Another several bubbling mud and 5 minute silences over the last few weeks
on CFM/DAB Radio has had me harvesting eBay for Technics ST-GT350 FM
Chooners and I now have 3 of them!! OK, one of the extras has got an
immediate home, the other one is available if anyone wants it. Price to me
(ten quid postage in each case) was 3.95 and 2.70 respectively -
distressingly cheap. (Both these units are in mint condition and work
perfectly!)

Anyway, that's not the proper purpose of this post - when I was talking to
my mate Pat about the rubbification of Technics as a brand name (other than
in studios or broadcasting) he popped in out of the blue "well, of course
they have postponed switching FM off for the time being".

???

News to me - is there something I should know?

To the best of my knowledge it was only ever a proposal. Making it that
far ahead does tend to mean it can and will be varied.

My gut feeling is it won't happen. Too many FM radios around - and people
don't change them as fashion items like TVs.

FreeView TV at least offered *some* benefits to everyone over analogue -
like lots of extra channels. DAB doesn't. Only place I still use DAB is in
the car - where it works very well. At home, I use FreeView for radio. (I
have a whole house distribution system so have no need for portable etc
radios.)

--
*I started out with nothing... and I still have most of it.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
To the best of my knowledge it was only ever a proposal. Making it that
far ahead does tend to mean it can and will be varied.



It would appear to be to case. The recent post quoting the Telegraph bears
it.



My gut feeling is it won't happen. Too many FM radios around - and people
don't change them as fashion items like TVs.



Quite. Some people poured a lot of money in to high quality veneered radios.
I'd hate to have one of those and be told I've got to throw it away!
Although I suspect somebody will come up with the idea of dropping DAB
innards into a nice FM cabinet at some point.


FreeView TV at least offered *some* benefits to everyone over analogue -
like lots of extra channels. DAB doesn't. Only place I still use DAB is in
the car - where it works very well. At home, I use FreeView for radio. (I
have a whole house distribution system so have no need for portable etc
radios.)


I do not dislike DAB and will happily listen to it all day long on my little
cheapo DAB tuner and AFAIAC it makes sense in a car, but it wears my
patience out very quickly when we start getting messed about. I've got a
decent (I hope) little indoor aerial coming to sit on top of the stack and
I'm looking forward to getting better than the 10dB that I'm getting from
the Yagi that's in the loft! Failing that, I will have to mount the Yagi
properly outdoors again and shut Tony up! :-)

Keith G said...

I do not dislike DAB and will happily listen to it all day long on my little
cheapo DAB tuner and AFAIAC it makes sense in a car,

I've been listening to DAB quite a lot lately, Radio's 4 & 7 when in
bed and at low volume and it's good for that.
I got an Alba TRDAB2821 DAB/FM portable at a jumble sale for a fiver a
few months ago.
Ergonomically and operationally it's dreadful and the transformer hums
madly.
Using the rod aerial and adjusting it minutely for angle and length it
is possible to get good DAB reception but switch to FM and zilch. and
vice versa, it's one or t'other. Even under favourable conditions with
an external aerial FM reception is very, very poor.

I think it cost about £40 quid when new and if I'd paid that I'd be
pretty disappointed with it.

Luckily the rod aerial screws into a standard F socket allowing the use
of an external aerial, and it is quite happy in the bedroom with a home
made dipole giving full signal strength and no audible errors or
burbles from the Peterborough DAB transmitter.

I've compared the reception with my Acoustic Solutions tuner by
connecting them in turn to the outside aerial and doing a full reset
and scan.

The Alba gets 2 muxes and 16 stations
D1 & Beeb from Peterborough with no audible errors.

The AS get 5 muxes and 50 stations.
D1 & BBC from Peterborough and NowCambridge perfect at zero error rate.
NowNottingham and Leicester at an error rate is 20-35.
Anything above an error rate of 15 results in occasional bubbling and
once above 25 it's unlistenable.

A pretty poor result for the Alba's reception performance especially on
FM. But I'm surprised that it can't even see never mind decode the
Notts, Leics & Cambs DAB transmitters.

I've often wondered why people complain about DAB reception as I've
used the AS Tuner at three different locations here in Corby (one a
basement flat) and been able to get very good results with a bit of wet
string.

If I'd only had experience of the Alba I'd be moaning with the best of
them.
--
Ken O'Meara
http://www.btinternet.com/~unsteadyken/

In article , UnsteadyKen
scribeth thus
Keith G said...

I do not dislike DAB and will happily listen to it all day long on my little
cheapo DAB tuner and AFAIAC it makes sense in a car,

I've been listening to DAB quite a lot lately, Radio's 4 & 7 when in
bed and at low volume and it's good for that.
I got an Alba TRDAB2821 DAB/FM portable at a jumble sale for a fiver a
few months ago.
Ergonomically and operationally it's dreadful and the transformer hums
madly.
Using the rod aerial and adjusting it minutely for angle and length it
is possible to get good DAB reception but switch to FM and zilch. and
vice versa, it's one or t'other. Even under favourable conditions with
an external aerial FM reception is very, very poor.

I think it cost about £40 quid when new and if I'd paid that I'd be
pretty disappointed with it.

Luckily the rod aerial screws into a standard F socket allowing the use
of an external aerial, and it is quite happy in the bedroom with a home
made dipole giving full signal strength and no audible errors or
burbles from the Peterborough DAB transmitter.

I've compared the reception with my Acoustic Solutions tuner by
connecting them in turn to the outside aerial and doing a full reset
and scan.

The Alba gets 2 muxes and 16 stations
D1 & Beeb from Peterborough with no audible errors.

