DAB Archives by WohnortLast Update: December 23rd, 2011 |
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The stories on this page previously appeared on the Latest Updates page. Please send information and observations to: carey@wohnort.org 2011 Stories from 2010 Stories from 2009 Stories from 2008 Stories from 2007 Stories from 2006 Stories from 2005 Stories from 2004 Stories from 2003 Stories from 2002 Stories from 2001 Stories from 2000 |
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October 29th
Broadcasters serving the Alps - Bayerischer Rundfunk in Germany, SRG in Switzerland, ORF in Austria and RAS in Südtirol - are to co-operate on a cross-border traffic service to be made available from next year in DAB+. A motorist travelling, for example, from München to Bolzano passes through three countries, and this prime European axis carries 48 million car journeys each year. Last-minute detours through the Alps can involve large additional distances but the impact of detours can be minimised if drivers can be made aware of problems early enough.
October 29th
A new Service has popped up on the UK ensemble D1 National. Ho Ho Ho is currently pointing to the same stream as Smooth Radio UK, which is running at 112 kbit/s.
October 27th
October 26thA new Service has popped up on the Danish ensemble DR DAB2. Radio 24syv is currently broadcasting test tones in "original-flavour" DAB at 128 kbit/s. The public-service broadcaster in southwest Germany, SWR, has announced the following changes will take place in Rheinland-Pfalz in November:- The transmitters at Linz (1kW), Weinbiet (5kW) and Kaiserslautern (2kW) will be reactivated but on Block 11A. The transmitters at Haardtkopf (500w) and Donnersberg (500w) will migrate from Block 12A to Block 11A. These sites will form an SFN together with the existing Block 11A transmitter at Mainz-Kastel (10kW). A switch to using DAB+ will follow later in the year. October 26th In Switzerland, the Federal Council has decided not to conduct any further broad-based studies on the availability of FM frequencies, having concluded that while additional capacity could be found in Band II, the price for all stakeholders would be disproportionately high. The Federal Council has decided instead to reaffirm its strategy for the future digital distribution of radio. October 26th The public-service broadcaster in southwest Germany, SWR, has announced the following changes will take place in Baden-Württemberg in November:- The transmitters Hornisgrinde, Oberböhringen and Ettlingen-Wattkopf will migrate from Block 12B to 11B on November 3rd, with ERPs of 50w, 1kW and 1kW respectively. On November 10th, the transmitter at Lahr will follow, with an ERP of 700w. These sites will form an SFN together with the existing Block 11B transmitters at Heidelberg (10 kW) und Stuttgart-Degerloch (10kW). A switch to using DAB+ will follow later in the year.
October 24th
An ensemble labelled Versuch ("Test") has popped up in the area of Frankfurt on Block 12C, the frequency previously used by the regional ensemble that ceased in July this year. Two services are currently being transmitted, TEST 1 3A and TEST 2 1A, both running at 72 kbit/s in DAB+.
October 24th
The German broadcaster Regiocast has announced that its radio service sunshine live will be broadcast on the national ensemble DR Deutschland from November 1st.
October 23rd
On the local ensemble Muenchen, the "original-flavour" DAB Service Gong Mobil DAB has been replaced by Radio Gong 96,3 and Gong Mobil, each running at 80 kbit/s in DAB+.
October 23rd
On the national German ensemble DR Deutschland, the Service DR Wissen is reported to be running at the increased bitrate of 56 kbit/s.
October 23rd
In Australia, a temporary service called Cold Chisel Radio has been running for the last couple of weeks on the test ensemble DAB+ Darwin.
October 23rd
A new data service has popped up on the national German ensemble DR Deutschland. MB Datacast is a Journaline service running at 8 kbit/s.
October 23rd
On the national German ensemble DR Deutschland, the Service KLASSIK RADIO is reported to be running at the increased bitrate of 72 kbit/s.
October 19th
Absolute Radio has announced two new services to launch on DAB in November. Absolute Radio 60s will launch on November 22nd and be broadcast in London and on a number of local and regional multiplexes around the country. From the list of the towns and cities to be covered, it would appear that the service will be carried on Ayr, Coventry, Lancashire, Liverpool, North East, South East Devon, South East Wales, Swindon and Yorkshire. Absolute Radio 70s will launch one week later and be broadcast in London only.
October 19th
In November 2010, the Australian government launched a consultation on the relative merits of various terrestrial and satellite technologies for digital radio broadcasting services and restricted datacasting services in regional areas. The original discussion paper, the government's review and the 29 responses received have been laid before parliament and published on the website of the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.
October 19th
The BBC has brought into service a new transmitter on Block 12B. Clee Hill extends coverage of BBC National DAB in Shropshire, including Ludlow.
October 18th
The BBC has confirmed its intention to increase DAB coverage of the UK (Wohnort: on its own national multiplex) to 97% of the population and aims to ensure that every town with a population of 5000 or more will be served by DAB. Speaking at the Drive to Digital Conference in London, the Director, Audio and Music, Tim Davie announced that two new transmitters are being brought into service this week - one for Merthyr Tydfil and one for the area to the north of London around Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City. 16 more will be brought into service before the end of the year. He also stated that a transmitter serving Shropshire was brought into service last week, though he did not elaborate, and no details are yet to be found on the BBC website.
October 18th
In France, the national association of private radio stations, the SNRL, has called upon the regulator, the CSA, to allow onto the air the stations selected in 2009 to broadcast in DAB in Paris, Marseille and Nice. "It is time to move on from the stage of demonstrations, consultations and experiments", says Pierre Boucard, member of the SNRL Bureau, and quoted by the French website RadioActu. The SNRL has repeated its call for DAB+ to be validated as an alternative standard, describing the government's choice of DMB-R as "counter-productive".
October 18th
Snapshot of the Swedish ensemble SR RIKS DAB updated. Since the last Snapshot was taken, the Service SR Atlas has been relabelled SR Världen.
October 16th
In France, the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel has authorised the broadcaster the company Kenta Electronic to conduct test transmissions in Brest for four months using DRM+ in Bands I and II.
October 16th
If you blinked, you missed it! The Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel authorised the Eurocom School of Engineering in Sophia-Antipolis to conduct test transmissions using DAB on just TWO days, September 29th and September 30th 2011.
October 16th
The Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel has authorised the broadcaster RAJE to conduct a pilot DMB-A transmission in Marseille for three months beginning November 9th 2011.
October 16th
The BBC has confirmed that planning "a long-term transition from long wave" is to begin, but has sought to reassure laboratories and others that rely on its 198 kHz transmissions as an accurate reference frequency, as well as listeners generally, that it does not expect transmissions to cease before 2017. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Radio 4's Network Manager Denis Nowlam states that long wave transmission "relies on technology that is no longer manufactured."
October 14th
On the local ensembles Augsburg, Ingolstadt, Muenchen and Nuernberg, the Service Fantasy Bayern has been relabelled MEGARADIO Bayern.
October 14th
The media regulator in Bavaria, the BLM, has granted capacity until April 30th 2015 to five services to broadcast using DAB+ on the Block 12D ensemble Bayern:-
October 14th
The media regulator in Bavaria, the BLM, has granted capacity until April 30th 2015 for the service Radio 2Day to broadcast on the Block 11C ensemble Muenchen using DAB+. The service is expected to appear by November 1st "at the latest".
October 14th
The media regulator in Bavaria, the BLM, has extended until April 30th 2015 the licence of the service MagicStar DAB+ that broadcasts on the Block 11C ensemble Muenchen
October 14th
October 13thOn the Block 12D ensemble Bayern, the Service B5 plus is running with a new SId, (DF15). The media regulator in Thüringen, the TLM, has advertised capacity on the Block 12B ensemble, DAB THUERINGEN. 60 Capacity Units are on offer until the public-service broadcaster MDR vacates the multiplex by December 31st 2013. Closing date for applications is November 10th 2011.
October 13th
The BBC has brought a new transmitter into service on Block 12B. Earls Hill improves coverage of BBC National DAB in Stirlingshire, including Dunblane, Bridge of Allen and Stirling.
October 12th
October 6thFive new Services have popped up on the L-band ensemble in the Czech Republic, TELEKO DAB. Radio Vaticana+, RTL 102.5+, RTL Classic+, RTL Groove+ and RTL ItalianStyle+ are broadcasting in DAB+. ABC Radio National, ABC Jazz, triple j Unearthed and ABC Grandstand are now being broadcast on the DAB+ trial in Canberra, in addition to 666 ABC Canberra. The ABC says that other ABC services are not joining the trial because bandwidth is limited and because those services are already available on FM. October 6th The BBC has announced that no new investment will be made in its long-wave transmissions, and that in the long-term, the long-wave transmission of Radio 4 will cease. In a wide-ranging package of cuts announced today, the corporation, which is faced with a 20% cut in its budget over the next five years, also announced a reduction in the medium-wave transmissions for local radio in England, where coverage replicates FM. October 5th The new Danish Cuture Minister, Mr. Uffe Elbæk, has called local and regional radio to be digitized on DAB and for the setting of a switch-off date for FM radio, according to a report on the Danish website Radionyt.
October 3rd
The media regulator in Baden-Württemberg, the LfK, has advertised DAB+ capacity on a joint public/private ensemble on Block 11B. 216 Capacity Units are on offer. The remainder will be used by the public-service broadcaster SWR. The capacity for private broadcasters is available until November 2014 and the ensemble will be operated by Digital Radio Südwest until that time. Initial coverage will be centred around the conurbations Heidelberg/Mannheim and Stuttgart. Closing date for applications is November 11th 2011. The LfK intends that services from the successful private broadcasters should begin early in the New Year 2012.
October 3rd
September 30thOn the pilot DAB+ ensemble broadcasting in Stockholm, Uppsala and Gävle Teracom Test, SR Metropol has been relabelled SR AlltidNyhter for a 4-month pilot of a rolling news service from public-service broadcaster Sveriges Radio. The media regulators in Niedersachsen and in Hamburg & Schleswig-Holstein, the NLM and the MA HSH, have issued a Call for Expressions of Interest from private broadcasters in capacity to operate services on possible regional ensembles for Hamburg and Hannover. In their announcement of the Call, the regulators state that in their discussions with commercial broadcasters, there has been no interest in sharing a multiplex with the regional public-service broadcaster, NDR. Regional ensembles would offer existing service providers and potential future service providers with the opportunity to take up capacity in either Hamburg or Hannover alone, or in both. Closing date is November 18th 2011. September 29th In Nordrhein-Westfalen, the national mux transmitter Düsseldorf has migrated from Block 5A to 5C. September 28th In Nordrhein-Westfalen, the national mux transmitter Langenberg has migrated from Block 5A to 5C. September 27th Off-topic: The transmission provider Antenna Hungária has announced that its DVB-H transmissions will cease on September 28th. On the following day, the vacated frequencies will be used for test transmissions of the new Multiplex B. The entire DVB-T platform will be interrupted on the morning of September 30th to permit setting the new channel line-up on all of the three multiplexes, swap of frequencies, and other changes to the technical parameters including Guard Interval. Transmission powers on Mux A will be increased in Budapest, extending coverage to areas previously unserved. Full details... September 27th The operator of the national German multiplex has confirmed the migration of its transmitters in Nordrhein-Westfalen from Block 5A to Block 5C, in a process to be completed by September 30th. According to reports from the reception area, the transmitters for Bonn and Köln have already been switched. The move follows negotiations involving the licensed users of 5C in the Netherlands and the frequency regulators of both countries which, according to the announcement, will continue in order to arrive at a permanent, internationally co-ordinated solution. According to the Media Broadcast, the German frequency spectrum regulator, the BNetzA is in contact with its counterparts in France and Switzerland to investigate the possibility of migrating the remaining Block 5A transmitters in southwest Germany to Block 5C. September 23rd The Australian public-service broadcaster, ABC, has announced that additional services will join the DAB+ trial in Canberra from October 5th 2011. ABC Radio National, ABC Jazz, triple j Unearthed and ABC Grandstand will join 666 ABC Canberra. Of those, ABC Jazz, triple j Unearthed and ABC Grandstand will be digital-only radio services not available on analogue. The ABC says that other ABC services are not joining the trial because bandwidth is limited and because those services are already available on FM. September 23rd The media regulator in the french-speaking region of Belgium, the CSA, has launched a consultation on the future deployment of DAB+. The basis of the consultation is the "hypothetical" launch of a full service of private and public DAB+ services, broadcasting on Blocks 11B and 12B to the entire French-speaking region and on provincial multiplexes:- Bruxelles & Brabant wallon - Block 11D Hainaut - Block 8D Liège - Block 5C Namur & Luxembourg Block 5B Closing date is October 31st 2011. September 23rd The Financial Times Deutschland reports that a frequency change for the national German multiplex may be imminent in the west and southwest of the country. In Nordrhein-Westfalen, the radio communications of the police, fire and rescue services have been liable to interference from the high-power DAB+ transmissions which are broadcast on neighbouring frequencies. Should agreement be reached, the newspaper reports, those transmitters currently operating on Block 5A in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland and parts of Hessen and Baden-Württemberg would switch to Block 5C, meaning that the national multiplex would then be on 5C throughout the country. The use of 5C in the affected areas would be subject to international agreement. In particular, 5C is allocated to Switzerland, who would have to find an alternative allocation in order for the use by Germany to become permanent. The newspaper reports that Media Broadcast, operator of the multiplex, is investigating the possibility of seeking damages from the national frequency spectrum regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur, who allocated the problematic frequencies to all of the affected parties.
September 21st
September 20thA new Service has popped up on London 2. Voice of Russia is reported to be broadcasting at 48 kbit/s in Mono LSF. Denmark is to trial DVB-T2 Lite. The new subset of the digital TV standard will be broadcast on a 1.7 MHz channel (equivalent to a T-DAB Block) in the Copenhagen area and will carry radio services. According to the Digital TV Group, the standard offers a 2.5 to 4 times increase in capacity compared to a DAB/DAB+ mux.
