Analogue radio switch off 2015

Post by **adam2** » 14 Apr 2010, 14:17

I understood that the FM radio broadcast band was to be retained for radio broadcats, but only for local "community radio" , with national or regional broadcasts being transfered to digital.

I cant imagine every local FM station transfering to digital or closing down.

I doubt that MW + LW bands could be reused for anything else without global agreement, in view of the distances over which such signals spread.

the_lyniezian · Post by **the_lyniezian** » 14 Apr 2010, 15:32

adam2 wrote:I understood that the FM radio broadcast band was to be retained for radio broadcats, but only for local "community radio" , with national or regional broadcasts being transfered to digital.

I cant imagine every local FM station transfering to digital or closing down.

I doubt that MW + LW bands could be reused for anything else without global agreement, in view of the distances over which such signals spread.

I agree. Most of the news reports I've looked over today suggest that only natonal stations, as opposed to local FM, will be touched.

Indeed I believe that LW licensing is actually determined by international agreement already- which seems to have been apparent with a supposed Manx station that was supposed to be being set up (which I have never heard in actuality) and the fact that after the Atlantic 252 station shut down, it's licence was given to Ireland's RTE Radio 1.

So all in all I suppose there is life in the old radios yet.

Prono 007 · Post by **Prono 007** » 23 Jul 2010, 16:21

Quite shocked to hear of FM being switched off. DAB uses much more power to receive. If you're using a portable radio running on batteries the listening time will be massively reduced by something like 80% I believe. If you could previously listen for 10 hours you might only get 2 with DAB.

I'm guessing that DAB uses more power to transmit too. Hardly the way forward for a powerdown society.

Perhaps the defunct bands could be used by pirate radio? Or maybe the government would just broadcast a jamming signal to stop that.

cubes · Post by **cubes** » 23 Jul 2010, 19:14

The government will sell-off the defunct bands to make some money.

the_lyniezian · Post by **the_lyniezian** » 27 Jul 2010, 11:52

cubes wrote:The government will sell-off the defunct bands to make some money.

Thing is, what are they going to use them for? UHF bands previously used for TV can be used for mobile phones and other wireless tranmission, but the lower down in frequency you get, the less bandwidth ou have to play with and the less data or signal quality you can transmit. (That's why, say, Radio 3 is on FM but Radio 5 is on MW- you don't need as good a signal for speech as you do for quality music).

Perhaps they could be extra bands for radio hams or walkie-talkies, or some sort of signalling?

JohnB · Post by **JohnB** » 27 Jul 2010, 12:19

I thought it was going to be used for local and community radio.

2 As and a B · Post by **2 As and a B** » 27 Jul 2010, 16:49

I have a DAB radio. I bought it so that I could get the Bbc World Service, could listen to Five Live without the reception distorting and to get all those old comedies on Radio 7. They don't run the comedies now at the times I want to listen and the signal cuts out for 5 seconds every few minutes - most annoying. Plus the strange "blubble-lubble-lub" noise that eminates from the radio every time the station is changed.

Two things I never understood. How come radio stations in places like Prague can be heard loud and clear on MW after dark whilst the Bbc channels are barely discernable? And why so many frequencies for Radios 1 to 4 yet nothing for Five Live and the Bbc World Service on FM?

Is this digital radio idea still going ahead? I feel like writing to my MP, or going to his surgery, about it.

frank_begbie · Post by **frank_begbie** » 18 Aug 2010, 12:33

They shouldn't switch of the analogue signal until they have come up with a solution to the short battery life of personal radio's.

As it is I can just about listen to the whole of a football match.

If I wanted to listen to the Ashes, I would have to carry a pocket full of battery's.

Not very green.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 18 Aug 2010, 14:52

Welcome to PowerSwitch, frank_begbie.

There's a lot of info. on here about rechargeable batteries and generating your own power, to lessen the battery problem.

A PowerSwitch tip: conserve your apostrophes.

Post by **adam2** » 18 Aug 2010, 16:11

The greater power useage of battery operated digital radios may be partialy compensated for by useing rechargeables, or at home a mains power supply.
Remember that power power from disposable cells is about 1,000 times the price of grid power.

I would still urge keeping a stash of disposable cells for emergencies.

the_lyniezian · Post by **the_lyniezian** » 19 Aug 2010, 15:27

Are there any wind-up/crank-powered digital sets yet? Or solar-powered ones, failing that?

I still think digital radio is a little hazy in it's applicability. The only advantages for me are BBC7 and a few important-but-mediocre Christian stations being on all the time (as opposed to a weak signal a few minutes a day on MW or SW, which probably about ten people actually listen to

)

When it comes to standard commercial radio, there's little real difference since some of the more interesting stations closed down.

And it's not as fun as you can't pick up foreign stations.

Post by **adam2** » 20 Aug 2010, 12:37

I am not aware of any wind up or solar powered radios, though someone somwhere may make one.
The greater power consumption of a digital set would require a larger and more expensive wind up mechanism, that would require more effort on the part of the user.
Pv is certainly possible but would required a Pv module too large to build in to a portable radio.

My digital radio is powered by 6 C cells with a claimed life of about 30 hours. That suggests a load of about 2 watts.
To supply 2 watts might need a PV module of about 5 or even 10 watts, since driect sunlight at the optimum angle is unlikely.
A 5 or 10 watt PV module though small by installation standards, is a bit big to attach to a portable radio.

lancasterlad · Post by **lancasterlad** » 20 Aug 2010, 17:41

Roberts make a solar DAB radio - http://www.robertsradio.co.uk/Products/ ... /index.htm - it's a fairly new model.

frank_begbie · Post by **frank_begbie** » 21 Aug 2010, 10:10

lancashire lad wrote:Roberts make a solar DAB radio - http://www.robertsradio.co.uk/Products/ ... /index.htm - it's a fairly new model.

Nice.

I'm always a bit suspicious when "new" inventions come out.
Do they already know about solar powered radio for instance years before they put them out on sale?
In other words this could have been the first radio, and everything is geared to make the most money out of basically the same product.

Maybe I'm just gullible.