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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. |
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 Outside the transmission area Friday 16th February 2007 Is there any way of picking up other radio stations if I am out of their range, e.g. Radio Northampton when I am in London, without using a computer? Sadly, these isn't. Ed. Can a standard DAB digital radio pick up the radio channels that are intended for a Freeview TV box? No, the two systems are completely different, however there are some stations that are common to both platforms. Ed. I bought a Goodmans Micro 1104 hi-fi from 6 months ago and have lost the instructions. How do I preset radio stations? Hmm, not sure. Anyone else? Ed. I am thinking of buying a DAB radio/CD player and want to be able to listen to the music upstairs. How do I achieve this apart from using wires to separate speakers? Is there a wireless way that will work through the ceiling to the room above? Yes, you can use an audio/video sender with scart to audio convertor(s) and/or scart to 3.5mm jack convertor (because it's audio you're sending), connected to the sender unit and receiver unit. If your DAB radio/CD player has phono outputs, you'll need the former and, if it has a headphone socket only, the latter should work. Ed. I have a Pure Oasis and I am very pleased with its versality and overall performance. I would like to improve its range. Is there a more powerful aerial I can purchase to achieve this, without diminishing its portability? I understand the Pure Oasis has a removable rubberised aerial, not the standard F-connector found on many DAB radios, so you would probably have to improvise and modify an aerial yourself. Ed. Can I play freeview radio stations through a mini hi-fi? Are there any mini systems that have scart sockets fitted? I live in Orkney and can only get the BBC AM and FM stations, but not DAB. If your Freeview box doesn't have line-level outputs, you'll need a scart to phono lead and a spare AUX input on your hi-fi system to be able to connect the output from the Freeview box to the spare input on your hi-fi. A scart splitter is also handy to save wear caused by switching scart leads between your tv and hi-fi. A box with its own display (item 532/0503) I'd like to purchase a new DAB radio alarm clock and am looking for one where there is minimal backlighting to the LCD. I like to leave the radio on for most of the night and the display on my current model is really bright and my husband complains! I've checked and there's no way to turn down the display on it. Any suggestions? It may be best to cut out a coloured film/acetate panel for the display before you splash out on a new unit. We've heard reports of over-bright displays as much as we've heard complaints of radios with alarm facilites that do not have a backlight function. Alas, brightness is symptomatic of all types of alarm clock radios - not just DAB. I face my old Morphy Richards FM/AM unit away from view, which helps a little. If manufacturers installed light-dependent resistors (LDR) on their alarm clocks, we'd all be better off. My previous alarm clock (manufactured in 1981) gave up the ghost recently but it did feature an LDR on the front panel, which dimmed the display when the room became dark. Ed. I was interested to read that a new jazz station will begin on Christmas day. Do you know if it will also be on Sky Digital, as Classic FM is at present? Yes, theJazz will also be available on Sky Digital and NTL:Telewest cable. Source: MediaGuardian. Ed. I live in Oxfordshire and can get about 18 DAB digital radio stations. Will there be more launching in Oxfordshire eventually? There's a timetable for the next round of local DAB radio licensing, based on the working list of DAB radio licensing, published by Ofcom. You could of course read our news pages to keep up to date with this sort of information. Ed. I saw your FAQ on PTY (RDS programme type). My Honda Civic radio has PTY, which is a complete mystery to me. The Handbook is unintelligible. My PTY remains on NEWS at all times, whatever the programme being broadcast. Is this a specific Honda problem, or does PTY not work in the UK? I think what you may be seeing is the programme type flag set to "news"; when the radio finds a station broadcasting news e.g. at the top of the hour, the radio may tune to the station providing it is operated by the same broadcaster (otherwise they'll be sending their listeners to a rival station). I think you need to figure out how to turn off the Programme Type search (this may be done by holding down one or more buttons momentarily, just don't ask me which ones!). Ed. Can you offer any advice about how I might be able to listen to the Ashes cricket commentary whilst on holiday in France. I have a LW/SW radio as well as a DAB; will either of these be of any use? I know it's a long shot, but do you think there will be any French stations transmitting cricket news? You might be able to pick up updates on BBC World Service on shortwave - try the BBC World Service site for frequencies. Similarly, if you're in the north of the country 198 LW will reach well into France without interference. Leave the DAB at home, though, as the signal won't get across the channel. Before anyone asks (again), you can't receive UK-based DAB digital radio stations in France, Spain or anywhere else on the continent. Ed. I have just purchased a Wharfedale home cinema kit which includes DVD, DAB and FM radio. The unit comes with an extendable metal ariel. When I first programmed DAB I got only about five BBC radio stations. I moved the unit further up my tv stand and now only receive commerical radio and no BBC stations. According to the postcode checker I should be able to get both commercial and bbc radio easily. I tried using FM but the reception is terrible. I don't know anything about radios etc, but I believe it must be a aerial problem. As the product I have bought is a home cinema kit, it is connected both to a freeview box, video and tv. The main aerial lead goes into the Freeview box (I don't know if this would have any affect on it). I purchased a new digital roof top ariel last year and have had no problems with tv, freeview box etc. Is there anything which I can purchase to improve the reception, as I cannot move the unit around the room? May I apologise in advance if you consider my question to be at the lower end of advice needed. As previously mentioned I know nothing about these things, but I am at a loss what to do next and hope you can advise me. Your all-in-one TV aerial to your Freeview box may be interfering with the DAB radio reception. It may be worth investing in a dedicated DAB aerial, or at least first disconnecting the Freeview box and turning off the tv to see if this has any effect on DAB reception. Typically, TV aerials are mounted horizontally, whereas DAB aerials are designed to work vertically. Ed. Sunday 