September 18th
September 18thSnapshot of the Netherlands ensemble Publieke Omroep updated. Since the previous Snapshot was taken, the packet data service PO_info has ceased. The ensemble's EId has changed from 8001 to C102. NRW-Tag, celebrating the founding of the German Bundesland Nordrhein-Westfalen, and the Tag der deutschen Einheit, the anniversary of German Unification, will be celebrated in Bonn from the 1st October to the 3rd. 300,000 visitors are expected in the town. The frequencies allocated to the police and fire services are 173.58 MHz and 173.14 MHz respectively, the closest being 1.348 MHZ from the 10kW transmissions of the national DAB multiplex from the Venusberg. Following the shutdown of DAB transmissions in Dortmund to ensure the security of the authorities' communications, it is likely that a temporary shutdown of the Venusberg transmissions will also be sought. All of the frequencies involved - police, fire and DAB - have been allocated by the German spectrum regulator, the BNetzA. In a commentary on the situation, the German website rettungsdienst.de says that a long-term solution is urgently required. The police, fire and rescue services cannot afford to wait for new Tetra digital radios (perhaps 2014). Similarly, broadcasters cannot be expected to shut down their transmissions every time there is a large event. September 16th Responses to Ofcom's consultation on DAB coverage planning have been published.
September 11th
Snapshot added of the Berlin ensemble DR Berlin rbb K7. Snapshot of Berlin/BRBG 12 updated.
September 11th
Birmingham, Coventry, London 1, West Midlands and Wolv'ton & Shrop Snapshots updated.
September 7th
On North East, Severn Estuary and Yorkshire, Rock Radio has been relabelled Real Radio XS.
September 6th
A new service has popped up on Severn Estuary. Swansea radio station Bay Radio is broadcasting at 64 kbit/s.
September 5th
The weekend's temporary closure of the Block 5A transmitter at Dortmund, to avoid the possibility of interference to police frequencies during a planned mass demonstration, continues to be a topic for discussion in the media and in Internet forums. The Rheinische Post reports that "experts have agreed" that in the short term, the the national DAB+ ensemble in Nordrhein-Westfalen should move to a higher frequency. What exactly is meant by "higher frequency" is not elaborated. The vulnerable police frequencies were between 168 and 173 MHz, immediately below the national multiplex on Block 5A. Whether a migration to Block 5C, as used in some other Länder, would be sufficient, or whether the "higher frequency" would have to be in, say, Channel 9 remains to be seen. The long-term solution, according to the newspaper, is the introduction of the digital Tetra police radio. This had been planned for 2006, but now seems unlikely until 2014. So far Wohnort has seen no official confirmation of the Rheinische Post's report.
September 5th
Off-Topic: The UK regulator Ofcom has invited application from commercial Public Service broadcasters to broadcast a fifth high-definition television service on the terrestrial "Freeview" Multiplexes, alongside the four existing services, BBC One HD, BBC HD, ITV 1 HD and Channel 4 HD. Closing date for applications is October 17th 2011.
September 5th
The Czech multiplex operator Teleko has brought an L-band transmitter into service for Northern Moravia and Silesia. Lysá Hora extends coverage of TELEKO DAB to an area that includes Ostrava, Karvina, Havirov and Frýdek-Místek. Teleko estimates that about 30% of the Republic is now covered by their transmissions. A coverage map (11Mb!) of the new site is available for download.
September 5th
A new Service has popped up on North West. Real Radio XS is broadcasting at 128 kbit/s in Joint Stereo. Snapshot updated.
September 5th
The stereo versions of Jazz FM have ceased on the regional multiplexes North West and West Midlands.
September 4th
A new Service has popped up on the Block 12D ensemble Berlin/BRBG 12. pure fm dance is running at 192 kbit/s in Stereo.
September 4th
The BBC has recently brought into service a new transmitter on Block 12B. Greenhill, in South West Wales, extends coverage of BBC National DAB to Pembrokeshire, including Milford Haven, Neyland and Pembroke.
September 3rd
On DR Deutschland, the Service LoungeFM is reported to be broadcasting in DAB+ Surround Sound. According to listener reports in Internet forums, this is leading to the service not being receivable with some DAB+ receivers.
September 2nd
A new Service has popped up on the L-band ensemble TELEKO DAB broadcasting in Prague, Pribram and Brno. GAMA RADIO+ is broadcasting at 64 kbit/s using DAB+.
September 2nd
The Canadian regulator, the CRTC, has renewed the licences of commercial DAB services on ensembles in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, despite the fact that, so far as Wohnort knows, apart from one ensemble in Toronto, those ensembles are no longer broadcasting. Unlike previous yearly extensions, however, the latest renewal is for only six months. Somewhat enigmatically, the CRTC states that their decision "does not dispose of any substantive issues that may exist with respect to the renewal of these licences" and that it will "consider at a later date the renewal of these licences and interested parties will have an opportunity to comment at the appropriate time."
September 1st
Media Broadcast, the operator of the national German ensemble DR Deutschland, has announced it has been instructed by the national frequency spectrum regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur, to deactive its transmitter in Dortmund until September 4th. At issue is the concern of the Interior Ministry of the Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, that the transmissions could interfere with the radio traffic of authorities tasked with policing mass demonstrations planned to take place in the city this weekend. Media Broadcast stresses that its transmissions are completely within the parameters set out in its Licence, and that this has not been called into question by the authorities. It also says it has co-operated with the shutdown unconditionally. Media Broadcast stresses that its operational parameters have been co-ordinated internationally and have been notified to Media Broadcast by the Bundesnetzagentur, who have also confirmed the correct operation of the transmission network. Reception of DR Deutschland will not be possible in Dortmund until the transmitter is reactivated. Other transmitter sites are not affected by the temporary shut-down.
September 1st
On the national German ensemble DR Deutschland, the Service ERF Radio has been relabelled ERF Plus.
August 31st
On the local multiplexes in England, the service Traffic Radio has ceased.
August 31st
The date for the launch of the mutliplex for Rheinland-Pfalz is now being quoted as "end of 2011/beginning of 2012". Radio RPR/bigFM has applied for a service "bigFM Worldbeats", die Neue Welle Verwaltungsgesellschaft in N�rnberg for a service "Absolut Relax" and Media Broadcast with a data service "Digital Radio Datacast". One programme slot remains free. Formal approval is expected to be given at the next LMK meeting on October 17th. The ensemble on Block 11A will be broadcast initially from Linz, Koblenz, Trier, Haardtkopf, Kaiserslautern, Mainz-Kastel, Donnersberg und Weinbiet.
August 29th
Forgotten, but not dead. Toronto's famously intermittent ensemble, CHANNEL 4, Canada's last remaining DAB multiplex (so far as we know), has popped up again. Two services are reported to be broadcasting audio - MIX 99.9 and JAZZ FM. Three other services, CFRB, THE FAN and EZ ROCK, have no audio. Wohnort adds: These intermittent DAB broadcasts out of Toronto remind Wohnort of the 1959 Gregory Peck movie "On the Beach". Wohnort wonders if these strange DAB transmissions may be being caused by a Coca-Cola bottle.
August 29th
Accountants, at least, in Canada still consider a DAB licence to be "an asset". The Canadian Radio-television Commission has approved a request by BCE Inc to transfer assets, including the transitional radio undertakings CHUM-DR-1 Toronto and CHUM-DR-2 Toronto, from Bell Media to the Bell Media Canada Radio Partnership, formed by Bell Media Inc. and 7550413 Ontario Inc.
August 29th
August 29thThe Australian public-service broadcaster ABC is participating in the Canberra DAB+ trials for the first time. Two services are reported to have popped up on DAB+ CBR Trial, 666 ABC Canberra and ABCRadioNational A pilot T-DMB ensemble is reported to be operating in Mongolia. The transmissions in Ulan Bator are understood to be using the Korean-raster frequency 184.736 MHz (ROK 8C), but it is likely that a full commercial roll-out would use standard-raster frequencies.
August 28th
On Berlin/BRBG 12, the Services DEUTSCHLANDFUNK, DKULTUR and DRadio Wissen are reported to have ceased.
August 28th
While the eyes of the world are watching Irene pounding the eastern seaboard of the United States, a severe thunderstorm in Denmark has damaged transmitter equipment and knocked the pilot local ensemble NivaaDAB off the air. It is not known when transmissions will be able to resume.
August 28th
In Australia, triplejUnearthed has popped up on the ABC/SBS ensembles.
August 24th
August 20thA new Service has popped up on Berks & N Hants. NME Radio is running at 128 kbit/s. Snapshot updated. Receiver chipset manufacturer Frontier Silicon has announced a Chinese-language user interface option to its digital radio platforms. Comprising a character set consisting of 16,000 Chinese characters, the user interface will allow station names, user menus and DLS messages to be displayed in Chinese. Frontier Silicon views this as ensuring digital radio will be accessible to all consumers in Hong Kong, where full-scale DAB+ services are expected to launch in November. Frontier's Venus 2i-C platform, using their Verona receiver module will be the first to have the new Chinese user interface implemented. Frontier's chipsets are used in receivers from a multitude of famous names, including Bang & Olufsen, Bose, Bush, Cyrus, Denon, Dual, Gear4, Goodmans, Grundig, harman/kardon, Hitachi, JVC, Magic Box, Ministry of Sound, NAD, Onkyo, Panasonic, Philips, Pinell, Pioneer, PURE, Revo, Roberts, Sanyo, Sharp, SIRIUS XM, Sony, TEAC, Tivoli Audio, Vita Audio and Yamaha.
August 19th
August 18thCanada's last remaining ensemble (so far as we know!), Toronto's CHANNEL 4, has been out of action for a week now. This transmission has a peculiar habit of springing back into life - usually immediately following a report of its (latest) demise in these pages, so we won't write it off completely just yet. Another sign of the impending arrival of full-scale DAB+ transmissions in Hong Kong - receiver manufacturer Pure now has a web portal for the territory in both English and Chinese versions.
August 18th
August 18thSnapshots of the ensembles Bayern, BR Bayern, Augsburg, Ingolstadt, Muenchen, Muenchen IRT and Nuernberg updated. The Block 8C ensemble in Berlin is reported to have migrated to Block 7D. Services from the public-service broadcaster Radio Berlin-Brandenburg are reported to have popped up using DAB+. August 17th The official Swiss DAB coverage map has been updated with the new transmitters on Block 12C at Bülach and on Block 7D at Trun. An earlier addition to the Block 7D SFN, Dornegg, has yet to appear, however.
August 17th
Snapshot of the ensemble Rheinland-Pfalz updated. In the Rhein-Main area (14.08.2011), the Ensemble had migrated to Block 11A. In Mannheim/Ludwigshafen/Heidelberg (14.08.2011), the same Ensemble (same EId) was still operating on Block 12A.
August 17th
Snapshot of the ensemble DAB Baden-Wuert. updated. In Stuttgart (14.08.2011), the same Ensemble (same EId) was being transmitted on both Block 11B and Block 12B. In Mannheim (14.08.2011), the Ensemble was still operating on Block 12B.
