major disturbance of Earth’s magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from solar winds into the space environment surrounding Earth. 

The storm is caused by a solar wind shock wave which typically strikes the Earth’s magnetic field approximately 24 to 36 hours after the event.

According to an insider, this matter also affects TDM Radio at times, particularly when the broadcast is acquired from its satellite in Portugal.

“Apparently, it seems that during this specific time of the year, this geomagnetic storm is quite strong and it’s actually making it more difficult to receive satellite signals,” said the insider.

The disturbance was witnessed by the Times during the broadcast of RTP, which is the public service broadcasting organization in Portugal.

TDM broadcasts both of its TV channels and radio in the SAR.

“This cannot be fixed. This is something that […] even Radio Macau experiences. There is nothing that TDM can do because this is a cosmic effect,” the insider explained, adding that such occurrences are “completely out of our human interference.”

The insider clarified that the incident had nothing to do with the earthquake that occurred in Yulin, Guangxi on Saturday night. LV