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| Do you receive an acceptable DAB signal |
| Yes, reception's fine for me |
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33% |
[ 4 ] |
| No, I don't receive an adequate signal |
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66% |
[ 8 ] |
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| Total Votes : 12 |
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| Author |
Message |
cookie
Joined: 29 Apr 2008
Posts: 1390
Location: West Sussex, UK
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 Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 1:43 pm Post subject: DAB reception - How is it for you? |
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OK, following much debate, primarily I suspect between those of us who are lucky enough to get good DAB reception and those of us who don't, I thought we should have a straw poll and see how many are adequately served by DAB signals.
Regardless of whether you think the sound quality of a strong DAB signal is good, bad or adequate, or whether there is anything you actually listen to on DAB, let's focus on this simple question: Do you recieve an adequate signal on your DAB radio?
I don't and in my experience adequate coverage is patchy at best, but what is your experience? Am I in the minority?
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David
Joined: 29 Apr 2008
Posts: 2853
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| Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 10:43 pm Post subject: |
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Definately a NO vote for me Ian.
As my DAB radio is now residing on the floor of my understair cupboard I very much doubt it can even raise a warble!!!
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cookie
Joined: 29 Apr 2008
Posts: 1390
Location: West Sussex, UK
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| Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 10:53 am Post subject: |
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Perhaps I should have titled this poll "Is DAB on its last warble" 
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"Wherever you go, the best songs are on The Big L" - Keeping the night alive on 1395AM!
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Gary
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Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Posts: 2670
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| Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 1:15 pm Post subject: |
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I think in Ian's case......it's a bit like a turkey voting for christmas.
no offence....
Gary |
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Scruffygit
Joined: 19 Jan 2009
Posts: 232
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cookie
Joined: 29 Apr 2008
Posts: 1390
Location: West Sussex, UK
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| Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 6:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Gary wrote: | I think in Ian's case......it's a bit like a turkey voting for christmas.
no offence....
Gary |
Well in my experience DAB sure is a turkey 
Not everyones experience I know, but a lot of peoples experience all the same. Maybe they just got the acronym back to front?
Seriously though, as a complimentary service, it's fine, if it works where you are. But for many of us, it's got a loooooong way to go before it's a fit replacement for any existing platform.
Good for listening to the "Travelling Warblies" though
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"Wherever you go, the best songs are on The Big L" - Keeping the night alive on 1395AM!
Cookies Three Of A Kind, Saturday & Sunday 3am UK.
Thursday Evenings with Cookie Live 7pm UK bigl.co.uk |
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inkjet
Joined: 30 Apr 2008
Posts: 1026
Location: Close to Maidstone, Kent
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| Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 8:14 pm Post subject: |
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I have to place the personal stereo DAB precisely, and also hold it's lead in a certain position to get a signal. When I drive to Dover or Folkestone the signal goes up and down, but reliablity just isn't there. The iPhone gets a better signal. And more choise at that 
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Gary
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Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Posts: 2670
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| Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 8:26 pm Post subject: |
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| cookie wrote: | | Gary wrote: | I think in Ian's case......it's a bit like a turkey voting for christmas.
no offence....
Gary |
Well in my experience DAB sure is a turkey
Not everyones experience I know, but a lot of peoples experience all the same. Maybe they just got the acronym back to front?
Seriously though, as a complimentary service, it's fine, if it works where you are. But for many of us, it's got a loooooong way to go before it's a fit replacement for any existing platform.
Good for listening to the "Travelling Warblies" though |
I have to admit Ian it doesn't compare to AM. Firstly you have to remove all the treble from your DAB receiver, then you need to make the signal fade in and out and then try and create some phasing distortion. If you can turn your vacuum cleaner on it will also give an interference effect.
Oh nearly forgot then put a sock over the radio.....there you have it as good as an AM radio.
Then you need to record all the programmes and play them back a few days later. 
sorry Ian couldn't resist the last one
In fairness AM does still have it's uses, the Highways Agency and stations that cannot afford more stable platforms.
