All posts by Michael Rogers
Below are all of Michael Rogers's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Thanks Brian for these useful updates, yet to be read in detail. The GOOD NEWS : two commercial radio stations recently improved coverage of our undulated area - both on FM only. A close lightening strike killed my router and web-radio, so I am grateful for the FM upgrade. I have searched, but not yet found any specific information on comparable DAB coverage.
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- Many will never have access to satellite - hills, buldings, trees etc.
- Many will never have fibre-optic - too far from the nearest exchange,
too few peasants for it to be viable.
- Many will never receive Freeview - hills, buildings, trees, CCI.
So the best solution is an optimised combination of the above.
A major CME could engender massive disruption of all digital media.
So - off topic here - FM and some AM radio should be maintained
for information etc should digital media fail...
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Very true, Brian.It would seem that DRM may yet have a future on LW, SW, VHF - and
perhaps even on MW if further research and frequency allocation agreements were
achieveable. The vacant spectrum will surely be claimed with magic technology one day... Nerds who have not yet discovered webradio can for now tinker with DRM with a 12kHz IF output and PC software. A lightening strike a week ago took out my phone, router and webradio, so I am getting paranoid, unplugging everything at the most distant rumble. Still, there is good news : Monsieur Cruise is taking out the bogies
on France 4 as I type :-)
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Good postings above. But confused just a little I am. What are the 4G plans precisely, and when will we have pan-UK 4G-coverage and at what cost to the consumer? Where is the black-hole into which we will "recycle" our rare-metal laden screens and boxes so that we may enrich even further the CEOs of 4G companies?
Will loan-friendly sharks altruistically allow all to acquire the newest and temporarily latest gizmos? Openreach vans whizz about, but laden with copper, not fibre-optic. Despite the promulgations of the infamously inspired Councillor, we face growing uncertainty regarding climate and solar fancies. If we ALL get fibre-optic to the door : wonderful ! If we put too many eggs in the satellite basket we may yet have to recycle the screen to a chopping board, as in the yootoob clip. Okay, toung outta cheek, but....
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MikeP : My sentiments entirely. (Yet another reason to abolish the detached Upper House...) Consumers may well like 2,3 and 4G, but not all will be willing to pay to cover the investment costs incurred by expanding the network still further - and dividends to shareholders on top. Demand may well level off. The additional 800 MHz band should be enough, but if we generously throw in the 700MHz band as well, and reduce the number of channels and multiplexes nationwide in the 600MHz band, there might be enough slices of the cake for all. Statistics should honestly show how many have - or will with unqualified guarantee have - a minimum of 5Mb/s, which would provide a reasonable service for most household needs. DTT could provide a selective high-quality service and leave the multi-channel supply to cable, fibre-optic and satellite. We already have similar discrimination between PSB and COM availability. The digital economy should be demand-led and not supply-imposed as is increasingly the case.
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This is becoming a most invigorating discussion! Quite a few very salient points have been raised, which, in a democratic, demand-led society, would give offcon and parliamentarians invaluable input to deter them from making tunnel-vision lobby-inspired decisions. But : are they reading, are they listening?
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Had DAB+ compliance been stipulated from the outset, only compatible receivers would have been marketed. The networks could now be upgraded without riots in the streets. BUT with the marketing hype and so many DAB-only receivers purchased, switching to DAB+ is inconceivable for years to come. Movers and Shakers should bite the bullet and maximise the current DAB-FM options so as to minimise operator duplication costs and optimise listener options. 3G and 4G may enhance options for those who can afford the subscription costs. Dr Pryde's unexpected move to Vodafone may well transfer valuable BBC marketing wisdom to the private sector. Hmm... The good news : MIddle-Kingdom radio will be free-to-listen on shortwave for many moons yet...
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There is general consensus here. We can't turn the clock back, so must make the best of the DAB-only scenario. DAB+ and DRM offer more, but are not a realistic option for the foreseeable future, although they may well find favour in decades to come. India, for example, is actively investing in DRM and the many ongoing test transmissions would not continue if broadcasters had decided DRM was for ever dead. Here and now, a compromise maximising DAB and FM options with minimal duplication would appear to be the best option - with AM retained for geographical wide coverage where FM and/or DAB are not cost-effective. Now that Dr Pryde with a headful of knowledge has fled the BBC and sought refuge with Vodafone, I sit by the phone awaiting the call for help :-)
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DAB is currently an optional complement to FM/AM in many areas. It has not yet superseded FM and/or AM. Many are still content with FM and AM. For DAB or DAB+ to be accepted in lieu by the vast majority, indoor, portable and mobile coverage will have to be provenly equal to FM/AM hitherto on affordable radios - ie not just "we are confident that it is". The issues which have necessitated considerable delay in the planned switchover are indicative of technical and investment concerns, issues which have been extensively debated on this and other websites. The progressive demise of SW is regrettable, of little concern to most listeners in the UK, but highly significant to millions in the Third World whose choice is increasingly limited to local stations and RCI. ( Perhaps one day DRM will revive SW to some degree. India, for example, is currently investing heavily in DRM.)
If DAB+ were to be adopted, a better-than 50% trade-in would be a good idea - not least from the viewpoint of political parties with an interest in election success...
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Monday 23 December 2013 9:17PM
Thanks Steve. Mark : I and many will be delighted if 10C comes to Ilfracombe with topography-matching indoor-friendly power in 2015. If not on 10C, will it be on a multiplex broadcasting kilowattily from The Principality? DSO promised DTT, but it only lasted a month and has since been predictably plagued by CCI. To show how much they care..., they recently doubled power to 120W (compared to 10KW from the intruder), which has helped some, but not all. So our reticence to believe in the pronouncements of the sages before they become reality might be understandable.
We live in hope!