22nd November 2006 Hi, can you help? I am looking for a DAB Radio (battery/rechargeable) with a facility to schedule some programmes for my elderly mother i.e. the radio comes on for about an hour and a half in the morning on Radio 2 and then, say, an hour in the evening on Radio 4. Is there any radio on the market with this timer facility? I can't think of a DAB radio that runs on batteries that has the features you mention, except for the Pure Evoke 3, but that may be beyond your budget at GBP170.00. Several mains-only radios fit the bill, the easiest to use is the Pure Tempus 1 or Tempus 1-XT with 9 timers that can be set independently and Pure's The Bug has 20 timers, but the latter may be not to your (or your mother's) taste in styling. All of these can be found at our DAB shopping guide - simply do a search on "timers" within these pages and you'll find alternatives from Roberts, too. A clock alarm with dual alarm may fit the bill, but the radio usually only comes on for about an hour before turning itself off. Ed. Is there a DAB radio with a docking station for iPod playback, with good sound quality? There are no DAB radios with a dedicated docking station, but many have an "AUX" (auxiliary) input for connection of an MP3 player or iPod for playback through the radio. One of the cheapest is the itech DAB One radio, with a reasonable DAB tuner and white iPod styling. For others, browse through our DAB guide for mono and stereo receivers with auxiliary inputs. Ed. Sunday 22nd November 2006 I am planning to purchase a DAB radio and have used the many reviews and recommendations on your site for guidance. My initial requirement was for a pocket sized model e.g. Pure 1500/1000 or Roberts RD14, but I have been somewhat put off by varying reports. I believe that the Pure Evoke 2 should suit my needs. My question is, can a ChargePAK be used with this model instead of normal batteries? Additionally, what would be your primary choice of pocket DAB? I notice though that a number of buyers have slammed Pure's after sales record. Pure's after sales record lacking? I very much doubt it. Their support and commitment is outstanding in the industry. You try and get the same support and service from other manufacturers, especially at the budget end of the market. The Evoke 2 is a good radio, but you'll need the Pure Evoke 2-XT, which is compatible with the ChargePAK as it includes the charging circuit within the radio. As for my choice for pocket DAB, it would be the Pure 1500, but our DAB Buyers Guide is worth a look for more info. Ed. The Proline DAB 300 is a steal from where I bought it. In Glasgow at the Comet clearance store. It was marked as B grade and when I bought it 6 months ago it was GBP25, my friend then bought it about 1 month ago and it was GBP20 and I decided to buy it for a xmas present and it was down to GBP15. Thats got to be the cheapest DAB radio around. The model has phono inputs so it can be connected to other hi fi equipment. The only big drawback it that the settings for the volume vary extremely particularly between the lowest and the next highest. One is too low and the other maybe a little higher. For GBP15 it's a steal! The chances of finding one of these now is rather slim, slince the Proline 300 has been replaced by the Proline 200, hence the clearance offer. Personally, I'd go for the Intempo or Pure One over the Proline brand every time. Ed. I read somewhere that many recording DAB radios (particularly those that receive FM and can't record FM) record in the native DAB format. This is MP2 as I understand - so while these radios can usually play MP3, the MP2 tracks they record may or may not play on any MP3 player with an SD card slot. It would presumably depend on the codecs installed. Is there any DAB radio that can record multiple programs that records in MP3 or converts (offline)? I am really waiting to see the manual on the Sangean DRM sweety - the ETA was October - now the enigmatic "shortly" - with an "r" in that month can we expect a winter release date? Most MP2 files will play on PC-based software if you change the extension from .mp2 to mp3. The problem only arises when you want to transfer the SD card containing a show, such as that recorded on The Bug or the Pure Evoke 3 to another radio with an SD card slot. If it doesn't play, you can use Easy CD-DA convertor to convert the MP2 file to MP3. The handheld Oono DAB radio records in MP3, and there are ten flexible timers, so multiple recordings can indeed be scheduled. For interested listeners, the DRM broadcast schedule can be found at the DRM website. Ed. Saturday 21st October 2006 I live in southeast London but like to listen to BBC Radio Kent. I was having a lot of problems with the reception on my old radio and decided to buy a DAB digital radio. My son tried to tune in Radio Kent and couldn't find it on the DAB and so I'm back to tuning onto FM. Today I couldn't get the station at all. Any ideas? BBC Radio Kent may have been experiencing problems with its DAB broadcast. First off, try an Autotune or Autoscan to see if the radio will find the station again, if you can't see it on the display. Failing that, try the six steps below: Hope this is of use. Ed. The in-ear headphones on my Mikomi handheld DAB/FM Radio are fitted with rubber covers to make it easier to keep the 'phones in the ears. I have lost one of these and would welcome information on whether and how it is possible to buy a supply of replacements. I've drawn a blank on this one as I can't find a UK website for Mikomi. Ed. I live in southeast London but like to listen to BBC Radio Kent. I was having a lot of problems with the reception on my old radio and decided to buy a DAB digital radio. My son tried to tune in Radio Kent and couldn't find it on the DAB and so I'm back to tuning onto FM. Today I couldn't get the station at all. Any ideas? BBC Radio Kent may have been experiencing problems with its DAB broadcast. First off, try an Autotune or Autoscan to see if the radio will find the station again, if you can't see it on the display. Failing that, try the six steps below: Hope this is of use. Ed. Any information when local DAB radio will start in the Northants area, meaning BBC Radio Northampton, Northants 96 and Connect FM coming on air on DAB? There's a news item about DAB expansion here. Ed. I have bought a secondhand Sharp FV-DB1E DAB radio. There is a fault with the display in that the characters are very faint, blending into the backlight. Does anyone know of an adjustment to the brightness or character contrast? Sounds like a faulty unit to me, but I might be wrong? Ed. Does anyone know if there are plans to produce in-car fitted satellite navigation systems that also feature DAB? I'd like to upgrade to a satnav system but couldn't live without DAB and don't want the messy 'portable' satnav systems cluttering up the dashboard. It would be a good opportunity for convergence, but I've not heard about any plans for