FAQ's
Abroad
Q: Can I receive stations from outside Ireland on my DAB receiver?
A: No. Unlike satellite radio or Internet radio, DAB digital radio is land based and only operates within its transmission range.
Q: Can I take my DAB digital radio abroad and still listen to the same stations?
A: No. DAB digital radio is a terrestrial technology using land-based transmitters. You can only listen to stations when you are within their transmission range. Some English language radio stations are available via satellite radio. For more information visit www.astra.lu.
Q: If I take my DAB digital radio abroad, will I be able to pick up foreign DAB services?
A: Yes. In Ireland, DAB services are broadcast on a band of spectrum called Band III. Many European countries also use Band III
Aerials
Q: Can I use my existing FM or TV aerial?
A: Possibly not, but give it a try. Some DAB stations can be received by plugging a standard FM or TV aerial into a DAB radio, but the best reception will always be via a DAB aerial. There’s no guarantee your existing aerial will work.
Q: Do I need a new aerial for my car?
A: Yes.
Many existing FM aerials are "helically wound". A helically wound aerial is short and stubby and is usually roof mounted. It is most often fitted to newer model cars and is designed to amplify the FM signal so may not work effectively with a DAB radio.
You can either buy a combined FM/DAB roof mounted aerial for your car and replace your existing aerial with it, or you can buy a separate DAB aerial to sit alongside your existing FM aerial. There are two types of DAB aerials available for the car, either a magnetic mount for steel panels, or an active glass strip aerial which is an adhesive amplified antenna for glass mount.
Q: What sort of aerial do I need?
A: Portable radios usually feature either a standard telescopic aerial, or with hand held models, the aerial is usually built in to the headphones. Your digital radio hi-fi tuner will come with an indoor aerial, either a ribbon dipole or a monopole (half dipole).
The aerial supplied should work well if you’re within DAB coverage area, however if you're listening in a basement, or your building is steel-framed, or reinforced concrete, you might need an external aerial. As a rule of thumb, if you already have poor FM or mobile phone reception, chances are you’ll need an external aerial. But first, see if placing the radio near to a window improves reception.
To obtain the best results from an external aerial, either use a dipole (omnidirectional aerial - should work well for moderate to strong signal levels provided it is vertically polarised) or, in exceptional circumstances, a Yaggi (which has a much higher gain than a dipole, but is directional - best suited where reception is poor and all transmitters are in the same direction).
The Yaggi aerial must be pointed at the transmitters. All DAB aerials must be vertically polarised. The higher the aerial is mounted, the better reception you will receive.
Analogue Switch-off
Q: Will analogue radio be switched off?
A: No, DAB and analogue radio will sit side by side for the foreseeable future.
Coverage
Q: Can I get DAB digital radio anywhere in Ireland?
A: Digital radio is currently available for 36% of Ireland’s population, in the Dublin and greater North East area. Digital radio will eventually be rolled out across Ireland. Check this website for further information on the national roll-out of digital radio.
Q: Can I get local stations from other parts of the country?
A: No. Because it's a terrestrial transmission system, you can only receive local stations within their transmitter range.
Q: Is the reception the same all over?
A: No, the reception you get depends on the coverage in your area. Stations also vary from region to region, so if you take your DAB radio from one part of the country to another, you'll need to "auto tune" it to pick up the stations that are locally available. Our coverage page is always updated so check back to see if there have been any coverage developments in your area.
Data Services
Q: Why's there a delay between analogue & DAB radio?
A: If you have the same station playing on two radios, one analogue and one DAB, you will notice there is a few seconds delay between the two. In fact you will hear the DAB broadcast slightly after the analogue version.
There's nothing wrong with your radio. If you have digital TV, you'll find the same thing happens when you switch between analogue and digital transmissions of the same channel.
The techie answer is when the station originates as an analogue broadcast, the signal must be transformed into a digital transmission using Mpeg2 encoding and COFDM modulation. This takes a couple of seconds, hence the delay when you hear it come out the other end.
So, when you hear the 9 o'clock news, it's actually about 9:00:02!
EPG – Electronic Programme Guide
Q: What is an EPG?
