Just Sharing This Radio rebels fight against digital

smoggy07

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2008
Messages
945
Reaction score
384
Points
63
Age
40
My Satellite Setup
Sky minidish and Sky + HD 250gig Anytime+ box with full ish appart from sports and movies, Dreambox DM500s clone (Pli Jade3 max var F/W), Motorised 1.1Meter Dish
My Location
middlesbrough, teesside, northeast coast, uk
Not sure if this belongs in here, if it doesn't can someone find a better home, maybe the ham thread? :rolleyes:

Next week the government will set out its plans to switch off FM transmitters in favour of digital radio signals.

But many people are still reliant on analogue radios. An estimated 95% of cars lack DAB equipment, and some people are rebelling against the FM switch-off.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25344947

Is DAB in the UK good enough for a switch over? In places it can sound horrid

I'd read that it was only big stations that had to turn FM off leaving the airwaves free for local/community stations but a lot of local stations are quite huge, both in listener size and coverage.

It will be interesting to see what the government have to say next week
 

Vipersan

Emmett Browns Ghost
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Messages
10,918
Reaction score
6,663
Points
113
Age
66
My Satellite Setup
IP9000HD +
TD110 Dish and TD88 Dish in Tandem
66°East to 60°West.
AZbox PrmHD + OpnbxS9HD + Skybox + DrHD F15
2x VboxII AZ-EL
2 m+ Alcoa PF + BSC421 C-Band lnbf...
+SS2/TwHnS2-3200 pci/TBS6925 pci
1.5 Fortec Star -Gbox - HtoH Ku/Ka/C
My Location
UK
It'll certainly make a lot of my old quality Legacy gear redundant ..
My Denon surround sound amp ...a Bose radio and a Philips WAC unit to name but three.
Total cost when new ..(not that I paid this for 'em ) ...in excess of £1000
 

A nonymous

Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2006
Messages
3,586
Reaction score
913
Points
113
I think its a really bad idea myself. Have you ever listened to a DAB radio in a car.

DAB doesn't work in cars. If you get to a low signal area you get clicks and squeaks, its not pleasant to listen to. Stations that broadcast at a low bit rate also sound horrible .

Nano
 

rolfw

Believe it when I see it Admin.
Staff member
Joined
May 1, 1999
Messages
38,292
Reaction score
1,615
Points
113
My Satellite Setup
Technomate 5402 HD M2 Ci, DM7000s, Transparent 80cm Dish, Moteck SG2100 DiseqC motor, lots of legacy gear. Meters: Satlook Digital NIT, Promax HD Ranger+ spectrum analyser.
My Location
Berkshire
I had a dab radio and antenna installed in my last van, as I listen to Talksport, but my particular radio would mute the sound on low signal which was equally as annoying as clicks, or even noise on AM, so didn't bother on the new one and I suffer with AM. Quality with DAB wasn't bad when reception was OK though.
 

smoggy07

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2008
Messages
945
Reaction score
384
Points
63
Age
40
My Satellite Setup
Sky minidish and Sky + HD 250gig Anytime+ box with full ish appart from sports and movies, Dreambox DM500s clone (Pli Jade3 max var F/W), Motorised 1.1Meter Dish
My Location
middlesbrough, teesside, northeast coast, uk
It'll certainly make a lot of my old quality Legacy gear redundant ..
My Denon surround sound amp ...a Bose radio and a Philips WAC unit to name but three.
Total cost when new ..(not that I paid this for 'em ) ...in excess of £1000

Not really, it could open up the way for more specialist stations or Pirates even lol

I can't see it happening for a long time, it's too costly, it doesn't work when driving, it hardly works indoors and the audio quality is questionable
BTW, not sure why it says new channel next to the subject, I thought I clicked just sharing and now can't seem to change it
 

rolfw

Believe it when I see it Admin.
Staff member
Joined
May 1, 1999
Messages
38,292
Reaction score
1,615
Points
113
My Satellite Setup
Technomate 5402 HD M2 Ci, DM7000s, Transparent 80cm Dish, Moteck SG2100 DiseqC motor, lots of legacy gear. Meters: Satlook Digital NIT, Promax HD Ranger+ spectrum analyser.
My Location
Berkshire
Have changed it for you.:)

I also don't think they can do anything for a long time, way too little acceptance of the technology, at least with Freeview there were real advantages to upgrading kit, with DAB, besides the extra few channels, there are no other advantages and several disadvantages.
 

