Terrible DAB reception

[admin_exported]

Throughout this week I have not been able to listen to DAB on my Onkyo 515 DAB. I use it via my television aerial and usually the reception is about as good as it gets. This week all I have heard over DAB are pops, dribbles and what sounds like someone suffering from acute intestinal problems surrounded by acute distortion. It has been utterly useless. Fortunately I can, of course, connect via the internet, but even that hasn't sounded that great. What seems incredible is that reception has been fine when listened to on my cheap old analogue portable radio on FM. I live within 60 miles of London. Has anyone else had these problems this week, or is it just me? Has the BBC reduced the power of its DAB transmissions for some reason?

 

[Andy Clough]

Not an uncommon experience on DAB, I'm afraid. I live 12 miles from central London, yet DAB reception is patchy at best.

 

[Andrew Everard]

romseyraver:I use it via my television aerial

Y'see, that's where you're going wrong: using a TV aerial for DAB isn't ideal, and what with all the TV digital switchover malarkey going on at the moment, almost anything could be affecting it.

 

[proffski]

Quite right, DAB or (Diabolical Audio Broadcasting) works in the 200MHz region whilst your TV will be in the order of 800MHz or thereabouts, you will have little signal on the antenna getting to your tuner.

Get a proper DAB Aerial and then you can enjoy all the faults of DAB perfectly!

 

[chebby]

People would not dream of using an FM or DAB aerial for their television reception, but when it comes to radio (whatever it is ) anything will do!

If you are not prepared (or able) to get an optimised DAB aerial professionally installed on the roof then maybe you could use Freeview radio from your TV (or Freeview box or whatever) and connect with an RCA phono lead to a spare input on the back of your Onkyo.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies, guys. Yes, I know that I'm not using the right aerial, but DAB usually works just fine for me and my purposes via a digital aerial. And yes, I know bad reception is not that much of a *** as I have the internet and freeview. However, what I was asking was whether anyone else had experienced poor DAB reception this week, and what causes these periods of poor reception on DAB - whether it's the high pressure weather system or a change in transmission or signal strength.

 

[chebby]

I have used the BBC transmitter work/reception problems tool for a random Romsey SO51 postcode and there are no problems or scheduled work for all three of the transmitters that serve your area.

(I assume you live in Romsey from your name.)

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the interest and help, Chebby. I will wait a while and hope for improvement, as reception has been patchy in the past and then improved for no apparent reason. As I have said, it's usually very good and clear here. The tool you use sounds very useful. Is it something I could get from the internet?

 

[Sorreltiger]

Don't forget that you either have a DAB signal or you don't. There isn't any kind of in-between mush that you get with FM if the signal is weak. I imagine that you were previously listening without interruption although the signal was only just strong enough. It has only taken a slight reduction in strength to make the sound disappear completely.

 

[raff]

Its not quite signal or no signal.. The audio starts burbling before going silent. I was using an indoor aerial and I noticed the quality changed when people moved around the room. Thinking about getting an external aerial now. Just got to get around to it.

 

[bob.g]

I have exactly the same problem with borderline DAB signal quality. Signal goes from just about OK then to as though someones torturing an acoustic guitar before dropping out completely. Must be to do with where we live because Freeview signal is also borderline with frequent signal dropout.

 

[Anonymous]

My DAB signal drops out everytime I charge my phone!!

 

[Ravey Gravey Davy]

romseyraver: However, what I was asking was whether anyone else had experienced poor DAB reception this week, and what causes these periods of poor reception on DAB - whether it's the high pressure weather system or a change in transmission or signal strength.

You are not alone- for about the past 2 weeks,there has been intermittent but significant variation in signal strength and mine is currently on the TV aerial pending roof work which will enable a proper DAB aerial- but it has gone from strength 180-220 on radio 2 to virtually nothing at times(yes no signal is better than some for radio 2).Since it is on the end of a booster I unplug the main TV socket in another room which helps but does not cure.

As Andrew says ,TV signals are doing all sorts- the above has coincided with receiving repeated unwanted TV notifications about the switchover/analogue switch off.

 

[chudleighpaul]

I live about a mile from the Crystal Palace transmitter, but I installed a proper DAB aerial in my loft.

Even in good reception areas such as mine it is always worth doing the job properly.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, after a few weeks of behaving itself reception has gone again today. Methinks it is to do with the high pressure weather system, since reception always seems to take a hit when the barometer's up. However, clearly I need to do something about this problem, but what? One route would be to get a proper aerial, which I understand can be spliced into the TV cable. The other route is to wait for the BBCs online radio portal due in December and ditch DAB. I could then trade in my little Onkyo for separate amp and CD player.

Any thoughts about what route to go down for the best and most convenient results gratefully received.

 

[chudleighpaul]

Why would you want to splice it into the TV cable?

Do the job properly and use a seperate cable. You will not regret it.

 

[Anonymous]

I have been told I can put a DAB aerial on the TV pole and connect it to the TV cable going into the house using something called a diplexer. This can either be in the form of a box on the TV pole itself, or be included in a TV booster amp as a separate output for my Onkyo. In either case, if this works it will apparently mean that I won't have to have two cables running from the roof into the house.

 

[chudleighpaul]

The problem is, if it doesn't work you will have spent money on the diplexer, and you will have to go up on the roof a second time to run a seperate cable. Is it such a problem to have a second cable coming into the house?

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your interest, Chudleighpaul.

I guess it will have to be yet another cable. I haven't been able to get any DAB this weekend, and even listening via the internet has not been problem free and occasionally drops out. Yet I switch on my old portable transistor and it works every time anywhere in the house. Progress just ain't what it used to be.

I posed the question because I had read on another forum that using a diplexer was a solution, but you are of course right in pointing out that it probably won't save me any time, effort or expense.

 

[Anonymous]

Got to the bottom of this. Called up my local aerial bloke, thinking I would have to get a DAB aerial fitted. He told me that my local DAB transmitter had been on the blink and that they had been carrying out repairs/maintenance over the past weeks, hence the degradation and loss of the signal.

The aerial bloke said that, because the DAB transmitter for my location was coincidently placed directly in line with the TV transmitter, there was really no need to use anything other than my digital TV aerial to pick up the DAB signal. So, I've now re-tuned my Onkyo and have got the signal back at 98% efficiency.

Thanks everyone for your help with this.

 

[Anonymous]

Having the same issues here... weird.