 DAB Ensembles Worldwide by wohnort.org Last Update: July 3rd, 2009 |
|||||||||||||||||||
Ensemble Label
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Latest Updates and News July 3rd On NOW Leicester the Service leicester sound has been relabelled LEICESTER SOUND. July 3rd On NOW Nottingham the Service trent fm has been relabelled TRENT FM. July 3rd On NOW Cardiff∓Npt, to give Red Dragon FM a new SId, the existing Service red dragon has been relabelled Retune4 RDragon. A new Service has popped up, labelled RED DRAGON FM. July 2nd Snapshot of the Block 12B ensemble DAB THUERINGEN updated. July 2nd Snapshot of the Block 12A ensemble Sachsen K12A updated. July 2nd A new ensemble has popped up in Stockholm on Block 12D. Teracom Test is transmitting six audio services using DAB+. July 2nd A "little local difficulty" has erupted in Switzerland, where the Association of Swiss Private Radios (VSP) has decided that rather than support DAB+, it would prefer the proprietary system HD Radio to be used for digital radio. In response, the public-service broadcaster SRG/SSR, which has already achieved near universal coverage and mapped out a clear migration path to DAB+, points out that in Europe, save a couple of isolated test transmissions, HD Radio is non-existant and that there are no HD Radio receivers in the stores. According to SRG/SSR figures, 100,000 DAB receivers have been sold in Switzerland this year, bringing the total in use to around 300,000. The Swiss regulator BAKOM has already awarded capacity on a second ensemble for the German-speaking region, some of which went to VSP members. July 2nd Norkring België, a subsidiary of the Norwegian transmission provider, has been awarded the operation of a second DAB ensemble for the Flemish-speaking community in Belgium. The ensemble will operate on Block 11A and serve Vlaanderen (Flanders) and Brussels. The licence, awarded by the Flemish regulator VRM, lasts 15 years. July 2nd The Norwegian classical music service NRK Klassisk has ceased transmissions on FM. The public-service broadcaster's service can now only be heard on DAB, DVB-T or on the internet. Older stories further down this page...
IMPORTANT NEWS: Wohnort is moving. If you are seeing this message, then you may have been directed here from the old site. If so, please now follow the links on this page to the page you require, at www.wohnort.org/DAB/ Please use this address to reach Wohnort in future. The old address wohnort.demon.co.uk will likely cease in the near future. Apologies for any interruption in service during the migration. |
|||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Please send information and observations to: carey@wohnort.org |
|||||||||||||||||||
Update History July 1st Snapshots of the Swedish national ensemble SR RIKS DAB updated. July 1st Snapshot of the Norwegian national ensemble Norge Riks updated. July 1st In Australia, the DAB+ ensembles (one in each city) shared by the public-service broadcasters ABC and SBS are now on air in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. The ABC has published coverage prediction maps which are available for download. For Melbourne, the coverage is described as "interim" pending the completion of works to move transmissions to a new tower. That work is scheduled to be completed by November. June 30th Snapshots of the Danish national ensembles DR DAB1 and DR DAB2 updated. June 29th The ABC/SBS DAB+ ensemble for Sydney is reported to be testing intermittently. June 29th The UK national ensemble, Digital1 Network, is using spare capacity to conduct test transmissions until July 1st. The tests, timed to coincide with the Radio Festival, and transmitted during the daytime, consists of a mixed data and audio stream running at 192 kbit/s. Snapshot added of the tests. June 29th The Block 9D ensemble in Südtirol (Alto Adige), DABMEDIA 9D, is to migrate on June 30th to Block 13A. The move follows difficult negotiations with the Italian Defence Ministry to clear Channel 13 for DAB. The ensemble will be the first of four to migrate. The three national consortia Club DAB, C.R. DAB and EuroDAB have been granted the use of Blocks 13A (outside Südtirol), 13B and 13C. June 29th On NOW Essex, the Service essex fm is reported to have been relabelled Heart. On NOW Bournemouth, the Service 2CR is reported to have been relabelled Heart. On NOW W. Wiltshire, the Service Heart Wiltshire is reported to have been relabelled Heart. The Service Heart Bath remains labelled as such. June 29th The French regulator, the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel, has published in the Journal Officiel a revised list of frequencies to be used in the first three areas to receive DMB Radio services. In Marseille, in place of Blocks 6C, 6D, 8D, 9A and 9B, mentioned at the time that applications from service providers were invited, the Journal Officiel lists Blocks 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D and 8A. In Nice, in place of Blocks 6D, 7A, 7B, 7C and 7D, the Journal Officiel lists 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D and 11B. In Paris, the only difference between the frequencies listed in the invitations and the frequencies now published in the Journal Officiel appears to be the removal of Block 11D. June 28th On NOW S. Hampshire, the Service Ocean FM has been relabelled Heart. On NOW Sussex Coast, the Service southern fm has been relabelled Heart. June 28th MXR North East Snapshot updated. June 28th Snapshot of the Block 12D ensemble Berlin/BRBG 12 updated. June 28th Snapshot of the Norwegian ensemble Hedmark/Oppland updated. June 27th The ABC/SBS DAB+ ensembles are reported to be testing (some of them intermittently) in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth. June 27th (2) On Digital1 Network, the Service D1 Test B has been relabelled Fun Kids UK and is now running at 80 kbit/s in Mono. The bitrate of D1 Test A has dropped to 48 kbit/s. A new Audio Service has popped up. D1 Test 1 is running at 48 kbit/s in Mono. A new Data Service has popped up. ITIS_MILE TPEG is running in packet mode at 16 kbit/s. Snapshot updated. June 26th On NOW Kent, the Service invicta has been relabelled Heart. Snapshot updated. June 26th Those German commercial radio broadcasters who are members of the VPRT have decided at a meeting in Berlin not to support the planned relaunch of digital radio using DAB+ that was planned for end of this year/next year. They see the necessary conditions required for a successful introduction of DAB+ as not being fulfilled. Furthermore, without the assistance of public funds and regulatory pressure, they see little prospect any time in the next five to ten years. They recognise the value of the Band III spectrum that has been reserved for DAB, but call for radio broadcasting, Internet and multimedia services to be integrated into one network for inclusion in a [future] range of consumer devices. Mehr auf deutsch... Meanwhile... The other association to which German commercial radio broadcasters can belong (APR), the association of regional public-service broadcasters (ARD), the motoring organisation ADAC, the national public-service broadcaster (DeutschlandRadio), and the transmission provider Media Broadcast, along with both industry associations (VDA and ZVEI) had earlier issued a press release stating that they continue to work towards the digitalisation of terrestrial radio using DAB+. The release acknowledges economic hurdles, but states that they can be overcome with many partners taking an active role.
