Linking DAB and FM Stations

[Phil]

A report from Radio Today
<http://radiotoday.co.uk/2015/09/globals-radio-stations-now-link-together/>
says:

Global’s radio stations now link DAB/FM together

The technology has been developed and implemented by Global and Arqiva
so that both digital radio receivers and FM receivers automatically
transition between different Heart, Capital and Smooth local stations,
picking up the best DAB or FM signal available and automatically
switching over to the next transmission area as a driver passes from one
area to the next.

How do they do that?

--
Phil
Liverpool, UK

[Brian-Gaff]

And what about the delay?
Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"Phil" <ph...@nospam.ta> wrote in message
news:q3ijbc-...@plubb90t.plus.com...

>
> A report from Radio Today
> <http://radiotoday.co.uk/2015/09/globals-radio-stations-now-link-together/>
> says:
>

> Globalâ?Ts radio stations now link DAB/FM together

[Woody]

"Phil" <ph...@nospam.ta> wrote in message
news:q3ijbc-...@plubb90t.plus.com...
>

I think there might be a slight misunderstanding of what was said.

For a start I suspect it really means that a radio will switch between
different transmitters of, say, Heart as the vehicle moves around, not
moving between Heart, Capital, and Smooth willy nilly as the text
implies. It also seems to imply that the facility exists for the radio
to switch between DAB and FM - which most radios can be set to so do -
whereas what it really means (for FM at least) is use of an AF table
which may not have been present before.

I have a feeling that what they are saying is that, as, say, Heart has
different versions around the country as distinct from being a
national station then the RDS AF table will have to have links to
different code groups rather than just those of the version being
received. I don't know much about DAB but I suspect it is a digital
version of the same thing.


--
Woody

harrogate3 at ntlworld dot com

[Mark Carver]

A number of ways. If the FM RDS PI codes, and DAB IDs are the same, some
receivers will switch, and in many cases the codes are the same. If the
RDS PS and DAB station name are the same, some receivers will switch. In
both these cases the FM and DAB tuner sections have to be active
simultaneously, to compare and scan the codes.

My DAB/FM car radio already switches between the DAB and FM versions
of some commercial stations, but it doesn't for any BBC stations.

Hard to tell where the problem is !


--
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

[Mark Carver]

On 02/09/2015 17:22, Brian-Gaff wrote:
> And what about the delay?

My car radio seems to delay the FM version to match (ish)

[MB]

On 02/09/2015 19:03, Woody wrote:
> For a start I suspect it really means that a radio will switch between
> different transmitters of, say, Heart as the vehicle moves around, not
> moving between Heart, Capital, and Smooth willy nilly as the text
> implies

Won't bother me because I never listen to commercial stations but there
must be some areas where it could be changing back and forth between two
or three stations at an irritating rate. Is there a delay so it does
not change again for x minutes but there then would be more periods with
nothing at all.

[Mark Carver]

It actually works quite well (when it does work), much better than you
might expect !!!

[Andy Burns]

Mark Carver wrote:

> My DAB/FM car radio already switches between the DAB and FM versions
> of some commercial stations, but it doesn't for any BBC stations.

Mine does it for BBC stations (though not for R5L obviously), I wouldn't
know if it does for commercial or not.

[David]

My FM radio doesn't do the RDS thing for the BBC locals as the sets used to
do years ago, was told here it was because the BBC ceased to do the full RDS
code or something to that effect, anyway a BBC decision not to do what this
commercial station is now doing.
Lets hope the BBC wake up.
Regards
David




"Andy Burns" wrote in message
news:rcCdnfPvM54RwnrI...@brightview.co.uk...

[Woody]

"David" <dnp...@tesco.net> wrote in message
news:ms99f5$9c8$1...@dont-email.me...

> My FM radio doesn't do the RDS thing for the BBC locals as the sets
> used to do years ago, was told here it was because the BBC ceased to
> do the full RDS code or something to that effect, anyway a BBC
> decision not to do what this commercial station is now doing.
> Lets hope the BBC wake up.

BBC do full RDS and some. I would suggest you check your radio
settings and ensure that 'regional' is set to on, else the radio will
get mixed up with stations.

Otherwise could you clarify exactly what you mean by '...doesn't do
the RDS thing for the BBC locals....'

[Mark Carver]

What he means is BBC local radio stations abandoned regional generic
linking some years ago now. David brings this up every year or so,
you ask the same question, regarding what he's on about, and I provide
a link to a BBC web page that explains the situation. Except this time
I can't be arsed to. Google is your friend.

[Bill Wright]

Mark Carver wrote:

>
> My DAB/FM car radio already switches between the DAB and FM versions
> of some commercial stations, but it doesn't for any BBC stations.
>
> Hard to tell where the problem is !
>
>

My Sony radio had something called DAB link which you can switch on and
off. When it's on it does select the best Radio 4 signal between FM and
DAB. This can be good or it can be bloody annoying. When it's the latter
I switch it off. But the radio is very wilful and it will spontaneously
switch DABlink back on after a while (because it thinks it knows best I
guess).

The radio will jump from DAB to FM if there's a traffic announcement on FM.

I've just had 3 weeks in remote parts of Scotland and I must say that
DAB beats FM when travelling in mountainous areas where the only
reception is going to be a reflection.

The radio does many strange things. In Scotland and the Penrith area it
kept jumping from R4 to R Scotland, whenever the R4 FM signal was poor.
When it did this the R Scotland reception was badly affected by adjacent
channel interference (but I was driving so didn't investigate).

Bill

[Bill Wright]

Mark Carver wrote:

> and I provide
> a link to a BBC web page that explains the situation. Except this time
> I can't be arsed to.

I love it how you're becoming more and more like me, Mark.

Bill