UK DAB Radio

My DAB+ radio also has an FM function. It stores a favorite set of channels for DAB and a separate memory store for FM. When cycling through the DAB presets, there is a ~3 or so second delay for it to tune and decode. With the FM mode there is no delay. Is my particular model just slow with decoding the first sound byte or is this an inherent DAB shortcoming?

I imagine a well designed DAB radio could theoretically tune the next 2 or 3 presets in sequence simultaneously in parallel so you could avoid the channel changing delay. Has anything like that been implemented?

What about a device that pairs FM to DAB? Some radio stations have both an FM and a DAB transmission. So in principle I would want the device to be aware of the dupes. From there, I should be able to flip through the FM stations and once I settle on a station push a single button to switch over to the DAB signal. It could even deliberately play the FM signal for 4 sec. longer and quickly cross-fade in the DAB signal. Any hardware on the market doing this sort of thing?

Absolute 80s St changed from 40 Kbps (DAB+) to 32 Kbps (DAB+) [SDL National ]

Absolute 90s St changed from 40 Kbps (DAB+) to 32 Kbps (DAB+) [SDL National ]

Planet Rock St changed from 40 Kbps (DAB+) to 32 Kbps (DAB+) [SDL National ]

Scala Radio St changed to Magic Classical [SDL National ]

Magic Classical changed from 40 Kbps (DAB+) to 32 Kbps (DAB+) [SDL National ]

KISSTORY R&B added to SDL National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Pop Music)

Grt Hits Rad 60s added to SDL National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Pop Music)

Magic Chilled changed to HITS RADIO__CHIL [SDL National ]

HEAT RADIO removed from SDL National

Capital Anthems added to SDL National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Pop Music)

Smooth 80s added to SDL National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Easy Listening)

Capital Chill removed from SDL National

Gold UK changed to Gold Radio UK [D1 National ]

JUST TESTING PLEASE IGNORE changed to Capital UK [Herts Beds Bucks]

HITS RADIO UK added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 112 Kbps; Pop Music)

Apologies, seems the receiver/bot is not getting good reception of the HBB mux, hence the repeated "this has been added, oh actually it's gone, oh no it hasn't".

When I can get to the antenna I'll reposition it, or put some mitigations in to stop it happening.

HITS RADIO UK removed from Herts Beds Bucks

Cap Taylors Vers removed from SDL National

Capital UK removed from Herts Beds Bucks

MKFM removed from Herts Beds Bucks

Shine 879 removed from Herts Beds Bucks

BBC 3CR removed from Herts Beds Bucks

Heart 4 Counties removed from Herts Beds Bucks

MKFM added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 112 Kbps; Pop Music)

Shine 879 added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 80 Kbps; Pop Music)

BBC 3CR added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 128 Kbps; Talk)

Capital UK added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 128 Kbps; Pop Music)

Heart 4 Counties added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 128 Kbps; Pop Music)

HITS RADIO UK removed from Herts Beds Bucks

Grt Hits BBH removed from Herts Beds Bucks

XS removed from Herts Beds Bucks

HITS RADIO UK added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 112 Kbps; Pop Music)

Grt Hits BBH added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 112 Kbps; Pop Music)

XS added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 64 Kbps; Pop Music)

Shine 879 added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 80 Kbps; Pop Music)

XS removed from Herts Beds Bucks

MKFM removed from Herts Beds Bucks

MKFM added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 112 Kbps; Pop Music)

XS added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 64 Kbps; Pop Music)

Heart 4 Counties removed from Herts Beds Bucks

BBC 3CR removed from Herts Beds Bucks

Heart 4 Counties added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 128 Kbps; Pop Music)

BBC 3CR added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 128 Kbps; Talk)

MKFM removed from Herts Beds Bucks

MKFM added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 112 Kbps; none)

Grt Hits BBH removed from Herts Beds Bucks

Grt Hits BBH added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 112 Kbps; Pop Music)

MKFM removed from Herts Beds Bucks

MKFM added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 112 Kbps; Pop Music)

MKFM removed from Herts Beds Bucks

MKFM added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 112 Kbps; Pop Music)

HITS RADIO UK changed from 80 Kbps (DAB) to 112 Kbps (DAB) [Herts Beds Bucks]

Grt Hits BBH changed from 80 Kbps (DAB) to 112 Kbps (DAB) [Herts Beds Bucks]

TalkRadio-TalkTV changed to Talk [SDL National ]

CapXTRA Reloaded changed from 40 Kbps (DAB+) to 32 Kbps (DAB+) [SDL National ]

Cap Taylors Vers added to SDL National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Pop Music)

BBC Radio 3 changed to BBC Radio3 [BBC National DAB]

