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Technical DAB query

 
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unclebuck



Joined: 19 Apr 2010
Posts: 278
Location: Warwickshire

PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2014 11:15 am    Post subject: Technical DAB query Reply with quote

Here's a strange thing...
Most mornings, just after the last 'pip' of the 8 O'clock time signal, just as Moira is drawing breath to start the headlines, my car radio loses the DAB signal. I have to tune out and tune back in to continue listening.
Even on the mornings when I don't lose the signal, I can hear a distinct 'glitch' in the broadcast at that precise point.

I presume something is happening at the transmitter?
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Colin



Joined: 26 Sep 2013
Posts: 916

PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2014 6:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't know enough about the workings of DAB to be able to answer, but of course anything "digital" is in general being output at a slight delay to its equivalent analogue broadcasts. That's why you'll often hear a time difference between the pips on digital and the same on a simultaneous analogue broadcast. The digital processing introduces a latency due to processing, and this varies at local level depending on the signal path to the transmitter.

I have to say I don't notice this on my local DAB streams, but this is limited to BBC Radio 4 late at night and at breakfast time. The pips are played out at mid-night on R4 before the news and there's technical glitch on my receiver (my transmitter is Sandy Heath, Bedfordshire).

I have read that there can be localised synching/latency issues depending on the make and model of receiver, which is after all reading the incoming compressed stream and then decompressing it before making it audible. Maybe that's the root of your problem - does it happen with any other means of DAB reception you might have access to?
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unclebuck



Joined: 19 Apr 2010
Posts: 278
Location: Warwickshire

PostPosted: Thu Mar 13, 2014 9:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Always in my car on the M6 when this happens, though I have lost DAB signals at home before (listening to cricket) and noticed that it happened precisely on the hour.
It happened again this morning, although Captain Shouty managed to get a couple of syllables in after the pips before the signal went.

It's so annoying because I can predict to the second when I will lose the signal, and it always means I miss the news headlines!
I can't believe it's a problem for many people - there would be complaints.

Maybe it's just another BMW 'feature' that I've discovered?

Doesn't matter really - just curious as to what's going on.
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