August 16th
August 15thSnapshots added of the new German national ensemble DR Deutschland. The ensemble is dynamic, with the configuration varying according to how many different live football commentaries are being broadcast. A number of configurations from the weekend are shown. UK TII table updated. August 15th The BBC has announced plans for a temporary radio service, BBC 5 live Olympics Extra, to broadcast from July 23rd 2012 to August 15th 2012. The service is planned to be available on DAB and online. The BBC's governing body, the BBC Trust, has launched a public consultation on the proposals. August 15th In Switzerland, a revised version of the SRG/SSR announcement has been issued, which makes clear that the new transmitter at Bülach-Eschenmosen (Rotzibuch) is broadcasting the Block 12C ensemble SRG SSR D01, while the new transmitter at Trun is broadcasting the Block 7D ensemble SMC_D02. The original announcement is no longer available. August 12th In Switzerland, two new transmitters have been brought into service. Bülach-Eschenmosen (Rotzibuch) serves the region of Bülach. Trun serves the region of the Surselva around the town of Trun. The SRG/SSR announcement is rather vague about which transmitters are broadcasting which ensemble. The announcement suggests that both sites are operating on both Block 7D and 12C. However, since neighbouring Block 12C transmitters in the Surselva were recently taken out of service, leaving them to operate only on Block 7D and 12D, it is more likely that the new equipment at Trun is being used to transmit Block 7D, while the Bülach site may be broadcasting both 7D and 12C. August 11th The launch of the newest digital radio channel from public-service broadcaster Danmarks Radio may have been postponed. DR Mama, previously stated as launching on August 15th, is now described by DR's website merely as launching in "autumn 2011". DR Boogieradio, which DR Mama is intended in part to replace, is still described as closing on August 15th. August 9th The German media website Radiowoche reports that three applications have been received for capacity on the forthcoming mixed public/private ensemble in Rheinland-Pfalz:- BigFM Neue Welle for a service "Absolut Relax" Media Broadcast, the multiplex operator, with data services. The multiplex will operate on Block 11A. Test transmissions of the new ensemble are reported to be taking place already. August 9th Off-Topic: The retransmission of BBC Radio 1 in Canada via the SiriusXM satellite subscription service has ceased. August 9th The BBC has brought into service a new transmitter on Block 12B. Pitlochry extends coverage of BBC National DAB on the important A9 route in Scotlan, including the town of Pitlochry itself. August 8th On the ensemble Berlin K8C, the service DRadio Wissen and its DAB+ counterpart DRadio Wissen + are reported to have ceased. August 5th The local ABC station in Canberra, 666 ABC Canberra, has announced that ABC Radio will participate in the capital's DAB+ trials, which were this week extended for a further 12 months. August 4th The Block 12C ensemble BAND III HESSEN is reported to have ceased. August 4th The Australian regulator, the ACMA, has extended the licences for the DAB+ trials in Canberra and Darwin. The new expiry date for both is July 31st 2012. August 3rd The UK regulator Ofcom has granted permission for Bay Radio, a local speech and music station in Swansea, to be broadcast on the regional multiplex Severn Estuary. August 3rd The UK regulator Ofcom has granted permission for the Voice of Russia to be broadcast on London 2. August 3rd The UK regulator Ofcom has renewed for twelve years the local multiplex licences for Birmingham, London 1 and Manchester (owned by CE Digital), Glasgow (owned by Bauer) and London 2 (Owned by Switch Digital). The licence of the national commercial multiplex D1 National (Digital One Ltd) has been similarly renewed. August 3rd The dispute about alleged interference of DAB+ to analogue cable distribution (or possibly vice versa) has extended to Nordrhein-Westfalen, where cable TV viewers are, allegedly, noticing interference on their TV pictures since the new nationwide multiplex began broadcasting. Cable operator Unitymedia sees the national multiplex as being responsible because of the much higher transmission powers it uses than hitherto. (Wohnort: It has been known for a very long time that this would be the case, and the ensemble's frequency and transmission powers have been agreed internationally.) According to a report on the WDR website, Unitymedia denies that its own cable network is affected, saying that the interference is being introduced in the viewers' homes by inadequately screened cable between the cable company's outlet and the television receiver. Nevertheless, according to the article, Unitymedia is trying to get Media Broadcast (operator of the national ensemble) reduce its transmissions power. (Wohnort: The WDR article contains surprising factual inaccuracies for such an important broadcaster. The article states that 9 private stations and one public-service station are transmitted on the national mux. In fact, four services from public-service broadcaster Deutschlandradio are broadcast.) August 2nd The BBC has brought a new transmitter into service on Block 12B. Pontypool improves coverage of BBC National DAB in Torfaen, Monmouthshire, including Pontypool itself. With its announcement of the new site, the BBC web page has resumed top-posting the new sites, ending months of having to check both the top and bottom of the list for new additions. August 2nd A local German newspaper, the Augsburger Allgemeine reports today that "Digital Radio is interfering with television reception". The subheadline suggests that DAB+ is to blame. Cable television viewers in the vicinity of the Hotelturm in Augsburg have noticed interference on their television pictures since the start of the national multiplex on Block 5C. The local cable TV distribution network uses similar frequencies. The newspaper reports that affected viewers should try replacing the cables to the decoders in their homes with newer, screened ("Class A") versions. Wohnort adds: The new national multiplex uses frequencies allocated to Germany during GE06, five years ago, subsequently confirmed by bilateral international co-ordination, allowing plenty of time for cable TV companies to adjust their networks. This rather suggests that any "blame" lies 180° to the direction suggested by the newspaper. Furthermore, Wohnort has seen reports from correspondents that DAB+ reception is itself being interfered with by the cable transmissions, particularly in the vicinity of roadside cable distribution nodes. The protection from interference of properly licensed and co-ordinated broadcasting frequencies falls within the province of the Bundesnetzagentur. Heavy fines are available. Watch this space! August 1st On the Nordrhein-Westfalen ensemble NRW K12, the services DEUTSCHLANDFUNK, DKULTUR and Dradio Wissen have ceased as planned. These services are now transmitted on the new national ensemble DR Deutschland. August 1st (2) On the local Bavarian ensembles Augsburg, Ingolstadt, Muenchen and Nuernberg, the services Deutschlandfunk, DKULTUR and DRadio Wissen have ceased as planned. These services are now transmitted on the new national ensemble DR Deutschland. August 1st The Block 12A ensemble in Niedersachsen, DRN Nieders., has ceased. August 1st A new ensemble has popped on Block LE in the Czech Republic's second city, Brno. Six services are being transmitted from the public-service broadcaster Ceský Rozhlas - Leonardo (science), Cesko (news), Region (regional news programme), CRo3 (culture) Wave (alternative music), D-dur (classical music). One private radio station is also being broadcast - Proglas (religion). August 1st A new Service has popped up on the Block 11C ensemble Manchester. ASR Networks is broadcasting in mono at 64 kbit/s. The existing service Asian Sound has reduced its bitrate from 128 kbit/s Joint Stereo to mono at 64 kbit/s. Snapshot updated. August 1st The new national ensemble in Germany, DR Deutschland, transmitted on Block 5C in the north and east and Block 5A in the south and west, is now in official programme service. August 1st On the Block 12B ensemble DAB Baden-Wuert., the services DEUTSCHLANDFUNK, DKULTUR and DRadio Wissen have ceased as planned. These services are now transmitted on the new national ensemble DR Deutschland. August 1st On the Block 11C ensemble Muenchen, the services Deutschlandfunk, DKULTUR and DRadio Wissen have ceased as planned. These services are now transmitted on the new national ensemble DR Deutschland. August 1st The Block 12C ensemble DRN Hamburg has ceased. August 1st The Block 12D ensemble in Schleswig-Holstein, DRN Sch-Holstein, has ceased. August 1st In eastern Sachsen, the Block 5C transmission of the Sachsen ensemble has ceased. The national German multiplex is reported to have popped up in its place in a number of locations. July 31st The WDR Press Office works Sundays! The public-service broadcaster for Nordrhein-Westfalen, WDR, has announced that the majority of its radio services will be transmitted from tomorrow in DAB+. 1LIVE, WDR 2, 1LIVE diggi, KInderRAdioKAnal, Funkhaus Europa, WDR Event and the traffic information service VERA will be available in the new standard. WDR 2 and VERA will continue to be available in "original-flavour" DAB also. July 28th A Royal Decree on the future of digital radio has been published in Spain. Having been permitted to reduce coverage to 20% of the country, the broadcasters should provide DAB+ coverage within that area at least as good as FM. Broadcasters will be expected to provide quality content and programming which is not already available on analogue. Broadcasters should exploit the possibilities of DAB+, such as MPEG Surround Sound, especially in the broadcast of live events such as concerts. A study will be conducted on the conditions and requirements necessary for establishing a switch-off date for analogue and accomodating the existing analogue services on the digital platform. July 28th On the Spanish ensemble MF2, the Service SRDT SOLO MUSICA is reported to be broadcasting with audio only on the right-hand channel. SER Digital is broadcasting with audio only on the left-channel. On MF1, EL MUNDO is reported to be broadcasting with audio on both channels but out of phase. July 28th According to informed sources, on August 1st, the Services Deutschlandfunk, DKULTUR and DRadio Wissen will cease on the local multiplexes Augsburg, Ingolstadt, Muenchen and Nuernberg on the same day that they are launched officially on the national multiplex DR Deutschland. July 28th On the Block 11B Spanish ensemble FU-E, the Service M80 DIGITAL has ceased. July 27th On the Block 11D ensemble BR Bayern, the Service B5 aktuell has switched to using DAB+ at 80 kbit/s. The capacity released has been allocated to Bayern 3, which is now running at the higher bitrate of 160 kbit/s in "original-flavour" DAB. July 27th On the Block 12D ensemble Berlin/BRBG 12, the Service oldies* is reported to have been replaced by radio B2. July 27th The Service domradio is reported to have popped up on the Block 11D ensemble Radio fuer NRW, broadcasting in DAB+. July 27th On the Block 11C ensemble Muenchen, the packet data service JOURNALINE AUDI has been relabelled JOURNALINE. July 27th A new Service has popped up on the national German ensemble DR Deutschland. LoungeFM is broadcasting at 72 kbit/s using DAB+. July 27th On the Block 12D ensemble Bayern, the packet data service TPEG-BR-Test has been relabelled TPEG-BR. July 25th In Nordrhein-Westfalen, the Block 11D ensemble, currently transmitted in Köln, is reported to have been relabelled Radio für NRW. A mix of WDR services is being transmitted in both DAB+ and "original-flavour" DAB. The configuration appears to be a work in progress with a number of changes being reported during the day. July 25th The BBC's Director-General has ruled out closing local radio stations or merging them with BBC Radio 5Live. In an e-mail to staff reported by The Guardian newspaper, Mark Thompson also ruled out closing television regions, removing BBC Parliament from Freeview and privatising BBC Worldwide. He did not rule out service closures completely, however, but suggested "a smarter way of making savings without taking entire services away from the public." July 25th Wohnort just noticed that the official Swiss DAB coverage prediction map shows the capital of neighbouring Liechtenstein, Vaduz, with indoor coverage from both the new Swiss Block 7D mux as well as the existing Block 12C ensemble. Should that be another country added to the DAB map? July 25th This DAB+ thing must be top secret. With just 6 days to go before the launch of DAB+ in Germany, the publicity machine should be in full swing, so Wohnort visited the websites of the ARD broadcasters due to make some kind of switch of August 1st to see how easy it was to inform oneself. All of MDR's services are due to switch to DAB+ on August 1st, with the exception of MDR Klassik, but there is no mention of this on MDR's main page and no mention either on MDR's Radio page. You have to burrow down to a dedicated Digitalradio page where, at least, DAB+ is the top story. In other words, you have to know about it already in order to know to go and look for it. In the west, WDR makes no mention of a forthcoming switch at all. Not on its main page, not on its radio page. Not even, for goodness sake, on its Digitalradio page. If the list on the national digital radio website is to believed, all of WDR's services are due to switch to DAB+. Is that what the "from Aug 2011" means? The list doesn't say so. The list doesn't actually mention DAB+. Again, only those of us who know what the list means will know what the list means. Since Otto Zuhörer can receive all those services already on his "original-flavour" DAB radio, even if he's found this list, he could be forgiven for thinking everything will be fine in a week's time. In Bayern, the information is again quasi-buried on the Technik pages, although in fairness Bayern is so far ahead of the other Länder that much less will change to their own transmissions on August 1st. Yet still, they have thought to advise DAB listeners by DLS of a forthcoming requirement to Autotune their receivers. (By the way, there's an interesting video on the BR website of the new antenna mast being mounted on the Augsburger Hotelturm.) Down in SWR-Land, Baden-Württemberg and Rheinland-Pfalz, there is no mention of any forthcoming change on either the home page or the Radio page. The Frequencies page says "Der Countdown läuft" (the countdown is running) but this is a reference to the end of analogue satellite television transmission in April 2012. You have to go to the page listing engineering work at transmitter sites to learn that SOMETHING to do with DAB+ is going on at Stuttgart-Frauenkopf. But there it's presented as the reason for your daytime television experience being interrupted. So, in case you haven't heard already, something to do with DAB+ is going to happen on August 1st. But please don't tell anyone who told you. July 25th On the ABC/SBS ensembles in Australia, triple j hottest has returned to being ABC Extra. July 25th On DAB+ Adelaide, RPH Adelaide has been replaced by iris, also running at 32 kbit/s using DAB+. July 24th DAB receiver manufacturer Pure is now offering versions of its website for Switzerland in three out of the four official languages. July 24th The following DLS message is currently being transmitted on the Block 12D ensemble Bayern. "Aufgrund einer technischen Programmänderung am 27. Juli bitte den Sendersuchlauf neu starten." Listeners are requested to perform a new Autotune search on July 27th, a sure sign of a forthcoming multiplex reconfiguration. July 24th With one week to go before the supposed "big bang" launch of DAB+ in Germany, the closest thing yet to a definitive timetable of who will launch what when has been found on the internet portals of some of the regional multiplex operators.
Using the nationwide portal www.digitalradio-plattform.de as a starting point, proceeding around the regional websites in turn produced the following, mixed results. Remember that Wohnort did not choose which website or institution to visit, but followed the links from the national DAB website.
