Times have changed. Who listens to fm pirate

[mpx]

48kbps AAC is just about acceptable for music if the source is direct encoded. Otherwise it sounds like garbage. FM is hard to beat for sound quality if properly processed.

I think there will always be a need for FM radio, unless DAB+ is invested in to the level where we have choice and blanket coverage, and less barriers to get on the air.

[cocksock]

DAB transmission rates on SSDAB are about £1000 to £2000 per year for 48kbps.

It costs more than that per month!

If that was the case every idiot would be on DAB for a measly £150 odd quid a month!

[famefm]

I think he means the tiny inner London dabs that is about the right amount they are much less than London wide one's are

[cocksock]

I think he means the tiny inner London dabs that is about the right amount they are much less than London wide one's are

You’re right, I missed the reference of Small Scale DAB

[mpx]

The London SSDAB is more than that I can assure you.

[famefm]

That was 5 years ago I saw the price I think I forgot to say

[Albert H]

The coverage of the SSDAB sites has been described as "disappointing". Nobody in their right mind is going to pay the kind of money that is being asked for DAB slots. The quality is abysmal and the coverage is "small".

Just for my own amusement, I built a small DAB set-up using a Raspberry Pi 4 for the codecs, and a Raspberry Pi 3B+ feeding an "EasyDAB" modulator. This mess drives a "power amp" through a mask filter - the output power is about 4 Watts. It's going into a ⅞ vertical with ground planes, and covers about 2 miles in its best direction. It's carrying about a dozen DAB+ music channels - most of them in stereo - and two old DAB mono speech streams. It was just done to see if it could be done......

There's Open Source DAB software available on Github if anyone wants to give it a try. You can get 4 stereo DAB+ streams out of a Pi 3B+ on its own feeding a "Hack RF One" by USB. It's highly silly, but proves that anyone can do it if they know enough about Linux!

[famefm]

All I know is it's rubbish and I can't believe that after all these days a station like solar radio that started in 1984 is only on one of those puney little things in London and newer ex pirates can get much larger dab set ups than can at least reach some distance

[reverend]

The London SSDAB is more than that I can assure you.

I was basing my figures on prices I've seen for Woking/Aldershot, Portsmouth and Brighton... I haven't seen the London SSDAB pricing but I guess they would carry a higher premium given the audience they serve.

[SundayGroover]

The coverage of the SSDAB sites has been described as "disappointing".

My station has 2 SSDAB sites Norwich and Canbridge - the Cambridge site actually covers reasonably well almost back to our main studio site, but the Norwich signal is woefully inadequate. The TX is on a fairly low tower block in the city and barely covers Norwich with indoor useable signal! At least we've got a second FM TX granted now, just the headache now of setting that up!

[Ian]

I do think that it’s a good opportunity for some of these ex pirate djs that have been doing it for 25/30 year's , to finally be legal. Must be a good feeling of achievement after all the years they put in. Knowing now they can’t get a criminal record for doing what they love? I guess that is a plus side?

[XXL]

It’s totally pointless being on DAB. The listeners will be even less than FM because of how small the coverage is. The internet is the place to be but nothing compares to being on FM. That’s why people still do it today, and will continue. Theres still loads of listeners if you have a decent signal and run a live stream online to get the best of both worlds.

All this talk from people who say no one listens to fm anymore have just lost touch with reality. Maybe they don’t listen to FM because they’re like 40-50 years old now and hardly ever listen to music, but millions of people still do. It’s still a good platform for listening to music in the car and advertising to everyone that your actually a real radio station, ran by real people, not just an auto dj bullshit stream.

Then you get the people that switch on a rig with poor quality, low volume, not even compressed audio, always on silent, signal is shocking everywhere, ain’t got a fucking clue, and wonder why they don’t get any texts through and no DJs want to play on their station.

[urbanocturnal]

It’s totally pointless being on DAB. The listeners will be even less than FM because of how small the coverage is. The internet is the place to be but nothing compares to being on FM. That’s why people still do it today, and will continue. Theres still loads of listeners if you have a decent signal and run a live stream online to get the best of both worlds.

All this talk from people who say no one listens to fm anymore have just lost touch with reality. Maybe they don’t listen to FM because they’re like 40-50 years old now and hardly ever listen to music, but millions of people still do. It’s still a good platform for listening to music in the car and advertising to everyone that your actually a real radio station, ran by real people, not just an auto dj bullshit stream.

Then you get the people that switch on a rig with poor quality, low volume, not even compressed audio, always on silent, signal is shocking everywhere, ain’t got a fucking clue, and wonder why they don’t get any texts through and no DJs want to play on their station.

I'll second that. Being on FM, and doing it properly, is a formidable barrier to entry for those who don't have serious convictions about their programming and music choices. I'll always scan the FM dial first, and more often than not I'll find something I like way before reaching for DAB or Internet streams

[82EmbleyPoint]

FM is dead DAB is dead!!. It is 2022 everything I need is on my phone

[mr beale]

FM seems to be coming to life again...

[sinus trouble]

FM is not dead!!

Granted there is more variety of mediums and less Pirates these days?

LBC are reporting massive audiences! Taking over terrestrial TV channels! I can confirm there is not a morning that goes by without hearing Nick Ferrari booming out of someones car!

The opportunity is there! Pirates need to step up the game!

[XXL]

Definitely not dead, you just don’t listen to FM, and that’s fine. But millions of people do.

[Ian]

Pirate is shit. Stale tunes and proper shows t djs . Worse than 40 years ago. If you disagree, then your a cunt. It is what it is.:

[famefm]

Lbc is national on dab both of their services 1152 am and 97.3 fm and I think it's a change from just music radio and so much rubbish music about now I can only think of about 3 stations now that I still like

[Ian]

I truly believe that radio was so much more better and more important and professional years ago. Unfortunately we are where we are.