DAB+ or digital radio is appearing in just about every new car. But what is digital radio?
IF YOU’RE IN the market for a new car, you’ve no doubt heard the term digital radio or DAB+. But just what is digital radio, what does it do, and does it really matter if a car has it, or not?
In the last year, more than 800,000 new cars sold had DAB+ fitted from the factory. That means nearly every new car sold had it equipped. So if you’ve bought a new car, chances are you’ve used, or are wondering, what the technology really is.
What is it?
Digital radio in Australia sits alongside the well known AM/FM radio spectrum bands, and although it may one day replace them, we’re pretty far off from a switch-over date like we had with analogue to digital TV. And that’s because digital radio has some pretty big drawbacks, but we’ll cover that later.
In short, digital radio operates in its own wide-bandwidth broadcast spectrum (separate to FM and AM) and is extremely efficient compared to how traditional AM/FM broadcasts are transmitted. This means, usually, higher quality audio and more stations.
In Australia, digital audio broadcast (DAB) operates on the newer (since 2011) ‘plus’ standard, known simply as DAB+. Previously, DAB was the standard, however the new DAB+ architecture is more efficient than the previous. If you have an older DAB radio, you won’t receive DAB+ stations, but some stations might transmit in both DAB and DAB+ format.
For the nerds, the difference between DAB and DAB+ is, in short, that DAB was MP2 encoded and DAB+ is AAC+ encoded, meaning DAB+ is around three times more efficient now.
How do I get it?
If you want to receive digital radio, you need a DAB+ compatible receiver. This will be either standard or a cost option on new cars – some cars might not offer it at all – so ask at the dealership. Alternatively, an aftermarket headunit or standalone receiver that can be plugged into the aux input can be used on older cars.
What are the benefits of DAB+ exactly?
Because DAB+ stations fewer bits of spectrum than a traditional AM/FM radio station, there can be more stations. And the DAB+ broadcast can transmit much more information.
Updates such as the current, next and previous track and artist, traffic and news can all be supplied from the broadcaster. Audio also sounds clearer and hiss free, thanks to technology that cancels out static and noise. This means higher quality sound than AM, and the same or better than FM. But not always…
What are the drawbacks?
Although the compression is fantastic, if there are too many stations in a certain spectrum the quality drops. And unlike AM/FM radio wave transmission, which gets weaker as you move away, digital radio is either on or off. Meaning if the transmission is perceived as too weak, it will stop completely.
And this is a bit of a problem in fringe suburbs, because at the moment there’s only limited DAB+ coverage in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth (none in Hobart, Canberra or Darwin).
The coverage maps look good for most cities, but in reality things like buildings and can block the signal. When in these areas, DAB+ will tend to constantly drop in and out. Signal will also become weak in car parks and tunnels. Currently, tunnel operators range extend AM and FM broadcasts, but not DAB+.
We’re not going to see DAB+ broadcasts extended further anytime soon either, so if you’re driving from say, Melbourne to Sydney, you’ll need to tune into traditional AM/FM stations or load up some tunes from your mobile. Satellite radio, like what the US has, would solve this, but we’re probably not going to get it anytime soon.
What is hybrid digital radio?
What we’re now seeing in some new cars from Audi (and others soon) is ‘hybrid digital radio’, which uses cellular 4G or 5G data built into the car to fill the gap in signal when the DAB receiver doesn’t have reception. The idea is that you should have a lossless radio signal no matter how far from a city you are…as long as you have mobile reception.
What about mobile streaming?
Alternatively, apps like RadioApp, Pandora and Spotify can provide access to digital radio streams and music playlists. With recent connectivity like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, connecting the app to the car is easy. The sound quality using this method is as good, if not better, than DAB+. But it will eat into your data allowance (and pretty rapidly).
How do I tune in to DAB+?
If you have a DAB+ radio installed, then navigate to media and select digital radio or DAB+ in the radio section. It’s usually found alongside FM and AM selections.
Unlike AM/FM, you don’t need to manually search for a station’s bandwidth, and all available digital stations will be available in a list. There will be many of the AM/FM stations you know of now, plus a lot of stations you probably haven’t heard of before, like 80s, 90s, MyOMG, Buddha Radio and you can even tune in to the the dulcet sounds of Coles Radio.
If the sound stops suddenly, even if it was crystal clear, that’s because you’ve found a blackspot for transmission.
Can I get an antenna to improve signal?
Yes, there are external antennas available but installing these might require significant modification to the car. Not to mention the visual addition.
There’s also differences between broadcast channels here and overseas, so it’s best to talk to a professional about how to go about finding and installing the right antenna.
I still think FM sounds better…
That’s because some stations do. If there’s too many DAB+ stations on a certain spectrum, the quality will drop, whereas with FM there simply can’t be competing stations on the one wavelength.
What new cars have DAB+ exactly, and is there a coverage map for my area?
Check out the official digital radio plus website here.
What does it cost?
It doesn’t cost anything to tune in to digital radio – just like AM and FM – but you’ll need a DAB+ compatible radio.
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Most DAB stations stream at very low bit rates, so FM mostly sounds much better. 96Kb or 128Kb streams should be the norm, regrettably this is not the case, rendering DAB irrelevant for me.