DAB and DAB+?
Q
I saw a news story about the BBC launching some new radio stations, including a Radio 2 spin-off that was to have the late Steve Wright as a presenter – god rest his soul. The article said this and the other stations will be available on DAB+ and BBC Sounds. I do have BBC Sounds on my basic Android phone, but I barely use it because I mainly listen to the radio in the kitchen on a little set I bought from Argos a few years ago. This says DAB on the front, but not DAB+. I assume DAB+ is some sort of upgraded system? Will my existing radio be able to get these new BBC stations? If not, why not? Walter Mitchell
A
You’re right that DAB+ is an advance on the original Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) standard, essentially allowing more digital information to be piped over the same amount of radio bandwidth – and therefore allowing space for additional stations. Currently, it co-exists with DAB, so some stations continue to be broadcast on DAB, while others are available only on DAB+. However, while the new technology is able to make use of existing broadcast transmitters, radios do specifically need to be able to decode DAB+ signals.
Whether your particular set is able to is impossible for us to say, but DAB+ didn’t formally launch until 2016 – so if you purchased your radio before then, it almost certainly won’t support the newer standard.
Digital Radio UK, the industry group charged with managing and communicating matters relating to DAB and DAB+, does offer a ‘tick mark’ (pictured above) that manufacturers can use on devices. However, this tends to be used only on packaging, rather than radios themselves. There are also two different logos, one slightly newer, but both indicate compatibility with both
DAB and DAB+ (www.snipca.com/49376).
You can see what DAB and DAB+ stations you should be able to receive in your area by using Digital Radio UK’S postcode checker at www.snipca. com/49377.
If your radio doesn’t receive all the channels it should, use its retune function to update the channel list.
If no DAB+ stations appear at all, it’s probably not compatible with DAB+.
A basic DAB+ radio costs around £30 – such as the Bush model pictured above: www.snipca.com/49535.
Want to know the difference between technical terms? Email noproblem@ computeractive.co.uk