DAB digital radio - top deals to go

Here's a list of the current offers that have caught our eye - just click on the links for more information.

GBP74.99 - Philips DA1000 pocket handheld DAB/FM radio
Combining DAB Band III and FM reception into one unit, and now with an extra 25 quid off

GBP74.99 - Goodmans GBD5 Freeview receiver with DAB radio
picks up digital radio stations on Freeview and on DAB digital radio, as well as TV

GBP282.00 - Pure Legato DAB/FM/CD bookshelf micro system
it's finally here! - the most eagerly anticipated DAB bookshelf system has arrived

GBP99.98 - Sony XDRS1 Portable DAB Radio
a useful optical output, DAB, FM, MW and LW all covered, too

GBP169.97 - Pure 701ES in silver
a great full-size separates tuner at a clearance price

GBP186.99 - Sony STSDB900 full-size tuner
Sony's new award-winning DAB tuner with FM and AM thrown in, too

GBP 89.99 - Pure Tempus DAB radio
DAB radio with multiple alarms and a friendly interface

GBP 109.99 - Pure The Bug radio in white
records you favourite programmes onto SD card and enables you to rewind live radio

GBP 89.90 - Tangent DAB tuner
separates DAB tuner with remote control and optical output

GBP 119.74 - JVC UXHB4 DAB micro system
FM and DAB in one unit that also plays mp3 and CD-R and CD-RW formats

GBP 49.25 - Crown CDR240 portable DAB radio
FM PLL tuning and DAB in a stylish package

Pure The Bug DAB digital radio review

Pure Digital's The Bug is a quirky-looking DAB digital radio from the stable of renowned designer Wayne Hemmingway. It has several light-hearted touches, such as blinking eyes on the display screen and "shoulder-pad" speakers.

The Bug radio is easy to use. Thanks to its large screen, The Bug can display up to 5 stations at a time for quick browsing. Six hotkeys around the readable white-on-blue display screen offer access to more stations, or the 4-way rocker switch mounted on the base flicks between stations. The same switch adjusts the volume and switches The Bug on and off.


The Bug scrolls station information across the bottom line of the display and you can bring up information about the multiplex, signal strength and bitrate.

Need to answer the 'phone? A hit of the ReVu button pauses the broadcast - The Bug falls silent - waiting for you to press the button again to pick up where you left off. You can skip forwards and backwards through the current broadcast. It's also possible to record shows onto a standard SD card.

Pure Digital's The Bug plays loud for its size - plenty loud enough for a modest-sized kitchen or bedroom. Pure have thoughtfully included an optical output for hooking up The Bug to a MiniDisc recorder or to a larger hi-fi system. There's also a headphone socket tucked away around the back.

A USB connection allows you to upgrade The Bug's software to the latest release. This means that you can now have access to an Electronic Programme Guide (EPG), which gives information on programmes on many stations up to a week ahead. The EPG is currently in a stage of testing, to iron out any problems.


The Bug DAB digital radio

Well-built and sturdy, The Bug is perhaps the most sophisticated DAB digital radio currently available. The USB interface means you'll always be getting the latest software updates and patches.

The Bug's angled speakers means it does a good job of projecting sound into the room and it does play loud without distortion. You'll either like or loathe the design - it certainly stands out and will certainly be a talking point for visitors.


The Bug DAB digital radio

Pure's The Bug is available now for less than GBP129.99 at several online retailers. You can choose from a white or graphite-grey design.

Related links:
locate and buy The Bug (white) from Dixons online (GBP109.99)
locate and buy The Bug (graphite) from Dixons online (GBP113.19)
locate and buy The Bug (white) from Tesco online (GBP109.99 with free p&p)
locate and buy The Bug (graphite) from Tesco online (GBP113.99 with free p&p)
list of more online retailers of Pure's The Bug DAB digital radio

Barrow-in-Furness licence advertised

Ofcom, the commercial radio regulator, is offering a new FM licence for the town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. The closing date for the receipt of applications is 3.00 p.m. on 7th July 2005.

It is expected the licence will cover up to 65,000 potential listeners aged over 15 years.

