new DAB pocket radio story

[DAB sounds worse than FM]

"Whiskers" <catwheezel@operamail.com> wrote in message
news:slrngfkdkr.i4m.catwheezel@ID-107770.user.individual.net

On 2008-10-18, DAB sounds worse than FM <dab.is@dead> wrote:

[...]

I see FLAConDAB Boy has disappeared. Or are you just having a
break,
FLAConDAB Boy? Probably best if you run along, FLAConDAB Boy, cos
I'd
only bring up your idiotic idea to use FLAC on DAB again.

[...]

If you must troll and cross-post, at least try to do it with some
style
and without making yourself look desperate and ridiculous.

There was absolutely nothign desperate or ridiculous about what I
said. It was you that ridiculously claimed that FLAC could be used on
DAB, and I was merely taking the piss out of that suggestion.

Or at least
stay out of 24HS.D - I'm sure we've had all the entertainment you
can
provide.

You've been cross-posting nonsense on alt.radio.digital throughout
this thread, so don't tell me where I can or cannot cross-post to.




--
Steve - www.digitalradiotech.co.uk - Digital Radio News & Info

The adoption of DAB was the most incompetent technical
decision ever made in the history of UK broadcasting:
http://www.digitalradiotech.co.uk/dab/incompetent_adoption_of_dab.htm

 

[Whiskers]

On 2008-10-11, William Sommerwerck <grizzledgeezer@comcast.net> wrote:

"john d hamilton" <bluestar@mail.invalid> wrote in message
news:gcqdt8$m5i$1@registered.motzarella.org...
"William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgeezer@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:9fadnRrgQZcFJG3VnZ2dnUVZ_tTinZ2d@comcast.com...

[...]

PS: "Local" Scan? How is it different from a "Full" scan? Do they mean
scanning all the blocks? What makes any particular block "local"? Inquiring
minds want to know!

Different transmitters can, and do, carry different 'local' stations as
well as providing the same 'national' stations as each other. Like VHF/FM
analogue stations, each transmitter has a very limited range - a few tens
of miles at most, usually - so DAB stations can be very 'local', even if
the transmitter shares the same radio frequency as other more powerful
neighbours. DAB is very different from analogue.
<http://www.getdabdigitalradio.com/WhatisDAB/> might help.

--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~

 

[ian field]

"Brian Gaff" <briang1@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:sy5Ik.70412$E41.7059@text.news.virginmedia.com...

I've noticed that say, if you change areas you can lose presets on many
dab radios. Its a difficult one, as they are not really lying about it,
they are just not saying the software has a drawback if you rescan you
have to re store the presets.

I was thinking when you first said it was a pocket model that there have
been poor reception problems with dab. Most people are familiar with the
boiling mud effect you can get if signal is low, but some sets do rescan
if they get very low signals that this can confuse the heck out of users.

Dab is a bit of a flop for quality and coverage in my view.

Brian

--
Brian Gaff - briang1@blueyonder.co.uk
Note:- In order to reduce spam, any email without 'Brian Gaff'
in the display name may be lost.
Blind user, so no pictures please!
"john d hamilton" <bluestar@mail.invalid> wrote in message
news:gcq1r4$u0l$1@registered.motzarella.org...
A week ago I bought a Phillips pocket DAB radio DA1103/05, Ł39 from a
Comet store in London. It seemed quite good to me, and is small and neat,
but everytime I did a 'local' scan of the stations; it *wiped off* all the
stations that I had previously *preset*. I quite often need to do a scan
since the reception quality is very different between the front and the
rear of my house.

I took it back to Comet, the girl there became very 'fish' faced, but
gave me another one. I said i would like to test it and she said you
cannot pick up any stations in this store. So I went to the next door
shop where I could sit down, and found that this replacement set had
exactly the same problem.

I took it back and she then tried to set up the presets herself, at the
counter in the store where we were before. ( Making a lie of what she
said about not having reception in the store). But she didn't know how to
do it and declined my offer of showing her how to. Any way even more fish
faced, she then gave me a refund for the Ł39.

I later rang Phillips technical help and they said they had not
encountered this particular problem with this radio and would ring me
back. They didn't, so I rang them again, but I got the distinct
impression that they really were not that interested in any of this, and
got no further ahead.

Thinking I would buy another one, I rang the nearest John Lewis Store;
but it looks like although they do sell Phillips radios they do not sell
this 'particular' pocket model. The model is DA1103/5 and the software
version on it is: V.1.3.2. I think it might be a very 'recent' version
since it offers 30 presets as opposed to the generally advertised 20
presets available.

Since John Lewis said they could not even 'order' me one of these radios,
i'm wondering if they have been having trouble with them?

So my quandry now is whether to try to locate another one, or switch to
another pocket DAB radio? Is there another pocket radio that people would
recommend; or should I best pursue another one of these Phillips? Thanks
for any advice.

I read somewhere that some Scandinavian countries have scrapped DAB because
reception is so unreliable.

 

[Dave Plowman (News)]

In article <slrngf3o33.jop.catwheezel@ID-107770.user.individual.net>,
Whiskers <catwheezel@operamail.com> wrote:

I wouldn't be too sure. DAB+ may have a more modern codec etc but
isn't compatible with the present system. I think consumer resistance
will make it a dead duck. There is little demand for high quality
radio - and for those that really want it in the UK they already can
get most of the same stations on FreeView or Satellite.

As I understand it, transmitters can carry both DAB and DAB+, and some
receivers can cope with both.

I suppose some new or future ones will. As regards transmitters carrying
both the high cost of transmission is said to be one reason for some
existing or proposed stations closing. of course this cost is mainly
'rental' costs - but these private companies aren't there to provide
charity.

