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 Feedback archive
An archived selection of comments and e-mails can be found below. Please be patient while the page loads.
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Portable DAB radio aerial Sunday 8th August 2004
Are there any aerials out there designed to be fitted to a portable DAB radio? I've a Pure PocketDAB 1000 and when in the car or at work an aerial would be a great help. If not, I was wondering if it might be able to rig some sort of aerial with a headphone splitter and an existing DAB aerial, although I have little or no technical skills.
Aerials for portable DAB radios? Not that I know of. I've discussed ways of making your own aerial at the foot of this feedback archive page. Ed.
I used your BBC Southern Counties Radio link, expecting to hear the latest news. All I got was a 6.01 minute clip of some undefined pre-news output. The clip ended precisely as the news ident came up!!! The presenter said "it's 10 o'clock on BBC SCR" but I had no idea which day that referred to. Your service looks really great, and I really need to get these bulletins, up to date as possible too!
Unfortunately, we just provide the live audio links and have no control over the ultimate content. The news audio is archived automatically at the BBC site and there are sometimes problems with archiving content at the correct time. You would need to contact the BBC directly if you are still experiencing problems. The BBC is now starting to broadcast its English regions radio output online. Ed.
I was given the gift in February 2004 of a Grundig Opus DAB radio. Its lighting display has suddenly failed and there is no reference in the User Guide to failures, how to correct them, or whom to contact. Can anyone please advise me?
DSG Retail (Currys and Dixons) bought the entire DAB digital radio inventory of Grundig and this is how the Opus made it to the shelves. I would ask the person who gave you the present if they still have the receipt - failing that, try to find out the store it was purchased from and take it back and request a replacement. Ed.
I have had a Ministry of Sound MOS DR-011 now since November last year. This replaced my old FM/AM mobile radio. The reason I decided to replace the old set was on the strength of advice I received from one of the main London radio stations.
I use the radio whilst commuting to and from work on the mainline railway between Upminster (Essex) and London (Fenchurch Street). The old FM/AM reception over the years appeared to deteriorate. So, fed up I decided to complain to the radio station about their reception and they stated that unfortunately there was nothing they could do, but recommended that I go to DAB.
I did this, but unfortunately the reception isn't really any better! For over half of my journey now, I spend it either in total silence or hanging onto the earphone lead (aerial) trying to position it in different directions to try and get the reception back!
I think the radio itself is fine (except that the lock button doesn't appear to lock anymore), as once reception is there, the audio quality is superb. I think it is purely down to inadequate coverage along this particular route. As I near London, the signal somewhat improves (i.e. less breaks and I can let go of the headphone cord). The better station is BBC Radio 2, so now I am confined to listening to dear old 'Bunty' in the morning as opposed to young 'Jonno' to whom I would prefer.
I must say it is very frustrating (especially having laid out GBP149 on the advice of the so-called 'experts'), for what to me seems a white elephant!
I would always advise checking your postcode route before you buy. London could certainly do with a few more "fill-in" transmitters to plug any holes. Ed.
Why isn't PrimeTime available on 'Freeview', as I am sure it would double the audience overnight? Are there any plans to do so?
It is up to individual stations and Freeview multiplex operators as to which services are broadcast, based on cost usually. For details of new stations due to join the platform, see our air today page. Ed.
I have a Bush TR2003 portable VHF/DAB radio. I have discovered that when you store stations, it stores by SID, so if you receive two muxes with stations with the same SID number, only one will store. This makes sense, except when you want to scan the entire multiplex.
On Wirral, I can get Liverpool, obviously, but I can also receive Stoke. Both muxes have Smash Hits, but both have the same SID number.
Please can you tell me how I can scan within a multiplex manually to check which stations are actually broadcasting on the mux? It doesn't matter that only one stores in the menu, if the SID is identical, but you must be able to search within a mux to see what is on each one individually.
Also, can you read the TII with this radio?
We could do with some input from Bush TR2003 owners here, though I suspect the answer is that you can't scroll through the individual multiplex list manually with this radio. If you're interested to find out what's on a multiplex, you can check all manner of online listings. As for the TII table (where you may want to look up the TII code to find out which transmitter is broadcasting the stations you're listening to), I doubt the Bush TR2003 will display this. DAB is supposed to make radio listening easy, so it's not really surprising some of the more technical aspects are hidden from view. Ed.
