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| DAB
("original flavour") |
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| DAB+ |
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| Radio Numérique Terrestre - DMB-Radio |
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| DMB TV |
Currys 5% off
UK electrical retailer Currys have launched a code offering an extra 5% off website orders over £199.00. Enter the code ALL5 at the checkout to receive the additional discount.
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| 5% off |
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Solidarity with Haiti
Wohnort would like to draw your attention to the efforts of the Disasters Emergency Committee to raise funds to help Haiti in its hour of dire need. Wohnort urges you to exercise caution when responding to website "advertisements", links and e-mails purporting to be collecting donations. Sadly, at this time, criminals are already working to divert your contributions to their coffers. You can guard against this by vigilence. Check carefully the URL of the website where you arrive. Better still, type the address directly into the browser yourself and beware of mis-spellings. If you wish to contribute by telephone, get the number directly from the website of the fund you would like to help. UK agencies that are involved in the relief efforts in Haiti include:-
- ActionAid
- British Red Cross
- CAFOD
- Care International UK
- Christian Aid
- Concern Worldwide
- Help the Aged
- Islamic Relief
- Merlin
- Oxfam
- Save the Children
- Tearfund
- World Vision
Each of these British organisations is a member of the Disasters Emergency Committe, who are assisting with international humanitarian aid for Haiti.
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ARD Jahrbuch 09
The latest edition of the annual handbook of Germany's public-service broadcasters has been published with a review of the year's programmes, programme-makers, media politics and technical developments. The official price is €9,00 but a number of online sellers are offering it for less. If you don't require it in book form, the entire publication is also available for download from the ARD website.
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(Guide)
€4,00
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Jensen
Media:Link 1000
The MediaLink 1000 receives the DMB TV transmissions marketed as "miniTV" and broadcast from NRK, TV2 and MTG (Viasat) in Norway. This includes 6 - 9 TV channels and around 15 DAB radio services. The device has a 4.3" screen and 8 Gb internal storage for music or videos. This capacity can be increased by means of an SD card. Note that the miniTV transmissions are currently only available in the Oslo region.
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(Guide)
2 395 NKR
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| Band III |
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| L-band |
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| DMB-TH |
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| IBOC
(aka HD Radio) |
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| ISDB-T |
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Ensemble Label
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3 Stereo |
 3 Stereo | 4 Joint
Stereo | 3 Joint
St. LSF | 3 Mono | 3 Mono
LSF | 3 Dual
Channel | 3 Packet
Data | 3 Stream
Data | 3 Stereo
AAC + | 3 Mono
AAC + | | | IV | TII |
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Latest Updates and News
February 8th
Three new Services are reported to have popped up on the Blocks 12A/5C ensemble Sachsen K12A. 90elf, MDR info and MDR Sputnik are all reported to be using DAB+.
February 7th
The German website Digitaler Rundfunk, covering the Länder Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt and Thüringen, has recently been updated with details of the transmitters which have been taken out of service "on economic grounds". In Sachsen, the decommissioned sites are Schwarzenberg, Reichenbach and Marienberg on Block 12A and Neustadt, Oberlichtenau, Görlitz and Zittau on Block 5C. The resulting reduced area of coverage of the ensemble Sachsen K12A is shown in a new coverage map. In Thüringen, the transmitters withdrawn from service are Eisanach, Eisenberg, Keula, Kulpenberg, Remda/Saalfield, Triptis, Dingelstedt, Schmiedefeld, Geismar, Erbenhausen, Schleid, Altenburg, Heiligenstadt, Sonnenberg, Pless, Greiz, Meinigen and Gießübel. [Wohnort personally regrets the withdrawl of Eisenach because not only was this the observation point of choice, but the Hauptbahnhof restaurant serves excellent lunches!]. A new coverage map shows the resultant reduced area of coverage of the Block 12B ensemble DAB THUERINGEN. In Sachsen-Anhalt, by contrast, the website (currently) shows no transmitters as having been decommissioned.