combined satnav/DAB equipment. Ed. I found the following on your site regarding the Pure ONE DAB radio - "A line-level stereo output and headphone socket are also available, increasing the Pure ONE's connectivity options." Can you confirm that the Pure ONE has a stereo line out suitable for connection to other systems, as I haven't seen this mentioned elsewhere. The Pure One - oddly for a Pure product - doesn't have a stereo line out; it was a mistake in our news item, now corrected. We've reviewed the Pure One here and the features list here is correct. Disapppointingly, there isn't an alarm, either, on this model. I have my pink Pure One hooked up to my hi-fi and with the volume on the Pure turned right up this works fine for me, as I don't usually switch between sources, so the differing levels don't affect me, though you do have to remember to return the volume to a normal level before unplugging the headphone cable. Ed. I have had a DAB radio now for over a year but I have suddenly found that I am struggling to pick up any stations that were previously fine. Is there a reason why this has suddenly happened?. This may indicate a problem with your radio, or a change in atmospheric conditions. If you were picking up stations that were just above the signal "threshold" during the summer, you may find that you can no longer pick them up. Try moving your radio upstairs or outside and re-tuning. Ed. Regarding the e-mail: Will satellite radio improve my DAB reception? (20th July): There is a satellite radio system which is not DAB - which I'm sure the Editor is aware of - it's called Worldspace and the stations are not the same as DAB. We (in the UK) are a bit on the edge of coverage, but it is generally okay. Nevada Radio have stocks of the receivers if anyone is interested. For domestic use in the UK, I'm not sure why they would! Oops, I'd forgotten about Worldspace, though it has been around for more than a few years. There are some quite obscure stations available on the platform - it may be better to look at a Sky Gnome if you want to have satellite radio around the house, for example. DRM is the next development in the digital radio world. Ed. First off, I have to say a big "thank you" to Kiss' parent company for bringing Kiss to South Wales and the West. Vibe got a bit boring. You mentioned that Kiss 100 would be taken off the EMAP Multiplex in Swansea at launch of Kiss 101. Due to 101 covering that area. (Living just outside Cardiff I can recieve UTV-EMAP multiplex, but never recieved Kiss 100). What about Kiss 100 on the "NOW Bristol" multiplex? It's still there, which seems really daft having London's Kiss as well as Bristol having there own on 101. So why two Kisses? Due to contractual obligations, it is likely Kiss will be carried on the NOW Bristol and UTV-EMAP Swansea multiplexes until either an alternative service is agreed as a replacement or the contract to supply Kiss to these multiplexes runs out. Ed. Hi. I'm looking for an inexpensive DAB radio with an input socket to play my iPod Nano through. I noticed the iTech DAB radio on your site. Is this suitable? How does the iPod Nano play through the machine? Does it have a remote control and an alarm as well? It also says it is a DAB III radio, what does this mean. Does that suggest it doesn't play Dab I and II channels. The itech DAB radio has a 3.5mm input socket for connection of any MP3 player, including the iPod, just plug in the Nano and turn up the volume and the Itech's amplifier will boost the signal and play through its speakers. The iTech has an alarm and there's a list of features here. There are definitely more capable DAB radios out there and you should consult our Buyer's Guide for more information. DAB Band III is the band (e.g. like FM, AM, SW, LW) used in the UK for DAB digital radio transmissions. L-Band is the alternative, but was only ever used on the continent and is being phased out. New stations on new multiplexes will broadcast on DAB Band III in this country. Ed. Wednesday 20th September 2006 I spoke to Robert's help line on +44 (0) 20 8758 0338, concerning the high volume even when playing at the lowest volume setting, at night and in a quiet room, especially if you prefer to have the radio 'on' throughout the night and your partner does not! I was told that upon sending the radio back to their factory in Isleworth, Middlesex, UK, they could reduce the effective volume output to a third, half or even quarter of the 'normal' default factory setting but this would apply across the whole volume scale, so at the maximum setting it would output only the respective fraction of the original volume. Otherwise, its a great radio-clock and we are absolutely delighted with the operation, the logical and intuitive layout of the menu system, the controls and the quality feel of the set. I have to say, the Roberts CRD9 DAB/FM clock alarm radio was one of my favourites, but the specification of the Roberts RD-19 is much better and this unit is available for a lot less money, so the CRD-9 is looking a little long in the tooth now. Ed. Just an odd query but I was wondering if you knew whether there anyway that you could broadcast a radio station that is legal, maybe on a low powered AM or FM transmitter? This is known as a community station - an unlicenced station broadcasting any other way is illegal - so you should apply to Ofcom via the link on our news pages. Ed. Wednesday 20th September 2006 To those who are having problems with the Sharp FV-DB1(E) DAB digital radio, which just say 'Tuning...' and nothing else: I had this problem. It was solved by performing a hard reset of the unit. This is achieved by turning the unit off with the standby button, holding '1' and 'PRESET SELECT', turning on with the standby button then pressing ENTER. Great advice. Ed. I have recently bought a Sony NW-E003F MP3 player, which I love. I would like to play music through a `proper` system (like the Denon DM-35). Would I be able to input music into the Denon DM35 mini hi-fi system via the Sony`s headphone outlet? If not, can I do this some other way, or with a different system? Yes, you jusy need to connect the Sony up to the Denon using a 3.5mm to stereo phono cable. If you connect via a spare (AUX) input 'round the back of the hi-fi, with both units switched OFF, switch on and select the AUX input as the source, turn up the volume on the Sony and you will hear music loud and clear. Ed. Saturday 2nd September 2006 I would like to know when we will be getting a better selection of DAB stations in Cumbria instead of the only BBC ones we have at present. It would be nice to get Kiss 100 or Capital etc up here. Our news pages have information about DAB multiplex advertisements, the ones due to be advertised first are listed here. Ed. I've just bought my first DAB radio and Im delighted with it. However, I've been looking for a programme guide to find out more about the programmes that are now available. Is there something