Issue with DAB reception.

Langtang

I'm not sure if this is a question for this board, or for the Techie Stuff one.

My car is hard-wired to Radio 4 through DAB. For the last month, I've been getting a drop in sound just as the 5pm news is coming on. Just for a second, and always at the same time. I lose the first and/or second words of the news broadcast.

I've checked online, and there's no issue with Audi or Radio 4/BBC that I can find. Doesn't seem to matter where I am - almost home, in the car park at work or on the road.

Any ideas?

Grumpy_chap

Langtang said:

My car is hard-wired to Radio 4 through DAB. For the last month, I've been getting a drop in sound just as the 5pm news is coming on.

Any ideas?

This is a special feature to protect your sanity given the news is so depressing - you are happier for it.🤣

On a serious note, I'm watching this thread as the radio reception in my wife's Fiesta is never as good as in the older cars.  Hoping for a good, generic tip that will help us too.

Alanp

You’re not in North Yorkshire/ north east are you?, the bilsdale transmitter caught fire a couple of months back and this had affected tv and radio, I think today they’re switching on the temporary mast to improve things, having said all that though, my Puma radio aerial is through the rear window and it’s not as good , the little shark fin on the roof is just for WiFi, apparently…

troffasky

This is nothing to do with cars, but twice in the past couple of weeks my DAB radio at home has gone silent on Radio 4, bang on the top of the hour. I didn't leave it to see if it would come back by itself, I changed channels and back and it was fine.

janefitzjane

It is possible (though arguably unlikely) that it is not to do with the radio reception at all, but to do with something else that reliably happens at 5pm. I know that when most smartphones get notifications the sound they are playing is quietened for a few seconds. Your radio could be reacting to something like that which happens reliably at 5pm, though I'm not sure what that could be in a car.

Langtang

Grumpy_chap said:

This is a special feature to protect your sanity given the news is so depressing - you are happier for it.🤣

I seem to remember, back in the day, you could set your video recorder to skip recording the ad breaks (it didn't really work that well). I'd be quite happy with that function wrt the news these days.

Langtang

Alanp said:

You’re not in North Yorkshire/ north east are you?, the bilsdale transmitter caught fire a couple of months back and this had affected tv and radio, I think today they’re switching on the temporary mast to improve things, having said all that though, my Puma radio aerial is through the rear window and it’s not as good , the little shark fin on the roof is just for WiFi, apparently…

It would be great if I were - at least I'd have a reason. NE Scotland, sadly.

PS.. how do you like your Puma, apart from the aerial? (on the radar to replace our Fiesta)

Langtang

troffasky said:

This is nothing to do with cars, but twice in the past couple of weeks my DAB radio at home has gone silent on Radio 4, bang on the top of the hour. I didn't leave it to see if it would come back by itself, I changed channels and back and it was fine.

That's exactly what's happening to me (should have said in my OP) I've been in the car at different times, and bang on the hour....

I've tried all sorts in the car - DAB, FM, changing channels (to think, I used to listen to Radio 1 all the time... sheesh!)

Brie

Does it only happen in the car or also when you are at home as well?

My biggest issue with DAB is that different brands seem to pull the signal at slightly different times.  We've 2 Pure Minis and they are in sync with each other and not far off the Pure clock radio.  There's another DAB here but it's off by about 2 seconds which means we can't have that and one of the Pures playing within earshot at the same time.  And of course any DAB is way off anything that is non DAB.  Hurts my ears!!!

ontheroad1970

It's happened on Radio 2 on the DAB in my car and my previous car an E class.  

Langtang

ontheroad1970 said:

It's happened on Radio 2 on the DAB in my car and my previous car an E class.  

How long ago are you speaking about? This has just happened to me in the last month or so (it was ok before that, but I've only had the car since Sept 2020)