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   station directory latest radio news air today feedback features  | |  DAB Digital Radio (Digital Audio Broadcasting) FAQs How can I listen to DAB digital radio stations? Where can I buy? |
 Why do I need to buy a new radio? Does it cost anything to listen? Can I listen to UK stations abroad? | Where can I find answers to specific questions about digital radio? On this page, we also answer some of your frequently-asked-questions (FAQs), which you'll find further down this page. We also have a letters page, so feel free to ask any questions not covered here and we'll try to help. What options do I have when choosing a DAB digital radio tuner? Option 1: Buy a new full-size separates DAB digital radio tuner The cheapest standalone "separates" tuner is the Acoustic Solutions DAB tuner at around GBP 99.95 Pounds. A better value tuner, with a higher specification, is the Pure Digital DRX-701ES available now via www.radio-now.com. The DRX-701ES, with 99 presets, is based on the Videologic DRX-601E and we have a review of the DRX-601E. Keep up-to-date with the latest tuners from Pure Digital (formerly known as Videologic) and read reviews and news stories through www.radio-now.com. Another model to look out for is the Cambridge Audio DAB300 tuner (pictured above) from Richer Sounds. A full specification is available from Cambridge Audio website. It is not possible to listen to DAB digital radio on a standard FM radio, as an FM radio is designed to pick up analogue signals, whereas DAB digital radio relies on new technology to receive digital signals. You can read more about the technlogy on this site. Pure Digital are introducing more DAB digital radio products and you can read more about the tuners now available, including the new stereo Pure Evoke 2 and the Special Edition Pure Evoke Elgar. Goodmans has a small range of portable DAB digital radio products - both can be run on batteries or mains power (pictured below). The Goodmans GPS280 can be found via www.radio-now.com. Option 3: Buy a Wavefinder to tune in to DAB digital radio via your PC The digital antenna unit connects directly to a spare USB port on your PC, giving access both to DAB digital radio stations and new multimedia data services like Digizone. These data services take the form of web pages at the moment, which can be viewed in Internet Explorer, though there is plenty of scope for adding more interactive services later. Downloading these services is just like downloading web pages, except of course you don't need to be connected to the internet to view them. You may have to buy an additional aerial to use with the Wavefinder in poor signal areas. The software that is supplied with the Wavefinder allows access to digital radio stations in your area from a unique user interface. You can read our review of the Wavefinder product. Visit www.radio-now.com for more links to information about the Wavefinder. Option 4: Buy a handheld portable DAB digital radio A popular handheld battery-operated portable DAB digital radio is the Ministry of Sound Visit www.radio-now.com for more links to information about the Ministry of Sound radio, including feedback from visitors. Another personal handheld DAB digital radio that is currently available in the UK is the Perstel Adapt DR101 Personal DAB / FM Receiver, available for the price of GBP169.99 Pounds. Unlike the MoS DR- 011 (above), this unit has no presets. You can read a review of the Perstel radio on this site and find out where to buy. Option 5: Buy a DAB digital radio PCI card to fit into your PC You can get a taster of what's available via the internet or digital television You can also listen over the internet to many DAB digital radio stations, to get a taste of what's available. To do this, you'll need to download and install the latest versions of RealPlayer and Windows Media Player, as these convert the data coming into your computer into audio that you can hear through your speakers. Of course, the quality won't be the same as true DAB digital radio, but at least you'll be able to hear the new stations available, which may help you to decide whether to buy a DAB digital radio tuner. It's worth pointing out that station availability varies greatly across the country - different local and regional stations are available in different areas. You should check out our national and local station listings to find out what you can hear in your area, then look out for the live links to start listening. Many local and regional DAB stations broadcast over the internet. The other way to receive a form of digital radio is via Sky digital satellite or Telewest digital cable television, however, the number of stations you can receive is limited and may not reflect what you would be able to hear on DAB digital radio in your area of the UK. Our listings giving channel numbers (or, more accurately, 'block numbers') for DAB digital radio (e.g. 11C, 12A, etc.) are not related to the Sky multiplex channel numbering system. A number of DAB digital radio stations have signed deals with Sky so that their station can also be heard via satellite television. These stations include national talk radio station talkSPORT, plays and books station Oneword, music station Core and the BBC's 6 Music. It is unlikely local radio services will be carried on Sky, though there are networked services which are available on several local DAB digital radio multiplexes. Check our Sky satellite listings page or with your local dealer for details of services available. Why do I need to buy a new radio? Digital radio uses a completely different technology to normal FM/AM radio. For starters, the radio signal is transmitted digitally to the digital radio, which then decodes the information, turning it into sound that you can hear. DAB digital radio uses mp2 digital compression. The radio signal cannot be decoded by a normal analogue (AM/FM) radio. Additionally, digital radio uses different frequencies than normal FM/AM radio (actually, those that were once used to broadcast black-and-white television!). Hence you need a digital radio to receive digital broadcasts. Does it cost anything to listen, after buying a new radio? No, not to radio stations. However, there may be a charge levied for downloading other music, games or software in the future. DAB Digital Radio technology allows listeners to receive any kind of data - even programs that you can run on your PC. These additional data services may cost money in the future for you to use them. How many stations should I be able to receive? DAB digital radio stations are transmitted in "multiplexes" - basically a large number of stations grouped together. It depends on where you live as to whether you can receive digital radio, and how many multiplexes you can pick up. If you can pick up a particular multiplex, you will be able to hear all of those stations that broadcast on the multiplex. You can check our pages to see whether you can receive the two national multiplexes by doing a postcode search or viewing a map, to give you a fair idea. You may also be able to