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DAB Digital Radios

DAB radio is touted as the next step forward for radio broadcasting, with all the main radio stations ‘going digital’ and a whole raft of new stations appearing. The government is looking to turn off all analogue television signals in 2012, and it’s believed that something similar will be done with radio eventually.

DAB radio offers many advantages over traditional radio, and receivers are now coming down in price, making digital radio available to a wider audience.

What is DAB Radio?

DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) uses digital signals as opposed to traditional analogue transmissions, and is broadcast as groups of data known as multiplexes. Each multiplex includes a number of stations that are transmitted at a set frequency and these can be decoded by DAB radios. The amount of multiplexes and radio stations that are receivable by your decoder depends on your location. Presently, commercial digital radio reaches around 80% of the population and the BBC transmissions cover nearly 85%. Both are predicted to rise to about 90%, reaching over 46 million people.

The Benefits of DAB Digital Radio

• Great Sound Quality: DAB receivers lock on to the strongest signal and ignore others, allowing for interference-free listening. This means that crackles, hiss and fading are now things of the analogue past!
• More Choice: There is more room for more stations on the multiplexes due to the new technology used in digital broadcasts. Many cities and towns will have about 40 stations to choose from - that’s double the amount currently offered on the FM band! This means that alongside established stations such as Radio 1 or Virgin Radio, you will have the opportunity to access a whole new range of specialist stations!
• Stations Are Easy to Find: DAB radios have a text display screen where you can choose your station by name. No more fretting over trying to remember which frequency your favourite station resides on! Also, because national stations are broadcast on the same frequency across the nation, there’s no need to retune your radio!
• Access More Information: DAB broadcasts display far more detailed text information than the current RDS System. A whole raft of information is available about the show you’re listening to and the individual track that’s being played.

Further Information

To find out if you are able to recieve digital radio in your region use the postcode checker available at Digital Radio Now (opens in new window)

For some hints and tips on what to look for when choosing and buying a DAB digital radio, visit our How to Choose a DAB Digital Radio page.

To learn more about some of the leading DAB digital radio manufacturers and models, take a look at our Brands and Top Models sections

To find out where you can get some great deals on DAB digital radios by shopping online, visit our Where to Buy section.