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   station directory latest radio news air today feedback features  | |  Feedback archive An archived selection of comments and e-mails can be found below. Please be patient while the page loads. |
archived e-mails and comments | Your Letters A good jazz station In reply to Dave's letter below, Soft Jazz is a good smooth jazz station if you have a fairly decent connection (like Jazz FM used to be. Having said that, although it's straying a tad from format, I like the output. The new jingles took some getting used to though). Give Soft Jazz a try - I think you'll like it. Chris Yep, Soft Jazz seems to have built up a loyal listenership. Thanks for the reminder, Chris. Ed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Downtime on Downtown? I have been unable to get connected to Downtown Radio in Northern Ireland. The message is the requested file could not be found or the link my be outdated. Hope you can help us here in Canada. Rab (Canada) Are you sure you're not viewing a cached or saved page, Rab? Our link now points to an embedded player. Try going to our 'live' page, let it download fully then hold down the CONTROL key and click REFRESH, which will fetch a new page from our server. Then click on the Downtown link. Ed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Picking up local stations? I recently purchased the MoS DR-011. Before buying I did several postcode checks to see which stations would be available in my particular area (Jazz FM, XFM, Storm, Beacon, BRMB, Heart, Kiss, Galaxy, etc.). These stations are not coming up when I do a station search. All I get are the stations associated with the BBC multiplex. Can I get these other stations and, if so, can you tell me how? Ian It sounds as if your reception isn't quite good enough to pick up the regional or local multiplexes. As the headphone cable also acts as the aerial, try uncoiling it, position it vertically as much as possible and do another search. You could also take the unit out and about - even find a hill to test the unit - to see if the signal improves. Ed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What has happended to Jazz FM recently? Can anyone direct me to a good jazz radio station? Jazz FM seems to have experienced a metamorphosis and would be best described as Soul/pop FM. Radio 2 and Radio 3 are good, but jazz forms only a small part of their output. I live in North East England where we have have an abundance of 'Pop' based stations all playing very similar music. Commercial radio output in this region is the audible version of Groundhog Day: very very repetitive and, quite frankly, mind-numbingly boring. Music Choice was good (no banal gimmicks or "guess the year" competitions) but jazz has been taken off ther freebie selection. Many thanks for providing an excellent web site, full of interest and well presented. Well done. David Jazz radio stations, in the UK at least - be they internet or terrestrial-based, seem to be in short supply. The Radio Authority, having had a couple of complaints from listeners, are now investigating any "stray from format" that Jazz FM listeners may currently be experiencing. The results of this investigation (which will involve the RA listening to the output from Jazz FM's logging tapes on specific days) may make interesting reading. Ed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sad news I too am sad to hear of the death of Ivanhoe Cambell. I knew Ivanhoe when I was a little girl, before he was working for Severn Sound. He worked with my father in Gloucester. The best memory of him was when he first started broadcasting at Severn Sound. Ivanhoe's mum was alleged to say: "Ivanhoe! Why do you speak in that funny voice? I can hardly understand you!" He spoke with a very prominent accent when on the radio, but when you met him off-air he sounded very different - like a perfect gentleman, which is what he was. I last saw him about 3 years ago while shopping and we stopped and chatted, which I am now so glad I did and caught up on old times. Rest his soul and my thoughts are go to his family. Angela ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What's going to fill the two spare slots on the national digital multiplex? I have recently bought a DAB digital tuner and have noticed 2 of the stations from the Digital One network are displaying as "temp", etc. Are you aware if they are going to have any new stations on them? Bernard Vacated firstly by ITN News Radio and more recently by Bloomberg Radio, two services to fill these spare slots have yet to be announced. The Radio Authority would like to see a news service to take the place of ITN Radio, but in reality unless a deal can be struck, we're more likely to see the spare capacity used for data services. In the long term, these may prove more lucrative. Ed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Any more multiplexes in the pipeline? I live in West Fife and was wondering if there was any new DAB stations planned for the coming months? I can pick up the Edinburgh multiplex, the Central Scotland mux and the Glasgow mux (although Edinburgh is the mux for my area). How many radio stations can a multiplex carry - Is it like Digital TV where they can only have so many? Darren There are no current plans for any more multiplex advertisements in the Fife area. As you say, Fife is covered by the Dundee and Perth, Edinburgh and Central Scotland multiplexes. Apart from the addition of any new transmitters, there will be no additional multiplex launches for the moment. The amount of space on any multiplex is finite and generally the maximum number of stations on any multiplex is limited to ten, though this depends on any data services that might be carried and the bandwidth given over to stations (i.e. stereo broadcasts need more space than mono broadcasts). Ed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What has happened to the talkSPORT live stream? The talkSport (channel 858) "listen online" link has been down since after New Years. The web site says they're "working on it". Must be on a 