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All posts by Pete

Below are all of Pete's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.


I hope the reality matches the promises with DAB+ and that all stations get a decent sound quality. What will happen to OLD DAB, will it get switched off before FM ?

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Digital radio section | Digital radio
Thursday 7 August 2014 6:09PM

Many are not Mark including THE ARCHERS, FRONT ROW, the 7:45pm drama, most documentaries (including File on 4). THE ARCHERS is in mono on Radio 4 DAB on most weekday evenings (much more often than it is in stereo), compared to the old days when it was left alone and was in stereo even on DAB for most of the year up until 2012. Any Questions LIVE is nearly always in mono on DAB on Friday nights, as is the play at 9pm on Fridays.

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Digital radio section | Digital radio
Thursday 7 August 2014 6:13PM

My PURE EVOKE died 6 years ago, whilst all my FM radios and tuners are still going strong, even my ROTEL tuner from 1979.

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Digital radio section | Digital radio
Thursday 7 August 2014 6:19PM

Any chance of WORLDSPACE radios being of any use in the future. I was pusuaded to buy one of these by Simon Spanswick who used to do a programme called WAVEGUIDE on the BBC World Service, but a few years after the company tried to charge people to listen (after forking out 150 GB pounds for the sets - which had a small but efficient built in square satellite dish) the company went bust and switched off all its transmissions, turning my set into a AM / FM / SW set only and quite a few stations have gone from the remaining bands sadly.

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Digital radio section | Digital radio
Sunday 31 August 2014 10:30PM

I think it's time you changed the title page at the start of this thread Brian, stating it will "start in a few weeks", when it's actually been around for ages ?

By the way we are all getting older, but you appear to be wearing well (must be the half naked encounter with that chap when you were moving flats, remember ?) :) N

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Digital radio section | Digital radio
Sunday 31 August 2014 10:39PM

Bought two Roberts Radios this week, One analogue with FM/AM and one DAB.

The DAB radio's battery lasted 3 days; the FM/AM radio's battery is still on maximum strength.

The FM/AM radio got BBC Radio 2 - the strongest station - for the entire walk from the car park/road at the bottom of The Cloud all the way to the top and back. The DAB radio only got enough signal strength for about 25% of the walk and went into blop blip blap mode or total silence for the majority.

My old analogue portable pocket radio which I dropped and smashed last week had a battery that lasted about six months with constant use. DAB still has a very long way to go. At least the new Roberts Radio has DAB+ capability.

N.

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Digital radio section | Digital radio
Sunday 31 August 2014 10:58PM

Brian re your comment :

"Nedbod: I don't think you can riot on your own".

I don't think EDF, Scottish Power, E.ON, Lloyds, TSB, Santander or the Halifax would agree with you after the number of GWG Payments they have given me following a series of errors on my accounts.

The BBC must also be fed up with me complaining about DAB and the removoal of BBC Radio from the Smart TV BBC i-player and the range and variety of programmes from The World Service which is now just essentially a rolling news channel (but now in stereo on BBC Radio 4 between 1 am and 5:20am ironically).

Maybe not a one-man-riot but a huge protest at least.

I hope some others share my view ?

Who knows.
N :).

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Digital radio section | Digital radio
Sunday 31 August 2014 11:06PM

Nedbod:

Already doing that Mike. The analogue only radio still outperforms the digital one even on FM. I generally listen to BBC R4 and R2 when I'm out walking so I will generally take the FM/AM only radio to save my pennies.

It might be a big deal when those who use the DAB radio indoors get their electricity bill at 19p per kWh + 5% VAT.

Indoors I use my Smart TV which delivers Radio 4 Extra in ((( STEREO ))). DAB does not and never has even when it was BBC 7. I guess this uses even more power though ?

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Digital radio section | Digital radio
Sunday 31 August 2014 11:18PM

Nedbod: How come I can get BBC Radio Leicester on the Macclesfield side of the Cat & Fiddle and also near Wincle / Allgreave in Cheshire on 104.9 MHz FM when Imagine FM from Stockport (Romiley) is on the same frequency and is much closer to Macc. ? As far as I can gather the BBC Radio Leicester transmitter is many miles away at Copt Oak in Leicestershire and several hills away ? Wierd.

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There is still very much a place for FM radio, especially as it is delivering one of the main national BBC stations, BBC RADIO 4 24 hours a day in stereo (including the BBC World Service in stereo between 1am and 5:20am UK Time).

BBC RADIO 4 DAB now goes into MONO most evenings with a low bit rate of 80 kbps and BBC RADIO 4 EXTRA has never been in stereo on DAB, only online and through the TV. Long Wave / MW & FM reaches many parts of Scotland rural England, Wales and Ireland and hilly steep coastal regions where DAB coverage is non-existent and Long Wave / MW & FMcan penetrate through tunnels and cities with tall buildings. With cuts in the BBC Budget I don't see these gaps being filled in the near future. Good to hear the BBC i-player on my new TalkTalk YOUVIEW box, having disappeared from other TV platforms in July 2014.

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