July 23rd In Denmark, a youth centre in Helsingør, the Kommunale Ungdomsskole, has joined the pilot local ensemble transmitting from Nivå. Its service , an internet service also broadcast in the evening on 92.8 MHz in Helsingør, is broadcasting at 88 kbit/s using DAB+. In addition, a new service Kanal Plus 90 has popped up, playing music from the 1990s. The service is using DAB+ at 144 kbit/s. Both services are running as tests currently, with their official launches still to come. July 21st On the ABC/SBS ensembles in Australia, the special service ABC UK Newsgate has now ceased, having broadcasting the appearance before a British parliamentary Select Committee of Rupert Murdoch and James Murdoch. July 21st On the Czech L-band ensemble TELEKO DAB, broadcast in Prague and Pribram, the Service Radio Proglas+ has appeared in DAB+, in addition to the "original-flavour" DAB transmission. The newcomer replaces the test channel volna kapacita2. July 21st Digital Radio Mitteldeutschland has announced that in Sachsen-Anhalt, the private broadcasters (radio SAW, Rockland Sachsen-Anhalt, Radio Brocken and 89.0 RTL) will switch to using DAB+ on August 1st. The public-service broadcaster for the Land, MDR, has already announced that all of its services apart from MDR Klassik will be available in DAB+ from the same date. MDR Klassik will continue to be broadcast in "original-flavour" DAB for the time being. July 20th On Severn Estuary, the Service Rock Radio is running at the lower bitrate of 80 kbit/s in Mono. REAL RADIO is running at the lower bitrate of 112 kbit/s Joint Stereo. July 20th A new Service has popped up on the ABC/SBS ensembles in Australia. ABC UK Newsgate is running at 64 kbit/s in DAB+ stereo. July 20th On South East Wales, the Service Voice Radio has ceased. A new Service has popped up on Severn Estuary. Mountain FM is running at 64 kbit/s in Mono. July 16th DAB+ transmissions have arrived in Denmark. A pilot local ensemble has popped up on Block 9B in Nivå. NivaaDAB, operated by local station Kanal Plus, is broadcasting the station's internet radio service Retro-Radio in DAB+ and so is broadcasting new content not currently available on analogue radio. The other service, Forsoegskanal, is intended for engineering tests and will experiment with different types of content at various bit rates. July 16th DAB+ transmissions have arrived in Denmark. A pilot local ensemble has popped up on Block 9B in Nivå. NivaaDAB, operated by local station Kanal Plus, is broadcasting the station's internet radio service Retro-Radio in DAB+ and so is broadcasting new content not currently available on analogue radio. The other service, Forsoegskanal, is intended for engineering tests and will experiment with different types of content at various bit rates. July 15th The German national ensemble has popped up in Hamburg on Block 5C. DR Deutschland is broadcasting a number of audio services in DAB+ and various data services. These are test transmissions. As such, the configuration of the multiplex is not yet complete and the transmissions may be subject to interruptions and periods of reduced power prior to entering official public service on August 1st. July 15th The public-service broadcaster for Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt and Thüringen, the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR), has announced that from August 1st, MDR INFO, MDR FIGARO, MDR SPUTNIK and JUMP will be broadcast in DAB+ from the existing regional multiplexes, along with the respective regional versions of MDR 1. MDR KLASSIK will continue to be broadcast for the time being using "original-flavour" DAB. Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2011, the coverage of the three ensembles will be improved with power increases in Leipzig/Halle, Dresden and Erfurt/Weimar. Further extensions of coverage are planned. July 15th Two transmitters in the Netherlands, miles apart, have been damaged on the same day. The Dutch broadcaster NOS's website shows the mast on top of the transmitter tower near Smilde to have collapsed, with part of the mast in flames and smoke pouring out of the transmitter rooms. The incident has interrupted television and radio transmissions in Friesland, Drenthe, Groningen, Overijssel and Flevoland. The important radio and television transmitter at Lopik was deactivated following a fire in the tower. The NOS reports that reception in 80 to 90 percent of the country has been affected by the incidents. July 13th The French-language service French Radio London will be broadcast on Pop Up Radio on July 14th to mark Bastille Day. Pop Up Radio is available on most of NOW Digital's local multiplexes in England and Wales, as well as Ayr in Scotland. July 13th On the German ensemble DRN Sch-Holstein, the EPG is reported to have ceased. Only the three audio services from DeutschlandRadio remain. July 12th An Irish company, Solaris Mobile, itself a joint venture between SES Astra and Eutelsat, has announced an agreement with Class Editori, a leading Italian media publishing group, to launch a hybrid satellite/terrestrial subscription digital radio service in Italy. According to the announcement, pilot transmissions will begin in Milan in October, which if successful may be extended to the whole of Italy in 2012. July 12th The UK regulator Ofcom has approved the application from NOW Digital to extend the Exeter/Torbay multiplex to include North Devon. In it's application, NOW Digital proposed to begin broadcasting from Huntshaw Cross within six months of Ofcom consent, and from Barnstaple and Okehampton six months after a positive decision from the government regarding digital-switchover. The North Devon transmitters are expected to operate on Block 10C. July 12th EPGs are reported to be running on the ABC/SBS ensembles in Adelaide, Perth and Sydney and will be extended to Brisbane soon. July 11th On the ABC/SBS ensembles in Australia, ABC Extra is reported to be running as triple j hottest. July 11th An EPG is reported to have popped up on ME ABC&sbs RADIO in Melbourne and may have appeared in the other cities as well. ABC_SBS_EPG is reported to be running at 8 kbit/s. July 9th The public-service broadcaster in Hong Kong, RTHK, has announced that it intends to launch its DAB+ services as soon as the transmission network is ready, with two services in Putonghua (Mandarin), two in English and one service in Cantonese. July 9th The UK regulator Ofcom has proposed what it describes as an "innovative new use" for Band II (the "FM band") following the UK's switch from analogue to digital radio. White Space Devices could make use of unoccupied frequencies to deliver services such as mobile broadband in sparsely populated areas. Ofcom has already launched a consultation on the use of White Space Devices, but this was based on their use in Bands IV and V (the "TV bands"). However, Ofcom has extended its consideration to Band II. Ofcom anticipates that all the larger stations will migrate to DAB eventually, leaving only smaller commercial and community stations. Ofcom estimates that about 50% of Band II will be released for alternative use. An interesting incentive for broadcasters is suggested in that Ofcom believes that filling the released spectrum with White Space Devices would prevent pirate broadcasters moving in to occupy the newly-vacated frequencies. [Wohnort adds: By identifying a future commercial use for this valuable spectrum resource that manufacturers and service providers will be eager to use, Ofcom has subtly increased the financial imperative that a digital switch-over eventually happen, while selling it to radio broadcasters as a way to safefguard their own interests.] July 7th The German marketing magazine W&V is reporting that the Frank Otto Medienbeteiligungsgesellschaft has decided to broadcast its service Kiss FM, currently on the air on FM in Berlin, on the forthcoming natonal DAB+ multiplex. Originally, the service Radio 3.0 and a service with Urban Independant Pop were planned. July 7th On DAB+ Adelaide, the Service ClassicHits Live is reported to have been replaced by CW Mix 90's. The new service is also running at 32 kbit/s in DAB+. This may also have happened in other markets. July 7th The UK regulator Ofcom has published the responses to the public consultation on NOW Digital's proposal to extend the coverage of the Exeter/Torbay multiplex to include North Devon. 209 responses are published, from individuals, industry stakeholders, local councils, and even the local police. Curiously, Arqiva's published response consists of only the cover page, although the same cover page indicates that Arqiva considers none of the content to be confidential. Ofcom's separate consultation on DAB coverage plans treats North Devon as a separate multiplex on Block 10C. July 7th On Bournemouth and South Hampshire, the "Retune To" Services have ceased. July 6th The UK regulator Ofcom has approved a new service to be broadcast on Manchester. The service, provided by ASR Networks (Muslim Lifestyle) will be music-based and aimed at the Asian Arabic Muslim community. Ofcom has granted permission for Asian Sound to drop from 128 kbit/s Joint Stereo to 64 kbit/s mono. July 6th The Swiss public-service broadcaster SRG/SSR has published a provisional timetable for the introduction of third-layer regional ensembles in the German-speaking part of the country:-
July 6th DAB+ transmissions will be introduced to Bremen from August 1st. This important news that even Germany's smallest public-service broadcaster is actively engaged in the relaunch of digital radio is announced almost as a "by the way" in explaining the reasons for interruptions to service and periods of reduced power from now until the 15th of July on DVB-T from the Fernsehturm at Bremen Walle. July 5th On South Hampshire and Bournemouth, The Coast is reported to have become JACK fm. July 5th The BBC has brought four new transmitters into service on Block 12B. Hendon improves coverage around Sunderland in Tyne and Wear. Llandinam and Llandrindod Wells extend coverage in Powys. Les Platons brings BBC National DAB to the Channel Islands for the first time, with a 2kw transmitter on Jersey. July 4th The Landesmedienanstalt für Medien und Kommunikation (LMK) has published the full text of the advertisement of capacity on a regional Band III ensemble for Rheinland-Pfalz. There were insufficient expressions received to fill a separate multiplex. The LMK was able to reach agreement with the public-service broadcaster SWR for up to one quarter (216 CU) of the capacity on its multiplex to be made available to private broadcasters. According to the LMK, this amount of capacity would be sufficient to accomodate the broadcasters from whom expressions of interest were received, and would reduce the transmission costs per programme or programme-equivalent to €60,000 per year. The full text of the advertisement confirms that the mixed public/private ensemble will operate on Block 11A. The agreement with the SWR runs until October 31st 2014. The LMK will advertise capacity on a separate ensemble (probably on Block 10B) nearer the time. For each programme slot on the mux, 54 CU are on offer. The closing date for applications is August 8th 2011. July 3rd D1 National Snapshot updated. July 2nd On D1 National, the Service Planet Rock is running at the reduced bitrate of 112 kbit/s. July 2nd On London 2, the Service French Radio Ldn is reported to be running at the reduced bitrate of 64 kbit/s. July 2nd The Block 11D ensemble in Nordrhein-Westfalen has been relabelled TEST NRW K11 D. During the DAB+ test transmissions, eight audio services are reported to be broadcast - six in DAB+ and two in "original-flavour" DAB. July 2nd Snapshots of the Vietnamese ensembles VTV DMB1, VTV DMB2 and VTV DMB3 added. Of the three ensembles on air in the capital Hanoi, two have the same EId. In addition, the DMB services INFO and VTV1 have the same SId, as do VTV2 and VTV6. July 2nd A service Mix 80's has popped up on DAB+ Adelaide, running at 32 kbit/s in DAB+. July 2nd Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire Snapshots updated. July 1st On the Swiss Block 7D ensemble SMC_D02, the Service Backstageradio+ is reported to have ceased and been replaced by the French-language Service from Radio Suisse Romande, Espace 2. July 1st The Swiss public-service broadcaster SRG/SSR has announced that a new Block 7D transmitter will be brought into service on July 12th. Rütschelen Dornegg will improve coverage of the second-layer ensemble SMC_D02 in Langenthal, Solothurn, Oensingen and Biberist. July 1st On the Block 12D ensemble Leeds, the Service Ridings FM has been observed running with a new SId C69E. June 30th A new service has popped up on the Swiss ensemble SMC_D02. Radio 24 is broadcasting in DAB+. June 30th The official Swiss DAB coverage map has been updated to show the extended coverage of SMC_D02 afforded by new transmitters at Schaffhausen Kohlfirst, St Gallen Peter u. Paul and Valzeina (Mittagplatte). June 29th By Royal Decree, broadcasters in Spain have been authorised to reduce minimum DAB coverage from 50% to 20% of the population. Most DAB transmitters in the country have been switched off. Those that remain serve Madrid and Barcelona. Wohnort understands that the use of DAB+ is to be permitted in the future and that pilot transmissions may take place using DRM and/or DRM+. June 29th In Portugal, the public-service broadcaster RTP has handed back its DAB licence to the regulator and all DAB transmissions have ceased. In announcing the closure, RTP cites the high cost of operating the transmission network, the fact that RTP was the only broadcaster using DAB, none of the private broadcasters in the country has shown any interest, and the fact that all of RTP's services can still be heard on FM. (Wohnort: Read: No original content unique to DAB) June 28th The BBC has brought two new transmitters into service in Carmarthenshire, at Carmarthen and Llanelli, extending coverage of the Block 12B ensemble BBC National DAB. June 27th On the Block 12B ensemble RTB Brunei, only two of the five services signalled in the multiplex, RTBNurislam and RTBPelangi, contain any audio, which suffers from frequent drop-outs on both services. Although their subchannels are running at 192 kbit/s each, the other three services contain no MPEG audio. June 27th The Swedish ensemble Teracom Test will be extended to the town of Visby during the first week of July. The temporary transmissions on Block 10C will coincide with Almedalen Week, once described as a "rock festival for politics", where representatives of the main political parties take turns to deliver speeches. June 24th The BBC has brought a new transmitter into service on Block 12B. Quarndon extendes coverage of BBC National DAB in Derbyshire. June 24th Intermittent DAB+ test transmissions are reported to be taking place in Nordrhein-Westfalen on Block 11D. These new DAB+ tests appear to be alternating with the original DMB broadcasts. June 24th Two new transmitters on Block 7D have been announced for eastern Switzerland, coming into service at the end of this month. Flurlingen Cholfirst will extend coverage of SMC_D02 in the Schaffhausen region. Peter u. Paul will serve the region of St. Gallen. June 22nd The UK regulator Ofcom has launched a consultation on DAB coverage planning. Any discussion about "coverage" first has to define what is actually meant by the word and at the outset, the consulation document notes that the planning criteria for DAB and FM are different and explains the reasons why. The consultation presents a wealth of documentation contained in no fewer than ten annexes, including the BBC's network coverage and indicative expansion plans, Digital One's coverage and it's plans to expand it, and the local coverage roll-out plans. A technical study is also presented, detailing proposed alterations to the frequency plan, including frequency changes and multiplex mergers. It studies four multiplexes deemed to be problematic. The changes proposed would not only improve those multiplexes themselves, but would positively affect other multplexes further afield also, by virtue of the limiting effect the current allocations have on the distant multiplexes. The consultation document makes clear that the proposals described are not definitive but that they are a work in progress. Ofcom notes that this is a technical consultation on the merits of the planning assumptions made in the proposals. It is not a consultation on the editorial aspects of proposed boundary changes. Ofcom states that any changes to the coverage of existing multiplexes will be the subject of a separate public consultation in each case. The consultation closes on September 14th 2011. June 22nd In April, the Landesmedienanstalt für Medien und Kommunikation (LMK) issued a call for expressions of interest in capacity on a regional Band III ensemble for Rheinland-Pfalz. There were insufficient expressions received to fill a multiplex. The LMK has reached agreement with the public-service broadcaster SWR for up to one quarter (216 CU) of the capacity on its multiplex to be made available to private broadcasters. According to the LMK, this amount of capacity would be sufficient to accomodate the broadcasters from whom expressions of interest were received, and would reduce the transmission costs per programme or programme-equivalent to €60,000 per year. The LMK has now formally advertised the capacity. Further details here when available. June 21st Singapore Snapshots updated. Since the last Snapshots were taken, the digital-only services on Blocks 7B and 7C have been replaced by parallel transmissions of existing analogue services. Some services have migrated between the Blocks. The Audio Service Traffic News has ceased, as have the data services TPEG and EPG. On the Block 9B ensemble REDIFFUSION, the former Conditional Access Service R03 REDI STAR has been relabelled SYNC and is now broadcasting Free To Air. June 18th The Mexican regulator COFTEL has authorised the use of the proprietary digital radio system IBOC, marketed as "HD Radio", in the AM and FM bands. The decision means that Mexican broadcasters are able, if they wish, to use IBOC either in hybrid analogue/digital or in full digital modes. According to a statement from iBiquity, who own the system, they are working with broadcasters and retailers "to accelerate the roll-out of HD Radio technology in Mexico." June 18th The public-service broadcaster in Bavaria, the Bayerischer Rundfunk, has announced the schedule for bringing further transmitters into service during the second half of 2011. Gelbelsee, scheduled for July 1st, will extend coverage of the Block 11D ensemble BR Bayern in the Eichstätt region, including Kipfenberg and Denkendorf. Towards the end of the year, Hoher Bogen und Brotjacklriegel will extend coverage in the Bavarian Forest. Hoher Bogen is likely to enable reception in the border areas of the Plzeňský region in the Czech Republic. Coverage will be extended further with additional transmitters in 2012 and 2013. June 16th Coverage of the second-layer ensemble will be extended further into eastern Switzerland at the end of the month with the bringing into service of another transmitter on Block 7D. Valzeina (Mittagplatte) will extend coverage of SMC_D02 to Chur, Sargans, Igis, Calanda Tal, Sarganserland and lower Prättigau. June 16th In Bavaria, the offer of three DAB+ programme slots on the Block 12D ensemble has been oversubscribed. Eight broadcasters have applied for capacity:-
