Always On Sale Blog

Radio fans in Australia now have a whole new way to hear their favourite radio stations – and many more exciting new stations, as well. Digital radio has arrived, with improved sound quality, new radio stations, and special features such as:

• Electronic radio program guides,
• Pause and rewind radio broadcasting,
• Downloadable music,
• Tuning by station name rather than frequency number,
• Text, graphics, and animations.

Just this past May and June, commercial and public radio stations in the five launch cities began broadcasting in the high-power digital radio format. For listeners in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide, this means receiving a much cleaner radio signal with a simpler method of finding stations and effectively tuning them in. Commercial Radio Australia is currently planning the rollout of digital radio to other areas throughout Australia, so if you happen to live in a city or town other than the initial five cities, your turn will soon be here.

To receive the new digital radio station signals, you will need to have a digital radio equipped for the DAB+ technology which broadcasts the radio signals. Be sure to look for the DAB+ enabled logo on a new digital radio to make sure it is compatible with the digital radio technology used in Australia. Some digital radios also feature an option to listen to stations in analogue FM mode, since existing non-digital stations will be around for some time still as households make the switch to digital radio.

When first using a digital radio, the “full scan” or “auto tune” feature must be activated so that the radio receiver can search for all available digital radio stations and add them to the radio’s memory. The “full scan” or “auto tune” should be used periodically as more and more digital radio stations go live, to ensure that the digital radio is receiving the full range of available digital signals.

Listeners who have tested Australia’s new digital radio broadcasting in the five initial cities are greatly impressed with the variety of stations and the crystal-clear reception. The improvement in sound quality is substantial, as the signal from a digital radio broadcast is comparable to CD-quality audio with absolutely no crackling or interference. In addition, radio listeners will no longer need to fiddle with their frequency dial to try to find the best tuning to receive a clear signal. With digital radio, the signal is instantly strong and clear.

• Also check out GadgetGuy’s great Digital Radio buyers guide.