Why put DAB in cars?

DennisN · Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2018 10:08 am Post subject: Why put DAB in cars?

My new van has a choice of AM, FM and DAB radio, with default being DAB. It sounds great, clear as a bell and nice tones. The salesman set it up for me when I collected it, with my favourites, all on DAB. No, I'm not incapable, but he knew how to do it quickly enough to get me out of the place faster.

But when I drive off "down the road" (or more accurately down the motorway), it drops the signal and searches for a new one. OK if that's all, but it does it every few minutes at 65mph, making it simply not worth tuning in to.

DAB is no doubt fabulous for all the drivers who just potter around Bradford, but for anybody who travels outside God's Own County, useless! I mean, I've done 30,000 miles in it in 6 months, so I'm obviously not hanging around my local transmitter.
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Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

Kremmen · Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2018 11:29 am Post subject:

There seems to be a lot of DAB maintenance going on at the moment. This is probably why we've been complaining about Garmin Inrix all week.

http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/operations/planned_engineering_works

My car is set to DAB and I've been around without issue, but not north of Watford Gap. The only place I've know it to cut out is Forest Row near East Grinstead but Forest Row is in a dip. Once I climb out DAB is back.

I agree that FM is perfectly OK in cars.
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M8TJT · Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2018 11:46 am Post subject:

Dab drops out for me at various locations so I generally use FM which doesn't.

Privateer · Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2018 12:33 pm Post subject:

When we bought our Land Rover Defender, in 2015, we changed the ICE from a basic radio to one that would connect with the iPod. The unit also has DAB radio.

I've found DAB to be a major let down. I was expecting loads of stations but there are very few.

If I want music then the iPod is connected else there's more choice on FM radio.

Regards,
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DennisN · Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2018 2:49 pm Post subject:

AM doesn't drop out, simply fades into crackle, and FM also drops out occasionally when I drive to Nether Wherever, but nowhere near as frequently as DAB.

I thought DAB has zillions of stations, but confess I haven't explored them and TBH so long as I can get Classic FM and Radio 5, I'm satisfied. It's just a waste of time with DAB though.
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Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

Kremmen · Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2018 2:54 pm Post subject:

I'm a Magic Radio fan. They play the stuff I grew up with from the 70's 80's and 90's.

None of this latest rap music with a capital C
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marksfish · Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2018 8:45 pm Post subject:

As a RadioX and Absolute 80s fan, my van radio is tuned to DAB all day every (working) day. When I had my Fiesta van, the reception used to drop out much more frequently that my current Transit Courier. Very rare that my DAB cuts out around the country (FRom Plymouth to Glasgow). That said, my Wife's car lost DAB around Leigh Delamere on the M4 today.
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dales · Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2018 10:31 pm Post subject:

So, do some DAB stations cover a large area, and others cover just a small area ??
Can some knowledgeable person elaborate please.

(Until then, I'm with Dennis on this. I did try DAB. If there was a DAB station that I wanted to hear, well I didn't hear it for very long on my journey. So I gave up with DAB and I went back to FM, or my USB memory-stick ... and that was IN God's own county !).

Dales.
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Kremmen · Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2018 4:55 am Post subject:

.... and some bright spark wanted the UK to turn off FM this year in favour of DAB.
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M8TJT · Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2018 8:12 am Post subject:

Presumably so that they could sell off the 88 to 108MHz band for vast amounts of money.

marksfish · Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2018 9:12 am Post subject:

You have DAB national and DAB regional, just as on FM. Band D I think it is carries the national broadcasters and the BBC seem to have their own band. I find the BBC signal is stronger than some of the other broadcasters. What I dislike about it is the signal disappears totally, no fade in or out.
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sussamb · Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2018 10:48 am Post subject:

That's the way digital signals work, they're either there or not.
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MaFt · Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2018 8:30 am Post subject:

I've not driven far with DAB but my Ford has a thing where if there's a matching FM signal for that station then when (not if) the DAB signal drops then the FM signal takes over fairly seamlessly. However, not all DAB stations have an FM partner.

The drive from home to the school bus stop has 2 dead spots for the 'Total Rock' DAB station - annoyingly they're both at different sets of traffic lights so I end up sat in silence at 2 different points if I decide to have the radio on...

So, yes, I second it: why have DAB in cars?!

253 · Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 4:39 pm Post subject:

M8TJT · Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 5:39 pm Post subject:

Cuz you can get programmes that ain't available on FM (sometimes). Shocked

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