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DAB RADIO

DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) opens up a whole new world of radio, which offers beautifully clear reception, a great choice of stunning new stations, remarkable ease-of-use and superior text information.

How does it work?

Digital radio, or DAB as it is also known, uses digital signals rather than traditional analogue transmissions. Digital radio is broadcast as groups of data called multiplexes. Each multiplex contains a number of stations, transmitted at a set frequency, which DAB radios decode. The number of multiplexes and radio stations you receive will vary depending on your location in the UK. Digital radio offers a raft of improvements over conventional analogue broadcasts, which we've outlined below.

Improved sound quality

DAB digital radio offers excellent sound quality. The technology allows the receiver to lock on to the strongest signal it can find and ignore everything else, delivering interference free listening wherever you are. This eliminates the hiss, crackle and fade so familiar on old analogue designs.

More choice

Because it uses new digital technology, DAB is a much more efficient way to broadcast, meaning there's room for loads more radio stations, both local and national. Some towns and cities have 40 or more digital stations to choose from, at least double the number available to most people on FM. And it's not just more of the same. DAB Digital Radio means diversity of listening, so while you'll still find many of your old favourites broadcasting in improved, digital quality sound on DAB, you'll also find a whole raft of new, unique, specialist radio stations. For full details of all the stations available in your area visit www.digitalradionow.com

Much easier to use

With DAB, radio stations have labels for identification. Instead of needing to know a particular frequency to listen to your favourite broadcast you can simply select the station name, making sets incredibly easy to tune. Never again will you have the frustrating conundrum of knowing the station you want, but not its frequency. With a digital radio there are no frequencies. Just choose the station you want by name from the text display screen.

More associated information

DAB broadcasts can display text information in far greater detail than the current RDS system. DAB digital radios all come with an LCD display on which you will often see messages about the station or music to which you're listening. Many stations transmit the name of the artist, the title of the song, and sometimes even what's coming up next. For example, if you were listening to an opera on a classical station you might well be given the name of the piece, the composer, the singers, the orchestra, the conductor - even a translation of the piece!

No Re-tuning

National digital radio stations, both commercial and BBC, are broadcast on the same frequency across the country, so you never need to retune when you're on the move. Choose a national station in Newcastle and never touch the dial all the way to London and beyond.