This particular point is interesting:
In markets where ABC carries all four national networks (Classic, NewsRadio, RN, Triple J) plus Local Radio, that gives them potentially 15 digital stations. Currently the ABC broadcasts six—Country, Grandstand, Jazz, Kids Listen, Double J and Triple J Unearthed—plus the five simulcasts.
If DRM was adopted, increasing the rollout of NewsRadio and expanding digital radio could be rolled into one for the ABC.
Another motoring journo that hasn’t REALLY listened to DAB+, at least not in comparison to FM
“Digital radio may be a valuable feature in future negotiations, however. More consumers seem to be engaging with it for its better sound quality and paucity of advertisements. Increasingly, however, it’s being packaged with the standard audio system in prestige cars.”
From
https://www.motoring.com.au/what-are-the-right-options-for-your-new-car-123618/
Dab+ Only has better sound quality in comparison to Am broadcasting.
With a perfect fm Stereo signal fm wins by a mile.
Agreed. DAB leaves a lot to be desired. I don’t love it.
For me I only listen to it for the additional stations, if I were to listen to an fm station that is simulcasting on Dab+ I would listen to it on fm.
What does he mean prestige cars? It’s now standard in the Mitsubishi Mirage
Maybe if you are upgrading from a 120Y, it is!
Or a tuk tuk.
I never listen to FM except for stations I can’t get on DAB like Rebel and Breeze and some of the community stations. There isn’t a mainstream metro FM station I ever listen to - too many ads to even contemplate. I’m on DAB for the extra stations the vast majority of the time. As for sound quality I don’t think there’s that much in it personally between FM and DAB. I still find a background faint hiss on FM I don’t hear at all on DAB. The sound can be slightly richer on FM but if you grew up on crackly AM then DAB sounds fine enough to me. It also depends on the receiver. To me DAB sounds equal to or even better than FM in my car on some stations.
According to ACMA’s Draft Five-Year Spectrum Outlook 2020-24, which was released today:
Gee that’s dragging out. I think ACMA is struggling to referee the arguments between the Brisbane and Gold Coast operators. They need to get better at that and dictate a little more. But that’s not their strong point, particular over important matters.
Hello all, I am new to this forum … currently looking for technical details of DAB and FM in Australia.
DAB - I’m interested in multiplex details as available from QtDab or Andis DAB player software (all free software), e.g. SIDs, labels, protection levels, PTY, …
For FM, it is all about PI codes.
Why? to keep the database behind fmscan.org, dablist.org and fmlist.org up-to-date.
Any help is appreciated!
Something intriguing whilst browsing Facebook:
Judging by the comments from the above (names & pics censored), it appears that My Perth Digital (and presumably My Canberra Digital) has closed down or about to close down. Can @dxnerd or @littlegezzybear confirm whether that’s the case, re My Canberra?
EDIT: Upon further investigation, this from the 2CA Facebook page:
It appears that it has changed music format to what the author described above as a more ‘commercial’ format, ie. targeting a younger audience.
Been streaming the Perth station via RadioApp, looks like they’ve dropped the ‘digital’ moniker in favour of My DAB Radio. Sounds like another Hot AC station to me
The positioner? Perth’s Best Music 
Yes they call themselves My DAB Radio but the station ID is still My Perth Digital. Certainly the music is top 40 pop, reminds me of Edge Digital, not that different really to X Digital. But I am too old for top 40 songs, they all sound the same to me.
And in radio news on other side of the age divide: Magic Radio has disappeared and replaced by 6GT (see https://radioinfo.com.au/news/good-times-nine-radio-perth). And that is sounding more like 6iX 60s/70s Classic Rock now.
Too bad I am too far north to pick up The Wave on DAB+ consistently.
So musically speaking, My DAB Radio is now not much different to most of the commercial FM stations in Perth & Mix 106.3 in Canberra.
When you think about it, it’s little wonder why, even after more than a decade, DAB+ still hasn’t taken off in a big way in this country, notwithstanding the fact that it’s only available in the capital cities + Mandurah.
Huh, interesting. I totally forgot about this station. It even has news now, and according to the sweeper after the news, is “from the Capital Radio Network blasting across Perth from Carmel"
Maybe they felt squeezed by Magic/6GT? Not that anyone is listening to either …
Edit: comparing to sister station X Digital, X seems more “urban” than My DAB, which seems more melodic to me. I’d like to see if there’s a comparison of logs in something like Lava or Online Radio Box
Do you need a fancy format, I just copy pasted the multiplex info pages for each of the Melbourne multiplexes - it’s a .csv extension but probably better to open in a text editor. melbourne.csv (27.6 KB)
Can’t help you on the PI codes, my FM reception is terrible through the same antenna I plug the DAB stick into - but there’s a collaborative google doc floating around if you check in to the RDS topic on here.
Sounds like that’d also be close in format to Snow FM that they carry on DAB in Canberra as well.
I’ve always thought the My City Digital stations were too close to the Forever Classic format, but the young people listening to DAB audience must be vanishingly small.
That said, I’d just be dropping the stations entirely so I could up the bitrate on the AM simulcast of 6iX/2CA - and then work on improving those formats.
My Canberra played Gaslighter by the Dixie Chicks a while ago.
