DAB Radio

[hhhhancock]

Can anyone recommend a good portable (pocket) Dab radio please? I've tried a couple including an Alba model but can't get any reception on the BBC stations although I Iive in a good reception area and can receive all the Dab stations on a larger model I have.

[hhhhancock]

Any suggestions for the best mini DAB radio on the market? I've bought 3 now (and taken 'em all back) and none of them have been able to receive BBC7, although I apparently live in a good reception area. With the proposed shut down of analogue services in 2012 this will become more important as the years march on. I have half a dozen old radios dating from the 1940's to the 1960's so, unfortunately, it looks like these will have to become door stops!



Any suggestions, particularly from those living in my part of the country - West London, would be much appreciated.

[Carl V]

I'm afraid I don't live in your area, but I recently purchased a DAB radio myself. It's a Roberts model but it is fairly large-ish in size - I don't know whether that makes any difference as to how well it picks up a signal.



I live in Cheshire, what you could call semi-rural, and I have no problem at all picking up all the BBC stations, including BBC7. However, I used to have a digital guide which provided me with a list of some local radio broadcasters which I'm supposed to be able to receive, but not all of them can be picked up.



I think on some models you can get the radio to 're-scan' (if that's the right word) whereby it will look for any stations that aren't already locked in.

[CaptainWaggett]

If three radios all won't get BBC7 it must be the reception rather than the radios surely? Even in London it can vary depending on if there's a hill between you and the transmitter. You may just have to site the radio differently - don't have it near any other electrickery etc. There are some tips here (I have to do this sort of thing for my Freeview box because I live in the 1950s and have an indoor tv aerial)

[Windthrop]

You could listen to BBC7 over the web on the BBC site (and get the benefit of listen again ) or even use a wifi radio to pick it up. The internet sounds like your best bet to me

[Nick Dando]

You may have to consider getting an external aerial fitted to the roof. With analogue signals it dramatically improves reception of FM. The same will apply with digital radio.



I must say that I'm not looking forward to the changeover as my main radio tuner, a Naim NAT03, is very good and a similar quality tuner is going to be horribly expensive.



Nick

[Husky]

A few years ago I bought a DAB tuner for the sole purpose of listening to BBC7, and was dismayed to find that BBC7 is broadcast in mono only via DAB. This is not an issue with vintage programmes such as Hancock, obviously, but progs from the 70s onwards were made in stereo.



Also the audio quality of DAB broadcasts in general is not very good, imo - not as good as analogue FM.



BBC7 is also available via the web as mentioned by others, but again in mono only.



I recently bought a Hauppauge WinTV HVR-900 USB TV stick for my PC, as BBC7 is broadcast in stereo via Freeview at much better quality than either DAB or the web, and having it on my PC means I can record and save certain progs as mp3s. This has been working well so far.

[narabdela]

name='Husky']Also the audio quality of DAB broadcasts in general is not very good, imo - not as good as analogue FM.....................................stereo via Freeview at much better quality than either DAB or the web

Two very pertinent points. The bitrate on some DAB stations is woefully low. The Freeview radio channels are much better.

[Carl V]

name='Husky']



Also the audio quality of DAB broadcasts in general is not very good, imo - not as good as analogue FM.

I'm inclined to agree with you there. I really only bought it because I wanted the extra stations and also needed a radio which would work on batteries as well as mains. We tend to get power cuts from time to time where I live.



But there have been complaints about the quality of the sound with music broadcasts in particular. It does sound like a low bitrate as mentioned by Narabdela, but for music I would use the receiver on the hi-fi - whilst I still have an analogue signal, that is.



That's another point, apparently digital radios use considerably more power than analogue equivalents, so it might be worth avoiding radios which are battery-operated only.

[hhhhancock]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I do actually have another DAB radio at home which, for comparison purposes, is about the height and width of a netbook. I can receive all stations on that radio but I really wanted something I could put in my pocket when \i was out and about.

[CaptainWaggett]

name='hhhhancock']Thanks everyone for your advice. I do actually have another DAB radio at home which, for comparison purposes, is about the height and width of a netbook. I can receive all stations on that radio but I really wanted something I could put in my pocket when \i was out and about.

Portable DAB radios are a real drain on batteries (some only give a couple of hours) and the signal can be quite unstable- two reasons why it's not yet a standard feature of mp3 players which one would have expected by now.

[Windthrop]

name='CaptainWaggett']Portable DAB radios are a real drain on batteries (some only give a couple of hours) and the signal can be quite unstable- two reasons why it's not yet a standard feature of mp3 players which one would have expected by now.

or come to that Mobile Phones