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While one must applaud the indefatigable Joan Warner for her unwavering championing of DAB+ in Australia, let’s take a quick reality check of where we are in the 11 years since digital radio was first rolled out here. Even optimistically assuming everyone in every capital city – and Mandurah – can actually receive DAB+, that still leaves about 10-million Australians who cannot. And while it’s probably true many people now have digital radios in their new cars for those great “domestic road trips”, I hope no-one thinks they’ll actually be able to use them outside the capitals – and Mandurah. So while we rightly talk up the blessings of DAB+ in the major radio markets, can we please remember that a glass half full is also a glass half empty. And if you’re one of those offered the empty half it’s little consolation to know how many people have been enjoying the glass half full for more than a decade. I’m long retired, but I can still remember representing SBS in early negotiations into the introduction of digital radio on how the spectrum would be allocated between the commercial, public and community broadcasters. Ah, those heady days at the beginning of the 21st Century! I try to keep fit and healthy in retirement but I’m growing increasingly despondent I will ever hear DAB+ here on the NSW MidCoast in my lifetime.
Ingram,
The problem with DAB+ is that it is the highest frequency used by broadcasters and as a result has the smallest coverage area.
There are only 8 transmission channels available in Australia because the rest are used for television. This means that high powered DAB+ transmitters must be at least 335 km apart when the content is not identical. Remember that the ABC has local radio which has unique programming per area as does commercial radio for advertising and some program content.
The big advantage of DAB+ is that it can carry 18 programs on a single transmitter. In country areas where is the advertising to pay for 18 programs?
By comparision Digital Radio Mondiale can be transmitted using the old now vacant TV channels 0 - 2 which contains 208 transmission channels enabling much greater geographic diversity. Each transmission channel can carry 3 programs. There is now a 6 DRM+ modulator which can carry all of the 18 ABC/SBS programs on a single transmitter per site and a much bigger coverage area.