The AS get 5 muxes and 50 stations.
D1 & BBC from Peterborough and NowCambridge perfect at zero error rate.
NowNottingham and Leicester at an error rate is 20-35.
Anything above an error rate of 15 results in occasional bubbling and
once above 25 it's unlistenable.

A pretty poor result for the Alba's reception performance especially on
FM. But I'm surprised that it can't even see never mind decode the
Notts, Leics & Cambs DAB transmitters.

I've heard of quite a few people comment that the FM on their DAB set
is nowhere near as good as an FM only radio...

I've often wondered why people complain about DAB reception as I've
used the AS Tuner at three different locations here in Corby

Might that be theres a DAB TX closer than the FM one?..

(one a
basement flat) and been able to get very good results with a bit of wet
string.

If I'd only had experience of the Alba I'd be moaning with the best of
them.

--
Tony Sayer

tony sayer said...

Might that be theres a DAB TX closer than the FM one?..

Nope. Both from Peterborough.
http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/peterborough/index.php

I only listen to DAB in bed and occasionally use FM for BBC Northampton
and our local community station, Corby Radio which started broadcasting
this year. http://www.corbyradio.com/

Nearly all my listening is now Freeview or online via Tapin Radio.
http://tapinradio.com/wp/








--
Ken O'Meara
http://www.btinternet.com/~unsteadyken/

In article , Keith G
scribeth thus

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
To the best of my knowledge it was only ever a proposal. Making it that
far ahead does tend to mean it can and will be varied.



It would appear to be to case. The recent post quoting the Telegraph bears
it.



My gut feeling is it won't happen. Too many FM radios around - and people
don't change them as fashion items like TVs.



Quite. Some people poured a lot of money in to high quality veneered radios.
I'd hate to have one of those and be told I've got to throw it away!
Although I suspect somebody will come up with the idea of dropping DAB
innards into a nice FM cabinet at some point.


FreeView TV at least offered *some* benefits to everyone over analogue -
like lots of extra channels. DAB doesn't. Only place I still use DAB is in
the car - where it works very well. At home, I use FreeView for radio. (I
have a whole house distribution system so have no need for portable etc
radios.)


I do not dislike DAB and will happily listen to it all day long on my little
cheapo DAB tuner and AFAIAC it makes sense in a car, but it wears my
patience out very quickly when we start getting messed about. I've got a
decent (I hope) little indoor aerial coming to sit on top of the stack and
I'm looking forward to getting better than the 10dB that I'm getting from
the Yagi that's in the loft! Failing that, I will have to mount the Yagi
properly outdoors again and shut Tony up! :-)


Thats alright mate, don't mind me;!...

I'm a bit risk adverse to ladders these days;!...
--
Tony Sayer

"Keith G" wrote


I do not dislike DAB and will happily listen to it all day long on my
little cheapo DAB tuner and AFAIAC it makes sense in a car, but it wears
my patience out very quickly when we start getting messed about. I've got
a decent (I hope) little indoor aerial coming to sit on top of the stack
and I'm looking forward to getting better than the 10dB that I'm getting
from the Yagi that's in the loft! Failing that, I will have to mount the
Yagi properly outdoors again and shut Tony up! :-)


OK, it turned up (Tele Vee or somesuch) and it's pooched the signal up from
the lazy yagi in the loft 20 dB to a hanging in by the skin of its teeth
(but listenable with no hiss) 28 dB.

Can't complain really - it only cost 3.89!!

The ultimate question has to be 'Does silly cheap prices do anybody any good
in the long teerm?'

In article , Keith G
scribeth thus

"Keith G" wrote


I do not dislike DAB and will happily listen to it all day long on my
little cheapo DAB tuner and AFAIAC it makes sense in a car, but it wears
my patience out very quickly when we start getting messed about. I've got
a decent (I hope) little indoor aerial coming to sit on top of the stack
and I'm looking forward to getting better than the 10dB that I'm getting
from the Yagi that's in the loft! Failing that, I will have to mount the
Yagi properly outdoors again and shut Tony up! :-)


OK, it turned up (Tele Vee or somesuch) and it's pooched the signal up from
the lazy yagi in the loft 20 dB to a hanging in by the skin of its teeth
(but listenable with no hiss) 28 dB.

Can't complain really - it only cost 3.89!!

The ultimate question has to be 'Does silly cheap prices do anybody any good
in the long teerm?'


Sounds to me that if a "rabbits ears" aerial inside your house and lower
than the Yagi in the loft is giving a better signal, then theres summat
seriously wrong with the loft aerial;!...
--
Tony Sayer

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
In article , Keith G
scribeth thus

"Keith G" wrote


I do not dislike DAB and will happily listen to it all day long on my
little cheapo DAB tuner and AFAIAC it makes sense in a car, but it wears
my patience out very quickly when we start getting messed about. I've
got
a decent (I hope) little indoor aerial coming to sit on top of the stack
and I'm looking forward to getting better than the 10dB that I'm getting
from the Yagi that's in the loft! Failing that, I will have to mount the
Yagi properly outdoors again and shut Tony up! :-)


OK, it turned up (Tele Vee or somesuch) and it's pooched the signal up
from
the lazy yagi in the loft 20 dB to a hanging in by the skin of its teeth
(but listenable with no hiss) 28 dB.

Can't complain really - it only cost 3.89!!

The ultimate question has to be 'Does silly cheap prices do anybody any
good
in the long teerm?'


Sounds to me that if a "rabbits ears" aerial inside your house and lower
than the Yagi in the loft is giving a better signal, then theres summat
seriously wrong with the loft aerial;!...


Do you know, I did wonder! I'm using my other ystem mostly at the momemt, so
I probably just puddle along as is. I don't want much more than CFM, R3, R4
and vary rarely R2,