February 6th
A new Service is reported to have popped up on the Block 12A ensemble London 2. UCB Gospel is reported to be running at 64 kbit/s in Mono. UCBInspirational is reported to be running at the reduced bitrate of 64 kbit/s in Mono LSF. The packet data service CabvisionTestGL2 is reported to have ceased.
Older stories further down this page...
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Update History
February 5th
New services are reported to have popped up on the Blocks 11C and 13B ensemble DR DAB2. DR Country and DR Electronica are reported to be running at 128 kbit/s each in Joint Stereo.
February 5th
In Malta, the Broadcasting Authority has published its survey of Radio and TV Audiences for the period of October to December 2009. The survey reports that 10% of respondents have "digital" radio in their home, compared with 88% who said they had FM. These are remarkable figures, considering that DAB+ transmissions only began in mid-2008. In its commentary accompanying the data, the report states that "the younger age groups have twice the average total Digital radio take-up". The following table is not present in the report. It has been compiled by Wohnort using data drawn from other tables in the report.
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Age Groups of the Respondents |
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12-14
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15-24
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25-29
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30-49
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50-64
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65-79
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80+
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TOTAL
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Respondents in Survey
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105
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335
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122
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573
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418
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230
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55
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1838
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"Have digital radio at home"
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16
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42
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16
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58
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41
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9
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3
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185
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% of age group with digital radio
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15%
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12%
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13%
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10%
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10%
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4%
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5%
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10%
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February 5th
New services are reported to have popped up on the Block 12B ensemble DAB THUERINGEN. MDR INFO and MDR SPUTNIK are reported to be using DAB+ at 96 kbit/s each.
February 4th
The BBC has brought into service two new transmitters on Block 12B. Barskeoch Hill and Cambret Hill both extend coverage of BBC National DAB in Dumfries & Galloway.
February 4th
The Thüringer Landesmedienanstalt has announced that it will shortly advertise capacity on Thüringen's Landesensemble, alongside the current advertisement of nationwide capacity.
February 3rd
The German transmission provider and multiplex operator Media Broadcast has published a prospectus detailing the timetable and coverage plans for the roll-out of the nationwide DAB multiplex along with pricing for capacity. The conditions of the operating licence awarded to Media Broadcast stipulate that by September 2011, 35 transmitters (named in the brochure) shall be in operation, covering the main centres of population, increasing to 110 transmitters by September 2015. The brochure also offers an insight into the future planning of the current Länderensembles with the example of the Block 12D network in Nordrhein-Westfalen. With power levels hitherto restricted to 1kW, the present coverage was achieved by 34 transmitters. With an increase in power levels now permitted to 10 kW, coverage of Nordrhein-Westfalen will be possible from 20 transmitters, offering a significant saving compared with today's operating costs. Combined with the future use of DAB+ and its more efficient MPEG4 codec, Media Broadcast predict a 30% saving in distribution costs for service providers compared with those of 2000. The German-language brochure is availble for download from the Media Broadcast website.
February 3rd
Rheinland-Pfalz Snapshot updated.
February 2nd
North West Snapshot updated.
February 2nd
D1 National Snapshot updated.
February 2nd
DRM+ test transmissions have begun in Kaiserslautern. The project aims to explore the ability of DRM+ to co-exist with DAB in Band III. The DRM+ transmissions will use, variously, DAB Blocks 10A, 10B and 10C and be broadcast from the transmitter site Am Kaiserberg. Simultaneously, the nearby Rotenberg will broadcast on Block 10B using, variously, DAB, DAB+ and DRM+. The project will investigate the results in both stationary and mobile reception conditions and is a joint venture involving the Landesmedienanstalt von Rheinland-Pfalz and the Technische Universität Kaiserslautern.
