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I would agree that the selection of DAB+ radios available in metropolitan stores is poor, overpriced, unable to display images or many pages of indexed text. The lack of promotion by broadcasters of DAB+ listening is very common. Some broadcasters use the word digital probably meaning distributed by the internet rather than broadcast on DAB+ which means Digital Audio Broadcasting.
Smart speakers require electricity for the speaker, the Wifi modem, and for the NBN connection. For the large number of listeners who have Fibre to the Node (those pale green cabinets on on the verge), or wireless NBN in towns, blackouts stops operation. If an app is used the mobile phone base station needs electricity and a charged battery. Base stations and FTTN and Wireless NBN will only operate around 3 hours in a blackout. During the 2010 fires, thousands of base stations stopped working because the powerline feeding them burnt down. Contrast this to broadcast radio, most transmitters have local backup power to operate during an emergency. Without a real radio the population cannot receive emergency warnings. Digital radio can even wake the listener up.
With the widespread use of Smart Speakers and apps, increases competition for Australian broadcasters, because audio on demand from foreign companies is easily available.
CRA states that most listening occurs in cars, and 75 % of new cars contain DAB+ radios, how many drivers know it is there?
In all capital cities and Mandurah, if the use of phones and smart speakers is so widespread then we could leave 20 DAB+ transmitters transmitting their current programming and switch off 46 AM and 91 FM nearly all high powered expensive transmitters. This would stimulate sales of DAB+ receivers, giving audiences to all of those supplementary digital only programs and drive down receiver prices. In 2017 all national network Norwegian analog transmitters were switched off, leaving DAB+ only, and listener numbers returned to their previous levels within 12 months.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/publications/research-393-energy-footprint-bbc-radio-environment-impact-sustainability shows that DAB and even more so DAB+ along with 6 channel DRM are by far the cheapest way to distribute programs, the mobile broadband, FM and worst of all AM are much more expensive.
Is the industry prepared to bite the bullet and save themselves a lot of money to compete with the audio on demand as well as saving carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere?
In country areas each commercial station could transmit both their programs from a single digital transmitter. The ABC/SBS could provide their choice of 18 programs to nearly all Australians using DRM in country areas as well using only one transmitter per transmitter site.
The coverage area of a transmitter is affected by the frequency of transmission, the height of the antenna above the terrain and the power used. If a DRM transmitter on a the frequency of the vacant TV channel 1 had a radius of 100 km the coverage area is 31,000 km², if it was in the FM band this reduces to 7,700 km² and for DAB+ which uses the highest frequency its 2,600 km². A typical mobile phone tower is around 300 km². The mobile phone coverage may cover nearly all the population but it is only around 30 % of the land area of Australia. Planning for country DAB+ is very difficult to prevent unreliable reception due to interference, because there is only 8 transmission channels available in populated areas, where as for DRM in the vacant old TV channels 0 - 2 there are DRM 166 channels enabling commercial broadcasters to locate transmitters closer to their target audiences and local advertisers.
DAB+ and DRM are available to save broadcasters a lot of money, increasing program choice, it can add text and images just like on a mobile phone, all for a few short years of financial pain. Please remember;
* from 2010 - 2013 Australians converted from analog to digital TV, by making a decision and following through, who would want to go back now?
* Every 8 years the telcos switch off a generation of mobile phone technology. So no mobile phone lasts more than 16 years
* AM radio technology is over 100 years old and FM stereo is over 50 years old. Time for an upgrade!
Streaming apps enable one to listen to radio stations outside the licence area especially where the terrestrial radio signal cannot be received by line-of-sight (VHF FM, VHF DAB+) or where the signal is subject to conditions in the ionosphere such that the signal fades and is noisy (MW AM, SW AM, DSBSC, SSB).
Sure the signal received via IP streams are clear and can be received on PCs and mobile phones.
Yet listening to IP streams does consume internet data. Depending on the data rate of the particular station and the particular data plan of your ISP, it may be expensive.
At the same time, listeners with spare cash may not be concerned about the cost of IP data plans and are prepared to pay an additional cost. Furthermore it appears that many listeners are listening to local and out-of-licence-area stations. As Mr Paul Jackson of Nova said "The future for radio, like for so many other things, is probably around your phone.”
My terrestrial radio listening habits has been through DAB+ since 2009. I started my DAB+ experience when ABC News Radio transmitted Federal Parliament on 630kHz AM and their regular News Radio "rolling news" on DAB+. From this point in 2009, it has been a rare occasion to listen to terrestrial AM and FM stations.
