Digital Radio

nukeadmin · Site Admin

Hi just been looking through magazine articles about Digital Radios, just wandering if anyone has experience of these, and do they enable you to pick up UK radio stations abroad ?

peejay

Shame nobodies replied to this as i'd like to know as well!

pete

chuggalugs

Cant help with abroad but DAB is brilliant!! You get rolling text and everything. I highly recomend the PURE ones, exellent build quality and sound - I have seen the future and I love it

A

nobby

DAB can't work abroad as it is a terrestrial system transmitted from many aerials across the UK on small diameters. This is why there are many pockets throughout the UK that presently have no or very weak reception.
The only way to get BBC station abroad is either thriugh shortwave transmissions, and BBC World Service is not designed for tourists and it's programming is abysmal(My opinion), or by picking up BBC Radio4 on the long wave at 198m but that is only any good to about half way down France.Long Wave is sometimes occaisionally good in the MED after midnighht using a good reciever and a long wire aerial.
There is one other way of getting UK stations and that is thrugh a SKY dish and digibox but that is really the subject of another thread in this forum.
What we really need is a radio using a digicard but not rquiring a dish to use SKY transmissions. That would be something.

regards
nobby (Amateur radio operator G0TYQ )

nobby

FURTHER THOUGHT

Much of the above also applies to the crop of freeview boxes on the market.
Freeview is a terrestrial system which will not work outside the UK. It is broadcast from the local transmitter aerials which is why there are still many parts of the UK which can not recieve digitalTV.
What we must not lose sight of is what is going on. The government (of whatever colour...not just this one) is intent on moving all broadcasting into digital as it uses different frequencies to the present FM Radio and TV signals so that it can sell those analogue frequencies to the highest bidder 9probably mobile phone and business radio operators) for billioins of pounds.
On a day to be decided the authorities will close down FM and our present analogue TV stations and all will be on digital. So at a stroke, most of the present TVs and all the present radios and HiFi systems will be useless trash.
I would love to hear from someone what is so special about DAB over FM radio apart from the fact that there are lots more channels (who needs them).
Interestingly it might be fair to say that anyone over 40 doesn't even need a HIFI as the top end of their hearing will have deteriorated due to age etc (mine went after 28 yrs on Her Majesty's jet fighters and bombers!!!) and I doubt if DAB can be that good when recieved as a (mono) station through a tuppeny'apenny speaker. (Yes I know it is in stereo but one speker only gives you a mono output).
Iwould hazard a guess that most people only use BBCRadio 1/2/3/4 and classic FM plus their local commercial station (pick from those what you use and ask why you want loads more).
Enough said
regards
nobby

chuggalugs

Nobby.....

DAB is far superior to FM since the signal is digital and therefore you dont get backgroung interference. My DAB radio is not a top end one, infact it is one of the first to apear, a Pure Eveko-1 it has a 3inch speaker but the sound quality is exellent and the dynamic range far better than equivillant costing analogue receivers even taking into account the massive suppression that the broadcasters put on their output. I can connect it to my hifi system and get the full benifit of the stereo effect. The scrolling text is a boon on the news channels as well as telling me whats coming next on the music etc. And this isnt even starting on the fact that you get a wider choice of channels and the BBC ones are linked to the web site where you can listen to missed progs and (shhhh dont tell) even record them, I have a healthy stash of live concerts in my CD collection now. If it wasnt for DAB I cannot think of where I would listen too a live recording of Gentle Giant AND be able to record it for my own pleasure later. I listen mostly to BBC5/6/7 and 'one word'. Local radio is pure drivle

Sorry Steve, this is going a little off topic and sorry Nobby if this sounds like a rant - you did ask - Long live the 21 Century!!

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nobby

Apasher
Thank you for the information.
You must live in a poor reception are to get problems with FM.
regards
nobby

chuggalugs

Nobby...............

Thats Wales for yah!! Rolling Eyes

But seriously, the FM is pretty good round here, The DAB is still not a good area, were right on the edge of the coverage but being digital it means that it either works or it doesnt.

Happy MHing

A

autostratus · Moderator

[quote:4b66e189b9="apasher"]

DAB is far superior to FM since the signal is digital and therefore you dont get backgroung interference. My DAB radio is not a top end one, infact it is one of the first to apear, a Pure Eveko-1 it has a 3inch speaker but the sound quality is exellent and the dynamic range far better than equivillant costing analogue receivers even taking into account the massive suppression that the broadcasters put on their output.
A[/quote:4b66e189b9]

I can't speak from personal experience as we have no DAB radio but have considered it.
As with most things we did some investigation and went into the newsgroup alt.radio.digital for information.
There was a strong view there that DAB was not as good as FM. I've just popped back there for a look and that still seems to be the majority view.

dodger148

I must admit that the DAB I have heard in a large electrical component retailers store was very good considering it was being played in a typical "shed" Whilst I listen to radio more than watching tv and would like a digital set there are other "radios" higher on my prioity list at the moment