June 15th On the Netherlands ensemble MTVNL, the Service 3FM has been relabelled -3FM-, making it distinguishable from the Service 3FM on the national ensemble Publieke Omroep. June 15th The Hessische Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien (LPR Hessen) has awarded capacity on the forthcoming ensemble for the Rhein-Main area to each of the eight applicants:
June 14th A new service is reported to have popped up on DAB Perth in Western Australia. Sonshine Digital (sic) is reported to be broadcasting at 48 kbit/s using DAB+. June 13th In Germany, the public-service broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk has announced that its DAB+ transmissions in the Rhein-Main area will begin in December 2011. June 13th SwissMediaCast has announced that a regional ensemble to cover Zürich, Aargau, Schaffhausen and Glarus is in the planning stage, with a projected on-air date of July 2012. June 12th On D1 National, the Service Jazz FM National is running at the increased bitrate of 96 kbit/s. Snapshot updated. June 11th Snapshot of the Block 11B Stuttgart ensemble SWR Test updated. June 11th Norway Snapshots updated. June 11th In the Netherlands, the regional FM and AM broadcasting licences will expire on September 1st 2011. The Agentschap Telecom (Radiocommunications Agency) has announced that licence-holders can extend their licences for six years at no cost, providing one of the following conditions is fulfilled:- They must own a permit to broadcast on DAB or They must enclose a copy of an agreement for their programmes to be broadcast through an existing DAB license-holder's multiplex. Each analogue licence has been linked to a regional frequency allotment with an entitlement for 1/18 of the capacity on that multiplex (48 CU) for each analogue licence held. Although DAB+ is not specified, it is implied by the number of CUs on offer. Five frequency allotments are involved:- Zeeland - Block 9D Noord- & Zuid-Holland, Utrecht, south Flevoland - Block 8A Friesland - Block 9D Groningen, Drenthe, north Flevoland, Overijssel, north Gelderland - Block 6B Noord-Brabant, Limburg, south Gelderland - Block 7A The deadline for applications is 14:00 on June 28th 2011. June 10th On the website of the German national public-service broadcaster DeutschlandRadio, the frequency search database has been updated with details of the extent of nationwide coverage from August 1st. June 10th On the Belgian ensemble RTBF DAB, the bitrates of three of the four DAB+ test services are reported to have changed, one of them downwards, two of them upwards. June 9th On the ensembles Essex and Norwich, the Heart services are running with new SIds and Retune labels on the previous SIds. June 7th Berks & N Hants, Bournemouth, Bristol, South East Devon and South Hampshire Snapshots updated. June 6th A new data service has popped up on the Oslo region ensemble MiniTV1 since the last Snapshot was taken. EMM is a packet data service running at 16 kbit/s. June 6th On the Danish ensemble DR DAB1, DR P7 MIX has launched, replacing DR HIT. On DR DAB2, DR Rock has ceased. The bitrates of DR Dansktop and DR Klassisk have increased, to 128 and 192 kbit/s respectively. June 5th In Norway, DAB+ is no longer the stuff of test transmissions. Two services on the national ensemble, Norge Riks are broadcasting in DAB+. THE VOICE NORGE and Radio Tango are both running at 80 kbit/s. June 3rd An area of high pressure is influencing radio propagation around the UK and from reports seen in Internet forums, appears to be affecting DAB reception. Enhanced propagation can result in distant multiplexes appearing on receivers at strengths sufficient for their labels to be decoded but insufficient for the audio to be playable. Similarly, distant transmitters may become receivable and interfere with the local signals on the same frequency. Thus, in these situations, "enhanced" propagation can result in inferior reception. Such circumstances were a regular feature of VHF television reception during the summer months of yesteryear, and DAB signals at VHF are not immune to such perturbations. June 3rd The Austrian newspaper Der Standard reports that radio broadcasters, the Austrian regulator RTR and the transmission provider ORS are to meet on June 28th to try to establish a joint decision-making process for the introduction of DAB+. In a largely cautious report, Der Standard reflects an apparent preference among Austrian broadcasters to "wait and see", particularly the progess of the German roll-out. Key among the broadcasters' concerns is the cost of parallel transmission on analogue and digital. (Wohnort: read "Money please!") June 3rd In the Czech Republic, an online store has been launched, selling versions of PURE digital radios suitable for use in that country. Currently, the only licensed transmissions are taking place in L-band and the retailer's inventory includes the Sensia, One Mi, One Mini, One Flow, One 1S, One 2S, Evoke flow, Evoke Mio, Evoke Marshall edition, Siesta Mi, Siesta flow and Twilight. One receiver in the range does not cover L-band, the Highway, but this is clearly described on the website. Many of the models are particularly interesting, because not only do they cover L-band, but reception of DMB-A is also claimed, making these Pan-European devices. June 3rd SwissMediaCast has brought a new transmitter into service on Block 7D. Ziegelbrücke extends coverage of the second-layer ensemble SMC_D02 in canton Glarus and parts of Schwyz and St. Gallen, including Näfels, Glarus, Schänis, Uznach and the Walensee. The SRG/SSR announcement of this new transmitter refers to the site as Schänis (Biberlichopf). June 2nd The UK regulator Ofcom has launched a public consultation into NOW Digital's proposal to extend the coverage of the Exeter and Torbay multiplex to cover North Devon. NOW Digital proposes to use three transmitters, at Huntshaw Cross, Barnstaple and Okehampton. The first two would come on air within six months of receiving approval but has made the third conditional upon the Government reaching "a positive decision by 2013" regarding digital switchover. Closing date for submissions is June 29th 2011. June 2nd The Swiss commercial radio broadcaster Radio 24 has announced that it will begin broadcasting on the Block 7D ensemble in July, prior to the start of the official programme service on August 1st. June 2nd A new service is reported to have popped up on the Swiss Block 7D ensemble SMC_D02. Radio Sunshine is broadcasting using DAB+. June 2nd SwissMediaCast has brought three new transmitters into service on Block 7D. Medel Vergera, Morissen and Versam extend coverage of the second-layer ensemble SMC_D02 to the Surselva in Graubünden. June 2nd The BBC has brought into service a new transmitter on Block 12B. Clettraval extends coverage of BBC National DAB in to North Uist, South Uist and Benbecula. June 2nd On South Hampshire, the Service The Coast now has the SId C385. The previous SId C384 is still present on the mux and has been relabelled Retune for Coast. June 2nd On Bournemouth, the Service Capital now has the SId C79D. The previous SId C9CC is still present on the mux and has been relabelled RetuneTo Capital. The common stream to which both services point is running at the reduced bitrate of 112 kbit/s. The Service The Coast now has the SId C385. The previous SId C384 is still present on the mux and has been relabelled Retune for Coast. June 1st All of the German public-service broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) services on DAB have ceased. This applies to the Länder Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Hamburg and Niedersachsen. The NDR has announced that its digital radio services will be relaunched later in the year and will use DAB+. May 31st The BBC has brought into service a new transmitter on Block 12B. Holcombe Down improves coverage of BBC National DAB in Devon, including Dawlish and Teignmouth. May 31st The Norwegian public-service broadcaster NRK reports on its DAB web pages that the FM transmitter network will begin to be shut down in 2017. May 31st SwissMediaCast has brought a new transmitter into service on Block 7D. Burgdorf improves coverage of the second-layer ensemble SMC_D02 in the Emmental region of canton Bern, including Kirchberg, Oberburg and Burgdorf itself. May 29th 4AAA 989 Country is reported to have popped up in Brisbane, running at 64 kbit/s in DAB+. May 29th Australian station 2RPH is reported to have popped up in DAB+ in Sydney. May 29th Manx Radio's TT Races coverage is being broadcast on the Pop Up Radio channel on the NOW Digital multiplexes in the UK. May 29th A new Service has popped up on the Block 9B test ensemble in South East Ireland, TOTAL-DAB. Manx Radio TT is broadcasting in original-flavour DAB at 64 kbit/s with half-rate sampling. May 29th UK TII Table updated. May 20th The BBC has brought into service a new transmitter on Block 12B. Penaligon Downs improves coverage of BBC National DAB in Cornwall, including Padstow, Wadebridge and Bodmin. May 19th The Austrian transmission provider, ORS, has announced that test transmissions using DAB+ are planned for later this year in Vienna. May 19th The French regulator, the CSA, has responded to the Kessler report on digital radio in France. It points out that the frequency resources in Band III permit the extension of coverage across the entire country. For existing broadcasters, DAB is the only means by which they could significantly extend their service areas (Wohnort: because of the existing saturation of the FM band). Commenting on Kessler's call for pilot transmissions, CSA notes that test transmissions have been taking place in Paris, Lyon, Nantes and Rouen and will continue to observe their results. The Kessler report concluded that economic conditions did not support a roll-out of digital radio at the present time. The CSA suggests that ceasing the broadcasts on long- and medium-wave could largely compensate the costs of a DAB roll-out for those stations. The CSA also proposes considering alternative systems (Wohnort: read "DAB+") to the DMB-A selected as the national standard. The CSA considers that the number of existing receivers in the market should not by itself be a brake on digital radio. A renewal cycle can take place over several years. May 18th Snapshot of the Block 12D Nordrhein-Westfalen ensemble NRW K12 updated. May 18th Snapshot of the Block 8B Saarland ensemble DRSaar 1 updated. May 18th Snapshot of the Block 11B ensemble VDL Lyon updated. May 17th In Germany, an additional service provider has been allocated capacity on the forthcoming national multiplex. The Commission on Licensing and Supervision (ZAK) of the Landesmedienanstalten has been able to award capacity to the Internationalen Christlichen Rundfunkgesellschaft and its service Radio Horeb, who were unsuccessful in the original distribution of capacity, because one of the successful groups, NORFOM, has since informed the ZAK that they no longer wish to use the entirety of the capacity they were allocated. May 16th Snapshot of the Block 7D Swiss ensemble SMC_D02 updated. May 16th In Hungary, the commercial broadcaster FM1 Zrt has signed up for the long-term transmission of its service NeoFM on the Block 11D ensemble Mux A. The multiplex operator, Antenna Hungaria, says the service should become available from June 1st. The operator describes the latest development as enabling a "relaunch" of digital radio in the country. Currently, all the services on the ensemble are labelled as Tests. According to its announcement, Antenna Hungaria expects other commercial radio broadcasters and the public-service broadcaster to follow suit "in the coming weeks". May 15th In Switzerland, the multiplex operator SwissMediaCast is planning regional ensembles for the German-speaking part of the country. The SMC website has been updated recently to show seven future regional networks covering, respectively, Zürich-Schaffhausen, Zentralschweiz, Ostschweiz, Basel, Bern, Wallis and Graubünden. From indications from the public-service broadcaster SRG/SSR, it is likely that the Zürich-Schaffhausen will be first on the air, having reported in a December edition of the Radio DRS programme "Ratgeber" that from 2011 the regional editions of the Radio DRS Regionaljournal would be broadcast on DAB, beginning with Zürich. May 14th The Bayerische Landeszentrale für neue Medien has advertised capacity on the Land-wide Block 12D ensemble for three DAB+ services. 54 CU will be allocated to each of the new services. The advertisement reveals that a migration of the ensemble to Block 10D is in preparation and that further increases in the transmitted power are planned. Closing date for applications is June 10th 2011. May 12th The DRM+ test transmissions in the FM band (Band II) in Edinburgh have ceased. Results of the trial have been posted on the DRM website. May 12th A new Service has popped up on the Block 7D Swiss ensemble SMC_D02. RADIO TOP + is broadcasting in DAB+ at 64 kbit/s. May 12th On the Block 12B ensemble DAB Baden-Wuert., the Service Cont.Ra has been relabelled SWR cont.ra. The service's Short Label is currently empty. May 11th Eleven pages long (ten if you discount the title page) and 10 months in the making, the long-awaited Kessler report has been published in France. Commissioned by prime minister François Fillon, the report concludes that the economic conditions do not exist in France for the national introduction of terrestrial digital radio. The report proposes a moratorium of two to three years, during which time the industry should study the forthcoming standard DVB-NGH, which "could" become available 2013 or 2014. Broadcast trials in Bretagne are proposed, and the report suggests that France should observe the experience of other countries - in particular, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. All quite a contrast to the prediction in 2007 by the then French Culture Minister, Christine Albanel, that France would be "one of the first" countries in Europe to be launching digital radio and that France would soon be setting an example to the other countries. May 9th Digital One has brought into service a new transmitter on Block 12A. Rosneath improves coverage of D1 National in the Firth of Clyde, including Helensburgh, Gourock and Greenock. May 5th The website of the German magazine Rein-hoeren is reporting that the public-service broadcasters have agreed that all of their services will become available in DAB+ from October 1st. The website attributes the news to the Press Officer of the Hessischer Rundfunk. The "all" in the report is significant in that by definition it includes the smallest of the ARD broadcasters, Radio Bremen. That the news should come from the Hessischen Rundfunk is ironic, being up to now the least engaged of all the larger ARD broadcasters with no services broadcast on DAB for some years. It should be noted that not all ARD services will be available on DAB everywhere in Germany. The public-service broadcasters are regionally based and the services of each broadcaster will continue, in the main, to be broadcast terrestrially only in their own regions. Only on satellite will the option exist to hear all the ARD services anywhere in Germany (or in Europe for that matter). May 5th On the Block 7D Swiss ensemble SMC_D02, the Service OPEN BROADCAST+ has ceased. May 5th The media regulator in Hessen, the Hessische Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien (LPR), has received eight applications for capacity on a regional ensemble to cover the Rhein-Main-Gebiet. Radio/Tele FFH GmbH & Co. Betriebs-KG, Bad Vilbel, ("Hit Radio FFH") Radio/Tele FFH GmbH & Co. Betriebs-KG, Bad Vilbel ("FFH-Seasonsâ€ÂÂ) Frankfurt Business Radio GmbH & Co. Betriebs KG, Frankfurt am Main ("ENERGY Rhein-Main") MainHessen Medien GmbH, Heusenstamm ("Radio