106.0

Discuss all things relating to the busy London Pirate Radio scene.
Albert H
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Re: 106.0

Post by Albert H » Fri Sep 02, 2016 12:42 am

That sounds to me like your antenna isn't doing anything - you're receiving on the coax!
"Why is my rig humming?"
"Because it doesn't know the words!"
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famefm
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Re: 106.0

Post by famefm » Fri Sep 02, 2016 1:24 am

That's very strange? it can easily pick up the low power rinse and most of the other London pirates? Also 1003 classic is just to powerful to overcome where I am? at first when the house station went onto 1003 it was very good reception my area very odd?

famefm
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Re: 106.0

Post by famefm » Fri Sep 02, 2016 1:42 am

Thanks Albert I just looked it up? And that's why I love analogue fm? would I be right in thinking the DAB system is a totally uninteresting concept in broadcasting?

Albert H
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Re: 106.0

Post by Albert H » Fri Sep 02, 2016 9:57 am

No - DAB is actually quite workable, but the way it's done in this country - low bit-rates to cram in as much as possible, basic DAB (not DAB+), and the use of low bit-rate mono for music stations (often with stereo for talk stations!).

At the time it was developed, the choice of codecs available was severely limited and to give widest compatibility (they thought) with other formats, they chose the execrable MP2. There were even better codecs available back then, but the short-sighted idiots setting up the DAB format didn't consider them.

They also fondly believed that they could get away with very low transmitter power. Sadly, the reality was rather different, and the DAB signal proved not to be very robust - you get the "bubbling mud" distortion and even complete blackouts as you drive along in your car.

The only truly successful car install I've ever seen is the one I did myself. I used two aerials - one at the front of the roof, and another at the back. These feed a pair of receivers (operated in parallel) and I use a digital "diversity" system to decode the best of the two signals. This doesn't suffer from the distortion an drop-outs that are common on other receiving set-ups. My company is in negotiation with VW (actually VAG) to factory fit this kind of improved DAB system to VWs and Audis.

Until the problems are sorted out, DAB won't be a mass-market product. OFCOM claim that "up to" 40% of listening is done on DAB - that's like saying your ISP data rate can be "up-to 80Mb/s" when it's actually 4Mb/s. The real figure is somewhere around 5% - there's many more still listening to Medium Wave!
"Why is my rig humming?"
"Because it doesn't know the words!"
;)

famefm
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Re: 106.0

Post by famefm » Fri Sep 02, 2016 11:28 am

Thanks again for the education I didn't know all this? but I also think the main radio listening by most people just stick to only the main stations like the big boys? The pop stuff and we all know what it is and unlike television people stick with the same ?so the 106.2 heartless fan's would not see the need to go digital?

s2000

Re: 106.0

Post by s2000 » Tue Sep 06, 2016 9:24 pm

Seems to be some high pitched noise all over the audio on this station atm. It was so shite in the car I thought I had accidently pressed the AM button!

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