Dab signal problems

jaymoe

I drive all day in a lorry and the radio is rubbish, I have a plug socket so bought a cheap DAB radio. The signal is appalling. I have the arieal as high as it goes and still a poor signal. Is it just because it's a cheap radio. Is it because I am moving to I can't get a decent signal. Should I just throw the radio in the river!!

Oblivion

Yep, chuck in the nearest dustbin


http://www.techradar.com/news/car-tech/why-dab-radio-in-the-uk-is-broken-and-how-to-fix-it-1217586

Rodders53

Likely your lorry has too much metal shielding the portable radio antenna?

You need a proper mobile installation... DAB antennas (aerials) must be vertical and outside in the clear if possible.

A better quality / performing radio (with DAB) could be installed in your lorry - but the antenna is key to good reception on any frequency DAB, FM and AM. This may not be solution if you do not own the vehicle of course. Most require separate DAB and FM/AM antennas.

You can get DAB adapters to connect to existing 12V car radios via an aux in connection, as to how good they are I don't know.

My car radio DAB works well. As does the FM radio side. I've had many vehicles where FM worked extremely well and have driven some with DAB since the last century.

EssexExile

Oblivion wrote: »

Yep, chuck in the nearest dustbin


http://www.techradar.com/news/car-tech/why-dab-radio-in-the-uk-is-broken-and-how-to-fix-it-1217586

That's a brilliant article, mainly because it agrees with what I've been saying for years - digital has the posibility to be so much better than analogue, but it's so much worse.

esuhl

I remember buying a DAB radio and being stunned at how poor the sound quality was. I don't understand it.

Every time new audio devices come out, there's much excitement at how sound quality has been pushed to new lows. We swapped CDs for MP3s and FM for DAB.

Yet with visual displays, we've gone from SD to 720i to 1080p to 4K, and 50Hz refresh rates to 100Hz.

It's crazy.

molerat

Coverage is also patchy. Locally I am fine if I want to listen to mux 12B (BBC) channels. Anything else drops out as I drive round town.

stator

What type of aerial do you have?

I love DAB

Gloomendoom

I fitted a Pure Highway to both mine and my wife's car. My car has an external area and has (almost) perfect reception wherever I go. However, bad weather does affect reception in certain marginal areas.

My wife's car has the stick on windscreen aerial that came with the Highway and that has been perfect rain or shine, although her car is generally only used locally (rural area).

As esuhl said, the sound quality of DAB is very noticeably inferior to FM. I only use DAB to receive stations that aren't available on FM.