FM switchoff ???

[MrReaper182]

My goodness this is still going? I think by now that FM is here for the foreseeable future! My latest all-singing & dancing portable radio has DAB+/FM/Bluetooth and Internet radio and Wi-fi (Roberts iStream 3 in midnight blue) so i’m covered.

I'm about to add to this so you may not like that but I feely strongly about this. I listen to a lot of radio and want digital radio sound quality to be improved (it's bad) but it wont be while there is still analog radios around. while we have to keep using old things in this country just because their old is beyond me. The powers that be should kill of analog radio and fix digital radio sound quality but I know they wont because the Tories are beyond useless.
Now you might say what about people listening to analog radio and to that I say to get into the 21st century. You might say a lot old people listen to analog radio and moving to digital or internet radio is to complicated for them, to that I say old people are not the technophobes they are all made out to be. I grow up living with my grandparents and they were more than happy to keep up with modern tech. Anyone still listening to only analog radio is missing out on the huge choice of radio stations that digital and internet radio stations offer. Analog radio should be long dead then their would be no excuses not to fix the sound quality of digital radio. Kill analog radio off now.

 

[nads]

My issue with killing FM is the power you need to run a digital radio compared to an analog radio.

 

[Gray]

I'm about to add to this so you may not like that but I feely strongly about this. I listen to a lot of radio and want digital radio sound quality to be improved (it's bad) but it wont be while there is still analog radios around. while we have to keep using old things in this country just because their old is beyond me. The powers that be should kill of analog radio and fix digital radio sound quality but I know they wont because the Tories are beyond useless.
Now you might say what about people listening to analog radio and to that I say to get into the 21st century. You might say a lot old people listen to analog radio and moving to digital or internet radio is to complicated for them, to that I say old people are not the technophobes they are all made out to be. I grow up living with my grandparents and they were more than happy to keep up with modern tech. Anyone still listening to only analog radio is missing out on the huge choice of radio stations that digital and internet radio stations offer. Analog radio should be long dead then their would be no excuses not to fix the sound quality of digital radio. Kill analog radio off now.

We don't mind new tech when it's better.
DAB could have and should have been better.
Broadcasters and multiplex providers will go with quantity over quality if they get the chance - and DAB has given them the chance.
(64kbps mono is what one national music station thought was good enough for 'the future of radio').

With respect, you and and all those tech savvy old people are welcome to DAB.
I and so many others (the majority of hi-fi enthusiasts), are happier to stick with the alternatives thanks

And yes, I've tried it. Some kind work colleagues bought me a portable DAB radio as a leaving gift......wouldn't work downstairs in my house.....fortunately they gave me the receipt.

I think you'll find that people's experiences / word of mouth is responsible for DAB's (lack of) success - rather than it being too modern and technical for old fashioned people to understand (they understand that the full quality promise will never be realised - and why would it be? - even if FM is switched off).

I think, if you're honest, you will appreciate that far fewer people would be inconvenienced or sorry if DAB, rather than FM, got switched off.

 

[Gray]

My issue with killing FM is the power you need to run a digital radio compared to an analog radio.

Yes, replace all FM portables with DAB receivers - that will help the green agenda

 

[jjbomber]

So 14 years and still no progress. Less talk and more action needed.

 

[Gray]

So 14 years and still no progress. Less talk and more action needed.

If it's progress JJ, what is it that you think FM switch off will actually acheive that will be beneficial to a majority?

I've got a perfect Quad FM4 and FM only radio in my car. Both would cease to work....but forget about me (you already have), it's the benefit of DAB (in particular) that I'm keen to learn about

 

[iMark]

Our cable company here in NL has finally decided to switch off analogue FM from their network in 2021. It's a bit sad because for many people cable FM was an incredible upgrade from having an aerial on the roof. Cable FM was my introduction to radio from Belgium, Germany and the UK. Currently we have around 35 stations on FM, all in pretty good quality.

After the switch off however we will continue to have the option to listen to digital radio through DVB-C. I have connected our Humax DVB-C recorders to our stereo sets so they can be used as digital radios without switching the TV on. I now regret not having this done much earlier. We now get 61 non-encrypted radio channels (including BBC Radio 1-4 and World Service) in better than FM quality. I don't know what bitrate the cable company is using but it sounds pretty good to me. No hiss and much better channel separation. BBC Radio 3 sounds great.

Obviously it's very sad for people with good FM tuners that they no longer will get a decent signal through the cable company. There are alternatives like using your own aerial. But that's only a part solution because you will only get local and national stations. I'm sticking with my two Humax recorders to listen to the radio.

The main reason for switching off FM on the cable system is twofold. The cable company states that they need the bandwidth used for FM to get more bandwidth for higher upload speeds. The second reason is that the Dutch government only granted a limited extension until 2021 for running analogue radio after switching off analogue TV. It would be an unfair advantage over other TV service providers.