Fortuna“) Internationale Christliche Rundfunkgemeinschaft e.V., Immenstadt ("Radio Horeb") RADIO BOB GmbH & Co. KG, Kassel ("Radio BOB!") Die Neue Welle Rundfunk-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, Nürnberg ("Absolut relax") MEDIA BROADCAST GmbH, Bonn (Datacast-Plattform) There is sufficient capacity on the ensemble for all applicants to be accomodated, subject to approval. The LPR plans to conclude the formal process in Summer 2011 and says that the ensemble will be able to begin transmissions as soon as the transmission provider, Hessen Digital Radio, has completed the necessary technical work. The ensemble will operate on Block 11C and be transmitted from two sites - Frankfurt am Main/Fernmeldeturm and Großer Feldberg/Taunus, reaching around 3.6 million inhabitants in the Rhein-Main-Gebiet, comprising parts of Rheinland-Pfalz, Bayern and Hessen. Hessen has long been one of the most DAB-sceptical of the German-Länder, and today's announcement has already provoked expressions of amazement to be received by Wohnort. The Land's public-service broadcaster, the Hessischer Rundfunk, has been the least-engaged of all the main regional broadcasters, having no services at all broadcast by DAB currently. In its advertisement of capacity in April 2011, the LPR said that any remaining capacity could be offered to public-service broadcasters. Given the importance of the area, economically and politically, and the fact that the ensemble's coverage will spill into two neighbouring Länder, it is conceivable that their public-service broadcasters could be interested in capacity in order to reach their own audiences in the region. That WOULD be interesting! May 5th The Austrian regulators have announced their intention to issue an invitation for expressions of interest in DAB+ capacity by June 2012. The country's L-band resources will be held in reserve, and any initial activity will make use of Band III. An accompanying document shows the current state of frequency planning in Austria, with three layers of regional ensembles. There would be no single national ensemble. The use of DVB-T frequencies in Band III results in four additional layers of regional coverage being possible. May 4th The UK regulator Ofcom has announced that it will shortly conduct a consultation on a NOW Digital proposal to extend the service area of the Exeter and Torbay local mutliplex to include North Devon. The FM licence for Barnstaple of one of the services on the mux, Heart Devon, held by Lantern Radio Ltd, was scheduled to be pre-advertised this month. If NOW Digital's proposal was accepted, Lantern Radio would be entitled to apply for an FM licence renewal. Ofcom has therefore put on hold the pre-advertisement of the Barnstaple FM licences, pending the outcome of the consultation process and Ofcom's ultimate decision. May 2nd SwissMediaCast has brought into service a new transmitter on Block 7D. Frauenfeld/Weiningen Haslibuck extends coverage of SMC_D02 in canton Thurgau, including Frauenfeld, Felben-Wellhausen, Eschikofen and Mettendorf. May 2nd The German religious broadcaster ERF has announced that it will cease its 1539 kHz medium-wave transmissions by the end of this year. ERF is one of the services that will be broadcast using DAB+ on the national multiplex, which launches on August 1st. May 2nd The Danish public-service broadcaster Danmarks Radio has announced that the launch of its new service DR P7 Mix, originally scheduled for today, has been postponed until June 6th. The services scheduled for closure, DR Hit, DR R&B and DR Soft, will continue until that date. May 2nd The public-service broadcaster for Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt and Thüringen, MDR, intends to broadcast all its services from August 1st using DAB+. This will coincide with the launch of the national multiplex. According to a Meinungsbarometer interview with MDR's Director of Radio, Johann Michael Möller, the broadcaster is still considering whether its service MDR Klassik, broadcast on DAB since 2002, should continue for a while in "original-flavour" DAB. April 28th In Australia, the ABC special events service is currently running as ABC Musica Viva. April 27th There is a difference of opinion as to when the next service will appear on SMC_D02. According to SwissMediaCast, Radio Sunshine will be available in DAB+ from June 1st. On Radio Sunshine's own website, the on-air date is July 1st. April 27th In Switzerland, the service Radio Argovia is reported to have popped up on the Block 7D ensemble SMC_D02 ahead of its offical May 1st start date. April 24th On the Block 11B ensemble VDL Lyon, Impact FM now has the SId F848. Radio Latina now has the SId F21C. April 24th Test transmissions are reported to have resumed at several locations in Germany. In Köln (WDR) on Block 11D, in Stuttgart (SWR) on Block 11B and in München (IRT) on Block 12A." April 22nd Kiss has popped up on Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and South Hampshire. On South Hampshire, XFM has ceased. April 21st A new Service has popped up on the Swiss ensemble SMC_D02. Radio Central is broadcasting in DAB+ well ahead of its offical June 1st start date, and even before Radio Argovia, which is due to begin on May 1st. April 18th The French regulator, the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (CSA), has invited applications to operate part time radio services in the frequency range 65 - 68 MHz. These frequencies have been used for many years at large events where special receivers were distributed to spectators. It is possible that applications may be received to transmit DRM+ on those frequencies. April 18th On the Stockholm ensemble Teracom Test, the Service Radio Deejay has been relabelled Hitzone. April 18th A new ensemble has popped up in Lyon on Block 11B. VDL Lyon is broadcasting a mix of DAB+, DMB-A and data services and is transmitted from Mont Cindre (Lyon) and Le Grisard (Vienne). The Block 8A ensemble is still on air, but a reconfiguration is said to be likely soon. April 17th The French regulator, the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (CSA) is conducting a public consultation on the future use of L-band. The CSA states that a previous consultation had revealed that the L-band was only partially required for broadcasting, in view of the frequency resources available in Band III. Furthermore, responses to the earlier consultation had revealed potential alternative uses for the spectrum. The CSA is requesting contributions by April 22nd. April 16th On Bristol, Essex and South East Devon, the mono Service PASSIONftPLANET has ceased and been replaced by NME Radio, running at 128 kbit/s in Joint Stereo. NME Radio is expected to have appeared on Cambridge, Norwich and Peterborough also. April 15th On the ABC/SBS ensembles in Australia, SBS Radio 6 has become SBS Eurovision. April 14th Snapshot added of the Prague and Pribram L-band ensemble TELEKO DAB. April 14th The Service Pop Up Radio, carried on some local multiplexes in England and Scotland, is currently broadcasting programmes dedicated to the 1930s dance band leader Al Bowlly. The relay is expected to run until April 28th. April 14th The Swiss public-service broadcaster SRG/SSR has announced that three Block 12C transmitters are to be taken out of service by April 26th. All three sites in the Surselva (Versam, Morissen S Carli and Medel Curaglia Vergera) transmit the first-layer ensemble for the German-speaking region, SRG SSR D01, in an area also service by the first-layer ensemble for Graubünden, SRG SSR R01. Those transmissions on Block 12D will continue. The second-layer ensemble on Block 7D, SMC_D02, is expected to be extended to the Surselva at the end of May. April 13th On London 2, the Service BBC London has been relabelled BBC Radio London. April 13th The BBC Research Department has published a White Paper on a study into the effect, if any, of Power Line Transmission (PLT) on the reception of broadcast radio signals. PLT involves using the electrical wiring in a home for data transmission, whether between the home and the outside world, or between devices within the home. The investigation found that PLT running at high data rates has the ability to disrupt reception of FM and DAB signals within the home. Because of the "digital cliff", once a DAB signal is sufficiently disrupted, reception ceases completely, whereas FM signals degrade more gradually. The study found that Power Line Adaptors (PLAs), the devices that inject the signals onto the mains wiring, could even disrupt FM reception using a rooftop antenna. The complete report is available for download. April 10th On Stoke & Stafford, the Service My Baby Radio has ceased. Snapshot updated. April 9th N. Ireland Snapshot updated. April 8th Ayr Snapshot updated. April 8th A new Service has popped up on the Danish ensemble DR DAB2. The Voice (128 kbit/s) is a service that was transmitted in several cities on FM, but now becomes available nationally for the first time. April 8th The Landesmedienanstalt in Rheinland-Pfalz, the LMK, has issued a call for declarations of interest to determine whether sufficient interest exists in capacity on a regional DAB multiplex. In its announcement, the LMK states that such expressions have already been received. No closing date is specified in the announcement. April 7th The independent station FBi is reported to have popped up in DAB+ in Sydney. April 7th Snapshots of the Belgian ensembles VRT DAB and RTBF DAB updated. April 7th A new Service has popped up on the ensemble Cambridge. Affinity Cambs is broadcasting at 64 kbit/s in Mono. April 7th Although the forthcoming launch of the national multiplex in Germany is rightly seen as "the big story" for the DAB relaunch and migration to DAB+, the active participation of the regional public-service broadcasters, grouped together under the ARD, will be crucial to the success of the whole digital radio project. The magazine Meinungsbarometer, produced by Digital Radio Mitteldeutschland, has asked each of the ARD broadcasters when they plan to build their networks, whether they plan to use DAB or DAB+ and how their co-operation with the commercial broadcasters is looking at State level. Their responses are hardly encouraging. The full report in German can be downloaded, but for non-German-speakers, here is a brief summary of their responses:- NDR (Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen): Too early to say. The necessary consultations and consideration are still on-going. Radio Bremen (Bremen): Too early to say. HR (Hessen): Too early to say. WDR (Nordrhein-Westfalen): "Please ask again in four to six weeks. Thank you for your understanding." RBB (Berlin-Brandenburg): The subject is on the agenda. The necessary media and telecommunications regulation is currently lacking. MDR (Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Thüringen): An ongoing internal discussion and decision-making process. BR (Bayern): Will build-out its own multiplex during 2011 and beyond. The services will gradually switch to using DAB+. SR (Saarland): Its DAB transmissions will continue without interruption. The occasion of the launch of the national mutliplex will be used to broaden the choice of additional information and data services. The Meinungsbarometer concludes that apart from the detailed responses from Bayern and Saarland, the enquiries to the other ARD broadcasters resulted in more questions than answers. (Wohnort: The article does not mention any response from SWR in Rheinland-Pfalz and Baden-Württemberg.) April 7th Astute readers, when reading the news of the new transmissions in Prague and Pribram on Block LA, may have been asking themselves "If České Radiokomunikace won an auction for Block LI in Prague, by bidding approximately 1.3 million crowns, how come Teleko, one of the failed bidders, have been able to start broadcasting first on a different frequency?" This question also occurred to the Czech website Digizone, who have interviewed Teleko's company executive Thomas Řapek. České Radiokomunikace, meanwhile, have not yet announced a start date for transmissions on their own channel, but they are supposed to begin within two years of the licence notice being posted. April 7th The Hong Kong government has formally granted DAB licences to four broadcasters to operate a joint multiplex on Block 11C. Digital Broadcasting Corporation Hong Kong Limited (DBC) (formerly Wave Media) will transmit 7 services each. Metro Broadcasting Corporation Limited will broadcast 3 services. Phoenix U will broadcast 3 services. The public-service broadcaster RTHK will broadcast 5 services. All services are planned to transmit at 64 kbit/s in DAB+. The four have formed a joint venture to build and operate the multiplex, which is expected to be launched officially by the end of 2011. Meanwhile, DBC is conducting tests on Block 11D with 7 channels of music with slideshow and Chinese text. The Block 11D mux is being transmitted from Mouth Gough and Beacon Hill. Trials have taken place of DAB repeaters in road tunnels, including the Cross Harbour tunnel and on the Mass Transit Railway. The government is to direct that DAB coverage should include tunnels and the MTR. April 7th North East and Severn Estuary Snapshots updated. April 5th The Dutch public-service broadcaster NOS reports on its news pages that the operator KPN is to end its DVB-H transmissions in the Netherlands. April 5th Four new DAB+ Services have popped up on the Stockholm pilot ensemble Teracom Test. Bandit Rock, NRJ, Rix FM and Radio 1 are Services of Sweden's largest commercial company MTG Radio. They join the services from another commercial broadcaster SBS Radio and public-service broadcaster Sveriges Radio, all already broadcasting in DAB+. April 5th West Midlands Snapshot updated. April 5th Coventry Snapshot updated. April 5th On the Danish ensemble DR DAB1, DR Ungabunga has been relabelled DR P6 Beat ahead of its programme launch on April 11th. April 5th 3 Kool N Deadly is reported to have popped up on DAB Melbourne 2. Also on the mux are IRIS VA Radio and SYN youth radio. April 5th A new service TEST is reported to have popped up in Brisbane. Test Z is reported to have been relabelled zeddigital. April 3rd In Sweden, the radio and television regulator and the spectrum regulator have published a joint Strategy for the development of commercial digital radio. GE06 allows Sweden one nationwide DVB-T network and four T-DAB networks, one national and three regional. The national allotment on Block 12B is used by the public-service broadcaster Sveriges Radio. It is the 3rd- and 4th-layer regional networks that the government has decided to use for commercial radio. The Strategy has been opened up for consultation. Comments should be submitted by May 2nd 2011. April 2nd 2MFM Muslim DR is reported to have popped up in Sydney. April 2nd Curtin Digital, Noongar Radio and Test RTR are reported to have popped up on DAB Perth running at 64 kbit/s each using DAB+. April 2nd On BBC National DAB, the Service BBC Radio 7 has been relabelled BBC Radio 4Extra. Snapshot updated. April 2nd Regular DAB transmissions have begun in the Czech Republic. An ensemble has popped up on Block LA, serving Prague and Pribram. Five audio service are being broadcast currently, using a mixture of DAB and DAB+. These are the first transmissions in the country not to be categorised as test transmissions, although an initial period of adjustment and measurement is likely. April 1st The media regulator in Bayern, the BLM, has granted permission for Radio Gong 96,3 to be broadcast on the local ensemble Muenchen. The licence lasts until April 30th 2015. The new service will use DAB+ and should begin by November 1st 2011 at the latest. The service's FM licence has been extended by four years. Simultaneously, the broadcaster's existing service on the multiplex, Gong Mobil DAB, will switch from using "original-flavour" DAB to DAB+. April 1st The media regulator in Bayern, the BLM, has extended by four years the licences for the commercial radio services on the local multiplexes Augsburg, Ingolstadt, Muenchen and Nuernberg. The BLM says it is working with the service providers to agree to a timetable for a change to using DAB+. April 1st On the test multiplex in South East Ireland, TOTAL-DAB, the Service Radió Rí-Rá has ceased. An intriguing addition to the ensemble is the new service RTE 2XM which has popped up at 72 kbit/s using DAB+. Wohnort believes this may be the first time an RTÉ service has been broadcast in DAB+. April 1st On South Hampshire, Angel Digital has become a 24-hour service, having broadcast only from 9am to 6pm previously. April 1st In Germany, the media regulator for Hessen, the Hessische Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien (LPR Hessen) has advertised capacity on a forthcoming ensemble on Block 11C. The aim is for the new regional ensemble to match the initial coverage on Block 5A of the forthcoming national multiplex in the Rhein-Main-Gebiet of Hessen and neighbouring Rheinland-Pfalz and to be ready for a simultaneous launch on August 1st 2011. The entire multiplex is on offer, but if not all the capacity on the ensemble is taken up by commercial broadcasters, the LPR Hessen says it will offer the remaining capacity to public-service broadcasters. The multiplex operator will be the existing operator Hessen Digital Radio. An interesting condition attached to the advertisement is that the transmission network will not be rolled out until 87% of the capacity has been allocated. Closing date for applications is 18:00 on May 4th and the LPR Hessen intends to complete the allocation of capacity "before the start of the summer holidays".
