recording DAB radio stations

zippy75

Hi folks

I listen to a lot of radio (serialisations and similar stuff, mainly on BBC) and at the moment I record stuff that I can't listen to 'live' from my Freeview with a DVD recorder. However sometimes radio programmes clash with a TV programme that I also want to record. In this instance I use BBC Listen Again, which I'm finding more and more of a pain (errors with the players dropping the connection or not starting at all etc.), not to mention having to actually sit there and manually record it with audacity. Also recording onto DVD means having to extract the audio from the file (I use this by the way if anyone needs a bit of free software to do that; it's excellent http://www.geovid.com/ - look for Video mp3 Extractor under Audio Conversion on the left of the page).

So what I'm looking for is a DAB radio that has a EPG and some sort of programme timer that you set like like a VHS / DVD recorder to schedule recordings of programmes you want. I want a seperate radio unit rather than going down the internet radio route (a long story but mainly because I've just got mobile broadband with 3 and I need to keep my usage quite low so I can save money by staying on the lowest GB package if possible).

I had a bit of a hunt about on the net and saw these and wondered if they are the type of thing I should be looking at

http://www.ogormans.co.uk/pure_digital_radios.htm#PURE%20Evoke-1%20Marshall (PURE The Bug, 2nd one from the bottom)

http://www.robertsradio.co.uk/pages/rd41.html

http://www.simplyradios.com/pure/e3/index.htm

Does anyone have any experience of recording digital radio like this, or any specific recommendations? As cheap as possible of course, but it has to work well! Are there any bargains to be had on eBay?

Also, I went to the digital radio coverage checker at http://www.ukdigitalradio.com/coverage/postcodesearch/
and got all 'amber ticks' - "you are fairly likely to receive these stations, but may need an external aerial for best reception", rather than 'green ticks' - "you are very likely to receive these stations". Does this mean I would still probably get a decent reception; would a retailer refund a radio if I couldn't get it to work in my house?

Sorry for all the questions; help with any or all would be really appreciated.

Zippy

albertross_2

A Humax twin tuner freeview/twin recorder pvr with a usb port to quickly transfer the file to PC? Freeview radio is better quality than DAB (which might not work at all depending on your area), and a pvr may revolutionize your viewing/recording method/habits (no more fiddling with dvd's)

http://www.humaxdigital.com/uk/products/pvr-9200t.asp

BritBrat

How about recording it from online "Listen again".

Sorry, never read you already tried that.

unrich

The
Pure Evoke-3

might be one to look at. Seems to do everything you want and records to SD memory.

I like Roberts a lot and have a an old multiband radio (over 10 years old) and a recent Gemini 49. I can't fault the quality.

bat999

Hi
I realise that now you're using 3 mobile internet you don't want to download those 'Listen Again' programmes...

But I think you were going about it the long way round...

To download a 1 hour programme takes about 3 minutes (@ 2Mbps) and the file size is about 27MB.
And there's free software to do it with.
:cool:

esson1

When it says that the DAB radio records to SD card , does this mean that I can record radio , remove the card and play it from another device eg mp3 player ?

zippy75

bat999 wrote: »

Hi
I realise that now you're using 3 mobile internet you don't want to download those 'Listen Again' programmes...

But I think you were going about it the long way round...

To download a 1 hour programme takes about 3 minutes (@ 2Mbps) and the file size is about 27MB.
And there's free software to do it with.
:cool:

Can you explain more what you mean by this bat999?

I was originally going to try software to schedule recordings ahead of time (didn't know any of it was free though), but that would mean leaving the modem connected, therefore using up data allowance, and also leaving the PC on for a long time, which I don't like doing.

When you say downloading a 1 hour programme takes about 3 minutes (@ 2Mbps) and the file size is about 27MB, do you mean doing it from the Listen Again - if so, how? - or downloading it as it happens (bear in mind that I want it to be done without me doing it manually; like a video recorder).

Thanks,

Zippy

bat999

Hi
Yes, I mean record from the 'Listen Again' link (after the programme has been transmitted) not scheduled ahead.
You would need to be there to do it, but if it only takes a few minutes it's not a big deal. You just connect the modem for the time you need. It depends on the maximum download speed of your internet.
As I said, a 1 hour programme is about 27MB which takes me about 3 minutes at 2Mbps.
A 2 hour programme is about 55MB and takes twice as long etc.

What is the download speed of your internet?
How many GB are you allowed to download per month?

The software that I use to download with is SMPlayer.
From here:-http://smplayer.sourceforge.net/

If you install it you'll need these two packages:-

Package with installer: smplayer_0.6.0rc2_lite.exe (11.08 MB)
Additional codecs: smplayer_codecs_20071007.exe
:cool:

zippy75

bat999 wrote: »

Hi
Yes, I mean record from the 'Listen Again' link (after the programme has been transmitted) not scheduled ahead.
You would need to be there to do it, but if it only takes a few minutes it's not a big deal. You just connect the modem for the time you need. It depends on the maximum download speed of your internet.
As I said, a 1 hour programme is about 27MB which takes me about 3 minutes at 2Mbps.
A 2 hour programme is about 55MB and takes twice as long etc.

What is the download speed of your internet?
How many GB are you allowed to download per month?

The software that I use to download with is SMPlayer.
From here:-http://smplayer.sourceforge.net/

If you install it you'll need these two packages:-

Package with installer: smplayer_0.6.0rc2_lite.exe (11.08 MB)
Additional codecs: smplayer_codecs_20071007.exe
:cool:

My speed is supposed to be "Turbo speeds of up to 2.8 mbps" but when I connect the modem, the pop up balloon says "3 USB Modem now connected, speed: 3.6 mbps"

I have started off on the 1GB per month for £10 option, as they said you couldn't transfer down from 3GB (next package up) at £15 per month, but you could transfer up to 3GB. So that was the safest way to see if 1GB was enough - don't think it will be though as I've used over 30% in less than a week:o

Thanks bat999, this sounds like something worth having a try with, even if it's as a stopgap while I think about radios etc. The method is all new to me though, so I'll have a proper look at that site tomorrow. Thanks again for your help.

Any other tips much appreciated :beer:

Zippy

bat999

OK zippy
If you go ahead with SMPlayer you'll need help to set it up.
Ask again or PM me if you like.
:cool:

zippy75

OK I have downloaded the two smplayer files, but I can't see how you use it to download the Listen Again programme

If you can point me in the right direction bat999, that'd be great

Zippy