 

[DCarmi]

The UK government renewed FM licences for 10 years in 2020 so, it should be a while yet.

 

[iMark]

I definitely prefer FM to DAB+ in the car. But I will have radio through DVB-C any time over FM.
In the UK radio doesn't sound too bad over DVB-T2 either. But it doesn't seem to be a serious source for audio lovers.

 

[jjbomber]

If it's progress JJ, what is it that you think FM switch off will actually acheive that will be beneficial to a majority?

I've got a perfect Quad FM4 and FM only radio in my car. Both would cease to work....but forget about me (you already have), it's the benefit of DAB (in particular) that I'm keen to learn about

More bandwidth for 5G and the internet.

Don't forget about the vast majority wanting better broadband, it's all about the selfish few.

 

[Gray]

Don't forget about the vast majority wanting better broadband

Wish I could give them mine!
Full fibre has just been installed in my town.....keep getting letters telling me how fast it is. All I need to do is pay them 4x what I'm currently paying

 

[MrReaper182]

We don't mind new tech when it's better.
DAB could have and should have been better.
Broadcasters and multiplex providers will go with quantity over quality if they get the chance - and DAB has given them the chance.
(64kbps mono is what one national music station thought was good enough for 'the future of radio').

With respect, you and and all those tech savvy old people are welcome to DAB.
I and so many others (the majority of hi-fi enthusiasts), are happier to stick with the alternatives thanks

And yes, I've tried it. Some kind work colleagues bought me a portable DAB radio as a leaving gift......wouldn't work downstairs in my house.....fortunately they gave me the receipt.

I think you'll find that people's experiences / word of mouth is responsible for DAB's (lack of) success - rather than it being too modern and technical for old fashioned people to understand (they understand that the full quality promise will never be realised - and why would it be? - even if FM is switched off).

I think, if you're honest, you will appreciate that far fewer people would be inconvenienced or sorry if DAB, rather than FM, got switched off.

Just because the new tech does not work as good as it should does not mean we should go back to the old tech it means we should fix the new tech. If we fixed the new tech and got it working as it should it would be far better than the old tech, far better as there is much more choice. FM radio is the same old sounding radio stations playing the same old mainstream songs and for me that sucks big time. Also most new radios sold are digital radios so from a sales point of view digital radio as been a big successes, I don't think but the sales people will say different. At this point, the future of radio is internet radio.

 

[Gray]

Just because the new tech does not work as good

Fixing it for the future accepts the fact that some people have wasted money so far - and that's diabolical, because they bought on a promise.
The 'success' of DAB (such that it is) is being bought about by giving people no other choice - e.g. all new cars must be fitted with DAB.
I'm fully aware that you will think that's a good thing.
As for choice....remember the promise of choice with digital TV? Of the hundreds of channels we've now got, how many are not total sh!t?
Most people watch those 'same old ones'.

Anyway, we'll agree to differ on the 'benefits' of a technology that, by your own admission, needs to be 'fixed' to be working as it should
Good luck with that.

 

[Deleted member 108165]

New tech seldom works as it should, it never gets fixed and then newer tech arrives and the support for the broken tech is withdrawn, we are then ladened with newer tech which is buggy and needs fixing too... I can see a cycle developing here. Sometimes things aren't broken so they don't need fixing, Progress is a wonderful thing if you like ever decreasing circles and higher expenditure.

 

[Gray]

In the UK radio doesn't sound too bad over DVB-T2 either. But it doesn't seem to be a serious source for audio lovers.

You're right it doesn't, mainly because of the alternative digital ways of listening to radio. Long ago, people were pointing out that Freeview / Freesat etc. often had the same channels with higher bitrates than DAB.

 

[Deleted member 108165]

Fixing it for the future accepts the fact that some people have wasted money so far - and that's diabolical, because they bought on a promise.
The 'success' of DAB (such that it is) is being bought about by giving people no other choice - e.g. all new cars must be fitted with DAB.
I'm fully aware that you will think that's a good thing.
As for choice....remember the promise of choice with digital TV? Of the hundreds of channels we've now got, how many are not total sh!t?
Most people watch those 'same old ones'.

Anyway, we'll agree to differ on the 'benefits' of a technology that, by your own admission, needs to be 'fixed' to be working as it should
Good luck with that.

Digital TV is a wonderful thing if you have bottomless pockets for multiple digital TV packages.

 

[ultraminiature]

I have a car with expensive DAB + and FM radio. They don't put in a decent aerial. In winter DAB is often unobtainable and I switch to FM. My previous 2003 car had much better FM than this so called top range 17 speaker system FM radio.

I have moved from FM for the main BBC radios to internet radio and I am happy with the wifi signal and sound quality to the streaming speakers which is better than Freesat or Freeview radio - ignore DABs for home use.