April 1st On D1 National, the Service Absolute R80s is now broadcasting in Joint Stereo at 112 kbit/s. BFBS Radio has dropped to Mono at 80 kbit/s. Snapshot updated. March 31st In Bayern, the service BAYERN 2 plus has migrated from the Block 12D ensemble Bayern to the Block 11D ensemble BR Bayern. The instance of BR Verkehr on Bayern has ceased. The service now exists only on BR Bayern. The capacity released by this move has been handed back to the regional regulator. The public-service broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) is gradually moving all its services from Block 12D to its own ensemble on Block 11D and Block 12D will eventually contain only commercial radio services. Following today's move, four BR services remain on Block 12D. Block 11D does not currently have the same coverage, but BR will continue to commission of new transmitters during 2011. March 29th London 3 daytime Snapshot updated. The data service CabVision has ceased. March 29th Bristol, Swindon and West Wiltshire Snapshots updated. March 29th An EPG is reported to have popped up on Ayr. March 29th Plymouth and South East Devon Snapshots updated. March 28th Cornwall, South East Wales, Swansea SW Wales and Wolv'ton & Shrop Snapshots updated. March 26th In the UK, the Service Pop Up Radio is now running at 64 kbit/s at half rate sampling on all ensembles where it is broadcast. March 25th In Denmark, the children's service DR Oline has been replaced by DR Ramasjang, which is also aimed at children but will interact closely with the existing television and online services of the same name. This is the first of many changes which will take place on Danish DAB during 2011. On November 1st 2011, the public-service broadcaster Danmarks Radio will lose the rights to the national FM transmission network that currently broadcasts DR P2. From that date, DR P1 and DR P2 will share the current DR P1 FM network, with DR P1 broadcasting during daytime, and DR P2 broadcasting during the evening and night. However, both services will continue to broadcast independently 24/7 on DAB. Danmarks Radio currently operates a wide range of niche radio services, most of which are broadcast only online. Under the motto "fewer but better channels", most of these will close and their programming merged into a smaller number of DAB (and online) services. The multiplex capacity released will become available for commercial radio. A timetable of the forthcoming changes has been published:-
March 24th EuroDAB Italia, DAB RAI and Club DAB Italia Snapshots updated. March 24th BR Bayern Snapshot updated. March 23rd Augsburg, Ingolstadt, Muenchen and Nuernberg Snapshots updated. March 22nd The operator of the second-layer Swiss ensemble SMC_D02, SwissMediaCast, has announced that the following additional services will launch on the multiplex as follows:-
March 22nd Swiss public-service broadcaster SRG/SSR has announced that a new transmitter will be brought into service on Block 12C on March 25th. Burgdorf will improve coverage of SRG SSR D01 in Burgdorf, Oberburg, Hasle, Lützelflüh . March 22nd In Toronto, the Block L4 ensemble CHANNEL 4, which disappeared in February along with the rest of what remained of Canadian DAB, has popped up in the same state it was in when it vanished. March 22nd Snapshots of the Südtirol (Alto Adige) ensembles RAIRASDAB12A, RASDAB12D, DABMEDIA and RASDab LG updated. March 22nd DAB THUERINGEN Snapshot updated. March 22nd In Singapore, Rediffusion, the operator of the world's only subscription DAB radio service, has announced it will launch a new service this month. According to a report in the Straits Times, the new station, Sync, will be broadcast free-to-air. Special receivers are required to access Rediffusion's Conditional Access subscription channels, but Sync will be available on any DAB+ radio. March 21st DAB+ transmissions are to begin in Denmark this summer. Test transmissions will be conducted by the local radio station Kanal Plus in Nivå with the aim of gaining experience in operating a DAB+ multiplex at local level. In a second phase, the station plans to invite other local stations in the area to participate in creaing a local multiplex such as might exist in the future. The station has announced that the target date for the new transmissions is June 1st. March 21st On D1 National, the Service Karma has been relabelled Jazz FM National and is now running at 80 kbit/s in Mono. Snapshot updated. March 20th Berlin K8C and Berlin/BRBG 12 Snapshots updated. March 20th The government of the Netherlands has extended the licences of FM and AM radio stations to 2017. The major stations will pay reduced fees to the government and the smaller stations, including regional services, that already paid much less will pay nothing at all until 2017. The Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Maxime Verhage has made it a condition of the extensions that stations should use the savings to make substantial investments in digital radio. Two FM frequencies previously used by Arrow Classic Rock and Arrow Jazz FM will be readvertised, with the licences awarded to run until 2017. March 19th Four new services have popped up on the Swedish ensemble Teracom Test. Mix Megapol, The Voice, Rockklassiker and Vinyl are broadcasting using DAB+. The fact that these services are produced by SBS is significant, making it unlikely that the Block 12A ensemble SBS Radio, that operated for a while last year, will reappear. On Teracom Test, the services Teracom Hjärter, Teracom Ruter, Teracom Klöver and Teracom Spader have ceased. March 19th SR RIKS DAB daytme Snapshot updated. March 18th The BBC has brought into service another transmitter on Block 12B. Eitshal, on the island of Lewis, brings coverage of BBC National DAB to the Outer Hebrides. March 18th Snapshots of the Danish ensembles DR DAB1 and DR DAB2 updated. March 16th The Landesmedienanstalten in Germany have allocated the remaining capacity on the forthcoming national multiplex. There were more applicants than there was capacity available, and in the absence of agreement among the applicants, the Landesmedienanstalten met to determine the outcome. Two broadcasters, Klassik Radio and NORFOM Medien have been awarded capacity to transmit three services, "Klassik Radio" and two entertainment services from NORFOM Medien, "Radio 3.0" and "UIP – Urban Independent Pop". The distribution of capacity on the national mux is thus complete. Media Broadcast has announced that the multiplex will launch on August 1st. March 16th The BBC has brought into service another transmitter on Block 12B. Stanton Moor extends coverage of BBC National DAB in Derbyshire, including Matlock and Bakewell. UK TII table updated. March 15th An EPG is reported to have popped up on South Hampshire. March 15th The Service Panjab Radio is reported to have popped up on North East. March 15th The Block 12C Bologna ensemble AERANTICORALLO02 and the Block 12B Venezia ensemble AERANTICORALLO01 were not found when attempted and are assumed to have ceased. March 14th The BBC News website reports that the BBC is reconsidering whether to close BBC AsianNetwork but is "exploring" whether it should remain on BBC National DAB. This is in spite of a decision by the BBC's governing body in December that the closure could proceed. March 13th Two new Services are reported to have popped up on the Block 12D Norwegian national ensemble Norge Riks. THE VOICE NORGE and Radio Tango are both running at 80 kbit/s and believed to be using DAB+. March 13th A new Service is reported to have popped up on the Block 8A Oslo test ensemble LokalDAB.no:Oslo. DAB+ info is reported to be running at 192 kbit/s, Joint Stereo using "original-flavour" DAB. March 11th EPGs are reported to have popped up on West Wilts, South East Wales, South East Devon, Swindon and Wolv'ton & Shrop. March 9th Listing of the Swedish experimental ensemble Teracom Test updated. Since the last Snapshot was taken, Rocket FM and Studentradion have ceased. A new service has popped up. Test50 is running at 48 kbit/s in DAB+. March 8th DAB+ services have reappeared on the experimental ensemble in South East Ireland, TOTAL-DAB. Five audio services are currently being broadcast using DAB+. Two new services have popped up, Radió Rí-Rá and talkSPORT. March 8th The BBC has brought a new transmitter into service on Block 12B. Penmaen Rhos improves coverage of BBC National DAB in and around Colwyn Bay. March 8th A new Service, Radio Nord, is reported to have popped up in DAB+ on the Stockholm, Uppsala and Gävle ensemble, Teracom Test. March 8th The Dutch DMB ensemble, MTVNL, has popped up in North Holland on Block 11A. March 7th EPGs have popped up on Essex, Leicestershire, Norwich, Nottinghamshire, Peterborough and Plymouth. March 7th Pages added for Cambodia and Tunisia. Transmissions are understood to have taken place in these countries and more information about the current situation would be welcome. March 7th In Australia, the special relay of Radio New Zealand, ABC NZEarthquake, has ended. March 4th The four applicants for the remaining capacity on the forthcoming German national multiplex have not been able to reach agreement on the allocation of that capacity. More capacity had been applied for than remained. The Regulatory Affairs Commission (ZAK) of the Landesmedienanstalten has announced that the Committee Chairpersons’ Conference (GVK) will meet on March 15th to decide upon the allocation. March 4th Off-topic: As a dedicated, even obsessive, audio collector and archivist, Wohnort was alarmed to read a report from the Radio Heritage Foundation that Radio New Zealand's sound archives were stored in one of the buildings to have been damaged in last month's earthquake. The Central Business District in Christchurch is still cordoned-off, with access being denied by civil defence authorities. The condition of the audio and other collections is unknown. March 3rd Cambridge, Norwich and Peterborough Snapshots updated. March 3rd EPGs have popped up on Bournemouth, Bristol, Cambridge, Cornwall and Coventry. Other NOW Digital ensembles are expected to follow. On Bristol, EPG Trial, which had a different SId to the newcomer, has ceased. March 2nd Media Broadcast has confirmed its intention to bring Germany's nation multiplex into service on August 1st from a network of 27 transmitters covering the main population centres and routes. March 2nd Democracy, Australian style: get elected, receive a free digital radio! The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy switched on a low-power relay to permit DAB+ reception within Canberra's Parliament House. The system boosts the signal from the Canberra trial that began in July last year. According to Commercial Radio this is necessary "to navigate the manmade and natural challenges of the unique Parliament House structure." All Members of Parliament and Senators were presented with a digital radio donated by digital radio manufacturers; Bush, Grundig, NextWave Digital, OXX Digital, Philips, Pure, Roberts, Sangean, Tangent and Teac. March 1st In a footnote to its announcement about Radio 4 Extra, the BBC announced that it will bring into service a further 40 DAB transmitters in 2011. This is in addition to the seven that entered service in January and February. The BBC aims to achieve 92% population coverage by the end of the year. March 1st The BBC has announced that the relaunch of BBC Radio 7 as BBC Radio 4 Extra will take place in April. March 1st The UK regulator Ofcom's monthly Radio Licensing update for February, published today, reveals that Ofcom has approved the addition of Panjab Radio to the North East ensemble and the reduction there of the bitrate of SMOOTH Radio. A request to reduce the bitrate of Rock Radio on Severn Estuary was not approved, however. The other approved changes have already taken place and been reported here. March 1st On the Block 12D ensemble Bayern, the SId of the traffic service BR-Verkehr has changed to (DF13) and is reported to be the same as the equivalent service on the Block 11D ensemble. March 1st The Bayerischer Rundfunk has broadened its regional offering on DAB. Regional variations of the service Bayern 1 for Mainfranken, Niederbayern & Oberpfalz and Schwaben have popped up on the Block 11D ensemble BR Bayern. The new services are using DAB+ and are available throughout Bavaria. The existing regional variation for Mittel- und Oberfranken has switched to DAB+. The regional variation for Oberbayern continues to use "original-flavour" DAB. February 28th The Australian telco Telstra has called for the regulator to reallocate Australian L-band frequencies for use by point-to-point microwave services. The change is proposed in a submission to the ACMA's consultation on its proposed changes to channel arrangements for fixed point-to-point links in the lower microwave frequency bands below 5 GHz. The ACMA had proposed to maintain the current channel plan but to allow 2 MHz bandwidth point to point links within the band and to introduce a small number of narrow (1 MHz, 0.5 MHz, and 0.25 MHz) bandwidth channels either side of the DAB allocation. February 28th The low-power ensemble broadcasting at the Palexpo, Geneva, has been relabelled DAB+ Motor Show. February 28th The BBC has brought into service a new transmitter on Block 12B. Bridlington extends coverage of BBC National DAB in the East Riding of Yorkshire. February 27th In Toronto, the ensemble CHANNEL3 has ceased, as has the intermittent ensemble CHANNEL 4. There are currently no DAB transmissions at all in Canada's largest city, and possibly none whatsoever in the entire country. February 26th On the Block 9B ensemble DAB+ Adelaide, TESTA has been relabelled Radio Adelaide. TESTB has been relabelled RPH Adelaide. TESTD has been relabelled Life FM Digital. TESTF has been relabelled Fresh Digital. The Service TESTE continues, carrying the programmes of Three D Radio 93.7 MHz FM. February 24th Technical details added of the Geneva Motor Show ensemble, DAB+ MS. February 24th A new ensemble has popped up in Switzerland. DAB+ MS is a low-power transmission on Block 10D being conducted in the vicinity of the Palexpo Geneva in connection with the Geneva Motor Show. A mix of DAB and DAB+ services is being broadcast, including Slideshows and audio loops of some major car manufacturers. The transmissions are scheduled to run until March 15th. February 23rd Off-topic: Radio New Zealand reports that the studios and offices of Canterbury Television were completely destroyed in Tuesday's earthquake. The 6.3-magnitude quake hit Christchurch in the middle of the working day. At least 75 staff and visitors are reported to have died, and Radio New Zealand reports estimates that about 100 people may be in the rubble. February 23rd At its meeting today, the KEF, the German body that distributes the proceeds of the licence fee among the public-service broadcasters, agreed to release the funds necessary for the roll-out of digital radio. The funds will benefit the national broadcaster DeutschlandRadio and the regional ARD broadcasters. DeutschlandRadio has welcomed the decision and announced that it will operate four services on the forthcoming national mux. "Dokumente & Debatten" will be a part-time service that will broadcast talkshows, political debates from the parliament and live sports commentary. Currently these programmes are available only on the Internet or on AM radio. In addition, DeutschlandRadio announced that it would broadcast additional data services, including a Slideshow, an EPG and the electronic news service Journaline. February 23rd On DAB+ Brisbane 1, Test F is reported to have been relabelled 965 Inspire DAB. Test 1 is reported to have been relabelled Global. February 23rd In Australia, on the ABC/sbs ensembles, the Service ABC Extra has been relabelled ABC NZEarthquake and is broadcasting the output of Radio New Zealand. February 23rd A new Service is reported to have popped up on DAB+ Sydney 1. 