DAB via T'internet or PC card

PhilCCFC

Morning all,

I'm looking at getting DAB on via my PC, do I have to buy a special PC card ?

Joe_Bloggs

DAB via a PC seems a waste of energy. You can get portable dab tuners with stereo jack output that could drive a sound card line input or line input of another device.
Can you be sure that you can get the DAB signal in your locality ? Many but not all DAB stations are also broadcast on terrestrial freeview.
J_B.

PhilCCFC

Thanks Joe, I'm trying to reduce the amount of electrical items in my home office hence the question regarding a PC card rather than another external device !

Hintza

To add to the above. Are most DAB stations not broadcast on the internet anyway?

For example planet rock (not available by freeview) both DAB and internet.

With the price of DAB radios why not keep a keen eye open and pick one up I think they are a little cheaper and you might get one around the £30 mark now

Joe_Bloggs

The PC is a major source of local electromagnetic interference as is the PC monitor. Far better to keep any aerials away from computer equipment. There are also DAB reception blackspots. Why lump the two things together relying on one device to be on for the other to work as in the PC card case ?
J_B.

PhilCCFC

Cheers for that.

Flimber

There's some confusion here over what DAB means...

DAB PCI cards are hard to come by. Forget it or pay £100 on eBay (to people who bought them from PCWorld when they cleared them out at £19.99).

If the station you want is on Freeview you can get a Freeview (DVB-T) PCI card and listen that way (better quality than DAB). ~£40 new.

I've advise against listening via the internet (low quality, too many dropouts and gargles and it'll slow your PC down and take precious surfing/downloading bandwidth away from you).

HTH,
Mike.

T4i

Flimber wrote:

There's some confusion here over what DAB means...

DAB PCI cards are hard to come by. Forget it or pay £100 on eBay (to people who bought them from PCWorld when they cleared them out at £19.99).

If the station you want is on Freeview you can get a Freeview (DVB-T) PCI card and listen that way (better quality than DAB). ~£40 new.

I've advise against listening via the internet (low quality, too many dropouts and gargles and it'll slow your PC down and take precious surfing/downloading bandwidth away from you).

HTH,
Mike.

????? Hard to come by? http://www.dab-digital-radio.com/mod_tech_dab_pci_card.htm this was the 1st page I came across.

As for low quality and gargles.....this can happen with a proper DAB reciever if a weak signal is achieved.

Flimber

T4i wrote:

????? Hard to come by? http://www.dab-digital-radio.com/mod_tech_dab_pci_card.htm this was the 1st page I came across.

...

Did you even click the (long-outdated) link ? The Mod Tech card is not even made any more. After it was £49.99 it was £19.99...just like I said.



Mike.

T4i

T4i wrote:

????? Hard to come by? http://www.dab-digital-radio.com/mod_tech_dab_pci_card.htm this was the 1st page I came across.

Dont talk so much garbage T4i!

Flimber wrote:

DAB PCI cards are hard to come by. Forget it or pay £100 on eBay (to people who bought them from PCWorld when they cleared them out at £19.99).

Yes.......