BBC rolls out new DAB transmitters in Northern Ireland

The BBC has powered up two new DAB digital radio transmitters in Northern Ireland. The first is at Limavady, covering the counties of Londonderry and Antrim including the Limavady, Coleraine, Portrush, Balleymoney, Dungiven and Kilrea areas. A second transmitter is located at Brougher Mountain, greatly improving DAB coverage for Tyrone and Fermanagh and the towns of Omagh, Enniskillen, Dromore and Irvinestown.

The addition of the transmitter allows a full set of the national services from the BBC to be heard on a DAB digital radio in and around the above areas. The transmitters were switched on on 5th April 2005.

Listeners with a DAB digital radio in and around these areas can receive the new services by performing an "Autotune" or "Autoscan" with their DAB-enabled tuner or radio. The national BBC services now available are as follows:

- BBC Asian Network
- BBC Radio 1
- BBC 1Xtra
- BBC Radio 2
- BBC Radio 3
- BBC Radio 4
- BBC Radio Five Live
- BBC Five Live Sports Extra
- BBC 6 Music
- BBC 7
- BBC World Service

Related links:
list of online retailers of DAB digital radios

Roberts RD9 Gemini 9 review - DAB digital clock radio with FM

Roberts RD9 Gemini 9 DAB digital clock radio offers both FM and DAB Band III reception in a neat, well-designed unit.

The RD9 (also called the Gemini 9) is compact, sitting just three inches high off the table. There's an easy-to-read backlit display, with adjustable backlight intensity. Station information scrolls - albeit rather slowly - across the dual-line backlit orange display and, at the press of a button, the listener can switch between time and date, signal strength and programme type information.

Five preset buttons mounted along the top of the unit give direct access to stations on DAB and FM (each waveband has 5 presets). Volume is controlled by two adjacent up-down buttons and a large tuning rocker enables you to browse through stations and, if you prefer, the unit can jump to a selected station after a few seconds.

The Roberts Gemini RD9 also features RDS RadioText, autosearch on DAB and autotune on FM.

Switching between DAB and FM is accomplished by a small button on the front of the Roberts Gemini 9. Alarm settings can be set using the "info" button on top of the unit, coupled with the tuning and select buttons. It's very straightforward to set sleep time, alarm settings and single alarm mode (where you can decide to wake to radio or tone).

Considering its size, the Roberts RD9 Gemini 9 produces quite an amazingly authoritative sound. Speech stations make for a great listen - without sibilance - the Gemini's small speaker offering impressive bass response. Pop stations sound balanced and very listenable, the sound neither too brash or tiresome. A comparison with their FM equivalents here in Sydney, DAB output sounds much more refined, with the treble on FM sometimes a little overbearing, however this isn't a problem on DAB. Of course, there's only one upward-facing speaker, but a headphone socket is provided for stereo listening.

Overall, the Roberts Gemini 9 offers the best of both worlds - DAB and FM - in one box. It's a sensibly-sized radio with a good list of features.


Roberts RD9 Gemini 9 clock radio with FM and DAB

Key features:
- DAB and FM with RDS
- Easy to read multi-function backlit LCD display
- 10 station presets
- Wake to radio or buzzer
- Sleep/snooze functions
- Menu display/selection of all major functions
- Search /Manual tuning
- Press button station/menu selection
- External DAB aerial socket
- Headphone socket
- AC mains use only
- Size 196w x 77h x 135d mm

Related links:
locate and buy the Roberts RD9 Gemini 9 now at Unbeatable (GBP96.99)
locate and buy the Roberts RD9 Gemini 9 now at John Lewis (GBP119.99)
- just search on "Gemini 9" at the above website

New and noted DAB digital radios

There has been a whole selection of DAB digital radios and tuners that have been launched in the last six months. Here's a quick rundown of all the products that we've spotted and haven't yet mentioned. Follow the links and enter the model number for more information.

Hitachi AXM130 hi-fi system - GBP199.99
hi-fi system with CD, CD-R and CD-RW compatible player, FM and DAB tuner incorporated

Alba TRDAB2821 FM and DAB radio - GBP 49.90

Alba CXDAB201 DAB radio/cassette/CD player - GBP 49.99

Goodmans GCR1930 DAB clock radio - GBP 59.99

Hitachi TRK100 DAB/FM radio - GBP 69.99

Goodmans GCDR1955 CD/DAB clock radio - GBP 89.99

Hitachi CX83 DAB/FM radio/CD player with MP3 - GBP 99.99

Acoustic Solutions Portal 3 rewind DAB/FM radio - GBP 99.99

Sanyo DC-DAB micro system - GBP 129.99

Durham gets new FM station

Durham is to have its very own FM radio station - Durham FM.

