Radio - Switching Between Fm And Mw

[Deputy Dog]

This is a recurring problem. If the radio is tuned into FM and I switch over to MW the radio automatically changes the preset to the MW equivalent of the FM station that I had previously been listening too. I then have to retune the MW to locate the channel that I had hoped to listen too. The problem is specific to BBC radio frequencies/channels. I would be intersted to learn if any other Prius owners have had the same problem. The car is due its next service so I may mention it then.

[Jan&tone]

Whats medium wave do then?? Lol....

Seriously, check with the dealer, i've never used medium wave since the days of radio luxemburg so can't help

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I don't think I listened to MW since Radio 1 stopped using it about 15 years ago. Tell a lie, I did try and find a UK station on it when in France last year but it was so unlistenable I haven't bothered since.

Seriously - is there anything on MW these days?

[Parts-King]

Seriously - is there anything on MW these days?

Five Live me thinks

My gaffer has it on permanantly when out and about, drives me to insanity

Kingo

[Doesn'tExist]

Seriously - is there anything on MW these days?

Five Live me thinks

My gaffer has it on permanantly when out and about, drives me to insanity

Kingo

It is also on DAB :-)

[Dane]

For all the old 60s & 70s songs I listen to Gold on 990 mw.

[Doesn'tExist]

For all the old 60s & 70s songs I listen to Gold on 990 mw.

Again I am listening to that in glorious stereo on DAB

[Seamaster73]

I only ever listen to Radio 4, and usually via podcasts these days.

[Doesn'tExist]

Also available via DAB

Ok, I'll get my coat and stop it now

[Seamaster73]

It's better quality on FM (I have a DAB radio at home).

[Doesn'tExist]

Only if you have good FM reception in the first place

I can compare like for like in the Prius on the move, DAB keeps the signal longer and quality is definitely better.

But as there is a mini-meet over Easter I'll let the others be the judge of it, don't have to take my word for it.

[Jan&tone]

Only if you have good FM reception in the first place

I can compare like for like in the Prius on the move, DAB keeps the signal longer and quality is definitely better.

But as there is a mini-meet over Easter I'll let the others be the judge of it, don't have to take my word for it.

Lol, hope the meet is in an area that has better dab reception than we do at home!!

[Seamaster73]

I live in a sixth floor apartment in a major city centre, with virtual line of sight to the local transmitter, and my DAB reception is woeful.

[Doesn'tExist]

But surely you don't park your car in an apartment block? You really shouldn't draw conclusion based upon that as it is not a comparable test. And too strong a reception can be really bad.

Anyway all of this started about MW and I was offering an alternative to that unless you are saying the radio stations aforementioned can be received via FM as well?

[Grumpy Cabbie]

DAB has worse coverage than the 3 mobile phone network - and that's saying something!

Sure, you're OK in the 6 or 7 major cities in the UK and in the South East, but hit and miss elsewhere. I personally think they're going bust. Radio stations are cancelling their DAB contracts and there isn't enough bandwidth to include all the existing local FM stations even if they wanted to go on DAB.

It was a good idea that wasn't. Now DAB+ on the other hand. That's the one they should have gone for.

[Seamaster73]

If only DAB coverage had improved as much as Three's - OFCOM's maps confirm they have the best 3G network in the UK now by a country mile!

[Doesn'tExist]

Again only relevant if they provide any coverage where you consume their services. Having installed the secure digital communications networks for the blue-light services in the UK I know a thing or two or three about radio planning ;-) None of the networks provide enough coverage hence there is the more secure and reliable Tetra network, backed up by dual bearer normal carriers for data transmissions as they just cannot be relied upon.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

If only DAB coverage had improved as much as Three's - OFCOM's maps confirm they have the best 3G network in the UK now by a country mile!

Indeed. They have the best 3g network but the least overall coverage. However, credit to 3 for increasing coverage from zero in 2002 to about 95% coverage now.

DAB on the other hand has about 85% of the population which is pretty much London (7.7 million), Birmingham area (2.2 million) and the other top 5 cities and the South East. http://www.ukdigitalradio.com/images/coverage-map.gif

A commercial company (3 network) can manage 95% (inc rural Wales and Scotland) in the same period that the mainly BBC pet project DAB has managed the top population areas and the South East of England. They'd be better making 9 million DAB radios obsolete and switching to DAB+ instead of switching off fm and making 110 million radios out of date.

DAB = Betamax ;)

[Doesn'tExist]

Funny you say three 95% including rural Wales and Scotland, you really don't don't the facts do you? When doing the ambulance network only two mobile bearers were proven to provide coverage across the whole of Wales but only by having automatic dual bearer in order to switch between them. And three wasn't one of them.

In scotland there is none at all. I've been out there doing the field trials finishing in January 2010

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Funny you say three 95% including rural Wales and Scotland, you really don't don't the facts do you? When doing the ambulance network only two mobile bearers were proven to provide coverage across the whole of Wales but only by having automatic dual bearer in order to switch between them. And three wasn't one of them.

In scotland there is none at all. I've been out there doing the field trials finishing in January 2010

I guess there are facts and there are facts.

I was quoting from three's own website so I guessed they knew what coverage they provided. They actually quote 97.4%. quote - (Three currently has the highest level of 3G coverage in the UK and went live with HSDPA in September 2008. In October 2010, Three completed a £400 million upgrade to its network and now covers 97.4% of the UK)

Can't be ubikd getting into a protracted argument on the technicalities of who knows what. I quoted the companies own figures so assumed, wrongly it would appear, that they knew best.

The figure of 85% for DAB was obtained from the UK DAB info website, so again I trust they know their facts. http://www.uk-dab.info/coverage.php

Have a nice evening and I wish I'd never bothered offering an alternative view to your facts.

[Seamaster73]

There's no arguing with OFCOM's independent mapping. Three has the best 3G coverage.

http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/spectrum/mobile-wireless-broadband/cellular/coverage_maps.pdf

[Jan&tone]

I wonder if the coverage figures are like British Rails timekeeping figures, 97.5 percent of trains being on time.... BUT. 100 percent of MY trains were late your honour

The whole point is that regardless of the figures, if you live and travel in a bad reception area then why spend money on DAB at the moment....