Digital radios?

twopenny

I bought a cheap one back when they were all the rage but I and others living rurally found the signal kept dropping out. Really annoying.
I've tried my cheap one on and off but still the signal keeps vanishing.

Considering buying something smater and more expensive but wondering if the loss of signal is normal or if something better will overcome this.

I could listen via a tablet but like the idea of having something you don't have to keep charging. Just press a button whenever you like.

Any experience of such an archaic device 

SiliconChip

Are you looking for something to listen to inside or outside the house? If inside and you have reasonable broadband then I'd suggest buying a smart speaker rather than a radio, since buying some Echo devices in last year's Black Friday sale I rarely bother to turn on any of the radios I already owned.

Rodders53

What do you mean by Digital Radio... one with a digital display but is AM/FM analogue?
Or a DAB/DAB+ radio?

Either will need the aerial rod extending and probably kept vertical.

Location will affect the level of radio signal available inside homes... and building construction, too.

A smart speaker, plugged into a wall supply, would possibly be more reliable.  Also has better audio quality on some radio stations via streaming than DAB especially.  Even an old tablet could be kept plugged into a charger.

oldernonethewiser

The DAB signal in my area is poor so I use the internet connectivity of my radio to connect to stations.

Has a number of presets, like an old fashoined radio, and I have them set to my favourites which include a number of oversees stations.

tacpot12

We have a Tesco DAB-907 radio bought off eBay that is ok where we live.

It's like this one:  Tesco DAB-907Q DAB/FM Digital Radio - Silver | eBay Might be worth a try to see if it is better than your current one, but if it doesn't work, pop it back on eBay and take the suggestion about listening to the radio on the Internet. 

twopenny

Lol Tacpot, that's the one I've got.
It sort of works fine except the drop in reception at the critical moment of a murder plot.

Thank you everyone for the ideas. I'll look into them for other locations.

The 'should I buy a better one' came to an abrupt halt when I saw the price had doubled to £200 +   

matelodave

a more expensive one might have a more sensitive receiver, but there again it might not. Even a superduper radio won't manage to work if the signal level is marginal.

I've got RobertS DAB radio which worked a treat when we lived in Essex but will only just about get the BBC channels out in Fenland where i live. Likewise my DAB car radio fades in and out as I drive through the countryside depending on which station I'm listening.

twopenny

That's the one I coveted.
Thought it might be the case. I live in a bay surrounded by hills, have the same problem with fm if driving.
When bbc2 came in it would only work when the tide was out and digital tv no signal at mid tide.

The dab radio wouldn't work for a friend living in a corner of the bay.

coffeehound

If the radio has a screw-on aerial, you could connect it to an external aerial.  They aren't as hard to install as television aerials since they don't need to be pointed in a certain direction

twopenny

The radio I have does have an external aerial - my ordinary radio has a soft flexible wire aerial

What sort of external aerial could help coffeehound?

It's a good idea but I haven't a clue.....a few decades have passed since I had to deal with attachable aerials

Rodders53

https://www.aerialsandtv.com/knowledge/fm-and-dab-radio is worth a read...

If you have a TV aerial outlet nearby try connecting that... there may be enough cable pickup to work better than the in the room aerial and cost nothing.

Installing an external aerial DAB vertical dipole antenna at rooftop level to see all around won't be cheap.  Directional DAB aerials would need pointing at the transmitter you want to receive from...