Author Topic: FM Radio  (Read 3277 times)

FM Radio
« on: 18 March, 2018, 03:56:50 pm »
Seems someone high up @BBC will announce tomorrow that the future of radio is a mix of DAB/FM/Internet. So all that guff about binning our FM sets and buying into DAB was just that - guff >:(

Re: FM Radio
« Reply #1 on: 18 March, 2018, 05:13:25 pm »
Seems someone high up @BBC will announce tomorrow that the future of radio is a mix of DAB/FM/Internet. So all that guff about binning our FM sets and buying into DAB was just that - guff >:(

Hurrah !

The one I see dying is DAB not FM.

FM is simple and gives great coverage + works with radios that can be 60 years old and is universal with OK to brilliant sound quality dependant on the broadcaster and your aerial.
DAB is a UK only spec (well the one we use is) with patchy coverage and never better than meh sound quality lots of station though
Internet radio has more stations than DAB and can have much better sound quality if the bit rate is good enough.

Basically FM is simpler and ubiquitous and Internet Radio does everting that DAB does but much better plus a host of other stuff. If you were starting again now you wouldn't even consider DAB it would just be FM and Internet Radio.

FM should probably be kept going just as in case we have an Internet meltdown at some point anyway so the new can be broadcast.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Kim

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Re: FM Radio
« Reply #2 on: 18 March, 2018, 05:16:36 pm »
There's also all the radio broadcast at better quality than DAB on DVB-T and DVB-S, which is eminently suited to non-portable use.

For true emergency use, there's a strong argument for AM radio, since it propagates better and it's relatively easy to cobble together an AM receiver using stone knives and bearskins.

mattc

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Re: FM Radio
« Reply #3 on: 18 March, 2018, 05:39:44 pm »
For true emergency use, there's a strong argument for AM radio, since it propagates better and it's relatively easy to cobble together an AM receiver using stone knives and bearskins.
Gotta Youtube link? That would be a useful skill.

A modern/1stWorldProblem is that all the radios built into modern gadgets - like phones - tend to be FM only. Hence useless anywhere with imperfect coverage. (I guess everyone lives in cities now, so it's not a problem ... )
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Kim

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Re: FM Radio
« Reply #4 on: 18 March, 2018, 05:52:44 pm »
For true emergency use, there's a strong argument for AM radio, since it propagates better and it's relatively easy to cobble together an AM receiver using stone knives and bearskins.
Gotta Youtube link? That would be a useful skill.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/F226oWBHvvI&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/F226oWBHvvI&rel=1</a>
https://youtu.be/F226oWBHvvI

Cudzoziemiec

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Re: FM Radio
« Reply #5 on: 18 March, 2018, 06:29:24 pm »
It's LW the sub commanders have to listen to every week to find out if Blighty's still there.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Tim Hall

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Re: FM Radio
« Reply #6 on: 18 March, 2018, 07:39:08 pm »
It's LW the sub commanders have to listen to every week to find out if Blighty's still there.
The range of LW transmissions is somewhat ( ie a lot) greater than FM (yes, I know it's a transmission method not a wavelength measurement), so unless the. Independent Deterrent is within spitting distance of Crystal Palace (other transmitters are available) they won't hear it.
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Mr Larrington

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Re: FM Radio
« Reply #7 on: 18 March, 2018, 08:40:16 pm »
Miss von Brandenburg lives in the shadow of the Pystal Crapace transmitter, which probably explains why her mobile phone signal is a Rubbish.
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Cudzoziemiec

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Re: FM Radio
« Reply #8 on: 18 March, 2018, 08:47:50 pm »
It's LW the sub commanders have to listen to every week to find out if Blighty's still there.
The range of LW transmissions is somewhat ( ie a lot) greater than FM (yes, I know it's a transmission method not a wavelength measurement), so unless the. Independent Deterrent is within spitting distance of Crystal Palace (other transmitters are available) they won't hear it.
Zackly. And if they are floating up the Thames, they can simply up periscope and have a look! Maybe. 
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

ian

Re: FM Radio
« Reply #9 on: 18 March, 2018, 11:28:51 pm »
Miss von Brandenburg lives in the shadow of the Pystal Crapace transmitter, which probably explains why her mobile phone signal is a Rubbish.

