Digital Radio

[daveh]

^

 

It'll be a weird world when we can have 4G LTE data connections on our phones and FM Radio is still hanging around.

 

The world is weird already.

[DizzyKipper]

Been a bit disappointed in radio. We have a CD/DAB radio with FM, was great down south, everything they promise.

 

Tried using the FM bit here and got a poor reception. So went to Harry's and got another and that is not good either, depite line of site to the mast and being sat in the window.

 

Internet radio looks awesome but the pricetag less so (£159)

[unlinkedstudent]

Been a bit disappointed in radio. We have a CD/DAB radio with FM, was great down south, everything they promise.

 

Tried using the FM bit here and got a poor reception. So went to Harry's and got another and that is not good either, depite line of site to the mast and being sat in the window.

 

Internet radio looks awesome but the pricetag less so (£159)

 

You probably too close to the mast. Do you have a Freeview/Freesat on your TV? If so, you'll find a load of the radio stations on there.

[peter.l]

There's more to this DAB radio than meets the eye. Nobody really wants it and there's no reason, other than easy money, to change to DAB. In some respects it's inferior to FM. With a weak FM signal you still hear the broadcast with a rushing noise. DAB on the other hand breaks up suddenly without a reasonably strong signal and you lose the program altogether.

 

Everyone will be aware millions of perfectly serviceable radio sets have to be thrown away and replaced. The motive is undoubtedly money.

The plot thickens!

Tuesday 22nd March 2011, BBC Radio 4 announced Ofcom, the frequency governing body, will be auctioning off the vacated analogue frequencies to the highest bidder. (more money)

 

Another aspect of this debacle is Power Line Transmission. (PLT), a system intended to use the household electrical wiring to communicate throughout the house. Ofcom have ignored or denied hundreds of complaints that these devices cause severe levels of interference to shortwave radio, way above legal limits. In addition, for more than three years Ofcom refused to act on a 2008 report which confirmed these unacceptable levels were illegal, and further refused to reveal the content of the report. They were recently forced to make the report available (Freedom of Information act?) which can be accessed here:

http://www.ban-plt.co.uk/truth-lies.php

 

That's what it's all about! Money! Money! Money!

Your money!

Ofcom and others are playing a double game!

Joe Public is being manipulated.

[daveh]

There's more to this DAB radio than meets the eye. Nobody really wants it

 

Wrong !

I really want it and have several DAB radios waiting for it to start.

[Urabug]

peter.I is absolutely correct ,the problem with alot of this modern technology. it is allowed to be sold on the market before it has been thoroughly tested .

 

We are not allowed to let our pets foul the parks & footpaths ect.

 

Try going and dumping a bucket of sh** in the Spiggie loch .

 

Drive your car with a dodgy exhaust ,the list is endless but we cannot be allowed polute the airwaves anymore than anything else.

 

Yes this digital stuff is good ,"hundreds of channels" but pop along the wireless museum at Hoswick & listen to an old old valve wirless .You will then appreciate that this transistored equipment we listen to now adays is ma'be not all it is supposed to be.

 

Valve equipment has an audio response which is more similiar to the human ear than transistor equipment & sounds fantastic. Just a pity that the Long & Medium waves are so prone to natural interference & even more to man made interference.

 

"Click" on the BBC channel was showing a cordless monitor the other week ,this seems fantastic until you think how its powered useing radio waves that are bound to cause interference with something.

 

Incidently as far as I know digital radio cannot cover the whole of Shetland from one tranmitter & will require several repeaters & still the coverage for mobile reception will be patchy.

 

Bring on this modern technology but protect the environment at the same time.

[daveh]

I used my DAB radios down south before we moved to Shetland 3 years ago. I was very impressed by the facility and the day when we get the facility here cannot come quick enough for me.

If that upsets the radio (or should I say wireless) purists then so be it. I liken such comments to when LPs were replaced by cassettes. The enthusiasts hated it but weren't complaining so loudly when CDs arrived. I used to turn on my DAB radio and it was on in an instant; telling me which station I was tuned to. All the stations were in alphabetical order and I could get a favourite one quickly by pressing a button.

I actually have an old wireless; similar to those at Hoswick. It may be nostalgic to use it but it takes a good few seconds to warm up and the valves etc inside are often covered with dust.

[Urabug]

daveh, enjoy your digital radio & I hope it will arrive here soon to ,but I think of all the old FM radios that will become reduntant ,perfectly good equipment will be obsolete overnight --what can that achieve.

 

Its not the digital radio signal that will cause any problems but a lot of the computer equipment which makes it easier for the user but is poluting the airwaves while it do'es so.

 

A great many of the world nations are striveing to clean up the atmosphere in an efford to combat global warming, now I cannot see this polution but I know it is there ,so why polute the airwaves we cannot see them but we could listen to them if there not abused.

[daveh]

I have loads of AM radios and FM radios but will happily embrace DAB up here. I threw away loads of cassettes and VHS videos the other day. It is called progress and I go along with it each time.

However, I curse the day when cars were manufactured without the facility of being able to use a starting handle when your battery goes flat.

[shetlandpeat]

ah yes, broken wrists, now we have the internet for that.

[Urabug]

I suppose most of Shetland covered in wind turbines .will also be progress & keep you happy to !

[daveh]

It won't be "most of Shetland" but, yes, I am in favour of a wind farm. Yes - I do think sustainable energy is the way for the future. I would guess that you don't. So be it.

 

What I would prefer, though, is for the turbines to be out at sea and be adapted so that they are capable of capturing both wind and wave power. Having captured the energy, I want it to provide power for us, the Shetland residents, rather than piped hundreds of miles south.

 

However, you and I are digressing from the subject of DAB radio at this point

[Urabug]

I am not against progress & welcome wind turbines in moderation, but progress & advanced technology has to embrace the effect it has on everything arround it & cannot be allowed to cause polution in its many definations.

 

Digital radio will not cause this problem but the radio frequences that become available when change over occurs may be used for applications that do !

[daveh]

As of about half an hour ago (maybe still the case), the FM reception for Radio 2 is lost and BBC Scotland is not too great either.

 

Roll on the introduction of DAB !

[MJ]

I dread the day of DAB as it'll give them the green light to "loose" the FM. besides the dreadful sound of a weak DAB signal, there's the lack of being able to pick up a local variation (used to be really annoying to change DAB to FM for the school closures in the winter)

Compare a weak FM signal with a Weak DAB signal then laud how wonderful the SHARN system our government decided to impose upon us as opposed to the DAB systems used else where.