By radio futurologist James Cridland
Dear radio receiver manufacturers… could one of you please make me a proper global radio receiver to take with me on my travels?
- I’d like it to have FM reception, with RDS (both the station name and the “scrolly text” please).
- I’d like it to have AM reception, with adjustable bandwidth settings, and to support all the sensible SW bands.
- Could it also support the AIR band, as well as the US Weather band?
- I’d like it to have DAB+ (for Europe), HD Radio in AM/FM (for North America), and DRM Radio in AM (for India) please.
- Please could it be chargeable via USB-C? And a Bluetooth speaker capability probably makes sense while we’re here. And a clock alarm.
This ideal radio doesn’t actually exist. The pictured XHDATA D-808 that I acquired last year is close, but not close enough, since it lacks the “DAB+ and HD Radio and DRM” part that I’d like. Without DAB+, it’s relatively useless taking this radio to Norway, for example, where analogue radio is turned off; or to the UK, where there’s significant numbers of DAB-only services. And in the US, I miss out on HD channels.
I’d be curious to know whether there are any global travel radio receivers with multiple digital standards in them. I’m curious as to why there aren’t, and can only think that the licence conditions to include some of these digital standards require platform exclusivity.
Does anyone know?
(Would it be possible with an SDR radio, a Raspberry Pi, and a fancy colour touch screen?)
James Cridland is editor of Podnews, a daily podcast newsletter as well as a writer, consultant, advisor and speaker about audio’s future.
You can subscribe to his a weekly radio newsletter, Radioland or find more details at his website.
There are radios that are close to the author's ideal radio.
Sangean DPR-44 marketed as a Dick Smith branded radio and the DPR-45. They both have AM, FM and DAB+. The DPR-44 is not sold as new since the demise of Dick Smith.
The DPR-45 is sold new from $190 to $250.
Bush sold am AM, FM and DAB+ radio, model BR30DABAM. The AM tuner is an analogue reception. Typical of cheap transistor radios.
Bush seem to have faded from the market.
Then Laser had a combined AM, FM, DAB+ receiver, DG200AM. It too does not appear on the market place. Sold for orinally less than $100.
All radios do not meet the author's ideal of a usb powered socket/charger, bluetooth and the air band. Though RDS is available in all three brands for its FM receivers.
However compared to most radios, you're lucky to have DAB+ and FM combinations.
In Sydney, I prefer to listen to DAB+ simulcasts of AM radio. ABC News on 630kHz diverge from its DAB+ offering when our Federal Parliament is in session.
I purchased my first DAB+ Pure Siesta in 2009 when ABC News was broadcasting our Federal Parliament on AM and rolling news on DAB+. To listen to our Federal Parliament l had another receiver to listen to AM.
The AC to 5V adapter malfunctioned in 2017.
Anthony, my Camry has AM, FM and DAB+ with L-Band satellite reception at 1.45gHz even though DAB+ is terrestrial only in Australia, Strathfield South in the land of the Wangal, Darug Peoples of the Eora Nation