DAB Radios

[Arthur Marshall]

I've been using a DAB car radio but it seems to have a big drain on the battery - any recommendations as to one that might be a bit less likely to leave me with the lights going out? I've only got room for one domestic battery.

[Nickhlx]

Car radios aren't designed to be economical with power as there is usually plenty available.. Also the more recent radios are a lot less power hungry than the earlier designs..

 

Whilst I haven't been a fan of DAB radio, I recently got a car with a DAB radio installed and am stunned by the number of stations and the (good) coverage that exists now... Not sure if its better / worse than a good FM signal, but I would be disappointed if I didn't have it for some reason.#

 

Nick

[CDS]

Arthur,John Lewis do a great DAB radio,it is made by Pure.

It comes with a power pack which costs extra,this goes where

the batteries should go and constantly charges the radio whenever

the radio is plugged in even with the radio switched off.Plug it in

when your cruising or your engines running,it just seems to run forever

on the smallest of charges.Downside for radio and pack is the cost £100.

You can buy the radio without the power pack which is £60.If your interested

I will look out my old box for the model number.Its a great bit of kit,powerpack

is ideal for boats.

[Nightwatch]

We bought a Roberts DAB radio from Mr Lewis's shop.

 

Has a built in charger for rechargeable batteries, takes ordinary batteries and works of mains. We are very pleased with it.

[BruceinSanity]

My Panasonic car radio pulls trivial current when it's on standby.

Edited March 31, 2016 by BruceinSanity

[MtB]

I've been using a DAB car radio but it seems to have a big drain on the battery - any recommendations as to one that might be a bit less likely to leave me with the lights going out? I've only got room for one domestic battery.

 

 

I find the same. Got home tonight to see my 400Ah of batts at 100%. Put the car DAB radio on and fire up the lappy, and an hour later its 98%...

 

Weird as the radio alone only draws 2A according to the clamp meter, yet it seem capable of running the batteries down at an alarming rate.

 

Mind you, my 400Ah of domestic battery comprises two utterly knackered batts and two decent engine starter batts so prolly only 200ah or so...

[Arthur Marshall]

We bought a Roberts DAB radio from Mr Lewis's shop.

 

Has a built in charger for rechargeable batteries, takes ordinary batteries and works of mains. We are very pleased with it.

Will i recharge the rechargeable batteries from a 12v feed? if so, which model??!

Pure seem to do a solar chargeable one... I'm getting too much choice syndrome. Maybe I'll just get another domestic battery.

[Nightwatch]

Will i recharge the rechargeable batteries from a 12v feed? if so, which model??!Pure seem to do a solar chargeable one... I'm getting too much choice syndrome. Maybe I'll just get another domestic battery.

Not that I'm aware.

[MtB]

Will i recharge the rechargeable batteries from a 12v feed? if so, which model??!

Pure seem to do a solar chargeable one... I'm getting too much choice syndrome. Maybe I'll just get another domestic battery.

 

 

My Pure One Elite will charge directly from the bote's 12v supply...

[Sea Dog]

We have a Roberts portable which is their 'eco' model. It eats batteries. On the boat I listen to Internet radio on my phone using a Cambridge rechargeable Bluetooth speaker with a 10 hour batter th life. No power problems at all.

[Athy]

We bought a Roberts DAB radio from Mr Lewis's shop.

 

Has a built in charger for rechargeable batteries, takes ordinary batteries and works of mains. We are very pleased with it.

Is it the "Vintage"? I bought myself one last December or thereabouts, have installed rechargeable batteries, I'm very pleased with it, also from John Lewis. It cost £107 (+ about £20 for the batteries) but that was still cheaper than the Pure range, which do look nice but I don't think they have much of a track record. Roberts are a very established and reputable make.

[PeterG]

Pure have an excellent track record in the DAB space and supply the DAB technology for lots of other DAB radio suppliers.

[RufusR]

we have a roberts solar DAB its great and lasts forever even on dull days keeps the batteries topped off if placed well . Ideal for boating IMO and great radio as well

[eightacre]

We have a little "Altius" DAB radio from Aldi. Cost about £15, rechargeable from a USB. Ideal.

[xub1]

I have just bought a Panasonic radio and I am very happy with it. It is dab/fm. The dab draws less power according to the info.

 

The thing about this radio is that it has ten preset buttons. The Roberts only has five. Ten is necessary, I feel. The sound is very good and so are the controls.

 

It uses mains or type C batteries. I use 5000ah rechargable batteries, but only just started with it so can't tell you how long they last. I can charge them up domestically, so have two sets on the go. I am hoping to charge then from boat battery as i have now got 200w of solar panel just set up.