BBC Radio 4 changed to BBC Radio4 [BBC National DAB]

BBC Radio 1 changed to BBC Radio1 [BBC National DAB]

BBC Radio 2 changed to BBC Radio2 [BBC National DAB]

BBC Radio 5 Live changed to BBC Radio5Live [BBC National DAB]

BBC Radio 6Music changed to BBC Radio6Music [BBC National DAB]

BBC Radio 4Extra changed to BBC Radio4Extra [BBC National DAB]

BBC Radio 1Xtra changed to BBC Radio1Xtra [BBC National DAB]

Sometimes DAB radio stations are playing music that skips like a CD, repeating a short segment like a broken record. It often goes on for quite some time, which is a bit puzzling because surely there is nothing about digital radio tech that would cause this. The skipping never happens during talk radio, only with music.

Are radio stations actually playing CDs? If yes, are these CDs also playing on autopilot with no one at the helm to quickly swap out the disc? Or is it just bad timing.. the CD happened to go to shit while the DJ is literally taking a shit and away from the controls?

The skipping was extremely rare, if ever, on analog radio. So I wonder if DAB has also somehow open things up to very low budget stations with robotic DJs, perhaps due to increased sharable bandwidth or something. Switching from analog FM to DAB tripled the number of stations I can receive.

Why don’t they rip their CDs to FLAC files, then listen to the FLAC files for defects to ensure skipping never happens?

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/9179815

> Music and radio fans across Bedford are in for a treat with two new DAB radio stations launching this morning (Friday). Community radio station Bedford Radio and commercial station Harpur Radio...

Apparently contains In2beats, Bedford Radio and Angel Vintage.

> The BBC has announced plans to launch a new Radio 2 spin-off station focusing on music from the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

> It is one of four new radio stations the corporation intends to launch on DAB+ and online via BBC Sounds in an effort to attract new audiences.

Grt Hits HBB changed to Grt Hits BBH [Herts Beds Bucks]

Heart 00s changed from 32 Kbps (DAB+) to 40 Kbps (DAB+) [D1 National ]

Classic FM changed from 128 Kbps (DAB) to 64 Kbps (DAB+) [D1 National ]

Smooth Relax added to D1 National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Easy Listening)

Heart UK changed from 32 Kbps (DAB+) to 40 Kbps (DAB+) [D1 National ]

Gold UK changed from 32 Kbps (DAB+) to 40 Kbps (DAB+) [D1 National ]

Heart Dance changed from 32 Kbps (DAB+) to 40 Kbps (DAB+) [D1 National ]

Heart 80s changed from 32 Kbps (DAB+) to 40 Kbps (DAB+) [D1 National ]

Heart 90s changed from 32 Kbps (DAB+) to 40 Kbps (DAB+) [D1 National ]

Radio X changed from 32 Kbps (DAB+) to 40 Kbps (DAB+) [D1 National ]

Capital UK changed from 32 Kbps (DAB+) to 40 Kbps (DAB+) [D1 National ]

Heart Xmas removed from D1 National

> Great British Radio has ceased trading and will stop broadcasting at midnight following a shareholder meeting today.

> The plug has been pulled on the station just weeks after it was due to launch on the national digital radio multiplex.

> Great British Radio offered a mixture of music, comedy and speech, created by entrepreneur Charlie Mullins OBE and CEO Mike Osman.

> The service announced it was going national from December 4th, but never appeared. It launched in 2021 and has hired a number of well-known names including Cheryl Baker and Harry Redknapp.

> The station told RadioToday: “Great British Radio Ltd has today ceased to trade and will no longer broadcast beyond this evening.

> “The difficult decision was made by CEO and Director Mike Osman following a meeting earlier today with the company shareholders and investors.”

The station Bruzz has both a DAB (211.648 MHz) and analog signal (98.80 MHz). The DAB signal rarely has enough strength/integrity for the tuner to play it. Sometimes it’s just really choppy, cutting out every ½ second. The FM signal is good enough.. a little static but it’s certainly tolerable, unlike DAB.

So the question: is DAB normally broadcasted from the same transmission point as analog for a given station?

> Two small-scale DAB multiplexes are off-air after their parent company entered voluntary liquidation – but plans are in place to bring them back.

> Ofcom has agreed to transfer the licences for Winchester and Basingstoke to two new groups, Winchester DAB and Basingstoke DAB, from UK DAB Networks.

> Great British Radio has secured a spot on the Sound Digital multiplex to take it across the vast majority of the UK on DAB+.

> It will expand from its current local DAB multiplex in Hampshire on December 4th 2023.

Jazz FM changed to Jazz FM Stereo [SDL National ]

Central Radio North West will expand to East Lancashire this November as the area’s small-scale DAB multiplex launches.