I enjoy listening to international broadcasts on short-wave. I have heard about an initiative called Digital Radio Mondiale which will allow international broadcasters to make use of the new digital technology for reaching overseas listeners. But what equipment will be needed to receive these broadcasts? Presumably the digital recievers commonly available in UK High Street stores wouldn't do.
I've been meaning to look into DRM for a while now. The last time I looked receivers were around GBP500.00. Sadly, the subject is beyond the scope of this website for the foreseeable future. Ed.
Please could you let us know how to add our radio station to your listings.
We need a URL, live link, short description and station name. I tend not to add Live365 stations that require sign-in before listening. The problem is that very few people have the resources to run internet stations for more than a few weeks, leaving us with dead links.
Ed.
I currently have a Blaupunkt DAB 53 in my car and am very happy with it. I would like to buy a handheld DAB radio that will fit into my pocket. Can I ask how these units perform indoors at the moment - say in a factory enviroment - as even with my old FM walkman the reception is not very good. I cannot find BBC Radio London on my in car radio?
The performance of handheld DAB radios depends on a lot of things: the strength of the signal can be affected by steel frame buildings, but I've been in PC World (steel-frame building and roof) with a Wavefinder hooked up to a computer and the signal has been more than adequate. If there is a lot of electronic equipment in the factory, this might interfere with the reception. You'll need to keep the aerial extended or the headphone cable untangled to maintain decent reception. As a general rule, the strength of signal you might get is roughly comparable to that of FM. Our archive feedback page 16 gives a little more advice on the types of handheld radios available - scroll down to the "Thinking of getting a handheld DAB radio" letter.
As for BBC London, it's on the London 2 multiplex - check this page to see if you can pick up other services on the multiplex as well as BBC London.
Ed.
Many people who own a DAB Digital Radio including myself keep finding a station with "bird noises" on it. I am taking this to be a test transmission. Do you know what this station will be used for or is this still not realised?
It's a spare slot on the multiplex, once carrying Bloomberg Radio, to be used for a data service next year, though not by Bloomberg. More info about the birdsong on one of our archive feedback pages and also here. Ed.
With DAB being headline news in the radio world, is FM dead? Do we all need to purchase DAB radios or will FM continue to serve us well?
Certainly no decision has yet been made about the eventual switch off of FM transmitters - Ofcom are currently seeking responses from the big radio operators to determine a future strategy for the FM waveband. Remember, also, that FM licences are planned for advertisement by Ofcom. It's not a case of 'when' analogue radio will be switched off, but 'if'. Ed.
Hi there, I am really keen to get a DAB radio but unsure about the coverage which I'll get in my area, will I only be able to pick up local stations or does DAB mean I can pick up any station from anywhere in the UK? I would be keen to know if i would be able to pick up stations such as 'Kiss' or 'Gaydar radio' in my area (Dundee/Perth and Kinross) as I can only listen to them on Sky Digital at the moment.
These type of questions are answered in our frequently asked questions page about DAB digital radio. Ed.
Please could you mention that the 30th Anniversary Radio Hallam Reunion will take place on October 1st in Sheffield - more details at this website
At Christmas I treated myself to a Cambridge Audio DAB300 for my hi-fi and am very pleased with the quality of the sound - not CD quality - but good and always better than cheap FM. The choice is so much better than FM and I have become a big fan of Virgin and BBC 6 music. Cricket and football coverage without crackles is a big boon, too.
I'm so addicted to 6 music that I really would like it in the car, but I'm trying to save a bit of money and have heard many bad things about the cheap DAB car radios (i.e. the Goodmans - perhaps this would explain why its price has dropped so rapidly too?).
If I bought the Aria-3000 would I be likely to get reasonable reception in good signal areas? My hi-fi with just the supplied piece of wire is always at signal error 0 and almost full signal on both Digital One and BBC multiplexes even stuck up here on Dartmoor, so I reckon this must be a good signal area.
Do the car DAB tuners have special built in systems so that when travelling they don't drop stations or any other fancy gismos? I figure I can probably use an auxiliary cable to my car amplifier but I don't know if this would act as a good aerial.
Maybe I could attach a DAB aerial to it as well? Any advice would be much appreciated.
