Digital radios. Why do they cost 3-4 times as much as an analogue radio? Why do they chew through the batteries so quickly? Worst of all, the signal is out of synch with analogue, so they can’t be used within earshot of an analogue receiver. Total rip-off IMO. Is there any advantage to them?
Digital radio has been around in the UK for yonks, it just hasn’t taken off and it’s been around long enough there to suggest it never will.
pesce.del.giorno said:
Digital radios. Why do they cost 3-4 times as much as an analogue radio? Why do they chew through the batteries so quickly? Worst of all, the signal is out of synch with analogue, so they can’t be used within earshot of an analogue receiver. Total rip-off IMO. Is there any advantage to them?
Yes. No static and a clear sound.
(Apparently, I have never owned one)
Is analogue going off the air any time soon? I
pesce.del.giorno said:
Is there any advantage to them?
Content and sound quality for me.
Why are they so expensive? Do they have any unusual components, or is it just the novel technology rip-off?
Are they necessarily all that expensive? Some reasonably cheap ones amongst this lot. Some pleasing retro styling, too:
https://www.google.com.au/search?as_q=analogue+television&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&lr=&cr=&as_qdr=all&as_sitesearch=&as_occt=any&safe=images&tbs=&as_filetype=&as_rights=#as_qdr=all&lr=&q=digital+radio&tbm=shop
pesce.del.giorno said:
Is there any advantage to them?
They have extra channels not available on analogue.
Yeah the later ones (signal processing involved, they tried a few before extablishing the standards) I think is good at fixing multipath signal problems (fading etc). The delay is likely because of the signal processing, but I think has some other advantages also (for example back at the station and injecting more than one channel into the same carrier or band space – managing it).
With digital you can poke the program guide information or whatever in with the digital stream of music/voice content (and update it regular), but also you can have multiple channels streamed through the same carrier importantly, it which case to manage the redundancy or apply algorithms for compression for the multiple streams you need the delay to manage it. I can’t remember the details of how multipath signal fading was dealt with, but the idea would be to descriminate somehow (I remember it explained in NS when the first ones were being trialed in the US – filled half a car boot at that time), in fact if anyone can remember how it’s done, jog my memory.
pesce.del.giorno said:
Is analogue going off the air any time soon? I
No. AM and FM will be around for years, yet.
pesce.del.giorno said:
Digital radios. Why do they cost 3-4 times as much as an analogue radio? Why do they chew through the batteries so quickly? Worst of all, the signal is out of synch with analogue, so they can’t be used within earshot of an analogue receiver. Total rip-off IMO. Is there any advantage to them?
Yes much better sound, no static, consistent sound levels and no overlap of stations. Quality doesn’t change because you happen to move the radio from its optimum position. Also the radio will display the name of the station and the program if your model has a display and the station can be arsed to include the information. Downside is the station is either there or not at all.
My digital radio fades in an out. I have to extend to aerial more to get a constant signal but that doesn’t always work. With my old analogue, I didn’t need to extend the aerial at all. (for AM anyway.)