The commercial station is already carried on the Blackpool and Preston multiplexes, and will add another potential 350,000 listeners in towns including Blackburn, Darwen, Accrington, Burnley and Colne.

• Bedford Radio plans to launch on Bedford's new small scale DAB (SSDAB) transmitter when it is switched on
• The transmitter will be run by In2Beats, Bedford's urban music station, who must launch it by February 2024
• Bedford Radio already has the necessary licence to broadcast on SSDAB, and In2Beats are legally required to carry Bedford Radio on the new transmitter.

Magic Musicals added to SDL National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Easy Listening)

Magic Chilled added to SDL National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Pop Music)

Kerrang! added to SDL National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Rock Music)

HEAT RADIO added to SDL National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Pop Music)

Absolute Country added to SDL National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Country Music)

Absolute Rock St added to SDL National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Rock Music)

Magic Soul added to SDL National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Easy Listening)

Absolute 80s changed to Absolute 80s St [SDL National ]

Absolute 80s St changed from 80 Kbps (DAB) to 40 Kbps (DAB+) [SDL National ]

Absolute 90s changed to Absolute 90s St [SDL National ]

Absolute 90s St changed from 80 Kbps (DAB) to 40 Kbps (DAB+) [SDL National ]

Mellow Magic changed to Mellow Magic St [SDL National ]

Mellow Magic St changed from 80 Kbps (DAB) to 32 Kbps (DAB+) [SDL National ]

Planet Rock changed to Planet Rock St [SDL National ]

Planet Rock St changed from 80 Kbps (DAB) to 40 Kbps (DAB+) [SDL National ]

Scala Radio changed to Scala Radio St [SDL National ]

Scala Radio St changed from 112 Kbps (DAB) to 40 Kbps (DAB+) [SDL National ]

Jazz FM Stereo changed to Jazz FM [SDL National ]

A consortium has been set up with a view of transferring the license to them.

Just got a cheap dab+ radio from a shop that was liquidating. Bluetooth, stereo, USB, dab+, fm, aux.. The signal quality is perfect on 86 out of 87 Brussels stations that were auto-tuned. It sounds a bit low pitch & slightly muffled but I think that’s down to the cheap hardware.

• One station cuts out (update: couple more cut out at different times).
• 6 stations are redundant.
• One station seems to have no purpose other than to advertise www.dabplus.be.

So there are ~80 useful stations, which is much more than the number of FM stations it could tune (~24, varying quality). DAB+ seems to also include AM broadcasts but I doubt there would be 50+ AM stations, so apparently DAB+ is receiving stations that don’t exist on FM or AM. Notably, there is BBC World Service in English, which I don’t think is offered over FM. That channel alone makes buying a DAB+ radio worth it.

Still no jazz stations! …AFAICT… Unless one of the stations with chatter going on is normally jazz. Otherwise that’s surprising & disappointing. Maybe some of the stations have jazz programs at scheduled times.

(update) These are the genres stations are tagged with:

• news
• current affairs
• information
• factual
• arts
• leisure
• pop music
• oldies music
• classical music
• folk music
• rock music
• other music

Most are tagged as “pop music” (80s, EDM, rock, hip hop, etc). And news=current affairs=information=factual (redundant!) So the “program type” metadata is not as useful as it could be.

The “Business AM” station sounds like AM radio (slightly raspy). I wonder if it’s being received by an AM radio tranceiver and converted to DAB+.

These are the 27 areas that Ofcom plans to advertise in the sixth round of small-scale DAB multiplex licensing next year:

• Ayr, Troon and Irvine
• Barrow-in-Furness
• Bournemouth and Boscombe
• Bridgend
• Carlisle and Penrith
• Catterick, Rippon and Thirsk
• Corby and Kettering
• Cumbernauld and Coatbridge
• East Devon
• Erewash
• Halifax
• Huddersfield
• Huntingdon
• Isle of Wight
• Lanarkshire
• Larne, Carrickfergus and Newtown Abbey
• North Ayrshire
• Nuneaton and Hinckley
• Paisley and West Glasgow
• Poole, Purbeck and Wimbourne
• Portadown and Craigavon
• South Craven, Wharfedale and Worth Valley
• Sunderland
• Walsall
• Weymouth, Dorchester and Bridport
• Workington and Whitehaven
• Yeovil

Small-scale DAB multiplex operator UK DAB Networks has started proceedings for Voluntary Liquidation.

The company currently operates live services in Winchester and Basingstoke, and has interest in a number of others.

As I was looking into DAB gear, I found out the US only supports DAB players if they are in-band on-channel (IBOC) capable.

That complicates things a bit if I want to take the hardware to the US. Is IBOC typical or rare in DAB+ hardware sold in the EU?

