| THE UK’s LEADING VINTAGE RADIO REPAIR AND RESTORATION CENTRE |
DAB Radio... a step back in time? I'm asked virtually every day about the demise of analogue radio. What will happen to vintage radios when the analogue system is switched off? Will I still be able to listen to the cricket on long wave? When will they switch off the analogue stations? Will FM also get the chop? I can't answer these questions and I don't think the government can, either. So, I've been trying to discover what people think about DAB radio. I suppose the results of my mini survey were predictable, but I had fun doing it. The main question is, if DAB is so good then why haven't the masses flocked to the shops and bought a DAB radio? This is supposedly a new and exciting technology, so why does apathy reign? The government are pushing DAB and the BBC are continually harping on about how amazing DAB is, so why aren't the general public rushing out and buying these all singing all dancing radios? I read in an article somewhere that it took twenty years for FM to be fully accepted by the masses. Will DAB take that long? Or will internet radio and other formats sink the DAB ship before it's sailed? Back in the nineteen sixties, everyone owned a transistor radio. They were to be found on every kitchen windowsill, in every teenager's bedroom, and they were taken to the beach and out on picnics. I remember sitting on the beach beneath the summer sun listening to Radio Caroline or Radio London. They were great days, but they've gone. How many kitchen windowsills are adorned with a transistor radio these days? How many people take a tranny to the beach? According to my mini survey, very few, if any. DAB radios look similar to the old transistor radios. There's nothing wrong with that, apart for one thing. The days of the portable transistor radio have gone, people don't have them in their kitchens or take them to the beach anymore. So, why would they want to buy a modern-day transistor radio? Why would the majority of people want to buy the radio pictured on the right, when they don't even want the one on the left?
That's a good question... why buy the radio on the right? The radio on the right can pick up Radio 4 Extra and The BBC World Service and Five Live and Gold and Absolute Radio and Talk Sport and Local BBC stations and lots more. The radio on the left can receive BBC Radio 4 and Five Live and Gold and Absolute Radio and Talk Sport and Local BBC stations and, if it has FM, it can also pick up Radio One, Radio Two, Radio Three, Classic FM, Kiss FM, Heart FM and... and lots more. To most people, there is very little difference between the two radios. But there is one very big difference that everyone is aware of, and that's the price! So, what was the question? Oh yes, why buy the radio on the right? The answer is simple. If you don't already use a transistor radio, you won't want to spend a lot of money buying the radio on the right. If you do use a transistor radio, you won't want to spend a lot of money buying the radio on the right. By the way, the batteries in the radio on the left can last for several weeks. The batteries in the radio on the right may last a few days or, worse still, a few hours. I've asked dozens of people of all ages and walks of life about their radio listening preferences. They listen to the radio in their car or on their computer, or via cable or Sky TV or on their iPhone or their hi-fi gear. As one chap put it, "I don't want to step back in time and lug a transistor radio around with me". If people did want to carry a transistor radio around, they'd be using the radio pictured on the left. I also asked a variety of people which stations they listen to. The older ones like BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 2 and Classic FM. Many of the older listeners also like tuning in to the cricket on BBC Radio 4 long wave. What will happen to the cricket if the long wave transmitter is taken off the air? No one seems to know, not even the BBC. Younger listeners prefer BBC Radio 1 and various independent stations. Apart from BBC Radio 4 Extra and The BBC World Service, there are very few DAB stations available that people want or can't already get. The general consensus appears to be that, if you want a choice of hundreds of radio stations, they are available on the internet - computers and iPhones. DAB radio does not offer a choice of hundreds of radio stations. I've also gleaned from my mini survey that people are very staid in their radio listening habits. The majority of listeners stick with one or two radio stations, even though there might be a massive choice of stations. That trivialises the sales angle that DAB radios are easier to tune than analogue radios. They may well be easier to tune, but it seems that people don't want to tune in to lots of different stations. There is the odd exception where, say, a French chap is staying or living in the UK and he'd like to listen to a French radio station. That's where internet radio comes in, and DAB is of no use at all. By the way, the old transistor radios can receive French stations, the posh DAB transistor radios can't. Another sales angle for DAB radio is... interference-free listening! No more crackles and pops or hissing noises! I put this valid point to people in my survey. The general consensus? People