My first DAB+ radio since 2009 has been a Pure Siesta bedside radio. In 2019, the radio "carked". The symptoms included fluctuating on/off operations, improper display and thumps. Problem solved by replacing the power supply (AC adapter) with a new one. Ensure that the diameter of the barrel connector from the AC adapter matches the Pure's socket. A voltmeter indicated that the voltage was not the correct voltage. The Pure Siesta works.
To the author of this article whose Pure radio "carked", don't throw it away. Check if replacing the AC adapter 'restores' the "carked" radio.
Anyway, the advantage of receiving radio via IP streams is that the IP system is not limited by the number of radio stations in the same way as the number of DAB+ stations is limited to (i) the EM spectrum allocated for each licence area and (ii) the quality of the DAB+ station is limited by the data rate allocated to the particular DAB+ station. Cramming more DAB+ services into an allocated channel affects the quality of the received signal. In Sydney alone, there are over 70 DAB+ channels.
With the exception of the major metropolitan AM and FM stations broadcasting on at least 48kbs to 128kbs, many other stations are broadcasting at 32kbs. 32kbs may well be satisfactory for spoken word programs, but for music, it may sound tinny especially where the music content has a high frequency timbre.
My final remark on streaming IP and/or podcasts (files) is that incumbent radio stations don't have the monopoly on such streams. Streaming IP and/or podcasts may be sourced by non-broadcasters come and go. The "come and go" may be for (i) a particular purpose of the programme material, or (ii) the provider gives up because (a) there may not be enough support from the public, and/or (b) the provider cannot monetise the content.
Thank you,
Anthony from exciting Belfield
Everyone makes good points. It doesn't matter if DAB+ is overtaken by apps. It's an added choice for people that can play a different role in different circumstances. Importantly, DAB+ is exclusive to radio and can't be infiltrated by non-radio competitors.
I did not mention that if all radio transmitters were switched off, the cost of data on phones and the cost to ISPs and broadcasters will increase, because to listen via the internet, requires a two way connection, with the return path being essential but little used. The telcos are trialling a broadcast mode in 5G. This however will need a transmitter on each mobile phone base station. The high speed 5G will require a "base station" 900 m apart, the signal will not go through wet trees, buildings or terrain. The modem is connected to a small antenna which must be on the outside of the building on the same side as the base station.
Compare this to the coverage from a radio transmitter!
Anthony, it is only Southern Cross Austereo with the suite of 32 kbit/s programs. The ABC has increased the Classic stream to 120 kbit/s and the other music channels are at 72 kbit/s.
I have recently recorded a DRM signal from Singapore which is 4000 km from the receiver. The signal is aimed at India, but the hour's program which is broadcast daily on DRM was noise and interference free, no phasing and contained no errors the receiver could not correct. Australia is 4000 km wide! This occurred the next day as well.
St John.
Once you get out of the densely populated areas of our capital cities, mobile phone coverage is patchy, where as broadcasters use much lower frequencies which can cover much larger areas without blackspots.
I wish to make further comment by Mr St. John regarding "smart speakers". The same could be said about "smart tvs".
.
On SBS Vice (Channel 31), 06/09/2021 there was a documentary made by the US's PBS called "Amazon Empire The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos". The program is available on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVVfJVj5z8s&ab_channel=FRONTLINEPBS%7COfficial .
Interesting documentary in itself covering many issues regarding Bezos's "self-confidence", the "Prime" delivery system, buying out competitors, artificial intelligence and smart devices.
My comment is on the latter, smart devices and how corporations and law enforcement could eavesdrop on one's conversations. Equally hackers can gain access to smart devices. One example is that hackers may impersonate a member of the family or characters such as "Santa Claus".
The same can be said about smart TVs. Smart devices can have a combination of microphone, camera and file system.
Smart devices have to be in continuous operation waiting for those key words such as for example "Hey Alexa, play radio 2GB". But the smart device is not limited to requesting "Alexa" to play a radio station or switch on a device.
If you rely on smart devices such as a smart speaker, smart tv or other smart device and are concerned about the invasion of your privacy whether by corporations, entities spying on your intellectual property and hackers, there are articles on how to avoid invasions of privacy.
The list is not exhaustive.
The purpose of listening to conversations via a smart speaker, used to sell products, https://www.consumerwatchdog.org/privacy-technology/how-google-and-amazon-are-spying-you
Security breaches on your smart tv, how to avoid it, https://au.pcmag.com/dvd/66546/how-to-stop-smart-tvs-from-snooping-on-you
Alternatively, you can change the security settings of your smart tv, https://wtop.com/tech/2019/12/is-your-smart-tv-spying-on-you-fbi-shares-how-to-improve-your-digital-defense/
and https://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/09/if-you-have-a-smart-tv-take-a-closer-look-at-your-privacy-settings.html - many brands of smart tv are mentioned, but the menu settings for a particular brand may not be the same for your particular brand.