Gary |
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cookie
Joined: 29 Apr 2008
Posts: 1390
Location: West Sussex, UK
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| Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 10:45 am Post subject: |
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| Gary wrote: | | cookie wrote: | | Gary wrote: | I think in Ian's case......it's a bit like a turkey voting for christmas.
no offence....
Gary |
Well in my experience DAB sure is a turkey
Not everyones experience I know, but a lot of peoples experience all the same. Maybe they just got the acronym back to front?
Seriously though, as a complimentary service, it's fine, if it works where you are. But for many of us, it's got a loooooong way to go before it's a fit replacement for any existing platform.
Good for listening to the "Travelling Warblies" though |
I have to admit Ian it doesn't compare to AM. Firstly you have to remove all the treble from your DAB receiver, then you need to make the signal fade in and out and then try and create some phasing distortion. If you can turn your vacuum cleaner on it will also give an interference effect.
Oh nearly forgot then put a sock over the radio.....there you have it as good as an AM radio.
Then you need to record all the programmes and play them back a few days later.
sorry Ian couldn't resist the last one
In fairness AM does still have it's uses, the Highways Agency and stations that cannot afford more stable platforms.
Gary |
Well, there isn't much in the way of treble to remove, as even with a good signal, on most DAB stations, the treble is very poor.
If you're listening to a local AM tx, you're not likely to ecperience any fading and phasing, especially during the day, but do you have the option to listen a lot further away, if you're prepared to put up with a worse reception. And, if set up right, and with a decent receiver AM can sound surprisingly good, it just doesn't happen very often. I have been in some countries where I've had to look at my receiver, as I thought a station sounded more like FM than AM.
Mind you, if, as a purely hypothectical example, you're listening say, on the south coast of England, and your AM Tx is in say the middle of Holland, then your reception is never going to be optimum, to say the least 
Of course DAB has the potential to sound far superior to AM, it's just that in my location and experience, sadly it rarely does, and you can reach an awful lot more people on AM than you can with DAB, for much less outlay. Of the stations I can listen to here, the ones I want to listen to, I'm lucky enough to be able to receive them much easier and in superior quality on FM.
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"Wherever you go, the best songs are on The Big L" - Keeping the night alive on 1395AM!
Cookies Three Of A Kind, Saturday & Sunday 3am UK.
Thursday Evenings with Cookie Live 7pm UK bigl.co.uk |
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inkjet
Joined: 30 Apr 2008
Posts: 1026
Location: Close to Maidstone, Kent
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| Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 11:00 am Post subject: |
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| cookie wrote: |
Mind you, if, as a purely hypothectical example, you're listening say, on the south coast of England, and your AM Tx is in say the middle of Holland, then your reception is never going to be optimum, to say the least
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I hope this absolutely hypothetical example hasn't put the idea in people's minds that AM is always as bad as that
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Gary
Site Admin
Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Posts: 2670
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| Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 12:35 pm Post subject: |
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| inkjet wrote: | | cookie wrote: |
Mind you, if, as a purely hypothectical example, you're listening say, on the south coast of England, and your AM Tx is in say the middle of Holland, then your reception is never going to be optimum, to say the least
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I hope this absolutely hypothetical example hasn't put the idea in people's minds that AM is always as bad as that |
AM has never changed over the years, in fact it has probably improved. The main problem is that FM and DAB came along and sound so much more superior in terms of frequency response and clarity and unfortunately AM sounds very muffled in comparison.
Listeners are leaving AM in their droves, in fact many youngsters have probably never bothered and will not accept the poor quality. If DRM had been invested in many of these stations would be seeing a future on Medium Wave.
I still think it still has a future for talk stations and as a back-up for DAB in areas of the Country where FM/DAB reception is poor. I'm sure many of the Gold/Magic stations will shortly pull the plug on AM when cleared to by Ofcom.
The fading and phasing (although as Ian says is less likely during the day) is still there for listeners at night even on some local stations. Today's listeners would simply find that unacceptable as they do with the AM mode in general.
Gary |
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