 

But the radio is a beauty. I can tune in quickly to all the BBC stations but also Talksport, Talkradio, LBC, too, all so quickly and easily, in the drak even, by touch. I got one from sainburys for £45 on offer. The batteries are about £15 a set, if I remember right. The are EBL batteries. I got a smart charger for them, too.

 

I have made this investment because i am giving up with tv, so the licence fee has paid for them, and I am well set up. It is a real beauty, and the ten presets are so liberating.

 

Panasonic RF-D10EB-K portable DAB plus. Black/grey.

[MtB]

I have just bought a Panasonic radio and I am very happy with it. It is dab/fm. The dab draws less power according to the info.

 

The thing about this radio is that it has ten preset buttons. The Roberts only has five. Ten is necessary, I feel. The sound is very good and so are the controls.

 

It uses mains or type C batteries. I use 5000ah rechargable batteries, but only just started with it so can't tell you how long they last. I can charge them up domestically, so have two sets on the go. I am hoping to charge then from boat battery as i have now got 200w of solar panel just set up.

 

But the radio is a beauty. I can tune in quickly to all the BBC stations but also Talksport, Talkradio, LBC, too, all so quickly and easily, in the drak even, by touch. I got one from sainburys for £45 on offer. The batteries are about £15 a set, if I remember right. The are EBL batteries. I got a smart charger for them, too.

 

I have made this investment because i am giving up with tv, so the licence fee has paid for them, and I am well set up. It is a real beauty, and the ten presets are so liberating.

 

Panasonic RF-D10EB-K portable DAB plus. Black/grey.

 

 

A brief look at it suggests it lacks in one area, it isn't stereo.

 

But this is interesting. In addition to my (stereo) "Pure One Elite", I have a little "Pure One Mini" which is like a cut-down version of the Elite. Fewer memory locations, no 're-play' facility, and mono rather than stereo. And smaller and cheaper, obviously.

 

Now, I am in the habit of plugging the output of the (stereo) Pure One Elite into the proper hifi in the boat with really good speakers etc, and the sound quality is delightful given the low bit-rate of DAB.

 

Ok now the interesting bit. When I plug the output of the (mono) Pure One Mini into the boat hifi, the signal is actually reproduced in proper stereo even though the radio only plays in mono. So I'd say it is quite likely the same with your Panasonic. If you fancy a step up in radio quality, plug it into a stereo hifi system, assuming you have one, or are gonna get one.

 

 

(Spelling ejit.)

Edited April 3, 2016 by Mike the Boilerman

[xub1]

Who is to say something is better? I might think the tinny sound of a cheaper system is better because that is what I dig. That is the jigsaw piece you been looking for all this time. Think punk.

[MtB]

Who is to say something is better? I might think the tinny sound of a cheaper system is better because that is what I dig. That is the jigsaw piece you been looking for all this time. Think punk.

 

 

Well I'd say the people recording and producing it have a fair claim to that right. And they tended to use top quality Tannoy speakers and Quad amplification in the studio to get the sound right. So I suspect they'd prefer one listened on better hifi than tranny radios.

 

On the other hand a BBC documentary a few years ago examining Motown said they mixed their singles using a cheap tranny radio, as that is what most of their target audience would be using.

 

Personally, I find top end 1970s hifi makes listening to the art of musicians the very best experience. You appear to find otherwise and in fact, both of us are right for our own set of ears

[Arthur Brown]

DAB always has eaten batteries! It has improved but as the signal needs a computer to process it it's never going to be on a par with current AM or VHF sets. An early one of my DAB radios eat 4 x AA Duracells in ONE HOUR.

 

Possibly could you consider finding a timer to turn it off after say an hour or five hours.

[Athy]

 

 

 

 

On the other hand a BBC documentary a few years ago examining Motown said they mixed their singles using a cheap tranny radio, as that is what most of their target audience would be using.

 

 

I think there was some truth in this: Berry Gordy wanted a sound which would reach out and capture his listeners. By the same token, until about the late 1960s Berry would only listen to the first eight bars of any new production which his producers such as Holland, Dozier and Holland offered to him. Only if the recording grabbed him during those opening bars would he release it as a single. This explains the immediacy of all those '60s Motown hits. He reckoned that teenagers' (his main target audience at that time) attention would wander if the intro didn't hit the spot, and so a potential sale would be lost. Motown's success rate in the U.S. charts of those days suggests that he got it right.

 

The thing about this radio is that it has ten preset buttons. The Roberts only has five. Ten is necessary, I feel. The sound is very good and so are the controls.

 

 

Different strokes for different folks. I rarely, if ever, listen to any stations except Radios 2, 4, 4 Extra, 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra, so five settings will do me fine. But for people who like to explore a wider range of stations, yours would indeed be a better choice.

Edited April 4, 2016 by Athy