Like @TV-Expert, I have a Panasonic Mini Hi Fi with DAB but no RDS on FM.
What would cause a discrepancy in audio quality between two stations that have the same bitrate?
Smooth FM and Easy Hits in Perth both run at 48kbps, and both have similar styles of music. To my ears, Smooth FM sounds far superior to Easy Hits, being less muffled and more dynamic.
Even The 80’s at 32kbps sounds as good as Oldskool Hits at 40kbps.
Are SCA’s AAC+ encoders far worse than other operators? Are their settings cooked? Am I imagining things?
FWIW, I’m mostly listening in a 2016 Ford Focus with Sync 3. I got the bitrate info from a Philips iPhone dock which has a DAB+ radio as well.
Without knowing the exact full audio chain, I can’t really answer that, but most likely it’d be the processing applied before it’s encoded to AAC, could also be how they’re getting the audio across the country?
Just like how FM stations can sound different when they’re using the same transmitter brand/model, one may be really dynamic, the other may sound flat, DAB+ is the same.
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I believe the bitrate you might see on a DAB+ receiver isn’t necessarily the AAC+ bitrate but also includes padding bits and static digital images that might also be encapsulated in the stream.
It’s been posted here before the actual AAC+ bitrates of some stations.
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Yep, the bitrate indicated on receivers is the total bitrate, not the audio bitrate.
48K bitrate on the receiver could have 28k audio on one station, & 32k audio on another.
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Regional DAB+ planning
Another thought on this: 5kW by ACMA should be rejected in all markets.
Not only for the cost and complexity of SFN and multiple sites, but for times of natural disaster.
Better to have resources focussed on one site than in the middle of fire, flood, cyclone, whatever; having parts of your licence area without radio as could eventually be the case if analogue is closed.
Look at the huge 50kW setups of the ABC, one site covers a large distance. DAB+ will never cover that far, but one site for one area, to match analogue should be possible in most cases.
Gold Coast is an example of that. High power off Mt Tamborine instead of south of Burleigh with next to no coverage if Currumbin goes off air or Bonogin etc if Springbrook is off air.
Same with Canberra. Completely wasteful to have translators at Yass, Braidwood, Tuggeranong etc when Black Mt on appropriate power can cover most of it.
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Yeah, maybe they are worried about overspill since Radio 97, Breeze and Rebel aren’t being allowed on Gold Coasr DAB?
I recall how Grant Broadcasters wanted to “jam” DAB channels 9A and 9B in Geelong since fortuitous reception of Melbourne DAB commercials were impacting on their audience.
ELF is on air in Brisbane again
Anyone else still seeing a channel called TACO with no content coming up? What was it all about?
Test for a new Mexican Spanish channel? 
️
All it seems to be testing is ground noise…
The Totally Arbitrary Commercial Operation 
was noticed in July - not sure if it has continued since.
Springbrook lost power for a week during Cyclone Debbie - it’d be pretty rude if the southern half of the coast lost their radio for that time too because the repeater was down. Especially in those areas where there’s only one road in/out and emergency radio broadcasts are immensely important
The Tamborine signal would still struggle in the Talle, Currumbin Valleys but you’re right that a bit more power would certainly help that at least
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So, inside the DAB Perth multiplex, there are multiple stations. Those stations can have an audio stream, and other miscellaneous data? The radios report the bitrate of the station, not the audio stream itself.
What sort of extra data would be in these stations, and is it worth sacrificing audio quality for?
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Extra data consists of scrolling song and other text info as well as Slideshows
Yes.
Some is used for the “RDS” text, which we want.
But most is used on slideshow images, which almost no radios available here can actually display. @SydneyCityTV posted some images above here: Digital Radio - #1084 by SydneyCityTV
Not all, stations have them, but most of the commercials do in some form or another. (Some good, some not. Some up to date, others not).
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Dab text is now on for 2ch. No song titles yet. Just easy classics and 2ch 1170.
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As a result of Elf Radio’s (very early) return to the airwaves for another festive season, the bitrates of all ARN digital-only offerings have been cut back to 32kbps.
…and a (fairly low quality) DAB+ slideshow image:
Better than nothing though, right?
Yeah i am sure it will come soon the song text.
Did the backup generators run out of juice during this time?
I recall all road access was closed for at least two, perhaps three days. A connection was re-established on the longer secondary access, the shortest route remains closed and likely so until 2019 (go figure, it’s Qld).
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