Channel Hopper

Suffering fools, so you don't have to.
Staff member
Joined
Jan 1, 2000
Messages
35,536
Reaction score
8,554
Points
113
Age
59
Website
www.sat-elite.uk
My Satellite Setup
A little less analogue, and a lot more crap.
My Location
UK
I'm still awaiting the day when I install a DAB radi0 in a vehicle.

The one I have under the bed is a Blaupunkt DAB 52 'woodstock', and was once used as standard fitment within Honda touring motorcycles.

I think it needs two aerials to work as well ......
 
S

Steve Steve

Guest
Yes a "blaupunkt Woodstock "...need two aerials ....but mine is useless now.. as Germany ..now uses the DAB+...system .....brill...:-(....
BTW..guys....if a small stick on windscreen Dab aerial is used ....you will have bad mobile reception (basically. the same result as a small FM aerial)......lots of good DaB aerials at the web site "DAB on wheels"....
Also a lot of new cars now have DAB fitted as standard ..The new Audi A3 dAB audio system works great....:-)...
 
Last edited by a moderator:

PaulR

Dazed and Confused Admin
Staff member
Joined
Jun 28, 2003
Messages
18,023
Reaction score
4,046
Points
113
My Satellite Setup
-----------See sig-----------
My Location
Wirral, NW UK and Vaucluse, France.

PaulR

Dazed and Confused Admin
Staff member
Joined
Jun 28, 2003
Messages
18,023
Reaction score
4,046
Points
113
My Satellite Setup
-----------See sig-----------
My Location
Wirral, NW UK and Vaucluse, France.

Lazarus

Retired Moderator
Joined
May 29, 2009
Messages
27,078
Reaction score
8,664
Points
113
My Satellite Setup
80cm Motorised.
Several small Dishes.
Much else.
My Location
North York Moors
Actually, I'd quite like to try DAB but we're not in footprint - although our Glaziers had theirs working in the garden when we had our Windows (We have yet got around to calling them Mints, yet) were replaced 18 months ago.

But why on earth are sets so expensive? Pricing seems anomalous compared to other established electronic goodies.
 

Lazarus

Retired Moderator
Joined
May 29, 2009
Messages
27,078
Reaction score
8,664
Points
113
My Satellite Setup
80cm Motorised.
Several small Dishes.
Much else.
My Location
North York Moors
Online: Insufficient speed; Insufficient Data Allowance

Can listen via Satellite, too, essentially.

There are even cheaper ones than that, but they are poor, mono, omitting inbuilt battery etc.
 

PaulR

Dazed and Confused Admin
Staff member
Joined
Jun 28, 2003
Messages
18,023
Reaction score
4,046
Points
113
My Satellite Setup
-----------See sig-----------
My Location
Wirral, NW UK and Vaucluse, France.