June 24th Snapshot of the Block 13A Norwegian ensemble Østafjells updated. This ensemble is dynamic and the configuration varies according to time of day. June 24th Snapshot of the Block 8C ensemble Berlin K8C updated. June 24th Snapshot of the tautologically-labelled Block 11A Leipzig ensemble Digitalradio added. June 24th Snapshot of the Block 12C ensemble Sachsen-Anhalt updated. June 24th Snapshot of the Block 11B Stuttgart ensemble SWR Test updated. June 23rd The L-band relay in Berlin of the British ensemble Digital1 Network is reported to have ceased. June 23rd Intermittent tests of the forthcoming ABC/SBS ensemble on Block 9C have been reported in Adelaide. June 23rd Radio Nederland reports that the country's commercial FM broadcasters such as Sky Radio, Radio 538 and BNR Nieuwsradio have been granted a six-year extension to their licences, which had been due to come up for renewal in 2011, providing they begin parallel transmission of their services using DAB. The decision was announced to the Dutch parliament by the Deputy Economic Affairs Minister Frank Heemskerk, who said that by September 2015 at least 80% of the population should be able to receive digital radio. June 23rd Snapshot added of the Block 7B ensemble DMB Vaticano. June 20th The BBC has brought into service a new transmitter on Block 12B. Rumster Forest extends coverage of BBC National DAB to the north-eastern corner of Scotland. June 20th OK, hands up all those who thought that after all the years of wrangling, a nationwide relaunch of digital radio using DAB+ was definitely going to take place in Germany, if not this year, then certainly by the end of next year, or well, possibly some time after that? The president of the association of commercial radio broadcasters (VPRT), Hans-Dieter Hillmoth, has now questioned the whole rationale for DAB+ in Germany, and called for radio broadcasting to remain in Band II using FM. His remarks have been condemned by the association of regional public-service broadcasters, the ARD, and by the national public-service broadcaster, DeutschlandRadio. One ray of hope is that Erwin Linnenbach of the commercial broadcaster Regiocast has voiced his support for DAB+. Wohnort has more or less tuned out of the whole to-ing and fro-ing of the German "debate", basically because it's too embarassing to watch. Suffice it to say that if any new DAB+ ensembles finally do make it onto the air, Wohnort will bring you snapshots. June 18th Snapshot added of the Block 12C Norwegian ensemble, Trønd/Møre og Ro. June 17th The Spanish government has amended the Royal Decree which specified the basis of the National Technical Plan for digital radio, with the aim of providing multiplex operators with "more flexibility" in the running of their networks. The obligation to provide a minimum coverage level is reduced from the current 50% to 20% of the population. Regrettably, "more flexibility" is likely to result in a number of DAB transmitters being decommisioned. June 17th The UK government's White Paper on "Digital Britain" has been published and makes a number of proposals regarding digital radio:-
June 17th DAB+ transmissions have begun in Sydney. The Blocks 9A and 9B transmissions are reported to have begun on June 15th, replacing the existing experimental transmissions on those channels. Commercial Radio Australia has issued a guidance note on how to purge the defunct test transmission services from receiver memories now that the DAB+ transmissions have begun. Public-service broadcasters ABC and SBS have announced their own DAB+ transmissions will begin in July. The new ensembles in Sydney are running on reduced power currently and are liable to interruptions during the initial testing phase. The Commercial Radio press announcement of the Sydney switch-on also revealed that the testing phase of the Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth ensembles has ended and that the transmitters serving those cities are now running at full power. June 16th A second DAB+ service has popped up on the Block 12C ensemble Sachsen-Anhalt. DAB+ Test is reported to be running at 64 kbit/s and broadcasting the audio of Radio Brocken. Stories prior to this date are now stored on the DAB Archives page. |
|||||||||||||||||||
I'd be grateful to receive information about other geographic areas.
carey@wohnort.org © 2009 space image by NASA-JPL 2008 |
|||||||||||||||||||
3