Has the timing of the pips on DAB been altered?

John_Gray

When a few months ago I last checked my 'radio-controlled' digital clock against the pips produced on the hour on my DAB radio on BBC Radio 4, the pips were approximately 2½ seconds late compared with the clock.

Now, it seems that they are almost exactly synchronised.

Does anyone know whether the BBC has adjusted the pips when transmitted on DAB radios to allow for the extra time required to process the digital signal as opposed to an ordinary analogue FM radio?

sablade

does this help http://www.getdigitalradio.com/digital-radios/retune

googler

Wikipedia

Wikipedia again

HoofeHearted

I thought MSF was still at Rugby! I must keep up for a change.

John_Gray

From the second Wikipedia link, I find:
"Newer digital broadcasting methods have introduced even greater problems for the accuracy of use of the pips. On digital platforms such as DVB, DAB, satellite and the Internet, the pips—although generated accurately—are not heard by the listener exactly on the hour. The encoding and decoding of the digital signal causes a delay, of usually between 2 and 8 seconds. In the case of satellite broadcasting, the travel time of the signal to and from the satellite adds about another 0.25 seconds."

However, this doesn't answer the original question! Is the BBC now broadcasting the pips on Radio 4 DAB 2½ seconds earlier than on Radio 4 FM, so that the pips are heard at the correct time via both systems?