Archived-1

Persona non grata
Joined
Apr 14, 2007
Messages
7,570
Reaction score
8,590
Points
113
My Location
uk
DAB you should try listening to my gramophone :-rofl2 I will post a picture up tomorrow :)
 

william-1

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 2, 2005
Messages
12,182
Reaction score
12,266
Points
113
Location
Epping Forest
My Satellite Setup
OP Gibertini 100 XP+ Inverto Black Ultra Lnb
Superior Dark Motor (160° max)
(50 east to 45 west)
Octagon SX88+Optima (A/B switch) Edision primo IP S2

Raven 88cm Mesh Dish + IBU Twin output
Stab100 H to H (120° max)
(53 east to 45 west)
Octagon SX88+ Ultra HD (A/B switch) Golden Interstar Alpha_X
My Location
Epping Forest Essex
Let's face it DAB gives very poor audio via MP2 can you believe that we once use to lead the world in broadcasting now the future of our radio has gone backwards with regards to HiFi quality only really achieved via analogue & maybe DVD audio discs in the future with much higher sample rates,

Dab+ in MP3 or AAC has been adopted by most other countries but as we were 1st & the BBC thought that MP2 was great lol now we are stuck with a 2nd rate system,

I just hope that enough of the radio spectrum is left after Mobile Broadband swallows up all the available spectrum,

Then maybe we will be lucky enough to here Dab+ on the VHF 88 to 108 part of the radio spectrum maybe they could gradually switch over to digital as they have on UHF mind you not much of this radio spectrum will be left in the next 10 to 20 years as Mobile Broadband rules the waves :(

What was free to air radio will be a thing of the past.
 

timo_w2s

Retired Mod
Joined
Sep 28, 2005
Messages
4,359
Reaction score
2,883
Points
113
Website
www.timo.me.uk
My Satellite Setup
See Signature
My Location
Maidenhead, UK & Helsinki, Finland
I had a Blaupunkt Woodstock 52 car radio back in the early 2000s and then later swapped it for a Blaupunkt Woodstock 54. Both where great at the time and I used a separate external antenna which gave great reception rather than the combined FM/DAB version or the silly stick on thing. Installed it all myself but had a specialist drill the hole in the roof for the DAB aerial. The radio still working in my old car which is now with a cousin of mine.

We've now got built in DAB car radios and reception is pretty good still even though the aerials are built into the rear windows. Rarely get any drop outs here in the south east but since there isn't much to interest me on the radio any more I don't tend to use it much. I used to enjoy The Groove/Virgin Groove and Chill but now I mainly use the radio as an MP3 player.
 

timo_w2s

Retired Mod
Joined
Sep 28, 2005
Messages
4,359
Reaction score
2,883
Points
113
Website
www.timo.me.uk
My Satellite Setup
See Signature
My Location
Maidenhead, UK & Helsinki, Finland
Oh yes, I just remembered I used to be able to pick up the low power L-band DAB test mux from London on my Woodstock while parked on my drive at home. Not that there was much of interest on there but I could pick it up and that was the main thing. ;)

I also used to drive in Europe quite a bit back then and managed to pick up L-band tests in Paris (before they went DMB ) and various L-band stations in Germany too (before DAB+) plus all the usual Band III DAB stations from mainland Europe.
 

Piltdownpaul

No.1 Spike Milligan Fan
Joined
May 27, 2012
Messages
2,011
Reaction score
687
Points
113
Age
55
My Satellite Setup
Skybox F3,Icecrypt S3500HDCCI, Technomate TM3000D,TM5400Ci Super, Samsung HD HDD Freesat Box,60cm dish for freesat, TD88 dish on a Skybox F3 57E to 45W.
My Location
South Leicestershire (Fleckney)
Nothing could beat my old AR88D....and nobody could nick it either it was soooooo heavy.
 

Tony1A

Never going back to Sky TV. Ever!
Joined
Jul 22, 2013
Messages
817
Reaction score
517
Points
93
Age
58
Location
Somewhere In County Durham
My Satellite Setup
Humax HDR1100S Freesat Recorder. Medion HD satellite box with Gibertini 1m motorised dish. Triax TD78 for Freesat. Triax TD64 for Freesat to 3 rooms. 2 Panasonic Freeview+ HD recorders.
My Location
North-East England, UK
I don't think you can beat a quality FM tuner. I've heard DAB and I'm not impressed at all. Also, just think of all the analogue radios that will become redundant virtually overnight if this happens.
 
Top