February 2nd
A new service is reported to have popped up on the second-layer ensemble in the German-speaking region of Switzerland, SMC_D02. Swiss Mountain Holiday Radio is broadcasting, like all the other services on the ensemble, using DAB+.
February 2nd
With the relabelling of the national commercial multiplex in the UK, the process of removing branding from the Ensemble Labels on the national, regional and local commercial ensembles and using clearer, geographic labels, has been completed. The complete list of changes is as follows:-
National Ensemble:-
Digital1 Network now D1 National
Regional Ensembles:-
Switch Scotland now Central Scotland
MXR North East now North East
MXR North West now North West
MXR West & Wales now Severn Estuary
MXR WestMidlands now West Midlands
MXR Yorkshire now Yorkshire
Local Ensembles:-
Switch Aberdeen now Aberdeen
Arqiva Ayr now Ayr
NOW Berks&Hants now Berks & N Hants
CE Birmingham now Birmingham
NOW Bournemouth now Bournemouth
UTVBauerBrad&Hud now Bradfrd&Huddersf
NOW Bristol now Bristol
NOW Cambridge now Cambridge
NOW Cardiff&Npt now South East Wales
Bauer C LANCS now Lancashire
NOW Cornwall now Cornwall
NOW Coventry now Coventry
BauerPERTHDUNDEE now Tayside
Bauer EDINBURGH now Edinburgh
NOW Essex now Essex
NOW Exeter&T'bay now South East Devon
Bauer GLASGOW now Glasgow
Bauer HUMBERSIDE now Humberside
Bauer INVERNESS now Inverness
NOW Kent now Kent
Bauer LEEDS now Leeds
NOW Leicester now Leicestershire
Bauer LIVERPOOL now Liverpool
CE London now London 1
Switch London now London 2
DRg London now London 3
CE Manchester now Manchester
Bauer N.IRELAND now N. Ireland
NOW Norwich now Norwich
NOW Nottingham now Nottinghamshire
NOW Peterboroughh now Peterborough
NOW Plymouth now Plymouth
NOW S. Hampshire now South Hampshire
BauerSOUTH YORKS now Sheffield
UTV Bauer Stoke now Stoke & Stafford
NOW Sussex Coast now Sussex Coast
UTVBauerSwansea now Swansea SW Wales
NOW Swindon now Swindon
Bauer TEESSIDE now Teesside
Bauer TYNE&WEAR now Tyne & Wear
NOW W. Wiltshire now West Wiltshire
NOW Wolverhamptn now Wolv'ton & Shrop
February 1st
The operator of the second layer ensemble in the German-speaking region of Switzerland, Swiss MediaCast, has brought into service a new transmitter on Block 7D. Bachtel extends coverage of SMC_D02 to the Zürcher Oberland.
February 1st
Swiss public-service broadcaster SRG/SSR has brought into service a new transmitter on Block 12C. Mammern improves coverage of SRG/SSR D01 in northern Thurgau, including Mammern, Steckborn, Wagenhausen and Eschenz as well as Stein am Rhein in Kanton Schaffhausen.
February 1st
On London 3, Premier London is reported to have been relabelled Premier Gospel.
January 31st
West Midlands Snapshot updated.
January 31st
Birmingham Snapshot updated.
January 31st
London 1, London 2 and London 3 Snapshots updated.
January 27th
Snapshot of the Block 12D Nordrhein-Westfalen ensemble NRW K12 updated.
January 27th
The BBC has brought into service another transmitter on Block 12B. St Austell extends and improves coverage of BBC National DAB in and around the Cornish town. UK TII table updated.
January 27th
On Kent, South Hampshire and Sussex Coast, the packet data EPG services DAB GUIDE have ceased.
January 27th
BAND III HESSEN and LG FRANKFURT M. Snapshots updated.