like the Radio Times for digital radio? The Radio Times website should carry programme information, though you must sign up first. Ed. Why can I not get Planet Rock in Northern Ireland and when will I be able to get it? It would be the only reason I would buy a DAB digital radio! The DAB services in Northern Ireland differ from those available in the UK because a different operator looks after the multiplex for Northern Ireland. There is also only one multiplex for Northern Ireland at present, which limits the number of services that can be carried. We have more information about DAB multiplex advertisements, although agreement has yet to be reached about DAB expansion in Northern Ireland as southern Ireland TV uses the same frequencies normally used by DAB. Ed. Saturday 2nd September 2006 I have various DAB digital radios littered over the house, but need a battery operated one for the bathroom. Given the extra power DAB needs, is it worth it, or do I stick with risking electrocution with a extension lead from my mains radios? The Pure One DAB/FM portable is worth considering, since you can add a separate rechargeable battery or use your own alkaline or rechargeable cells. Also worth a look, for a bit more money, is the Nevada Sinfonie DAB/FM radio or the Pure Digital Oasis weatherproof radio. All three are better than getting electrocuted. Ed. What a great site (and I am a 64 year old!) I bought new NAD hifi equipment last November and eagerly awaited the new dab tuner. Signal reception in this area near Blackburn is virtually nonexistent according to the "postcode checkers". Do I pay GBP150 for an FM tuner or GBP350 for a dab tuner? Your site and reader comments seem to suggest that I would be wasting GBP200! What is the likelihood of improved reception in the foreseeable future? I would see if the model you want is availble for demo at your local independent hi-fi dealer before parting with your cash. Assuming you can get reception, there is little point in spending GBP350 on a DAB tuner if your taste is for Radio 3 or Classic FM, but you may find the extra outlay worth it if you listen to other stations, plus it will match your existing system. I have an Evoke 1XT, which I hook up to my separates system and this works fine. It doesn't match, but I can use the Evoke in the kitchen, too. Ed. Can you please tell me why PrimeTime Radio is no longer on the digital network? I had just bought my elderly mother a DAB radio so that she could listen to this station which I knew she would enjoy and now it has gone! PrimeTime is sadly no longer broadcasting on any platform, for financial reasons. Ed. In response to Simon's query regarding listening to DAB digital radio on a train (19th May). DAB works quite well on a train if you stick to the national multiplexes, and that you have the window seat for best reception! I still have my trusted Perstel DR101 pocket DAB which I reviewed on this site nearly four years ago! Sounds like good advice. I've just had my LaGIO R105 delivered today (Aria Digital also sold this as the A-3000) - another radio that's a little old in the tooth, but I couldn't resist it, as it was a B Grade bargain at GBP29.99 at Maplin Electronics. I'm getting very good reception here in the middle of Swansea and the LaGIO sounds great with the EQ setting at flat and hooked up to my Sennheiser PMX-100s. Ed. I have a Ministry of Sound personal DAB radio, where the headphones act as an antenna. These headphones have broken. Can you let me know which headphones I need to buy and where I can buy these from? Any headphones will work with your MOS DAB radio, although the longer the cable the better chance your radio has in picking up a clean signal. I recommend a pair of Sennheiser PMX-100s. I have some, but they do leak sound. You could get wrapped up in an extension cable if you should need a longer cable. Ed. I would be very grateful if you could clarify the difference, if there is one, between digital FM radio and DAB. The reason I ask is that I am looking to purchase a personal DAB radio\MP3 player and some manufacturers offer personal MP3\Digital FM radios for sale. Always look for the "DAB" DAB digital radio logo or the words DAB tuner, DAB radio or DAB receiver in the product description to be sure of buying a DAB digital radio. Some FM radios masquerade as "digital radios" when in fact they just have a digital display or FM PLL digital tuner - basically a tuner displaying the frequency as digits instead of having a dial. Some radios offer MP3, FM and DAB digital radio reception in one unit - just make sure you spot the word DAB somewhere in the description. Our buying guide lists some of the more popular DAB radios for you to check out. Ed. Thursday 20th July 2006 I have recently heard that a portable DAB radio (Pure) can use a satellite signal to increase its availability and reception? Do you know anything about this please. Satellite radio and DAB digital radio are completely different, though you may find the same stations broadcast on both DAB and Sky, for example. A Pure radio will only pick up DAB digital radio signals; your Sky box and dish will pick up satellite stations. Satellite radio has no effect on DAB digital radio reception or coverage. Ed. Re: Goodmans GCE7007 car DAB radio - does anyone know of any type of aerial booster to improve reception, please? Have you a separate glass mount aerial? The Goodmans is supposed to work with a normal aerial IIRC, but a glass mount aerial may offer better reception. Ed. We've recently had a Ferguson CR150D bought for our daughter and, as a unit, it seems fine and fit for purpose but I'm a bit concerned about the heat this thing produces. Do DAB radios produce more heat as a rule than FM units? This particular model does have lots of vent holes in it which suggests that the heat is to be expected. Advice please? DAB radios draw more power than FM radios, as DAB modules do require quite a bit of juice. This is less noticeable when the DAB radio is supplied with a separate AC adaptor and a flow of air can pass over the adaptor, but when the transformer is in the radio unit itself the heat is certainly more noticeable. This is normal, though. Later DAB modules will require less power and so should run cooler. Ed. In November 2005 I bought a Roberts CRD9 DAB clock alarm. I don't often use the alarm function, so have not experienced the problems others have reported with that. However, a couple of weeks ago, it suddenly started indicating all stations as 'Not Available'. Switching off and back on at the wall restored normal operation, but it then failed again after a few minutes. A System Reset resulted in getting 'No Signal' when scanning for stations. After being left overnight in standby, it was apparently working, but a day later it had failed again. Roberts asked for it to be returned to their service centre, and a few days later they sent it back with a software upgrade, but not having found any fault. Needless