The commercial radio regulator, Ofcom, has awarded the local FM licence for the city of Durham and surrounding towns to The Local Radio Company. The station aims to provide "a friendly, locally involved radio station aimed particularly at 25 to 54 year-olds, focussing on local news, information and issues relevant to life today in and around Durham and featuring the best music from the past four decades and today."

Although no launch date has been set, the station could be on-air within the next year.

Perstel DR601 portable DAB radio featuring FM reception

Perstel's new DAB portable - the Perstel DR601 - is a mix of art deco styling and DAB digital radio technology. The Perstel DR-601 is both mains and battery operated, featuring ten memory presets, backlit six-line dot matrix display and both alarm and sleep functions. It picks up DAB digital radio stations on DAB Band III and can also receive FM, too.

The Perstel DR601 measures in at 290 x 160 x 130mm, weighs 1.5kg and accepts 6 x "C"-size cells for true portability. Battery life is claimed to be thirty hours.

The silver-finish unit incorporates twin speakers for stereo sound (at 1 Watt per channel) and a headphone socket and stereo line-out connection complete the picture.

Our review:

The Perstel DR-601 is attractively styled, and Perstel have come up with a novel radio design, with rounded corners and a prominent volume dial on the front of the unit.

The big plus point with the DR-601 is the easy-to-read display, mounted at an angle on top of the DR-601. This, combined with up/down buttons that enable you to scroll through a list of stations and a push-to-select button, makes choosing a station and viewing the list of DAB stations on the multiplex a cinch. There's no less than 6 lines of text on a backlit black-on-lightblue display. There's even a set of 5 hotkeys off to the left-hand side of the Perstel for jumping straight to a preset.

Another good feature is the ability to change the scroll speed of DAB text. You can even switch between large and small font sizes, via the menu system. As you'd expect, multiplex information is to hand; the DR-601 obligingly displays station bitrate information, too.

You can plug the unit into the mains, or pop in 6 "C"-size batteries to take it out and about into the garden or garage.

For a small enclosure, the Perstel DR601 offers reasonable sound through its twin speakers. Sure, bass isn't roof-raising, but then this is a portable player with limited-size speaker enclosure. It does have the added advantage of stereo phono outputs around the back, which means the output can be fed into a larger system. Plus, there's a headphone socket for other times. The Perstel DR 601 plays suitably loud for use in and around the home and we reckon it's an ideal kitchen radio. It will also look quite happy sitting on a bedside table, where its alarm and sleep functions will be of use.

Overall, the Perstel DR-601 is nicely designed and well-built. With the extra information it can display on-screen, it deserves to become a popular choice for DAB listening. The fact that it can pick up FM also scores in its favour.


Perstel 601 with FM and DAB digital radio reception


Related links:
locate and buy the Perstel 601 now at John Lewis (GBP119.99)
locate and buy the Perstel 601 now at 24-7 Elec (GBP104.95)
- just search on "DR601" at the above websites

Philips DA1000 DAB pocket handheld reduced in price

The Philips DA1000 handheld DAB radio with FM has been reduced in price to GBP99.99 at Argos online, which represents a saving of GBP20.00 over other retailers (correct at time of press).

Sony XDRS1 portable DAB radio with enhanced FM/AM and LW

The Sony XDRS1 portable DAB radio is now available for under GBP100.00, which is a considerable drop on its original price of GBP149.99.

The Sony XDRS1 offers four banks of 10 station presets on DAB, FM, AM and LW as well as enhanced analogue to get the best sound out of normal radio reception.

The Sony also features remote control operation, twin speakers for stereo sound and a dual-line black-on-white matrix display, 2 x 2.3 Watts RMS power output, Mega Bass boost, an optical and analogue line-out sockets for connection to an external MiniDisc recorder or hi-fi system, an additional line-in socket for connection of an external device and 4 sound processing modes.

The Sony XDRS1 is mains operated.

Related links:
locate and buy the Sony XDRS1 portable DAB radio now at Unbeatable (GBP99.99)