This article lists the vendors but then got truncated.

Grt Hits BBH changed to Grt Hits HBB [Herts Beds Bucks]

Radio UP changed to XS [Herts Beds Bucks]

I really like the idea of treating the radio like a #MythTV PVR -- to browse a schedule, prioritize programs and have them automatically recorded. But this article is bad news. It says the devices that could do this have been discontinued.

Is that still true? The article is 4 years old.

In principle, a DAB+ radio should be a network appliance. Just like Silicondust makes TV tuners with cat5 ethernet connections, it would be useful to have a DAB+ tuner that’s cat5 attached so software can present the schedule on a big screen and schedule recordings. Doesn’t exist, does it?

My smartphone has a built-in FM radio. Local shops are selling DAB+ radios. So I have to decide whether to buy one. I’m not really keen accumulate more electronic appliances for marginal gains.

Sound quality alone doesn’t justify it. What other factors are there? Will I get many more stations in Brussels?

I’m hesitant because AFAIK I cannot buy a DAB radio with an EPG+record fuction. (update: looks like I can get a USB stick & use software to fetch timetables & schedule recordings)

Bauer is switching its national services on Sound Digital to DAB+ to make room for seven additional stations.

Absolute Radio Country, Absolute Classic Rock, Kerrang!, heat, Magic Chilled, Magic Soul, and Magic at the Musicals will all go national this autumn.

To make room for the extra stations, Absolute 80s, Absolute Radio 90s, Mellow Magic, Planet Rock and Scala Radio will switch to DAB+ and all services will be available in stereo.

Jazz FM, which also broadcasts on SDL aka D2, is already available via DAB+ broadcasting in stereo.

BFBS, Boom Radio, Capital Chill, Capital XTRA Reloaded, Radio X Classic Rock, Talk Radio, talkSPORT 2, Virgin Anthems and Virgin Chilled on SDL are already using DAB+, whilst Fix Radio, Premier Christian, Premier Praise, Sunrise and Times Radio remain in original DAB.

Peter Davies, Chief of Staff for Bauer Media Audio UK said: “With so many digital radios now being DAB+ enabled, this simple change allows us even greater opportunity to reach more listeners, while offering them a higher quality listening experience.

“And with 80% of our audiences listening on digital devices, the more services we can add to digital radio the better.”

Two companies who had their small-scale DAB licences revoked have been awarded the licences for a second time.

Both companies, covering Merthyr and Isles of Scilly, failed to commence broadcasting within 18 months of being granted licences the first time round, meaning Ofcom had to take them back.

Now, companies run by the same people have been awarded the licences following another application process.

On the Isles of Scilly, Saltito Media Limited now has the licence, which is owned by Ryan Davies and Ian Davies of Like Media.

In Merthyr & Rhondda Cynon Taf, GTFM (South Wales) has another go at launching within 18 months covering the area previously known as the Welsh Valleys.

Also today, Alnwick & Morpeth, Northumberland Community Digital CIC has successfully applied for the revoked licence previous held by UK DAB Networks. This area is now slightly smaller than the original coverage map. This is because part of the south of the previously advertised area now has coverage from launched small scale multiplexes (specifically Newcastle & Gateshead and Tynemouth & South Shields).

The three awards are the first in Round 5 of the small-scale DAB licensing process, with another 26 awards to be made in the coming months.

Heart Xmas added to D1 National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Pop Music)

Heart Dance changed from 40 Kbps (DAB+) to 32 Kbps (DAB+) [D1 National ]

Heart 80s changed from 40 Kbps (DAB+) to 32 Kbps (DAB+) [D1 National ]

Heart 90s changed from 40 Kbps (DAB+) to 32 Kbps (DAB+) [D1 National ]

Radio X changed from 40 Kbps (DAB+) to 32 Kbps (DAB+) [D1 National ]

BBC 3CR removed from Herts Beds Bucks

BBC 3CR added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 128 Kbps; Talk)

Capital UK removed from Herts Beds Bucks

Grt Hits BBH removed from Herts Beds Bucks

HITS RADIO UK removed from Herts Beds Bucks

Grt Hits BBH added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 80 Kbps; Pop Music)

HITS RADIO UK added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 80 Kbps; Pop Music)

Capital UK added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 128 Kbps; Pop Music)

Grt Hits BBH removed from Herts Beds Bucks

Capital UK removed from Herts Beds Bucks

Heart 4 Counties removed from Herts Beds Bucks

Heart 4 Counties added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 128 Kbps; Pop Music)

Capital UK added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 128 Kbps; Pop Music)

Grt Hits BBH added to Herts Beds Bucks (DAB 80 Kbps; Pop Music)