to say, it has now failed again in exactly the same way. Has anyone else had this trouble with the Roberts CRD9 DAB radio? I'm sure our visitors will let us know of any problems they have experienced like this. Ed. I was very concerned to read in your answer to a question posted on Friday 23rd December 2005 that digital radio stations cannot be heard outside the country of origin. Like many other sports fans in the Republic of Ireland I am a regular listener to Five Live (and Test Match Special) both in the car and the house. I know the analogue signal is not due to be shut down for some time, but is this the beginning of the end of Five Live for Irish listeners? No announcement has been made for analogue radio shutdown, so Five Live is safe for a good few years yet (perhaps 15-20 years). Ed. It's refreshing to find a website that largely admits that DAB is rubbish. Perhaps there is less hiss, but otherwise sound quality is abominable, with bubbling noises, sound that seems to be coming out of a hose and hardware that, like the DTV boxes, is put out on the shop shelves irrespective of whether it works properly, reliably or at all. Just look at the buyers' reviews on Amazon. It's not luddite but realistic to prefer analogue over digital. I listen to both vinyl, CDs and MP3s, so I think you can have the best of both worlds. I have to say, the sound quality of DAB has improved tremendously over the years - I listened to some recordings made off DAB from 2002 and the quality was, in all honesty, pretty awful. Comparing that to today, I hooked my cans up to my Evoke 1XT and was surprised by the results - it's not great but it's not bad, either, and a big improvement from the early days. If you just like Radio 3, Classic FM and Radio 1 - stick to FM. Personally I cannot do without 6 Music, The Arrow and Xfm, so I'll stick with DAB until something better comes along. Ed. Thursday 20th July 2006 Do you plan to set up a directory for internet-only radio stations? We did have one, but I couldn't find the time now to update it. Ed. I am a disappointed user of DAB radio - it seems unfortunate, or ill-planned and resourced, that I am unable to receive a reliable DAB signal for the UK's prestige radio station i.e. BBC Radio 4, when I live a mere six miles away from a significant city in the UK (Nottingham). This situation has been unchanged since I first bought a DAB radio eighteen months ago. When will it ever be sorted out? At least FM works reliably. The BBC will be concentrating on a series of fill-in transmitters to improve DAB coverage and I'm sure at some point the power will be increased to existing transmitters. Ed. Hi there, I would love to know what has happened to Kiss100 Online. I used to listen to it all the time from Spain and now a voice tells me that Kiss 100 is no longer broadcasting outside the UK. Due to changes in the way stations are charged for playing music, UK stations are no longer broadcasting internationally over the internet. It's all to do with increased costs, which most stations are unwilling to pay. Ed. |
| My DAB digital radio has bitten the dust too Friday 19th May 2006 I was fortunate enough to be given a Grundig Opus DAB Radio for my birthday 2 years ago and was pleased to receive it. I had trouble trying to find a suitable place to receive the stations I most liked but eventually found them. In less than a year the blue light has failed in the display area. I took it back to the store with my receipt and it was replaced straight away. Over a year has passed and the blue light has failed again. I have taken it to an electrician who explained that nobody can repair these radios. I took it back to the store where it was first purchased and they have refused to exchange it for a new one, as the guarantee has expired. As I cannot see the display box to tune into the stations, the radio is useless. Retailers love to argue their case against providing you with a replacement outside of the warranty/guatantee period, since they prefer to flog expensive 3-year and 5-year (extended) warranties, even for electrical goods that cost next-to-nothing. It all adds up to extra profit for the retailer if you buy one. From the Trading Standards website :- I would argue with the retailer that the blue display has never been fit for the purpose (since it failed once within the guarantee period and then again after just over a year of use) and therefore radio was found to be not as durable as you would have expected when you bought the goods. I would demand a replacement, from the retailer, since the contract was with him. Grundig UK, by the way, is a trading name of Goodmans Industries Limited. There are a few useful numbers and websites I've found, apart from your local Trading Standards, which you will find in the Yellow Pages. Ed Trading Standards Online - Guarantees or Warranties - a guide Friday 19th May 2006 I have just bought a portable DAB to pass the hours on the train every day to and from work, and I am having problems with reception. I noticed that the guy sitting next to me this morning was listening to the radio on his mobile, and his signal was perfect when mine disappeared. Is the technology on mobiles different? DAB chipsets have made their way into mobile 'phones. BT Movio - a television service for mobile 'phones - broadcasts using the DAB network. It is the first implementation of DAB delivered electronic programme guide on a mobile phone. BT Movio with Virgin Mobile has been broadcasting digital TV and digital radio via a DAB-internet protocol enabled smartphone to 1000 users in the M25 area. The BT Movio service is due to be rolled out nationally shortly, subject to the results of a consultation. However, in short, the guy on the train with you was probably listening to the radio via an FM receiver built into his 'phone. You might consider a longer cable (like a headphone extension cable for a few quid) to try and get a better signal from your DAB handheld - however there are no guarantees this will iron out any problems. Ed. I recently purchased a Roberts CRD9 DAB clock radio. However, the radio alarm has failed to work on at least 5 occasions in the last month, which has caused me to oversleep and be late for work. The radio alarm appears to fail when the time displayed by the radio station is incorrect. I have tried switching to other stations, but the problem still occurs. I have since stopped using the clock radio, as it is completely unreliable, and am now using my old clock radio. I live in central London and have a strong signal. The alarm should work from an internal clock that does not rely on a signal from the radio stations. I am also disappointed with other features on the clock radio: Another correspondent, Carole, sent hers back for an upgrade, as the extract from her e-mail below describes: " I've had a response from Roberts about the problem. They say that they have discovered that in very isolated areas the alarm set to DAB can