Dab

[YorksMG2013]

Hello All

I am toying with idea of getting a Sony DAB unit for my 260.
I had a Blaupunkt DAB receiver back in the late 1990s and reception was awful. Are things better now for DAB on the move? I guess it depends on quality of the aerial, but before I splash the cash thought I'd ask what people's experiences of DAB in car now

Cheers

Andrew

[spongeh]

I hate it on the move, got a Kenwood unit fitted in my motorhome and when it loses signal and breaks up, unlike normal FM/AM radio the DAB gives out massive pops crackles and squeals.

The quality of the broadcasts are not discernibly better than FM, its not the same step change in quality that AM to FM or VHS to DVD was, add in the way the units cope with a break down in signal and we wouldn't actively go looking to purchase another DAB unit.

[Alikris]

The quality of the broadcasts are not discernibly better than FM, its not the same step change in quality that AM to FM or VHS to DVD was

DAB is known to be of much worse quality than FM, also many stations broadcast in Mono. For mobile use there is still no adequate substitute for FM.

DAB+ can be better than DAB, but don't hold your breath. See https://media.info/radio/opinion/dab...-use-in-the-uk for a discussion.

It's ironic that a time when video quality is increasing, radio quality is decreasing

Ali.

[YorksMG2013]

Thanks guys. Sounds like a technology that is not yet mature for mobile use (I love to listen at home that said)

Andrew

[Zircon]

Originally Posted by YorksMG2013

Hello All

I am toying with idea of getting a Sony DAB unit for my 260.
I had a Blaupunkt DAB receiver back in the late 1990s and reception was awful. Are things better now for DAB on the move? I guess it depends on quality of the aerial, but before I splash the cash thought I'd ask what people's experiences of DAB in car now

Cheers

Andrew

Hi Andrew, you could try a DAB mini radio which you can connect via a cassette adaptor (if you have a Harmony or Symphony or similar head unit) or perhaps an via an FM transmitter gizmo. I have recently bought an Azatom Pro Sports (see http://www.azatom.com/index.php?rout...product_id=101) which seems to have excellent reception (the cassette adaptor lead is in effect the aerial and you can even keep it charged via the cigarette lighter socket). Obviously, reception is according to your own locality, but I have found it a brilliant way this summer to listen to cricket commentary via BBC 5 Live Sports Extra.

And of course you can take it out of the car too and use as normal.

This one is only just over £30 and only available via the internet. Naturally, other mini DAB radios are available.

Hope this helps.

All the best, Nicholas/Zircon

[baxlin]

Re DAB reception, I had a Lexus company car with DAB radio as standard, and the reception was awful, most of the time showing 'no signal' on the screen. There was no problem with FM and AM reception.

The dealer couldn't explain it, nor sort it, but when it came to return the vehicle, and I unplugged my dashcam from the ciggy socket, DAB reception was nigh on perfect.

It seems, from posts on other forums, that this is a common occurrence, the cabling for whatever is using the ciggy socket 'drains' the DAB signal.

Hope this helps......

Malcolm

[Burwell Mike]

Originally Posted by baxlin

Re DAB reception, I had a Lexus company car with DAB radio as standard, and the reception was awful, most of the time showing 'no signal' on the screen. There was no problem with FM and AM reception.

The dealer couldn't explain it, nor sort it, but when it came to return the vehicle, and I unplugged my dashcam from the ciggy socket, DAB reception was nigh on perfect.

It seems, from posts on other forums, that this is a common occurrence, the cabling for whatever is using the ciggy socket 'drains' the DAB signal.

Hope this helps......

Malcolm

To add to this I have a DAB radio fitted on a boat and connected to the boat 12v electrics. I recently installed some LED reading lights in the cabin connected to the same 12v system. When I turn the light on the DAB signal goes completely - light off again and the radio is back to normal. Seems that DAB signal interference is a common issue with cheap LED's. Sounds like the electronics in the Dashcam was doing the same, I wonder what other electronic gizmos have the same effect?

[baxlin]

Originally Posted by Burwell Mike

To add to this I have a DAB radio fitted on a boat and connected to the boat 12v electrics. I recently installed some LED reading lights in the cabin connected to the same 12v system. When I turn the light on the DAB signal goes completely - light off again and the radio is back to normal. Seems that DAB signal interference is a common issue with cheap LED's. Sounds like the electronics in the Dashcam was doing the same, I wonder what other electronic gizmos have the same effect?

Opinion is it's the cabling that acts as a 'counter aerial', it could be the internals, but as I'd bought a dashcam that matched the Lexus OE sensors unit, I can confirm it wasn't a cheapy! (Not that you inferred it was, of course!!)

[YorksMG2013]

Thanks everyone.

Well I bought a Sony DAB headunit which will be fitted later this year or next.
Sometimes I use a Satnav which plugs into the cig lighter socket so we'll see

Andrew

[Burwell Mike]

Originally Posted by baxlin

Opinion is it's the cabling that acts as a 'counter aerial', it could be the internals, but as I'd bought a dashcam that matched the Lexus OE sensors unit, I can confirm it wasn't a cheapy! (Not that you inferred it was, of course!!)

Whoops! I wouldn't suggest for a moment that you had gone down the cheapy route. With my problem though it was definitely a problem of going for the cheapest! It improved a bit by putting a ferrite core around the power feed to the lights which maybe confirms the theory about the cable radiating some electrical mush?

Andrew, Hope you enjoy your Sony head unit, I have been very pleased with the DAB in mine and found very few areas with no signal (in fact the only place I can recall a problem is in the middle of Salisbury Plain - but there I could not get FM either!)

Mike