would rather have a little interference than listen to boiling mud or nothing at all. Boiling mud is the sound which emanates from DAB radios when the signal is weak. If the signal drops beneath a certain level, then the radio cuts out and silence reigns. So, it seems that people would rather endure background hiss or a few crackling noises and still be able to hear the program, rather than lose the program altogether. It would appear that people don't want a posh transistor radio, so what's the point in them? It's not so much that people are against DAB radio, they just don't see the point in it. The people I've spoken to reckon that the government, along with the BBC and manufacturers, amongst others, are trying to sell us a product that most of us don't want and discarded decades ago - the portable transistor radio. Admittedly, the DAB version is a posh transistor radio. But, according to those I've spoken to who have tried a DAB radio, they don't work very well and they eat up batteries like there's no tomorrow. For those who do want a transistor radio to use in the shed or garage or wherever, they are available at car boot sales for a fiver. Just about everyone who took part in my mini survey wants to keep radio as it is, that's long, medium wave and FM broadcasts. Those who do want DAB radio want it run alongside analogue radio, the best of both worlds. Obviously, that won't happen because of the cost of running two systems. Will DAB radios ever become as popular as the transistor radios of the nineteen sixties? Or will another form of radio take over, such as internet or satellite? The latter, I would imagine. AUDIO QUALITY Several people have emailed me to say that this article is limited to transistor radios and there's no mention of audio quality. With these comments in mind, I continued with my mini survey. Again questioning people of various ages and walks of life, I discovered that those who use a transistor radio on FM are very happy with the audio quality. In fact, those who have compared FM to DAB on transistor radios reckon that FM wins hands down. Why? Because hiss is far less problematic than the sound of boiling mud or silence on a DAB radio. Although I tried to keep my questions basic because the majority of people aren't technically minded, one of my survey victims came up with a very good point. Discussing the audio frequency response of any transistor radio, whether it be a nineteen sixties model or a posh DAB version, is pointless because they all use small loudspeakers. A small loudspeaker in a plastic box is incapable of reproducing hi-fi sound. Even those who listen to medium and long wave stations have no complaints concerning audio quality. As one chap said, "I use my transistor radio for background music and I'm not really bothered about the quality of the sound. If I can enjoy the music and listen to the news without any trouble, that's good enough for me". Many people agreed with his comment. Another medium wave listener said that he used his tranny in his workshop and, if he wanted quality audio, then he'd use his FM tuner and hi-fi amp. This indicates strongly that it's not audio response that's at the top of the list for most listeners. Those who use FM tuners with their hi-fi gear were all of the same opinion, the audio quality of FM is far better than DAB. As one man said in no uncertain terms, "I've listened to FM and DAB tuners and there is no contest. You can't beat FM, end of subject". A minority of people I spoke to said that, although they'd heard of DAB radio, they had no idea what it was. The few that loved their DAB radios did so for one reason, they could switch between a couple of their favourite radio stations at the touch of a button. However, they had had some difficulty in setting up the memory buttons. A few said that they'd bought a DAB radio, but only used them on FM. The scrolling text on DAB radios stating which program you're listening to was met by indifference from just about everyone. Finally, I was asked about my radio listening habits. I listen to the Today program at six in the morning on BBC Radio 4 FM using my bedside clock radio. If the weather is good and I'm having lunch in the garden, I might listen to BBC Radio 4 on long wave using an old transistor radio. In the workshop, I listen to Gold on medium wave using a vintage valve radio. I like programs such as The Navy Lark and Dad's Army on BBC Radio 4 Extra. I also like the BBC World Service, but it's not worth spending money on a DAB radio just to listen to a couple of stations. I used to listen to the World Service on 648 kHz medium wave but, in their wisdom, the BBC closed the transmitter down. To listen to the stations I can't pick up on my old tranny or vintage valve radio, I use my computer or cable TV box. I haven't mentioned car radios because everyone I spoke to is perfectly happy with their in-car entertainment system, and they don't want to change it. There is one aspect of modern-day listening that my old valve or transistor radio can't compete with. Using my computer, I can go the the BBC web site and choose to listen to a program of my choice, when it suits me. Even the all singing all dancing DAB radios can't perform that neat little trick. What do you think? Have your say HERE
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