drop out. This means the alarm will activate but it has lost the DAB signal and will not tune in to a DAB station. You can check this by setting the alarm to FM or to buzzer which should operate correctly. Roberts can incorporate a software upgrade to alleviate this problem and need to have the unit sent to their service division. " Roberts' number is (01709) 571722 or e-mail their service department. As for the time display being too small - you are joking, aren't you? Roberts radios have the largest displays of any DAB radios on the market (except possibly the Pure Chronos). Ed. Please can you tell me whether analogue radio is affected by the forthcoming digital switchover? A date has not yet been given for the turn off of analogue radio, so it's unaffected by the current digital tv switchover dates. Ofcom are still licencing FM stations and, until it's possible to move all analogue stations onto a digital platform, it's likely to be 15-25 years before analogue frequencies become 'redundant'. Ed. Hi there, I hope you can help. My daughter bought me a Bush DAB radio/clock alarm (the one that looks like a cube) 2 years ago so it is now out of warranty. The DAB radio and alarm now doesn't work at all, although the clock display functions. I can't find anyone locally who does repairs to DAB radios, and Bush aren't interested in my sending the item to them for repairs, even though I don't mind paying. I'm disappointed really - the DAB cost nearly GBP100.00 and the leaflet says it "will give many years of service". Huh. Two years and it's useless. Any ideas please? Yes, there's a great article at the Guardian Unlimited website - you'll have to subscribe to the Guardian website to read it, but it's worth reading. To quote a key passage from the article: " Consumer experts say retailers are exploiting ambiguous legislation to wriggle out of their responsibilities. Ministers, however, claim the law is quite clear. The Sale of Goods Act offers protection against faulty goods even when the manufacturer's guarantee has run out. The act says goods must last a reasonable time - and that can be anything up to six years from the date of purchase. " Source: Guardian Unlimited website. In short, I would take it back to the retailer with a copy of the above article in hand. A GBP100 radio should last for at least five years and beyond - not two. Ed. My friends and I are great listeners to PrimeTime radio in the Cambridge area: how true is it that this station is due to close down some time in May? I can receive 99 various DAB radio stations by changing location and height of my radio in my room; this includes many from the London Area. 99 stations, eh? - just as well some receivers allow you to preset that many... PrimeTime radio is indeed leaving the Digital One national commercial DAB multiplex in May and there is no word yet as to a replacement, which is likely to broadcast in mono in any case, as BT would like bandwidth for its Movio mobile TV service to be broadcast on this multiplex. A London easy listening service (MOR music) may continue in some vein, which you may be able to pick up, though this is speculation at this stage. Ed. If I bought a DAB radio in the UK and used it in my apartment in Spain, am I right in assuming that I would get an improved reception on Spanish stations? (There are quite a lot of radio stations in Spain that broadcast in Spanish). Also what sort of adaptor is needed to plug it into Spanish sockets? A standard Brit-to-EU electrical travel adaptor will do for plugging in your DAB radio, of the sort that you use to plug in any other piece of electrical equipment while you are on the continent. For stations broadcasting on DAB in Spain, we recommend the official Spanish site for DAB. Please read our FAQs for an overview of DAB. Ed. I commute to London from Bedfordshire on the train and I'm interested in buying a portable DAB to kill the boredom. I know normal radios don't work great (if at all) due to being encased in a metal carriage. Do DAB radios generally work on the train or would this be a waste of money? DAB digital handhelds do work on trains, although tunnels and steelwork carriages do have an impact, of course, on the signal. They work best next to a window, with the headphone cable straightened out. Perhaps one of our visitors could provide some feedback on this particular train route? Ed. Hi, I'm writing to you from Canada. It appears that some of the radio stations in the UK have blocked out overseas listeners as they say changes in their licences don't allow them to broadcast outside of the UK. Forth, Clyde - in fact most of the Scottish radio stations are affected. You may want to warn your visitors about this. I'm hoping you can help me with a problem with my TEAC DAB radio. Whenever I switch to FM to catch Invicta FM and the likes, after I re-tune to DAB none of the CE London DAB stations work. I have to fiddle and fiddle, turning it on and off, moving it around, etc. before it will actually work. Any ideas? I'm sure there is normally no conflict between FM and DAB. It sounds as if the signal you are receiving from the CE multiplex is poor, so you should try the six points outlined further down this page to improve reception. Ed. Do you list hospital radio stations? Sadly we do not list hospital or student radio stations, unless they are part of an access service on DAB, or one of the "new" community radio stations. We do not have time to list every type of broadcast station in the UK. Ed. I live in Beeston, Nottingham. Is there any way I can get Kerrang! and Q Radio on DAB in my area, otherwise I would have to keep tuning in on Freeview and if I want to get out this summer, I would prefer to be able to get em' on DAB. Q Radio does not broadcast on DAB anywhere in the UK; it is only available on Freeview. If you lived in north Nottinghamshire, or want to give it a go anyway, you could try an external aerial to pick up the South Yorkshire local DAB multiplex, on which Kerrang! can be found (albeit in mono and at a low bitrate). Our station listings will provide answers to other questions like these. Ed. I have a DAB radio in my car and think that it is great. The next step was to buy a personal DAB for when I was working in the garden. I bought a MPIO PD100 with MP3 and FM and it's great as long as I do not move around. What I would like to know is, is there a booster that I could put on my house that would give me a stronger signal to my garden that my personal DAB could pick up? I would try a headphone extension - for a couple of quid an extension or splitter is worth trying - as the headphone cable doubles-up as the aerial, a longer cable may increase the quantity of signal to the radio. A booster of the type you describe is not available. Ed. I listen to Manx radio station Energy from my home in Southampton and have recently been unable to receive the live streams of the each show from Sunday to Tuesday as I always get the following error - "Windows Media Player cannot connect to the server. The server name might not be correct, the server might not be available, or your proxy settings might not be correct." At first I thought it was my PC and and windows media player settings that were mucking up the tuning in part of it. But I can always get it the rest of the week from Wednesday through till Saturday with no problems. Can you tell me if the other days I cannot receive the station are because it's busy or just an error with the station itself? I would try listening via the Manx Radio website, just in case the station is adjusting the location of its streaming. Other than that, the server may just be busy, reporting a bad link. Ed. I use a Roberts RD14 handheld DAB/FM radio with my motorbike intercom (Starcom 1) and it is good in the more populated areas. The signal 'burbles' in some areas, but as it is stored in my breast pocket I guess that the ariel has a bearing. Are transmitters still being added as I believe this will improve the areas of reception. Yes, transmitters for both national and, occasionally, local multiplexes are still being added - they're detailed on our news pages. Ed. I seem to only be able to get the talksport, Virgin, Planet Rock, etc. bundle of stations. I can't get any BBC stations at the moment, despite getting them before on the same radio. Any idea how I autotune the thing to rediscover the Beeb programmes? Most DAB radios have an Autotune button specifically for this purpose, though if you've moved the radio from its original position you should move it back and try an autotune again. Failing that, atmospheric conditions, etc. may have caused the radio to pick up stations from further afield - do a postcode check to determine which stations you should normally be able to pick up. There are six points you can follow, repeated many times, if you look further down this page, to improve DAB reception. Ed. Hello, I hope you can advise me - I am looking to buy a DAB radio with an alarm to sit on a bedside table. I purchased one a year or so ago but had to take it back as it made a low audible hum which was very annoying at night. Is this the same for all DAB radios or is there a model/manufacturer that produces a radio without the humming fault? Often it's the power supply circuitry inside the radio unit that causes problems with hum and this can usually be solved by choosing a DAB clock radio with a separate AC/DC adaptor that plugs into the mains, with a 9v/12v flylead that connects into the back of the main unit. You might want to consider the Pure Chronos DAB alarm clock radio, which has a separate white AC/DC adaptor that isn't too large compared to other adaptors found on Pure's portable DAB radios, for example. We have a review of the Chronos. The Genus Geo 1 DAB alarm clock radio (correct me if I'm wrong) also has a separate adaptor, although users have written to say that the display is a little bright. Ed. I live in an apartment in a converted mill in Dunblane, Perthshire. I am located in between hills and by a river. At present I cannot receive any DAB channels. Can you recommend an aerial or method of re-tuning my radio? 1. Extend the aerial fully and position it vertically Hope this is of use. Ed. Tuesday 21st February 2006 I would like to record drama and comedy from BBC7 and Oneword. Are there DAB digital radios that will time record programmes onto cassette? Not that I know of, but when cassette was in its heyday you could buy tape recorders (by that I mean hi-fi separates tape decks) with a "timer" switch. Allied with a mains timer (mechanical or electronic - the sort you buy when you want to switch the lights on and off in your house when you're on holiday), these decks would start recording when the mains timer switched on, thus turning on the deck. You can easily find mains voltage timers in Wilkos or Woolworths for a couple of quid and you could easily give recording onto cassette a go with any tape recorder with a line input. A cable connection between the line out socket on your DAB radio (assuming it has one) and the line input socket of the tape recorder lets the recording start when the mains timer starts. The only restriction is the tape duration. Ed. Failing that, Pure Digital's The Bug DAB radio and several other models will enable you to record shows digitally onto SD (secure digital memory) cards. I like the look of the TEAC R-3 DAB/FM radio and have read the recent comments about it but I cannot get any information on how long it runs on one charge or how long it takes to fully recharge the built in battery. I have tried technical support at TEAC and they didn't know, but said they would e-mail back. I'm still waiting... Nick, a previous correspondent, has replied that the manual with the radio says it will last 3 - 3.5 hours at volume level 20, which [Nick states] is quite loud (normal listening volume is about 10). Nick has not been able to confirm how accurate that is yet. Ed. Yours is easily the best review and opinion site I have found dealing with DAB digital radio, so please do not get disheartened because someone moans about ads. They are annoying, but its pretty easy to skip past them. I am not going to even contemplate buying DAB until prices fall even further and quality of sound improves. It seems there are too many moans about hum and noise from present users. I don't see the ads as too much of a problem - someone visiting our station listings might well be interested in purchasing a DAB digital radio. Shock! Horror! Visitor purchases also help pay hosting and broadband bills as well, so I'm not shelling out all the time to run the site. No revenue = no hosting = no site. It's a simple equation, sadly, but necessary to point out since I can't provide a service unless I can pay the bills. I did consider waiting for prices to fall when I first bought a Wavefinder, but it was easily the best electronics purchase I have made in recent years. I recently bought a Pure Evoke 1XT and added the XT-1 speaker last week. Far and away the best purchase I've made, I have a CD stereo (FM only) that looks not dissimilar to the Alba CXDAB201 DAB/FM/CD/tape radio combo and the Evoke 1XT wipes the floor with it in every respect. No tinniness or hum here! Why did I choose DAB when I did? I'd rather be listening to The Arrow or Xfm than my local station anyday. Ed. Tuesday 21st February 2006 In your otherwise very useful list of local radio stations, I note that you seem to think that the Isles of scilly are in Scotland! Point noted (and corrected). Ed. I bought a Sharp FV-DB1E just before Christmas, and was very impressed with it, until this morning, when it decided to turn on but not tune in. It just states "Tuning...", but nothing happens. FM is fine, but no DAB. I tried fiddling with the aerial, and moving it about the house, but all to no avail. My other DAB digital radio, a Panasonic RF-D1, is not affected, so I presume that it's an internal problem with