AM & FM to be killed off by 2016

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ChrisUK
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Re: AM & FM to be killed off by 2016

Post by ChrisUK »

I see this myself as the goverment giving the green light to wideband PLT/PLA.
No more AM station's in the UK.......no more shortwave station's in the UK.
Evern thow PLT is running ilegal level's which contravin the EMC regulations, as they stand, Ofcom do nothing.....
But use an AM CB radio and cause interference and they will strike you down with as much force as they have.

Yes your internet connection will be better and yes it will be running faster in all your other room's.
Maybe you will get 400Mbps all around the house and you can listern to your favorite radio station in it's digital glory.

But turn your radio on and from 0-60Mhz or evern more will be PLT noise.
Say goodbye to the good ol 11M band, which they have been trying to ban for year's.
Your Ham band's will be notched, but the noise level will increase.

OH YES....i look forward to DIGITAL BRITAIN...........
But then why worry as we all sit here in front of our computer's talking on forum's and chat room's, so who need's radio.

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Re: AM & FM to be killed off by 2016

Post by Yeti »

I'm lucky - no QRM from PLT around here yet.

Should I suffer it, I'll strap 10 metres of wire to 10 metres of mains cable and start talking away to myself on 40m... See how long their homeplugs work for then.
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Re: AM & FM to be killed off by 2016

Post by mr_m3 »

well this should mean they will not be worry about band 2 anymore hmm get my 18w transmitter out and woooo classic smith fm
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RogerD
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Re: AM & FM to be killed off by 2016

Post by RogerD »

I wonder how long it will be before someone works out how to make a DAB pirate transmitter? :D
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MrWeetabix
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Re: AM & FM to be killed off by 2016

Post by MrWeetabix »

A break down of the whole "Digital Britain" report...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/06/16 ... n_summary/
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JAMFIXIE
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Re: AM & FM to be killed off by 2016

Post by JAMFIXIE »

I heard that the Fm broadcast band will be allocated to "local and comunity stations"

Sounds like an ideal oppertunity for some:
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Re: AM & FM to be killed off by 2016

Post by MrWeetabix »

we have a "local" radio station up here, NE1 FM.....its uber pants.... :ugeek:

We could do with some decent pirate stations! Surprised there arent more when you can buy a stereo transmitter on ebay for less than £100! lol
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Re: AM & FM to be killed off by 2016

Post by MrWeetabix »

26TM175. OP: Craig. QTH: Gateshead IO94EW. Also 163TM175 when mobile in Wales 8)

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Re: AM & FM to be killed off by 2016

Post by M0MTH »

weak...

definitely not convinced by the rush to change everyting over to digital, as always it's blatantly obvious as being a decision driven purely by greed/money. and the compromise being the quality.

at least with a weak analogue signal you could still hear the audio or see the picture... we have all seen how a digital tv transmission freezes and glitches when the signal is affected; or the awful high pitched/ distorted/ ear-piercing noises that digital audio interference creates.

oh but at least businesses can make more money from us... :?
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Re: AM & FM to be killed off by 2016

Post by Farty »

AM is going to die in the US at a similar time. However, the band there is being turned over to local and community broadcasters, so som good DX opportunities!

I'm not fussed over the death of FM - we went FM for the stereo and higher quality, and now DAB gives even higher quality still it's the natuaral progression. I've been DAB eneabled for donkeys at home and in the car - life without Planet rock wouldn't be worth living!
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Conor
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Re: AM & FM to be killed off by 2016

Post by Conor »

8 million people listening to Terry Wogan proves how popular radio is. There's hardly a single lorry driver who doesn't have the radio on - most tuned into Radio 2, myself included. I turned off Radio 1 several years ago.
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Re: AM & FM to be killed off by 2016

Post by JB »

Sounds like a good opportunity for Ye Olde Fashioned Pirates (private enterprise) to dust off their ageing Amplitude Modulation (or even that new fangled FM) transmitter.
They need not be based in Merry Old England; but could broadcast across international borders from Scotland or Wales, France, Ireland, Portugal or even the Sea.

Seriously though, my experience of DAB Radio in this area is appalling. It has the same dead spots as FM, and rain seems to kill the signal.

None of the AM or FM receivers I have ever owned, needed a bass boost circuit to pad out the narrow band tinny sounding audio I have to listen to when the batteries in my old walkman run out.

Now this could be down to my equipment, the fact that I am using first generation stuff for the mass market (the original mobile receivers cost anything up to £2000).

My personal dab only receiver and my domestic dab/fm/am radio cost about £50 each bought about 3or4 years ago.

Now where is that trycorn ?

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Re: AM & FM to be killed off by 2016

Post by 26fb762 »

I spend alot of time listening to Irish radio radio stations mobile. Lost 567 am last year and am down to 252 lw now and that won't last for much longer. Alternative is 909 am. More and more things seem to be changed without consensus, on a "We know better" basis. :evil: If a market is ignored then an alternative usually pops up. :)
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Re: AM & FM to be killed off by 2016

Post by friendly1uk »

Fartblood wrote:I'm not fussed over the death of FM - we went FM for the stereo and higher quality, and now DAB gives even higher quality
This is simply untrue. Although it may seem so if your new radio is better than your old radio, and neither could be conciddered hi-fi.

If hi-fi matters, you won't be happy with dabs 128 rate. Some stations such as R3 may use higher rates during concerts, but FM transmitters are analogue and recieve there data at 250-350 which is twice the information you get from a dab set.
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Re: AM & FM to be killed off by 2016

Post by Farty »

They do indeed, but you rarely get absolutely perfect listening conditions, especially when on the move. Provided the broadcasters don't ram oodles of stations onto the same channel, like the BBC are wont to do, as a practical matter DAB is often better. With every metre through the air that the signal travels, it is subject to loss, attenuation, distortion and interference - DAB does not suffer these losses, right up to the point where the signal starts to break up. 10 miles from the transmitter is as good as parked next to it, which FM isn't.

Try listening to Kerrang! on DAB, then flick back to FM if you want a demonstration.
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