For me, I only use the Samsung Smart TV to connect to the internet via WiFi to update software. When not updating software, the TV is not connected to the internet.
Managing the privacy settings on your Alexa device.
https://www.techradar.com/au/how-to/every-alexa-privacy-setting-and-how-to-change-them
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GPGRYRZ494GDFPZ2#:~:text=To%20access%20the%20Alexa%20Privacy,Settings%20and%20then%20Alexa%20Privacy.
For me, I would not use a smart device to listen to my local radio station even a radio station outside the licence area, whether regional radio, interstate radio or radio outside my country. This is because I don't want 'someone' listening to my conversations.
One's ISP can keep track of IP address, geolocation and URL, https://theconversation.com/australias-privacy-laws-gutted-in-court-ruling-on-what-is-personal-information-71486 .
That is certainly a disadvantage of listening to IP streams and podcasts instead of terrestrial radio.
Thank you,
Anthony of supplementary thinking and issues Belfield
Anthony,
It goes further than that. Hybrid radio is where the program is transmitted on DAB+ or HD radio and there is a return link.
Most radio listening occurs in cars. Newer USA models have a 4G receiver and transmitter to the mobile internet so no phone is required. xperi which owns HD radio is pushing the use of a camera near the car mirror to look at eye movement. Since there is a live return data link, each ad and program can be monitored for reactions. In addition the navigation system in the vehicle knows the GPS location of the vehicle which can also be returned to the radio station.
Mangoman
Dear Mr St. John,
I have made it known on this site that when it comes to driving a car, one should concentrate on the road and not pay attention to distractions.
This includes the reception of targeted ads on the car's infotainment system based on eye movements and reception of GPS location information.
Ford recently patented a method to send targeted advertisements on a car's infotainment system, https://driving.ca/auto-news/technology-news/ford-patents-tech-that-reads-passing-billboards-and-displays-the-ad-in-car#:~:text=Ford%20has%20filed%20a%20patent,viewing%20pleasure%20(or%20displeasure).
Regardless of method of sending distractions to the driver whilst driving, the driver's role is to concentrate on the road. I hope that the road safety authorities through legislation ban these distraction methods from a car's infotainment system in the same way that the authorities have banned the viewing from visual display units, for example, section 299, Road Rules, NSW, https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/sl-2014-0758#sec.298-1 .
That is ban interative use of links due to the likelihood of the driver being distracted while in the course of driving. It is akin to a driver interacting with Twitter, chat apps or other kinds of interaction with the web.
Thank you,
Anthony of thoughtful Beflield
Anthony,
Listening to radio programs using a smart TV is an electricity hungry method of listening to the radio because the screen is still operating even if it is black. The larger the screen the greater the electricity consumption. This does not occur in a radio receiver, even those which have a small screen for DAB+/
DRM images.
Radio should follow TV and announce a switchoff date for AM and FM broadcasting. Then there will be large sales of DAB+/DRM radios driving down the prices as it did with TV. DAB+ operates at the highest broadcasting frequency of around 200 MHz. This is fine for big cities, but covers a quarter of the area covered by a DRM transmitter operating at 57 MHz making it suitable for country areas. DRM in the 2 - 5 MHz band can be used in remote areas often have no radio at all once mobile. A single DRM transmitter in the 47 - 68 MHz range can transmit 18 programs just like DAB+. There are 166 vacant channels DRM where as there is only 8 for DAB+ which means that transmitters are much less likely to interfere with each other causing intermittent reception.
The https://www.acma.gov.au/consultations/2021-04/fm-broadcasting-services-band-perth-ra1-licence-area-consultation-172021. In my submission, I have suggested that like TV an analog switchoff commence at a lower population but large enough to drive down prices. Perth transmitters are high on the Darling Scarp and most of the coverage area is flat. The ACMA is yet to report.
Your Ford option is not like what I am proposing because it is a repeat of what is visible through the windscreen. Monitoring eye movements means that broadcasters can sell to advertisers they know exactly how many drivers and passengers are listening to that advertisement and if they reacted. This is about optimising advertising and programs.
If DAB+/DRM data rates are not used for more moronic hard drive continuous replays this data can be used for still images. This is not happening in the DAB+ because portable receivers which can display images are rare. I don't know what proportion of the 75 % of new cars which contain DAB+ receivers can display images despite having a screen for GPS. All DRM receivers have the ability to show images including the dongle/DRM app on android phones.
StJohn