January 26th
Encouraging news from Italy is revealed by a press release from Swedish DAB equipment manufacturer Factum. Following from the publication of new regulations governing Italian DAB/DAB+, the transmission provider Raiway has ordered additional head-end equipment. In addition, the Swedish company has received an order from Australia for additional equipment to add redundancy to existing sites.
January 26th
The BBC has brought into service a new transmitter on Block 12B. Windermere extends coverage of BBC National DAB in the Lake District.
January 25th
A number of German radio websites have noticed that the latest DAB coverage maps from DeutschlandRadio show a much reduced reception area in Niedersachsen, implying that DAB transmitters are expected to be taken out of service. Such a reduction in transmission area has already taken place in Hessen, with coverage now reduced, more or less, to the Rhein/Main area. In Niedersachsen, the latest coverage maps show coverage confined to the immediate vicinity of Hannover and Osnabrück. There has been no formal announcement of this change from the multiplex operator Digital Radio Nord.
January 25th
The BBC has brought into service a new transmitter in the west of Scotland. Cow Hill extends coverage of BBC National DAB around Loch Eil and Loch Linnhe, including the town of Fort William itself. The new site will be under test initially, during which interruptions and periods of reduced power are likely. UK TII table updated.
January 25th
Snapshots of the national Spanish ensembles FU-E, MF1 and MF2 updated.
January 25th
The last significant remaining Landesmedienanstalten have published the advertisement of capacity on a forthcoming national DAB ensemble - the Medienanstalt Berlin Brandenburg and the Hessische Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien. So far as Wohnort can determine, only the little Bremische Landesmedienanstalt has not so far published the advertisement.
January 24th
Lancashire, Liverpool and Manchester Snapshots updated.
January 22nd
The Sächsische Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien has published the advertisement of capacity on a national DAB multiplex in the Land's official journal, the Sächsisches Amtsblatt mit Amtlichem Anzeiger. Details do not, so far, appear to have been published on the Anstalt's own website.
January 22nd
Sachsen's official journal, the Sächsisches Amtsblatt mit Amtlichem Anzeiger, has published an advertisement by the Sächsische Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien of capacity for forthcoming regional DAB multiplexes in Sachsen. The ensembles will operate on Block 11A in the Leipzig region, 12A in Chemnitz and Block 9A in Dresden. No mention is made explicitly of the use of DAB+, only of the "DAB System Family". Half of the capacity of the multiplex will be allocated for a limited period to the public-service broadcaster, the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk. The remaining half is to be distributed as a result of this advertisement. The closing date for applications in March 12th 2010. No announcement, and no details of this advertisment appear to have been published so far on the Anstalt's own website.
January 22nd
The Landesmedienanstalt Saarland has advertised the capacity on a national DAB multiplex. Berlin/Brandenburg and Hessen have yet to publish.
January 22nd
Central Scotland Snapshot updated.
January 21st
Further Landesmedienanstalten in Germany have advertised the capacity on a national DAB multiplex, in Baden-Württemberg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt and Thüringen. Berlin/Brandenburg, Hessen, Saarland, Sachsen and have yet to publish.
January 20th
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has awarded Commercial Radio Australia temporary test transmission licences in Melbourne. The licences are for Blocks 9A, 9B and 9C, already occupied by the city's DAB ensembles, so it appears that a trial is to be conducted running an SFN using an in-fill at 101 Collins Street. The authorisations run until March 17th 2010.
January 20th
On South Hampshire, the packet data service Kings onAirRaDio has ceased.
January 19th
Snapshot of the Block 12C Italian ensemble Club DAB Italia updated. Since the last Snapshot was taken, all DAB+ services on the ensemble have ceased, leaving only services using "original flavour" DAB.
January 19th
Switch Aberdeen Snapshot corrected.
January 19th
The new DeutschlandRadio service DRadio Wissen is reported to have popped up on the Block 12C ensemble BAND III HESSEN, running at 64 kbit/s Mono.
January 19th
UK TII tables updated. Addition of Oban and Rhondda. This is now such a large document that it has been placed on a page of its own.