I think the problems that have manifested themselves with the Goodmans GCE7007 car tuner centre around having to re-tune the set when the signal drops away completely, if I remember correctly. Car DAB radios aren't supposed to do this, so you could say this is an undocumented feature!
I did read an article in "Electronics World" about the Perstel DR-101, where the reviewer sat the unit behind the front windcreen with the aerial extended and picked up a good signal. With the unit connected via a cassette adaptor to the car stereo, he was able to listen to DAB without any hitches. I would suggest a handheld with an extending aerial (i.e. the DR-101) may perform better in picking up a signal in a car than the Aria A-3000, which uses the headphone cable as the aerial. The DR-101 is also currently cheaper.
Obviously, your position on Dartmoor helps with receiving DAB stations at home; DAB reception on your travels might be less favourable.
What does everyone else think? Ed.
Just to say that EMAP have relented and Magic 1152 (Tyne and Wear) is now back in stereo at 128 kbps on the local DAB digital radio multiplex for Tyne and Wear. To make way for this change The Hits is now broadcasting in mono at 64 kbps on the multiplex.
I gather this change also affects other EMAP DAB multiplexes in northern England (i.e.: Sheffield, Leeds, Liverpool, etc.)
According to a source who works for EMAP, there had been complaints about the change from stereo to mono and many people questioned the decision to put an AM-only service in mono on DAB when many people had bought DAB to hear stations like Magic in stereo.
Quite right, too. Ed.
Hi I'm getting a buzzing sound now and again on 105.2FM here in Dunfermline, but it's not clear as I also get a little hiss. It only seemed to start doing this on 29th June. The sound did stop for a few hours but it's back again. I seem to be picking up a weak sort of test for the new Glasgow FM radio station now and again.
That'll be Saga 105.2FM, then. Can't be long until its launch? Ed.
I just bought a used MOS DR011, with no instructions. Can you tell me how you get rid of presets and set your own?
The MOS DR-011 remembers your ten favourite stations, as far as I am aware. Alphabetical, "by multiplex" and "ten favourites" station ordering is possible. Ed.
I would like to buy a "full-size" DAB tuner seperate for my system, as my amplifier hasn't got a tuner of any description built in. Like all things in Wales - I'm guessing it doesnt work very well? Any ideas what the reception is like at my postcode - I can pick up Devon TV if that helps? I was looking at the Pure DRX-701ES or the DRX-702ES.
There is a postcode checker available as a link from our national stations page. Amplifiers with tuners built-in are normally referred to as receivers. I have DAB here in Swansea and, apart from a few hiccoughs on the Wales and West mulitplex, it works fine, though out in the sticks it may well be a different story. Both Pure Digital tuners you mention are fine separates tuners and have received good reviews - it's a case of working out whether you want to be able to tune in to analogue stations as well, which the 702 would certainly allow you to do. I've a feeling, though, that you are not well covered by DAB at the moment. Keep an eye out on our products page for any new tuners or radios that might appeal, but don't forget to always check your postcode before you buy! Ed.
Any plans to give DAB reception on London underground?
Not that I know of. Anyone else heard anything? Ed.
I am the General Manager of AllWorship.com. We are a not-for-profit ministry that supplies great worship music over the Internet in three formats. I see you are now linking to our Praise & Worship station. I just wanted to say thank you. We really appreciate being listed on your site.
You're welcome. Ed.
As L-Band transmissions are being tested here in London, and according to Digital One (after an email query), the L-Band will be used at some point in the relatively near future for DAB in the UK, I wondered if anyone could provide me of details of DAB sets currently on the market covering Band III *and* L Band, and ideally (analogue) FM as well - to save buying something that will be obsolete in a few years (we'll forget digital medium/long wave here!)?
I am thinking of buying a DAB radio for my husband who travels abroad a lot. He would like to listen to UK news whilst away. Someone said that if you bought a DAB/FM radio with"L Band" this means it can be used in Europe. If so, which models can you recommend?
DAB Band L is commonly used on the continent, whereas Band III is used in the UK, so dual-band radios are not commonplace here. There are only a handful of products that are equipped to pick up stations carried on both Band III and Band L. The Aria A-2000 is the only "desktop" type DAB radio with Band III and L and the Aria A3000 the only handheld with Bands III and L. Band III and L reception is more common on full-size separates tuners from Pure. We usually indicate Band III and/or Band L reception in the feature list. Ed.
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