DAB Radio - what has happened?

[AMG Merc]

DAB option rubbish in my AMG. Terrible on the move - even for BBC Radio 4 (which you should be able to receive with a paper clip!)

[MarshPhantom]

Ditto. Have it in our camper and I've given up trying to use it unless parked up. Not even a great signal in parts of London.



Tried retuning our TV and I can't even find a "scan" option. A lot of the radios used to have a pause/rewind feature which seems to have now disappeared.

[DUMBO100]

I've got in my Golf and I do like it, was listening to Magic Soul today

[Condi]

Brilliant for me, rarely loses signal and can pick up more stations that I'd ever want to hear.

Must be you.

[MarshPhantom]

Condi said:

Brilliant for me, rarely loses signal and can pick up more stations that I'd ever want to hear.

Must be you.

What type of aerial do you have?

[Condi]

Not sure, its the built in Audi system.

[CraigyMc]

gtidriver said:

My BMW has DAB it didnt work in France yesterday and i missed pop master can uk DAB work abroad???

The UK implementation of DAB is pretty old and st. Most countries that are rolling it out use a more recent version, DAB+.

In both cases, not enough bandwidth is being allocated (and what is being allocated is too expensive) to compete with FM.

DAB with enough bandwidth can sound better than FM, but there are zero channels in the UK doing that - they are all scrimping by with really low bitrates.

It's like someone building a digital TV network capable of Full HD then broadcasting VHS recordings through it.

[sonnenschein3000]

I think ultimately the way forward is internet radio. I know Merc head units have got them where you connect your phone via bluetooth, and BMW has something through BMW Apps, and im sure other companies have something similar too.

I think DAB is just an interim technology.

[Condi]

Thought about this thread the other day, drove down south to Portsmouth and the signal was st. Dropped out quite a lot and reception was very poor. Complete contrast to driving in the midlands/north when I've never really had an issue. Maybe the transmitters used down south are not as powerful, but certainly much worse down on the coast than further north.

[Alucidnation]

I'm about 20 miles west on he south coast and signal is good here and around.

[AMG Merc]

Condi said:

Thought about this thread the other day, drove down south to Portsmouth and the signal was st. Dropped out quite a lot and reception was very poor. Complete contrast to driving in the midlands/north when I've never really had an issue. Maybe the transmitters used down south are not as powerful, but certainly much worse down on the coast than further north.

Now that's interesting as I have the same issue driving down to the Chichester area on the A3 then west cross country. Perhaps a transmitter issue as you say but then I still get wierd sounds coming out of the speaker when travelling aroung London/greater london.

[CraigyMc]

AMG Merc said:

I still get wierd sounds coming out of the speaker when travelling aroung London/greater london.

That's Radio1.

[AMG Merc]

CraigyMc said:

AMG Merc said:

I still get wierd sounds coming out of the speaker when travelling aroung London/greater london.

That's Radio1.

Boom, Boom

[Truckosaurus]

AMG Merc said:

Now that's interesting as I have the same issue driving down to the Chichester area on the A3 then west cross country. Perhaps a transmitter issue as you say but then I still get wierd sounds coming out of the speaker when travelling aroung London/greater london.

Indeed. Very poor Radio 5 signal on AM when you are south of Winchester - around the same area you lose FM signal for the London stations such as Absolute, so there must be fewer/weaker transmitters.

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

sonnenschein3000 said:

I think ultimately the way forward is internet radio. I know Merc head units have got them where you connect your phone via bluetooth, and BMW has something through BMW Apps, and im sure other companies have something similar too.

I think DAB is just an interim technology.

Not until we have 100% 4G/5G/etc coverage, and I doubt that'll happen any time soon - it's too 'line of sight' to be viable.
The obvious solution is to use Satellite radio like they do in the 'States. It's so stupid using land based transmitters for radio.

[Yipper]

UK DAB radio coverage is heavily location- and system-dependent. Live in or near London with a new car and it is 10/10. Live in rural Wales with an old car and it is 1/10.

This is UK DAB radio coverage in July, 2016. The green colours indicate >80% coverage:

[mybrainhurts]

Alucidnation said:

I'm about 20 miles west on he south coast and signal is good here and around.

By way of balance, patchy reception on the A6 towards Stockport...

Zero reception in the Hope Valley.

Zero reception in multi storey car parks and tunnels where I get good FM reception.

And many more places.

All in all, pretty damn' crap is DAB.

[MarshPhantom]

I've never thought it's that great in London even.

[mybrainhurts]

Even with 100% coverage, DAB will not deliver in some places that FM will deliver. In covered car parks, for example, DAB is as bad as AM.

[PixelpeepS3]

In the R and now the S3 dab has been faultless - tons of extra stations other than BBC, sound quality good and rarely drops out (hasn't yet in the audi)

Having said that - i don't often drive out of M25 areas so don't have much national coverage experience.