The difference is amazing. A minimum useable sensitivity ranging from 49 dBuV/m to 25 dBuV/m.
What a winner if we could buy receivers in Australia with a MUS as low as 25 dBuV/m.
I would like to see receivers sold in Australia with such benchmarking to drive improvement in this.
Most to me seem very cheap reference designs from China with no concern of it operating in the real world.
Australia is a large country with expectations of reception from long distances, the same is expected of digital radio, proportionate to its characteristics.
Brisbane for example suffers from being well below 50kW ERP, the most in one direction is 26kW. So Brisbane buyers need a radio for starters that is twice as good as elsewhere.
Other handy hints from the OFCOM report, really the obvious:
A telescopic antenna are by far the best, forget floppy wire or headphone antennae.
Telescopic lengths need to improve.
Vertical is by far the best polarisation for the telescopic
Trialling the following digital radios this evening from a fringe location:
Officeworks has a great returns policy making it easy to buy, try & return if thereās no signal.
Thereās also the Richter brand at Officeworks, but I have excluded that from my trial as itās a company that imports off the shelf designs with its own badge. High price doesnāt match the quality.
QUDO brand is simply what is available in K Mart but at a higher Officeworks price, again, excluded.
Excellent Cranky! Will be very interested to get the results from your shoot-out. JB had each of them on sale a few weeks ago but I resisted as I couldnāt get definitive reviews on line. Especially about things like sensitivity.
I have the Sony radio on the top of your list, listening to it as I type.
It sounds amazing considering the very small speaker.
Iāve trialled it at North Narrabeen, Mount Kuring-Gai, Wahroonga & of course at work.
Iāve had no issues with DAB+ reception at any of those places, but canāt really count at work, because the DAB+ transmitters are upstairs & the antenna about 140m directly above me.
It doesnāt have any problems with overload on FM at work though, so you can count that.
I did try it once in the studios at CoastFM Gosford but DAB+ didnāt work there, not surprised though.
I also canāt get DAB+ at home on it, in Belmont North, but may be able to get it at a higher elevation around North Lake Macquarie, I just havenāt tried yet.
With the end of SBS Radio 4 (with BBC World News simulcast and special event coverage being merged into SBS Radio 3) and the overall reshuffle that has resulted in additional radio services for DVB-T & VAST, the bitrates of the DAB+ stations have changed a bit.
SBS Radio 1/2: 40kbps
SBS Radio 3 & Arabic24: 48kbps
SBS PopDesi: 64kbps
SBS Chill & PopAsia: 72kbps
Mediaweek and Radioinfo are both reporting āSBS Radio today launches two new digital radio stations ā SBS PopAsia, SBS PopDesiā. How can they not know that both were already available on digital radio.
Iām sure I could get it on higher ground around Newy, I just havenāt tried.
I have a lot of trouble getting FM from Mt Sugarloaf at my place, easier with stations from the South, if DAB+ comes to Newcastle I doubt Iāll get it at home without a local in fill translator.
Iāll be heading down there in May. Iāll endeavour to do a rough sketch of the coverage as I plan to go north, west, and south of Hobart (Iāve been to Port Arthur before). Iām particularly interested as to whether any radio signals of any description make it into the Gordon Dam.
Looks like ARN might be finally starting to do something with The 80s rather just a playlist on loop. This weekend they have a Foreigner special to promote an upcoming tour. It was great to listen to some of the interviews and rarer tracks played this morning and ARN might finally have realised they need to do something or fall behind the SCA MMM digital stations.
Still on the subject of ARN DAB+ stations, Iāve noticed The 90s is off air in Sydney, in which itās still being received, but no audio is being transmitted. The 80s is on air as normal. Is this the same in other cities?
Judging by their playlist, Fun Super Digi doesnāt really play much from the 70s & none from the 60s these days, as their music format is now leaning more towards the 80s & 90s. They used to play plenty of 60s & 70s music a few years ago though.
I noticed this morning Easy Hits has a more localised news service here in Brisbane. Itās still very brief but itās local rather than the national snippets they were airing. Definitely helps to make the station more alive. Take note Smooth Brisbane, who doesnāt even broadcast a news service in Brisbane.