02-10-2016, 11:30 AM
No, I'd like to highlight how shops are killing radio generally, and FM/AM particularly by mostly having junk and how policy about AM & FM by National broadcasters, Regulators (failure to enforce CE marks and testing on EMI) and Governments is failing the consumer.
The main point of the post was to highlight RTE 1 LW being "saved". Yet RTE has a cash crises. Unlike UK DAB, the RTE DAB could easily be closed.
I used to be a huge advocate of Digital Radio. The issue isn't DAB, though it could be MUCH better with more transmitters, x2 bit rate and better designed sets. The problem seems to be the entire idea of Digital Radio. I can't see how it can be made to work as well as Analogue.
Digital TV vs Analogue TV has no issues, only very portable analogue TVs had radio style tuning. People only used preset stations. My car radio with 24 Presets doesn't have enough presets (it's Analogue only), there is no sensible manual tuning. Only 6 presets for all of MW + LW is too little. Unless you only listen to national stations and one or two on your own local area, the ergonomics are rubbish.
I can get 22 decent reception stations on my Sony phone FM radio. Amazingly it has favourites AND and easy to scrollable tuning scale that shows about 2MHz at once with frequency, favorite status, last signal level and RDS derived station name. It could only be better with addition of direct frequency keypad too and manual edit of station name, and choice of scale per location.
The Sony ICF2001D is pretty good, but only has digital readout, it lacks a traditional scale. One Degen model has both (and the scale pointer is actually an LCD bar).
It seems apart from the DAB / Digital radio issue we have gone backwards on radio quality and Ergonomics since the 1990s.
Listening to Extra Digital Stations:
Carrying radio stations on DTT and Satellite makes sense, but in practice for most people that only suits listening to radio on the TV. I solve the issue of that with the CE legal "FM microtransmitters" and very cheap satellite & DTT boxes. So I have up to four FM channels for phone, portable FM sets and desktop FM sets in the house. An HD Sat box or HD DTT box (for Ireland, only SD in UK) with LED channel display is cheaper than a DAB radio, so I can use remote to select BBC Scotland, Four Extra, RTE Gold etc without a TV set. Sadly the RTE channels on Irish DTT are poor quality due to low bit rate (same to be same the same data as on DAB). I have two DAB sets I no longer use. One has no physical volume knob, just up / down arrows and is impossible to set up without the manual.
So ergonomics of receiver design is a HUGE issue. One otherwise interesting AM/FM Degen radio shares the same knob between volume and fine tun tuning. Bonkers.
So forgetting about DAB ...
What would people like on the Unused UK LW frequency?
Should Ireland have more AM on MW (one low power station in Cavan, "Spirit Radio" is the total).
Should UK MW radio continue?
Does local FM relays, Satellite and Internet really replace SW for BBC World Service etc, or does that only suit open wealthy societies and the poor and oppressed need Shortwave?
What is your ideal portable radio design? -- I'd vote for a minimum 4" speaker and the approximate 4.5" type that used to be common in car doors, size in larger valve portables. Too many portable sets are only any use on earphones.
Note that people with poorer hearing need less distorted audio, with less artefacts.
Is turning down the excessive processing on FM a lost cause? My son, in the car, remarked that the song on Clare FM wasn't a bad cover version. I suggested it was the original and just didn't sound the same as the old CD or LP due to processing. It was the original Meat Loaf "two out of three ain't bad" from "Bat out of hell"
Anyway I'm glad RTE1 LW has a stay of execution. Even in Ireland there are FM blackspots and handy when visiting N.I. now that MW RTE is long gone.
A separate issue is number of AM/FM sets for USA market, no LW and some can't even tune EU channel steps!
The main point of the post was to highlight RTE 1 LW being "saved". Yet RTE has a cash crises. Unlike UK DAB, the RTE DAB could easily be closed.
I used to be a huge advocate of Digital Radio. The issue isn't DAB, though it could be MUCH better with more transmitters, x2 bit rate and better designed sets. The problem seems to be the entire idea of Digital Radio. I can't see how it can be made to work as well as Analogue.
Digital TV vs Analogue TV has no issues, only very portable analogue TVs had radio style tuning. People only used preset stations. My car radio with 24 Presets doesn't have enough presets (it's Analogue only), there is no sensible manual tuning. Only 6 presets for all of MW + LW is too little. Unless you only listen to national stations and one or two on your own local area, the ergonomics are rubbish.
I can get 22 decent reception stations on my Sony phone FM radio. Amazingly it has favourites AND and easy to scrollable tuning scale that shows about 2MHz at once with frequency, favorite status, last signal level and RDS derived station name. It could only be better with addition of direct frequency keypad too and manual edit of station name, and choice of scale per location.
The Sony ICF2001D is pretty good, but only has digital readout, it lacks a traditional scale. One Degen model has both (and the scale pointer is actually an LCD bar).
It seems apart from the DAB / Digital radio issue we have gone backwards on radio quality and Ergonomics since the 1990s.
Listening to Extra Digital Stations:
Carrying radio stations on DTT and Satellite makes sense, but in practice for most people that only suits listening to radio on the TV. I solve the issue of that with the CE legal "FM microtransmitters" and very cheap satellite & DTT boxes. So I have up to four FM channels for phone, portable FM sets and desktop FM sets in the house. An HD Sat box or HD DTT box (for Ireland, only SD in UK) with LED channel display is cheaper than a DAB radio, so I can use remote to select BBC Scotland, Four Extra, RTE Gold etc without a TV set. Sadly the RTE channels on Irish DTT are poor quality due to low bit rate (same to be same the same data as on DAB). I have two DAB sets I no longer use. One has no physical volume knob, just up / down arrows and is impossible to set up without the manual.
So ergonomics of receiver design is a HUGE issue. One otherwise interesting AM/FM Degen radio shares the same knob between volume and fine tun tuning. Bonkers.
So forgetting about DAB ...
What would people like on the Unused UK LW frequency?
Should Ireland have more AM on MW (one low power station in Cavan, "Spirit Radio" is the total).
Should UK MW radio continue?
Does local FM relays, Satellite and Internet really replace SW for BBC World Service etc, or does that only suit open wealthy societies and the poor and oppressed need Shortwave?
What is your ideal portable radio design? -- I'd vote for a minimum 4" speaker and the approximate 4.5" type that used to be common in car doors, size in larger valve portables. Too many portable sets are only any use on earphones.
Note that people with poorer hearing need less distorted audio, with less artefacts.
Is turning down the excessive processing on FM a lost cause? My son, in the car, remarked that the song on Clare FM wasn't a bad cover version. I suggested it was the original and just didn't sound the same as the old CD or LP due to processing. It was the original Meat Loaf "two out of three ain't bad" from "Bat out of hell"
Anyway I'm glad RTE1 LW has a stay of execution. Even in Ireland there are FM blackspots and handy when visiting N.I. now that MW RTE is long gone.
A separate issue is number of AM/FM sets for USA market, no LW and some can't even tune EU channel steps!