A: An EPG is an Electronic Programme Guide, similar to that available on cable or satellite TV. An EPG lets you see what's on now and next, to search programmes and to set an advance timer record. It lets you scroll through all the programmes available on the various stations up to a week in advance, and to select the ones you wish to access or store for future listening. Several products on the market are already EPG compatible, and more are expected in 2008. Check the Product Guide for more information.
Listening online
Q. Can I listen to digital radio on the internet?
Yes. Go to any of the station websites listed on DAB radios and you will be able to hear their services live on your PC.
Mobile Phones
Q: I can already get FM radio on my mobile phone, why can't I get DAB?
A: Pretty soon you will be able to buy a mobile phone with a DAB radio in it. Manufacturers, broadcasters and telecoms operators have been talking for a while and prototypes already exist.
Q: Will mobile phone technology make DAB digital radio obsolete?
A: No. 3G and other mobile technologies are likely always to remain one-to-one systems and not broadcast technologies (one to many). You can get the engaged tone on a mobile phone system or the mobile network can become busy when there is heavy traffic, but however many people use a digital radio broadcast signal, you will never get the busy tone. Mobile telephony experts have underlined the fact that even a 3G network can only deliver a limited amount of data to a limited number of users at a time. Some analysts believe that combining the one-to-one functionality of 3G with the broadcast efficiency of DAB digital radio may ultimately be a highly attractive solution.
More Coverage
Q: There is no DAB coverage in my area, will this change?
At the moment 36% of Ireland’s population can receive digital radio. See the coverage map of Ireland on this site to see where you can current receive digital radio.
Multiplex
Q: What is a multiplex?
A: A multiplex is a block of frequencies containing radio and data services. Using digital technology, more services can be carried within these blocks than can fit into a similar FM spectrum. So, there’s more room for more stations.
There are two multiplexes on air in the present DAB trial but is expected that many more will roll out around the country in the next two years.
Prices
Q: How much do DAB digital radios cost?
A: DAB kitchen radios start at €40. Hand-held products are priced from €80 and DAB clock radios start at €85. Hi-fi tuners and micro systems start at around €150. In-car radios vary in price depending on if you buy an all-in-one unit, or go for the separates option (a boot box and head unit). Integrated DAB radios start at €200. DAB digital radio is a relatively new technology, so prices will continue to fall as the market matures.
Programme Listings
Q: Where can I find out about programme listings for digital radio stations?
A: In much the same way as few national newspapers or listings magazines carry programme details of all the satellite TV channels, there is little printed information on DAB programmes currently available. However, many DAB stations list their programme details on their websites. You can find URL addresses for most DAB stations via our station finder. EPGs will become more widely available on radios soon and in due course some national listings magazines may include programme listings.
Retailers
Q: Where can I buy a DAB digital radio?
A: DAB digital radio receivers are stocked by many retailers around the Dublin area. They are available from most multiple high street electrical retailers and department stores such as Dixon’s, Power City, Argos as well as from many independent hi-fi dealers And you can buy online. For a complete list of retailers stocking DAB digital radios, visit our retailer page.
Stations
Q: What stations can I listen to with a digital radio?
A: For a complete list of stations available in Ireland please visit our station page
Subscriptions
Q: How much does it cost to subscribe to DAB digital radio channels?
A: Nothing. once you've bought your radio receiver, listening is absolutely free.
Text
Q: What is Text?
A: All DAB digital radio receivers come with a small screen. This screen serves two purposes: first it lets you scroll through a list of stations to find the one you want, and then, once you've settled on a station, it displays a line of scrolling text generated by that radio station.
Most stations already use scrolling text to broadcast their name and music format. Some also identify the track and artist you're listening to, tell you what songs are coming up next, deliver news headlines, sports results, contact web addresses and telephone numbers.
Trouble-Shooting
Q: I'm in coverage area but I can't get anything on my DAB Digital Radio. Why?
A: The first time you switch on your DAB Digital Radio you need to hit the Auto Tune button (also called Auto Scan) so it can pull in all the stations available in your area, otherwise it remains on factory settings. When you do this you'll see a number appear on the right of the screen which will rise as the scan continues. This tells you the number of stations you can receive. Once you’ve auto tuned the radio you don't need to do it again unless you take the radio to another part of the country with different coverage.