But there is now a significant number of
receivers which can only manage 'original' DAB, and broadcasters are
likely to be reluctant to broadcast their content using both standards
at once, or to broadcast only in DAB+ while few people can listen to
it. Listers would be pretty peeved if required to scrap all the new
DAB receivers we've bought by the million over the last five years or
so.

Absolutely. It took long enough to get to this level of acceptance.

While 'audiophiles' might be prepared to buy new equipment to get
'better' sound reproduction,
but the thing is they didn't when it started
most people just want something 'good
enough' - which DAB manifestly is.
Indeed.
I'm listening to Radio 4 as I type:
"Varied Speech" at "128kbps Stereo" which sounds fine to me (on a
Roberts MP23).
Same here - and I'm using a pretty good sound system in this room. The

speakers are Chartwell LS3/5a. But we are in a minority if the vocal lobby
who only look at bitrates are to be believed.

Radio 3 probably justifies the 192kbps Stereo it gets,
but most stations are Mono and many only get 80kbps and don't seem any
the worse for it. I just don't expect, or even want, a 'concert hall
experience' in my kitchen or bedroom, or even the living-room, and
certainly not in the car.

In an ideal world the rates would be a minimum 192 kbps for all - but that
would cost too much it seems.

BBC podcasts and streams all seem to be at 64kbps.

Of course more modern codecs can use lower rates with less noticeable
degradation. But not as low as that. ;-)

--
*Modulation in all things *

Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

 

[Whiskers]

On 2008-10-15, john d hamilton <bluestar@mail.invalid> wrote:

Many thanks to all. After learning for the first time about DAB+ in this
group, I again rang Phillips to ask if this DA1103/5 would receive DAB+ when
it came out. I was told that it would *not* receive it and that DAB+ and
anyway would not be broadcast for another two years. The question I have
to ask myself now is whether it's worth paying nearly twice as much for the
pure 1500 pocket DAB radio? I email the Pure helpline to ask them is their
Pure 1500 set would pick up the forthcoming DAB+, but they have not
replied.

So which I'm wondering is the best pocket DAB radio to go for, either of the
above or another one entirely ? Grateful for any further suggestions.

The only receiver I know of which is upgradeable to DAB+ (in theory at any
rate) is the Pure 'One Elite'. That is portable, but not 'hand-held' or
'pocket' size. The Revo iBlik RadioStation claims to handle DAB+ 'out of
the box', but that's mains-powered only (and an iPod accessory too). As
there are no DAB+ broadcasts in the UK at present, there is no convenient
way to test those features.

If you want to listen to terrestrial broadcast digital radio in the UK
right now, DAB is what there is. Future developments are just that - in
the future. Waiting for the next improvement or new technology is a
never-ending game; at some point one has to take the plunge and accept
what's on offer right now (or be forever on the brink).

<http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/waystolisten/digitalradio/> links to
<http://www.digitalradionow.com/home.php> for 'Products and Retailers'.
There you'll find <http://www.digitalradionow.com/faq.php?topic=DABPlus>
which seems to be the 'official position' for now.

From earlier posts, it seems that DAB reception in your area is marginal
for the time being. So a pocket DAB receiver of any brand is likely to
struggle. A larger portable or 'table-top' model might work better, or
you may need a roof aerial to get good results. The Digitalradionow site
has a 'station finder' which can give some idea of likely reception for
your postcode. New transmitters are gradually being added to the network.

--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~

 

[terry]

On Oct 11, 4:35 pm, "drewdawg" <bloc...@failed.net> wrote:

"john d hamilton" <blues...@mail.invalid> wrote in messagenews:gcq1r4$u0l$1@registered.motzarella.org...> A week ago I bought a Phillips pocket DAB radio DA1103/05,  Ł39 from a
Comet
store in London.  It seemed quite good to me, and is small and neat, but
everytime I did a 'local' scan of the stations; it *wiped off* all the
stations that I had previously *preset*.  I quite often need to do a scan
since the reception quality is very different between the front and the
rear
of my house.

I'm not sure if the DA1103/05 has this feature but my Zenith DTT901
(American HDTV receiver) has both an "Auto Tune" and an "EZ add" scan
function.

Auto Tune does what you described in wiping the presets clean and setting
all channels receivable in that scan.

EZ add leaves the presets as they are and adds to them channels received in
that scan.

For my unit I can scan channels with my aerial facing west (Baltimore) and
add channels while its facing north (Philadelphia).

Not all receivers do this (my Sylvania doesn't) so there may be a DAB out
there with this handy feature.

Good luck. ;-)

What a kerfuffle about a radio!!!!!
What's the point? Trying to tell everyone that one can afford to pay
the monthly fee 'to be allowed' to pick up satellite broadcasts? Or is
the DAB land based transmitters?
Fortunately we still have good old fashioned mono AM (Amplitude
Modulated) Medium Wave (Broadcast Band in North America); in this
immediate part of Canada five different stations. Plus the usual
cacophony of some nine more on the FM band! And no radio or TV
receiving licences.
No trouble to pick up AM anywhere in this house even down in the below
ground basement! Just about everyone has an old radio stuck up above
the workbench.
Also vehicle radio stays on one AM channel (local content) most of the
time, turned down low so as to hear emergency sirens (and the
occasional boom-box) in a temporarily adjacent juvenile vehicle! Also
find it best to turn of any stereo effect (AM is mono anyway) so as to
throw the sound over onto the speaker/s nearest the driver.
Got a bedside radio with memory functions but don't use them, just
tune quickly and digitally to whichever frequency/station one wants!
OK that's so Luddite but everything works!