I feel that we do not know enough about dab to say whether this is the only option we should be left with, that is to say whilst some features of dab may be better there are always losses when signals are compressed.

I would prefer both signals to run in tandem until it is proven beyond doubt that the dab is reliably the best solution.

Hi I have a Yamaha HIFI RX-V596 RDS Model from the year 2000 a Home Theatre system & a Binatone Studio 5 Tower 29 years old 1981/ morphy Richards portable radio and Hatachi radio alarm clock from 2005 will the radio in the Vauxhall astra sxi be affected to.LW radio used to good because it had on there Long Wave Radio Atlantic 252 on KHZ it was a it music station before they got taken of the air in December 2001 from 1989.they played 12 in a row in the year 2001 2000 1999.why is FM MW LW being switch off. They are all good bands tuners they are.iPods like fm transmitters itrip they will still work on FM.will it affect my Yamaha HIFI aswell.

I have a radio in every room, and bought DAB for the kitchen. Unfortunately there are many problems – it’s heavy, expensive, and gets through batteries at an amazing rate In addition it takes ages to switch on and select a station. There is also a delay whilst the signal is interpreted, so if the FM radio is also on in the lounge, there is an annoying counterpoint to all the music. Also, they play different adverts on FM from DAB, which causes a horrible racket when both radios are on.
If they switch off FM I will listen to CDs instead of radio.

I have a quad 33/fm3/303 set-up and as sure as hell i aint going to get the same clarity from a didgi signal – and as quad dont do a dab tuner – looks like i’m going to be stuffed if the powers at be switch-off FM !!!Grrrrr!

To move forward in fm is great. We have tried in other formats and we should on fm as well, but note that the quality of units you bring to the market are plastic rubbish. So called High end dab units are a waste, if the unit is receiving nothing but a source that’s inferior as well. We need a superior source that also allows you to use the existing tuner of high quality through conversion, as there are tuners that have been made that wipe dab of the map. It was done with cd and all the time cd is being found again! why? because the first time we just through a product out there. You make new units that are not made to the same level as the old products and this is a further thorn in the goal to make better a product that does a job. If dab is so good or shall we say even hd i have now seen, why spend 4 grand on a magnum analogue tuner and look at the company as the reference for airwaves? Many other companies make a superb tuner that cost a quarter yet will be unable to work if we turn of analogue and go digital and cannot receive the new hd or dab or whatever through digital conversion. Note these tuners also wipe dab from the map. If anyone feels my comment is none valid” why then have magnum made backward compatible there units? so that there faithful clients have not wasted there money. If we are just servicing a need through force” what point then is there in spending anything but the minimum as your not interested in future proofing or giving a new pure source that can be maximised by prior superior products. just line your pockets through consulting the manufacturers at large to make a product in conjunction with a forced invention.

I wish to complain post strongly about the ludicrous decision to turn off FM radio in 2015.This will make all the radios that I own completely useless. I listen to a fantastic signal on FM and spend most of my time listening to Radio 3.It is absolutely outrageous that any government can even contemplate doing this.

DAB radio needs sorting out before FM is switched off. Many stations have dropped into mono, or low bit-rate stereo. Far too many stations are crammed into limited bandwidth. Other stations look now as if they will never be on DAB, eg. BBC Lincolnshire, Compass FM, BBC York.
Why can’t Block 11A be used, seeing that the second commercial multiplex never launched? I am seriously thinking of buying a second Foxsat PVR, setting it up in non-Freesat mode, and using that for my Hi-Fi Radio.

I have expensive FM radio receivers in every room. I also have a DAB tuner in the living room but it never gets listened to. The problem with DAB is it is outdated technology and is incapable of offering the same level of fidelity as its FM counterpart when used at low bitrates such as the ones we see here in the UK. In order for DAB to succeed it would require more bandwidth and an improved codec. 128kb/s MP2 joint stereo is not comparable to a good quality FM signal. Radio services on Freeview and Freesat are better quality than DAB but where are the local stations??

Could I perhaps take this opportunity to alert readers to my own site http://www.ten-myths-of-dab.co.uk ? Like others, I don’t have any issue with DAB as such. What I object to is the push and hype to try and con us into accepting that FM will be switched off.

Many thanks

@Michael Thomas

Your site isn’t a set of myths, more a set of observations.

I’m sure an ex “Director” can spot the problem with this:
“transmission costs have begun to exceed annual industry profitability”

I’ve heard all this sort of debate before when Laserdiscs were being replaced by DVDs with people moaning about bit rates. Crikey we had the same with Vinyl versus CDs.

The whole world is going digital, from computer communications, our own BT voice network, digital photography.

To keep paying for FM is throwing money at legacy which is not smart. Besides the fact my DAB radio works fine in my car, and I am listening to Test Match Special on DAB with Aggers and Tuffers right now and it sounds lovely to me.

