Switch to digital

11 Jun 2013

Have you bought a new radio in the past three years? Chances are you’re listening to digital stations without even knowing it.

What is digital radio?

An established broadcast platform in Europe, parts of Asia and the United States, digital radio began its roll out in Australia in 2009 in most capital cities, although its range is slightly limited in Canberra and Darwin.

Basically, digital radio gives clearer signals and pitch-perfect sound and is probably the most significant upgrade to happen to radio in Australia since the introduction of FM stations.

Digital radio works by cleaning and filtering transmissions before decoding the signal using digital radio receivers. Previously, quality of sound would suffer, as interference was caused by the signal bouncing of walls, buildings and other structures. Digital radio works to prohibit this interference.

Plus, there are loads more stations to choose from in a variety of genres including country, classical, chill out and news.

Pros and cons

While digital radio provides close to CD-quality sound, there are some downsides to the new technology.

As the transmission is filtered, you no longer have the option of listening to a radio where the signal is limited. While previously, you were able to tune the radio slightly to hear albeit a slightly static signal, now, you either receive signal or you don’t. There’s no in-between.

However, digital radios are definitely easier to tune, meaning you can find the station with just a touch of a button.

Rather than trying to find the strongest signal of a station that you wish to listen to, simply choose the station by name from a list. The radio will then lock on the appropriate frequency.

As well as this, there’s a handy screen with all the information you need. See what song is playing, news and weather feeds, phone numbers corresponding to the advertisement, album artwork, and much more.

Additional features on some digital radio units include the ability to pause live radio and rewind if you miss something.  

Access it

While digital radio is free, it’s only free if you have the relevant hardware. This means you need a radio with a DAB+ chip in it. Most, if not all, radios that you purchase now will have this. This includes radios in new car models.

If you’ve got an old radio unit, you won’t have access to digital stations.

Unlike the switch from analogue to digital television, where all you needed was a set-top box converter, to access digital radio, you’re going to need a whole new unit.

Drive my car

You can access digital radio in your car, but again, only if you have the relevant hardware.

In-car options fall into three categories – add-on accessories, DAB+ audio head units and cars already fitted with DAB+ stereos.

An add-on receiver sits on your windscreen, much like a GPS unit, and connects to your current car radio. It works with the in-car system either through a cable if your car supports that, or via an FM transmitter.

Another alternative is replacing the car unit altogether. This requires purchasing a new unit and then a visit to a mechanic to install it.

A final option, and by far the most expensive, is to purchase a new car. All new models will be fitted with a digital radio unit. 

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