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Dab radio









1066familyman

Radio User
Jan 15, 2008
15,185
My existing radio keeps losing the station although it is set for 104.5 for the match commentaries. It only has a thin wire aerial from the radio itself should I buy an aerial or a DAB radio? What is the advantage of spending the money on a DAB radio.


If I was you BG I'd try and borrow a DAB radio and see if you can get Sussex on it first.

The thing with DAB, compared to FM, is that the signal is either received or not (pretty much). No fuzz or crackle around the edges as with FM that's teettering on the edge of good reception. DAB is also compressed compared to the FM signal so sound quality isn't as good if you wanted to say listen to a decent Radio 3 broadcast on a tuner as part of a hi fi system. However, for listening to the Albion commentary you'll be very pleased with DAB if you can get a signal. Radio Sussex can be notoriously difficult to get a good reception on though, be it FM or DAB. Sometimes it's great, other times not. It all depends on where you are of course.

What you will like about DAB, should you decide to get one, is the vastly improved range of stations that are potentially available (reception permitting). As a sports fan you'll love having Radio 5 Live and also Radio 5 Live Sports Extra on DAB (both should be easy enough to receive). Radio 4 extra might be a nice touch for...*cough* a gentleman of your age...as they have some great comedy from years back like Round The Horn, Goon Show etc.

Personally I can't see the FM signal ever being turned off unless the new DAB+ format shows vast improvements over DAB. Personally I hope FM isn't ever switched off because it can't be beat for sound quality at the moment when you're locked on good and proper to a station.

Good luck, and I'd be interested hearing back as to how you get on.
 


seagullsovergrimsby

#cpfctinpotclub
Aug 21, 2005
43,690
Crap Town
Wow coming from you
As you don't own a DAB radio or even listen to radio can I suggest you watch the Caravan Channel ? Monday at 8pm , Wednesday at 5pm , Friday 5.30pm , Saturday 10am , Sunday 4pm. Sky channel 212 or Freesat channel 401. :thumbsup:
 






Mowgli37

Enigmatic Asthmatic
Jan 13, 2013
6,371
Sheffield
I rarely have issues with my FM radio. Put it in the right position and the worst I'll get is a slight fuzz every now and again. Could just be down to location? DABs are good, worth it if you use it for more than just football!
 




Jaguar_uk

New member
Jun 1, 2013
217
One note of caution, if u use it as I do, which is to listen to it while in the stadium, then the is a slight delay on the dab signal which is very disconcerting!
Dab is great but the signal can be worse than fm at times
 




BensGrandad

New member
Jul 13, 2003
72,015
Haywards Heath
After reading the comments on here I dont think I could justify the spend on a DAB radio as I only ever listen to a radio station for the football, Radio Sussex then when on my lap top, Smooth or Classic fm through my old Sky system for music and Claasic fm or Bright in the car. It seems like I shall have to grin snd bare the lost reception for the football.
 




1066familyman

Radio User
Jan 15, 2008
15,185
After reading the comments on here I dont think I could justify the spend on a DAB radio as I only ever listen to a radio station for the football, Radio Sussex then when on my lap top, Smooth or Classic fm through my old Sky system for music and Claasic fm or Bright in the car. It seems like I shall have to grin snd bare the lost reception for the football.

Probably a really silly question, but if your FM radio is portable, have you tried moving it around the house to see where you can get the best signal? You might find a sweet spot. Unfortunately, radio reception is also influenced by the weather so you still might get patchy reception, especially as Sussex can be temperamental at the best of times.
 






Husty

Mooderator
Oct 18, 2008
11,995
One note of caution, if u use it as I do, which is to listen to it while in the stadium, then the is a slight delay on the dab signal which is very disconcerting!
Dab is great but the signal can be worse than fm at times

Why the **** would you want to do that?
 


The Oldman

I like the Hat
NSC Patron
Jul 12, 2003
7,108
In the shadow of Seaford Head
I would rate my old Roberts better than my Pure for reception strength.

S'funny because I gave away my Roberts DAB as the reception on both DAB and FM was awful. Got a Pure and excellent reception on both. Wonder if it depends on the area you live in? Our DAB signal is from Brighton (Whitehawk) and Beddingham (R Sussex.) Presume Eastbourne gets signal from Heathfield?
 




CheeseRolls

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jan 27, 2009
5,973
Shoreham Beach
I have owned several DAB radios and I am seriously underwhelmed, although the one in the car is quite useful. I have had three or four and all just stopped working after a relatively short space of time. The sound quality is an improvement on FM, but not as good as it could be. With Internet radio I think DAB is a technical dead end.

Fed up with this I replaced the last one with a Logitech Squeezebox. This is Internet based and is more robust, but Logitech seem to have their own servers and some days it just doesn't work. There is also a significant time lag maybe 30-60 seconds, which may or may not annoy you. This one has been handed down to the dog, when he needs to be distracted from loud noises outside.

The best solution I have found is tunein pro running on a tablet or phone. Pro costs a couple of quid and gives you a sleep timer and a radio alarm. So at bed time I stick my Nexus 7 on the wireless charger and then use some old PC speakers with a sub woofer, for a bit of a sound boost.
 


Dick Head

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Jan 3, 2010
13,642
Quaxxann
I have owned several DAB radios and I am seriously underwhelmed, although the one in the car is quite useful. I have had three or four and all just stopped working after a relatively short space of time. The sound quality is an improvement on FM, but not as good as it could be. With Internet radio I think DAB is a technical dead end.

Fed up with this I replaced the last one with a Logitech Squeezebox. This is Internet based and is more robust, but Logitech seem to have their own servers and some days it just doesn't work. There is also a significant time lag maybe 30-60 seconds, which may or may not annoy you. This one has been handed down to the dog, when he needs to be distracted from loud noises outside.

The best solution I have found is tunein pro running on a tablet or phone. Pro costs a couple of quid and gives you a sleep timer and a radio alarm. So at bed time I stick my Nexus 7 on the wireless charger and then use some old PC speakers with a sub woofer, for a bit of a sound boost.

No good for listening to the fitba on Radio Sussex though.
 


happypig

Staring at the rude boys
May 23, 2009
7,974
Eastbourne
S'funny because I gave away my Roberts DAB as the reception on both DAB and FM was awful. Got a Pure and excellent reception on both. Wonder if it depends on the area you live in? Our DAB signal is from Brighton (Whitehawk) and Beddingham (R Sussex.) Presume Eastbourne gets signal from Heathfield?

BBC 6 Music is from Heathfield, Planet rock and Absolute from Eastbourne
 








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