I live in Lancashire but cannot pick up BBC Radio Lancashire at all on DAB yet BBC Lancashire can be picked up clearly on two FM frequencies and also on AM. Same goes on FM for BBC Merseyside, Leeds, Stoke, and Sheffield. Why is DAB reception so poor for these local stations? Do we have to live within spitting distance to receive BBC local radio? These days only BBC local radio provides variety broadcasting and is the only alternative to formats. On AM and FM BBC local radio is easy to receive yet on DAB most are unavailable, can this be fixed? Given DABs pathetic signal strength I doubt it!

I am truly shocked at the pathetic bandwidth being offered by DAB broadcasts currently. Far below the analogue equivalent. Almost all are worse than standard mp3 , and in mono with the less efficient mp2 codec at that! Many are in 64kbps mono, 80kbps mono. Listen to a 128kpbs mp3 vs a 320kpbs mp3 and you will hear the difference. If they turn off analogue FM they are killing sound quality completely on radio. That means no more live audio streams on the move. 4g never works over long range journeys.

I wear hearing aids and I cannot listen to DAB since the quality is terrible
The hearing aids are private top of the range quality

DAB is a useless, bad sounding broadcast platform that the professionals should be ashamed of plugging. I have been in two cars fitted with DAB and the receivers had severe difficulties recieving good signals. The usual burbling mud was the result and so FM was used. The same for walking along the street. As a mobile or portable system DAB is useless for radio on the move. As is often stated the bit rates are quite simply too low. The sound quality is worse than terrible with thin treble full of compression artefacts. We have to put up with mono too while the same services on FM are in stereo. Many stations are finding DAB uneconomic. In short DAB is useless, poor sound quality, poor error correction and not energy effecient. Many manufacturers assure us that battery life is now far better than earlier DAB receivers. That may be so. However I might get 38 hrs or so on a set of batteries with a DAB receiver, on a analogue receiver those batteries will last a few months. DAB is loser.

Listening to BBC radio 3 on FM is a fantastic musical experence.The original programming should be applauded,it’s all about the music!!!. The instruments have strong tonal colour, the spoken word is very natural sounding. Tried listening to radio 3 on DAB with my dual band tuner,AARGH the sound is dreadful!!. People sound like Martians!! Instruments have metallic sound and the whole experience is artificial. Quality FM stations like radio 3 and others will not survive the switch to DAB. Personally i won’t be listening to the radio if FM is switched off and that is economic suicide for the industry.

I heard on the Today program a few days ago that FM may be switched off by the end of 2017.

I had better buy a new car (with DAB) and various low quality DAB radios and bin all my perfectly good FM radios.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Relying on digital signal is a mistake. Such a switch would inconvenience hundreds of thousands of listeners who rely on radio for news. Our country is in no position to dumb down the population by denial of access to information. Not everyone is IT savy. I do not like the online radio stations because they clutter my PC with internet logs and can introduce potential difficulties keeping a PC in good health. There are thousands of exploits that easily could piggyback a live stream.

In an emergency, radio may be essential. I can’t port my PC around the house, but I can place a radio in each room. It’s cheaper to run a radio than a PC, so this move would cause harm to the enviroment. There is no good reason to ditch FM. It’s a deaf and blind bat concept which needs kicking well over the perimeter wall and into the playing field on Park Avenue. Dumb and stupid idea!

I don’t think fm switch off should happen, while any of us wish to use our old fm radios. Why can’t there be a transition period of 50 years or so. It is ridiculous that things are forced upon law-abiding taxpayers in the UK!
I do not wish to bin my beautiful old radio ; which I find more relaxing than modern technology & I do not wish to have a smart meter thank you very much!

In my house there is virtually ne DAB reception -only upstairs and right by the window. If they switch FM off I will be unable to listen to the radio

Please retain FM radio – all my HIFI and portable kit is not digital. Let’s give future generations an insight into “tuning to a channel”…it’s high quality and it works. Give folks a chance to catch up and for old eqpt to be redundant.

I’m a aerial installer and frequently get asked by customers that they can receive fm downstairs but can only get DAB upstairs as mentioned in a previous post.
When explain that the DAB signal is no good downstairs and I’ll have to install a separate aerial in loft or outside, plumb into they TV distribution it starts costing. Needless to say they very rarely so go ahead. In addition they usually have a portable DAB radio that doesn’t have an aerial socket so they need a new radio with one, some times I modify there radio at additional cost.
To sum up FM is a semi professional broadcast spec and works well in Cornwalls valleys.
The powers to be think if its digital its better, well I’ll agree for TV but there are completely wrong in my opinion for Radio.
PS if I can be of further help to the campaign please contact me.