6 month tea break. ggHoolie (in Alabama) Talksport's internet feed has been down practically since the beginning of the new year, even though the message on their site says that "they hope to get it back up soon." I very much like some of their programming, and if you are privy to any information as to when they'll restart their internet broadcast I'd be most appreciative. Vladimir (in Anchorage) When I e-mailed them a week or two ago, I received a quick response to say they're upgrading their streaming. Whether there are other related cost or technical issues with the upgrade, I'm not sure, but they seem to be taking their time and undoubtedly losing a lot of loyal online listeners in the meantime. Ed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Goodmans GPS280 impressions I have only had the Goodmans GPS280 stereo for a week, and as there are many functions to learn (from a blind person's point of view). I have held back from doing a review as I would like to do full justice to this excellent piece of kit. However, my initial thoughts are that this is certainly one of the best products at the cheaper end of the DAB market at present. I have not had the privilege of trying a Pure Evoke-1 yet so cannot compare with that product, but at least you can put batteries in the GPS280 and move it from room to room, thus making it truly portable; connect it to a hi-fi to further enhance its sound quality and, best of all, you have the CD player and an AM/FM analogue tuner as well. I do believe this is the best way to introduce DAB radio to Joe Public by incorporating it with mainstream products such as CD/cassette players etc. Some people may be disappointed that it doesn't handle MP3s, but to me that is of no real concern. After all, does the majority of the public know what MP3 is? Some people may also be surprised that the GPS280 doesn't have a carrying handle! The design of this product doesn't really necessitate one, it is after all a desk top product with the two speakers slanting upwards. Full marks to Goodmans for coming up with such an excellent product for its price. Robert Thanks for your impression of the GPS280, Robert. Some of the published specifications incorrectly say that the Goodmans can handle MP3s; we're beginning to see more CD players that can play these files, so it's a little disappointing to read this misinformation. Still, it's no big deal - the DAB radio is the main reason for purchasing. Although I haven't actually heard the Goodmans GPS280, reviews have been positive and its feature list is impressive, with remote control included - something that usually falls by the wayside for such a competitively-priced machine. Listen out for news of the Pure Evoke 2, due to arrive in early April (hopefully!). This new, two speaker radio from Pure Digital has room for 6 batteries and an FM tuner as well. It's going to be priced a little higher than the Goodmans, although Pure's build quality, retro look and use of wood veneer should ensure it sells just as well as the Evoke-1. In fact, I was at Bristol Sound and Vision hi-fi show last Friday and we have a number of reports and reviews about new products and hi-fi at the show. Ed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Given up on DAB even before purchase! Having been excited by John Peel's DAB-ads for months, only to have my enthusiasm for his and other DAB-ads crushed by a mixture of ignorance (Comet: "Yeah, we get asked for those every six months.") to lack of availability (Dixons, whom I have asked for weeks on end), I have now lost interest. This is also mainly because I now know the the BBC have debased the signals so much, because of the new stations they have crammed into their multiplex, that I will stick with my state-of-the-art, silver-soldered circuitry, Yamaha CT700 FM only Tuner (immaculate and ca. 1978) with its 80 db S/N ratio and lovely warm sound. I live in Cheshire, with excellent reception. Gerald You can always buy a digital radio from Dixons online, Gerald. I think people must decide for themselves whether DAB offers any benefit. If you just want to listen to the existing BBC national stations, there's no need to go DAB. I know of several people who want to get an Evoke just to listen to Five Live Sports Extra - the fact that this is only a part-time station in mono isn't going to stop them, believe me! Whether you think it worth investing in a DAB digital radio to hear the other BBC digital-only stations is your choice, of course - the reason I listen is because I appreciate the choice of stations in my area. I only actually listen to a couple of them for any length of time - Passion (for the World Music - the rest is just filler as far as I'm concerned!) and The Storm. It's slightly annoying to hear Passion in mono only - stereo would be nice - but at least I have a lot more choice. Having said that, DAB isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. Ed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I have a Ministry handheld! I have had a the new GBP149.99 Ministry portable DR-011 digital radio for a week now. I live in York which is okay for reception, but not brilliant. I had the Perstel portable radio, though being in York, I had to have the radio's aerial fully extended the whole time to get some standard reception. This was awkward as I had to carry it around and I looked a bit daft to people walking by. The new Ministry radio is far from this; the reception is still the same, though if you buy some headphones with a longer cable, the reception is perfect and you are able to put the aerial in your pocket like a normal walkman. The preset facility is so much better too. If the reception is lost, as soon as the radio regains the signal it goes straight back to the station you were listening to before. The Perstel used to go back to the first station on the waveband, meaning you had to retune to what you were listening to (I think this problem has been since solved with a firmware upgrade. Ed.). I have also noticed the batteries in the Ministry last about 33 percent longer, which is a massive extra. Overall the Ministry