Analogue radio switch-off

[JohnH]

I was listening to the (analogue) radio this morning, and heard that there might be a "scrappage" scheme that offers a 20% discount if you trade-in your analogue radio when you buy a DAB radio.

I'm not the type of person to cling on to tradition for tradition's sake; I like modernity and progress. But I can't seem to get excited about digital radio. Even in a semi-rural county like West Sussex, I can already receive 10 or 12 stations on FM (If I were in London, I suspect it would be an even greater number). Do I really need more to choose from?

The idea that one day, the four perfectly good radios that I have in the house and car will suddenly be rendered utterly useless is hard to imagine.

Anyway, that's my tuppence worth. The full story is here, and the people who commented afterwards seem to agree with my view: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/fe ... me-digital

 

[legrandefromage]

The government sold the FM wavelengths off ages ago and are being pressured into 'scrapping' FM broadcasts by the companies that overpaid billions for the space.

DAB is a 1980's technology that has already been superseded and listening to current low bit rate broadcasts is worse than a poor MP3.

FM may be old and still expensive maintain but it works and there are some 40,000,000+ receivers out there just in the UK, not including the 30,000,000 cars.

If it was a change for the better, I'd be happy, its not, its a compromise and the 'you can have a DAB radio for £24.99' approach is leaving us with some very poor quality equipment to listen to some very poor quality broadcasts.

there are only about 2 dominant DAB chip manufacturers with all their gubbins in various receivers.

The internet will eventually kill all this bullshit off but for now the plans is to have local stations on FM and the main broadcasters on the digital platform of DAB/ SKY and the interweb.

It is all a very sad con and I know of no-one who is genuinely happy with it.

 

[hamster]

I'd heard it was 100 million receivers!
I've certainly got 5 in the house.

 

[Easy_Rider]

I try not to think about it, nothing worse that the sound of digital "white noise" on the telly when reception is low and picture sticks, at least with analogue you still got a picture and sound just a bit snowy, and DAB :evil:

 

[JeRkY]

I too dont want to see fm killed off. Much like digital TV, if your signal strength is good then fine, theres nothing to worry about. If your signal is weak then the service is so corrupt and broken that it is impossible to listen to or watch.

The analogue format you could still make out the program with a little interference sure it may hiss and the sound not be 100% of its possible quality, but at least it isnt completely broken as happens with digital.

 

[Easy_Rider]

Currently, just over 20% of all radio listening is via digital. The government target is for digital listening to reach 50% of the total before the two-year switchover process can begin.

This made be laugh, that 20% probably includes internet radio listeners and not purely DAB :roll: I don't know of anyone who listens to radio via DAB!

I'malso confused by some of the comments, FM is not being switched off but rather being turned to local radio stations while national ones will be on DAB. So after we have scrapped all the FM radios what do we use to tune into these local stations? I thought the FM band was sold off anyway? :?

From reading those comments, is continental Europe adopting DAB+ and we're still pushing the older DAB?

And is it true there isn't a TA feature on DAB radios for cars?

 

[mikee]

i bought one of those little portable DAB radios
like a trip down memory lane it is
i usually listen to it when out dog walking ,it takes you back to the days
of mw ,its almost like you walk thru waves of signals ,dropping in and out of reception

just another con imho

 

[Iwasgoodonce]

I think (hope) a lot of this is Gordon going off on a little power trip. He wants to be able to say, "OK, my policies as Chancellor and PM took us into the worst recession since Noah was a lad, but look at our digital world. No other country can boast... etc, etc"
I had been toying with the idea of a DAB for a while but won't now if I feel I'm being forced into it.
How about cars? Can the technology cope with moving around?

 

[hamster]

I've got two Dab sets - one I had to rig up to an indoor antenna to get a decent signal. Definitely away from windowsills they struggle.

However, once the airwaves are clearer the transmitter power can be increased - Analog switch-off for TV has also been accompanied by transmitter power increases. They had better do it with DAB!

 

[Augustus]

Technology is not the answer.


THat said, I do quite like BBC Asian Network.