January 18th
The regional media regulators in Germany, the Landesmedienanstalten, have begun to advertise capacity for a nationwide DAB ensemble to commercial broadcasters. The text of the advertisement has been agreed between the Länder, but because of the federal system in Germany, where broadcasting is a matter for the Länder, each Landesmedienanstalt is issuing the advertisement in its own name. First off the blocks are the Landesmedienanstalten in Bayern, Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein, Nordrhein-Westfalen and Rheinland-Pfalz.
January 18th
Snapshot of the relabelled Südtirol Block 13A ensemble DABMEDIA updated.
January 18th
Switch London Snapshot updated.
January 18th
Ayr, Edinburgh and Glasgow Snapshots updated.
January 18th
The BBC has brought into service two new transmitters on Block 12B. Oban extends coverage of BBC National DAB on the west Scotland coast. Rhondda extends and improves coverage in the South Wales valleys.
January 18th
Off-topic: Many readers will be familiar with the sudden changes to the volume that can occur while watching almost any television network these days. A dramatic film will end as the director intended, only to have the effect destroyed by a loud trail for a forthcoming programme, often totally unrelated to the content of the film. Or a television programme will be interrupted by a commercial break whose volume is much louder than the surrounding programme. In attempt to address some of these concerns, the International Telecommunications Union has specified a new measuring technique that should bring more uniformity to broadcast sound levels and therefore make the process of watching television more pleasurable. According to the ITU, the advent of digital broadcasting has only served to make these volume variations more noticeable. The new draft ITU-R regulation, entitled "Operational practices for Loudness in the International Exchange of Digital Television programmes", suggests how sound levels should be measured and set in international programme exchange and so maintain a more constant perceived volume for viewers. Work is also underway to improve the specification of a "loudness" meter so that deliberate periods of silence or low level within a programme do not significantly affect the overall measured loudness of the programme as a whole. It is expected that this work will be advanced at the next ITU-R Study Group 6 meeting in April. Wohnort adds: Although the ITU refers to television services in its release, the new techniques could also find application in some mixed-genre radio services. Such networks are usually characterised by very loud announcements or trails broadcast between other programmes and draw many complaints. More...
January 18th
The new service from the national public-service broadcaster DeutschlandRadio has begun. DRadio Wissen is reported to have popped up on a number of regional and local ensembles across the labelling. According to reports, the labelling across them is inconsistent. Typical bitrate appears to be 64 kbit/s in Mono, with the capacity being made available by a reduction in the bitrate of DKultur, apart from in the northern Länder Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Niedersachsen, where it appears that Deutschlandfunk and DKultur continue to be broadcast at 192 kbit/s apiece and DRadio Wissen using additional capacity to broadcast at 64 kbit/s. It appears that "original-flavour" DAB is being used everywhere.
Chicken and Egg
Wohnort wonders why, with the long-promised relaunch of digital radio being supposed to use DAB+, the opportunity hasn't been taken to use DAB+ for this new service from the outset. Assuming that the service is one that an audience will wish to hear, it would have provided an incentive for the purchase of DAB+ receivers, and no existing listeners would have been lost by using the new format, since there weren't any.
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January 12th
Snapshot of the Block 6A Malta ensemble Digi B Network added.
January 5th
Snapshot of the Block 12B Venezia ensemble AERANTICORALLO01 updated and corrected. Note that this Band III ensemble is being broadcast using Transmission Mode II, optimised for L-band. This was also the case when the ensemble was observed a year ago, although the fact was not noticed at the time.
January 5th
Snapshot of the Block 12C Bologna ensemble AERANTICORALLO02 updated. Since the last Snapshot was taken, the Service RADIO ZERO has ceased. A new Service, RADIO LINEA N1 is running at 64 kbit/s in DAB+.
January 4th
Snapshot of the Block 12A Graubünden ensemble SRG/SSR R01 updated.
