Too soon to switch off analogue radio
Later today the House of Lords Communications Committee will warn against turning off analogue radio, as part of the digital switch over, in 2015. They’re right to say we’re not ready. Unlike television, old analogue radios cannot be easily converted to digital and, to manufacturers and retailers shame, a great many analogue radios are still for sale.
2015 doesn’t seem that far away. I’d expect a radio bought today to still be in use five years from now and digital radio will not be fitted as standard in all new cars until 2013, which is crazy.
The committee has found that while the benefits of the TV switch over were well understood — and that does appear to have gone remarkably well — the same is not true radio. A scrappage scheme for radios is proposed, which would be a good idea.
Analogue radio will be switched off. The space it takes on the spectrum will be needed for ever hungry digital services, but it’s unrealistic to do that until at least five years have elapsed from the last analogue radio’s sale.
Comments (5 comments)
Imagine the landfill from the millions of redundant car radios, not to mention all the expense claims from MPs for DAB radios. John Lewis had better stock up.
Stephen Bray / March 29th, 2010, 5:47 pm / #
I object to Analog Switch Off!
I have 8 analog radios around the house, garage & shed plus 2 car radios and a pocket portable. I am qite happy with the reception and have no need to change them. To replace these radios would at even £30 each would cost £270 (not including the replacement of hi-fi sterio unit) plus £200 for the car radios.
The only digital radio I have isstored in the loft due to poor performance!
There are over 100million domestic analog radios and 30 million analog car radios, wich would need replacing.
Most of the obsolete radios will end up in land fill.
Digital radios consume more power & waste power on stand by, this is very noticible in short battery life on portables,.
Most of these replacement radios would be made in China or other low cost areas sucking in imports.
I thought under this new government we were supposed to be saving money and not wasting money on unnessary spending on new radios.
John Pedrazzini / July 8th, 2010, 8:03 am / #
I had a DAB radio brought me for my birthday and today my daughter had to return it. the reception is absolutely rubbish. the only station I might listen to is Smooth. the station i love listening to is Gold (I am a 70yr OAP) and there was no way I could get that so back to the good old analogue radio for me and if I was asked my opinion on DAB radios I would say DONT BUY before YOU TRY
Ann Harrison / August 27th, 2010, 4:28 pm / #
I have brought a few digital radio’s since they were avalable . Although i think they sound great there is still a very big issue with signal i find you have to move the radio around very carefully before you even get a good halfway bar and even then you still get slight burbling which to be honest is even more annoying than the slight hiss from an fm radio. Also i work in a factory so i like to listen to the radio while i’m working i tried my pure dab peronal radio in there and couldn’t even get a whisper of a signal because os the metal roofing and steel frame and not to mention the interference from the machines.. I then switched over too fm mode and although the fm signal is still quite weak i can still listen to bbc radio 1 on it with slight interference and a slight hiss but it is still listenable.. I don’t think we are quite ready to turn off analogue radio until something can be done about the only/ but biggest issue with dab.. The signal needs to be a hell of a lot stonger..
ben / December 12th, 2010, 9:20 am / #
I have several DAB radios. When I have them on in different rooms, they are out of sync with each other, so I get an annoying overlap of sound. I do not get this problem with the FM radios I have when they are all tuned to the same program.
The FM radios have an nice and easy dial, so I can find the programe I want really easily. Digital I have to scroll through in alphabetical order till I get the one I need then press another button to confirm that is the one I need. I also prefer the sound of FM to digital.
I say keep FM and do not stop the signal.
U Tolaini / April 23rd, 2012, 10:21 pm / #
Post a comment