Save FM

A pathetic effort to grab more money for selling off bandwidth, and replacing FM with a much inferior system

The quality of reception for the DAB system is FAR INFERIOR to the FM reception. Some parts of the country will be completely cut off from radio reception. The general waste of perfectly good radios being consigned to the rubbish heap on a whim is totally ridiculous. The promise of re-use in Africa is also misleading.

I have nothing against the technology used for DAB, just in the way it has been implemented by screwing down the quality to squeeze in as many stations per multiplex as possible. Until the full potential of DAB can be realised, including better coverage for network stations, then we are many years away from being in a position to switch off FM. The FM Band II radio spectrum is not especially valuable, especially if it is still going to accommodate broadcasting stations, and potential interference from neighbouring couontries will make the band less attractive commercially anyway. I say, improve DAB drastically - far too early to talk of FM switch-off!

dont turn of fm we need it here is absoultly nothing wronf with fm and i get all the stations on it lovely and clear i do not want to go out and start buying new radios just to use dab i want fm

Why should we be forced to have something that is inferior. Power to the people, stop this maddness.

have a look at TNT Audio - April and TNT Audio - March and TNT Audio - February which say it all about the pathetic bit rates and low content quality of BBC DAB.

More platforms and more airtime to fill, divided into the available talent pool simply reduces the average content quality whatever the transmission quality. Perhaps the low bit rates are to mask the pathetic content!

I will stick to my ancient Accuphase T101 FM tuner as long as FM is available.

A waste of millions of radios, a green disaster, a triumph for crazy capitalism. I hope that the new Coalition will see sense and ditch this mad idea.

It appalls me. We are old folk who live in an ex-guest-house with at least one FM radio - HiFi or portable, accumulated over the years - in every room, including several clock/radio-alarms. While I realise we could very sensibly prune the number of portables, we would still have to somehow replace (like most people)our car radio, plus several non-portable HIFi units that we have in different rooms where we work or relax. The cost to everyone in the UK is going to be ENORMOUS and the vested interests will be rubbing their hands in glee. The pro-digital lobby make much of replacing portables cheaply as the prices drop, but they completely ignore the FM component of every decent and much pricier HiFi system that will now be only half-useful.

I have just received a letter from Ed Vaisey MP. The last sentece reads:

"It would not be in anyone's interest to force stations on to DAB or to "switch off" FM at a time when it would leave any local stations without an appropriate broadcast platform, The assurance we can give, therefore, is that FM will continue for as long as it is needed and viable."

Sounds good but does not of course stop the BBC acting unilaterally to cut their FM transmissions. However, I suspect that a big plank has gone from their stance now.

My beloved 30 year old excellent quality FM tuner will be made obsolete by a dictatorial non democratic ruling, over which I have no choice. I also have a number of portable radios I use regularly. It seems like a very good way of losing most of your listeners, leaving us with whoever continues FM broadcasts. This can only be about money. Most things are!

I actually am a developer for all-digital stuff. But personall I do prefer my LPs and HQ-turntable, FM radio, non-digital photo-cameras and non-digital selfmade photos - I even bake my own bread, grow my own vegs and brew my own beer (sometimes).

The main thing about science and digital live is - not everything that IS possible, IS needed or good.

As an example - you can receive FM with an fruit-powered receiver (just 2 electrodes needed) - how much more energy is necessary to use a DAB+ receiver?

Or have you ever thought about what you would do, if there was no computer or internet? Nowadays most people would die of boredom, I think.

Not me - I also own a currently unused farm and know how to grow my seed and how to treat animals.

For me, all this hassle about FM switch off is mor a general question of technical evolution which definately leads in the wrong direction - to "depersonalisation".

HI!

I am an avid radio-listener, and have tried both DAB and FM radio. Perhaps it is just my location (Scottish Highlands) but the DAB signal just cannot compete with a good FM signal from my chimney-mounted antenna. It just sounds like the signal is missing from the very top and very bottom of the musical range, and DAB music sounds 'narrower'and less 'warm'. The outside antenna is designed for both DAB and FM, so the comparison is fair, however (contrary to the commercial hype) the signal from FM sounds far superior! My new DAB radio is back in it's box in the spare room! DON'T SWITCH OFF FM!! (If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!)

I was an early DAB adopter, and have now abandoned it. The key reason was reception, followed by audio quality. Maybe DAB+ will improve matters, but the future path seems confused.