January 4th
The public-service broadcaster in Berlin and Brandenburg, RBB, has ended the transmission of its services on DAB. As a consequence, on Berlin K8C, the Services radioBERLIN 88.8, rbb-Inforadio, rbb-kulturradio, radio1, Antenne and Fritz have ceased.
January 3rd
Snapshot of the Block 12A Swiss ensemble SRG/SSR I01 updated.
January 2nd
Snapshot of the Block 9C local ensemble Augsburg added. Previous Snapshots have been of the L-band ensemble.
January 2nd
Snapshot of the Block 11A local ensemble Ingolstadt added. Previous Snapshots have been of the L-band ensemble.
January 2nd
Snapshot of the Block 7D Swiss ensemble SMC_D02 added. Snapshot of the Block 12C ensemble SRG/SSR D01 updated. Snapshot of the Block 12A ensemble SRG/SSR F01 updated.
January 1st
Snapshot of the Block 12D ensemble Bayern updated.
January 1st
The process of raising transmitted power levels and optimising the DAB network in Bayern continues. The radiated power from the transmitter München Olympiaturm of the Block 11C local ensemble Muenchen has been increased from 1kW to 4kW.
January 1st
In Leipzig, the Block 11A test ensemble Digitalradio has ceased.
December 31st
The public-service broadcaster in Hessen, the Hessischer Rundfunk, has announced that it will cease AM (594 kHz mediumwave) broadcasting tonight. The broadcaster is under severe budgetary pressures and has to save 64 million Euros by 2012.
December 28th
The multiplex operator in Hessen, Hessen Digital Radio, has announced that seven of the Land's VHF transmitters are to be taken out of service. From January 2010, the Block 12C ensemble BAND III HESSEN will be broadcast from only two sites, Großer Feldberg/Taunus and Frankfurt am Main Fernmeldeturm. This arises from restructuring Hessen Digital Radio ahead of a planned relaunch of DAB in 2010. A revised coverage map is available for download based on the reduced network.
December 28th
A new Service has popped up on the Block 12D ensemble Berlin/BRBG 12. oldiestar* is reported to be running at 192 kbit/s.
December 28th
Bauer HUMBERSIDE Snapshot updated.
December 27th
Phew, what a cliff-hanger! With only a few days to go before all DAB licences in Canada were due to expire, and in its penultimate Broadcasting Decision of 2009, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has renewed until August 31st 2011 those DAB licences which are operational on December 31st 2009. The CRTC has given notice that those licensed DAB services which are still not operational on that date, or which have ceased broadcasting before that date, will lose their licences, including the services in Windsor, Ontario that ceased several years ago, but which the CRTC, until now, has continued to renew. The CRTC Decision spells out those services affected by this eleventh-hour use-it-or-lose-it deadline:-
Corus Radio Company:- CFOX-DR-1 Vancouver
Corus Premium Television Ltd.:- CKNW-DR-2 New Westminster; CFMI-DR-2 New Westminster; CFMJ-DR-2 Toronto; CILQ-DR-1 North York
CTV Limited:- CFTE-DR-2 Vancouver (formerly CFUN-DR-2); CHQM-DR-1 Vancouver; CIDR-DR-1 Windsor; CIMX-DR-1 Windsor; CKLW-DR-2 Windsor; CKWW-DR-2 Windsor
Trafalgar Broadcasting Limited:- CJMR-DR-2 Mississauga; CJYE-DR-2 Oakville
591991 B.C. Ltd.:- CJRC-DR-2 Gatineau
December 24th
Listings of the Seoul Blocks 8A, 8B, 8C, 12A, 12B and 12C ensembles updated. Since the last Snapshot was taken, the Block 8C ensemble 1-to-1 has been relabelled QBS.
December 24th
UTV Bauer Stoke Snapshot updated.
Stories prior to this date are now stored on the DAB Archives page.
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