receive up to 3 local or regional digital multiplexes. Again, it depends on where you live as to how many local multiplexes you could pick up. For example, in Bristol there are two other multiplexes in addition to the two national multiplexes. The first is a regional multiplex that covers Bristol and the second is Bristol's very own local DAB digital radio multiplex. Check our local station listings for local and regional DAB digital radio multiplexes that you might be able to receive where you are. Will the launch of a new multiplex mean that I won't be able to listen to stations on another multiplex any more? When a new multiplex launches, it very rarely affects the services you can receive on other existing multiplexes. It is launched alongside any multiplex already broadcasting, using a different frequency. A new multiplex will give you a number of additional stations - broadening your choice. Occasionally, a station will transfer from one multiplex to another. What is a multiplex? A multiplex or ensemble can be thought of as simply a number of stations that are grouped together, to make it efficient for them to be transmitted digitally. However, there is a practical limit to the size of this group - and this is important as it means one DAB digital radio multiplex cannot carry more than about ten radio stations in total (although there is capacity for data services and such like, which take up much less room on a multiplex). There are other local digital multiplexes (stations that are grouped together) that serve a particular area, for example: a multiplex that serves Tyne and Wear, one that serves South Yorkshire, and so on. These multiplexes contain different local radio stations depending on the area they serve. For example, Metro Radio is one station that is part of the local digital multiplex for Tyne and Wear, as it is a local radio station serving Newcastle. However Metro Radio is not available on the multiplex that serves South Yorkshire, for the simple reason that the station is local and relevant to Newcastle, not Sheffield. There are two national DAB digital radio multiplexes There are two national digital multiplexes - one that carries all of the BBC national radio stations, such as BBC Radio 1, 2, 3, 4 and Five Live, and a second that carries national commercial stations such as Classic FM, Virgin Radio and talkSPORT (except in Northern Ireland, which has different services). There are, however, stations such as Xfm, Capital Gold and Classic Gold that can be heard in several different parts of the country on local DAB digital radio. These stations have signed up with local operators to ensure they are heard on many local digital multiplexes. The reason for this may be that their parent companies operate the multiplex. To summarise, it really depends on where you live as to which stations you can hear, and that is why our listings are divided up on both local, regional and national levels. DAB digital radio isn't too different to normal analogue radio in this respect; the number of services is still finite. Where can I view coverage maps for multiplexes in my area? Our national, regional and local station DAB digital radio listings contain links to coverage maps in the left-hand column, under the service listings, where available. Please note that not all operators currently provide coverage maps for you to view. How much of the UK is covered by DAB digital radio? All of the above stations are up and running, but a lot depends on where you live. Digital radio will eventually cover most of the United Kingdom, but at the moment there are many areas of the UK where you will not be able to receive digital radio. Presently, BBC national DAB digital radio covers about 80 per cent of the population, rising to 85 per cent by the end of 2004. During 2004 and beyond more transmitters are being added. National commercial digital radio fares at greater than 85 per cent of the population. Even in areas where digital radio transmitters have been installed, the signal is often not strong enough to allow you to tune in to a multiplex. You may find that you need to install an external aerial, even if you've been able to pick up ordinary FM broadcasts perfectly well. This is because the transmitter sites are often situated further away than FM transmitters. You may find it is not possible to pick up BBC national digital radio very well, due to the lack of transmitters. Transmitters are being built all over the country, but it will take some time before most of the population will be able to tune in. The local digital radio services are gradually being introduced, and new transmitters will have been built by the time the local multiplex launches in your area. Which other stations can I listen to? As well as the large national digital stations, you can also tune in to your existing BBC local radio station on digital radio. You might also find your local independent station as well. However, not all existing local radio stations have secured a place on digital radio, so it might be worth checking our listings to find out if your favourite station currently languishing on medium wave has made it onto digital radio! We're listing local stations that have made it onto digital radio as soon as the licences for regional and local areas have been awarded, but you might like to see which services are in the pipeline at the official site for digital radio. There's also a timetable (and a revised timetable) on our news pages. Digital local radio is already available in many local areas, with most of the country receiving local digital radio by the end of 2004. Can I listen to UK DAB digital radio stations if I live in Spain, Germany, etc.? No, the DAB signals do not travel that far. You would not be able to pick up any UK services using a DAB digital tuner abroad. To see which country-specific services may be up and running in other countries, please see the World DAB site. Can I listen to Capital FM on digital radio if I live in Scotland? No, as Capital FM is a local radio station for London and the surrounding area. Just as it is not possible to hear Capital FM once you are out of the station's transmission area on a standard FM radio, it is equally not possible to hear Capital FM on a digital radio outside of its London transmission area. This is true of all other local and regional digital radio stations; they still all have a limited service area. The only way to hear Capital FM in, for example, Scotland is through your computer via their internet audio stream. Why can't I hear every UK station on digital radio, no matter where I might be in the country? For the simple reason there isn't enough room or capacity on DAB digital radio to carry every radio station. The way that digital radio signals are transmitted (as a multiplex group, or ensemble, made up of different stations) makes much more efficient use of the broadcast spectrum, but is is still not physically possible for every national, regional and local radio station to be heard everywhere in the UK. More information about DAB digital radio can be found in our DAB digital radio guide. |