2000 Languages is broadcasting in DAB+ at 64 kbit/s. February 21st In November, the Australian government launched a public consultation on the use of digital radio technologies to provide regional coverage, based on a discussion paper that was published at the same time. Twenty-nine submissions were received and those that consented to be made public (twenty-six) have now been published on the government website. February 21st VDL Benelux has been awarded a licence by the Minister for Culture and Communication for the French-speaking Community to operate a multiplex to serve Brussels, Liège and Charleroi. The ensemble will use Block 11B. VDL has announced that the ensemble will broadcast six audio services using DAB+ and one DMB-TV service. Transmissions are expected to begin in April 2011. February 21st The Czech transmission provider TELEKO, which was awarded L-band frequencies for five regions of the Republic at the end of last year, has announced that it will begin transmissions "soon" and that these will cover about 41% of the national population living in Hradec Kralove, Liberec, Ustí nad Labem, Moravia-Silesia and South Moravia. Separately, the company recently Tweeted that it is distributing L-band-capable versions of the Pure Sensia, Evoke Marshall and Mi radios. February 20th The European Communications Committee has published a Report on the accomodation of systems other than T-DAB and T-DMB in L-band. The use of 1452 - 1479.5 MHz is governed by the Maastricht, 2002, Special Arrangement, as revised in ConstanÅ£a, 2007 (MA02revCO07). Since then, other, potential uses for the band have been identified, such as DVB-H, DVB-SH and FLO. The report also contains guidance on the co-existence of T-DAB and S-DAB services in the sub-band 1467-1479.5. Under MA02revCO07, this sub-band forms the upper part of the L-band allocation for T-DAB, whereas at the ITU, it forms the lower part of the band designated for S-DAB. February 19th Aberdeen Snapshot updated. February 18th The official start date of the German national multiplex will be August 1st 2011. The announcement by the private broadcasters who will transmit on the ensemble coincides with the signing in Berlin of a contract between the chipset manufacturer Frontier Silicon and a newly-formed consortium, Digitalradio Deutschland GmbH, comprising REGIOCAST DIGITAL, Die Neue Welle, Radio Energy, ERF Medien and Entspannungsradio. Also involved are NORFOM, a joint venture of Nordwest Zeitung and Frank Otto Medien. The start date for the mux is one month before the Internationale Funkaustellung in Berlin. February 17th Ayr Snapshot updated. February 17th Essex and Sussex Coast Snapshots updated. February 17th The offer of the remaining capacity on the forthcoming German national mutliplex has been oversubscribed. The Regulatory Affairs Commission of the Landesmedienanstalten has announced that applications have been received that would amount to 250 CUs capacity, whereas only 150 are available. Further discussions are scheduled for the end of February, with a selection decision likely on March 15th. February 17th Digital terrestrial radio in Austria is in principle possible from 2012. Speaking in Vienna, Dr. Florian Philapitsch, Vice Chairman of KommAustria, said that the regulator has provided for the operation of up to five layers of coverage (a mix of national, regional and local) using DAB+. However, the authorities will proceed to advertise capacity only once a sufficient number of players have expressed interest. In the words of Dr. Philapitsch, "the playing fields have been mapped out, but the whistle has not yet blown". February 17th Following the cessation of all DAB transmissions by the public-service broadcaster CBC, the first Canadian commercial station has had its licence revoked. At the request of the broadcaster MZ Media, the CRTC has revoked the licence of the Service CFMZ, which ceased along with the other services on CHANNEL 9 last year. February 17th A new Service has popped up on D1 National. Karma is running at 48 kbit/s in Mono with half-rate sampling. There has been some relabelling among the Absolute services. Snapshot updated. February 16th On West Midlands, the Service Asian FX has ceased. February 14th A new Service has popped up on Bristol. The Breeze is running at 112 kbit/s in Joint Stereo. February 13th On Ayr, the Services West Sound and West FM are now being broadcast at Protection Level UEP 2 instead of UEP 1 used previously. February 12th On the local ensemble Nuernberg, MagicStar is reported to have switched to broadcasting in DAB+ and to have become MagicStar+. February 12th The BBC has confirmed that its AM transmissions of BBC World Service to Europe on 648 kHz are to cease on March 27th 2011. World Service will continue to be available by satellite, cable and internet, as well as on DAB and DVB-T in the UK. February 12th Inverness and Tayside Snapshots updated. February 12th Snapshots updated of the Spanish ensembles FU-E, MF1 and MF2. February 11th Poland listings corrected to reflect the fact that transmissions are no longer taking place in Wrocław. February 5th The French regulator, the CSA, has authorised the operators of the experimental ensemble in Nantes, to continue broadcasting until June 5th 2011, but the ensemble will return to its original frequency. The Groupement des radios associatives de la métropole nantaise (GRAM) is authorised to transmit on Block 9A at 10kW, with the proviso that neither the use of the channel nor the power level is guaranteed for the future. February 4th The BBC has brought into service two new transmitters on Block 12B. Haslingden impoves coverage of BBC National DAB in Rossendale, Lancashire. Malvern improves coverage in Worcestershire, including Worcester, Great Malvern, Ledbury and the M5/M50/A449 triangle. UK TII table updated. February 4th The Norwegian government has announced its intention to enact legislation that will set 2017 as the switch-off date for analogue FM transmissions, although it is possible that some local stations will be able to continue broadcasting. February 4th A new test service, Test S, is reported to have popped up on DAB+ Sydney 2. February 4th In Toronto, the intermittent ensemble CHANNEL 4 has returned, having been off the air for a week. February 3nd A new test service is reported to have popped up on DAB+ Brisbane 1. Test F is reported to be broadcasting audio from 96five, 96.5 MHz. February 3rd (3) On the various NOW Digital ensembles around the country on which it was present, the placeholder service RetuneTo Capital, which used the SId of the former service Galaxy, has ceased. February 2nd UK TII table corrected and updated. February 2nd In Toronto, the intermittent ensemble CHANNEL 4 has been off the air for a week and may have ceased. Of the five ensembles that were broadcasting in the city just a few years ago, only one remains - CHANNEL3. Its only service to be transmitting any audio, EDGE 102, is distorted. February 1st On Ayr, the Service UCA Radio, Ayr has been relabelled UWS Radio. February 1st Swiss public-service broadcaster SRG/SSR has brought into service a new transmitter on Block 12C. Ottenberg improves coverage of the ensemble SRG SSR D01 in central Thurgau, including Weinfelden and Bussnang. The transmitter should be considered to be under test intially and may be liable to interruptions and periods of reduced power. January 31st Four prospective broadcasters have applied for capacity on the forthcoming German national multiplex in response to the advertisement of remaining capacity at the end of December. If successful, their services would operate in addition to those already allocated positions on the forthcoming mux. The new appliants are:-
January 31st A new Service is reported to have popped up on Bristol. JACK fm is running at 112 kbit/s in Joint Stereo. January 29th On the Danish ensemble DR DAB2, the Service DR P5000, which fell silent at the beginning of the month, has now ceased completely. January 28th DAB+ transmissions may be coming to the Netherlands. The broadcast equipment manufacturer Radioscape has announced the sale and installation of replacement coders and multiplexers for the country's national multiplex. The new installation is expected to be brought into service on the Block 12C ensemble Publieke Omroep after a period of testing. According to the Radioscape announcement, a key requirement of transmission provider KPN was to enable "the probable future move to DAB+." January 26th The Medienanstalt Sachsen-Anhalt has extended the FM licences of Rockland Sachsen-Anhalt and 89.0 RTL until 2015, but made the licences conditional upon their continued parallel transmission on DAB. Under Sachsen-Anhalt law, 2015 is defined as the switch-off date for FM. January 25th The BBC has brought into service a new transmitter on Block 12B. Chepping Wycombe impoves coverage of BBC National DAB in Buckinghamshire, including High Wycombe and the important M40 and A404 routes. January 24th Snapshot added of the Block 12A Romanian ensemble Herastrau Buc. Six services are being broadcast, but only three contained any decodeable audio. January 21st The Canadian public-service broadcaster CBC has abandoned DAB. The regulator, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has, at CBC's request, revoked its DAB licences for Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Windsor. All CBC's DAB transmissions have ceased. Windsor's transmissions actually ended years ago. The licences for Montreal were revoked at CBC's request last year. January 19th The BBC has brought into service a new transmitter on Block 12B. Ivybridge impoves coverage of BBC National DAB in south west Devon, including Ivybridge itself and the important A38 route towards Plympton and Plymouth. January 19th A new Service is reported to have popped up on the Australian ensemble DAB Perth. TEST R is reported to be broadcasting audio from local station 6RPH. January 15th In Toronto, the Block L6 ensemble CBC DAB is reported to be off the air following a long period of operating apparently at reduced power. January 15th The BBC has brought into service two new transmitters on Block 12B. Rothesay impoves coverage of BBC National DAB in the Firth of Clyde, including Rothesay itself and the island of Bute. Sewards End improves coverage in Saffron Walden and the surrounding area. UK TII table updated. January 14th In Toronto, the ensemble CHANNEL 4 has reappeared following its disappearance in October. Wohnort wonders if that power socket was needed for the Christmas tree lights. January 13th On Stoke & Stafford, the Service Magic has ceased. A new Service has popped up. Kiss is running at 128 kbit/s. Snapshot updated. January 13th The website of the German magazine Digital Fernsehen reports that the Austrian transmission provider ORS, a subsidiary of the public-service broadcaster ORF, intends to conduct test transmissions using DAB+ during 2011. The earlier Austrian transmissions, centered on Vienna and Innbrück and using original-flavour DAB, ended in 2008. January 13th On the Swiss ensemble SMC_D02, the Service CH-Classic+ is now being transmitted at the reduced bitrate of 64 kbit/s. January 12th On Humberside, Leeds and Sheffield, the Service The Arrow - Rock has ceased. A new Service has popped up. Gold is running at 128 kbit/s. Snapshots updated. January 12th Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire Snapshots updated. January 12th London 3 Snapshots updated. January 11th Kent Snapshot updated. January 11th On Birmingham, the Service Magic has ceased. A new Service has popped up. Kiss is running at 128 kbit/s. Snapshot updated. January 11th West Midlands Snapshot updated. January 11th In Australia, the ABC's special events channel on the ABC/sbs ensembles has become ABC QLD Floods, a relay of the ABC's local service 612 ABC Brisbane. January 10th New test services are reported to have popped up in Melbourne: Test 3 is reported to be a relay of PBS FM; Test 4 a relay of Light FM; Test Z a relay of 3ZZZ. January 9th On the Norwegian national ensemble, Norge Riks, the Service Radio 1 Oslo has been replaced by THE VOICE NORGE running at 160 kbit/s. January 7th Edinburgh and Glasgow Snapshots updated. January 7th On Edinburgh, Glasgow and Tayside, the Service Magic has ceased. A new Service has popped up. Kiss is running at 128 kbit/s in Joint Stereo. January 6th On Cambridge, Norwich and Peterborough, the Service Magic has ceased. January 6th On Ayr, Kent and Sussex Coast, the Service Magic has ceased. A new Service has popped up. Kiss is running at 128 kbit/s in Joint Stereo. January 5th Off-topic: Tests of DRM+ are to take place in Edinburgh during the first quarter of 2011. Although the announcement by the DRM Consortium does not mention the frequency to be used, one of its objectives, to assess the impact of DRM+ on FM and vice-versa, suggests that the tests will take place within Band II. The tests will be conducted using a variety of the system's possible modes (capacity versus ruggedness and hybrid versus fully digital) and will compare coverage using DRM+ with that achieved by FM at similar power levels. January 5th Off-topic: In Austria, the country's network of DVB-H transmissions has ceased with the turn of the year. The release of those frequencies offers the possibility of the phased introduction of DVB-T2 for terrestrial HDTV. January 5th (2) On Bristol, Berks & N Hants, Essex, Kent, South East Wales and Swindon, the Service Absolute90sTemp has ceased. January 4th On the Danish ensemble DR DAB2, the Service DR P5000 has fallen silent. The sub-channel is still running, though, currently at the reduced bitrate 32 kbit/s and in mono. January 4th A new Service has popped up on South East Wales. Voice Radio is running at 64 kbit/s. January 3rd Leeds, Teesside and Tyne & Wear Snapshots updated. January 3rd North East, North West and Yorkshire Snapshots updated. January 3rd On Bournemouth, Cornwall, Kent, Plymouth, South East Devon and Sussex Coast, Galaxy has been relabelled RetuneTo Capital. A new Service has popped up. Capital is running at 128 kbit/s. January 3rd On North East, North West, West Midlands, Yorkshire, Cambridge, Norwich, Peterborough, Berks & N Hants, Essex, South Hampshire and Swindon, Galaxy has been relabelled Capital. On Severn Estuary, Galaxy has been relabelled Capital UK. January 3rd On Nottinghamshire, TRENT FM has been relabelled Capital. On Leicestershire, LEICESTER SOUND has been relabelled Capital. On South East Wales, RED DRAGON FM has been relabelled Capital. January 1st The BBC has announced that the roll-out of BBC National DAB will continue with new transmitters at Saffron Walden, east Devon, Sunderland and High Wycombe during the first weeks of 2011. According to the announcement, the BBC aims to serve 92% of the UK population with DAB by the end of 2011. January 1st On Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, Heart has been relabelled Gem 106 EastMids. Galaxy has been relabelled RetuneTo Capital. A new Service labelled Heart has popped up. Stories from 2010 Stories from 2009 Stories from 2008 Stories from 2007 Stories from 2006 Stories from 2005 Stories from 2004 Stories from 2003 Stories from 2002 Stories from 2000 and 2001 |
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