DAB radio again - Times Radio starts broadcasting

[Thackeray]

I noticed that Times Radio started broadcasting this week, supposedly targetting the Radio 4 audience. I thought it might be interesting to have a listen and see what it's like. I'm not convinced that Fox News in America, also owned by the Murdochs, has been an unequivocal force for good. But despite this, Times Radio might or might not turn out to be interesting. The problem is how do you listen to it when you have a Lexus designed DAB radio? Maybe others will be interested to hear how I managed to set it up.

It turns out, after I did some research, that a likely reason early Lexus DAB radios are so hopeless is that Japan doesn't use DAB. Instead it uses some other digital standard. That being the case, when they implemented the DAB system for countries like the UK they probably didn't realise it was so hopeless, not having had any experience of how it should work for the listener.

Anyway, as I discovered some months ago, the key is the “ensemble” or “multiplex”. Stations are grouped into a stream of data which is called a multiplex; each multiplex might group 10 or 15 stations. There are several multiplexes, some national, some local. A decent DAB radio hides all this technical stuff and simply displays an alphabetical list of available stations. But the Lexus set-up instead requires you to find the multiplex that carries the station you want to listen to.

Knowing this, all I needed was the name of the multiplex that was carrying Times Radio. This is available on the internet but instead I used my DAB radio, switched to Times Radio and then displayed the info for the station. This told me that the multiplex is SDL National.

Later, in the car, I turned on the radio and pressed the tiny button marked Radio repeatedly until the DAB screen showed. At this point you move the Audio Controller wheel to the right and select Manual, which will show the name of the current Ensemble or Multiplex. You then need to press the right or left buttons on the radio itself until you display the SDL National ensemble. Lastly move the Audio Controller to the right and select stations. Times Radio should now be listed among the stations on this multiplex.

There's also a potential shortcut to save going through all the ensembles to find the one you want. If you have any of the stations broadcast on SDL National already stored on your presets you can go straight to this ensemble by selecting the preset and then select stations as above. Among stations you might already have on a preset from this ensemble are Virgin Radio, TalkSport and JazzFM. Here's a full list.

I wonder if Lexus has made the DAB system easier to use in more recent cars.

[matt8]

So what if you have two different stations in your favourites list, operating on different multiplexes? Do you need to switch between multiplex to enjoy those? Or will the system switch between them for you?

Doesn't sound user friendly at all!

[Thackeray]

If you have stations stored on presets you don't have to switch multiplexes yourself - the radio will switch to the new multiplex automatically. This is the advantage of putting favourite stations onto the presets - you then don't have to bother with all this multiplex/ensemble business. I've noticed, though, that if I switch one preset station to another preset station that's on the same ensemble, the switch is instant. But if I switch from one preset on one ensemble to another preset on a different ensemble there is a brief pause, presumably while the radio tunes into the different ensemble.

The radio is fine if you have the stations you want on presets. But, no, it isn't user friendly at all if you just want to browse stations.

You can also easily cycle through your presets using the steering wheel controls.

[royoftherovers]

1 hour ago, Thackeray said:

I noticed that Times Radio started broadcasting this week, supposedly targetting the Radio 4 audience. I thought it might be interesting to have a listen and see what it's like. I'm not convinced that Fox News in America, also owned by the Murdochs, has been an unequivocal force for good. But despite this, Times Radio might or might not turn out to be interesting. The problem is how do you listen to it when you have a Lexus designed DAB radio? Maybe others will be interested to hear how I managed to set it up.

It turns out, after I did some research, that a likely reason early Lexus DAB radios are so hopeless is that Japan doesn't use DAB. Instead it uses some other digital standard. That being the case, when they implemented the DAB system for countries like the UK they probably didn't realise it was so hopeless, not having had any experience of how it should work for the listener.

Anyway, as I discovered some months ago, the key is the “ensemble” or “multiplex”. Stations are grouped into a stream of data which is called a multiplex; each multiplex might group 10 or 15 stations. There are several multiplexes, some national, some local. A decent DAB radio hides all this technical stuff and simply displays an alphabetical list of available stations. But the Lexus set-up instead requires you to find the multiplex that carries the station you want to listen to.

Knowing this, all I needed was the name of the multiplex that was carrying Times Radio. This is available on the internet but instead I used my DAB radio, switched to Times Radio and then displayed the info for the station. This told me that the multiplex is SDL National.

Later, in the car, I turned on the radio and pressed the tiny button marked Radio repeatedly until the DAB screen showed. At this point you move the Audio Controller wheel to the right and select Manual, which will show the name of the current Ensemble or Multiplex. You then need to press the right or left buttons on the radio itself until you display the SDL National ensemble. Lastly move the Audio Controller to the right and select stations. Times Radio should now be listed among the stations on this multiplex.

There's also a potential shortcut to save going through all the ensembles to find the one you want. If you have any of the stations broadcast on SDL National already stored on your presets you can go straight to this ensemble by selecting the preset and then select stations as above. Among stations you might already have on a preset from this ensemble are Virgin Radio, TalkSport and JazzFM. Here's a full list.

I wonder if Lexus has made the DAB system easier to use in more recent cars.

A great write up William.

I must confess to casting my mind back to  Tony Hancock`s "Radio Ham" as I read it !

[Hadrian]

I don't know why finding a DAB station on a car radio should be so difficult. I don't have any problems

with my radios indoors.