the tuner. Unfortunately, the machine was purchased "new" off Several of the larger manufacturers have stated that the warranty (quite rightly) belongs to the original person who bought the radio and that they will not honour warranties that have changed hands, i.e. by people buying radios secondhand from individuals on I am getting broken reception on some stations - on BBC Radio's Five Live and Four the reception breaks every couple of minutes. Is this a fault with my DAB digital radio? It sounds as if your radio isn't picking up a strong enough signal. If you've getting a signal strength of anything less that, say, 50 percent, you're going to hear a lot of burbling and squelching on your DAB digital radio as the signal breaks up. If the signal strength meter reads less than 80, try these things to improve the signal reaching your radio: 1. Extend the aerial fully and position it vertically Hope this helps. Ed. I like DAB radio but I have been disappointed by the power consumption. I like to listen when I am on the move and so have tried portable DAB radios with rechargeable batteries in the past. However, with the rechargeable batteries fully powered, the DAB radio will only function for less than half an hour before it dies through lack of power. The batteries are okay as, when removed and placed in a torch, the torch works fine. It is this power sensitivity that has turned me off DAB radios and I have gone back to using AM/FM radios even though reception is not as good. We're seeing a lot more radios coming to market that have built-in rechargeable batteries. With NiMH and Lithium battery technology down in price, these go some way to addressing the problems you mention. Ed. I have recently moved to DAB and am generally very pleased. My problem is trying to listen to DNN early on a morning when my wife is still in bed. The jingles and adverts, etc. are so much louder than the actual editorials that it has made listening so unpleasant as to be almost impossible. It is very unprofessional. Agreed, after a good few years on air you would think this would have been sorted out by now. It hasn't. Ed. CE Digital in Birmingham have very recently abolished 'Beat 106' and replaced it with 'XFM Scotland' for some unexplainable reason. Birmingham has already got XFM UK (from London) of which broadcast on 128 kbps in stereo - so why have XFM Scotland on the SAME multiplex broadcasting at a much less bitrate of which is totally unlistenable through distortion and very poor audio quality? What is the point really? There may well be contractual reasons that prevent CE Digital from removing GCap's XFM Scotland from the multiplex for the moment. Another reason may well be that they would rather broadcast a service rather than have an empty slot. Ed. I read your pages with interest, and took your advice about getting a better aerial. Being a student I needed a cheap solution and found a design on an auction site to make my own (that I made for about GBP3.00) and the difference is amazing! I now get 56 stations instead of 26 or 27 previously. More music to study by! Keep up the great site and thanks for the help I've been listening to DAB for a couple of years (central Coventry), and prefered the stability to our FM reception, which would always have some bout of interference. In the last few weeks now things have deteriorated: the tuner now starts with an odd pop and takes a couple of minutes before the signal is compensable (spoken word shows). Now there is always some popping - it is just getting worse and worse. Any ideas why this is happening and what we can do to get our programmes back? It sounds as if the DAB module in your receiver may be having a few problems - it may have developed a fault or for some reason the signal is suffering between the aerial and the tuner. It doesn't sound like you've changed anything in your set-up, but its worth unplugging any aerials first, then switching the tuner off at the mains. If all else fails you could try a factory reset (see the manual to fnd out how to do this) and then re-scan (be sure to note down your presets beforehand). It's unlikely these problems are related to engineering work at the transmitter site - unless any work is taking weeks, of course! Have other DAB listeners in the Coventry area been experiencing problems? Ed. I would like to buy some headphones for my Philips DA1000 pocket dab radio but Philips customer care say that I can only use the supplied earphones because of the arerial. I don't think this is correct as I tried some Sennheiser headphones at the time I purchased the radio and they worked fine. I would also like to buy some external speakers. Can you advise please? The length of the headphone cable will make a difference in the strength of the signal you pick up, but if you've tried Sennheiser phones and they worked without lots of burbling being heard, then there's no reason why you couldn't use normal headphones. Just be aware they may not work perfectly in all situations e.g. out and about in a built-up area. External speakers should work, since they have a long lead, although you may have to position the cord in such a way as to get a good signal i.e. stretched out, not coiled up. It's the lead that is acting as the aerial in both cases. DAB digital radio actually makes use of multipath signals - analogue radio suffers from interference in the same situation. Ed. Just in case you are interested I have come across an inexpensive solution. I bought a Belkin Speaker and Headphone Splitter for GBP5.99 from Currys (Ed's note: this links to a similar product for the ipod, without a particularly long lead, but there's a similar splitter available at Amazon for GBP1.99, which includes 5m of cable!) , which enables me to plug in my Sony speakers and the earphones and gives a brilliant signal strength, a sort of double antennae. Even with just the splitter and speakers plugged in the reception is much stronger, the splitter seems to improve things on its own. What is this with DAB? Why are we adopting a system which is technologically redundant? It uses MP2 encoding (nearly 20 years old, I think) and the quality of many stations is poor - some of them are in mono at what sounds like AM! Couldn't we have adopted something like AAC/MP4, which is a huge improvement? There's an interesting (if rather short and inconclusive) article on the MediaGuardian website. Technology does move on and multiplex operators are intent on cramming as many services on DAB as possible. I still think we'll see a great deal of consolidation in those services - after all, who can really listen to 50 plus stations? The best ones will survive; those that broadcast at low quality mono are bound to fail. Ed. Sharp DAB Digital Radio Model FV-DB1E(W) - I was given this radio just over a year ago and the DAB part no longer functions. A TV shop near me says it is too expensive to consider repairs. Any opinions, please? I see Sharp have a new version |