Radio NZ Bad reception East Coast Bays

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ronw

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#138105 19-Dec-2013 22:14

I seem to have very bad reception of RNZ stations in Browns Bay both on portables and on houe radio sets.
No problems with Radio Live or ZB stations just RNZ. I have tried both AM & FM and they both seem poor. Do others have problems with RNZ stations

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Geektastic

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#955367 20-Dec-2013 10:31

I get problems with it all over NZ! It's a far cry from the widely covered, RDS-enabled network we had in the UK which just switched frequencies automatically as you drove from one area to another.

I think FM is more or less entirely gone now in the UK, replaced with DAB radio.

Here in Martinborough I can't get RNZ on a radio at all at my house - just hissing. I have to use the internet over wifi or Sky.

ronw

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#955374 20-Dec-2013 10:45

You raise an interesting point about NZ not getting on board with Digital Radio. I know that both the Radio Network and RNZ have had trial transmissions of DAB+ but abandoned the trials presumably because the government showed no interest in Digital Radio.
What a pity that once again NZ misses out on new technology

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Geektastic

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#955375 20-Dec-2013 10:49

ronw: You raise an interesting point about NZ not getting on board with Digital Radio. I know that both the Radio Network and RNZ have had trial transmissions of DAB+ but abandoned the trials presumably because the government showed no interest in Digital Radio.
What a pity that once again NZ misses out on new technology

I was told that the frequencies they would need are going to be used for 4G instead but no idea if that is correct. Since the UK presumably has access to the same radio wave frequencies we do, and manages both DAB and 4G, not sure why they should be mutually exclusive.

Even cars in the UK and US now often have digital and/or satellite radio in them rather than FM.

I checked and FM will be switched off in the UK by 2017 so after that it is DAB or nothing.

Why didn't they merge radio and Freeview in NZ so that anyone with a TV could get digital radio after the switch to digital?

knoydart

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#955376 20-Dec-2013 10:50

There is a trail of DAB still live in Auckland and Wellington via a Kordia test Mux. AFAIK the radio industry has never desired to go digital. In the UK, DSO for radio has seemingly been put on hold because of the poor coverage compared to the FM service. FM will be here for a while yet. Anyway back to the topic in hand.

alasta

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#955379 20-Dec-2013 10:55

Analogue switch off in NZ would probably require at least a ten year lead time because of the age of our vehicle fleet.

knoydart

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#955381 20-Dec-2013 10:55

Geektastic:

I was told that the frequencies they would need are going to be used for 4G instead but no idea if that is correct.

Even cars in the UK and US now often have digital and/or satellite radio in them rather than FM.

I checked and FM will be switched off in the UK by 2017 so after that it is DAB or nothing.

Why didn't they merge radio and Freeview so that anyone with a TV could get digital radio after the switch to digital?

the UK DAB service is at 174 - 230 MHz which has just been vacted by DSO for television. There is also a 1450 - 1490ish MHz allocation which might be looked at for future mobile allocation but nothing yet and could be used.

Radio via Freeview already happens, radio stations can join in, by being another channel on a mux

webwat

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#955786 21-Dec-2013 12:37

I find it hard to get lots of stations while i'm working in Orewa. Seems to be just lots of bad coverage round there.

Time to find a new industry!