News

As you might have guessed, this is a smaller take on the iconic Roberts Revival, with the compact box offering DAB and FM reception, an LCD screen, a gold-plated stereo line in socket and battery power. Not to mention those wonderful vintage looks.

The Digital Tick is just a government marking that manufacturers can apply for before selling their radios in future. It allows people to see, at a glance, that a new radio will be future-proof. But that doesn't mean your current radio won't work after the shut-off. As long as your radio has DAB it will be able to receive digital radio channels. If your radio is FM-only though it will only be able to receive whatever is left in the FM bandwidth - which is currently thought to be local community radio.

Especially on longer trips, the car radio has always been a faithful companion. It adds variety, entertainment, and traffic updates. We wanted to know whether and how well DAB+ can replace FM radio today. For our test, we have the distance from our office in Osttirol Austria via Munich, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Wiesbaden to Cologne.

While nearly 20% of the population is covered by a DAB+ signal, the silence of the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (CSA) and the government on the matter has become deafening, according to the Syndicat National des Radios Libres (SNRL).

“Digital radio is now growing rapidly in many European countries and needs the frequencies in Band III to expand in other countries. It is crucial that regulators understand that Band III cannot compensate for a reduction of UHF spectrum available for DTT." the organisation said in a statement.

Since the switchover to digital radio has taken longer in many European countries, the idea that Band III could be used for DTT in replacement of UHF frequencies which may no longer be available in the UHF band has risen in popularity. The EBU has issued a guide which explains why Band III cannot replace these frequencies.

Oüi Collector and Radio Life are the latest DAB+ stations to launch in France. Oüi Collector will offer rock, pop, disco, funk, reggae of French and International variety while Radio Life will be aimed at an adult audience, broadcasting international news, national politics, culture and sports.

Frontier Silicon, the market leader in DAB/DAB+ radio and connected audio solutions technology will be showcasing their latest technologies at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair. The Frontier Silicon invite visitors to their demonstration room which will allow visitors to experience the next generation advanced DAB/DAB+ solutions.

RTÉ Radio 1 is to stop transmitting its 252 longwave service from the end of next month as it pushes listeners to FM and digital radio instead. Tom McGuire, Head of RTÉ Radio 1 said: “This development is an opportunity for the listener to tune in to the varied output of RTÉ Radio 1 in a new way. The availability of the radio service through new digital platforms provides a much improved sound quality and broader access for all programmes. Just as the audience migrated from medium wave to FM in the past, the end of longwave is compensated for by the availability of RTÉ Radio 1 on various digital platforms through the television in your home, the phone in your pocket, the tablet on your lap or the digital radio in your region.”

In Germany, the threshold of no return seems now reached. While Sweden is planning a transition from FM to DAB by 2022, Germany should follow logically 2025. Elsewhere in Europe, the coverage rates are sky high and sale of digital receivers now in the wind stern.