I used to live under it (not literally, of course). Crap TV signal considering I could see the thing. The TV rays shot right over our heads.

Re: FM Radio
« Reply #10 on: 19 March, 2018, 10:55:12 am »
The main reason for pushing DAB had nothing to do with it being superior quality, it had to do with freeing up bandwidth for other technologies. FM kind of 'swamps the airwaves'. FM uses one frequency per station, DAB uses one frequency.

Current DAB broadcast power is reduced to prevent clashes with FM. If FM were completely dropped, the quality of DAB would improve. A bit catch 22.

However I've always been a DAB sceptic. DAB radios are power-hungry, the decoders use a ton of power compared to FM, so you can't run a DAB off an AA battery for a week (unlike FM). They seem a bit redundant with improved mobile data and internet radio.

FM does use up a lot of the spectrum though. It will have to go, someday.
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Re: FM Radio
« Reply #11 on: 19 March, 2018, 11:14:02 am »
Current DAB broadcast power is reduced to prevent clashes with FM. If FM were completely dropped, the quality of DAB would improve. A bit catch 22.

No it wouldn't. The coverage would increase and the ten for it to drop out would decrease but the quality of a DAB broadcast is due to its bit rate and (crappy) codec not the output power of the transmitter.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

citoyen

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Re: FM Radio
« Reply #12 on: 19 March, 2018, 11:36:59 am »
They seem a bit redundant with improved mobile data and internet radio.

FSVO improved... see broadband thread.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: FM Radio
« Reply #13 on: 19 March, 2018, 11:52:59 am »
Well I for one enjoy the DAB radio in my car. And I dont want to have to pay for another “connected” device plus associated data costs in order the receive internet radio on the move. DAB is perfectly adequate for portable use. Internet radio is good for fixed use. Why keep FM?
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Re: FM Radio
« Reply #14 on: 19 March, 2018, 12:56:08 pm »
Current DAB broadcast power is reduced to prevent clashes with FM. If FM were completely dropped, the quality of DAB would improve. A bit catch 22.

No it wouldn't. The coverage would increase and the ten for it to drop out would decrease but the quality of a DAB broadcast is due to its bit rate and (crappy) codec not the output power of the transmitter.
That is one problem, another is due to the low power of the current broadcast. People would experience less dropout.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Wombat

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Re: FM Radio
« Reply #15 on: 21 March, 2018, 03:20:52 pm »
Well I for one enjoy the DAB radio in my car. And I dont want to have to pay for another “connected” device plus associated data costs in order the receive internet radio on the move. DAB is perfectly adequate for portable use. Internet radio is good for fixed use. Why keep FM?

No it isn't!  DAB is not usable for portable use in very many areas, including where I live.  FM is pretty crap here too, but at least it sort of works.  In many areas round here, internet radio isn't practical either, 'cos BT (The only "broadband" provider) can't be arsed to give anyone more than half a megabit/sec, so you aren't going to be running anything that would take up any of your available bandwidth.  I am lucky in that I actually have fibre direct to the wall behind me in my office, with what BT and Openretch reckon is superfast amazing brilliant broadband, but is actually about half what the cheapest most basic service I used to get from Virgin, provides.  I am the first person in our village to get this.  Openretch have squandered most of the massive amount of money the Welsh Govt have given them, and are being utterly crap at providing what they were paid for.
Wombat

Re: FM Radio
« Reply #16 on: 21 March, 2018, 04:03:41 pm »
Why keep FM?

A very good reason for me is that our household has probably at least 12 FM radios and no DAB receivers.

Phones
Cars
HiFi (not really hifi but it suffices)
alarm clock radios
portable radios
etc

That could be over £1000 in replacement costs on car, hifi and alarm clocks alone.