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Ofcom DAB switchover coverage planning proposals

Ofcom has recently published some details of how the DAB network can be improved to match the coverage of the current FM network.

Ofcom has recently published some details of how the DAB networ
published on UK Free TV

The proposals cover the most pressing needs for the DAB network:

  • provision of local radio DAB for those areas with no current coverage
  • coverage of both homes and in-car use
  • the addition of a new block (5A) that will allow the local radio blocks to expand to fill the "editorial" coverage areas to match the current FM areas
  • the use of 99%/99% DAB prediction for indoor home reception, and normal car use.


Of particular interest are:



Ofcom is asking for responses using this online form: Responding to the DAB Coverage Planning consultation by 5pm on 14 September 2011.

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Comments
Wednesday, 6 July 2011
S
Steve P
sentiment_satisfiedGold

4:16 PM

Is there any evidence of unmet demand for local stations?

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Steve P's 1,173 posts GB flag
Thursday, 7 July 2011
M
michael
sentiment_satisfiedGold

1:01 AM

"...evidence of unmet demand for local stations?" - By pirates, but even they might not find it so much fun when they will be able to get a licence for a song! There will probably be some interest in "community radio", akin to ethnic stations in urban centres - but sustainably and on a large scale? The suggestion of BBC in one band and commercial radio in the other is interesting
lateral thinking and might make best use of all available FM and DAB spectrum, but would probably only merit serious consideration if "they" had thought of it first... A variant would be national networks in one band and local and regional in the other.

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michael's 872 posts GB flag
Friday, 8 July 2011
M
michael
sentiment_satisfiedGold

10:06 AM

I saw this earlier. Enigmatic! Not much bandwidth for such purposes. The phrase "very sparsely populated areas" must be key. What would the bandwidth be used for in more densley populated areas? "White Space Devices offered a solution that could safeguard the interests of the radio industry by making it less likely that it was backfilled with new commercial and pirate radio stations". I must have missed the reference to listeners interests... Early days yet; the US white-space trials will be interesting. Maybe there is a cunning Antipodean plan to buy up the FM spectrum ...

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michael's 872 posts GB flag
S
Steve P
sentiment_satisfiedGold

10:26 AM

Instead of hunting around for thyings to do with it, why not let us keep it fpr BBC radio?

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Steve P's 1,173 posts GB flag
M
Mark
sentiment_satisfiedSilver

6:17 PM

@ Steve P

The answer is that the BBC cannot afford to run their networks on both FM & DAB indefinitely and sometime around 2020 they would have to replace most of the FM aerials if they were to continue the transmissions on FM.

It's much cheaper for them to concentrate on DAB only. Of course other digital platforms will also be available for listening.

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Mark's 181 posts GB flag
S
Steve P
sentiment_satisfiedGold

8:39 PM

And how does the cost of replacing (which presumably means "renovating") the TV areials compare to the cost of replacing literally hundreds of millions of items of equipment which use FM?

Clock radios; combined systems, ipods, car radios, etc.etc.etc.?

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Steve P's 1,173 posts GB flag
Saturday, 9 July 2011
M
michael
sentiment_satisfiedGold

9:29 AM

Planners presumably base their assumptions on evident acceptance by the electorate of dumping analog-only TVs and buying digital flat-screens instead. This acceptance is dependent on widely perceived general improvement in picture quality and choice of channels. Comparable perceived improvement is proving more difficult with DAB, mainly because of the need for reliable reception on portable, battery-powered and in-car DAB radios with a relatively inefficient aerial. The renewed focus on FM-equivalent reception indoors and on the road will determine success or failure of DAB. A big cost factor!

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michael's 872 posts GB flag
M
michael
10:15 AM

Redundancy of FM receivers - An announcement of definitive FM switch-off would probably sprout a market for affordable DAB-FM adapters, similar to the Pure Highway DAB and MP3-player adapters currently available for car-radios. DAB/MP3 is rebroadcast by a microwatt FM transmitter to the adjacent older FM receiver. I already do this with the only DAB service of real interest to me, the BBC World Service, which is only on FM at night.

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michael's 1 post GB flag
S
Steve P
sentiment_satisfiedGold

11:36 AM

Mike - a link to one of these would be appreciated. How much are they?

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Steve P's 1,173 posts GB flag
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