FM-Dab aerial converter

[Andrew]

Really ?. Which parts of Sussex (where I live) and which services ?

[Mark Carver]

Both the SDL and D1 muxes have very few transmitters in East Sussex and Kent. SDL don't use Heathfield, or Dover. D1 do better, but both have patchy coverage compared to the BBC (who had first dibs on frequencies)

[RJH]

FWIW, I didn't get one of those, and ended up trying the windscreen aerial supplied. I almost didn't when I looked at it as I didn't want the wires stuck all over the windscreen. But I found a way to fit it out of sight.

Had a quick drive about and it seems to work fine - 3/3 bars in and around Sheffield. Drops to 1 or 2 if I cut the power to the aerial, but reception doesn't seem to be affected. I was curious about the power as there was no earth strap, which was a feature of the youtube videos I looked at before installing. Obviously gets its earth from the head unit.

I've a 500 mile north-south drive coming up so a fuller test then.

[Martin Brown]

Expect dropouts on parts of the A1 and M62 - its normal there really is no signal there. Whenever you are in a steep cutting it will fail.

FM just goes to mono and noisier but DAB is very much all or nothing.

[RJH]

Good point, thanks. I did check the local DAB map and reception seems to fall off at the city limits - I suppose it's similar across the country.

[williamwright]

It isn't a good test. Crosspool DAB is strong in the city (you can see it from most places!) and then there's Chesterfield, Clifton, and other transmitters not so far away.

Bill

[williamwright]

I don't get that with the BBC mux until I go right up Swaledale. Roof mounted quarterwave though.

Bill

[Dave Plowman (News]

On a national station like say R4, my car radio will switch automatically to FM if it loses the DAB signal. You can hear it do so due to latency.