DR-011 radio is a very well recommended item; I wouldn't want to give the perstel radio a bad review as it gave me an early opportunity to have access to DAB, though the Ministry radio is a big development forward this and is a must for new buyers. Hope this review is helpful Rob Very helpful review, Rob - feedback like this is always welcome! I think the battery life of the Perstel radio is about half that of the Ministry of Sound personal radio. The main difference, of course, is the addition of an FM tuner in the Perstel machine, though I've read that the tuner will not re-tune to FM if, say, the DAB signal for Radio 1 was lost. The Ministry is a DAB-only radio. By chance, I spotted one in Dixons today. I've also seen a pre-production model of the Pure Digital personal handheld. Should also be a really good product when it hits the shops. Ed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 24 hour rolling news service? Do you think that DNN (the rolling news and information channel soon to be available on MXR's Yorkshire regional multiplex) will ever be available around the clock? I think it would serve a real gap in the provision of news and information on DAB in this country. Michael DNN would almost certainly go 24 hours once digital radio uptake has improved. There's a great need for "local" DAB services and DNN is filling this gap already. Ed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Inter Connect I have a Freeview digital box and I notice that I am also able to receive digital audio broadcasts. Will I be able to receive these without switching on the TV? It feels odd listening to audio with a blank screen. Will I be able to do something to route the box to my amplifier instead? Chandran If your box has a display on the front, you should be able to tell which channel you are receiving. I think the digital boxes have a Scart connector on the back and you can buy a Scart adaptor with two standard phono connectors and video phono connector on the back, which you can plug into the back of your Freeview box. If you run a couple of interconnects between the adaptor's audio outputs and a spare line-level input on your amplifier (e.g. aux or Video, for example) you can have the audio playing through your amplifier and speakers. Ed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sad news Can I please say how sad I was to hear of the death of Ivanhoe Campbell. Ivanhoe was 49 and lived and worked in Gloucester.He was a *star* presenting the reggae show (Reggae Rockers) on Severn Sound in Gloucester and Bristol for many years and had a following second to none. He was a great man and will be sadly missed.It was a pleasure working with him. God bless him. Gordon McRae ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mad about this DAB I visited my local Argos last week and became one of the first people happy to own the Ministry of Sound portable DAB radio. If in any way I am unhappy with the digital radio's performance then the Store Manager told me that I can get my GBP149.99 completely refunded, even after several weeks of use (just don't drop it down the stairs in the meantime. Ed.). Obviously I am still getting accustomed to the radio, but I am very positive and excited about it. A lot of thought has gone into the design which, amongst many features, incorporates six listening modes giving studio or panning sound effects, for example. It also has a choice of methods to access stations. For instance you can instruct the radio to prune out those channels which cannot be currently received properly. There are at least a couple of shortcomings. One is that the central joystick doubles up as a volume control (up and down) as well as a station finder (left and right). This means that if you are a touch clumsy you can increase or decrease the volume whilst attempting to adjust the station choice. The other misgiving is that for such a hefty price tag the set might have included a pouch in which to keep the product safe. The unit could easily get scratched without any protection! By the way, reception on my daily commute by train seems fine, for a select few stations, for most of the duration of my journey. David Some positive feedback - thanks David. How is the headphone cable "aerial" managing to hold on to the stations? Does the signal suffer when it's more "coiled up"? Can you add the current station to a list of favourites or is this done manually? Are there any "presets" as such? By the way, if any of our visitors are looking to get one, you can buy this radio online. Ed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The guy with no NME Has NME radio gone off air? Can't seem to find it anywhere? Daniel It should still be there - online and on DAB digital radio in London, as part of Liquid. Ed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Where's Tommy? Can you tell me if Tommy Boyd does any radio show that is available on the net? I live in Australia and miss the humour of his old talk radio show. Peter I'm not sure where Tommy Will pop up next - as far as I know he's not currently doing a show with any station. Ed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ More info on listening on a train I would be intersted in hearing from anyone who has purchased a portable DAB radio also. I spend a lot of time commuting from Manchester to London and I would love to know if I could get a signal on the train for the whole of my journey. I have problems with reception on normal radios because of cuttings and tunnels. Would a portable DAB tuner perform any better? Matthew From Robert, a regular contributor, who's answered a similar question a month or two ago: I would also add that you're unlikely to receive a signal in any long tunnel. As an aside, the only station I know of that uses a leaky cable in a tunnel for its FM transmissions is Metro Radio in the Tyne Tunnel, for drivers. Ed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ YAR begins test transmissions YAARR (sic) Radio has today started test transmissions on Switch Digital in London, 64kbps mono. Genre 'Other Music', aimed at Young Asians. |
