Digital Radio Reception Area

Digital radio reception already looks to be on the mind of one of our readers. Here is his question & our answer. Please keep those questions coming. (sssh we love em)

I think I will be in a fringe area for digital radio!

What distances can be transmitted and is there anything I can do to improve my chances of receiving a good signal?

Yes as with all types of radio transmission there are things within your control that you can implement that will result in better reception and thus a more enjoyable experience. The most obvious of these is to select a quality product with premium performance characteristics.

Are You On The Fringe?

As with all electronic equipment there will be plenty of choice from the budget models to the more expensive premium product. If you believe or already know that you are in a difficult area for reception, you may need to spend a bit more to obtain the result you require. The amount you will need to spend will depend not only on performance, but will be governed to a large degree by the additional features each product offers.

Although your choice of product is paramount, the biggest improvement you may be able to achieve could result from the addition of an external aerial system. Most, if not all products will incorporate an internal aerial system. These will be limited in performance by their design, the internal space available and a cost factor. Although at this stage we are not sure what form these external antennas will take, we are sure most of them will easily out perform the standard inbuilt systems.

For example, with Short Wave radio the external aerial system can often cost more than the receiver itself. This seems a bit strange but is easily justified by the improved reception gained, resulting in louder, cleaner and clearer signal. The other noticeable difference with digital will be that you may either receive perfect reception or nothing at all similar to the reception experienced while watching digital TV. Rest assured as we become aware of different antenna options we will bring them to your attention.

As far as transmission distance is concerned this will be directly proportional to the output power and design of the various transmitters. The allocated power output of each station will vary, and will be set by the governing authorities. This decision will be made up of facts gleaned from the test transmissions and the required function of each station. Other considerations taken in to account would be that each station transmitting should not be negatively impacted by other transmissions.

We will learn more about specific areas as the roll out of digital takes place and will have a better idea of the sort of add on antennas that will become available as time goes on.

Digital Radios - Related Articles Worth Reading:

1. Advantages of Digital (DAB+) vs FM Radio Broadcast
2. Digital radio (DAB+) vs AM radio
3. Digital Radios - Features & Formats
4. Buying A Digital Radio
5. DAB+ Digital Radio Transmitters - Media Release

Tags: Digital radio reception