Cheap personal DAB radio

quoia

lofielectronic wrote: »

Thanks seth and pdc.

So does anybody know why DAB radios need so much power when fm ones need so little?

For about the same reason that a laptop needs rather more than a pocket calculator

seth

lofielectronic wrote: »

Thanks seth and pdc.

So does anybody know why DAB radios need so much power when fm ones need so little?

I think the development of very low power chips set has been slow. Lack of market share = lack of investment. There is no good solution to the antenna problem. With Sat Nav this has been solved so today's satnav e.g. those using the Surfstar III chip sets are low power and are able to get a lock with no external antenna.

The development costs and research for these problems is large. The potential market is limited for mobile chips = low power. It improves each year, but the rate of evolution is small compared to chips for digital cameras, phones, mp3, etc due to the small size of the market.

Pure have a good reputation this one has a speaker and a 3.5mm headphone socket might be worth a look? Sort of portable.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001DJ9OZ4/ref=asc_df_B001DJ9OZ4404254

Its not a "simple FM radios need a few transistors and DAB needs more" consideration rather DAB uses TTL transistors not the analogue type used in FM tuners.

The FM circuits in portable DAB should be powered down when not in use. As they are in a mobile phone.

The transistor count in a phone or sat nav is huge. However these markets are vast so the investment is there for low power chips.

Really lower power chips sets and power efficient design are arriving for DAB just slower than for other markets. The lifespan of DAB plays is also a lot longer than for other consumer electronics and there are only a few players in the DAB portable market = Slow evolution and improvement.

The trend tends to be DAB + MP + MP4 (video) +USB for live and recorded content e.g. http://elecsun.manufacturer.globalsources.com/si/6008828266919/pdtl/DAB-radio/1009152311/DAB-Radio.htm These are still are the desktop stage as the development costs are lower.

Digital TV on cell phone was supposed to be the savior for DAB chipsets. This market did not do as well as expected. http://www.eetindia.co.in/ART_8800388467_1800010_NT_f1bd4aa9.HTM

If you look at the big players they are waiting for the market. They have to decide which technologies and standards to back. DAB is not a favourite. As broadcast moves to the internet low bandwidth audio will be the first to move. Also supporting low bandwidht audio on mobile internet is trivial and does not have the problems with streaming (consider an RSS podcast feed + large flash based storage driven via internet connections wifi and mobile data)

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/news.phtml/19643/nokia-dab-radio-phones-possible.phtml


You have to wonder if the time will ever come as with mobile data internet radio looks set for a great future.

As mobile data offer so many benefits over DAB you can see the predicament. Perhaps DAB is an evolution for a terrestrial broadcast. The dinosaur of distrubution models?

lofielectronic

Thanks for that. Interesting reading.

I agree it seems to be a dead format. Its a shame as I find BBC 6 & 7 are far better than the other BBC talk and music stations and with less promos and adverts for other shows.

I have a portable PURE set thats about a year old, with new batteries you get about four hours out of it which seems ridiculous.

seth

lofielectronic wrote: »

Thanks for that. Interesting reading.

I agree it seems to be a dead format. Its a shame as I find BBC 6 & 7 are far better than the other BBC talk and music stations and with less promos and adverts for other shows.

I have a portable PURE set thats about a year old, with new batteries you get about four hours out of it which seems ridiculous.

Try the high end brand rechargeable batteries with a decent charger you might get better endurance. Also most rechargeable cells lose 10% of the charge each month, so they are not ideal for storing, There are hybrid cells available in AA and a few others sizes .e.g. Sanyo Eneloop AAA NiMH or AA these can be used without charging when you get them and they only lose a 15% percentage of their charge over a year! 7day shop have these on a a good price. WORTH NOTING THIS IS ONLY AT 20 THEY ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR EMERGENCY USE IN TORCHES ETC AND SHOULD NOT BE USED IN A LIGHTING LEFT IN A CAR AS THE HEAT IN MOST CARS OVER THE SUMMER WILL INCREASE THE SELF DISCHARGE RATE.

Worth checking what type of battery you have NiMH or NiCD. The type has to match your charger. Some have a switch for the 2 types other auto switch.

http://www.budgetbatteries.co.uk/ have a good range of chargers and batteries also worth checking Maplin for 2 for 1 offers etc.